Accidental Surrogate

Chapter 482 – New Baby Cousin

Ella

I see a yawn stretch over Cora’s face and immediately start to get to my feet. “You’re exhausted,” I say, “we’ll let you get some rest – ”

“No,” Roger says, suddenly a little frantic again. “You guy can’t leave what if – what if the baby cries and Cora sleeps through it – I have no idea what to do ”

I laugh at my brother-in-law and shake my head at him. “We’re not going far, Roger,” I say, pressing myself to Sinclair’s side as he, too, stands up. “We’re going to sleep across the hall after we make sure Henry gets home safe. You’ll be able to shout if you need anything.”

“Oh, thank god,” Roger murmurs, slumping back against the pillows and putting a weary hand over his face.

“So dramatic,” Cora says, rolling her eyes but laughing anyway. I grin at my sister and then move to her side, pressing a kiss to her cheek and blowing one to the sleeping Jesse, my new perfect nephew.

“You guys sleep tight, all right?” I say. “And really – we’re here if you need us. Or even if you want us to take the baby in the rolling bassinet – he can sleep in our room – ”

“We’ll be fine, Ella,” Cora says, rolling her eyes at me now.

“They do this all the time in hospitals, take the baby to the nursery so the mom can get some sleep! I could

“Stop trying to steal my baby,” she laughs, flapping a hand at me, “just because you miss having a newborn.”

“I do,” I sigh, again clutching my hands beneath my chin. “They’re so cute and tiny then…”

“Come and take your meatball, Ella,” Sinclair says on a laugh, holding out my perfect little Rafe to me. And I laugh too, taking Rafe in my arms and holding him tight against my chest.

“You’re perfect too, Rafe,” I say, kissing his head, “no matter how big you get.”

soft goodnights over our shoulder and close the door behind us as we pass out of the room, letting my sister and her

hall, I fall back against the wall

and grinning at me as I

at him. “I get to do that again in what, six months!? I love the newborn stage! I love the first night, when you can’t sleep because you can’t bear to close your

a mom, trouble,” my sweetheart mate says, stepping forward and running his hand over my hair. I grin up at him, nodding fervently. “Luckily,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me. “I do not at all mind the process of knocking you up. Not one

gasp, swatting at him a little and covering one of Rafe’s ear with my spare

the hall. “We have sex in front

be more bothered than I am as I open the door to the guest room. “Baby Rafe doesn’t

me in the dark of the room and pulling me to him, a little more roughly than he needs to, just the way

Because we have competition now for

dark little laugh. “We’ve got them

him. And my mate kisses me swiftly before giving me a swat

sure dad gets home?” He asks,

him a quick thumbs up and a wink. Sinclair nods to me, smiling, and heads out the door,

as I swing the baby up over my head, making him give a a new

happily as if in reply and I smile at him as I carry him over to the little changing table I set up a few

put his pajamas on. “But if you like your new cousin more than your new little sister, just because you have some weird kind of bond?” I look at him for a

me, babbling as I

that as a yes,” I say, smiling as I pull him up into my arms. “And I’m holding you to it, even though you don’t even really speak English

Sinclair comes back into the room about half an hour later, Rafe and I are cozily settled on the bed, each of us warmly wrapped up as he plays with some of his soft blocks and I lay quietly by his side, talking to him and giving him a cuddle whenever

let me interrupt,” he says, starting to pull off his blazer

do,” I say, sitting up a little. ”

to bed, pulling off his shoes and slipping into the bed fully dressed so he can be with his little family sooner. I smile when I see his eagerness, knowing he feels precisely the way that I feel: that this

sleepy?” he asks.