Page 77 of Guardian Daddy

A huff escaped her, making him smile. Any sort of reaction was better than none at all.

She got into the SUV and he shut the door, walking around the front of the vehicle.

Calm down.

He climbed in and waited.

“Why aren’t we moving?” she asked. “Did you forget how to drive?”

“I’ve been driving since I was twelve, sweetheart.”

“Twelve?”

“Yep. I’m not moving until you put your seatbelt on.”

“Oh.” She drew it over herself. “I never forget my seatbelt.”

“Glad to hear it. But that makes it even more important that you get your sleep. You’re not thinking properly.”

She was silent as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

“It’s hard to sleep,” she said quietly.

Ethan glanced over at her. She looked serene, but she wasn’t fooling him.

“Because of all the changes?”

Cate nodded.

“It’s hard for you having so many new people in the house.”

“It’s not you,” she said quickly.

“Really? So you haven’t been hiding from me?”

“Maybe a bit. Are you mad?” she spoke in a calm voice, but her fingers were clenched tightly together.

Reaching over, he carefully laid his hand over hers. Her hands twitched, but he counted it as a victory that she didn’t move them away.

“I’m not mad, Cate. The only thing I’m upset about is that you’re putting your health at risk because of all these changes. I want to help you feel better. More at ease. Then you might be able to sleep and eat properly.”

“I was able to do that until . . .”

“Until Samantha moved in.”

“It will be fine.”

But he could tell she didn’t believe that. He followed the GPS instructions. Fuck, he hated driving in the city.

“Cate, it’s not fine if you’re not looking after yourself.”

Fuck. He wanted to offer to take over. To ensure that she ate and slept and had some balance in her life.

But that definitely did overstep the bounds of his job. Although if they were friends . . .

“I’m just worried about you. As your friend.” He turned his attention back to the road, placing both hands on the steering wheel.

He was tense as he navigated traffic.

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