Accidental Surrogate

Chapter 404 – An Angry King Ella

“Oh, Ella,” Cora sighs, her shoulders slumping as she sees my reaction to her words. She strides over to me and wraps me in a big hug. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs into my hair, “I shouldn’t have said it like that.” “No,” I sniff, you’re right – I should have listened – ”

“It’s okay. You didso goodby her,” Cora says, loosening her grip and turning me towards the little girl asleep in her bed. “She wasn’t going to make it, Ella,” Cora whispers as we look down at the girl. “Not even a few more days maybe not even through the night. And look at her now.”

Tears are streaming freely down my cheeks now. “She’s perfect,” I murmur, and Cora nods.

“So, you did a good thing,” she sighs, wiping at my tears in her own brusk way, “but we still haveworkto do. All right?”

“Okay,” I say nodding and looking around the room. “Who’s next?” “A little boy,” she says, looking down at her clipboard. “Named Philip.” “A sweet little boy!” I gasp, and then I bury my face in my hands and start crying again, thinking of my own sweet baby – and if he ever got sick – “Ella,” Cora sighs next to me, and I hear her take a deep steadying breath.

“We are not going to get through this if you keep crying all the time.” “I can’t help it,” I sniff, looking up at her and wiping again at my tears, which just seem to keep coming. “Do you think…if these kids don’t have a home, Sinclair will…” “If you go home tonight and ask Sinclair to adopt all these kids,” she says slowly, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head at me, though unable to keep a smile from starting on her lips, “he’s gonna flip, Ella.” “But -” ”

Move on, kid!” she laughs, giving me a little push between the shoulder blades to keep me moving. “Let’s go help Philip!”

raiseallthe children away, though it is very difficult. We don’t have far to go, but as we walk I take my baby from Conner’s arms, even though I know I’ll have to give him back in about two

Rafe, looking down and watching him sleep, warmth crawling through me and chasing away my sadness as I look down into his perfect little face. ” Should we bring home about

children back with me tonight, so it’s just me and Rafe in the car with him. Conner surprises me by driving around to the back of the palace and pressing a button at the top of the car, opening

I say, leaning forward curiously.

is the entrance, I place a hand on his shoulder. “You did really well today, Conner,” I say softly. “Thank you, Luna,” he says, flashing me a smile. “You should…” and I hesitate here, not really knowing what to say. “I should what?” he asks, curious. “Well, I know that you’re part of the military,” say, taking my hand away and twisting my fingers together anxiously, “and I know that you probably have all sorts of ambitions there, but…well, if you’d like to be part of my

genuine smile. “I promise I will.” And then we both nod at each other and get out of the car, me unstrapping the baby and leaving his car seat where it is – because he’s just going to need

the winding halls beneath the palace to an elevator, which we climb into. He presses a button and swipes a card from his pocket and, when it reaches the second floor, I’m very surprised to find us in the hallway where my personal rooms are. “Oh,” I say, my eyebrows arching almost to my hairline. “Well, that’s terribly convenient, isn’t it?” “Only

going to come and hang out with me and Sinclair? I wave goodbye to him and wish him

I push open the door to our suite, I can tell already that Sinclair is mad. Frowning, I close the door behind me, looking towards where he sits at his new desk by the window,

to me as he gestures to the darkness outside the window. “You were goneall day-