Rock the Cradle: An Mpreg Romance (Silver Oak Medical Center Book 6)

by Aiden Bates

  "Well, I mean, yeah. He thought it was kind of a slap in the face. You know, he's just an incubator for you, or think he's disposable. Oh, what do you need him for now that you've got the kid?" She sighed and toyed with the bracelet she wore. "You know, the guy's been through so much this year. He had Thanksgiving alone in his hospital room."

  "Really? What about Amadi?"

  "Off with Rashida's family. They gave him a Tofurky. It was apparently unimpressive." Ayla switched from her bracelet to her ring. "He just broke down, you know? And I don't blame him. Why is it that he can't find someone who loves him?"

  "He had someone who loved him and he told me not to come back." Alex glared.

  "Oh come on, Alex. Come off it. You say you love him, and I'll even buy that you think you do. But you never, not once, showed it. You made him the last of your priorities and you're still doing that. He deserves to be put first. I don't see why Derek can't find someone who will do that for him. He's so sweet and giving."

  Alex looked off across the huge atrium room for a moment. "You know what? That's probably why. Derek doesn't prioritize himself, ever. None of the guys he's been with have felt compelled to prioritize him either, because he doesn't make them prioritize him. He just gives and gives." He sagged back in his seat. "He needs someone who can be attentive to him, who's going to step back and say, 'Hey, you're doing too much, let's take time for you.'"

  "Well, Dr. Idoni's doing that, but not in the way he wants. He's on seriously restricted activity until the baby's born. There's no way the station can hold his job for him, not that long."

  Alex’s stomach turned. "Probably not." He adjusted his position. I wish I could help."

  "You can. Go ask him to come here."

  "No." Alex shook his head hard enough that his hair hit him in the eye. It hurt. "He said to go away, and I'm going to honor that request."

  "You're being ridiculous. Don't you think you could maybe apologize?" Ayla folded her legs underneath her. It had been her favorite position when she'd been a little kid. It was nice to know that some things stayed the same.

  "For what? I had—have—other commitments. I loved him, but I did have to consider other people. It wasn't until you and Ivy helped me until I saw a way to make it work." He rubbed at his eyes. "And honestly, he can't have loved me much if he thought I was such an ass that I'd let him linger out there forever. I never said I was going to make him wait forever."

  "I told you you were losing him." She yawned and got up. "Well, it's all moot now. Let's just move on and try to learn from it, I guess."

  Alex couldn't get the image of Derek, isolated and alone in his condo out of his mind. Derek was a social guy, he needed activity and people. If he didn't have work, he'd probably lose his mind. Dr. Idoni's orders were nothing short of torture.

  But what could Alex do about it? He wasn't part of Derek's life anymore. Every time he spoke it just seemed to hurt Derek more and more. It would be best if he just stayed away.

  Mama came over for dinner ten days before Christmas. She hadn't been over to see the house before, and she declared herself to be suitably impressed. "I have to say, it's a beautiful home. You should be proud of it." She sniffed. "It would be the perfect place for you to raise my grandchildren, but I suppose I have to give up on that."

  "I suppose so." Alex gave her a tight grin. "I suppose so."

  "I wouldn't go quite that far." Ivy smirked at them across the table.

  "Shut up, Ivy," Alex and Ayla hissed, in unison.

  "Don't shut up, Ivy." Mama silenced her other children with one regal glare. "Explain this to me. Why would you say such a thing. Are you expecting?"

  "Nope. Alex’s boy toy is." Ivy beamed.

  Alex buried his head in his hands. "Boy toy. Oh my God."

  Mama turned to him, gaping. "Derek, the hero? He's pregnant with your baby?"

  Alex stared at his cabbage. "Looks that way."

  Mama threw her arms around him. "That's fantastic news, Sasha. He's a wonderful man. Too good for your father's family, but it is what it is. When is the wedding?"

  "There isn't going to be a wedding." Alex muttered the words somewhere into his soup bowl.

  Mama dropped her spoon. "Excuse me? I know you didn't just say there isn't going to be a wedding."

  Alex couldn't speak He wanted his father's approval. He needed his mother's love, like he needed oxygen. Ayla seemed to pick up on his issues and inserted herself into the conversation. "Alex was worried about helping you and Dad, and he made some less than stellar choices. By the time he realized they were sub-par, he and Derek had fought and Derek had kicked him out of the hospital room. It's sad, but honestly I'd have probably kicked him out too."

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ayla." Alex scowled at her.

  "Well, you were being an ass. What did you expect?"

  Mama cleared her throat. "So what you're saying is that my only grandchild will be raised apart from me, because my son was acting like his father."

  Both twins nodded. "Sounds about right." Then Ayla looked down. "Actually, since we're here, that's not entirely the worst of it. Derek has decided to surrender the baby for adoption, since he can't raise it on his own."

  Mama's face went white. She worked her jaw like a fish for a minute. Then, two spots of color appeared in her cheeks. "You," she said, turning to Alex. She pointed to him, her finger straight and long. "You—I want this fixed. Do you understand me? I want it fixed."

  Alex hung his head, ashamed. "Mama, he told me not to come back. It can't be fixed." He picked his head up. "Besides, you didn't want me to marry him."

  "I didn't want you to bring that sweet boy into that nest of vipers I married into." She tossed her long gray curls over her shoulder. "I didn't want him to suffer. Things are different now. He's pregnant and alone. He was stabbed, wasn't he?"

  Ayla nodded. "Yeah, Mama. He was hurt badly. He's still on activity restriction."

  Mama pulled her head around with even more drama to stare at Alex. "So now that poor boy is all alone in his condo, pregnant and hurting, while you play in this magnificent house of yours."

  Alex threw his hands up in the air. "Everyone misunderstands everything I do! I didn't leave him, he told me to go away. I was putting the priority on our family, not trying to make a man suffer."

  Mama tapped her finger on the table. "You listen to me and you listen good. That child he carries is our family. If you can't convince him, well, that's one thing. But I want to make sure that you make every attempt. This isn't just because I want grandchildren. This is because I raised you better than to treat people the way your father treated Veronica, or me."

  Mama bowed her head and hid her face with her hair.

  Alex put his hand on her back. "Mama, he doesn't love me anymore."

  "Then you go out there and you make him love you. Do you understand me? You make him love you." She grabbed his wrist. "Prove to the world, prove to Joey, that you're a better person."

  Alex hung his head. "If he calls the cops I'm calling you for bail."

  Mama nodded. "That's fine. And then I'll go and talk to him. But Sasha, try. This is too important. That young man deserves some happiness in life, don't you think? And so do you."

  "Mama?" Alex stared at her.

  "I know you've given a lot. And I know you've worked hard. This sacrifice was misguided, darling, but you can still fight for what you deserve." She patted his arm. "And for your omega."

  "He's not mine." Alex turned his gaze to the table.

  "He can be." Mama squeezed. "And at least you won't have stood by. You'll have tried to clean up your mistakes. You'll have kept your family together, which is what you've been trying to do for years."

  "I'll do it." Alex took her charge. "I'll try. I can't promise anything, though."

  Alex figured he had a few days before the weekend. He had time. He had time to get things ready. He had time to plan things out. And he had time to fret, to overthink, and to make himself sick w
ith worry.

  "Stop," Ayla ordered him. "You're going to wear a hole into the floor."

  "I can't stop!" He tugged at his hair. "I'm going over on Saturday. What if he says no?"

  "He might. And he'd be within his rights. I don't think he will, though. I think he'll say yes, and I think that will be the best thing ever. That is, I think he'll say yes if you play your cards right." She smiled at him and went over to his closet. "Now. Let's find you something to wear, so you don't scare the poor boy."

  He rehearsed his lines. He found himself some clothes. On Friday night, he headed over to the mall and found a suitable engagement ring for a man.

  And then, on Saturday afternoon, he got in his car and drove out to his old condo complex. The familiar drive took on a fresh sense of wonder as the landscape was blanketed by a fresh coat of fluffy white snow. Syracuse was funny that way. It looked beautiful in every season, especially out here in the more rural areas.

  He pulled in to the parking lot of his old condo complex. He hadn't been gone for very long, but the whole place felt alien to him now. Maybe it was because he was coming back here as a guest, not as a resident. Maybe it was because of the reason for his mission.

  He pulled out his phone and texted Ayla. I can't do this.

  You can do this. Plus Mama is pacing all over the house. I see where you get it now.

  At least Alex came by it naturally.

  He mounted the stairs and slowly knocked on Derek's door. Somewhere inside was the rest of his life. Whichever way Derek answered, everything would be settled in a few short minutes.

  Chapter Twenty

  Derek heard the knock, even in his bedroom. He considered ignoring it. All of his friends would have known to call ahead of time. Who knew who the visitor might be? Maybe it was someone connected with the Greers. That was all Derek needed.

  He got up to answer it anyway. Maybe it was a Greer, maybe it wasn't. At least it would be a welcome change of scenery in this impossibly dull place.

  The last person Derek expected to see here was Alex.

  He frowned. "The answer is still no."

  Alex grinned. God, how Derek had missed that grin. "I haven't even asked the question yet."

  Derek leaned against the door. "Can we not argue? You know what I'm saying no to."

  Alex sighed. "Look. I'm not going to ask you that question, probably anyway. Can I come in? I don't want you getting sick, and I definitely don't want Dr. Idoni yelling at me because you got sick in the cold."

  Derek wanted to say no. He'd made a clean break. He needed to keep it that way. He was almost, sort of, healing. He couldn't deny that his heart ached at the sight of Alex, though. Any company would have been good in the deafening silence of the condo. He would have even accepted a Greer, but having Alex here was more than he could have hoped for.

  He stepped aside. "I shouldn't be doing this."

  "Of course you should." Alex shot him a smarmy grin and walked in. He closed and locked the door behind him. "So. How're things?"

  "I've binge watched everything I might have wanted to see on Netflix and it's only been a couple of weeks. You?"

  Alex’s smile faltered, just a little bit. "Really?"

  "My options are kind of limited. I can't go out. I can't drive. I can't do much of anything. I can sit and watch Netflix. That's a lot of free time." Derek gestured to the couch. "Can I get you anything? The grocery store delivers now, so."

  Alex shook his head. "I wanted to talk. I was kind of hoping we could clear the air a little, maybe get some stuff off of our chests without fighting. Maybe without getting defensive."

  Derek snorted. "I kind of feel like I've said all I had to say."

  "Maybe you have. I think a lot of it was stuff I needed to hear."

  Gravity could have reversed itself and Derek wouldn't have been less surprised.

  Alex continued. "I'm not great at expressing myself, especially in emotional situations. There's reasons for that. I told you before I've been in therapy. Anyway, when I'm flustered or surprised I get defensive, and then it gets ugly. I'm going to try real hard here not to get defensive, and hopefully maybe you can try real hard to keep on an even keel with me."

  Derek pursed his lips and made a face, but he didn't say anything. Maybe he had flown off the handle a couple of times here and there. He could certainly stand to listen, at least.

  "Derek, I didn't plan to fall in love with you." Alex let out a loud sigh. "A lot of my relatives were pretty nasty after my sister was taken, and they put a lot of guilt on me. Not Dad—that was a big red flag that something was wrong with him. But others. I felt like it was important for me not to let the family down again. And my mother, she didn't want me to bring a nice guy like you into a family like that. She didn't want you to go through what she went through. I need you to know that." He let out a little chuckle. "I didn't understand that well enough, until Dad's diagnosis."

  Derek sat down. "So… okay. I'm sorry. I'm having trouble understanding here."

  "I was having a huge crisis of conscience, Derek. I wanted to be with you, but you seemed to be okay with the way things were. And I get, now, that you didn't feel comfortable asking for more. I didn't feel comfortable offering more, because of where I was with my family. And Mom was right. Dad's family is a nest of vipers. Mom's awesome, though."

  Derek scratched his jaw. "What's going on here?"

  "Derek, I don't want to hide you. I don't want to hide our baby. My priorities were screwed up. I bought a house."

  That little hotspot of hope flared up again. All of Derek's defense mechanisms tried to pour water on it. "I know you bought a house. The heat's off in your condo. It's like ice pouring over from that side."

  "My house has heat. It's warm. It's sunny. It's in a good school district. It's a beautiful property and it's all decorated for Christmas. We can have the Melendezes over for Christmas dinner and we can have Amadi and Rashida over for New Years. If Amadi doesn't punch me in the teeth."

  "Amadi's totally going to punch you in the teeth." Derek spoke without thinking. "Wait. Are you asking me to move in with you? Seriously?" He rubbed his eyes. "This isn't happening. This isn't real."

  "I don't just want you to move in with me. I want you to marry me." Alex swallowed and looked down. It was his first display of lack of assurance since they'd arrived. "I haven't been great, but I wanted to be. I want to be more, now. I want to be the best father in the world. And I want to be the best husband."

  "Did someone put you up to this?" Derek would not let himself believe.

  Alex laughed. "Fair enough. Ayla helped me to understand that I'd been an ass, but I didn't have a lot of hope that I could fix things. When you kicked me out of your hospital room, I broke. I accepted it, because you kind of have to, but it broke me. Ayla and Ivy helped me to see that I was just looking at the issue with Mom and Dad the wrong way. And Mama herself told me to come down here and fix this. I had to take no for an answer, but she does not. She's a force of nature."

  Derek looked down. "She seemed like a good woman."

  "She's the best. She'll be the best grandmother, Derek. She'll be so helpful, you won't believe it. Oh—and she eats vegetarian more often than not, so you two can bond over recipes and stuff. She likes you. She admires you."

  Derek turned away. "She can't."

  "She does." Alex reached into his pocket. "I'm putting my money where my mouth is, Derek." He pulled out a rose-gold ring, set with a single small diamond. "Look. There’s a ring. I want you in my home. I want to bring you places, in public, in my car. I want to give you my name, and to hell with what anyone else has to say about it. I love you. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, and I want everyone to know about it."

  Derek's eyes burned as tears dripped from his face. "You can't mean that. You didn't even let me come into your apartment."

  "I want you in my home." Alex took him by the hand and raised him up. He kissed him then, hard and demanding. "I want you at my side, for
ever."

  Derek didn't trust this. He would be a fool to trust this. At the same time, he'd be a fool to say no. This might be his only chance to get what he'd never had—love, from someone he loved.

  He let Alex slide the ring onto his finger. "Let's do this," he said.

  Alex carried him into the bedroom, eyes locked onto Derek's. "I don't want to hurt you. How many restrictions are we talking about?"

  Derek blushed. "All of them, unfortunately. But there are other things we can do."

  "I don't want to risk anything. You're too important."

  Derek kissed him and worked the buttons on Alex’s shirt off. "Trust me."