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

་་

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?”

he 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 protect

hear this, but I don’t interrupt.

first I thought that I was just crazy or drunk I mean, the captain gave me a little of his whiskey when he saw how upset I was

a little, begging him to focus, and he looks

says, his voice faltering a little, looking

I ask, a little breathless, but some part

by the experience. “Your mother, Cora. Except…at the time, I didn’t know she was your mom.”

We all met the goddess that night in the temple with Ella – Roger met her, and me, but she had

spoke to Ella in the temple, and then

does she want

cheek with his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,” he continues, his face all sympathy.

ask, pushing past my

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

squeeze his hands again, letting him know that it’s okay. That he can tell me. So

“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 we were in a war – and Dominic had just made me his

concentrating on nothing else

know how to phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but that for the future of the world, I had to focus on family.

a dad, and raising my kids well to

forward, finally getting it. “Oh, so you stopped calling me

tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do it because I loved

при

7

anything to me I didn’t even care about kids – didn’t even really

–

always Dominic who was dying

again, my eyes

Roger murmurs, apologetic, “I’m fucking it all up, Cora – I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I want –” He pauses He pauses his confused language for a

ensure that I hear him,

–

I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment I really

nothing else I wanted in

calling me,” I whisper, “because you thought…my mom told you to.”

–

runs his hand through his hair. “I was totally freaked out I didn’t want to, but when a goddess tells you to do something you feel compelled to do it – and I thought she was telling me to run from you, when she probably was telling me to run to you to take you directly to my stupid tiny bunk

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