Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 282

"You were just protecting what's yours," Wren said. "Protecting your name, and protecting the person you wanted to invite."

The child whispered, "But Grandma was mad."

"Grandma's emotions are her own responsibility."

Leo remembered she had said something similar before.

Dad's emotions are Dad's responsibility.

Mom's emotions are Mom's responsibility.

Now Grandma's were too.

He finally seemed to be slowly grasping that adult anger wasn't always his fault.

A child's understanding came slowly.

But as long as someone told him over and over again, he would gradually untangle himself from the burdens that didn't belong to him.

Before closing his eyes, Leo murmured, "Mom, I was a little bit brave today."

Wren's eyes prickled.

"Yes, very brave."

After coaxing the child to sleep, Wren returned to The East Wing Guest Suite.

Lawrence was standing at the door.

This time, he didn't block her path or step closer. He just spoke from a distance. "I called the school about today."

Wren looked at him. "And?"

"Willow won't be going to Leo's school again."

"I hope you keep your word."

Her tone was flat.

Lawrence frowned. "Don't you have anything else to say?"

"What do you want to hear?" Wren asked. "Thank you for finally believing your child when he said no? Or thank you for not taking her side anymore?"

Lawrence's expression darkened.

"I wasn't taking her side."

Wren stared at him for a few seconds.

"Your first reaction wasn't to ask if Leo was scared."

Lawrence froze.

Her voice was soft. "Your first reaction was to ask what happened at the Open House."

Just one short sentence.

But it pinned Lawrence to the spot.

He wanted to argue.

Then he remembered the text he had sent.

'What happened at the Open House?'

It really wasn't: 'How is Leo?'

Wren said nothing more and pushed the door open to the guest suite.

Lawrence stood outside as the door clicked shut in his face.

If Lawrence wasn't replying, it meant he was starting to care about the child.

And if he started to care about the child, he would interact with Wren more frequently.

That wasn't good.

But anything good could be sabotaged.

She still had Jude Sinclair.

She still had the Langford rehabilitation project.

She still had Eleanor.

Most importantly, she knew what Wren feared most.

Wren was terrified of Leo getting hurt.

So she just needed to make sure every conflict revolved around the child.

Willow looked down at the finalized schedule for The Langford Recovery Symposium Jude had sent her.

She typed slowly:

'Jude, for tomorrow's symposium, I'd like to add a personal sharing segment on family support systems. I'm not attacking anyone, but seeing how helpless a child can be in complex family dynamics today made me realize how crucial this module is.'

Jude replied a moment later.

'You can discuss family support, but don't allude to personal matters.'

Willow smiled softly at the text.

'Of course, I'll follow your lead.'

She would follow his lead, for now.