“Love you too,” she mumbled. She felt him shift a little and then heard the clicks and dings of his cell phone. As she fell asleep, she heard the phone ringing but couldn’t even muster the smallest amount of curiosity as to who Zwyk was calling.
Epilogue
Zwyk paced the living room while he waited for the doorbell to ring. He’d sent Rory into the bathroom to soak in the tub, insisting that she needed it after taking care of him for two days. He just hoped his package arrived before she was finished, or it would ruin his surprise. It hadn’t taken much convincing to get her to relax before taking her to her favorite restaurant. He’d already spoken with the manager of Nate’s and the owner of Belle’s Cupcakes to make sure the rest of his surprise was in place.
He ran a hand down his black button down shirt and checked to make sure his boots were polished. The jeans he’d put on were one of his most comfortable pairs that were distressed and well-worn. Rory hadn’t seen him yet, but he hoped she approved. If everything went according to plan, this would be a night she remembered forever. He hoped she remembered all of their days forever, but he was a little anxious about tonight.
There was a knock at the door and he jerked it open. A man in a three-piece suit was on the other side with a small velvet box in his hand.
“Mr. Zwyk, I hope this is a good time.”
“Rory is in the tub. I have a few minutes.” He stepped back and let the man inside.
“This is the item you saw on our website the other day. I used the measurement you sent me to size it. If it needs any adjustment, just bring it by the shop and we’ll take care of it for free.”
“Thank you, Mr. Belhaven.” Zwyk accepted the box and snapped the lid open. The tanzanite and diamond ring winked up at him. It was unique, like his Rory, and he hoped like hell she liked it. Closing the lid, he tucked it into his pocket and gave Mr. Belhaven a check for the agreed upon amount.
“Good luck tonight, Mr. Zwyk.”
Mr. Belhaven shook his hand and let himself out.
Now that the ring was in his pocket, Zwyk felt a little nauseated. Rory said she loved him, and she’d once said she wanted to be his mate, but what if she’d changed her mind? Human females did that, didn’t they? Just because she’d wanted to be his mate a week ago didn’t mean she felt the same today. His palms grew damp as he worried about her saying no when he asked her the most important question of his life.
By the time Rory appeared in the doorway, dressed in a pretty blue sundress and flats, he’d nearly made himself sick with worry. Then her sunny smile banished all of his doubts and concerns. He loved her and she loved him. Everything would be fine. More than fine. It was going to be the perfect night.
“You promised me Nate’s,” she said. “And I’m hungry enough to eat a bear, so be prepared for dinner and dessert.”
“I’m counting on you having dessert. I actually called ahead and asked for something special.”
Her smile widened. “Is this your way of spoiling me after being such a demanding patient?”
“I’m not saying another word.”
She reached out and took his hand. With their fingers twined together, they walked out to his SUV. He helped her onto the passenger seat before walking around and getting inside on the driver’s side. The restaurant wasn’t far away and it was early enough they were able to get parking near the front door. The ring felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket, and he wondered how he was going to slip it to the manager without Rory seeing.
They stepped inside Nate’s and she tugged on his shirt. “I’ll be right back. Just need to use the ladies’ room.”
“I’ll wait here.”
She smiled and disappeared down the hallway to the right.
The manager came over. “Mr. Zwyk, everything is in place.”
Zwyk handed him the ring box. “If you could take care of this like we discussed, I’d appreciate it. I don’t think she suspects anything.”
“It will be taken care of.” The manager slipped the ring box into his pocket just before Rory came back. “If the two of you will follow me, I have the perfect table available.”
He led them through the restaurant to a two-seater table in an alcove surrounded by windows. If Rory wondered why they were getting such a romantic spot, she didn’t say anything. They were seated and gave the manager their drink order before perusing the menus. Rory snapped hers shut almost immediately.
“I don’t even know why I bother to look. I order the same thing every time I’m here. Their Swiss and mushroom burger is to die for. Maybe I’ll ask for bacon to be added.”
His brow furrowed. “You don’t normally ask for bacon on it?”
“No, but I’ve been craving bacon all week.” She licked her lips. “Actually, I think I have a lot more cravings in my future.”
“If you’re speaking English, it’s a form I haven’t learned.”
She lifted her purse and flashed a metal cylinder at him. It took him a moment to realize that there were words on the little screen on the side. Pregnant. “You’re… We’re…”
“Yeah, it seems my birth control wasn’t very foolproof. I missed my period, and I didn’t think human tests would show me anything this soon, so I called Xonos at the Terran clinic. It seems they’ve created these tests for human mates and he was happy to give me one. He said it would detect pregnancy as soon as one hour after conception. You guys could seriously make a fortune selling these to the human population.”
Zwyk felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest.
“We’re having a baby?” he asked.
Rory nodded, a smile on her face. “You’re excited, right? I mean, I know we aren’t mated, but I’d heard that all Terrans wanted kids. You do want a baby, don’t you?”
“Rory, I can’t think of anything I want more than to have a baby with you.”
The waiter came to take their order and Zwyk made a request. “Can we have dessert while we wait for the burgers to cook? The manager has a special dessert set aside for my girlfriend.”
“Of course, Sir,” the waiter said and hurried off.
“Dessert first?” Rory asked.
“You’re pregnant. Don’t pregnant women like sweets?”
“I’m not complaining. I just thought it was unusual.”
The manager came out with a small serving platter. Rory’s mouth dropped open as she took in the white frosted cupcake with pearlescent candies on top, and the groom and bride pocket dragons on either side of it. The engagement ring he’d purchased was looped over the bride’s ear.
Zwyk came around the table and knelt at her feet, taking her hand in his. “Rory. I had this planned for two days, and after hearing your news, I can’t think of anything I want more than to have you as my mate. I love you, and I’m going to love our baby. Would you make me the happiest male and be my mate?”
She looked from him to the pocket dragons and back. “You remembered I like pocket dragons?”
“You didn’t have these in your collection when I saw them at your place, and they seemed appropriate. I thought we could use them as a topper for the wedding cake.”
Tears gathered in her eyes as she pulled him closer. Her lips brushed against his in a soft kiss.
“Zwyk, I would be honored to be your mate.”
“Just promise me one thing?” he asked.
“Anything.”
“Run toward me down the aisle and not the other way?”
She laughed and hugged him tight. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than by your side. I’ll always run toward you.”
He kissed her again as the restaurant erupted in applause and whistles.
Now that he had the right bride, he couldn’t wait to be a groom again. He wondered if he could convince his fiancé to a quick wedding. Tomorrow wouldn’t be soon enough.
“Zwyk, may I ask a favor too?”
“Whatever you want, you can have it.”
“Do you think, instead of
the traditional wedding attire, we could just wear our favorite gaming shirts and jeans? We could have matching Converse.”
Zwyk laughed. “I knew I loved you for a reason. Yes, Rory. We can wear whatever you want.”
“I’ll start planning tomorrow. Right now, I want to eat that delicious looking cupcake, annihilate my hamburger when it gets here, and then I want you to make love to me all night. I love you, Zwyk.”
“I love you too. Mate.”
Rory swiped her finger through the white frosting on her cupcake and smeared it on Zwyk’s nose, laughing as he shook his head at her. With his luck, she would be the type of bride to shove the cake in his face on their wedding day. And he would wear the frosting with honor if she did. He might have thought no one could love a geeky, Xbox-playing alien, but he’d never counted on meeting a geeky, Xbox-playing princess to share his life with.
Playlist
Whistle by Flo Rida
Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne
I Touch Myself by Divinyls
Die For You by Otherwise
Papercut by Linkin Park
Drunken Sailor by The Irish Rovers
Bring It by Cobra Starship
My House by Flo Rida
Loch Lomond by The Munros
So What by P!nk
The Monster by Eminem
I Am Invincible by Cassadee Pope
The Unicorn Song by The Irish Rovers
In the Ayer by Flo Rida
Immortals by Fall Out Boy (Big Hero 6)
The Scotsman’s Kilt by Highland Reign
M!ssunderztood by P!nk
Dedication
For Beverlie Crawford Whitham (1940-2016). Grandmother. Writer. Inspiration. Guardian Angel. You filled so many roles in my life. You will be forever missed, but never forgotten. You believed in me, in my writing, and my aliens always gave you a good laugh. I thought of you often while writing Rory and the Alien Groom, could hear your voice cheering me on. This one is for you.
Beverlie was instrumental in the creation of the Brides series and her ideas worked their way into a lot of my stories. Without her voice on the other end of the phone, her encouragement and laughter, I felt I lost a bit of my spark. It was hard to get back to work on a series that meant so much to the both of us, something we’d bonded over and talked about weekly. But I know she’d want me to carry on. I hope to have more hunky aliens coming your way.
Jessica Coulter Smith
Award-winning author Jessica Coulter Smith has been in love with the written word since she was a child writing her first stories in crayon. Today she’s a multi-published author of over seventy-five novellas and novels. Romance is an integral part of her world and spills over from her professional life into her personal one. When she went on that first date with her husband, she never expected to hear the words “marry me” pop out of his mouth -- and judging by the shocked look on his face, he hadn’t meant to say them either. But, being the hopeless romantic that she is, Jessica said yes and they’ve been married since 2000.
Jessica firmly believes that love will find you at the right time, even if Mr. Right is literally out of this world. She’s often gazed at the stars and wondered what, or who, else might be out there. Who’s to say that hunky model on the hottest romance bestseller isn’t really from some far off galaxy? Maybe that blue Martian you saw at Halloween wasn’t really in costume. After all, there’s an awful lot of space out there for us to be the only ones living in it.
Jessica loves to hear from her readers! You can follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jessicacoultersmithauthor and Twitter https://twitter.com/kitcatjms. Visit her website: http://www.jessicacoultersmith.com. Want to be noticed of new releases or special discounts? Sign up for her newsletter! http://eepurl.com/bwPvbT. Find more books by Jessica Coulter Smith at http://www.changelingpress.com/author.php?uid=144.
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