Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 95: Chapter 95

Lane quickly looked away from Ethan, trying to hide the deep blush creeping up her cheeks after what Calvin said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan stepping closer.

Her heart hammered against her ribs as he approached, and she caught a whiff of his expensive cologne. It was a scent that always seemed to go straight to her head.

She pulled her son a little tighter, keeping her eyes fixed on him. Even with Ethan standing right there, she refused to look up.

"Uncle Ethan, Mommy got a big mosquito bite on her neck," Calvin reported.

"Is that right?" Ethan pressed his lips together, but he couldn’t quite hide the amusement in his voice. He knew damn well that a mosquito wasn’t responsible for that red mark.

"Yes, Uncle Ethan," Calvin insisted. "There are a lot of them. Look! See?" He even pointed at her neck, which was covered in telltale marks.

Lane desperately wanted to hide behind her hair, but she couldn’t because it was tied up in a bun.

"Mind if I take a look?" Ethan asked. She shot a glance at him and saw his eyes twinkling. She tried to give him a death stare, but it only seemed to make him more amused.

"Mommy, show Uncle Ethan so he can fix it."

Lane’s eyes went wide when Calvin grabbed her cheeks and tilted her head up to give Ethan a clear view of her reddened neck.

She watched Ethan’s gaze drop to the marks. A small, satisfied smirk played at the corners of his lips. He looked incredibly pleased with his handiwork.

"W-we’re hungry," she stammered, desperate to shut down the conversation.

Without waiting for him to respond, she hurried toward the dining area. She got Calvin settled in his chair and took the seat right next to him.

"Just a second," Ethan called out. He turned back to the stove to finish up.

A moment later, Calvin tapped her arm. "Mommy?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"After we eat, we have to put medicine on those bites, okay?"

She just nodded, praying he’d drop it. She immediately changed the subject, steering the conversation as far away from her neck as possible.

It wasn’t long before Ethan finished cooking and started setting the table. Instead of jumping in to help, Lane stayed put and let him handle everything. She just sat there and watched him work.

It was the first time he had ever actually served her and Calvin.

In the past, she was always the one waiting on him hand and foot. Now, the roles were completely reversed. He actually looked like he was enjoying himself, too, judging by the constant smile on his face. Back in the day, seeing Ethan smile was a rare event, but now it seemed like he couldn’t stop.

When he was finished, she looked around for Mae.

"Mae, come eat with us," she called out when she spotted her.

"I’ll eat in a bit, Ma’am Lane," Mae politely declined.

Lane didn’t push it, knowing Mae could be stubborn. Ethan took a seat right next to them. He could have sat across from them like he did the first time, but he chose to stay close.

Before they started, Ethan volunteered to lead the prayer. Lane closed her eyes, and his words felt like a gentle hand touching her heart.

After thanking God for the food, he gave thanks for the chance to be at the table with her and Calvin. He prayed that it wouldn’t be the last time they were all together like this.

When the prayer ended, he started serving them again.

It was clear why he’d sat so close. He was doting on them so much he might as well have been feeding them himself.

Once they finished, he offered to do the dishes, but Mae beat him to it.

"Uncle Ethan, you have to treat Mommy’s neck now."

Lane had hoped Calvin had forgotten, but no such luck. He was right back on the mosquito bite topic.

"Calvin, I-I can take care of it," she said, mentally scolding herself for the stutter.

"Mommy, let Uncle Ethan do it. He’ll do it the right way," Calvin insisted.

"I’ve got it, Calvin," she replied. "Just stay here for a bit, okay? Mommy’s gonna go jump in the shower."

"Okay, Mommy."

She shot a quick look at Ethan. "Y-you watch Calvin for a minute," she told him. She didn’t wait for an answer before bolting for the bedroom. Like she’d told her son, she headed straight for the bathroom to wash off the day.

She grabbed a change of clothes and took her time in the shower, lingering under the water. When she finally finished and stepped back into the bedroom, she didn’t feel like leaving just yet.

She sat on the edge of the bed and frowned when she felt something hard beneath her. She reached down and picked up a black leather wallet.

She stared at it. It definitely wasn’t hers, and she figured Ethan must have dropped it last night. Lane couldn’t resist the urge to peek inside.

She saw a few cards tucked away, but when she opened the main compartment, her heart nearly stopped.

There was a photo of her inside. It was a candid, *stolen* shot of her from five years ago. She had no idea how he’d even gotten it, let alone that he’d kept it all this time.

But it wasn’t just her picture that made her breath hitch. Tucked right next to it was an ultrasound photo of a baby.

She recognized it instantly. It was the ultrasound of Calvin from when she was still pregnant. She had been looking for that specific photo for years, assuming she’d lost it during one of her moves. It turned out Ethan had it the whole time.

In that moment, she felt like she was going to cry. He hadn’t thrown the picture of their baby away like it was trash. To Ethan, it was a treasure. It was something he had wanted to keep close to him every single day.

_________

Drawing a deep breath, Lane decided to head out of the room with Ethan’s wallet in hand. Even now, her heart hadn’t settled down after seeing what he was hiding inside.

She still couldn’t wrap her head around it. Wasn’t it an unwritten rule that you only keep someone’s photo in your wallet if you love them? Does Ethan really love her? Does he really love them?

Are you still doubting him, Lane? a voice in her head whispered.

*He’s told you a thousand times that he loves you. It’s not just about the photo. He’s said it over and over.

That thought sent another jolt through her chest. She took one more deep breath to steady herself before finally stepping out to join the two of them. A moment later, she froze when she heard Calvin calling out to Ethan.

"Really, Uncle Daddy? You’re gonna teach me how to ride a bike?"

Uncle Daddy? She had only been in the other room for a few minutes, and Calvin was already giving Ethan a new title.

"You bet," Ethan replied.

"But I left my bike at our house in Virginia, Uncle Daddy," Calvin said. "I don’t have one here."

Lane’s eyes widened slightly at how easily Calvin had just blurted out where they’d been hiding for the last five years. She glanced at Ethan and saw he was caught completely off guard. His eyebrows shot up, and he looked like he was trying to process the information.

"Virginia?" he asked after a beat. "Is that where you’ve been living this whole time, Calvin?"

Calvin nodded enthusiastically. "Yup!"

Ethan went quiet, his face unreadable. He looked like he was deep in thought, maybe even a little stunned.

"Uncle Daddy? You okay?" Calvin asked after the silence stretched on too long.

"I’m fine, buddy," Ethan replied.

"I thought you were mad because you’re making your scary face," Calvin noted.

"Oh, sorry about that," Ethan apologized, pulling the boy onto his lap. "Did I spook you?"

"I’m not scared of you, Uncle Daddy."

Lane stayed put, watching from the shadows, unable to bring herself to break the moment just yet.

"It’s just your face that’s scary. But I’m really not afraid."

"And why aren’t you scared of Daddy?"

Lane’s heart skipped a beat. Where did the Uncle go?

"Daddy?" It seemed Calvin had caught the slip, too.

Ethan smiled warmly. "I meant Uncle Daddy," he corrected quickly.

"But hey, if you want, you can just call me Daddy. You can drop the Uncle part whenever you’re ready."

She saw Calvin’s lips twitch, like he was weighing the offer.

"I gotta ask Mommy first, Uncle Daddy. My real Daddy might come back, and he might be bummed out if I call you that."

"Your Daddy won’t be mad, Calvin. I promise he’d be happy," Ethan said softly, his voice full of a meaning only he and Lane understood.

"What?"

Before Ethan could dig himself any deeper, Lane made her move.

"Mommy!" Calvin shouted happily the second he saw her.

Lane gave him a small smile before shifting her gaze to Ethan. Their eyes locked instantly. There was something different in the way he was looking at her now—a raw mix of love and pure happiness.

Lane cleared her throat, trying to keep it together as she walked toward them. Her pulse was thrumming, especially since Ethan wouldn’t stop staring. He literally couldn’t take his eyes off her.

She stopped right in front of him. "Y-you left this," she said, holding out the wallet. Ethan looked down at it for a second before reaching out.

Lane gasped as their fingers brushed. It wasn’t just a quick touch. He actually held her hand for a beat, and that familiar electric current surged through her whole body. She pulled her hand back the second he had a grip on the leather.

"I’ll be in the kitchen fixing a snack," she muttered. She didn’t wait for a response, turning on her heel and making a break for the kitchen.

She finally let out a lungful of air once she was out of his sight. His effect on her hadn’t faded one bit. He could still make her heart go haywire without even trying.

She tried to get her breathing under control. Once she felt somewhat normal, she headed for the fridge to see what she could whip up.

She decided on spaghetti, since it was Calvin’s favorite. She was just starting to pull out the ingredients when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind.

She didn’t even have to look. The warmth and that specific scent told her exactly who it was. Her heart practically hammered against her ribs as his grip tightened.

"E-Ethan..."

Instead of letting go, he reached up and gently turned her face toward his. Her eyes went wide as his lips met hers.

It started as a soft, lingering pressure until she felt the gentle move of his mouth. Lane couldn’t explain why she wasn’t pushing him away. Her body was just... giving in.

She even parted her lips, giving him the green light to take the lead. Ethan didn’t need a second invitation. He spun her around completely, pinning her against the fridge and deepening the kiss.

Lane was losing herself in him, matching his passion and tangling her hands in his hair for support. He slipped his tongue past her lips, exploring her mouth with a hunger that left her dizzy.

Suddenly, she shoved him back when she heard Mae’s voice.

"Ma’am Lane?"

Even without a mirror, she knew her face was a bright, glowing red. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"Y-yes, Mae?" she asked, breathless.

"Ma’am, you have a visitor," Mae said.

Flustered, she didn’t even think to ask who it was. "O-okay. Thanks," she managed to say. She started toward the living room, feeling Ethan right on her heels.

But Lane stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was waiting for them. Her brow furrowed in confusion and annoyance.

What on earth were Olivia and her son Tyler doing here?

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!