Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 339 – Choices

Cora

“It’s all right,” Roger says, his eyes going wide as he takes in my pale face, my scared expression and realizes that he’s freaked me out for the third or fourth time today. “It’s not – it’s not bad, I was just kind of a dick – it was a misunderstanding –”

“What?” I ask, more confused now than ever.

–

“Listen,” he says, leaning in towards me. “Just let me tell you, all right? II was going to tell you at some point, definitely not like this but…” he sighs, looking into my face and then down at my stomach, and then back up into my eyes. “I think that… if we’re going to start on this new part

–

–

of our lives – this parent thing – well,” he says, giving me a charming little half–smile and a

shrug. “We should be on the same page, right?”

I nod, agreeing, but looking at him a little askance. “Did you not think that we should…go into our mating? On the same page?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s a little different, Cora – because it didn’t matter – I didn’t think we could have kids

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I frown at him – not mad or angry, but confused…

“Listen, let me just tell it,” he says, leaning forward and looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” I say, quite simply, taking his hands and leaning even closer to press a kiss to his mouthr letting him know that I’m listening with an open heart.

“Okay,” Roger says again, taking a deep breath before he begins. “Do you remember… when you and Ella went into the desert with her mother, Regina?”

“Reina,” I correct softly, and he laughs.

“Right,” he says, shaking his head. “Those names are so easy to mix up. Anyway – you three were out on your girls trip, and my choice was either to hang out with those priests in the temple, or go back on to the ship all alone.”

Ismirk at him, knowing precisely which one he chose. He sees my smile and laughs a little.

“Yeah,” he says, grinning at me. “I chose solitude. Or at least…I thought I did.”

there someone on the ship?” I ask, curious.

replies. “I was standing at the bow looking out at the desert – honestly, a little pissed off at being left behind. Sinclair sent me to

when I hear this, but I don’t interrupt.

I thought that I was just crazy or drunk I mean, the captain gave me a little of

focus,

little, looking down at our joined hands, “she

ask, a little breathless, but some

startled by the experience. “Your mother, Cora. Except…at the time, I

my face steady but honestly…some part of me is a little jealous. We all met the goddess that night in the temple with Ella – Roger met her, and me, but she had only spoken to Ella beyond a brief introduction

too? And that she only spoke to Ella in the temple, and then went to Roger later

through my nose, disappointed. Why does she

I didn’t want to tell you,

pushing past

the distance a little as he continues his story. “She didn’t come in her bodily form,” he says, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it was just…a vision of sorts, more like the baptism but…not quite.” He shakes his head a little, at a loss to

tell me. So Roger turns back to me and looks at me

he says, “that I was chasing the wrong destiny. That my future was not in war and politics, as my brother’s was – and you have to realize, that that was devastating to hear at the time, considering that

understanding, concentrating on nothing else but his words.

hard to know how to phrase it – because it

-on finding my mate, and having children, and being a dad, and raising my kids well to

lean forward, finally getting

kids, Cora…” he whispers, clutching my hands tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do it because I loved you I was obsessed with

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anything to me I didn’t even

–

Dominic who was dying to be a dad, not

I say again, my

pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I want –” He pauses He pauses his

to ensure that I hear him,

–

same boat – I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment

nothing else I wanted

“because you thought…my mom told you to.”

–

when a goddess tells you to do something you feel compelled to

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