Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

Chapter 298 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.

there’s nothing else,” he says, his eyes flicking between Sinclair and

at an end. I sigh,

he’s free from

leaves the room, my

slowly, admonishing. I look into

Sinclair. She’s not with Roger because she thinks he wants children they can’t have. If Hank

eyes go up in surprise as he processes this information. “And what’s Cora’s page about

that he didn’t let me

little, staring into space and considering it. “Actually, I don’t know…” He brings his eyes back to me, though. “Either way, that’s a conversation between Cora and Roger. Or

enough to not

back 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

doesn’t bother to counter me. He knows

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

for us. “Oh,” I say, fascinated, moving

also raised in interest as he checks 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.

feelings, overwhelmed by all the love in the room when I’ve been so distracted – I haven’t even

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

at it as Sinclair guides me up the stairs, a steady hand on my

in the morning,” Sinclair says, steady, yawning. “Now?

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

chin between his fingers, exhausted but wanting to be

first time, Dominic. Putting him to sleep in his own little bed. It’s just…”

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

understands, really, that this is all a dream to me. And that every moment of it – even one