Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
She sighed. “All right. If I have to.”
He handed her the cup and she started drinking from it as he stood with her in his arms.
“You can go to bed, man,” he said to Rhodes.
The other man looked even more tired than Ethan felt.
“Yeah. Not that I can sleep.”
“Samantha is still calling you?” Ethan asked.
“I’ve blocked her number. Kevin is trying to grovel back into my good graces. I’m meeting with my lawyer about the contract I have with him. I don’t know how that’s going to go.”
Ethan grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around Cate before he carried her into the kitchen. He set her down on her stool. She was still sucking on the sippy cup. For someone who didn’t want to drink any water, she certainly seemed thirsty. Rhodes sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her back before he kissed the top of her head.
“I won’t have either of them hurt Cate again, though. So they can both fuck off.”
Ethan completely agreed. He pulled out the ice cream and put a scoop in a bowl for Cate. She drew the sippy cup away from her mouth.
“More, Daddy!”
“Excuse me?” he asked sternly.
She looked cute in her ladybug pajamas. He’d braided her hair before bed, but it was a mess now from all the tossing and turning she’d done. Fuck, he hated these night terrors.
“Please, Daddy.”
“One more spoonful. Keep drinking.”
Ethan put another small scoop into the bowl. Cate frowned but kept drinking.
“I’ve got Brody looking into both of them further,” Ethan confessed to Rhodes.
“What? Why?”
“Because they hurt my girl and they have to pay,” Ethan replied darkly. “So I’m going to find something to make their lives miserable.”
“Huh. I didn’t think you had that in you. You always seem so calm and in control.”
“Nobody hurts Cate.”
“Hopefully, the cops track down the asshole who tried to run you off the road,” Rhodes said. “And if he’s the stalker, then that would solve most of our problems.”
Ethan grunted. He’d gotten a call from the cops late yesterday afternoon to let him know they had identified the driver of the car that had tried to run them off the road. They’d managed to get a good image from a traffic camera when he’d run a red light.
He had a record and an outstanding warrant for assault. Unfortunately, he was still out there.
“Finished!” Cate crowed, slamming the sippy cup down. “I am such a good girl.”
Ethan and Rhodes both grinned at her.
“The very best,” Ethan told her, loving the way she giggled. Leaning over the counter, he tickled under her neck.
“Daddy, no! I will need to pee!”
God, he wished she could be this happy and carefree all the time. He decided that was going to be his aim in life. To take away all of her stress. To worry about everything so that she didn’t have to. So she could just live. She deserved that after all of the shit she’d been through.
“Here you are. Eat your ice cream and then it’s back to bed.”
She hummed happily, then looked around. “Daddy!”
“What is it?”
“You forgot Lady’s ice cream!”
“Lady doesn’t need any ice cream. It’s not good for ladybugs.”
She gasped. It was such a dramatic gasp that she started to fall backward, and Rhodes had to grab her.
“Daddy! How dare you! Ladybugs can have ice cream. Lady always has ice cream! Tell him, Rhoddy!”
“It is true,” Rhodes agreed with a sly grin. “Lady always has ice cream as well.”
“Where is she?” Cate asked. “I’ve lost Lady! I’m a terrible Lady owner!”
“It’s all right, I’ll get her,” Ethan soothed her. “And get her some ice cream.”
“Got you wrapped around her little finger, doesn’t she?” Rhodes teased him as he returned with Lady.
Cate took her with a small smile as Ethan shook his head at Rhodes. “Like you can talk.” He turned to Cate. “What do you say?”
“Lady needs her ice cream, Daddy.”
“No. That’s not what you say. You need to use your manners.”
“Oh! Thank you, Daddy.”
“That’s better. Good girl.” He gave Lady a small bowl of ice cream. “There you are, Lady. What do you say?”
“Daddy! Lady can’t talk. She’s a stuffed toy.” Cate shook her head incredulously before leaning against Rhodes. “Do you think Daddy is okay?”
“I’m not sure,” Rhodes replied. “Has he ever been okay?”
“It’s debatable.”
“What is this? Pick On Daddy Day?” he asked her.
She smiled up at him.
“I’ve been thinking,” Rhodes said as Cate started feeding herself and Lady.
“Yeah?”
“I think that you and Cate should go to my vacation home at Big Bear Lake.”
Ethan frowned. “A vacation home?”
“It has a security system. Not as good as what you guys put in here, but there is one. And if Cate gets away from here, she’s not likely to be a target. I would have sent her away earlier, but I didn’t want her going away with a stranger. I knew she wouldn’t cope. But now you can go with her and take care of her. I think she needs to get away from here. It might help with her night terrors.”