“I’m going to shower and then we need to leave for the party.”
She appeared in the bedroom doorway as he was stripping out of his clothes. “I don’t understand why there’s a cookout in the park this late in the day. It will be dark in another hour or two.”
“There are lanterns, I’m sure,” he said. At least, there had better damn well be lanterns, and some of those outdoor heaters so his mate wouldn’t catch a chill. He’d even requested small lights to be strung around the gazebo, where he’d hoped she would join her life with his.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’ve never introduced me to your friends, and suddenly we have to have a barbecue after you’ve been at work all day. Is this a special barbecue or something?”
“Just a gathering of friends,” he said evasively, hoping she’d drop the matter.
She looked down at her jeans and blue sweater. “Am I dressed okay?”
That was a loaded question if ever he’d heard one. To him, she was always stunning, but once she found out they were getting married, he had a feeling she’d be upset she wasn’t dressed a little nicer.
“I think you look beautiful.”
“But the other women are going to be dressed differently, aren’t they?” she asked.
“I think they’re dressing up a little more since it’s their first time meeting you.” That sounded plausible, didn’t it?
“To meet me? Why?”
Oh, shit. Why hadn’t he thought this out a bit better? He should have known she would ask questions. It would have been better to wait until his day off, but he’d wanted to make her his as soon as possible. Now she was suspicious, and he didn’t know how to handle it.
“Because you’re special to me. I haven’t had anyone serious in my life, and they’re curious about you.”
That sounded reasonable enough. To him.
“I think you’re up to something, but I can’t figure out what.” She waved a hand. “I’ll go change, but I think it’s odd I need to dress up for a barbecue.”
He breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the closet and started digging through her clothes. He hoped like hell she didn’t decide to pick up his leather pants and find the ring. Vordro went into the bathroom and started the shower, taking a moment to brush his teeth before he got in. As the water pelted down on him, he hoped like hell he was doing the right thing. What if Summer was mad and not happy with her surprise? He’d heard that human women liked to make special arrangements for their matings. Would she be the same way?
Washing quickly, he got out and dried off, tying the towel around his waist. Summer had already vacated the bedroom, and he was thankful his pants were where he’d left them. She’d mentioned several times that she’d thought he’d look nice in a pair of jeans, so he pulled out the black pair he’d purchased the other day, along with the blue silk shirt he’d bought to pair with them. He pulled on his clothes, fastened a belt around his waist, and put his boots back on.
Summer was reading a book on the couch when he stepped into the living room to look for her. She flipped a page and held up a finger as she quickly scanned the book. With a sigh, she slid a piece of paper between the pages to mark her place and stood up. With her hands held out, she did a slow turn.
“Do I pass inspection now?” she asked.
The long-sleeved dress she’d put on hugged her curves, and she’d put on a pair of boots with it. He thought she looked enchanting, and he hoped she’d be pleased with her outfit when she found out what was happening tonight. Krelor’s mate had insisted on having a camera handy to take their picture as they pledged themselves to one another. She seemed to think it was something Summer would want.
“You look stunning,” he said. “Are you ready?”
She nodded and picked up her jacket. He walked her out to the SUV and helped into the passenger’s seat. Once they were on their way, nerves plagued him. He knew that he wanted Summer as his mate, but he worried she wouldn’t appreciate the way they were tying their lives together. What if she wanted something more? It wasn’t common for there to even be a ceremony, but after everything she’d been through, he wanted to make the moment as special for her as possible.
Maybe he should have gotten one of those banquet halls instead.
When they reached their destination, Vordro parked the car and took her hand to lead the way. He heard her slight gasp when she caught sight of where they were going. His friends had outdone themselves. There were lanterns hanging from the trees, twinkling lights wrapped around the posts of the gazebo, and heaters spaced throughout the area. Tables and chairs had been set up with white tablecloths and tea lights in the center of each one. It was romantic, right? He glanced at her to see that her mouth was hanging open.
“This isn’t a barbecue,” she whispered. “What did you bring me to?”
Councilman Larimar approached a smile on his face and rubbing his hands together. “He brought you to your wedding.”
Her eyes went wide. “Wedding?”
“Typically, our males either have a traditional human wedding or Terran mating. Our matings are a simple yes or no from the council, and then we file paperwork. So, Vordro opted to do something in between.”
“I don’t understand,” Summer said. “Vordro, what is all this?”
“I didn’t have the patience to wait for a human wedding to take place, and I knew you would want more than just the council’s blessing to be mine. So, I asked Councilman Larimar to come here to give his official blessing and have us pledge ourselves to one another.”
The councilman nodded. “If the two of you will follow me, we’ll begin, and then we can all eat. I’ve been smelling something incredible by the buffet.”
Summer’s hand trembled in his as Vordro led her over to the gazebo. Their shoes clicked on the wooden planks as they stopped in front of Larimar. Summer looked around, taking everything in, and there were tears in her eyes when she looked up at Vordro. He reached and smoothed his hand along her cheek.
“Are you displeased?” he asked.
“No,” she said softly. “I think everything is beautiful and absolutely perfect.”
Larimar cleared his throat. “Let’s begin. Vordro, is there something you’d like to say to Summer?”
Vordro turned to face her, holding her hands in his. He took a breath to steady himself as he gazed into her eyes.
“Summer, the moment I saw you, I was taken away by your beauty. The more I got to know you, the more enchanting you became. You love deeply, and selflessly. I am honored that you have chosen me as your mate, and I swear to do all that I can to make your life as comfortable as possible. I won’t let another day pass without telling you how beautiful you are, inside and out, and how very much I love you.”
Her eyes misted with tears again. “You love me?” she asked softly.
He nodded.
“Summer, is there anything you wish to say to Vordro?” Larimar asked.
Summer gazed up into his eyes, a slight smile on her lips. “When I first saw you, my heart skipped a beat. I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen. Even when you offered me a place to stay, I knew a guy like you would never want someone like me… but then, something magical happened. You wanted me as much as I wanted you. I fell in love with you long before our first kiss, and that love grows every day. I promise to love you every day for the rest of my life, and to do my best to take care of you, our children, and our home.”
“Vordro, I believe you have something for your mate?” Larimar prompted.
Vordro dug in his pocket for the small box, pulling it out and flicking it open. He pulled the ring free, dropping the box as he slid the band onto Summer’s left ring finger. He’d studied the human marriage customs and knew that would let other males know she belonged to someone. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared at the ring, and then she flung herself into his arms and kissed him until they were both breathless.
“Congratulations, you are officially mate
d,” Larimar said. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to follow my nose to that table of food and figure out what’s been teasing me for the last half hour.”
With Summer’s hand tucked in his, Vordro led her over to his group of friends, all waiting to meet his mate.
“This is Krelor and his mate Rachel,” Vordro said as they came to the first couple. “And next are Rorval and Jenny.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Summer said.
“Do you like pie?” Jenny asked.
Summer blinked, seeming to not know how to respond at first. “Pie? Um, yes.”
“Rachel and I meet every Wednesday afternoon for pie at the local diner. You’ll have to join us this week.”
Summer’s cheeks pinked. “I’d really like that.”
“You remember Nyril,” Vordro said as he came to the two warriors standing by themselves. “Next to him is Maryk.”
“Thank you for coming tonight,” Summer said. “It’s nice to see you again, Nyril.”
He winked at her, drawing a growl from Vordro.
“I should feed you,” Vordro said. “Rachel and Jenny organized most of tonight. They had the food catered from a local café.”
“I’m sure it will be wonderful,” Summer said. “This entire night is magical. Thank you, Vordro. Our wedding was absolutely perfect.”
They sampled the fare provided and mingled with their friends. After an hour, Vordro was ready to have some alone time with Summer. They thanked everyone for coming, and Vordro thanked Rachel for overseeing the cleanup, and then they drove home. Silence reigned in the car, but it was the comfortable kind. When they reached the house, they walked inside, hand in hand.
The door had barely closed behind them before he was kissing his sweet mate. Swinging her up into his arms, he carried her down the hall to their bedroom. He wished he’d had time to set a better scene. Maybe some candles and flowers, instead of rumpled sheets and a pile of dirty clothes, but Summer didn’t seem to mind. She slowly stripped out of her clothes, as Vordro divested himself of his.
He fell to his knees at her feet and pressed a kiss against her belly. “I also make a promise to you, little one, to be the best dad ever. I will protect you, guide you, and love you with all my heart.”
Summer ran her fingers through his hair, and he looked up to see tears in her eyes.
“I seem to make you cry a lot lately.”
“Maybe it’s pregnancy hormones. I thought it was too soon for that, but since this baby isn’t entirely human, anything is possible.”
“Would you prefer that I just hold you tonight?” Vordro asked.
“No. I want you to make love to me. All night long.”
“I should have taken you to a hotel tonight, to celebrate our mating.”
Summer kissed him. “All I need is you, Vordro. As long as I have you, then I have everything I need.”
“You are my everything,” he said before kissing her deeply.
Their bodies fell to the bed, a tangle of limbs. With the knowledge that forever stretched before them, a forever they would share together, they made love long into the wee hours of the morning until both were sated. Their hearts beat as one, and Vordro knew that fate had delivered Summer to him that day. No matter what the future brought, he would be forever grateful for having her in his life. She made him complete.
Epilogue
Ten Months Later
A scream tore from Summer’s throat, her face flushed and sweaty. She glared at Vordro and bore down on his hand as she gritted her teeth through another contraction. Her hair clung to her face and neck, but it was the least of her worries. Vordro winced as she tightened her grip.
“What do you mean I can’t have drugs?” she demanded of the doctor.
“Your contractions are coming too close together. There’s not enough time for them to take effect.” Prylo smiled as if to soften his words. “You can yell and scream all you want.”
“Vordro! I swear if you ever plant another monster-sized baby in me, I’m going to cut your nuts off,” she swore at her mate. He paled a little and looked at the doctor.
“She’ll change her mind after she’s holding the baby,” Prylo said.
Summer didn’t think it was likely, and as big as this baby felt, she wasn’t certain she’d ever be holding it. More like they’d have to cut it out of her. How did women do this? Oh yeah. They had drugs! She wanted drugs! Lots of them.
“I want painkillers,” she said, panting between contractions.
“I can give you a little something to take the edge off, but it’s not going to numb you completely,” Prylo said. He prepped a syringe and then gave her the injection.
A warmth flowed through her and slowly, the pain lessened. As Prylo had said, it didn’t go away completely, but it was definitely more manageable. As the next contraction hit, Summer felt the need to start pushing. It took another hour before the blessed sound of a baby crying filled the air.
“Congratulations,” Prylo said. “You have a girl. Although, why you didn’t want to know before now I don’t understand.”
Summer reached for the baby. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Do you have a name picked out?” Prylo asked.
“We decided to use an Earth name for a girl and a Zelthranite name for a boy,” Vordro said. “Her name is Zoe.”
Summer stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Hello, Zoe. I’m your mommy, and this handsome guy here is your daddy.”
The lavender-colored baby blinked her blue eyes up at Summer. Her hair was midnight black just like Vordro’s, and Summer thought she was absolutely perfect. The family cuddled together. Summer and Vordro stared at their daughter in fascination, and she stared right back.
“I love you, Zoe,” Summer said. “And I promise to be the best mom ever.”
“You already are,” Vordro said before kissing her. “Thank you for my precious daughter. I’m sorry it caused you so much pain.”
“She was worth it.”
“Does this mean we can have another one?”
Summer smiled a little. “Don’t push it. I need at least a year to forget how much this one hurt. Then we’ll talk about it.”
Vordro chuckled, and Summer felt a warmth suffuse her as she snuggled with her family. She’d been given the best gift of all, the gift of love, and she was going to cherish it every day for the rest of her life.
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.
Summer and the Alien Guard Page 10
