CHAPTER 438: CHAPTER 438: FROM NOW ON, YOU HAVE ME

"Why don’t you move to my place? Your sofa is really too small." Ronan Rhodes said.

Charlotte Sheffield was silent for a few seconds, then nodded and jokingly asked him, "Is it convenient?"

Ronan Rhodes furrowed his brows and said, "I live alone, what’s inconvenient about it?"

The waiter brought the dishes over, and Ronan Rhodes reacted, saying to the waiter, "Could you please get me a spoon?"

"Sure, sir, please wait a moment."

After the waiter left, Ronan Rhodes looked at Charlotte Sheffield’s hands and asked her, "Is using chopsticks getting difficult for you?"

Charlotte Sheffield lowered her gaze, pursed her lips, and nodded, candidly telling him about her current condition for the first time, "My fingers have become a bit uncontrollable. It started getting worse just a few days ago, so I haven’t been out selling flowers."

Ronan Rhodes smiled, trying not to bring her any pessimistic emotions, and said, "No wonder you’ve been too lazy to even tie your hair lately. Besides your hands, is there anywhere else feeling uncomfortable?"

"For now, it’s all good."

Ronan Rhodes: "Is there somewhere you want to go? While you can still jump around, let me take you to enjoy what you should, otherwise when you’re in a wheelchair, I push you out and all you can do is watch others play."

Ronan Rhodes’s optimistic attitude somewhat influenced Charlotte Sheffield.

The illness that originally had her feeling hopeless seemed a lot less bleak when hearing him speak like this.

She even envisioned the scenario of being unable to walk, sitting in a wheelchair, with him pushing her to see the world’s bustling beauty.

Thinking of it, it seemed quite lovely.

After dinner, Ronan Rhodes helped her move her things, which were mainly clothes and some painting supplies.

It was during the packing process, spotting those paints and canvases, that Ronan Rhodes realized she liked painting.

Charlotte Sheffield initially said not to take those things because she wouldn’t be able to use them in the future; even writing was becoming difficult, let alone painting.

Yet, Ronan Rhodes still tidily packed those painting tools into a box.

The rest of the household items were mostly old, so none of them were taken.

Gathering her things didn’t take much—just a box of clothes and some small trinkets—one car was enough to take them away.

This was Charlotte Sheffield’s first time coming to his home, though it seemed even he hadn’t been home for quite a while.

When they arrived, the cleaning lady they hired hadn’t left yet.

"Little Ronan, changed girlfriends again?" Upon entering, the aunt greeted Ronan Rhodes familiarly.

Ronan Rhodes quickly signaled: "Just this one girlfriend."

Charlotte Sheffield merely smiled; she knew what kind of person he was before and he hadn’t hidden or lied to her, so having decided to be with him, she wouldn’t mind his past.

"Today, just rest well, think about where you want to go play, and tomorrow we’ll set off."

Charlotte Sheffield smiled and teased him, "So urgent like you’re fulfilling my last wishes or something."

Ronan Rhodes frowned and glared at her: "Don’t talk nonsense! I just rarely have vacation time to take you out to play; once I start working again, who knows how long it’ll be before I have vacation."

"But I haven’t thought about where to go yet."

Ronan Rhodes thought for a moment and said, "Then I’ll plan it, I’ll take you wherever I decide, but..."

Pausing deliberately with a deep smile at Charlotte Sheffield, he continued, "Now that our relationship is confirmed, why don’t we set some time to visit your parents?"

Upon hearing this, Charlotte Sheffield’s smile froze a bit, explaining, "... My mother is remarried, so it’s not convenient to meet them, even I haven’t seen them in a while."

Ronan Rhodes immediately understood and nodded, smiling as he pulled her into his arms: "No worries, you have me from now on."

"Thank you."

Ronan Rhodes: "Don’t act so formally; I’m not used to it. I prefer you bickering with me for no reason."

Charlotte Sheffield smiled without saying anything.

Ronan Rhodes asked again: "They don’t know about your illness, right?"

Charlotte Sheffield shook her head: "I haven’t told anyone."

Ronan Rhodes raised his hand to rub her hair: "Silly girl, don’t do everything alone. In the future, you can tell me anything."

Charlotte Sheffield pushed his hand away: "Don’t be so melodramatic, step back a bit."

Ronan Rhodes chuckled and walked into a room, standing by the door, he said, "I’ve prepared this room for you, see if anything is missing. Also, if you want to stay with me, my room is larger."

Charlotte Sheffield replied without thinking, "This room is fine for me."

After the cleaning lady left, Charlotte Sheffield started organizing her clothes in her room.

The unfamiliar home made her feel quite emotional; getting ill had made her open up a lot.

At least she definitely wouldn’t have impulsively considered spending a lifetime with a man before.

In the evening, Ronan Rhodes not only researched travel guides but also took the time to understand depression more deeply, wanting to understand Charlotte Sheffield’s inner world better, hoping his company could be of help to her.

...

With the season changing and the weather getting colder, Shannon Quinn found some slightly thicker clothes for Leo, organizing them in the wardrobe.

Watching Leo clumsily pull a sweater onto himself, though he seemed awkward, he hadn’t asked her for help from start to finish, Shannon Quinn realized then, the child had grown up.

"Mom, I heard from Grandma that you’re going out to play?"

Shannon Quinn paused her action folding clothes, turned to Leo, nodded and said, "Mom was about to tell you about this. Mom and the uncles and aunts from work will go out to play for two days. Grandma will go take care of your uncle for a few days, so for these two days, it’ll be just you and Dad at home. Dad will take you to and from school. Tell Dad what you want to eat. Also, bring an extra jacket to school when it’s cold, so you don’t catch a cold. Supervise each other with your dad: remind him to bring an extra jacket when going out."

Leo, slightly impatient, said, "Got it."

Then, like a little adult, he started to admonish Shannon Quinn, "Just take care of yourself, don’t get kidnapped by bad guys when you go out."

Shannon Quinn laughed: "Do you think mom is you? Worrying about me like this."

A voice suddenly sounded from the doorway, "I think the kid is right. I’m quite worried about you too, you seem like the kind of person who’s easy to deceive. Don’t get tricked while playing, losing money is a minor issue, don’t end up losing yourself."

Shannon Quinn rolled her eyes at Landon Sutton standing at the door: "I’m a person in my forties. Why do both of you think you’re particularly clever?"

Landon Sutton walked in, pulled Shannon Quinn up from folding clothes on the bed, and said to Leo, "Fold your clothes yourself. You’re not a three or four-year-old anymore; learn to do your own tasks, don’t wear your mother out."

Leo pouted, silently picked up his clothes and began folding them in a decent manner, murmuring softly, "Your clothes are still folded by mom."