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.

in terms of my relationship, which is largely what I wish to work through with you, I

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

of problems for me, but I confronted her about it and she didn’t even seem contrite. She tried

in terms of devil’s advocate,” I say, “was

“No, with her plan, I

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 tell me more? Does your fiancé’s plan affect your

sighs. “But most significantly, my

filling my body

that I’m going

soul for a reaction and find that I am fine with this. We agreed long ago that Victor would claim Alvin and Ian as his sons and heirs – who cares if it happens tomorrow or

“that moving up the date is not as much of an issue for you, though, as

and preparation. That’s not the issue. The problem is that my fiancé went behind my back to

press a 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 feelings, in

“Strong feelings, certainly, but also, a certain unwillingness to cede control

my mouth to contend this – remind him that it is their life

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

of disbelief, my

throat and I remember, of course, that I’m a therapist in this situation. I change tactics. “That is a very significant betrayal,”

liked it to be. But she maintained that she was correct – that the best plan of action is for the boys to leave our lives, to remain unacknowledged by me – for me to support them and be a less-signficant part of their lives, but to privilege our own future children as my heirs.

be my friend all this time

heirs they will be destined to take up

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 goes through with it, I’ll never speak to him

“from what you’ve said already about moving up the ceremony, that you disagree with your fiancé – that you plan

side of the line and wonder if he has slammed his fist against something. That would be very Victor. “She has betrayed me – the kind of action that

possible,” I say, my heart

“What do you mean?”