Accidental Surrogate

Chapter 422- Bath Time

Ella

“Cora,” I scold, frowning, “you know I don’t’ feel that way – ”

“Well I know you’d never say it,” she protests, sighing. “But I do get that this union between a wolf and a human that, symbolically, it’s important. And even if you’re not disappointed that it could be…disappointing.”

“I want you to have the mating ceremony you want, Cora,” I reply, steady in my truth here. “Especially in the case of something as important as this.” I give her hand a little squeeze before pulling mine away. “But if you’d like to consider a middle path…maybe you could let me show you what I was thinking?”

She turns her head to look up at me, surprised. “You’ve been…planning?”

“Just a little,” I say, unable to keep the eagerness out of my voice. “Just late at night when Sinclair is asleep and I can’t sleep, or I get up to feed Rafe – ”

“You’ve been loosing sleep over this!?”

“No!” I protest, but then I hesitate. ” Well, not much.”

“Ella!”

“Just – can I show you what I was thinking!?” I plead, “sister to sister!? And then, if you hate it, you can say no.” A wide grin comes to my face then. “But I think you’re going to like it.”

Cora gives a big sigh, leaning back into her seat and closing her eyes. ” Fine, Ella,” she says. “But this is not a yes.”

“I didn’t think it was!” I say, newly excited. Because honestly…it’s gorgeous, and I can’t wait to show her my plans.

come sighing into our rooms that evening, Sinclair immediately looks up at me from his casual position on the bed –

baby strapped sleeping to my chest. I put my

his pockets and smirks as he looks me up and down. “I just didn’t realize I was mated to someone who spends their days toiling in the mines, is

my god,” I murmur, leaning in to get a good look at the very real layer of dusty dark brown grime that’s covering

laughing, comes to stand behind me. I groan when I see our contrast in the mirror – him the perfect Alpha King, clean-shaved and pressed – and me, a messy ball of dirt with crazy hair

is likewise covered in a light layer of brown dust. “Oh my god!” I exclaim again, immediately beginning to ruffle his hair and moaning as a little puff of dust explodes into the air. “Ohhh,

chuckles, reaching out to unstrap the baby from me. “Dirty in

baby from my arms. “Honestly, if this is what we look like after

attention to it,” he replies, holding the baby away from him a little as he carries him over to his little baby bath. “Hopefully all of the people will be out of those terrible

warmth of my body, starts to cry

I should just take him and let him sleep dirty honestly, I can’t stand to hear him cry like

in the world, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.” Then, as I begin to strip out of

know,” I sigh, watching the little pieces of baby clothing disappear into the basket, “he’ll probably be too big to

tickling Rafe’s naked belly, proud, as he turns on the warm water and prepares to start bathing him. Rafe still fusses unhappily but reaches for

damn cute it is, seeing them together, before I turn and start the water in the shower for myself. I continue talking to Sinclair as I climb into the hot stream, relishing the feel of it against my

starting to shampoo my hair. “I don’t think she’s into it, Dominic. I’m

replies. ” But yeah, Roger told me

his reaction, and Sinclair shoots me a little

I’m not mad,

shaking my head and turning away to rinse the shampoo from my hair. “That’s not what I mean I know that you’d never be