Chapter 476: Love Me a Little More

Anne Sutton took a deep breath. She was genuinely afraid Nathan Fawcett would exasperate her to no end, but she managed to hold it in.

After dinner, Anne Sutton said to Nathan Fawcett, "I have a report to write. Why don’t you get Ian and Finn bathed and ready for bed?"

Nathan Fawcett ignored her.

Anne Sutton said, "I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Nathan Fawcett retorted, "Can’t you see I’m angry?"

"..." ’He wasn’t even angry last time I rejected his proposal.’

’And now he’s angry just because I brought up Justin Shields?’

’What’s gotten into him?’

Anne Sutton thought he was being utterly ridiculous.

Seeing that Nathan Fawcett was ignoring her, she couldn’t be bothered to placate him. Instead, she said to Ian, "Ian, take your little brother to get washed up for bed. Mommy is going to go write her report."

Ian replied, "Okay, Mommy. But Dad’s angry. Shouldn’t we cheer him up?"

"You can do it. I don’t have time."

With that, Anne Sutton went upstairs to the study and got to work on her report.

Being a doctor meant she was not only busy at the hospital but also at home.

Her days were packed.

She really didn’t have the energy to indulge his moodiness.

Nathan Fawcett sat on the sofa. Seeing that he was upset, Finn walked over and said, "Daddy, let me peel some fruit for you."

Compared to Anne and Ian, he was clearly the one in the family who treated Nathan Fawcett the best!

Nathan Fawcett glanced at the indifferent Anne Sutton, then at her little sycophant, Ian, before turning to Finn and saying, "Thank you."

Finn said, "You’re welcome. I’m happy to do it."

He was such a sweet boy, incredibly so. It was impossible for Nathan Fawcett not to dote on him.

...

It was almost eleven by the time Anne Sutton finished her report.

She stretched and glanced at the door, which hadn’t budged. Nathan Fawcett hadn’t come to find her at all.

’He’s being so quiet today.’

’He can’t possibly still be angry, can he?’

She left the study and went downstairs. The two little ones were asleep, leaving only Nathan Fawcett lying on the sofa, covered with a small blanket that the thoughtful Finn had placed over him.

Anne Sutton looked at the man with a sense of helplessness. She walked over to his side and woke him. "Why are you sleeping on the sofa?"

He opened his eyes and glanced at her. "All done?"

Anne Sutton nodded. "Yeah. What’s wrong? Not going to sleep in our room?"

"I’m in a bad mood," Nathan Fawcett said.

"Oh, that’s enough!" Anne Sutton said. "You’ve got nothing better to do all day than throw a fit over nothing."

Nathan Fawcett looked at her, then reached out and pulled her down to sit in front of him, wrapping his arms around her.

He was warm from having just been asleep.

Feeling him hugging her with his face pressed against her shoulder, Anne Sutton said, "Don’t be like this. Your mom will be back soon. How embarrassing would that be? Let’s hurry back to our room to sleep."

Nathan Fawcett held her tight. "You just don’t love me."

"What are you, some kind of lovesick fool? This is exactly how they act."

"Caleb Summers calls me that too," Nathan Fawcett said. "Could you be any ruder?"

"Well, he’s not wrong! You are." Anne Sutton rolled her eyes at him. "Who else acts like you? Huh? Look how long we’ve known each other. Does ’loving’ you even matter at this point? If I said I didn’t love you, would you just leave me?"

Nathan Fawcett stared at this woman, who was speaking with such righteous conviction. "Anne," he said, "you’re only saying this because you know I love you."

"..." Anne Sutton heard him but didn’t respond.

She changed the subject. "By the way, didn’t you say you were going to take Ian and Finn out this weekend?"

"I don’t feel like it anymore," Nathan Fawcett said. "I’m suddenly in a bad mood."

"..." Anne Sutton rolled her eyes at him. "Then don’t. It’s not like you like your sons anyway."

Hearing this, Nathan Fawcett started to laugh.

He held her, wanting to just talk with her for a while.

Not long after, the sound of a car pulling up came from outside. Anna Linden was home.

At that sound, Anne Sutton couldn’t sit still any longer and quickly scrambled out of his arms.

She went upstairs to take a shower.

...

When she came out of the bathroom after her shower, Nathan Fawcett was already upstairs.

"Is Dr. Linden asleep?" Anne Sutton asked.

Nathan Fawcett nodded. "Yeah."

Anna Linden often came home late. Sometimes, even if she finished work early, she would head over to Mrs. Sutton’s shop and chat with her until late into the evening.

Ever since becoming friends with Mrs. Sutton, Anna Linden seemed to have found a new joy in life.

"My mom and your mom get along pretty well," Nathan Fawcett commented.

"They do," said Anne Sutton. "Your mom would rather eat at my mother’s shop than bother coming home to eat with us."

"She can’t stand me."

Anne Sutton glanced at Nathan Fawcett. "Right now, I can’t stand you either."

Nathan Fawcett walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You hate me that much?"

"...Uh-huh," Anne Sutton nodded.

The corner of Nathan Fawcett’s mouth twitched. He lowered his head and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Do you hate me in bed, too?"

"..." His words made Anne Sutton laugh. "What kind of thing is that to say?"

Nathan Fawcett continued to kiss her.

It was as if he hoped to prove his worth in bed.

As they kissed, Anne Sutton couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

Lying in bed and leaning against the pillows, she looked at the man before her. A thin sheen of sweat had appeared on his forehead from their kiss.

Anne Sutton gazed at him, a smile playing on her lips. "Nathan."

Hearing her call his name so affectionately, Nathan Fawcett responded, "I’m here."

"I..." Anne Sutton wanted to say that she really did love him.

But...

She felt that saying it out loud would sound a little too sentimental.

In a low voice, Nathan Fawcett asked, "Love me?"

It was as if he could sense exactly what she was thinking.

Anne Sutton smiled. "Take a guess."

Nathan Fawcett kissed her eyelids. "Anne, please love me a little more. I know you’re cautious, but I hope you can find it in you to love me more. Make a little more room for me in your heart. Don’t just love Ian. Don’t just be nice to me as an afterthought because I’m his father. Do you have any idea how much that hurts me?"

"Mmm."

"What’s that ’Mmm’ supposed to mean?" He was not at all satisfied with her response.

"What do you think it means?" Anne Sutton replied.

"Then I’ll take that as a yes!" Nathan Fawcett declared. "From now on, just love me a little bit more each day. That’s all I need to be satisfied."

Hearing this, Anne Sutton nodded. "Okay, I’ll try my best."

...

When she woke up the next morning, the man beside her said, "Morning."

Anne Sutton opened her eyes, looked at him, and smiled.

Nathan Fawcett reached out, twirling a strand of her hair, which had grown out recently. "You can sleep in a little if you’re tired."

"When are we taking Ian and Finn out to play?" Anne Sutton asked.

"Whenever is convenient for you," Nathan Fawcett replied. "I’m free."

"Then let’s go out after breakfast."

Anne Sutton picked up her phone. "I’ll ask Sharon if she wants to come with us. She’s been at my mom’s shop ever since she got here and hasn’t really been out. It’d be good for her to get out for a bit."

She’d just gotten divorced. And while she seemed to be doing a lot better lately, the fact that she spent every day at the shop without going anywhere else still worried Anne Sutton.

That’s why she wanted to invite her along on their outing.

Hearing her plan, Nathan Fawcett nodded. "Alright."

Anne Sutton looked at him, then leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.