Accidental Surrogate

Cora

“It’s all right,” Roger says, his eyes going wide as he takes in my pale face, my scared expression and realizes that he’s freaked me out for the third or fourth time today. “It’s not – it’s not bad, I was just kind of a dick – it was a misunderstanding –”

“What?” I ask, more confused now than ever.

–

“Listen,” he says, leaning in towards me. “Just let me tell you, all right? II was going to tell you at some point, definitely not like this but…” he sighs, looking into my face and then down at my stomach, and then back up into my eyes. “I think that… if we’re going to start on this new part

–

–

of our lives – this parent thing – well,” he says, giving me a charming little half–smile and a

shrug. “We should be on the same page, right?”

I nod, agreeing, but looking at him a little askance. “Did you not think that we should…go into our mating? On the same page?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s a little different, Cora – because it didn’t matter – I didn’t think we could have kids

་་

I frown at him – not mad or angry, but confused…

“Listen, let me just tell it,” he says, leaning forward and looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” I say, quite simply, taking his hands and leaning even closer to press a kiss to his mouthr letting him know that I’m listening with an open heart.

“Okay,” Roger says again, taking a deep breath before he begins. “Do you remember… when you and Ella went into the desert with her mother, Regina?”

“Reina,” I correct softly, and he laughs.

“Right,” he says, shaking his head. “Those names are so easy to mix up. Anyway – you three were out on your girls trip, and my choice was either to hang out with those priests in the temple, or go back on to the ship all alone.”

Ismirk at him, knowing precisely which one he chose. He sees my smile and laughs a little.

“Yeah,” he says, grinning at me. “I chose solitude. Or at least…I thought I did.”

there someone on the

precisely,” he replies. “I was standing at the bow looking out at the desert – honestly, a little pissed off at being left behind. Sinclair

this, but I

grow…brighter and brighter. And at first I thought that I was just crazy or drunk I mean, the captain gave me a little of his whiskey when he saw

his hands a little, begging him to focus, and he looks at me

voice faltering a little, looking down at our joined hands,

little breathless, but some part of me

still a little startled by the experience. “Your mother, Cora. Except…at the time, I didn’t know she was your mom.”

in the temple with Ella – Roger met her, and me, but she had only spoken to Ella beyond a

mother too? And that she only spoke to Ella in the temple,

my nose, disappointed. Why does she want

his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,” he continues, his face all sympathy. “I knew that it

what did she do?” I ask, pushing past my jealousy and truly wanting to know.

it was just…a vision of sorts, more like the baptism but…not quite.” He shakes his head a little, at a loss to explain it. “But her message was perfectly clear.”

okay. That he can tell me. So Roger turns back to me

you have to realize, that that was devastating to hear at the time, considering that

on nothing else

he twists his mouth a little, concentrating. “It’s hard to know how to phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but that for the future of the world,

-on finding my mate, and having children, and being a dad, and raising my kids well to be

lean forward,

didn’t think we could have kids, Cora…” he whispers, clutching my hands tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do it because I loved you

при

7

me I didn’t even care about kids

–

was dying to be

again, my eyes

all up, Cora – I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I want –” He pauses He pauses his confused language for a moment and steadies himself, choosing his next words carefully to make

he tells me, pausing to ensure that I hear him, “and I can’t wait to build a family with

–

boat – I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment I really understood that

wanted in

whisper, “because you thought…my mom told

–

goddess tells you to do something you feel compelled to