One Night With My Alpha Professor

Chapter 253 Audrey

Joseph clung to Eliza's arm like a lifeline as we climbed out of the car. Eliza gently stroked his hair, and he leaned into her touch with an innocent expression in his wide brown eyes. He had taken to her quickly, as if he were a lost duckling imprinting on a stray cat.

"Would you like to come live with me here?" Eliza asked, crouching to Joseph's level and gesturing to the house behind her. "There's a nice big yard in the back, and you can have your very own room. We'll have lots of fun together." Joseph blinked up at her first, then to the house, before he nodded vigorously. He pressed himself even closer to Eliza's side, clearly overjoyed at the thought of a new home that wasn't an orphanage, some kind of terrifying factory, or our cramped apartment. "Well, I guess that settles it," Edwin said with a soft chuckle.

With that, we walked up the front path to the house.

Eliza's home was a beautiful old Victorian-style house that she had purchased and renovated herself-it was surprisingly quaint, with a wraparound porch and intricate wallpaper in every room. The whole place smelled like vanilla candles as we stepped into the foyer, the hardwood creaking beneath our feet.

"This will be your room," Eliza said as she led Joseph up the stairs and to the left of the wide hallway.

The spare bedroom she had chosen for him had large windows that overlooked the garden, where the early morning light spilled in, casting everything in a warm golden glow. The room was simple-bare, for now-but it was spacious and cozy. There was a large box containing the parts to a bunk bed sitting in the corner.

Joseph immediately gasped softly when he stepped inside, turning around with wonder.

"He still needs some things," Eliza said, turning to us. "Clothes, toys, maybe some decorations to make it feel more like his own space..."

Her voice trailed off thoughtfully. I could already see the gears turning in her mind, clearly planning out every last detail. It was still surprising, seeing this maternal side of her, but she seemed excited to become a single mother.

"We can help with that," I offered, glancing at Edwin. "We'll run to the store and pick up a few things while you two get settled in."

Eliza flashed me a grateful smile. "That would be wonderful. I'll make dinner for all of us tonight."

Edwin smirked. "Maybe I should do the cooking, since you can't even microwave a potato without setting the house on fire," he teased, eliciting a light smack upside the head from me and a growl from his sister.

A little while later, Edwin and I wandered through the aisles of a department store, Edwin pushing a shopping cart that we filled with all the essentials: bedding, clothes, toiletries-everything a little boy might need to start fresh.

But as we passed by the toy section, my footsteps slowed as my eyes were drawn to a stuffed dinosaur sitting on the top

shelf.

It wasn't anything special, just an ordinary plush toy, but something about it tugged at my heartstrings. I could still remember the hand-me-down toys at the orphanage, broken and worn, passed from child to child, never really belonging to any one of us. Meredith had given me what she could, but we never had much money. And then when I went to my second home...

I tried not to think about that, for fear of shuddering.

"You want to get it for him?" Edwin asked as he stepped up beside me. He reached up and grabbed the stuffed dinosaur,

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Chapter 253

giving it a squeeze.

I took the stuffed toy from Edwin's hands and looked it over. I could already picture Joseph snuggling it to sleep every night.

"Yeah," I finally said, placing it gingerly in the cart. "A little gift from Aunt Audrey and Uncle Edwin."

Edwin smirked, but then his expression softened. "That sounds nice. And it's probably something that he'll appreciate a lot more than letting him sleep on our couch for a couple of days."

We continued on our way, picking up some more things that he might like, such as a model train set and a few board games. Edwin insisted on some dinosaur-themed throw pillows to match the stuffed toy, which made me laugh.

"You know," I mused, "I never would have expected Eliza or you to be the parenting types."

Edwin shot me a sidelong glance. "Is that so?" he asked, to which I nodded. He scratched his head and admitted, "I never thought I wanted children either. But since meeting you..." He trailed off, the tips of his ears flushing ever so slightly. ""What?" I turned fully to face him, curious now.

Edwin rubbed the back of his neck, his smile turning a little bit sheepish. "I think I wouldn't mind having one. Someday. If you wanted to."

The confession hung in the air between us, surprising and yet... not. It was just another reminder of how much had changed since we'd met, how much we had changed together.

I felt my cheeks flush. "I'm still on the fence about that, if I'm being honest."

Thankfully, my mate just shrugged and pressed a kiss to my temple. "We've got time to consider it. Plenty of time."

His words were reassuring, and I leaned into him as we continued shopping. I'd never really thought about having kids myself, but it wasn't something I was opposed to. Although the thought of adopting was more appealing-to give another kid or two or even three a nice home, the type of home I didn't get to have.

By the time we returned to Eliza's house, the sun had dipped lower in the sky. The house smelled like dinner as we entered: chicken, saucy pasta, and fresh bread.

My mouth began to water while we set our shopping bags down in the foyer. It seemed Edwin's quip about his sister had been misplaced. Either that, or she had secretly hired a private chef for the night.

We found Eliza and Joseph in the living room. Eliza was sitting cross-legged on the floor, showing Joseph how to build a house of cards. He was watching with wonder-as if she were doing some kind of complex magic trick.

Edwin and I paused in the doorway, neither of us wanting to interrupt their moment. We exchanged glances, coming to the same conclusion, and quietly began to creep away before they could see us. But then Eliza looked up before we could slip away.

"Oh, you're back!" Eliza said, looking up with a wide smile as she carefully placed another card on the top of the structure. "We've been building houses, as you can see."

Joseph glanced up at us, his eyes shy but curious, as if he was trying to decide whether to smile or keep playing it safe. I could hardly blame him.

"We got everything you needed and then some," Edwin said, gesturing to the mountain of bags by the front door. He winked at Joseph. "You're gonna have your hands full decorating tonight, buddy." Joseph flushed a little, looking even more shy now. But then his eyes darted to the dinosaur in my hands, and his shyness turned to quiet curiosity.

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I stepped into the rooftrand knelt beside him, setting the plush dinosaur gently on the floor next to him. "This is for you," I said softly, hoping he'd understand that this wasn't just another shared toy. This was his. Completely his.

His big brown eyes widened as he reached for it, his fingers digging into the plush scales as they caught the light. He looked up at me, and though he didn't say a word, there was no mistaking the gratitude in his eyes.

Eliza glanced between us and gave me a knowing smile before returning her attention to the cards. "I think he likes it," she said simply.

I smiled back, feeling a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding escape my lungs.

"I think so too."