Chapter 87: Chapter 87
Ethan looked toward the door when he heard a soft knock. He stepped over to open it and see who was there. He found Clara standing in the hallway. "Good evening, Sir," she said.
"Tyler just got here."
"Who dropped him off?" he asked.
"His nanny," she replied.
Ethan nodded. When Olivia had called him at Lane’s condo, he’d ignored it. He didn’t want Lane thinking Olivia still mattered to him or that she was still his priority.
He only called her back after he’d left the condo. Sure enough, Olivia was just calling to remind him about their co-parenting schedule.
He told her to just send Tyler over to the mansion and made sure to specify that the nanny should be the one to bring him.
But even though Ethan hadn’t picked up in front of Lane, he knew she’d read into it.
He could feel her turning cold again. During the rest of his time at her place, she barely spoke to him. She gave him a chance to be with Calvin, but she made it crystal clear that he wasn’t to do anything to break her trust. She didn’t say much else, but the warning in her voice was loud and clear: if he messed up, it would be the last time he’d ever see them.
So, as much as he was dying to tell Calvin he was his father, he held back. He didn’t want to piss Lane off. He decided to play the long game and wait for her to be the one to introduce him properly.
He was over the Uncle title. He wanted that Uncle Ethan label gone for good.
He’d tried several times to get Lane to come out of her room by using Calvin as bait. He even told the boy to go call his Mommy for a snack.
He’d messed around in her kitchen even though he couldn’t cook to save his life, but it was useless. She wouldn’t budge.
It was obvious Lane took Olivia’s call the wrong way, which explained the silent treatment. But honestly, a part of him was kind of happy about it because it made him realize something big.
He realized Lane might actually still have feelings for him. Why else would she be acting like that?
He figured she was jealous of Olivia. He remembered what her friend Ava told him five years ago when he was desperate to find out where Lane had gone.
He never got an answer about her whereabouts back then, but he learned something else: he found out Lane had been harboring a secret love for him all along.
He’d been too oblivious back then to see how much she cared. He had hurt her deeply because he was being an idiot. But he wasn’t that fool anymore.
He wasn’t going to be insensitive this time around. He was learning to read between the lines, and everything pointed to one thing: Lane was jealous. She was jealous when she saw Olivia calling because she still loved him. That thought alone made his heart swell.
Ethan wanted to prove to her that Olivia was ancient history and that she was the only woman in his heart. That was why, right before he left the condo, he knocked on her bedroom door not just to say goodbye, but to reassure her.
When she opened the door, he saw the surprise in her eyes, like she hadn’t expected him to be the one standing there.
The second their eyes met, he immediately explained that the only reason he even talked to Olivia was because of Tyler. He was about to tell her he loved her, but he lost his chance when she shut the door in his face.
Still, he promised himself he’d tell her eventually. He was going to prove his love and show her how much he regretted everything he’d done.
"I’ll be right down," Ethan told Clara
Once she left, he stepped back into his room for a second before heading out. As he walked down the stairs, his eyes landed on Tyler, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Tyler," he called out.
Tyler looked up at the sound of his voice.
"Daddy!" he shouted, his face lighting up. He scrambled off the couch and ran over to give Ethan a big hug.
Ethan wrapped his arms around the boy and tried to process what he was feeling. He couldn’t help but compare it to the way he felt with Calvin, his son with Lane.
The feelings were worlds apart. Just looking at Calvin gave him a sense of warmth, like a gentle hand was brushing against his heart. When Calvin hugged him, he felt like he was going to cry from pure joy. But now, holding Tyler, he felt... nothing. It just felt normal.
Sometimes, Ethan even doubted the DNA test. Honestly, once Tyler turned a year old and Ethan still felt no real bond, and saw absolutely no resemblance to himself, he started to wonder if the kid was even his.
He’d hired a private investigator to find Lane and secretly gave them a strand of Tyler’s hair to run a test.
When the results came back positive, he felt a wave of regret and guilt for ever doubting the boy. He knew that if Tyler ever found out what he’d done, the kid would be devastated.
So, he kept the DNA test a total secret. To make up for his mistake, he made sure to be the best father he could be and handled all his responsibilities perfectly.
______
Lane stopped cooking ,when she heard the doorbell ring. She paused what she was doing to open the door, not even bothering to peek through the peephole first.
The second the door swung open, she immediately wished she had checked to see who it was.
It was Ethan.
As soon as their eyes met, a smile spread across his lips. Lane couldn’t help but stare. It used to be so hard to get him to smile at her, but now it seemed like the easiest thing in the world for him to do.
Her heart gave a little leap at the sight of it.
She looked away, but her eyes landed on what he was holding. Her mouth hung open when she saw the massive bouquet of flowers in his hands. She quickly composed herself as he held them out to her.
"For you, Lane," he said, his voice brimming with confidence.
She froze, caught between wanting to take them and wanting to shut the door.
"Mommy, who is it?" she heard Calvin call out. A moment later, he was right there beside her. "Uncle Ethan!"
Lane bit her lip when she heard the pure joy in her son’s voice. Ethan smiled and knelt down so he was eye-to-level with the boy.
"Hi, kiddo," Ethan said.
"Hello, Uncle Ethan," Calvin chirped. "What are you doing here?"
It was the exact question Lane wanted to ask, but she was still too stunned to speak.
"Hmm... I just wanted to stop by for a visit," he told Calvin gently. "Is it okay if I visit you guys?"
Calvin’s eyes lit up. "Of course, Uncle Ethan!" he replied instantly.
"I want you to," he added in a small, sweet voice.
"Thank you," Ethan said. "Anyway, I brought something for you."
"What is it?"
"Here," Ethan said, handing over a paper bag he’d been carrying.
Calvin grabbed it and peeked inside. "Wow! A coloring book!" he shouted.
"Why’d you give me a coloring book, Uncle Ethan?"
"Just a little gift," he replied.
"A gift? But it’s not my birthday yet," Calvin said. He said that every single time someone gave him something.
"When... when is your birthday?" Ethan asked, his voice wavering slightly.
Calvin scratched his head and looked up at his mom. "Mommy, when’s my birthday again? I forgot," he admitted.
"October 15," she answered softly.
Calvin repeated the date to Ethan. "Okay. I’m going to remember that. I’ll give you a ton of gifts on your birthday."
"Thank you," Calvin said. Then, his curiosity shifted to the flowers Ethan was still clutching.
"Uncle Ethan, why are you holding flowers? Who are they for?"
Lane shot Ethan a glare, silently pleading with him not to say it. But Ethan either didn’t get the hint or chose to ignore it entirely because he didn’t hesitate.
"They’re for your Mommy," Ethan said.
"What?"
"These flowers are for your Mommy," Ethan repeated.
"Why are you giving her flowers?"
"Because I want to give her the flowers she deserves," he replied. It was as if she wasn’t even standing there while the two of them chatted away.
Then, Calvin hit him with a question that made Lane’s eyes go wide. She never expected her son to be so blunt.
"Are you wooing my Mommy, Uncle Ethan? My friend from our old neighborhood said that when a boy gives a girl flowers, it means he’s wooing her. You gave her flowers, so you’re wooing her."
"Come in—" Lane started, but Ethan cut her off before she could finish.
"Can I?"
"What?"
"Can I court your Mommy?"
Lane’s jaw dropped at his words. "What are you even saying?" she whispered.
She and Calvin almost asked
"Are you courting my Mommy?" At the exact same time, but Calvin’s voice drowned hers out. She had spoken so quietly it was barely a breath. Ethan decided to answer the louder version of the question.
"If it’s okay with you, Calvin," Ethan said.
Then he looked up at her, their gazes locking. "And if it’s okay with your Mommy."
Lane searched his eyes for any sign of a joke, any hint that he was just playing around, but there was nothing but total seriousness.
The silence was only broken when Calvin spoke up again.
"It’s okay with me if you date my Mommy, Uncle Ethan. But you have to ask her if she’s okay with it first," Calvin said.
"Oh, wait! I almost forgot. Before you date her, I have a question. My godfather told me that if a man likes my Mommy, I have to interview him first."
"Your godfather?"
"My Uncle Noah," Calvin answered.
She noticed Ethan’s jaw tighten at the mention of Noah’s name.
"And what exactly did your *Uncle* Noah tell you?" Ethan asked. He put a bit of an edge on the word uncle, clearly annoyed that Calvin used the title for someone else.
"He told me to ask if the guy is serious. If he really likes my Mommy," Calvin explained. Then his little face turned incredibly serious.
"Do you really like my Mommy, Uncle Ethan? Is that why you want to take her out?"
Lane couldn’t look away. She found herself holding her breath, waiting to hear exactly what he would say.
"Like her?" Ethan repeated.
Lane bit her lip and looked down, her heart twinging with a sudden, unexplainable ache. But she looked back up when he continued.
"It’s more than just like, Calvin," he said, his eyes fixed on Lane with an intensity that made her dizzy.
"I really, truly love her."
At that moment, her heart went absolutely wild.
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