Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Her heart did a little flutter as she walked over, keeping her eyes locked on his. She climbed into bed beside him.

"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" he asked.

They were already in Hudson Valley at his private rest house. They’d stayed in since arriving to get some rest, and when Ethan finally suggested going out, the sky had opened up in a downpour. Since she didn’t know the area well, she started scrolling through her phone for local spots.

She stopped when she felt Ethan move closer to see what she was looking at. She bit her lip, caught off guard by the clean, masculine scent of his cologne.

Lane looked at him, her breath hitching when she realized he wasn’t looking at the phone at all. He was looking at her.

She swallowed hard as he reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and his thumb followed, tracing the curve of her lips.

"Ethan..."

"I want to kiss you, Lane," he said, his eyes fixed on her mouth as he continued to stroke her lip.

She didn’t need words. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down toward her. He cupped her cheek, closing the distance until their lips finally met.

The kiss started slow and lingering, but when he nipped at her lower lip, everything shifted. His hand moved to the back of her neck, pulling her deeper into the kiss.

It was passionate, yet she could still feel a sense of careful restraint in the way he held her.

Another soft moan escaped her as his tongue brushed against hers. She felt the sensation radiate through her entire body, her fingers tangling in his hair. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Ethan finally pulled back.

"We need to stop, Lane," he said, his voice low and husky. "If I don’t stop now, I’m going to do a lot more than just kiss you."

Lane felt her face turn bright red at his bluntness.

"Let’s get some sleep so we actually have energy for tomorrow," he added, settling back against the pillows.

Ethan patted his arm, and Lane understood the gesture immediately. She tucked herself against him, using his arm as a pillow instead of the actual one.

Her heart was pounding, and as she nestled closer, she realized Ethan’s heart was beating just as fast as hers.

"Sleep tight, Lane," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face. When she woke up the next morning, that smile was still there, especially when she found that Ethan had already cooked breakfast for her.

She was so hyped for their day out. Since they’d gotten married, this was their first real date. She felt a deep sense of happiness, like they were finally a real couple.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked, approaching him once she was dressed and ready.

She noticed his phone in his hand. He was gripping it so hard his knuckles were white.

"I’m sorry, Lane. We have to cancel," he said, not looking at her. "We need to head back to New York right now."

"What? Why?" she asked, her heart sinking. "Is it a problem at the office?"

He hesitated for a long time. "Yeah. Something at the office," he finally said.

"Oh," was all she could manage. She tried her best to hide the crushing disappointment.

For the third time, Ethan’s promise had gone unfulfilled.

_______________

Lane glanced at her phone as it started buzzing. She bit her lip nervously when she saw the name on the screen.

It was Ethan.

Instead of picking up, she just watched the screen until the call went to voicemail. A few seconds later, it started ringing again. She ignored it once more, letting it ring out until the room went quiet. Then, the familiar ping of a text message followed.

Where are you, Lane?

She read the message and then dropped her hand to her lap, staring out the car window. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Ethan right now because she was legitimately upset.

They’d planned to hit the mall today to finally get some things for the baby. She had been so hyped when she woke up, only to find him gone. He’d left yet another post-it note saying something urgent came up at the office and they’d have to push the shopping trip to another day.

Honestly, Lane couldn’t hide her disappointment anymore. Once again, he’d bailed on her. She knew that as his wife she should be understanding, but she was only human. She knew what it felt like to be hurt. She let out a heavy sigh, leaned her head back against the headrest, and closed her eyes.

A moment later, a phone started ringing again. This time it wasn’t hers. It was Jayson’s, Ethan’s driver. She opened her eyes as Jayson pulled the car over to the side of the road to take the call.

"Sir Ethan."

Lane watched him in the rearview mirror. Jayson didn’t say much, just listened intently. After a few seconds, he caught her eye in the mirror.

"Yes, Sir Ethan. I’m with Ma’am Lane," he said. Clearly, since

Lane," he said. Clearly, since Ethan couldn’t get a hold of her, he’d called the driver to track her down.

"Okay, Sir. I’ll give it to her," Jayson said. He turned around and held out the phone.

"Ma’am Lane, Sir Ethan wants to talk to you."

She stared at the device for a beat before taking it. There was no ducking him now. She cleared her throat to make sure her voice didn’t crack. "Yes?"

"I’ve been calling and texting you. Why aren’t you answering?" he asked from the other end.

"Oh, my phone was on silent, Ethan," she lied. She just hoped Jayson wouldn’t call her out on it.

She heard him let out a long sigh. "What did you want to say?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Clara called. She said you left the house."

"Yeah," she said simply.

"And where exactly are you going, Lane?"

"To the mall," she replied, her voice flat.

"To do what?"

"Buy stuff for the baby."

"What?!" Even without seeing him, she could picture the frustrated look on his face. "Did you not see the note I left? I told you we’d go another day."

"I saw it," she replied. "I had nothing else to do today, so I decided to go ahead and get it done."

"But I told you I wanted to come with you," he insisted.

"When?" she challenged. She wanted to ask him exactly when this other day was ever going to happen. She wanted to tell him that by the time that day came, he’d probably just bail again for another office emergency, but she bit her tongue.

"You’re always busy, Ethan," she added instead.

He went quiet, and she could hear him taking a deep breath. "I’m sorry, Lane," he said, and he actually sounded sincere.

She wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for the office drama or for letting her down again. "There’s just a lot on my plate right now."

It took her a second to find her voice. "O-okay," she replied, annoyed at herself for the slight stutter. She wanted to tell him it was fine, even though it really wasn’t.

He sighed again. "Can you just wait? I really want to be there for this."

She bit her lip. "We’re almost at the mall, Ethan. And it’s fine. I’m not alone. I’ve got company."

"Who?"

"My friends."

"Is Noah there?"

"Yeah," she answered.

The moment she’d read that note this morning, she had called her crew to see who was free. When they said they were down, she asked them to tag along for the baby shopping.

Noah had asked why Ethan wasn’t there, and she just gave the standard "he’s busy at work" excuse. Luckily, he didn’t push it.

Ethan didn’t say anything for a long time.

"Anyway, Ethan, you’re probably busy," she said. She didn’t give him a chance to argue before she hung up and handed the phone back to Jayson.

"Thanks," she muttered.

Talking to Ethan had only made her feel more weighed down, but luckily, that heavy feeling lifted once she met up with her friends.

She managed to put Ethan out of her mind while they obsessed over baby gear.

However, the second they finished and said their goodbyes, the heaviness came rushing back. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing her heart, making it hard to breathe.

She couldn’t bring herself to go back to the mansion yet, so she asked Jayson to take her to her parents’ place instead.

"Jayson, you can just leave me here," she told him when they pulled up. "Thanks for the ride."

She let herself into her childhood home.

"Ma’am Lane," lily greeted her.

"How are you doing?"

"I’m okay," she said. She noticed the maid looking at her stomach.

"Look at that baby bump! How far along are you now?"

"Five months," Lane said, resting a hand on her belly.

"Just a few more months and the little one will be here."

Lane smiled. "Yeah, I can’t wait. By the way, is my mom around?"

"Ma’am Eleanor is out right now," the maid replied.

Lane nodded. "I’m just going to go upstairs for a bit."

She was wiped out, both from the shopping and the emotional rollercoaster Ethan was putting her through.

She went up to her old room and crashed on the bed, falling into a deep sleep almost instantly. She must have been exhausted because she didn’t wake up until her phone started screaming at six in the evening.

The ringing stopped just as she reached for it, but she checked the screen anyway.

She was shocked to see five missed calls from Ethan. Suddenly, the phone lit up again. It was him. She hesitated for a second before answering.

"Hello?"

"Thank God you picked up, Lane," Ethan said. He sounded completely relieved.

"Sorry, I was asleep. I didn’t hear it."

He let out a breathy laugh. "Where are you? Clara called and said you weren’t back yet."

It was already six and he still wasn’t home?

"I’m at my parents’ house," she said.

"At home?"

"My parents’ house," she repeated. "And... I think I’m just going to stay the night here, Ethan."

She figured he’d be late anyway, and she’d likely be asleep by the time he got back to the mansion.

"What?"

She took a breath and told him again that she was staying put.

"No," he said firmly. "You’re sleeping at our house, Lane. I’ll call Jayson to come get you." He told her he was almost finished with his work and would be home soon.

She didn’t feel like fighting him, so she agreed. She waited for Jayson, and once the housekeeper told her the car was outside, she headed out.

Back at the mansion, she waited. He’d said he was coming home soon, but dinner time came and went, and there was still no sign of him. Then, her phone pinged with a Messenger notification.

She frowned when she saw a message from Aunt Rebecca. It was a photo.

She tapped it to open it, and it felt like her heart just dropped through the floor. It was a picture of Ethan and Olivia. They were in a restaurant, and from the looks of it, they were having a nice dinner together.

As Lane stared at the screen, she couldn’t stop the tears from blurring her vision.

So that’s why he wasn’t home yet. He was with Olivia.

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