"I'm okay." I nuzzled her cheek with my nose, then kissed Elara's forehead. "She needs a burp. Cover yourself in a drop cloth because this can get messy."
Nalea laughed and hopped out of her seat to drape a burp cloth over my shoulder. "She's not lying. Yesterday she shot white stuff all over my work pants."
"It was glorious. Don't let her fool you." Audra snickered while stirring the sauce.
Harlow scooted back, laughing while heeding the warning. "I'm not taking any chances."
"Smart cookie." Nalea grinned and squeezed her shoulder before heading to the stove to help Audra with dinner.
It took only a few minutes for the group of us to gather around the table for one of our favorite easy meals. For the past few days, Nalea and Audra's parents took turns feeding us while we settled in at the new place. After a sensational burp, Elara tumbled off to sleep and we settled her into her portable bassinette between Audra and Nalea.
"How do you like the new bedroom set, Vey?" asked Audra. "I haven't seen your room set up yet."
"It's not. I left everything where the delivery people left it," I said while twirling some pasta around my fork. "I do like the color scheme I picked out. The soft grays and whites make the rooms feel soothing, and the black accents and stuff gives it a sleeker look."
"It does. Our colors are a little bolder which is a good contrast." Audra nodded toward the red accent wall in their kitchen. "Different."
"I still like it though."
"What else do you like about it here?" asked Harlow before taking a bite of meatball.
"I like that I have a spare room. I think I'm going to turn it into an actual office instead of teaching from my bedroom or living room. I want a bookshelf like yours. And maybe some display frames on one of the walls for a few of my dad's comic books," I said, leaning into the conversation despite the fatigue that pressed in on me.
Harlow rubbed my back suddenly as if she sensed it. "I think that'll look great. It really is a nice place. So much bigger than the apartment."
"So much." Audra nodded, then crunched on a bite of garlic bread. "I love the backyard. We were talking about getting Elara a swing set or something when she's older. And for us, maybe a hot tub on the back patio."
"That sounds awesome."
"I want a fire pit." Nalea raised her fork in the air as if signaling a race. "Nice big one where we can sit around and roast marshmallows."
"Consider it done." Audra grinned and winked at her.
I chuckled while listening to them. Their happiness emanated from them and, even though I didn't share it fully, knowing they were overjoyed with our decision made it sit better for me.
"Are you staying over tonight, Harlow?" asked Audra. "Nalea's off tomorrow and I was thinking the four of us could go shopping. Between the two houses, neither of us have a full living room or pretty much anything else."
"I don't own any dishes. Or pots." I snickered when I said it. "Or area carpets or legit anything for the bathroom."
"We can't find the towels." Nalea snort-laughed. "We all had to airdry today."
Harlow covered her mouth while she laughed at us. "You're all hot messes it seems."
"Not Elara. The nursery is completely done." Audra grinned proudly, using her fork to point upstairs. "You have to see it. It looks so good."
"I will for sure."
"Veyda slept in Elara's crib last night," teased Nalea. "Very comfy, I hear."
"Did not." I scowled at her. "I slept on the floor. Sorta."
"She slept with her head in the laundry basket after she passed out from exhaustion," clarified Audra. "Kick her in the pants, Harlow."
Harlow narrowed her eyes at me and scrunched up her nose. "Is that true?"
"Partially." I laughed and flipped both of my friends off. "We washed all of Elara's clothes from the baby shower gifts she got, and I was folding them. I just happened to nod off."
Harlow propped her elbows on the table and leaned in close to me. "I will not be sleeping in a crib or a laundry basket tonight. I will, however, be naked in your bed if you'd like to find me there."
My cheeks heated immediately, and I felt the blush that tumbled over me. "Oh, I'll be finding you, all right."
She giggled softly then tapped the end of my nose. "I made you blush."
"Yes, you did." I nipped her finger and she smiled.
Nalea and Audra watched us, both wearing matching expressions of amusement. I looked to Nalea, and she winked at me.
"First time sleeping in your own place is always better with your favorite girl in your bed," she said, her tone softer than usual.
I nodded and reached under the table to stroke Harlow's thigh. "It is."
She kissed my cheek again, and I reached back to stroke her face. "Everything feels better when she's here…" I admitted. "When she's near me."
"We know," Audra and Nalea said together.
I met Harlow's gaze and she smiled.
Harlow and I took our wine to my place after dessert, leaving Audra and Nalea to their nighttime routine. In my emptier part of the house, our footsteps echoed obnoxiously.
"We'll be drinking that out of the bottle together because I forgot to bring glasses over," I said when we made it into the kitchen.
I leaned back against the marble countertop while watching her. She set the bottle down beside me, then slipped her arms around my waist.
"I'm perfectly happy to drink wine directly out of a bottle." She brushed her lips over mine and we both shivered. "You look exhausted, honey."
My eyes welled up of their own volition and I patted the headphones that I let hang around my neck. "Nalea got them for me today. Everything is so loud. I can't stand it. I feel crazy."
"Does it feel loud right now?" she asked, thumbing my ears while her brow wrinkled with concern.
I glanced over her shoulder while attempting to focus on the sounds that bothered me most. The crickets sang outside, mixed with tree frogs and the quiet trickling of a stream. I couldn't hear the conversations of our neighbors anymore, but I could still hear Audra and Nalea chatting as they settled Elara in her bassinette for the night.
"Not right now." I let out a slow exhale. "Thankfully."
"Good." She caressed my sides, a sweet smile playing on her lips. "I brought something for us tonight. Humor me?"
"Always." I chuckled before nipping her chin.
"'Kay." A small snicker escaped her when we parted, and she headed over to grab her overnight bag from its spot beside the front door.
She waved me into the living room, and I followed her after snatching the wine.
Harlow set her bag down then opened it. She pulled out a few candles, a starter log for the fireplace, and a blanket. I watched as she set the blanket on the floor, then helped her smooth it out.
"I figured since the hearth is ready to be used, we could light a fire and some candles." She nibbled her bottom lip after she said it. "And just spend some time together."
My heart swelled with warmth, and I nodded as the mist of emotion settled in my eyes. She smiled at my agreement and set the log in its proper position. Matches followed and she lit the fire as I settled down on the blanket beside her. She set the candles along the hearth, their glass holders shimmering in the fire light. One after the other, she brought flames to them then tossed the match into the fire. With the bottle of wine set between us, she joined me on the floor, both of us sitting cross-legged facing each other. She set her shoes beside us, and I untied my boots to do the same.
A soft giggle escaped her when she held her hands to me. "I might've misconstrued romantic for séance."
I laughed and brought her hands to my lips for a kiss. "This is perfect, baby. Thank you. I feel really calm."
"Me too." She shifted the bottle of wine out of the way, and we scooted closer until our knees touched. "I love your bowtie. I've never seen a pink one before."
"Nalea gave me this one. I like how it looks with the white blouse." I chuckled and pretende
d to straighten it.
Harlow stroked my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders. "You're so cute, Veyda. Did I ever tell you?"
"A few times." Her doting brought heat to my cheeks again. "Did I ever tell you how incredibly sweet and deliciously sexy you are?"
"A few times," she repeated, a grin tugging the corner of her mouth before she drew in a slow breath. "When you look at me like that…"
"Like what?" My brows flicked upward at her declaration.
"Like your eyes swallow me up. In the flickering light, bits of purple shimmer like glittering starlight. When you look at me in the dark, it's like I can always see you because of it."
"Really?" I toyed with her fingers, and she nodded. "I noticed you can pinpoint me in shadows sometimes."
She nodded, her thumbs stroking the back of my hands. "I can feel you in a way. That's never changed. It's the same sensation I used to get when you'd visit the museum each time. For months, I would get this sense of…" Her eyes flickered toward the ceiling as she seemed to search for the right words. "First it was like an eerie calmness. Like everything suddenly became very still. I felt compelled to move toward it. I always found where you were in the museum…"
"You did. Most of the time, I would hear you coming so I would hide, but you always found me. Only at the Cunningham exhibit were you able to see me."
"Why do you think?"
"Because I was very distracted and excited by the pieces. You caught me by surprise." I kissed the back of her hand again. "That rarely happens."
"I know." She smiled and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Can you see in the dark?"
"Imperfectly. It's not like night vision or anything. There's so much light pollution in the city that nothing seems pitch dark to me."
"Even in your new house with not a single lamp and only overhead lights in the kitchen and bathroom?"
I laughed as I glanced around us. "Yep. It's dark but I can still make out doorways and stuff. Plus the windows don't have curtains…"
"It's pretty damn dark, honey." She laughed and tugged my bowtie. "Can I?"
"Of course." I grinned while she pulled it free, untangling the fabric before releasing the buttons of my shirt. "I see where this is going."
"You see it. I only see what the fire and candles let me." She chuckled then unfolded her legs. "Come closer to me, Vey."
I scooted toward her, then gripped her hips so that she'd wrap her legs around me. Her rear remained on the floor between my thighs and our stomachs touched in the intimate posture. Calmness washed over me deeper than before, and I pressed my forehead to hers.
"What did you find out today?" I asked. "On your trip to Olympia?"
"That what Mahrulo said appears to be true. About the Starseeds part anyway. I stopped reading because I feel like we should learn about it together," she admitted, her nails tickling my scalp when she caressed my hair. "I know you're stressed about it. Can you tell me what worries you?"
"So many things." I brushed my nose against hers. "My mother didn't want me to know about my Andromedan background for a reason. My father didn't know much of anything when I asked him. She kept it a secret for a reason. What if we find out something terrible about Andromeda Galaxy? About Praxar? About what or who I really am?"
"Vey…you are who you are regardless of whatever we find out. None of that changes. Our families or planets of origin don't change who we are. We just…are who we are."
"What if my mother wasn't a good person? What if I'm not?"
Surprise widened her eyes and her jaw fell slack for a moment, emphasizing her disbelief in my statement. "No one who cuddles an infant like you is a bad person. No one who loves her friends as much as you do is a bad person. And no one who feels guilty for upsetting a total stranger by accident is a bad person. Are you able to hear that?"
I nodded, closing my eyes when she nudged my forehead with hers. "What if I'm capable of being bad?"
"We're all capable of being bad. And yet, we all make choices every day to be good and do better. You literally fly through the skies every night rescuing people from their own stupidity most of the time."
"I haven't been as much lately…that's part of it. I've been doing this for a decade of my life and sometimes all I want is to just…stay home. Be normal. Spend time with you and Nalea and Audra, and now Elara. Sometimes I don't want to hear gunshots or fighting or whatever. I just want…regular."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting a regular life, honey." She gave my hair a gentle tug when I leaned back, holding her gaze then. "You're not obligated to save the world."
"I know. Feels like it sometimes…with the news questioning where I've been or whatever."
"Fuck them, Vey." I scoffed when she said it. "Trust me, I know what it's like to be forced into the public eye against your will, but let me tell you, in the end, they'll forget you, too. We're not that special. They'll chase the next story and the next after that, and we'll be nothing but a memory. Harlow Misner, the corrupt politician's daughter, vanished and no one bothered to even look for her. He died, and it ended. Thankfully."
"I kind of like the idea of being forgettable in that sense," I said, a smirk finding its way to my mouth. "I really do."
"You have to follow your heart. Do things based on instinct rather than on patrols and hunts. It'll feel more…authentic perhaps," she said, and draped her arms over my shoulders.
"Where were you like six months ago when I started feeling this way?" I wrapped my arms around her waist and nipped her lips.
"Hmm…locked in an art museum surrounded by the artwork of dead people. But silently, I was wishing for you," she declared, the soft expression of solace smoothing her features. I basked in the beauty of her, burning the image of the way her lashes slept on her cheeks into my memory.
"You wished for me?" I smiled while stroking her cheeks with my knuckles.
She nodded, her smile everlasting at that point. "I wished for you for so long."
"Did I grant it?"
Again, she nodded, accompanied by a giggle. "First you pissed me off though."
I laughed and dropped my hands to tickle her sides. "Harlow!"
"Vey!" She squealed, wiggling like a maniac in my arms.
"So cute." I grinned and quit teasing her. "I love when you squirm."
"I love when you make me squirm," she said, on the tails of a snicker.
"I want to thank you properly though…" I looked down to the tattooed image of the suit around my wrist. "It's an incredible gift."
"You deserve it, but it's not totally selfless, honey. If it keeps you safe, I worry less." She rubbed my forearms affectionately. "Does the mask do the same thing?"
"Yes." I lifted my hair to show her. "It looks like an ear cuff, doesn't it?"
"It does." Her expression brightened and she stroked my ear. "Wow. I expected the biotech to be great, but not this great. I looked it up. It's some sort of biological entangled quantum fabric. Weavers from Triangulum galaxy, particularly a planet called Arachnobia are responsible."
"Are they an arachnoid breed of Offlanders?" My eyes widened at the thought of it. "Like the Reptalon?"
"From my understanding, they don't have any arachnoid features other than their extraordinary weaving ability. Arachnobia is a peaceful planet. Reptalon, however, isn't. Triangulum is an interesting galaxy. We know the Grays are from there, too. And the Draconians. Their extreme intellects set them apart."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "You've been doing a lot of research, haven't you?"
"Maybe a little." She nibbled her bottom lip. "I crave a foundational understanding and I think a part of you does, too."
"I kind of avoid it…"
"I noticed. Mahrulo was right about one thing. When you go out there, I know you and Nalea focus mostly on the human criminals or people who need help, but you're up against a lot. Leaving the villainous Offlander catching to I.P.P.A. is smart, though it doesn't mean they won't come after you or you won't stumble upon them."
"I have… Most either out maneuver me or I catch them anyway."
"I just fear the day you meet the one that out maneuvers you and also wants to harm you." She ran her fingers through my hair. "I don't want to think about that."
"Me either." I leaned into her touch and sighed. "I worry about Nalea, too. All the time. If I help her, I know I can protect her some. Now that she's a detective, her risk level is somewhat reduced, but still."
"I know you do a lot of it for her. How much do you do for you?"
"Not much these days. Though, when I let that Hybridian Andromedan go after the casino heist…that was sort of for me. I wanted to actually help someone like me. It was the first time I really encountered another Hybridian walking the shadows like me. He turned out to be an elitist tool, as you know. His eyes were fully teal."
"He must be a Jukara Hybridian then. Praxi people have full shades of purple with flecks of teal or white. Juk people are full teal," she said, as if this knowledge belonged in everyday conversation.
"Makes sense." I toyed with the dangling charm on her bracelet. "Jukara destroyed Praxar, didn't it?"
She nodded, turning her hand over to let me play. "Yes. Though not the planet itself. Chances are, at this point, it might be occupied again. There are missions heading there. I think that's what he was talking about."
"Hybridians won't likely survive the atmosphere."
"It's possible they could. Offlanders like your mom and the Offlander who wrote the book I'm reading and some other informational articles, survived here. All of our anatomical systems are similar, some things are just in different places, like a mirror image," she explained, her palm pressed to my chest. "But you're not."
I shook my head, leaning down to kiss her fingers. "All human-like on the inside and out."
"A little stronger, a little faster. Shadow walking, air wielding, and heightened senses," she said, tilting her head in the manner that always made me smile. "Extra loving. Perfect for me."
"Harlow." I chuckled and cupped her face in my palms. "You're perfect for me, too."
"Tomorrow, if you're up for it, maybe we can research together a little more about Starseeds? I think you might like learning about that."
Jawbreaker (Four Point Universe Book 14) Page 26
