Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 53: Chapter 53

Lane couldn’t take her eyes off the man walking toward her. She felt her heart race the second their eyes locked.

The owner of that deep baritone voice was none other than Ethan.

She noticed several women glancing at him as they passed by. How could they not? He wasn’t just handsome. He was tall and commanding. He looked like a model hitting the runway, even in a simple white long-sleeved shirt. He really pulled it off.

His muscular frame was hard to miss, especially the veins in his forearms since his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. But Ethan didn’t give those other women a second look.

His eyes stayed fixed on her as if she were the only person in the room.

When Ethan finally reached her, he towered over her, forcing her to look up to meet his gaze.

"What are you doing here, Ethan?" Lane asked.

"You’re here to look for baby stuff, right?" he countered.

She nodded. "Yes."

"That’s why I’m here, Lane. I want to look at things for our baby with you," he told her.

"But I’m not buying anything yet. I’m just window shopping," she replied.

"Well, since we’re already here, why not just get a head start?"

"It’s about the gender," she said, resting a hand on her growing belly. "We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet."

She saw his brow furrow, but as his gaze dropped to her hand on her stomach, his expression softened in a way she hadn’t seen before.

"When do we find out the gender?" Ethan asked, looking back up.

"Probably when I’m five months along," she said.

Ethan nodded as if he were mentally marking the date on a calendar. "We can still buy things. We’ll just stick to unisex items for now," he said.

Before she could argue, she felt his hand slide to her lower back. "Let’s go," he said, gently guiding her forward.

Lane noticed people staring, and she could hear the whispers from the shoppers they passed.

"He is so hot. Too bad he’s married."

"His wife is gorgeous, though. She has such a sweet face."

"They look like a total power couple."

Lane bit her lip, feeling a bit flustered by the comments, but she kept her eyes ahead.

Once they hit the department store’s baby section, a smile spread across her face. She was excited, but Ethan seemed even more hyped.

He immediately started browsing the racks, looking remarkably serious about picking out the best items. He even grilled the sales assistant with a ton of questions.

Everything he liked, he tossed in the pile. When they finally got to the counter, Lane reached for her bag. She was about to hand her card to the cashier when Ethan stopped her. He looked at her with his eyebrows knit together.

"What are you doing, Lane?"

"I-I’ll pay," she stammered.

His scowl deepened. "Put your card away. I’ve got this," he said firmly.

She bit her lip and stepped back as Ethan handed his black card to the cashier. She cleared her throat, feeling a little restless.

"Ethan, hang on a sec. I need to grab something else," she said.

She didn’t wait for a "yes" before heading over to the maternity section. She moved fast, not wanting to keep him waiting, and picked out five dresses she liked.

On her way back to Ethan, she passed the men’s department and stopped in her tracks. A few blue and black long-sleeved shirts caught her eye.

She smiled, thinking of Ethan. She wanted to add some color to his monochrome wardrobe. She wasn’t sure if he’d actually wear them, but she decided to take the risk. She even picked out a polo shirt she thought would look great on him. After getting a sales rep to help her with Ethan’s size, she headed back to the counter with a grin.

She found him looking around for her, and he stopped the second he saw her. He closed the distance in one stride and took the items from her arms, noticing she hadn’t bothered with a basket.

"What’s all this?" he asked.

"Maternity dresses," she said. "My old clothes are getting way too tight."

Ethan didn’t seem to notice the men’s shirts mixed in, so she didn’t say anything. They headed to the counter to settle the bill. Since these were "her" items, Lane tried to pull out her card again.

"Why are there long-sleeved shirts and a polo in here, Lane?"

She looked up at the sound of his voice. He was staring at the men’s clothes as the cashier scanned them.

"They’re for someone," she said vaguely, avoiding the fact that they were for him.

Ethan looked at her, and she was caught off guard by the look on his face. He was staring at her with his brows furrowed and his lips pressed tight, looking genuinely frustrated.

Lane couldn’t help but frown as she emptied her shopping bag, finding only her maternity dresses. The long-sleeved shirts and the polo she’d bought for Ethan were nowhere to be found.

She was positive they were in a separate bag because she’d specifically asked the cashier to pack them that way.

She’d planned on giving them to Ethan as soon as he got home from work, but they were missing in action. She figured they might have gotten mixed in with all the baby gear they’d bought.

She headed out to track them down. She checked the guest room first, but came up empty-handed, so she decided to hunt down Clara to see if she knew anything.

"Clara, where’d you put the baby stuff Ethan and I brought home?" Lane asked the second she stepped into the kitchen.

"They’re in one of the guest rooms downstairs, Miss Lane," Clara replied.

"Which one?" Lane asked, since there were a ton of them.

"The first one on the left."

"Got it. Thanks," Lane said, already turning on her heel.

She rushed to the room and started digging through the bags. But even after checking every single purchase, there was still no sign of the bag with the shirts.

Where on earth could it be? she wondered. She distinctly remembered Ethan carrying it out of the mall and tossing it in the backseat. The bulkier stuff had been delivered straight to the mansion, but that bag should have been with them.

There was no way he left it in the car, but she decided to call him just to be sure.

She pulled her phone out and dialed his number. It rang three times before he picked up.

"Hey, Lane. Why are you calling?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything’s fine," she said. "I’m sorry to bug you at work, but I wanted to ask you something."

"What’s up?"

"Did you happen to see that paper bag with the long-sleeves and the polo shirt?"

Silence.

For a second, she thought the call had dropped. She pulled the phone away from her ear to check the screen, but the timer was still running. She put it back to her ear.

"Ethan? You still there?"

"I’m here," he said after a long pause.

"Oh. Well... did you see it?" she asked again.

He hesitated before muttering, "No."

She pouted. "Where could it have gone?"

"It’s probably around there somewhere," he replied.

"Okay, I’ll keep looking," she said. She was about to hang up when he stopped her.

"Lane."

"Yeah?"

"Don’t worry about cooking dinner tonight," he told her.

Lane froze. Her heart sank, and she felt a sharp pang in her chest. Did he hate her cooking now? Was he getting bored of her meals? She felt a wave of sadness wash over her, thinking he was going back to his old, cold self.

"O-okay," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"I want you to get ready later," he continued. "We’re going out for dinner."

Lane’s jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" she asked, sure she’d misheard him. "We’re going out?"

"Yes, Lane. Just wait for me there."

The sadness vanished instantly, popped like a bubble. She couldn’t help but beam. "Okay!"

Just as he was about to hang up, she called out to him. "Ethan."

"Hmm?"

"Drive safe on your way home," she said softly.

"I will, Lane."

The smile stayed on her face long after the call ended—at least until she remembered the missing bag. She went back to the kitchen to ask Clara one more time, since the staff had helped unload the car.

"Clara are you sure you didn’t see another bag?" she asked. "The one with the shirts?"

"A paper bag?" Clara asked. "The one with the long-sleeves?"

Lane nodded fast. "Yes! That’s the one. I’ve been looking everywhere."

"The guard found it outside earlier, Ma’am. It was in the trash," Clara admitted. "I meant to tell you, but it totally slipped my mind."

Lane’s face fell. "The trash?"

"Yes, Ma’am. It must have been thrown out by mistake."

"I guess," Lane said, trying to make sense of it. It wasn’t like anyone would throw away brand-new clothes on purpose. "Where is it now?"

"Hold on, I’ll go get it." Clara disappeared for a moment and came back with the bag.

"Here you go, Ma’am."

Lane took it, feeling relieved. "Thanks, Clara."

She headed back up to her room on the second floor. The bag was still clean, so she set it on the bed. When Ethan got home, she was going to give it to him and see if he’d wear the blue polo for their date. She really wanted to see him in it.

With two hours to kill, she started getting ready. She went through her new maternity dresses and picked out a blue one. It perfectly matched the polo she’d bought him. Matching outfits,she thought with a smile.

An hour before his expected arrival, she took a quick shower and headed into the walk-in closet to finish getting ready.

When she stepped back into the bedroom, she was startled to find Ethan already there.

"You’re home early," she said.

"Yeah—"

Ethan stopped mid-sentence, his eyes landing on the paper bag sitting on the bed. His eyebrows knit together in a deep scowl.

Lane walked over to the bed, picked up the bag, and looked up at him. She had no clue why he looked so annoyed. She held the bag out to him. "T-this is for you, Ethan."

He looked genuinely stunned. "What did you say?"

"It’s for you," she repeated. "The shirts... the ones you bought...at the mall... were for me?" he asked, sounding like he couldn’t believe it.

She nodded. "Of course."

The scowl vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden spark in his eyes. He looked like he’d just won the lottery.

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