A Desconian Happily Ever After (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

If he remembered correctly, Ally and Alex shared a room with three other adults. It certainly wasn’t an ideal situation for a young child who wanted to crawl and explore the world around him.

“Why don’t you come stay with me and Kallum?” he asked impulsively.

She glanced around the room, obviously tempted. “I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“You’re not asking. I offered,” he said, warming to his impulsive idea. “We have plenty of room and it won’t take much to baby proof a few things. I’m sure Kallum would enjoy having a baby around.”

“But I…” She hesitated, glanced around the room nervously, leaned closer, and whispered, “Wouldn’t that be breaking the rules?”

It probably was. Humans were only supposed to leave the compound with potential marriage partners. Taking Ally and Alex home with them would probably affect their chances of finding a Desconian family to join and possibly even suggest that there was something wrong with them when they brought them back.

“Leave the details to me,” he said confidently, sincerely hoping he wasn’t setting them all up for a big letdown.

“What about Kallum?” she asked worriedly. “He works with babies all day. He probably doesn’t want to come home to one. And I doubt he wants me getting in the way. Don’t you two usually walk around naked?”

Drew smiled. Kallum would be the least of their worries. He loved children. And as for the walking around naked, it was a habit they’d fallen out of when Drew had been sick. “Kallum would love to come home to a happy family life.” It wasn’t until he said the words out loud that he realized how true that really was. “And we wear clothes more often than not, so covering up while you and Alex are with us won’t be a problem at all.” He gave her an encouraging smile as he thought of how nice it would be to have someone else in the house for Kallum to fuss over, rather than him and his no-longer-ill health. “We talked about finding a wife a long time ago,” he said, lost in memories for a moment, “but when I got sick Kallum sort of shut down that dream and concentrated on me. I know he would love to have you and Alex stay with us for a while.”

She looked a little bit frightened, and when her eyes filled with tears he worried he’d said the exact wrong thing. In his head he was already envisioning the four of them as a sort of makeshift family, but he needed to talk to Kallum first. Inviting two new people into their lives—even if Kallum already considered Ally and her child close friends—was a big step and something he needed to discuss with his husband first. But at the very least he could give Ally a few weeks away from the compound and Alex some space to crawl and explore without getting his fingers trodden on.

He’d visit Katarnia and fill in whatever paperwork was required while he waited for Kallum to finish working.

* * * *

Ally couldn’t quite contain the emotions she was feeling. It was ridiculous and premature and most likely short lived, but just the idea of getting Alex out of the crowded compound for a while was a tremendous relief. Her roommates had already expressed their annoyance at Alex getting into their belongings, and it was making for a very stressful home life.

Granted it was a thousand times better than what she would have been faced with on Earth, but the constant criticism from two women who seemed disinclined to want children of their own was very wearing. Even just a couple of nights where she could relax and enjoy her son’s curiosity instead of having to constantly curtail it would be a welcome respite.

She walked the hallways for a while, hoping against hope that Alex would get sleepy. Unfortunately all it did was make her little man cranky. He was tired and overwrought and too annoyed to sleep by the time Drew returned. Ally almost sighed in relief when he offered to hold her squirming little bundle of misery for a while. Her arms ached, her head ached, and she felt on the verge of tears.

“Hey,” Drew said, very carefully wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently encouraging her closer. The instinctive fear was still there, but she ground her teeth and accepted his hug. It actually felt kind of nice until Alex stopped crying long enough to grab her hair and yank rather hard.

“Ouch,” she growled a little more vehemently than she meant to, but instead of pushing her away and making her feel like the world’s worst mother, Drew rubbed his hand up and down her arm reassuringly.

“When was the last time you had a break?”

She shook her head, not really willing to answer that question. Where Alex went, she went. It was as simple and as exhausting as that.

“Silly question,” he said quietly as her son finally laid his head on Drew’s shoulder and snuggled closer. “Come on. Let’s go get your bags packed.”

“It’s okay with Kallum?” she asked worriedly. The last thing she wanted to do was make the man feel uncomfortable in his own home. She already knew how awful that felt thanks to her judgmental roommates.

“Ally, Kallum is still in surgery, but I can assure you that having you and Alex as guests for a few weeks won’t be a problem.”

“Maybe we should wait until he’s finished.”

She worried that he could feel the slight tremble in her muscles even though he was barely touching her. “Okay,” he said with a decisive nod. “I think this little one is almost asleep. How about we sneak back into the dining hall and find a quiet place to sit?”

She nodded tiredly, actually feeling grateful for the arm around her shoulders helping her stay upright. Thankfully they found one of the sofas vacant and quickly took over the small space. Ally couldn’t explain the sudden relief she felt, but it was nice to trust somebody for a change. She knew that Drew wouldn’t disappear with her son. She closed her eyes and, even though she tried to fight it, drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

Kallum found his husband in the dining hall, a small child asleep on his shoulder and a beautiful woman sleeping beside him. Ally looked exhausted, but it wasn’t until he got closer that he realized just how exhausted the young mother was. The dark shadows under her eyes made her seem somehow younger and achingly vulnerable. He didn’t miss the fact that she’d fallen asleep with her hand wrapped around her son’s leg. Obviously Ally only got to sleep when her son did.

It was a situation he hadn’t really been prepared for. Desconian parents often had too many people offering to help. Very few had to deal with the things Ally was dealing with.

“How did it go?” Drew asked in a whispered voice as he got closer.

“Good,” he said with a broad smile. They’d done everything possible to give Jenelle and Galeena the best chance of success. Now, unfortunately, they just had to wait and hope nature cooperated. “Katarnia told me you filled in the paperwork for Ally and Alex to come stay with us for a few weeks. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

As soon as he saw Drew’s frown he knew he’d upset his husband again. It was just that he’d gotten so close to losing the man that it was almost hard to accept that he was fine now. As a doctor he understood that Drew had made a full physical recovery, but as a husband he would always worry.

Whatever Drew had been about to say got lost as the baby on his shoulder started to wake up. With a sure and steady hand Drew patted the baby lightly until the little fellow sighed and fell back to sleep. Unfortunately the baby’s soft noise woke Ally and she sat up quickly to check on her son.

“Sorry,” she mumbled when she apparently realized where she’d fallen asleep. “I can take him.”

“He’s okay,” Drew said, touching Ally’s face affectionately. “Are you ready to come home with us?” Kallum was glad to see the progress Ally had made. When he’d first met her she would have flinched away from any sort of physical contact, but instead she smiled sleepily and nodded her agreement.

“Kallum?” she asked before she realized he was standing beside the sofa they were on. “Oh, um, is it okay with you? I don’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s more than okay,” Kallum said, finally realizing that his husband probably needed Ally even more than Ally needed a break. Drew had been sick for so long that Kallum had forgotten the man’s nurturing and caring personality. The past few months must have been very hard for him. Kallum had only just noticed this morning how Drew had regained most of his muscle tone. Compared to the way he’d looked over a year ago, today he positively glowed with health. “Come on. Let’s get you two packed up so we can head home.”

“Thank you,” Ally said quietly.

“You’re very welcome,” Kallum said as he held a hand out for her to take. She looked to Drew for approval before reaching out and accepting his hand to help her up. Something inside him wanted to hold on to her for longer—something far stronger than his natural Desconian instinct to comfort the woman with his touch. Confused by his own reaction, he didn’t protest when she pulled away as soon as she was steady on her feet.

Drew gave him a relieved smile, rubbed the baby’s back gently as he began to fuss, and then followed Ally out of the room with a very light touch on her lower back.

When Katarnia had told Kallum of Drew’s plans he’d been blinded by the need to protect his husband, but now, watching the natural and caring way that Drew dealt with Ally and her son, he suddenly realized how much he was looking forward to having them in their day-to-day lives. Hopefully, it would be a positive experience for everyone.

“What are you doing awake, little man?” Drew asked quietly as he lifted Alex into his arms. Ally and her son had been staying with them for five nights now and Drew marveled at how much more the apartment felt like a real home with them both here.

The baby giggled happily, kicking his feet in a very good imitation of running in midair. Drew turned to the change table, quickly changed Alex’s soaked diaper, and couldn’t help but grin at the little boy’s giggles. It was a wonderful welcome even this early in the morning. Drew grinned as he lifted Alex back into his arms. “Shhh, you’re going to wake your momma.”

“Too late,” Ally said as she rolled over in the bed. “What time is it?”

“About an hour before breakfast.”

“Oh, hell, sorry.” She quickly scrambled to her feet. Drew tried very hard not to look at how beautiful the woman was with messy hair and wearing rumpled pajamas, but he was only Desconian. How could an ordinary mortal deny himself a peek at such an attractive sight? She truly was a lovely woman inside and out. “I’m sorry he woke you,” she said, running a hand through her hair tiredly. “I don’t usually sleep through him moving.”

“It’s okay, Ally. I was awake anyway. Why don’t you get some more rest?”

She shook her head, but glanced at the bed longingly. It was obvious she needed more sleep, but he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable either. She’d spent her time on Earth fearing for Alex’s future, but since arriving on Descon and realizing how desperately children were wanted, she’d spent a lot of time fearing that someone would take him from her. It was an awful lot of stress for a young mother to have to deal with alone. But he also understood that it would take more than a few words to convince her that Alex was safe here.

“How about you come with us then? You can lie down on the sofa while Alex and I play some games.”

She smiled, nodded, and turned to drag on her robe. “I should change him first,” she said over her shoulder.

“Already done,” Drew said as he grabbed a pillow off Ally’s bed and handed it to her. “Come on, you two. Let’s go play.”

* * * *

Kallum followed the soft noises into the living area and found a very pleasant sight. Ally was curled up on one of the sofas, sleeping soundly, while her son sat with Drew, giggling softly as they read a very silly book together. At seven months of age it was unlikely Alex understood more than a few words, but it was obvious that Drew’s tone was very entertaining.

“Good morning,” Kallum whispered when the pair stopped to look at him. “That sounds like a fun book.”

“It is,” Drew said, glancing at Ally where she still slept, “but it got me thinking. Ally speaks the standard Earth language and understands us because of her language translator.” He touched the place behind his ear where his own translator nestled. “What language is Alex learning?”

Drew smiled and took a seat on the sofa beside his husband. He reached over to tickle Alex’s tummy, but the baby quickly grabbed at his finger and tried valiantly to put it in his mouth. Kallum smiled at the natural curiosity Alex displayed. He might not have had the best start in life, but it was obvious that Ally had done everything in her power to make sure he had a bright future.

“Basically, Alex is learning both languages. He’ll probably speak a mixture of both for quite a few years, but eventually he’ll be able to separate the two.”

Drew shook his head, smiling. “Babies are pretty incredible, aren’t they?”

“Very true,” Kallum said as he glanced over at Ally. “Did she get any sleep last night?”

“I think so,” Drew said, smiling at the sleeping woman affectionately, “but I suspect the sleep deprivation is going to take a while to get over.”

“With you looking out for her, I’m sure she’ll get there.”

Drew gave him a happy smile, but then his expression turned very serious. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For understanding, for seeing, for finally realizing I don’t need you hovering over me anymore.”