MR. MORENO'S SURROGATE ✔️

35 - Elijah

I have to give Leilah to the Barron's today. It kills me to say it, but I know I have to. Nobody's been here since Luis and Aunt Rosa went out a few days ago, but I can't say I haven't liked the peace and quiet. Cayson convinced Karla to go back to his place with him, and well... I think we know what they've been up to. Anyway, it's a good thing Reiner gave me everything I needed to know, now I have a plan to get her back so that she'll only be gone a few hours. Nothing to worry about. Apparently, she's getting married the day she leaves, and me and Cayson are making a grand entrance.

The plan is to sit outside the wedding and spectate. Reiner will attend on the inside and update us on what's going on, so we'll know when to come in. As soon as she comes out, we'll go in, grab her, and kill everyone who dares to try and get her back. Sounds simple, but a lot of planning and probability checks have gone into this.

I sit in bed as Leilah feeds the baby. We gave him his first bath yesterday, and I can't say he enjoyed it. He was fussy and cried the whole time, but he was calm when we got his clothes back on. Besides that, Leilah's been doing well with him. Her instincts are spot on. She always knows what's wrong with him when he cries and can hear it from miles away. I can tell that she genuinely loves him and loves being around him. I can tell that she really enjoys being his mother. And it's the same with me. I can't stay away from him. I'm always wanting to be right next to him at all times. I can't get enough of him.

"You alright?" I ask her, watching Maverick to make sure he doesn't choke.

"I'm fine. Just thinking," she says, shaking her head, not breaking her gaze from the baby.

"About?" I ask.

"How this is gonna go. How any of this even makes sense," she says with a frustrated sigh.

"You don't have to worry about that. I have everything under control," I assure her. She looks up at me, worry in her eyes, and I lean in and I place a reassuring kiss on her lips. I pull away and she looks at me before giving me a small smile. Just then, my phone rings. "Hello?" I answer.

"Elijah," Reiner says. "It's time."

"Right now?" I say back, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, now. He should be pulling in to pick her up, now."

"Fuck," I snap. Just then, the doorbell rings. "Stay here," I say to Leilah before going downstairs and opening the door.

As soon as the door opens, there stands Axel Barron. He looks at me with a devious smirk and earns an eye roll from me.

"I'm very pleased to see your cooperation. You should know it's very much appreciated," he says, a devilish smile on his face.

"Let's get this over with, hm?" I snap back.

"Hm. I expected more from you," he says, looking me over.

"My wife's life is on the line. What do you expect from me?" I snap, rolling my eyes. "Leilah!" I yell upstairs.

After a few seconds, she comes downstairs, and when she sees who's at the door, she looks from Axel to me, then I can see her physically shift uncomfortably before slowly coming toward me.

"Who is he?" she whispers in my ear, standing behind me.

"Don't worry," I assure her. "I'll come back for you. He's not gonna hurt you."

She immediately begins to tear up and cry.

"Elijah, please," she begs quietly, tears building in her eyes, not yet falling, but close to it.

I sigh, turning to Axel who's watching this shit play out with a stupid fucking grin on his face. "Give us a minute," I suggest. He raises his eyebrow, earning a sneer from me. "I said," I threaten. "Give us a minute."