Surrogate For Alpha Dom

Home with Baby Ella

I hear Sinclair sigh heavily next to me, murmuring “Ella…”

But I ignore him, my eyes fasted on Hank, who blushes a deep red at the door and looks down at his shoes. I don’t say a word, though, or make this any easier on him. Instead, I wait patiently for an answer.

“Cora is,” he murmurs, awkward, “very special to me…

“I would imagine so,” I reply, my voice harder than I think I expected it to be. “She’s a very special person.”

Hank sighs and raises his eyes seriously to mine. I hold his gaze steadily.

“I’m very serious about Cora,” he says evenly. “I want to build a life with her. But we are moving…slowly. We both want to make sure that this is right.”

My heart warms when I hear him say that he wants to build a life with her, but still – what does that mean? I hold my baby closer to me and shift in my seat.

“And do you want to have childre-”

“Ella!” Sinclair bursts in, his voice angry, a hand on my arm.

“What!” I cry, turning to him with a frown. “It’s a legitimate question!”

“It’s none of your business!” He hisses back to me, his eyes wide and appalled.

–

my sister’s business is

My frown deepens as I open my mouth to object to my mate business, after all – but Hank clears his throat, bringing my attention back to him.

his eyes flicking

at an end. I

letting Sinclair know he’s free from my interrogation. “We’ll look

as Hank leaves the room, my eyes on my

I look into

she thinks he wants children they can’t have. If Hank also isn’t on the same page with her about kids,

up in surprise as he processes this information. “And what’s Cora’s page about kids?”

bristling that he didn’t let me get information that I very

his eyes back to me, though. “Either way, that’s a conversation between Cora and Roger.

enough to not talk to each other about it, then I am going to talk about it.”

on the chair. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected

in response, smiling down at my baby. Then, I kiss him on his little head. “Don’t worry, baby,” I whisper to him. “I’ll teach you my troublesome

but doesn’t bother to

by the time we finally get home, all three of us exhausted by the activities of the day. But Cora finally gave us the go–ahead when Rafe’s final set of

flowers waiting for us. “Oh,” I say, fascinated, moving forward to look at them all. Then I look up at my mate. “Did you do all this?” I

as he checks some tags on a few of them. “ They look to be presents from friends and well–wishers. See?” He

I say, reaching for it, my eyes suddenly filled with sharp tears. “Oh, I miss them…” I bite my lip against the sudden rush of feelings, overwhelmed by all the love in the room when I’ve been so distracted – I haven’t even kept up

Sinclair says quickly, taking me by the shoulders and moving the baby and I towards the stairs. “We’re way

cry, looking over my shoulder at it as Sinclair guides me up the stairs, a steady hand on my

in the morning,”

wisdom and allowing myself to be shepherded upstairs. When we reach the door to our bedroom,

wanting to be there for me. “What is it this

for the first time, Dominic. Putting him to sleep

mind as he confirms this. I know, he says, simply. And so I rest my body against him – against the warm, steady bulk of him, grateful – again – to have a mate who understands me so completely. Who doesn’t think I’m crazy or

to me. And that every moment of it – even one as simple as this is