Chapter 143

Chapter 143: Chapter 143

Lane awoke and opened her eyes, reaching out beside her only to find empty sheets.

When she fully blinked the sleep away, she realized her husband was gone.

"Ethan?" she called out softly. No answering voice echoed from the bedroom or the en-suite bathroom, but she had a pretty good idea of where he had disappeared to.

Pushing herself up from the mattress, she checked the digital clock on the nightstand. It was nearly midnight.

She slipped her feet into her fluffy house slippers and tiptoed out of the room, heading down the hallway toward the nursery where their newborn son, Arlow, slept.

It had been two weeks since she welcomed her second child with Ethan. Up until the delivery, her husband had remained completely in the dark about the baby’s gender because she wanted it to be a surprise.

Ethan had been a fixture at every single prenatal appointment, never missing a single checkup and frequently reminding her of upcoming dates. No matter how chaotic his schedule at the office got, he always carved out time for her, vowing to make up for all the years of neglect.

And Lane felt the depth of that promise every single day. She had zero regrets about giving him a second chance because Ethan had completely transformed.

She felt his fierce protection and love in every little thing he did. He showed up not only as an incredible husband, but as a devoted father to Calvin as well.

The bond between them had only deepened since their proper church wedding.

When Lane reached the nursery, she quietly pushed the door open. Sure enough, Ethan was sitting in the armchair in the corner, cradling their baby boy against his chest.

His eyes were closed, his head leaning back in exhaustion.

She knew he must have woken up the second Arlow started fussing. Yet he hadn’t bothered to wake her, despite her repeatedly telling him to nudge her whenever the baby cried so she could take the night shift.

She worried about him running on fumes at the office the next day. But Ethan always brushed her concerns aside, insisting that the most important thing in the world was taking care of her and the baby.

He reminded her that she had endured nine grueling months of pregnancy and a brutal labor with Arlow, so she deserved uninterrupted sleep. He preferred handling the night wakings himself, especially since he knew she would be busy wrangling the kids all morning.

She stepped softly across the rug. "Ethan," she whispered, gently resting a hand on his arm.

His eyes snapped open.

The moment he saw her standing there, his posture instantly shifted.

"Love, why did you get up?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep as their eyes met.

"I woke up and you weren’t in bed," she replied softly. "I knew where you’d be."

"I’m sorry. I heard Arlow crying," he murmured apologetically. "I brought him in here so we wouldn’t wake you."

"It’s fine if I wake up."

"You need your rest."

"And you? Aren’t you exhausted?" she countered.

"You have a full day at the office tomorrow. You’re going to crash."

"I’m fine," he insisted. Realizing arguing with a stubborn Ethan was a lost cause, she let out a defeated sigh and looked down at Arlow, who had already drifted back into a deep sleep in his father’s arms.

"He’s out cold. Let’s put him in the crib," she whispered.

Ethan nodded. He stood up slowly, and as soon as she reached for Arlow, he carefully transferred the baby into her arms.

Stepping out of the nursery into the hallway, Ethan kept a protective hand resting on her lower back.

"Check on Calvin for a second," she whispered as they passed their older son’s bedroom.

Ethan nodded, quietly turning the knob to peek inside. He stepped back out a moment later, closing the door soundlessly.

"He’s out like a light."

Ethan laced his fingers through hers as they walked back into the nursery. They approached the white wooden crib, lowering Arlow down onto the mattress.

The baby stirred slightly at the movement, so Lane rhythmically patted his tiny blanketed leg until his breathing evened out again.

Once she was certain he was settled, she smoothed down the blankets.

"Let’s go back to bed, love," Ethan murmured, his arm sliding around her waist as they drifted back toward their master suite.

They crawled back under the covers.

"Come here," he whispered, patting his outstretched arm. She didn’t need to be told twice, sliding across the mattress to rest her head against his bicep.

"Time for sleep," he murmured into her hair.

She closed her eyes with a soft smile. He claimed they were going to sleep, but she could still feel the heavy, intense heat of his gaze.

....

A bright smile was plastered on Lane’s lips as she helped Clara prepare afternoon snacks for her husband and children.

Even though Ethan had told her several times to let Clara handle the kitchen work, Lane still refused to listen.

She wanted to personally take care of her family, and cooking their meals brought her genuine joy.

Ethan no longer stopped her because he knew better than to argue with her stubborn determination. Instead of trying to stop her, she simply pitched in and helped out whenever he could, eager to serve them just as much as she did.

"I’ll take this over, Clara," Lane said, stepping in just as Clara reached for the heavy tray of snacks.

"Make sure you grab something to eat too," she added after lifting the tray. She had intentionally prepared extra so the household staff could enjoy the treats as well.

Lane left the kitchen and headed straight for the living room to join her husband and children.

The sight waiting for her instantly warmed her heart.

Ethan was sitting comfortably on the carpeted floor, keeping a watchful eye on their two boys, Calvin and little Arlow. Calvin was busy playing with his baby brother, his face practically glowing with pure, unadulterated joy.

Time flew by so fast. It felt like just yesterday Lane was bringing Arlow home from the hospital, and now he was already eight months old. In just a few short months, he would celebrate his first birthday.

The funny thing was how much Arlow resembled his older brother. As he grew, he looked more and more like Calvin, which meant both of her children were absolute carbon copies of Ethan.

When she pointed this out to Ethan, he had just thrown his head back and laughed. He even teased that if she wanted a baby who actually looked like her, they would just have to try for a third. He joked that next time they would make a little princess, and she would definitely take after her mother.

Lane had pinched his arm for making that joke, especially since their youngest wasn’t even a year old yet, but deep down, she loved the idea of a bigger family. Being an only child herself, she had always dreamed of a bustling household, maybe even four kids.

Ethan already knew about her dream because they had talked about it in detail. When he asked how many children she wanted, she told him the truth, and he replied that no matter how many babies she wanted, he would always be right there by her side.

A moment later, Ethan looked up and sensed her presence. He started to stand to help her, but Lane shook her head to stop him.

She knew he wanted to relieve her of the tray, but it was light enough for her to manage on her own. She walked the rest of the way over and set the tray down on the coffee table.

"Let’s take a snack break," she announced, settling down right beside Ethan on the floor.

The second she sat, a strong, familiar arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. She glanced up, her heart melting into a puddle when Ethan leaned down to press a tender kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," Ethan murmured softly against her skin.

Smiling, she rested her head contentedly on his shoulder and watched their boys play.

A minute later, Arlow looked up from his toys and spotted his parents.

Seeing his father’s arms wrapped securely around Lane, the baby decided he wanted in on the action.

Lane quickly lifted her head from Ethan’s shoulder, her eyes widening in shock when Arlow, instead of crawling over, gripped the edge of the coffee table and tried to stand up.

He managed to get his footing, though he was still quite wobbly and needed a bit of balance. Lane’s heart swelled with absolute joy as her baby boy attempted to walk toward them.

"Go on, buddy," Ethan encouraged, his voice thick with pride and excitement.

Arlow lost his balance and sat back down on his diaper, and Calvin immediately rushed over to help his little brother up, but their dad spoke up first.

"Let him try on his own, Calvin."

"Okay, Daddy," Calvin chirped in agreement.

They gave Arlow some space to try again. This time, he gripped a low cushion and hoisted himself up. He found his balance and started shuffling forward on his chubby little legs. Tears instantly welled up in Lane’s eyes.

It was his very first time walking, and the overwhelming wave of pride she felt was indescribable.

She opened her arms wide, waiting for him to barrel into her embrace. She knew he was coming right for her.

She bit her lip, holding her breath as he crossed the distance. But her heart dropped a fraction when, instead of throwing himself into her arms, Arlow toddled past her and plowed straight into his father’s lap.

"Dy..."

Lane’s jaw went slack.

Arlow spoke his very first word. Of course, she had secretly hoped that, just like Calvin, his first word would be ’Mommy’ or ’Mama,’ but she should have known better. ’Daddy’ was the very first word out of his mouth!

She had carried him for nine grueling months, suffered through morning sickness and labor, and spent every single day feeding and caring for him. Yet ’Daddy’ was the priority.

She let out a dramatic huff and crossed her arms, instantly pouting.

Ethan burst out laughing when he caught her sulking expression, his dark eyes twinkling with pure amusement. He scooped Arlow up into a tight hug, and the baby giggled, wrapping his tiny arms around his dad’s neck.

"Don’t be jealous, love," Ethan teased, his voice dripping with amusement.

"Even if ’Dy’ was his first word, we both still love you to pieces."

"Yeah, Mommy, we love you!" Calvin chimed in, flashing a bright smile that showed just how fast he was growing into a handsome young boy.

"Why ’Dy’ first?" Lane grumbled playfully, narrowing her eyes.

Ethan chuckled again, driving her crazy in the best possible way.

"Don’t worry, we’ll spend all night teaching him to say ’Mommy’ next," he whispered, his eyes dancing with mischief.

Seeing that she was still crossing her arms and pouting, he leaned in close to her ear.

"And if you’re really mad, we can just make another baby. We’ll make sure ’Mommy’ is the first thing out of that one’s mouth."

Lane shot him a playful glare and pinched his side hard. Instead of yelping, Ethan just chuckled, catching her hand and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles while gazing at her with eyes full of worship.

Her fake anger melted away instantly. Her expression softened as she lost herself in Ethan’s gaze.

He pulled her hand down, wrapping his free arm securely around her shoulders so she was pulled fully into the cuddle pile, while his other arm still supported a giggling Arlow.

Seeing the family cuddle, Calvin didn’t want to be left out. He dove in, wrapping his arms around both of them.

Ethan somehow managed to enclose all three of them in one massive, unbreakable hug.

"I love the three of you more than life itself," Ethan said, his voice ringing with absolute devotion.

"I promise to protect this growing family of ours for the rest of my days."

Smiling through her happy tears, Lane buried her face against Ethan’s chest and squeezed him back with all her might.