Chapter 506 – Falling for the Alpha as a Surrogate Novel

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

I look down in my arms and realize that Cora’s right – Ariel’s drifted off without me noticing.

“Oh shoot,” I mutter. “I wanted to feed her…”

“We’ll leave you to it,” Cora says, leaning down and kissing me on the cheek. “I’m just a phone call away anything you need, sis.”

“Thanks, Cor,” I murmur, smiling at her and giving Roger a hug as well when he dips down to say goodbye to the baby. I wave to them as they pass out the door, Henry looking after them as they go.

“Will you stay at least, Henry?” I ask, leaning back against Sinclair.

“I’m afraid I should take my leave too,” he says as Rafe pushes to his feet and totters over him, reaching out his chubby arms and begging to be picked up. Henry laughs and obliges, lifting my little meatball into his lap. “That is, if this one will let me.”

“If he just sits on you,” I say dryly, ” you’ll be too heavy to roll out of here.”

“A fate I will happily accept,” Henry murmurs, turning Rafe on his lap and hugging him close, pressing his cheek to Rafe’s dark hair. “He is so like his father at this age. It’s like having my little boy back.”

My heart fills to hear Henry talk about Rafe that way, and I feel Sinclair’s own swell of emotion down our bond.

“That one, though,” Henry says, looking over at Ariel asleep in my arms. “She is very precious to me as well, because she is so unfamiliar.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, tilting my head in curiosity.

“I never had a daughter,” he sighs, staring at my little girl with her little fuzz of golden-white hair. Then he flicks his eyes to Sinclair. “Your mother and I tried for another – she wanted a little girl very badly, you know. But the Goddess decided that two was enough.”

“I didn’t know that,” Sinclair says, his voice a little thick with his emotion.

“Yes,” Henry says, raising his eyebrows as his gaze again falls to Ariel. “So, this one is the fulfilment of a wish made long a go for a little girl Sinclair. I always wondered what she looked like.”

I clench my teeth against the pricking of tears against my eyes, not wanting Henry to think that I’m sad or that I pity him. It’s just – I never knew he wanted that, never knew my sweet daughter would mean so much to him.

“Do you know,” Henry says, cocking his head, and I lean forward, listening intently. “I never thought she’d be a blonde.”

I burst into laughter at this, and so does my mate, and I wipe away the little tears that spill out from my eyes. ” Well, we don’t know if she’s going to stay blonde,” I say, grinning and shaking my head. “Her hair could get darker -”

“No, Ella,” Henry says, raising his eyes to me. “It is clear that this one is your daughter. She’ll have her mother’s beauty, which includes your unique hair. She’s a Sinclair in name… but she’s her mother born again.”

“She’s got to have some part of me,” Sinclair murmurs, a little jealous, leaning forward to peer at her.

“Time will tell,” Henry says, leaning back in his chair. Rafe burbles something, looking up at his grandfather, who grins down at him and runs a hand over his head. “Either way, I am very glad to be their grandfather. I’m so pleased I’ll get to see them grow, Goddess willing.”

I nod, agreeing to the sentiment, thinking that the children are lucky to have such an eager and dedicated grandfather.

“I do wish,” Henry says, I think a little lost in his thoughts now, “that I were more able to play with them – could participate more in helping you raise them by getting down on the floor, running, walking. But,” he shrugs, ” when the children are big enough to stand on the back of the chair, at least they’ll always have someone to cart them around -”

“Oh my god,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth. “Oh my god,” I sit up straight, staring at Henry, my eyes flicking to his legs – because honestly, I don’t even notice his chair anymore, or think of him at all as someone whose abilities are hindered.

Or of me as someone who is able to do anything about it.

Henry looks at me, his eyebrows going up in surprise as I hastily – but carefully pass Ariel into Sinclair’s arms, my mate looking at me curiously too.

“Henry,” I breathe, reaching for him, taking his hand. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? Why didn’t – I’m so sorry – why didn’t I think of it – ”

“What are you talking about, Ella?” he asks, frowning at me a little. Even Rafe gives a curious little squeak.

“I’m so stupid,” I say, closing my eyes, frantically seeking my gift. “If I can heal you, why didn’t anyone -”

“Oh, Ella,” Henry says, drawing his hand out of mine. Shocked, I open my eyes, looking into his own. “Ella, my dear, I don’t think it works like that.”

“What?” I ask, surprised.

“I don’t think your gift can heal what has already healed,” he says, shaking his head at me. “A disability like this – it is not an injury. Your gift, from what I’ve learned from your using it, heals what is wrong with my body. But what happened to me so long ago – I’ve healed from it. My body is just different now – I’m not sick.”

“Oh,” I say, the logic of that hitting me like a slap in the face. I bite my lip though, dropping my eyes. “Well, would you let me try?”

“Of course, my dear,” he murmurs, giving me back his hand.

And so I close my eyes, and access my gift, and breathe softly as it sweeps through Henry. It knits up a few little things that I think are natural with age, but as it moves through him…

He’s right.

There’s nothing sick or injured about Henry’s legs or his spine. The wounds they healed long ago – perhaps not in the way we would have liked but…his body already did the work my gift would have done, as best it could.

Disappointment must be all over my face, because when I open my eyes Henry clucks his tongue and moves his chair closer, cupping my cheek in his palm. “Thank you for wanting to try, Ella. But really – I am not unhappy with my life in this chair. I am a blessed man and as much as I would have liked to run with my grandchildren… well, I’m a bit old for that anymore anyway, aren’t I?”

“You are not,” I say, scrunching my nose at him.

“Well,” Henry laughs, grinning at me as Sinclair sits forward, pressing himself close to my side. “At least I can roll with them, which is probably just as good.”

I smile at him, nodding and leaning back to rest my head on Sinclair’s shoulder as I do.

“You’re going to be the best grandfather, Henry,” I say, sighing a little as I smile at him. “They’re lucky to have you.”

“And I them,” he says, grinning down at Rafe and giving my son a wink. ”

What do you think, little boy? Should we roll to the kitchens? Get a snack?”

In response to his fifth favorite word – only behind Mama, Papa, Jesse, and breakfast – Rafe’s little face lights up and he throws his hands in the air, giving an excited squeak. We all laugh and Henry raises an eyebrow at us. When Sinclair nods his assent, Rafe and his grandfather roll away, off on a little adventure.

And I lean back against my mate, holding my lucky little girl tight in my arms.

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