Accidental Surrogate

Cora

I blow lightly on my cup of tea, doing my best to cool it and concentrate on the book that’s open in my lap. But even as I try, my eyes continually drift to the picture window in front of me that overlooks the front of our property, including the driveway where Roger’s going to pull in any minute now.

At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past two hours.

I sigh, frustrated. I sent him a text a while ago asking him to let me know when he’d be home not that I really need to know, I just…wanted to know.

But Roger is notoriously bad at keeping an eye on his phone, and I know that he and Sinclair have had a particularly stressful day today. So, I’do my best to just…exercise my patience.

But I sigh because, even though patience is usually one of my virtues…

Today? I’m finding it a little hard.

Happy!

The baby’s little tap comes skipping down the bond out of nowhere, and I burst into a grin, looking down at myself.

“Oh, so are you liking the ginger tea, little guy?” I ask, laughing a little as I stroke a hand over my belly.

He doesn’t respond because…well, because I asked him out loud, and he can’t hear me, but I smile nonetheless, taking another sip.

Happy? I ask, sending the word and the feeling down the bond to him.

His answer comes back in an instant. Happy happy!

I laugh again, desperately pleased at this, and wondering what’s going to come next with him. Because he’s getting bigger, I can almost feel him growing by the day, and soon he’s going to start feeling all sorts of new things. But will he even have words for them? Will we feel them before he does, and be able to pass the same emotions back and forth, asking questions like we do with happy? Will it be –

But even as I ponder it, excited, headlights flash across the drive and my face bursts into a grin.

“Daddy’s home, little baby,” I murmur, taking another sip of my tea before putting it down on the coffee table as I watch Roger park the car, and step out, and storm for our front door.

“Ut-oh,” I sigh, watching his every step and continuing to stroke my stomach. “Daddy’s in a mood, baby…”

The baby pulses, making me laugh for real

is anything but happy, isn’t

jokes. God, I love

already looking up

Roger whips towards me, stopping so fast in his tracks

in here?” he asks almost

down. “I’m sorry,” I say, my voice deep with sarcasm. “Am I… not allowed to sit in our

me again. ” I’m sorry,” he says, and I can tell that he means it even though his voice is clipped.

a day?”

sighs,

for him and folding my legs to make space

he says, glancing up the stairs. “Can we just

a little still. ” You’re not hungry,

again, almost begging for a moment. “I just want to go to bed. With you. And just…be there. All

disturbed now. Because I don’t frequently see him like this. Once we broke into Roger’s tough shell, he revealed himself to be funny,

he’s showing me this side…he

his side in a second. “Sure,” I say, nodding to him

to me once, tugging on my hand and

moving smoothly through our evening routine. Roger gives a quick kiss before heading to the bathroom to take a short shower, washing off the day. I’m silent as I change into my nightgown, laying out a pair of pajama pants on the bed for

light to see by, but

face serious and his eyes far-off, thinking through something that I know he’ll tell me about in a few minutes when he’s ready. I can’t help admiring him a little when he drops his towel and reaches for the folded pajama pants on

efforts to keep it to myself, Roger raises his head a

shows up all naked in bedroom, the fire highlighting the carved lines of his body

and moves to his side of the bed, pulling back the covers and slipping beneath them. I scootch across the mattress, pressing myself to his side, and Roger

I murmur, running my fingers through his still-damp hair and cooing softly to him in a

our relationship is based on a great deal of laughter and teasing. But tonight? Tonight, I can

likes. And Roger, to my content, starts almost to purr with the pleasure of it. Interestingly, for how much we usually want

baby,” I

to my pleased surprise,