Chapter 57: Chapter 57
"Hard." He finished the thought for her. "I’m hard because of you, Lane. Just get ready. I need to go calm down first."
Ethan didn’t wait for a reply. He turned on his heel and took long strides toward the bathroom.
She couldn’t help but blush at the closed door, knowing exactly what he was doing in there to calm down. After a moment, she shook her head to clear the thought.
Lane was totally confused when they pulled up at one of the most famous jewelry stores in the country.
"What are we doing here, Ethan?" she asked, glancing at him.
Before he could answer, she saw his eyes drop to her neck. Irritation flashed across his face as he looked at her necklace. It was that same look he always gave it.
Now she was certain the necklace was what was bugging him, though she couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t like it had done anything to him.
"To buy something," he replied.
"Buy something? For who?"
Ethan just stared at her for a beat. "For my mother," he finally said.
"It’s been a long time since I gave her a gift. I brought you along because I want your help choosing."
She nodded, finally realizing why he’d had her come to his office. He got out of the car, walked around, and opened her door. She stared at his extended hand for a second before taking it.
They walked into the store hand-in-hand.
"Good afternoon, Sir, Ma’am," the clerk greeted them. "What can I help find?"
"We’re looking for a gift for my mother," Ethan said.
"Oh, we have the perfect set for her, Sir."
She led them to a display case. "You can choose whatever you like, Sir. We have plain gold or with diamonds."
"Lane." She looked up at him. "Help me pick."
"Oh, okay," she said. She browsed the cases until her eyes landed on a diamond set. "This one," she told him, pointing to the set she thought Aunt Catherine would love.
Ethan didn’t hesitate. He told the clerk to wrap it up.
"What’s your ring size, Lane?" he asked a moment later.
"Huh?"
"Your ring size," he repeated.
Confused, she answered anyway. "Six."
He just nodded. "Okay." Then he walked off without another word.
She looked away, continuing to browse. A little later, she found herself in front of him again.
"Why?" she asked.
Instead of answering, he took her hand. Her heart started racing. Ethan slipped a wedding ring onto her finger. That’s when she noticed the ring on his own hand which is an exact match to hers.
"It fits perfectly," he said.
Her heart was pounding so hard she felt like she might cry, especially seeing how much his expression had softened. He didn’t say anything. He just looked at her.
They shared a quiet moment before he went to pay.
Lane stood there frozen, staring at the ring. It felt like a warm hand was hugging her heart.
Yes, she and Ethan were married. But they’d never worn rings because Ethan hadn’t bought her one.
She hadn’t asked for one either, since he’d been so angry with her back then over everything that happened.
She had stopped hoping for anything just to keep from getting hurt. But now, Ethan had bought her a ring in the most unexpected way possible.
She quickly brushed away tears of joy. Her prayers were finally being answered. She rested a hand on her belly. Baby, did you see that? Did you feel it? It looks like we finally found a place in your father’s heart, she thought.
She straightened up as Ethan walked back over.
"Ready to go?"
She nodded. He placed a hand on the small of her back as he led her out. On the drive home, she couldn’t stop touching the ring. Her heart still hadn’t settled down.
When they got back to the mansion, Ethan didn’t get out of the car immediately. "Lane."
She met his gaze. He pulled something out of his pocket and moved closer to her. Lane held her breath. She felt him unclip the necklace she was wearing and replace it with something new.
She looked down. It was a heart-shaped necklace.
"Much better," he whispered in that deep, baritone voice.
_______________
It felt like Lane’s head was being split wide open when she woke up the next day. She groaned, clutching her temples and gently massaging the pain. She stayed like that for a few minutes before finally forcing her eyes open.
She glanced at the spot next to her to see if Ethan was still asleep, but the bed was empty. It looked like he’d beaten her to it and headed out early.
For the past few days, they’d been waking up together at the same time. If one of them woke up first, they’d wait for the other. It was just their thing.
Since she’d been waiting for him to wake up naturally, she didn’t want to be the one to kill his sleep. She hadn’t had much time to fix him breakfast or pack his lunch for work.
Because of that, she’d occasionally drop his lunch off at the office. It didn’t happen often, though, because he usually just took her with him. She tagged along even when she had absolutely nothing to do, mostly because she loved the attention he gave her.
He was always asking what she wanted to eat or if she was having any weird pregnancy cravings.
She’d often catch him staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. And whenever she crashed on his office sofa, she’d wake up tucked in comfortably with his black coat draped over her like a blanket.
She could really feel Ethan’s care for her now, and it wasn’t just about the baby. It felt like he actually wanted to give their marriage a real shot. Why else would he give her a ring, right?
He’d once told her he’d make her life a living hell until Olivia came back. At first, he’d definitely delivered on that promise. But now? The misery was gone. He’d brought sunshine back into her life with all the warmth and affection he’d been showing her.
And Lane wasn’t the only one loving the new Ethan. Aunt Catherine was over the moon about it. Whenever she called to check in, Lane would give her the play-by-play on how well Ethan was treating her and the baby.
Aunt Catherine told her with a smug sense of satisfaction that their plan had totally worked. Ethan had officially fallen for her. She also mentioned she couldn’t blame the guy for catching feelings so fast because Lane was just that sweet.
Honestly, Lane was so grateful for Aunt Catherine. She had been the bridge that helped Ethan finally accept them.
Lane closed her eyes as her head throbbed again. She took a deep breath and noticed her breath felt hot. It seemed like she was running a fever. She confirmed it when she touched her neck and felt how much she was radiating heat.
She lay there for a few more seconds before slowly dragging herself out of bed. She reached for her water tumbler to soothe her parched throat, only to find it bone-dry.
She let out a frustrated sigh. She really didn’t want to leave the room, but she had no choice. She needed water. She stood up from the edge of the bed and did a double-take when she saw the alarm clock.
Despite how crappy she felt, her eyes went wide. It was already ten-thirty!
She couldn’t really blame herself for oversleeping, though, not with the way her body was acting up. She started toward the door, but the room suddenly did a 360.
She closed her eyes to steady herself, standing perfectly still until the spinning stopped. Once she felt semi-okay, she kept moving. She could feel the heat coming off her eyes and every breath she took. Since she was pregnant, medicine was out of the question. She’d rather suffer through the discomfort than risk the baby’s health with meds.
She walked slow and steady until she hit the kitchen. It was empty, so she went straight for the water dispenser, filled a glass, and chugged it. She’d just finished when Clara walked in.
"You’re finally up, Lane," Clara said. She used her first name because Lane had insisted she drop the ’Ma’am’ act.
"Yeah, I totally overslept," she replied.
"Sir Ethan didn’t want to wake you. He said to let you sleep so you could get some rest. He also told me to tell him the second you woke up," Clara added.
"Okay," Lane replied softly.
"By the way, are you hungry? Want me to whip something up for you?"
Lane had zero appetite, but she knew she had to eat for the baby and to get her strength back. If she couldn’t take medicine, food was her only fuel.
"Sure, Clara. Could you grab some fruit and make me some milk?" she asked. She wanted to do it herself, but her legs felt like lead.
"You got it, Lane." While Clara got to work, Lane pulled out a chair and practically drifted off while waiting.
She only opened her eyes when she heard Clara’s voice.
"Here you go," Clara said, placing the food and milk down.
"Thanks."
"I’ll be right outside. If you need anything, just holler."
Lane nodded and turned her focus to the plate. Even though she wasn’t feeling it, she forced herself to take a few bites. But she eventually gave up when her stomach started protesting.
The dizziness came back in waves. Instead of trying to walk back to her room, she pushed the plate away, folded her arms on the table, and buried her face in them.
She was stuck in that position when she heard Clara again.
"Lane, are you okay?" Clara asked, sounding genuinely worried.
Slowly, with a lot of effort, Lane lifted her head. "I’m feeling so hot, Clara," she admitted.
Clara’s brow furrowed. The concern in her eyes was obvious.
"I’m just gonna go upstairs and lie down," Lane said. She stood up before Clara could even respond.
The second she got to her feet, the room started spinning again. Just before everything went pitch black, she heard Clara scream.
______________
Earlier that morning, Ethan had been eyeing his phone on the desk. He was waiting for it to buzz, waiting for a text or a call, but he was getting nothing.
He took a deep breath and tried to pivot his focus back to his laptop. He had to finish this proposal today because he was meeting a major investor later. He’d been gunning for this deal for a while and was determined to close it.
But no matter how hard he tried to lock in, his mind was blank. His thoughts kept wandering, and he knew exactly who they were wandering to.
"Fuck!" Ethan hissed. He couldn’t explain why he was feeling so restless. He’d never been like this before, but now, he couldn’t get Lane out of his head.
He tried to shake it off, but his worry was stronger than his willpower. He finally grabbed his phone and dialed her number. He frowned when she didn’t pick up.
*Is she still asleep?* He checked his watch. It was ten in the morning.
When she didn’t answer, he called Clara instead. It only took three rings.
"Sir Ethan."
"Where’s Lane?"
"Sir, she hasn’t come out of her room yet," Clara reported. "She’s probably still sleeping."
He was quiet for a second. "Alright. When she wakes up, let her know I called. And make sure she eats something. Something healthy," he commanded.
"Will do, Sir," Clara replied.
He hung up and went back to his laptop. Now that he had a reason for the radio silence, he could finally get some work done.
A little while later, a soft knock at the door broke his concentration.
"Come in," he said.
Chris peeked his head in. "Sir, Mr. Dawson is here. I’ve already shown him to the conference room."
"Got it." Ethan stood up, grabbed his black coat from the rack, and threw it on.
He grabbed his phone and headed for the door. "Let’s go," he told Chris. He wanted Chris there to take notes during the meeting.
He was halfway there when his phone rang. It was Clara.
He picked up immediately. "Clara, I’m right in the middle of..."
"Sir Ethan!"
He frowned. She knew better than to cut him off, but the pure panic in her voice stopped him cold.
"What is it, Clara?"
"Sir, we’re taking Ma’am Lane to the hospital. She passed out!"
Ethan’s eyes went wide. Once the words registered, he let out a string of curses. He started power-walking, still gripped to the phone.
"Sir, where are you going?" Chris asked, confused when Ethan headed for the elevator instead of the conference room.
"Cancel the meeting, Chris."
"But, Sir..."
"Just do what I said! This is more important," he snapped. He hopped into the elevator and slammed the button for the ground floor.
He was practically vibrating with impatience as the elevator descended. The second the doors slid open, he was in a dead sprint out of the building.
He didn’t give a damn about the confused looks from his employees. His only focus was Lane and getting to that hospital. In his entire life, he had never been this terrified.
______________
Ethan paused just as he was about to feed her the hot soup Clara had brought when a soft knock sounded at the door of her private room.
When Clara had swung by earlier to drop off the stuff Ethan asked for, she made sure to bring some homemade soup. She’d told him that sipping on hot broth was the best thing for someone under the weather. Ethan had taken that to heart and immediately started feeding it to her while it was still nice and warm.
They both looked up as the door creaked open. Aunt Catherine and Lane’s mother walked in.
Lane’s jaw dropped. She had no idea how they even knew she was in the hospital since she hadn’t breathed a word to anyone.
Ethan must have read her mind because he spoke up. "I called them," he told her.
He set the bowl on the nightstand and stepped forward to greet them. Lane watched as he paid his respects to both mothers before taking the heavy fruit basket Aunt Catherine was lugging around.
Her mom rushed to her side, with Aunt Catherine right behind her.
"Lane," her mother said, finally reaching the bed.
"Mom," she replied.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" her mom asked, the worry clear in her voice.
"I’ve got a fever," Lane told her.
"It’s actually gone down a bit, Auntie, but they’re still keeping her for observation," Ethan chimed in, stepping closer.
"And the baby?"
"The baby is fine," Ethan answered quickly. "I had the doctor double-check both of them. They’re doing great," he added, clearly trying to keep them from spiraling.
She heard her mother let out a massive sigh of relief.
"Where’s Dad, Mom?" Lane asked after a moment.
"He’s still at the office," her mom said. "He said he’ll stop by later."
Lane just nodded. A moment later, she saw Ethan pick the soup bowl back up.
"You haven’t finished your food, Lane," he reminded her.
"Ethan, let me feed her," her mother offered.
That was a total mom move.
That was a total mom move. Whenever Lane was sick as a kid, her mom was always there with the lukewarm sponge baths and the hot soup. But Ethan wasn’t having it.
"I’ve got it, Auntie," he replied.
Her mother backed off once she saw the look in Ethan’s’s eyes. He was dead set on being the one to take care of her. Lane glanced over at Aunt Catherine and caught her wearing a huge, triumphant grin. When their eyes met, Aunt Catherine gave her a quick, discrete wink.
Lane felt her face go hot.
"Lane."
She snapped her eyes away from Aunt Catherine , Ethan was looking at her, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Why is your face so red?" he asked, noticing the sudden flush.
She put a hand to her cheek. Even without a mirror, she knew she was turning fire-engine red.
"M-maybe it’s just the fever," she stammered.
His expression didn’t change. He reached out and felt her forehead, letting out a heavy sigh.
"You’re still burning up," he remarked.
"Finish this soup, and I’m calling the doctor to check you out again," he told her.
Just like her mom said, her father showed up later that evening. Aunt Catherine headed out first since she had things to do, but she promised to be back the next day.
Her mother tried to tell Ethan to go home and get some real sleep while they stayed the night, but he wouldn’t budge. He insisted on being the one to watch over her. Again, her mom didn’t push it once she saw that determined look on his face.
Her parents stayed for a few hours before finally saying their goodbyes.
Even after they left, Ethan was like a shadow. He was constantly checking her neck for a fever and asking if she was in pain or if anything felt off. She could really feel how much he cared.
A little while later, another soft knock came at the door. They knew it wasn’t the hospital staff because no one just walked in. Ethan went to the door, his eyebrows knitting together as he opened it.
Lane smiled when she saw a familiar face peeking through.
"Lane!"
"Ava!" she cried out.
Ethan stepped aside to let Ava in, and Lane looked behind her to see who else was there.
"Noah," she said, greeting him too.
Noah was carrying yet another basket of fruit.Lane had so much fruit at this point, she was pretty sure she’d never finish it all.
The two of them walked over while Ethan retreated to the sofa to give them some space.
"How’d you guys find out I was in here?" she asked.
"Your mom called us," Ava said.
"Oh."
"Why didn’t you tell us yourself, Lane?" Noah asked. He sounded dead serious and a little hurt. "If your mom hadn’t called, we’d have been totally in the dark."
She bit her lip. "I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to make you guys worry."
"You’re our friend. Worrying is part of the job description," Noah countered.
"I know, I know," she whispered.
Noah took a deep breath. "Seriously,
Lane. If anything happens, you have to let Ava and me know."
Instead of saying anything, she reached out and took his hand. She was about to speak when a loud, pointed throat-clearing cut her off.
She looked over at Ethan. He was glaring at her hand on Noah’s, his eyebrows pulled low. She quickly let go and bit her lip again.
"It won’t happen again," she told Noah.
"It better not," he replied.
"Anyway, are you feeling okay now?" Ava asked.
"My head stopped throbbing, but I still feel pretty warm," Lane said.
"You can’t take meds, right? Just keep drinking water," Noah advised. "And eat as much as you can especially the fruit. Want me to peel some for you?"
Lane opened her mouth to say yes, but Ethan beat her to it.
"No need. I already gave her some fruit earlier," he snapped.
She glanced at him and saw his face was stone-cold. He was sitting there quietly, but he was clearly hanging on every word of their conversation.
Noah didn’t push it and just kept talking to her. Ava and Noah hung out for about an hour before heading out.
The second they were gone, Ethan stood up and walked over. He checked her forehead again and sighed when he felt the heat.
"You need to rest, Lane," he said. He didn’t give her a choice as he gently tucked her in.
Then, Lane’s eyes went wide. "What... what are you doing, Ethan?"
He was climbing into the hospital bed right next to her.
"I’m staying right here so you can fall asleep faster," he told her.
She was quiet for a second. "Stay on the sofa. You’re gonna catch whatever I have," she warned.
"I don’t care, Lane," he replied.
He clearly didn’t give a damn about getting sick. Her heart started racing as he slid his arm under her and pulled her close.
Lane ended up tucked right against his chest.
"Go to sleep," Ethan whispered, holding her tight.
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