Chapter 419 – Falling for the Alpha as a Surrogate Novel

Filed To Story: Falling for the Alpha as a Surrogate Novel

I laugh now, both at his words and the soft tickly feeling of his lips on my skin. “Oh sure,” I say, sarcastic, “you’d just love that. A little girl trapsing around with Rafe and Cora’s son, getting into all the messes that boys do? There’s no part of you that would overreact to her being in any kind of danger as she played boys’ sports, participated in boys’ activities, learning how to fight and be an Alpha.”

“If she’s your daughter? She can handle it.”

“No, Dominic,” I say, soft now, pulling my head back a little to look into his face. “Your daughter would be strong enough to handle that, to handle anything. You’d make her strong, like you do me and Rafe.”

I see the way he melts a little then, the way his eyes go soft as he looks at me, truly hears my words. “Trouble,” he growls, lifting hand to my cheek and resting his forehead against mine, ” you’re the heart of everything. There is no strength without you.”…

And then my mate presses his lips to mine, and our little baby gives a happy giggle, and I swear that my heart…will probably explode with happiness at any moment.

But before it can, we both hear the door open.

“Is…anyone here?” It’s Cora’s voice.

“Here!” I call after I break our kiss and take a second to clear my choked throat. I raise a hand and waive it so that Cora can see me.

Sinclair takes the opportunity to kiss me again, just briefly, as Cora, Roger, and Henry come over to us at the far side of the room. And then we both smile up at our family as they come into view.

“Why am I not surprised that you’re doing something bizarre?” Roger asks, frowning at us a little and putting his hands on his hips.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“You have an entire mahogany table with velvet-lined chairs,” Cora explains, waiving at the room, “as well as a full breakfast buffet set out. And yet the two of you are over here, sitting on the floor and making out?”

I laugh and roll my eyes at my sister, getting to my knees and then lifting Rafe into my arms. “You have no sense of fun, Cora,” I chide. Sinclair stands and puts out a hand to me, helping me to my feet.

“I have plenty of sense of fun -” she protests, crossing her arms. “I just like a cup of coffee first.”

“Well,” I say, gesturing towards the full pot of coffee waiting hot on the buffet, “help yourself, sister mine!”

“Um,” a sound comes from the door, and we all turn towards it. Sarah and Jessica are standing there, hand-in- hand, a guard in black standing behind them. “I’m so sorry – are we… interrupting?”

I blush a little – god, I’m supposed to be a queen, and this is the picture we’re presenting? Laying on the floor and bickering over who is more fun, the queen or the duchess?

“Please,” I say, hurrying across the room to stand in front of Sarah and Jessica, who I note are clean, and wearing fresh new clothes, and looking rested and happy. Or at least, happier than they did yesterday. “Won’t you come in and have some breakfast? We’re so excited to see you.”

I give them my best smile as they accept my invitation into the room, but as they move to fill their plates with some breakfast something in my stomach sinks a little. Because I’ve been having what is frankly a wonderful morning…but I know that things are about to get very, very dark.

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As Sarah and Jessica come to sit down at the table, I’m surprised to see Henry take the lead in speaking to them. I get a little cup of coffee for myself, and a bowl of sliced fruit – honestly, I’m going to be too distracted to eat much and listen interestedly to the start of the conversation.

I don’t know why I’m so surprised, but Henry really does shock me with how charming he is with Sarah and Jessica, immediately putting them at ease as he asks them very simple, easy questions about who they are and what they like. He doesn’t delve into any of the big questions that I’m sure we’ll get into soon where they lived, how they lived, and why they ran but instead 1 does a wonderful job of showing his interest in who they are as people.

As I sit down at my place next to Sinclair and begin to sip at my coffee, I’m interested to see how Henry concentrates his attention on Jessica. She’s so young and so shy at first, but his questions about what she likes – reading, and animals – and what she dislikes – cold weather, chores – really allow Jessica to open up. I see Sarah smiling warmly at her sister and then at Henry as she, too, sees Jessica shed her shyness and become the lovely, happy little girl that Sarah must know at home.

“Yes!” Jessica says, enthusiastic. “I love dogs! I wish I had one! We used to have one, but…” she hesitates, and then looks up at Sarah, biting her lip.

“Master Xander had lots of dogs,” Sarah says, smiling around at us. There was a puppy that we liked best of all we…called him our dog. Frisky, we said his name was.”

“Because,” Jessica says, laughing, ” He was always so playful! And he liked to get into trouble.”

I smile at the little girl, laughing and imagining her with the little dog. But I notice that Sarah’s face turns sad, and she looks away from Jessica, not wanting her to see. My own face falls as I realize that…this story must not have a nice ending. And that Sarah doesn’t want Jessica to remember that.

Luckily, Henry jumps in. “Well,” he says, raising his eyebrows at Jessica. Did you know that there is a mama cat, here in the palace? Who had her kittens just about a month ago?”

Jessica’s eyes go completely round as she gasps at the news. Henry leans forward, smiling at her.” Would you like to play with them?”

“Oh!” Jessica says, clasping her hands together and holding them tight under her chin. “Yes, please! Oh, I would like that very much!”

Henry looks over at my mate, who smiles and nods, letting him know it’s a good idea – and then Henry rolls away to a corner of the room, where he presses a button on an intercom and says a few words to whoever is on the other end.

As he does, I look over at Jessica who is beaming with excitement, and then down at my own baby, who sitting on my lap and blowing bubbles, grasping at the table cloth and generally exploring his world. When I look up at Sarah, I smile to see that her eyes are on Rafe as well.

She looks up and meets my eyes, her own face breaking out into a big smile to match mine. And I can see…a sort of pride there, in that she was able to help this little baby, to keep him safe with me.

Gratitude races through me first, and then, after it, a deep determination to give this woman everything she needs to build a life. She has given me everything – and I’m determined to give it back.

Before I can say anything, though, a young woman peeks through the door and we can all already hear the kittens mewing. Jessica gasps and stands right up on her chair, trying to get a better look as Henry beckons the young woman forward and directs her to the back of the room.

“Oh, Sarah,” Jessica says, her voice full of pleading as Sarah scolds her and tugs her down off the chair. “Please, please can I go and play with them?”

“If…that’s all right?” Sarah asks, looking around at the rest of us.

I nod eagerly, wanting the little girl to enjoy herself. And so Sarah lets her sister dash off to the living area at the back of the room, completely distracted.

“Well, that was nicely done,” I murmur to Sinclair, peering at Henry who follows Jessica to the back of the room to ensure that she’s settled.

“Henry is full of tact,” my mate murmurs back, smiling proudly after his dad. “You should have seen the clever things he did to convince Roger and me to go to bed when we were kids. We were hoodwinked left and right.”

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