Page 29 of The Alpha's Surrogate

“Thank you seems like a good enough place to start,” he teased. “Come on, I told you I would get them for you, didn’t I?” He laughed an easy laugh, a sweet sound that rolled out of him effortlessly. “You should see your face right now, Josie. I should take a picture.”

It all lined up in her head. He’d come to her rescue with the were-bears. He’d opened up his home and community for her without any notice. He’d built her a state-of-the-art lab. And now, he’d gotten her the mana crystal flowers.

He’d done more for her in a handful of weeks than anyone had done for her in her entire life. This last gesture touched her more deeply than the others, and she felt overwhelmed with emotion. “Thank you,” Josie said quietly. “Thank you, Callahan. Thank you for everything. You really shouldn’t have gone through the stress.”

“No stress,” he said. “Besides, we had a deal. If you stayed, I would help you continue your work here. You haven’t tried to run away in the middle of the night, so it’s fair to say that you’re holding to your end of the bargain. I was only trying to do the same.

“Plus, seeing your reaction makes it so much more worth it, I promise—you have no idea. So instead of looking so pale, how about you tell me all about your precious flowers, hmm? I’m not Quincy, but I think I’m not the worst person in the world to discuss work with, right?”

Josie laughed. It was honest and unrestricted, and it felt good to hear herself sound happy. “Okay, if you say so. Although something tells me that you won’t understand half the things I’m talking about.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Callahan said with mock seriousness. “I still want to hear all about it, though.”

“Great. Where do I start?” Josie spent the next ten minutes telling Callahan all she knew about the mana crystal flowers. Their qualities, uses, and side effects. As she did so, she buried the feelings that were building inside her like lava.

She could still feel them burning deep inside her, but she was grateful for the distraction that talking about herbs and science offered. True to his word, Callahan remained attentive the whole time, even though she was fairly certain that he didn’t understand a thing she said. She didn’t mind.

Chapter 12 - Callahan

Callahan watched Josie eat with amusement. She tore the ribs apart with determination, like a fox that fell on some unfortunate rabbit. She barely spoke, only making occasional sounds of approval and disapproval.

He loved watching her eat, and in some sick and twisted way, it aroused him. He felt a bulge in his jeans and looked around self-consciously. Nobody seemed to be paying them any mind, and it would take a very dedicated effort for anyone to notice his situation under the table.

Knowing that his child was growing inside her aroused him even further. His wolf didn’t understand the subtleties of humanity, and he struggled to explain the concept of surrogacy to the beast. The wolf didn’t care. To the wolf, Josie was their mate, and she had their cub inside her.

Josie licked her fingers and sighed appreciatively, then settled back into her seat, smiling. The entire motion was so ridiculous and unnatural for the usually placid woman that Callahan barked out a laugh. Several heads turned in his direction and he buried his head under his arms, shaking with laughter.

After a few seconds, he heard Josie join him. He looked up with wet eyes and banged the table softly. Josie’s shoulders rose and fell slightly as she tried to stay quiet.

This went on for half a minute, and at the end, both of them were wiping tears from their eyes and pointedly ignoring the inquisitive looks the other diners were sending their way.

“You know how people always say they want to give you the best of something?” Josie asked in a musing voice. “Like, when someone says, ‘this is the best ribs you’ll ever have’? Well, it’s never true really, you know?

“There’s no way to measure what’s the best anything. It’s just a silly expression, or so I’ve come to believe. But trust me when I say this, Callahan. These were the best ribs I’ve ever had in my entire life, and I thank you for it.”

He laughed again, but this time he managed to keep it quiet. “You’re only saying that because your craving was at an all-time high.”

Josie shrugged and sat upright. “Perhaps. Doesn’t change the fact that they were pretty good, though, does it?”

“Oh, no. They are ridiculously good.”

Josie methodically wiped her fingers with a napkin, moving slowly through the fingers, getting out all the grime. She looked up and saw Callahan watching her with a quiet intensity.

She leaned back in her seat, set the napkin down, and cocked her head to the side. The room disappeared around him, the noises fading to a dull echo in the background. He reached for the napkin she’d set down, dipped it in some water, and wiped a red smudge under her lips.

He moved the napkin slowly, never breaking eye contact with her. He could hear her heart beating fast, and his raced as well. He returned to his seat and let out a deep breath.

The room around them returned to normal, and the sounds of two dozen people filled the room. He was used to moments like this with Josie, intense and intimate moments where it felt like they were the only people in the world. He didn’t know what to call it, but those moments always left him feeling breathless.

Josie cleared her throat awkwardly. “What time is the yoga class?”

Callahan glanced at his watch. “Shit. It starts in twenty minutes. We better get going.” He raised a hand and a young girl with sandy hair came to the table. Callahan smiled when he saw her. “Charlie. Can we get the bill, please?”

She smiled and nodded, then cleared the dishes before returning to the back room. She was back shortly with a bill and an eager smile. Callahan dipped into his wallet and pulled out a wad of cash, enough to buy the same meal twice over.

“Make sure Bobby gets some of that, will you?” he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. Her eyes bulged and she said some quick thanks before dashing back into the kitchen, no doubt to tell her mother about his generosity.

He started to leave when he noticed Josie staring at him funny. “What?”

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