Target called up the AI and asked for Scooby Doo and within moments, one of the many episodes began to play. The second episode was nearly finished when Targel let me know we were approaching our destination. He slowed down and did a loop around so Neal could finish his show, which he did as we landed.
I thanked Targel for the smooth ride.
“I’ll be right here to take you back,” he reminded me, a laughing glint in his eye.
If I was being honest with myself, I wished my old friend would come in with me to meet Mitchell, purely for moral support of course. I was being silly and I knew it, but I was feeling well and truly rattled despite my outward show of confidence. This was my mate and we were about to meet for the very first time! We would be together for all time after this, and irrationally, despite knowing we were indeed perfect for each other, I was terrified that he would find me lacking in some way, or unintentionally say something to upset Neal.
I picked up Neal, settling him on my hip. He burrowed his head into my neck, his tiny hands clutching at me, seeking comfort and reassurance. I rubbed gentle circles on his back with my free hand, giving it to him as much as I took the same from him. He was a steadying presence, shifting my focus away from myself and onto him.
I took a deep breath, then tossed Targel a cocky grin that I could feel trembling a bit, but which held true. “All right then, we best get going. We have a mate to fetch!”
Target clapped me on the back in a show of support. I took a step forward, then another, until I was down the ramp. Feeling more confident now, I lengthened my stride, eager to greet our new future. Love would win, I was sure of it, but our hearts had to meet first before they could come together. I reached the door to the building, reached out to let Xeranos scan my hand, and leaned down for it to also check my retina. The door clicked open, and I pushed it with my foot, once more rubbing my youngling’s back as he let out a low whimper, and stepped inside.
The sight that greeted my eyes was not at all what I expected. Mitchell was bent over, his head on his knees, words of gentle encouragement to breathe along with the officer being given. I blinked in surprise, then whispered into my son’s ear, “Looks like your new papa is afraid to meet us.”
Neal looked up at me in surprise. “But we’re not scary, Daddy.”
I hummed in agreement. “But look and see.”
Neal twisted around to get a better view, then squirmed to be let down. I placed him on the floor, watching in bemusement as he ran over to the struggling redhead.
“It’s okay. New people can be a little scary to meet,” he said, repeating what I’d told him on his very first day of school aboard ship.
The scholarship officer stepped back, giving me my first good look at my mate, as I’d not even opened his file yet, having been too stunned by the news at first, then too preoccupied with making sure Neal was okay. All I’d seen of him was his name in the matching announcement. Mitchell lifted his head, and I was stunned at the paleness of his blue eyes and the way his russet-colored lashes framed them. He had the most adorable brown dots across the bridge of his nose and a few scattered across his cheeks.
Neal held out Stitch. “You can hold him if you like. He makes me feel better when things get scary.”
Mitchell’s breathing slowed, and he looked first at the stuffed animal, then at our son.
“But what if he only works for you?” he asked Neal.
“Then you can hug me and I’ll make you feel better while he adds extra feel goodness,” came the reply.
I saw the moment it happened and wondered if I had looked exactly the same the second Neal’s eyes caught mine and we connected upon our very first meeting. Mitchell looked at our son and his now open arms, and fell in love as he accepted his first hug.
CHAPTER8
MITCHELL
I’d heardstories about people looking into the eyes of their newborn and feeling that instant connection, and even once watched a show where people who adopted older kids talked about seeing some kid for the first time and falling into instant love and how they knew, on a visceral level, that the kid was meant to be theirs. I’d thought it was a load of bunk because if it were true, why hadn’t my grandmother forged that connection with me? I was her blood, after all. There was no other explanation for this, though.
I heard the kid’s high-pitched voice and looked up. His dark brown eyes met mine and they were filled with concern and sympathy. I felt drawn into their depths, a strange pull tugging at my soul. Then he offered me his stuffed Stitch and a hug and that was it, I was a goner. I knew then exactly what all those parents were talking about and the feeling only intensified as I felt his thin little arms wrap around me. I hugged him back, lifting him onto my lap. It was only once he was there that I remembered the reason for his appearance and looked up to find Mr. Tall Dark And Handsome Alien standing there watching us with a small, pleased smile upon his lips.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, hi.”
“Hello, Mitchell. His hugs are magical, are they not? I always feel happy whenever he gifts me with one.”
I felt immensely relieved that he wasn’t pissed at me just picking his kid up and having a cuddle. But then, I was also now the kid’s dad, so I suppose that was logical. “Sorry for the, you know.” I swallowed nervously. “I was not expecting to be matched.”
He nodded, stepping closer. “Truthfully, I was not either, at least, not for a long time. It was a shock to one minute to be cooking breakfast for the two of us and then finding out we were now three.”
My cheeks pinked in embarrassment. “I bet you didn’t have a panic attack like I just did, though. Plus, it looks like I got the better end of the deal.”
“Ah, with the free education?”
“Um, no, I’d have gotten that even if I didn’t get a match. I meant that I got you and you’re all like that,” I gestured from his head to his feet with one hand, not letting go of the boy who was still hugging me, “and you got me.” I grimaced.
He blinked, looking confused. “You say that as if that is a bad thing.”
