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 between Sinclair and I now, clearly

my questioning is at an end. I sigh, nodding, as

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

room, my eyes on my

Sinclair says slowly, admonishing. I look into his eyes, still mad.

children they can’t have. If Hank also isn’t

he processes this information. “And

still bristling that he didn’t let me get information that

staring into space and considering it. “Actually, I don’t know…” He brings his eyes back to me, though.

“If they’re all too stupid enough to not talk to each other

Sinclair sighs, leaning back on the chair. “I guess

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 ways. And then we’ll torture daddy

huffs a little laugh in his chair, but doesn’t bother to counter me. He knows it would be a waste of breath.

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

we cross the threshold into our home, I gasp a little when I see the variety of gift baskets and flowers waiting for us. “Oh,” I

some tags on a few 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 a fluffy teddy bear. “This

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 –

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

my shoulder at it as Sinclair guides me up the

there in the morning,” Sinclair says, steady, yawning.

shepherded upstairs. When we reach the door to our bedroom, though, my eyes fill with tears again as I

taking my chin between his fingers, exhausted but wanting to be there for me. “What is it this time?

Dominic. Putting him to

as much as 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

all a dream to me. And that every moment of it – even one as simple