Page 184 of Guardian Daddy

Cate opened the door to her bedroom and came to a sudden stop as she saw Samantha standing there. Right in front of her closet . . . about to open it.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked sharply.

Samantha shouldn’t be in here. No one should be in here that she didn’t invite. Her breath started coming in sharp pants.

It just felt . . . wrong.

Cate patted her chest. She had to keep calm. Maybe she hadn’t touched anything.

“Oh, Cate. I thought you’d still be working.”

“You need to get out of here. I didn’t invite you into my room,” Cate told her firmly.

“Well, soon, this house will be mine. And don’t you think it’s a bit rude that you have the main bedroom? I mean, now that I’m living here, I thought you would want Rhodes to have the main suite. You barely have any clothes. What are you even keeping in here?” She reached for the closet door again and Cate gasped for breath.

She couldn’t go in there. She couldn’t.

“Get the fuck away from that door,” Ethan snapped from behind her.

Relief flooded her as Samantha turned back. The other woman’s mouth was open as she gaped up at Ethan.

“Excuse me!” Samantha screeched. “You do not get to speak to me like that!”

“I do when you’re somewhere you’re not supposed to be. Get the fuck out.”

“No! This should be mine!” she yelled.

That was it for Cate. She was already on edge with everything that had happened. Now, Samantha screaming like this was sending her over. She dropped to her bottom, putting her hands over her ears. She rocked back and forth.

“What the fuck is wrong with her?”

“You are what’s wrong,” he replied. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.”

“I’m going to talk to Rhodes about this!” Samantha stormed past them, slamming her door on the way out.

“Cate, baby,” Ethan said soothingly. “Hey, it’s just you and me. Everything is okay.”

But nothing was okay. She was having a meltdown. It was all too much. There was too much noise, too much openness.

She couldn’t . . . she just couldn’t.

“All right, baby. I’m going to pick you up and take you into the closet, okay? We’ll get you all of your favorite things to help make you feel better. Fuck that bitch. I’m going to ruin her fucking life for this. What was she even doing in here?”

While Cate agreed, this wasn’t what she needed right now. A whimper escaped her as he lifted her up into his arms and walked over to the closet.

He opened the door and carried her into the small room. Only, it was even smaller because there were several boxes lining one side.

Her breath was caught in her lungs. Had Samantha been in here? Had she put those there?

“Easy, Catie-pie. I’m so sorry. I put those boxes in there. Remember the shopping I did? These things arrived earlier. I piled them in here because I thought they’d be safe here from prying eyes. Didn’t realize that bitch would come in here.” He set her down on her cushion and placed her blanket over her. Then he handed her Lady before grabbing her headband with the built-in headphones.

But nothing was working. The headband was irritating her rather than soothing, and she pulled it off her head, taking several strands of hair with her.

“Whoa, baby. Stop. You’re hurting yourself.” Concern flooded Ethan. “I’m right here. I won’t let her do that again. Can you squeeze my hands?”

Cate stared down at his hands as though she hadn’t seen them before.

Fuck it.

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