Both women were married to Phaeton warriors and both were hugely preggers. Granted, seeing their large husbands, the size of their bellies made perfect sense. Watching them grimace and move uncomfortably every five seconds made Maggie grateful her pregnancy test had come back negative. It wasn’t that she was against having kids. She just wanted to get used to having a husband first before they were joined by a baby. She hadn’t been surprised to learn Claudia and Finch were waiting to add to their family as well. Max wasn’t even one yet and kept the pair busy enough as is.
“And the crates?” Pixie questioned anxiously. Her hands clenched together tightly.
“As far as Hix and the council know, they’re all safe on the Djaromir Mining planets.” A chorus of boos erupted from the ladies and Maggie dodged a half-eaten Oreo cookie that Poppy chucked her way. “What?”
“So, you missed the big shootout and everything?” Poppy complained, sounding overly whiny. Maggie couldn’t hold it against her though considering her new friend was massively pregnant and looked incredibly uncomfortable.
Actually, Poppy looked more than just uncomfortable…she looked almost pained as she constantly adjusted her position.
“Jesus, Poppy! She got fucking shot!” Pixie snapped as she nudged her sister with a swollen foot.
Maggie bit her lips to hold back the laughter that threatened to burst out. Claudia had warned her the pair was constantly bickering but as close as sisters could be and she was dead on. Together they were hilarious as they played off each seamlessly, and apart they were just as funny only without as much cursing.
“I know she got fucking shot, bish! All I’m saying—”
Pixie rolled her eyes dramatically earning a snort of amusement from Claudia.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me, missy!”
“Missy?” Pixie giggled, holding her stomach as her entire body jumped with the action. “When did you all of a sudden become our Great Aunt June?”
“Shut. Up.”
Poppy went to throw another cookie, this time aimed at Pixie, before she looked down at it, shrugged and popped it into her mouth. “You’re not worth wasting a cookie,” she said with her mouth full.
“How’s Hix handling everything?” Claudia asked, reaching out to put a comforting hand on Maggie’s arm.
She wasn’t quite sure how to answer that particular question. From what she had heard, Hix’s punishment had been a shocker. After the council had seen the video of Maggie’s kidnapping, the general consensus had been that he would be facing some serious charges once he was brought in. Nobody expected Hix to be the one that came in at the end and saved the day.
His actions, as well as the intel he was able to pass onto the Phaeton Council, had earned him some major brownie points. Don’t get her wrong, he was disappointed he’d lost his security clearance but was determined to earn it back.
He was also determined to be included on the mission to retrieve the missing brides. The Phaetons were still trying to get communication established between the mining planets and Phaeton One but the weather was not cooperating. The static storms that had started a week ago were still going strong with no clue as to when they planned on letting up.
According to Hix, part of the council had wanted to immediately send a security team to the Djaromir mining planets. That idea had been strongly opposed by Poppy’s husband as well as some of the other more levelheaded council members. While they were concerned about the welfare of the brides, they also recognized that the men on those planets were more likely to take care of the women rather than abuse them. They also weren’t very welcoming to those trespassing in their system and rather than take the chance on being shot down, the Phaetons decided to wait and hope the storms cleared.
“Maggie?”
Maggie blinked a few times, surprised that she had drifted off so easily. “He’s handling it. According to Paine and Rowe, it won’t take much for him to earn his place back running security for the council, but he needs to put in the time.”
“That’s good.” Claudia frowned before reaching up to place a palm against Maggie’s forehead. “You feeling okay, Mags? You don’t seem quite with it today.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Maggie said before following it up with a long eye-watering yawn. “I just haven’t been sleeping too well.”
“You’re telling me,” Poppy griped from her position on the couch. Rubbing her belly in hypnotizing circles, she dropped her head back onto the cushion behind her. “I feel like I haven’t slept in years.”
“Try decades,” Pixie cut in, one-upping her sister.
Claudia and Maggie both exchanged worried glances. “Do you know when they will make a decision?”
“Wheaton is taking me to the med center later today once he’s finished with council business, so we’ll see.” Poppy swung her head to look at Pixie a few seats over. “Andi said you’re supposed to get checked tomorrow, right?”
As the sisters talked about the possibility of being induced, Maggie cuddled Max closer. She knew it sounded crazy but her godson had gotten so much bigger since the last time she had seen him.
Thinking back on their reunion made her smile.
Hix had barely finished telling her all the details of what had happened after she passed out before Claudia swept into the recovery room like a tiny redheaded tornado.
Of course, at the first sight of her best friend and adopted nephew, Maggie had burst into ugly tears, scaring the crap out of Hix. Her poor husband had almost rolled off the regen bed in his hurry to figure out what had caused such a reaction. She was still crying obnoxiously when Finch pulled him aside to explain that they were happy tears.
“I know what happened was crazy but I’m not gonna lie…I’m really happy you’re here.” Claudia handed Max a couple of baby puffs while watching Maggie out of the corner of her eye.
“Me too,” she whispered, feeling the truth of those words all the way down to her bones.
So much crazy had happened that Maggie was still trying to catch up, but looking back, she realized one thing.
Hix had been right.
Fate was a tricky bitch. It didn’t always play fair, but she couldn’t deny that there was some sort of cosmic plan in motion.
Their meeting.
Their attraction.
Their…everything.
It all just felt right. There was really no other way to explain it.
A couple months ago she would have never imagined being married to an alien and living in space. In fact, if she were to say any of that sentence out loud, she didn’t know if she would be able to keep a straight face.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you guys that Finch and Hix are heading here now,” Pixie said, pulling Maggie out of her musings.
“Really?” Maggie went to look at the time on her watch only to feel like an idiot when she came face to face with her bridal band. She didn’t mind wearing the band. She just wished it showed her the time, so she didn’t feel like jackass every time she checked it.
Claudia laughed. “I do that all the damn time!”
“Do what?” Poppy asked as she slid a little lower on the couch with a grimace.
“Pops, you okay?” The concern in Pixie’s voice made both Maggie and Claudia sit up a little straighter as they focused their attention on Poppy.
“Yeah…my back is just killing me today,” she complained. “I can’t seem to get comfortable no matter how I sit, and my tailbone feels as though it’s about to punch right through this fucking couch.”
As Poppy spoke, her voice got louder and sharper. “And don’t even get me started on my feet.”
Maggie winced when Poppy raised one extremely puffy foot, a foot no shoe would be able to comfortably fit around.
“Look at that!” Poppy yelled, wiggling her foot as much as it would bend being as swollen as it was. “Look at what Wheaton did to me!”
All three women became completely silent at Poppy’s outburst before breaking into a fit of la
ughter with Poppy leading the way.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Poppy sniffed. “Oh my god, this baby’s making me crazy.”
Pixie snorted loudly. “That baby has nothing to do with it. You were already crazy and you know it.”
Poppy simply shrugged and said, “Meh.” Which prompted another round of laughter that was almost loud enough to cover the sound of the door signaling someone was about to enter.
“Hello, lovely ladies,” Finch greeted as he walked into Poppy and Wheaton’s apartment with Hix following closely behind. Stopping to drop a kiss on the top of Claudia’s head, he made his way over to Pixie and Poppy where they were imitating beached whales on the large sectional. “Wheaton wanted me to let you know he will be along shortly.”
“How shortly?” Poppy asked with a wince.
Hix, who had stopped to stand behind Maggie and play with her hair, chuckled. “He said that if you wanted to watch a kill show before heading to the med center you should have more than enough time.”
“Kill show?” Maggie mouthed to Claudia, who couldn’t hide a smile at Hix’s words.
“He’s talking about those crazy women shows she watches on that detective channel,” Pixie explained with a shake of her head.
Poppy glared around the room at everyone laughing at her expense. “I can’t help myself…it’s either the women who murder shows or the ones where they’re looking at houses.”
“She needs to have this baby before she either murders someone or decides to invest in beachfront property. I swear she gets a little closer to the edge every day,” Pixie said out of the side of her mouth, giving Poppy an innocent look when her sister turned to glare at her. “I’m just waiting for it to punch out of your stomach like a true alien,” she ended with a sniff.
Poppy’s mouth dropped open before she lobbed a pillow in Pixie’s direction. “I can’t believe you said that! We promised each other no alien jokes!”
“That was before I realized how many jokes there are!” Pixie yelled back, catching the pillow before it hit her face.
“You drive me cra—”
Whatever Poppy was about to say stopped abruptly as she made a strange gasping noise that registered somewhere between a gurgle and ‘oh no.’
“You guys…I think my water just broke.” Poppy’s eyes were the size of saucers as she clutched her huge belly.
“You think your water broke?” Pixie asked, her voice a higher pitch than just seconds before. “What do you mean you think it broke?”
“What the hell do you think it means, Pix? My pants are wet and I’m pretty sure I didn’t piss myself.” Poppy began to struggle to stand up, her large stomach making her look as though she was simply rocking back and forth without gaining anything. The men immediately moved to assist her while Claudia popped up to her feet and got out of the way.
“Oh my god,” Pixie breathed rapidly, rubbing her own stomach. “Okay… okay…everyone stay calm.”
Finch and Hix were both gently helping Poppy to her feet as Claudia began to pace back and forth by the door.
“Where’s Wheaton?” Pixie asked. “Someone needs to let him know to head to the med center.”
“I will take care of finding him,” Hix offered as he rushed to the door. “We will meet you there.”
“I will carry her there now,” Finch replied with a nod. “Can you message the med center and let them know we are on our way now?” he asked Claudia, who was still striding back and forth nervously.
“On it.” Claudia was using the control panel by the door to relay a message to the doctors with a few easy taps.
Holding Max on her hip, Maggie looked to Finch for direction. “What should I do?”
“You and Claudia need to help Pixie off the couch,” Finch ordered, tilting his head to where Pixie was getting prepared to roll herself off the edge of the cushion because she was unable to stand from where she was sitting.
As soon as Maggie saw what Pixie was trying to do, she hustled to help the heavily pregnant sister. “Dear lord, lady. Just wait a second so we don’t have to somehow pick you up off the floor.”
With Claudia’s help, the pair had Pixie waddling on her feet in no time as they followed Finch out the door and down the hall.
“We’re going to have to get a new couch,” Poppy panted out with her face screwed up in pain.
“Do not worry about your furnishings,” Finch hushed. “I will make sure everything is taken care of by the time you and your new family unit are ready to go back to your quarters.”
“Isn’t he awesome?” Claudia whispered behind her husband as he carried Poppy gently but quickly down the corridor.
Pixie and Maggie both chuckled. “You’re such a dork.”
The walk to the med center seemed so much farther than before, taking what seemed like an hour instead of the normal five as they moved between floors and down hallways.
As they made their way to the medical floor, the hallways were flooded with warriors going about their business. That business seemed to come to a halt, though, once they caught sight of Finch carrying an obviously pregnant Poppy past them. Warriors watched with wide eyes filled with what Maggie could only describe as a combination of hope mixed with jealousy as they passed. Some of them even bowed down as they caught sight of Poppy clutching her stomach and panting heavily. One warrior even passed Poppy a small square of cloth when she began to cry as the group passed where he was standing. Soon there were shouts echoing down the long hallways as the warriors called for a path to be made.
“Whoa,” Maggie breathed as the huge aliens lined the walls like dominos.
“Damn, Pops. It’s like you’re a float in a parade,” Pixie teased when Poppy groaned in pain. “C’mon, give ’em a wave.”
Maggie looked at Pixie as if she had lost her mind and became even more concerned when Pixie simply winked.
“Shut. Up. Pixie.” Poppy’s voice was strong despite the words squeaking past teeth clenched so tight it looked painful.
“At least now you’re mad at me instead of crying,” Pixie shot back with a sly smile before her attention was caught by a warrior running their way from the opposite end of the corridor. “Thank you, Jesus!”
Wheaton skidded to a stop in front of them, his boots sliding on the polished floor almost to the point where he ran into them like a bowling ball aiming for pins. Wide-eyed and frantic, the normally calm and sedate warrior looked as though he was on the brink of a panic attack.
“Are you all right? Are you in pain? Why are your pants wet? Is our babe okay? Does it hurt badly?”
Question after question tumbled out of the concerned councilman’s mouth, each one said faster than the one before as he took her from Finch and carried her the final steps to the med center.
When the door closed behind them, the group just stood there and stared at each other for a few moments. Finch, now that his arms were free, tugged Claudia and Max close in a hug. Pixie tossed Maggie a wink as she scanned her band to enter the med center and follow her sister.
Hix, who had been trailing slightly behind Wheaton, drew in a deep breath as he recovered from his run to meet them. When he held his arms open, Maggie couldn’t help but walk right into them.
“Will it really rip out of her abdomen?” Hix whispered in her ear, causing her to bury her head in his chest to hide the laughter she was unable to hold back.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Hix paced outside the door leading into their domicile where his wife, Maggie, waited for him. Every time he turned, the heavy sack he had tossed over his shoulder swung like a pendulum.
He still felt an indescribable amount of excitement every time he thought of the bond that connected them. Their connection was not only emotional. It was now Phaeton approved thanks to Councilor Kaine and Councilor Wheaton. Hix would never be able to repay the favor they showed him at his hearing. Not only did they approve and push his bridal match through the system, but he was sure they had also had a hand in the softening
of his punishment.
Hix moved to stand in front of the door and stared at his reflection in the shiny metal. His expression was grim, which was not surprising considering he had just left the council room after receiving his orders. It was time for them to travel to the Djaromir mining planets, but he was not keen on making the trip.
Hix knew it was his duty to retrieve the women but didn’t like that it was going to take him so far away from Maggie. The undetermined length of the mission also caused concern. The solar storms surrounding Djaromir were unpredictable, and even though they were prepared for them to last a month, the storms had been recorded as remaining active for longer.
He hoped the storms would dissipate quickly, allowing the mission to be completed without too much time wasted. Now that he had a wife waiting for him on Phaeton One, he understood why the other married warriors chose to stay close to the ship. They were just as enamored with their own wives as Hix was with Maggie.
Married for less than one month, the pair had only managed to spend a handful of those days alone.
Hix blamed the lack of time alone with his wife on the tiny human babies that everyone was obsessed with. While he could admit they were cute, the squishy human hybrids seemed to do nothing but cry, defecate, and eat. The only thing entertaining about the situation was how it affected Dathrow and Wheaton. The two new fathers were amusing to watch as they tried to fulfill their new roles as well as those of a Phaeton.
Since becoming a new dad, Wheaton had come to meetings with questionable stains and smells gracing his tunics and breeches. Fatherhood had changed the normally pristine council member into a frazzled mess unable to maintain his focus. Dathrow wasn’t handling the change much better either considering the man had fallen asleep while waiting for the briefing on the new security protocols in the Pleasure Sector.
Hix was caught off guard when the door in front of him opened with a swoosh.
“Are you going to stand there all day?” Maggie asked as she stood in the corridor with her hand propped on her hip.
Warriors of Phaeton: Hix Page 21
