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.

else,” he says, his eyes flicking between Sinclair and I now, clearly

at an end. I

you, doctor,” he says with finality, letting Sinclair know he’s free from

leaves the room, my eyes on my baby.

Sinclair says slowly, admonishing. I look

can’t have. If Hank

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

still bristling that he didn’t let me get information that I very much wanted.

He brings his eyes back to me, though. “Either way, that’s a conversation between

I murmur, settling back onto the pillows. “If they’re all too stupid enough to not talk to each other about it, then I am going to

leaning back on the

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 ways. And then we’ll torture daddy together.”

to counter me.

of us exhausted by the activities of the day. But Cora finally gave us the go–ahead when Rafe’s final set of tests came back clean

baskets and flowers waiting for us. “Oh,” I say, fascinated, moving forward to look at them all. Then I look up

of them. “ They look to be presents from friends and well–wishers. See?” He points to one filled with hand–drawn cards set neatly around

of feelings, overwhelmed by

taking me by the shoulders and moving the baby and I towards the stairs. “We’re way too tired for this – if you get into all these cards now, you’ll cry yourself to

guides me up the stairs, a steady hand on my back. “Rafe’s first teddy – we

in the morning,” Sinclair says,

wisdom and allowing myself to be shepherded upstairs. When we reach the door to our bedroom, though, my eyes fill with tears again

but wanting to be there for

trembling a little, looking between him and the baby. “Just…we’re bringing him home for the first time, Dominic. Putting him to sleep in his own little bed.

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

a dream to me. And that every moment of