Chapter 131
Latham couldn’t help but feel a pang in his chest as he looked at Dorothea,
swallowed up by the oversized blue-striped hospital gown. She looked so fragile, all skin and bones again. He’d worked so hard to get Linda to feed her three or four times a day, and she’d finally started filling out a little. Now, in just a few days, it was like all that progress had disappeared.
With a helpless sigh, Latham gently pinched her cheek, barely finding anything to hold on to. “Come on, be good, will you? If you get any skinnier, you won’t be cute anymore, Dorothea p>
His voice was so light and easy, it chased away some of the heaviness in her heart. She frowned at him. “Latham, that hurts p>
“If it hurts, maybe you’ll remember,” he teased, not letting up.
Dorothea pressed her lips together, clearly annoyed, and watched as he picked up a little porcelain bowl decorated with daisies, his fingertips lazily circling the warm edge.
He scooped up a spoonful of porridge. “The doctor says you need to eat light foods for now p>
“Open up p>
Dorothea still wasn’t used to being fussed over like this. She reached out to take the bowl. “I can do it myself p>
Latham pulled the bowl away before she could touch it, frowning. “Can’t you see that IV in your hand p>
Setting the bowl down, he moved to the left side of the bed, sat down, and gathered her into his arms, holding her close.
Dorothea let out a little gasp. “Are you out of your mind p>
“Nope,” Latham said, picking up the bowl again, completely unbothered. “But you just can’t behave when you eat, can you p>
He freed one hand and gave her a quick, playful smack on the butt. “Sit still. Eat your food p>
“If you don’t want to eat, I can always find something else to do p>
That was enough to make Dorothea stiffen up. She knew better than to challenge him when he was in this mood. Reluctantly, she opened her mouth.
The warm porridge slid down her throat, and even her taste buds, dulled by medication, caught a hint of sweetness.
“There’s yam and lily in there,” Latham explained. “So it doesn’t taste so bitter p>
“Is it good?” he asked, watching her closely.
Dorothea licked her lips. “It’s alright p>
So he fed her, spoon by spoon, never rushing, until the small bowl was empty. It took half an hour, but he didn’t seem to mind at all.
When she finally finished, Latham grinned, looking so pleased with himself “Good girl. Keep eating like this and maybe you’ll finally put on some weight. I’ll have something to hold on to p>
Dorothea rolled her eyes and elbowed him, making him let out a low, rough laugh. “Hey, elbowing me again p>
He caught her by the back of the neck, his voice dropping just a little. “If you keep moving, I’m going to kiss you p>
Her ears turned bright red. “You’re such a jerk. Total pervert p>
He just laughed, his voice deep and warm. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing. Be good and don’t move. Seriously, I’m getting… ideas p>
That shut Dorothea up right away. She went still, not daring to wriggle even a little.
“Then let me go,” she grumbled.
Being cradled like this was beyond embarrassing. She felt like a baby in his arms, and it made her cheeks burn.
Latham’s eyes darkened, and he swallowed hard. “No. I missed you. Just let me hold you for a while p>
Dorothea looked up, meeting his gaze. His eyes were so deep and unreadable that
she almost forgot what she was going to say.
She opened her mouth. “Latham, aren’t you into guys p>
Because right now, there was nothing about him that said he liked men at all.
He grinned, his voice playful. “I
asked a fortune teller on my last trip.
She said if liked men, I’d have bad
luck forever. So thought about it, and honestly, it’s just not worth it. Guess I’ll stick to women from now on
Dorothea was speechless.
Just then, the door to the hospital room slowly swung open.