Pregnant With Alpha’s Genius Twins

#Chapter 51 – Closet Conversations

As I tuck the boys into their beds, the television in their room set to stream a Disney Channel show for the next couple of hours, I hear the phone in my closet ring.

“Do you have another secret call, Mama?” Ian asks, his eyes fastened to the screen as he asks.

“What?”

“Your secret phone,” Alvin says, absently tossing popcorn into his mouth as he watches the bright colors, “the one in your closet.”

“How…” The boys, sensing a problem, both look at me at once. I sigh. Genius twins, Evelyn, remember? I don’t know why I thought I could keep anything from them.

The phone continues to ring.

“I have to go take that call, boys, but it’s for work. I want you to keep away from the secret phone, okay? It’s secret for a reason. It’s our secret. So don’t tell anyone, not even Edgar or Daddy or Amelia.”

I tried to hide “daddy” between two other innocuous persons – Edgar and Amelia wouldn’t care.

Ian gives me a thumbs up and Alvin gives me a conspiratorial smile. The boys love a secret. Problem solved for now, I pull their door closed behind me and hurry into my room and then my closet.

“Hello?” I say, answering the phone a little breathless.

“Did we not have a call scheduled.” It’s a question, technically, but Victor doesn’t present it as such. He knows we did.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” I say, settling into my closet’s corner. I even added a little pillow back here, for greater comfort. “My children needed a little…unexpected attention. I apologize.”

“That’s fine,” he says. “I understand.”

“Wonderful. So, how are things going for you lately?”

“Things are…complicated,” Victor grinds out. My heart sinks a little bit in my chest. What? I thought things were going well after the camping trip. At least on my end, everything is pretty smooth.

“What happened?” I ask.

largely what I wish to work through with you, I discovered that my partner

voice even and professional, like an uninvolved therapist. “I’m very sorry to hear

lot of problems for me, but I confronted

of devil’s advocate,” I say, “was she

word vehemently, with finality. “No, with her plan, I lose everything that I’ve worked so

be careful here, but I also need to know. “I find myself…struggling to comprehend. I understand that you’re avoiding details for the sake of anonymity, but can you

sighs. “But most significantly, my relationship with

a physical drop in my stomach at this, dread filling my body and bones. “Are they

the solution to her meddling, is that I’m going to have to move up the event

I say, a little surprised. I search my soul for a reaction and find that I am fine with this. We agreed long ago that Victor would

suspect,” I continue, “that moving up the date is not as

the boys tomorrow if the event didn’t take so much planning and preparation. That’s not the issue. The problem is that

hand to my mouth. That is very, very bad. What was Amelia thinking? “That’s shocking,” I say, “considering everything you’ve told me so far about your partner. She must have had strong

but also, a certain unwillingness to cede control

– remind him that

know what you’re going to say – that she has equal right to plan our lives. But in this situation, she has crossed a line. It’s not merely that she’s asking to change or delay our plans for a family – it’s that she took

my voice full of disbelief, my eyes wide with shock. “What did

in this situation. I

boys to leave our lives, to remain

my friend all this time – fireside sisters

and instead leading totally normal lives. As Victor’s heirs they will be destined to take up his track in life. Not a bad path, but certainly a narrow one. If they were not acknowledged, they’d have fewer privileges, but also more freedom to pursue their

the appeal in this, I also know that it’s not the right plan. My boys love their father, and he has promised them that he will acknowledge them. To break that promise – for Amelia’s sake – would be a great betrayal to my boys. If Victor

that you disagree with your fiancé – that you plan to acknowledge the boys. So that’s that settled. But what do you plan to do about your

something. That would be very Victor. “She has betrayed me – the kind of action that I would accept from no one. But she is my mate, and if what she says about wanting to defend her future

heart steely. “That this is

“What do you mean?”