“I’m up! I’m up,” Bri says and I hear her bare feet hit the floor.
I hit the red icon on the processor to prepare her hot noodles. Usually I make her breakfast, but today we are in a hurry. So, it’s noodles, and I already know she’ll have plenty of complaints.
She pads her way down the hall toward me. I spin and hold the steaming bowl behind my back so she can’t see what I’ve got.
“Sit down and eat. We can’t be late,” I order her in the sternest captain’s voice I can muster. I’ve got to be careful when I use that tone with her. Sometimes it sends a shiver of desire down her spine. Other times it has the opposite effect, and I’m at the mercy of herwrath.
“Bossy this morning, are we?”
I plunk the bowl of noodles down in front of her and smile widely.
“Are you kidding me? I’m going back to bed,” she says.
“Don’t you dare. We have to leave in a few minutes. I know you’ll want to be there right when they step off the lander.”
When she looks up at me, she tries to scowl, but I catch a hint of a smile on her lips. She shovels into the food with renewed enthusiasm, realizing the time.
The food is gone, and Bri is showered and walking out the door in record time. The porter ride to the base is quiet. She spends most of it with her face plastered to the window, taking in the scenery like she hasn’t seen it hundreds of times over the last year.
“It’s going to be okay. They’ll be here safe and sound,” I tell her and squeeze her knee. She looks over at me with a weak smile and worry in her eyes.
“I know. I just hate landing. I hope my mom handles it better than I did,” she says.
Her mom and brothers are scheduled to arrive in less than an hour, and I don’t think Bri will take a full breath until they are on land with us.
“You’ve gotten better! You didn’t even barf when you brought us back here.” I offer support, trying to take her mind off her worries.
“I didn’t have any choice! I couldn’t puke and land at the same time. If someone had bothered to wake up, they could have landed it for me.” She looks over with an accusing stare. It’s so fucking cute.
“Wake up? It took two direct hits of blaster fire and losing an arm to bring me down! Trust me, I would much rather not have been injured,” I say.
“That sounds like an excuse.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do all the landings from here on out. As long as you don’t get me killed by some psychotic cult members.”
That gets a laugh out of her. She shakes her head.
“If I remember correctly, I saved you! I could have left your ass there.”
The base comes into view, and I scan the sky looking for any glimpse of the approaching lander carrying Bri’s family, my family.
The gates swing open, welcoming us onto the busy military base. Porters and Tilaks hurry in every direction in preparation for the landing today. The same base where I saw Bri for the first time. I was such an asshole that day.
Looking back, it’s possible I knew who she would become to me. Maybe part of me recognized her as my mate, but I wasn’t ready to accept it. I had a lot of growing and healing to deal with before I was ready for someone as amazing as Bri.
“Hey, I love you,” I say when I notice her chewing on her lip. I’ve noticed she does that when she’s worried.
“I love you, too.”
I stop the porter in a quiet corner, away from the noise and rush of the rest of the base. Once the engine is off, I hop out and jog to her side. I offer my hand as she steps out. Rather than release her hand, I step toward her, blocking her from moving.
I tilt her chin up, directing her eyes to meet mine.
“I remember the first time I saw you. You stepped off the lander, and the suns hit your pink hair.”
I curl a strand of hair around my finger, reveling in the softness.
“I was an asshole and a mess. I was so deep in my own shit, I couldn’t see what had come crashing into my life. You barged in and tore down every wall. Once your family is all settled in, I want to do the human marriage ceremony.”
