She’d woken up to find him gone from her bed, and even worse...the next time she saw him, he had acted like nothing had happened. It infuriated her to be treated like their night together was meaningless. She had lost a piece of her heart to him that night—another huge, stupid mistake on her part. Was she being unfair to him? Probably.
Thinking about it, she realized that he was right; she did give him shit assignments. She reasoned with herself that she was just doing it to prove to him that he wasn’t cut out to be a warrior and that he would get fed up and go back to his subway tunnels. Deep down, she knew she was being vindictive, getting back at him for his treatment of her and hurting her feelings. Fine, even she had to admit it, she was being a bitch and maybe it wasn’t fair. This really wasn’t like her; even when she didn’t like someone she was training, she was always professional enough to put her feelings aside. With Corey, though, she was having a hard time being objective.
She should go to the commander and have someone else take over Corey’s training. Yeah, that was the best thing to do for both of them. It would give them distance and a chance for her to get over these hurt feelings. She hated feeling vulnerable, just hated it. Decision made: She would go to see Commander Estro first thing tomorrow morning.
*****
Later that evening
Corey held Maggie and Liam Estro’s little girl Milly in his arms. She was a sweet, curious little thing, reminding him of how Maggie had been when she was younger. For some reason, the little girl had taken to Corey and wanted him to hold her as soon as he walked into the room. Of course, Corey could never say no to her.
Looking around, he noticed that only family had been invited to the dinner. His and Maggie’s friend Lily from Earth was there, married to the eldest son, Mediko Jared Estro. Also Maggie’s sister Rachel James, reunited with Maggie not long ago, and now married to the youngest Estro brother, Lieutenant Kyle Estro. Rachel sat in a chair in the corner, breastfeeding her son Devon. Even the Estros’ cousin, Lieutenant Quinn Estro, was there with the woman from Earth he had married, Hali.
The father and Commander of the ship, Devlon Estro, sat on the couch with Lily’s young son Thomas and Devlon’s wife, a tribe leader named Heather. Seeing the large Drastan commander playing with the little boy, laughing at his antics, was a little hard to reconcile with the tough no-nonsense image Corey always had of the other man. Finding himself alone among all the married couples, Corey suddenly felt out of place.
“Dinner's almost ready,” Maggie announced, bringing drinks out for everyone.
Corey frowned as he took his glass. “Did you cook it?” The smells wafting from the kitchen area were delicious, and he knew Maggie was a horrible cook. She once made something in the tunnels that had made him sick for two days. Of course he’d never told her that it was the food she had fixed for him that made him sick for fear of hurting her feelings, but he really didn’t want to be out of commission again.
Liam snorted and Maggie hit Corey’s arm. “Hey, I can cook!”
“Being able to cook and cooking well are two different things,” Corey said, winking at the little girl he held, who giggled, not understanding what was going on but responding to Corey’s smile.
“I’m a pro at making sandwiches,” Maggie insisted. As she passed her husband, Liam pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
“I didn’t marry you for your cooking, my love.”
“You love me no matter what,” Maggie insisted.
“Yes, I do,” Liam kissed her again before releasing her. His eyes trailed Maggie through the room.
The love in the room was almost suffocating, reminding Corey that he didn’t belong there. There was no wife for him, not since the only woman he had ever loved had met an alien and fallen in love with him. Maggie was the one person he had wanted to spend the rest of his days with. Being here and seeing how happy she was with her husband and child was a special sort of hell.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want Maggie to be happy. She had suffered the worst kind of torment growing up in the tunnels. If anyone deserved a happy life, it was Maggie. It was just that he had always imagined the two of them would be together. Of course, life didn’t always go the way he wanted it to. And he would never begrudge her her happiness.
Another voice called out from the kitchen, “Lily and Maggie, come help me bring out the food!”
Ah, Mrs. Gordon was the one responsible for cooking the meal. He felt relief at that news. Mrs. Gordon was an older woman who lived with Lily, Jared, and Thomas now. She wasn’t actually related to Lily, but she had cared for Lily, Thomas, and Maggie in the tunnels and was the closest thing they had to a mother. Even better, she was a damn good cook.
Corey smiled as the three women brought plates of food out to the table. “Do you need any more help?” he asked.
Mrs. Gordon waved at him to sit down. “We’ve got it covered.”
Maggie came over and took her daughter from him. “I’m going to put her in her playpen and give her a bottle. She’ll probably be out within minutes. She always is.” Maggie kissed Milly’s cheeks. He watched Maggie as she doted on her daughter. Liam came over and kissed both of them. This was exactly what he had wished for Maggie, to have a family of her own and to be happy. A sort of peace settled over him and the hurt faded into longing. Not for Maggie, but for her life. He wanted that for himself one day, but he really didn’t know if it would ever happen.
Maggie wanted him to go with them to Drasta when it was time. He wasn’t sure there was a place for him. That’s why he had been training so hard as a warrior. If he could make his own way, show his own worth to the people of Drasta, then he would love to go. The idea of seeing a new world was exciting. However, leaving Earth meant giving up the only home he’d ever known. Would he meet a Drastan woman who would want to start a family with him? If he remained on Earth, Maggie’s father had offered to help him find a position in the dome. He could settle down there, start a family with some nice human woman. He hadn’t made a decision yet on what he wanted to do. Thankfully, he was able to turn his thoughts to good food and good conversation.
Dinner was pleasant, the food was great, the atmosphere relaxed and welcoming. There was laughter and teasing; a baby cried wanting to be held. He realized that he had been included in this family event as if he belonged. He wished he did. His feelings of loneliness grew. Sometimes it was worse being around happy people, since it just reminded him of what he didn’t have.
As the meal came to an end, the Estro men carried the dishes to the kitchen and began to clean up. Mrs. Gordon was ordered to sit and relax on the couch. She had Thomas on one side of her and Rachel’s baby in her arms. The loving expression on the older woman’s face was beautiful. Everyone there was a part of one big, happy family, except for him. He felt out of place.
He stood to the side, looking at the pictures of Maggie and her family. Maggie came to stand next to him. Corey glanced sideways at her smiling face. “You look happy.”
“I am happy. I want the same thing for you, Corey.” She put a hand on his arm and squeezed it. “I wouldn’t have made it through all the terrible things I had to face in those tunnels without you and Lily. I want to see both of you happy, and I won’t rest until you are.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like you’re on a mission.”
“Maybe I am.” She bumped his shoulder with hers.
