One Night With My Alpha Professor by Eve Above Story

Chapter 253

Audrey

Joseph clung to Eliza’s arm like a lifeline as we climbed out of the car. Eliza gently stroked his hair, and he leaned into her touch with an innocent expression in his wide brown eyes. He had taken to her quickly, as if he were a lost duckling imprinting on a stray cat.

“Would you like to come live with me here?” Eliza asked, crouching to Joseph’s level and gesturing to the house behind her. “There’s a nice big yard in the back, and you can have your very own room. We’ll have lots of fun together.”

Joseph blinked up at her first, then to the house, before he nodded vigorously. He pressed himself even closer to Eliza’s side, clearly overjoyed at the thought of a new home that wasn’t an orphanage, some kind of terrifying factory, or our cramped apartment.

“Well, I guess that settles it,” Edwin said with a soft chuckle.

With that, we walked up the front path to the house.

Eliza’s home was a beautiful old Victorian–style house that she had purchased and renovated herself–it was surprisingly quaint, with a wraparound porch and intricate wallpaper in every room. The whole place smelled like vanilla candles as we stepped into the foyer, the hardwood creaking beneath our feet.

“This will be your room,” Eliza said as she led Joseph up the stairs and to the left of the wide hallway.

The spare bedroom she had chosen for him had large windows that overlooked the garden, where the early morning light spilled in, casting everything in a warm golden glow. The room was simple–bare, for now–but it was spacious and cozy. There was a large box containing the parts to a bunk bed sitting in the corner.

Joseph immediately gasped softly when he stepped inside, turning around with wonder.

“He still needs some things,” Eliza said, turning to us. “Clothes, toys, maybe some decorations to make it feel more like his own space…”

Her voice trailed off thoughtfully. I could already see the gears turning in her mind, clearly planning out every last detail. It was still surprising, seeing this maternal side of her, but she seemed excited to become a single mother.

“We can help with that,” I offered, glancing at Edwin. “We’ll run to the store and pick up a few things while you two get settled in.”

Eliza flashed me a grateful smile. “That would be wonderful. I’ll make dinner for all of us tonight.”

Edwin smirked. “Maybe I should do the cooking, since you can’t even microwave a potato without setting the house on fire,” he teased, eliciting a light smack upside the head from me and a growl from his sister.

later, Edwin and I wandered through the aisles of a department store, Edwin pushing a shopping cart that we filled with all the essentials: bedding, clothes, toiletries–everything a little boy

footsteps slowed as my eyes were drawn to a stuffed dinosaur

shelf.

toy, but something about it tugged at my heartstrings. I could still remember the hand–me–down toys at the orphanage, broken and worn, passed from child to child, never really belonging to any one of us. Meredith had given me what she could, but

tried not to think about that,

get it for him?” Edwin asked as he stepped up beside me.

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Chapter 253

giving it a squeeze.

hands and looked it over. I could already picture Joseph snuggling it to sleep every

gingerly in the cart. “A little gift from Aunt

smirked, but then his expression softened. “That sounds nice. And it’s probably something that he’ll appreciate a lot more than letting him sleep on our couch

such as a model train set and a few board games. Edwin insisted on some dinosaur–themed throw pillows to

would have expected Eliza or you to be the parenting

asked, to which I nodded. He scratched his head and admitted, “I never thought I wanted children either. But since meeting you…” He trailed

to face him, curious

little bit sheepish. “I think I wouldn’t mind having one.

surprising and yet… not. It was just another reminder of how much had changed since we’d

on the fence about that, if I’m

mate just shrugged and pressed a kiss to my

having kids myself, but it wasn’t something I was opposed to. Although the thought of adopting was more appealing–to

we returned to Eliza’s house, the sun had dipped lower in the sky. The house smelled like dinner as we entered: chicken,

water while we set our shopping bags down in the foyer. It seemed Edwin’s quip about his sister had been misplaced. Either that, or she

in the living room. Eliza was sitting cross–legged on the floor, showing Joseph how to

the doorway, neither of us wanting to interrupt their moment. We exchanged glances, coming to the same conclusion, and quietly began to creep away before they could