Chapter 121
By the afternoon, Dorothea’s phone lit up with a call from Ladd.
“Hi, Dad.” She always got a bit anxious talking to him, worried he’d somehow guess that her marriage to Latham was just for show.
“Dorothea, hey… Garth is threatening to run away again. The kid really likes you. Would you mind letting him stay at your place for a couple days p>
Dorothea paused, then laughed. “Of course. He can stay as long as he wants. But Linda might have her hands full with him. Maybe his nanny could come along too?” “That’s perfect. Let’s have him stay a week. I’ll get his dad to pick him up after that.” She agreed easily, offering to pick Garth up herself, but Ladd waved her off.
“I’ll bring him over myself p>
Garth made a silly face at Scott, who was scowling on the sofa, then strutted out after his grandpa with his chin up like he was on an adventure.
Scott could only shake his head and call Latham.
When Ladd arrived at Dorothea’s place, he shot Linda a look.
Linda caught on right away. “Garth, which room do you want to sleep in p>
Garth, now six, was used to sleeping by himself, but his nanny usually slept in the
next room just in case he needed anything at night.
He pointed straight at Dorothea’s room. “I want to stay here p>
There was a spare guest room right next to hers.
“Alright, I’ll sleep there,” the nanny said with a smile. “We’ll be neighbors p>
But Garth spotted the clothes hanging on the rack at the end of the bed. “Grandpa, someone’s already living here p>
“That’s fine, that’s fine. This is Dorothea’s room. I’ll have Linda call her, she’ll understand p>
Linda flashed Ladd an ‘OK’ behind her back. Ladd looked pretty pleased with himself.
So much for sleeping in separate beds.
When Dorothea came home after work and saw that all her stuff had been moved into the master bedroom, she felt like her world was collapsing.
“Linda, what happened p>
Linda smiled sheepishly. “Ladd told me to do it. I just said it was your dressing room couldn’t exactly tell him you and Latham sleep in separate rooms p>
“And you know Garth. He’s too sharp. If he figures it out, he’ll run straight to Ladd p>
Dorothea let out a tight laugh. “Got it p>
Thank goodness Latham was out for dinner tonight. Otherwise, she’d probably die
of embarrassment right there.
She washed up in Latham’s
bathroom, stared at the enormous bed, and decided to claim the far side. At fine-thirty, she turned off the lights and forced herself to sleep. If, She was already asleep when Latham came back, maybe things wouldn’t be so awkward.
Around eleven, Latham came in. He noticed the small figure curled up on the bed. His eyes grew darker as he quietly walked over.
Dorothea was fast asleep, curled on her side, her shoulder strap half fallen down, rising and falling gently in the soft light.
Latham swallowed hard, then slipped into the bathroom. He showered quickly, steam still clinging to him when he came out.
He lifted the covers and carefully lay down behind her. The scent of her hair drifted
over to him. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.
Dorothea made a small, sleepy sound and instinctively snuggled closer to his chest.
Latham leaned in, his lips almost
brushing the back of her neck as he out softly with a quiet
breath
laugh Looks like you came to me on your own tonight, baby