Mismatch

by Lisa Lace

  “It’s not supposed to. All you have to do is talk to him one last time. Put everything on the table. If he still says he doesn’t want you, come back here and start a new life.â€� Ashlyn bit her lip. “But what if something has changed? Maybe he believed it when you said you wanted a divorce and is too scared to tell you how he feels. Despite their cold exterior, men can be fragile creatures, Elle.â€�

  “Ayrie doesn’t need anything from me.â€�

  “Yes, he does. Women are the strong ones. It might not be the greatest idea, but give him one last chance before you give up.â€� She could see my hesitation. “I’ll call Jayne for you right now and ask when the next shuttle is coming down to pick up supplies. You can fly back to the ship on it.â€�

  I reluctantly agreed with her. “Okay. I’ll try.â€�

  “Anders has his shuttle docked in Bay Three. He’s working today, so you can probably catch him there.â€�

  I glanced over at Gwen, a beautiful, fiery redhead who had piloted the shuttle bringing me back to our mothership. “Do you know Anders?â€�

  “Definitely. He’s friends with my husband, Jake, and he’s my partner. We usually fly together, but we’ve been working apart so we can make more shuttle runs.â€� I followed Gwen as she ducked around ships and waved to people as we passed. It seemed like she was in her element on the flight deck. I made sure to stay right on her tail. I didn’t want to get lost or run over. “Anders helped me study for my intergalactic license so I could fly outside of our solar system. He’s helped me learn all about Auxem. He brings me lunch when I’m on shift and I forget to eat. He’s is a good friend.â€�

  Gwen was painting a picture of Anders that I had often seen, but his brothers would never believe. “He’s my brother-in-law.â€�

  “Oh.â€� She looked faintly surprised. “Are you married to one of the princes? It must be Ayrie. You’re not anything like Jayne.â€�

  “That’s right. Ayrie’s my husband. And like you said, I am definitely not Jayne.â€� Everyone knew Jayne Lynch because she was responsible for the human women on the ship, making sure we had everything we needed and were healthy and happy.

  “She must have her hands full with the twins right now. Hey, there he is right now!â€� Her face lit up, and she waved enthusiastically.

  I turned my head to see Anders staring at us. Spending even just a few minutes with Gwen was starting to let me see him through her eyes. For the first time, I noticed how handsome he was, in an understated way. He had short brown hair and stood with his hands in his pockets, looking disinterested. His square jaw and bright blue eyes were breathtaking when I saw him as a man and not only as my brother-in-law and friend. When we reached him, Gwen gave him a hug, and I watched the two with interest.

  “Didn’t I just see you yesterday, Gwen?â€� I had concealed myself behind her, and he finally caught sight of me. “Elle, what are you doing here?â€�

  “What kind of welcome is that for your sister-in-law?â€� Gwen gave Anders a push on the shoulder.

  “Well, it’s complicated.â€� He looked shocked and started to laugh.

  “I don’t understand what’s so funny, Anders, and I don’t think I want to know. I came here to see Ayrie. Do you know where I can find him?

  Anders laughed harder, barely managing to gasp out an answer to my question. “He’s not here.â€�

  “Where is he, then?â€� I stared at Anders in consternation. Jayne had told me Ayrie was staying with him.

  “I dropped him off on Vandwa before I came back. You came here with Gwen, didn’t you?â€�

  I nodded and wondered about the glint in his eyes when he said her name. I would have to talk to my brother-in-law about her eventually. I didn’t know when I would get the chance if I was going to divorce his brother. But whenever it happened, I was going to find out all about Gwen.

  “I did. I don’t understand what’s so funny, Anders.â€�

  “I guess it all depends on your point of view.â€� He regained control over himself, and his face became serious. “I can’t believe you came back.â€�

  “Don’t get too excited. Ashlyn convinced me to talk with him one last time. Wait a second. Why would he go down to the surface of the planet?â€�

  Anders shrugged his shoulders.

  I lifted my eyebrows. “He didn’t want to see me, did he?â€�

  He laughed again. “Ayrie is in love. Of course he wanted to see you! You must have come up here at the same time he left. He didn’t explicitly say he was going to try and get you back, Elle, but I know my brother.â€�

  “Fuck.â€� I covered my mouth, glancing at Gwen.

  She shook her head. “I fly with pilots every day. I’ve heard much worse.â€�

  Anders started laughing again.

  “I’m glad I’m a source of amusement for you, Anders.â€�

  He finally stopped laughing. “I just returned from a shuttle run. I’m only getting something to eat before going back again. Do you want to catch a ride?â€�

  AYRIE

  I emerged from the bathroom with my shirt removed and stuffed into the back pocket of my pants. After quickly looking around, I jumped and flew into the sky. I closed my eyes as I felt the wind blowing through my hair. I shouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing me, but I had certain habits ingrained in my soul. There was prejudice everywhere, and I didn’t want to find trouble.

  As I flew over the warehouse and yard, I saw Anders emerge from a building. He looked up and waved before climbing into his shuttle. He was going to take it back to the mothership after reloading with supplies.

  I soared straight up until I reached a comfortable altitude before spreading my wings and catching an air current. I started to glide lazily over the ocean. In my mind, I went over my history with Elle from the time I had seen her at the first date night. She had seemed burdened and anxious, and I knew she was afraid to approach me.

  We had still talked to each other. Elle was scared, but she did it. I strengthened my resolve, wondering if I would back out at the last moment. I wanted to tell her. If she couldn’t forgive me, I wouldn’t be worse off than now.

  But Anders thought she would exonerate me. I had a chance. When I thought about it, leaving me showed how strong Elle was compared to when I had first met her. I liked to think I had helped her discover herself. I hadn’t given anything to her — it had been within her all along. She thought she deserved happiness, and that was something she had never been able to believe before.

  It occurred to me that I had never seen myself worthy of happiness before either. Like her, I had been avoiding the thought because I knew I didn’t deserve it. It was still hard to believe I was worthy now. But I knew Elle had earned it. The only way she would feel satisfaction was through my love. The idea of being happy was intoxicating, and I was sick of being miserable.

  At Ashlyn and Nathaniel’s house, I dropped down onto the beach, not bothering to put my wings away. I was going to take Elle to a different place so I could talk with her. We needed privacy. I knocked on the front door.

  The housekeeper, Mrs. Morley, answered. Her eyes went wide as she looked my wings. “Hello, Mr. Ayrie.â€� She put her hand on her chest and looked at me in amazement.

  “Who is it, Mrs. Morley?â€� Ashlyn’s voice came from the hallway. Ashlyn emerged and gasped before she blushed.

  Kitty ran in and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me. Her eyes were as big as saucers.

  I guessed these women had never seen someone from Auxem in all their glory before. It was enough to make me feel self-conscious.

  Ashlyn pulled
herself together in an instant. “You came back!�

  I nodded. “Where’s Elle? I want to talk to her.â€� I tried to sound polite — even though I was in a hurry, I didn’t want to scare the older woman and the little girl.

  Ashlyn’s jaw dropped, and she covered her mouth with her hand as she started to laugh. I didn’t think I looked funny. “Maybe I should just go.â€� I felt uncertain all of a sudden.

  “Don’t do that.â€� She came past Mrs. Morley. “I wasn’t laughing at you.â€� Ashlyn put a hand on my arm. “Elle’s not here. She went back to the ship a couple of hours ago. She’s probably knocking on your door right now.â€�

  The humor in the situation hit me, and I started to laugh, too. After we had calmed down, I ran a hand through my hair. “What do I do now?â€�

  “I don’t know Elle too well, but I bet by now she’s coming back to the surface. You shouldn’t go anywhere.â€�

  “This is ridiculous.â€�

  “I wouldn’t say that. It’s sweet.â€�

  “Ayrie? What are you doing here?â€� Nathaniel’s voice came from the hallway. He saw me as he approached the door, joining the small crowd starting to assemble. “I thought you might come back. I imagine that as wonderful as we are, we’re not the primary reason for your visit today.â€�

  I shook my head.

  “You look different.â€� Nathaniel put his arm around Ashlyn. Kathryn leaned herself against his other side. They were the picture of a perfect family. I wondered if I would ever have the same things he did. “I can’t put my finger on it, though.â€� He knew I couldn’t punch him in front of the women like I wanted to. He gave me a knowing grin that turned into a genuine smile. “I’m glad you’re here.â€�

  “Me too.â€� If I could find my wife, beg her forgiveness, and confess my love, everything would be perfect.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  AYRIE

  “Elle sent a message, and she needs a ride from the warehouse.â€� Ashlyn came out onto the beach. We were all assembled, waiting for Elle’s return. I had given Kitty a ride on my back. She had decided she wanted to have wings when she grew up.

  “I can run over and pick her up.â€� Nathaniel had been making a sand castle with his daughter, but he stood up and started getting ready to leave.

  “That’s okay. I’ll get Elle myself.â€�

  “Ayrie, I was hoping you would say that.â€�

  I moved closer to him so we could talk privately. “I need a place to have a conversation without an audience, if you know what I mean. Is there somewhere between here and the warehouse where we could have a bit of privacy?â€�

  Nathaniel thought for a minute. “Our planet is mostly open water. There’s an old guest house on the other side of this island. You should be able to spot it easily from the air. We keep it ready for guests, but we only use it when Ashlyn’s family comes over here. Ashlyn was just talking about the servants cleaning everything, including the bedding.â€� He waggled his eyebrows.

  My mouth dropped open, and I stared at him.

  “You don’t seem to think about the future much. If everything goes well, you’ll be in need of a bed tonight. I’m rooting for you.â€�

  I closed my eyes. “All I’m thinking about is getting Elle to change her mind.â€� Unbidden, her image entered my head. She was naked and beautiful, just as she was the night we were together on the deserted island.

  Nathaniel gave me a sympathetic look. “If everything works out, don’t wait. You should form a bond with her.â€�

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.â€�

  “The guest house is the perfect spot for you. It’s a private place for you two to talk and do anything else that might come to mind.â€�

  “It’s not a sure thing.â€�

  “You should always be prepared.â€� He gave me a slap on the back. “Good luck.â€�

  I nodded, said goodbye, and went to get my wife.

  ELLE

  Ayrie set us down next to a cute house on the island. I got off his back as quickly as I could. Being close to him was weakening my resolve. I didn’t recognize where we were, but it looked like no one would bother us. He had brought me here to talk. It was better than being at Ashlyn and Nathaniel’s where there were always people everywhere. If he ended up breaking my heart again, I wanted him to do it privately.

  “Come on.â€� He took my hand and started walking toward the house.

  I wanted to pull away from him. I was enjoying holding his hand too much. Something in the way he looked at me made me decide against it.

  We walked together into the little cottage. It was spotless and smelled fresh as if someone had recently cleaned it and aired it out. I wondered how he had found the place.

  “What’s this about, Ayrie?â€� I felt like I had to break the silence first. I wanted to get everything over with one way or another. I released his hand and moved across the room from him. “Why did you come down looking for me?â€�

  “I might ask you the same thing. I heard you ran into Anders on the mothership.â€�

  I blushed. “Ashlyn convinced me to come and talk to you.â€�

  “About what?â€�

  I shrugged. “You go first. We both have things we want to say.â€�

  Ayrie nodded firmly and clenched his hands into fists at his sides. He was trying to work up enough courage to speak. His wings quivered. “I don’t know how to start.â€� He looked at me uncertainly.

  “Just say it.â€� I felt like I might break into a thousand pieces at any moment. “I can’t stand the tension. I’m going to leave.â€�

  “Don’t do that.â€� He reached out his hand to me. “Please don’t go, Elle.â€�

  “You’re going to have to get on with it, then. The suspense is killing me.â€�

  His eyes warmed with amusement. “I might mess it up, but listen to what I have to say. When I married you, I wanted to help you. You seemed so…â€�

  I decided to fill in the blanks for him. “Desperate?â€� The truth was that I had been. But I wasn’t desperate anymore. At least, not in the same way.

  “That’s one way to put it. I would have said you were determined to get out of your situation.â€�

  “It sounds the same to me.â€�

  He shrugged. “Anyways. I thought you were pretty. More than that, actually. Sexy. You intrigued me.â€�

  He had never told me anything like this before.

  “After we married each other, we didn’t sleep in the same room. We had to watch Arnon and Jayne being head-over-heels in love with each other and have the twins. They were everything we weren’t. It must have affected both of us.â€�

  I stared down at my clasped hands and nodded.

  “I don’t know about you, but I thought if I didn’t have any expectations, we would turn out okay. But we had ideas about each other. We just didn’t talk about them. You became bitter, and I was…â€�

  “Aloof.â€� I looked up. “You were mean and ignored me.â€�

  He held his hands up and a pained look passed over his face. “Okay. I deserved that. I thought I was protecting myself.â€�

  My breath caught in my throat. What did Ayrie mean?

  “Everything kept getting worse. I don’t know what made me invite you to Vandwa with me. It might have been how wistful you looked when you found out I would be apart from you. It occurred to me for the first time that you might care about me, even though you were cold and silent.â€�


  “That was because I thought you didn’t want me.â€� He had shocked me into defending myself.

  “There are two sides to every story, right?â€�

  I pursed my lips together and shut up. I was supposed to be letting Ayrie talk.

  “When we were on the island, everything changed.â€� He gazed off into space, trying to find the right words. “You acted so loving toward me.â€�

  I had expected Ayrie to be the first one to show love so I could respond. I was an idiot. “I’ve always…â€� I couldn’t finish speaking.

  “I was worried about you when you became sick. When you disappeared, I nearly went out of my mind. But I still didn’t realize it.â€�

  Realize what? I didn’t say anything out loud, afraid of interrupting him.

  “We had many brushes with death, and I still didn’t wake up. Once my brother pointed out I took all the good things in my life for granted, I finally saw things as they are.â€�

  “And how is that?â€� I was unable to stay silent.

  Ayrie’s fingers drummed against his leg. He came over to me and took my hands. I felt like I couldn’t breathe after the look he gave me. He swallowed and searched my eyes. I saw the fear in his face, and I still waited.

  “Elle, I love you.â€�

  I could feel my eyes widen, and my knees went weak. Ayrie must have anticipated my reaction. His arm was already around me, and he braced me against his body.

  “Are you serious?â€�

  He looked scared. “I don’t think that’s what you’re supposed to say. I’m opening my soul to you.â€�

  I drew in a shaky breath. “Do you mean it?â€�

  “Of course I do. Would I make it up?â€�

  “No, but you might be saying it just to get me back.â€�

  “Of course I’m saying it to get you back. I love you. I don’t want you to leave.â€�

  His face fell. He slapped his forehead and turned away from me, brushing me with his snow-white wings.

  He thought I didn’t care about him. What kind of a fool would ask if her man is serious when he told her he loved her?