A Desconian Happily Ever After (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (4 page)

Kallum leaned over and kissed Drew softly. “I will always worry. I love you. That’s just how it works. But I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel suffocated the past few months.”

“I don’t mind. Not really,” Drew said with a smile, “but I’m very glad to feel whole again. For the first time in a long time I feel like we can plan for our future.” He tilted his head toward where Ally was sleeping. “We’ve missed out on a lot of things over the past few years, but perhaps Ally is the goddess’s reminder that we both have a lot to give.”

Kallum felt his own heartbeat quicken at just the thought of bringing a woman into their lives. It was something they’d planned for long ago, but hadn’t been a priority as they’d struggled through Drew’s illness. Maybe Ally truly was the woman they’d dreamed of.

“I guess time will tell,” Kallum said, leaning over to press another kiss to his husband’s lips, “but right now I need to get going.”

“Breakfast?” Drew asked with a raised eyebrow. He’d always been the one to remind Kallum to slow down and take care of himself. In that way Kallum was typical of his profession—too busy caring for everyone else to remember to eat correctly—so it was really nice to have that part of his and Drew’s relationship back.

“I promise to grab something on the way to work.” Drew didn’t change his expression. He just waited for Kallum to fill in the rest. “Okay, I promise to grab something healthy for breakfast and be home in time for a decent lunch.”

“I love you,” Drew said with a wide smile.

“I love you, too,” he said, glancing at his watch before kissing his husband one more time. He laughed quietly when Alex reached over and snagged a handful of his hair. “You don’t like being ignored, do you, little man?” Between them Kallum and Drew managed to untangle his little fingers as Alex chortled happily, enjoying the game enormously. Unfortunately, it was enough to wake his mother.

“Sorry,” she said as she came over to the sofa. “It seems to be his new favorite game.”

“It’s not a problem,” Kallum said, smiling at Ally. “But you still look tired.”

She shrugged. “I actually feel pretty good.”

“Which just proves how long it’s been since you had a decent night’s sleep,” Drew said, reaching over to lift Ally’s hand into his own and then urging her to sit beside them. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“I, um, should probably be making your breakfast. You’ve done so much for us, but I didn’t even think…” Her words trailed off and she blushed, clearly embarrassed.

“Stop that,” Drew said in an indulgently bossy tone of voice that Kallum hadn’t heard in a long time. “You are our guest. That means we’ll take care of everything.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Kallum said, instinctively leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead. It wasn’t until he was an inch away that he realized what he was doing. He hesitated and she gave him a small nod.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. He kissed her forehead and then slowly moved away. He didn’t even realize he’d been holding his breath until she smiled shyly.

“Thank you,” she said, blushing again, “for everything.”

He nodded, gave her a smile, and moved off the sofa. “Have a great day,” he said to all three of them. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Was that okay?” Ally asked. She understood enough about Desconian culture to know that affectionate touching was common, but she also realized that not everyone thought the same way. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Kallum or Drew by doing something they thought inappropriate.

“Was
what
okay?”

“The, uh, way Kallum kissed me?”

“Of course,” Drew said with a grin, but then his smile faltered. “As long as it was okay with you. I mean, we don’t want you to feel you have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

Ironically, the only discomfort she was feeling right now was caused by how much she’d liked the way Kallum had kissed her. She also hadn’t minded the careful embrace Drew had given her yesterday when she’d nearly fallen over one of the many toys Kallum had brought home for her son.

“No, I, ah, enjoyed it. Sort of. If you know what I mean.”

Drew winked, handed the baby to her, and then helped her to her feet.

“Let’s get some breakfast. I suspect Alex might be looking to nap a little earlier today.”

“True,” she said as she kissed her son’s forehead the same way Kallum had kissed hers. She let Drew lead her into the kitchen, his warm hand wrapped around hers. She was grateful that she no longer felt the same fear she had even just a few short weeks ago. Whatever had changed, it was obvious that Drew and Kallum were central to her newfound confidence.

But it did leave her with a million questions. When she’d first been told of the time limit the government was imposing on immigrants she’d been rattled—quite a lot, actually. Knowing that she was expected to marry into a Desconian family and accept their way of life within a single Earth year, or leave the planet and seek a home elsewhere had been rather frightening. She wasn’t the only woman who’d gone through traumatic experiences on Earth, but she truly hadn’t been able to imagine actually wanting someone to touch her, ever.

But with Drew and Kallum it didn’t seem frightening at all. In some ways she even craved being on the receiving end of the sort of comfort that a loving embrace brought to her young son. Was it possible that she was finally learning to trust someone?

The only person she’d ever trusted before had been David.

“Hey,” Drew said, turning toward her. “What’s the sad look for?”

She gave him a soft smile, grateful to have someone she could share her fears with, but also embarrassed that she was so easy to read.

“I was just thinking about David. It doesn’t seem fair that we’re safe and happy while he’s stuck on Earth. I hope he’s okay.”

“I hope so, too,” Drew said, stepping closer and offering her a hug. Alex squealed happily and reached for him, but this time Ally didn’t hand him over. This time she stepped into Drew’s warm embrace with her son in her arms. He sighed as he gently pulled them both closer. She stood there for a little while just marveling at how incredibly different it felt to be held affectionately by someone who actually cared.

She shivered as a flash of memory caught her off guard, but she forced herself not to react.

* * * *

Goddess, the woman was brave.

Drew had felt her tense up for a moment, but instead of throwing herself out of his embrace—a perfectly normal reaction after what she’d been through—she’d taken a deep breath, let it out, and then snuggled closer. He could only guess at what had caused her momentary fear, but he was awed by her courage and determination to work her way through it.

After a while Alex decided he no longer wanted to stay still and wriggled to be put down. Ally laughed softly, pressed a kiss to her son’s nose, and then stepped away before putting him down. He immediately crawled to the cupboard and tried to pry open the door.

“Thank you,” she said as she watched her son. The door was well and truly locked, but it didn’t stop her little man from trying. Drew tilted his head, trying to figure out why she was thanking him, hoping that she would elaborate. She smiled when she saw him watching her. “Before Alex was born I’d never…” Her voice trailed away as she obviously struggled to put into words what she wanted to say. Drew reached over and lifted her warm hand into his own, squeezing lightly when she gave him a soft smile. “Before Alex was born I’d never touched another person voluntarily. I don’t understand why they changed the laws on Earth. It might have been a nicer place if people hadn’t felt so alone all the time.” She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. “With you and Kallum I feel safe, and…” Again her words trailed away as she blushed a pretty shade of pink. “And, well, it gives me hope for the future. I think that maybe one day soon I’ll be able to…”—her blush deepened and she frowned, clearly embarrassed to have started this discussion—“um, touch someone without remembering what happened to me on Earth.”

Drew really wanted to grab her in a tight embrace and hug her for being so courageous, but since that would likely undo all the progress she’d made in the past few days he restrained himself.

“Can you kiss me?” she asked. Her eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d whispered those words out loud. “Sorry.” She glanced around the room, perhaps looking for an escape. He let her pull her hand from his but knew she wouldn’t leave the kitchen without her son. “Sorry. That was rude. You’re a married man. I shouldn’t even be thinking things like that.”

“Hey,” he said, reaching over to touch her cheek softly, “it’s okay. Kallum won’t mind if I kiss you. Desconians are a very affectionate people. Kissing among friends is quite normal.”

“I’m still sorry. I just…feel so comfortable with you and Kallum.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.” Drew moved closer, but not close enough to frighten her. “And I would like to kiss you, too. Will you let me?”

He should probably back off, but it seemed like such an important breakthrough for her. After everything she’d been through, actually wanting someone to show her affection was wonderful. His heart almost stopped when she bit her lips and nodded nervously.

Very careful not to move too quickly and risk frightening her, Drew reached for her hand and slowly pulled her into a loose embrace. “Okay?” he asked in a whisper, almost sagging with relief when she nodded and lifted her gaze to his.

Again, moving slowly, he lowered his mouth and brushed his lips lightly against hers. She moaned quietly and it took every bit of strength he owned not to drag her closer and deepen the kiss. He forced himself to keep it light, pressing his lips to hers again and again, just caressing her gently. Goddess, after all his explanations on the nature of Desconian friendships, it took a single kiss to make him realize he really was desperate for more than friendship from this beautiful, courageous woman.

What had been a very vague, maybe-sometime-in-the-future type of thought was suddenly an urgent, aching need. He could only hope that Ally and Kallum felt the same way.

As soon as Kallum stepped into the room he sensed a change in his husband, but couldn’t really put his finger on what was bothering the man. He’d come home to find Drew and Ally sitting on the floor at opposite ends of the room encouraging Alex to crawl. The little fellow had improved so much in just a few days. Children were truly amazing when they had the space and freedom to explore. Rather than the strange commando-type crawl he’d been using only days ago, Alex now scooted along the floor on hands and knees, squealing in delight when Drew and Ally tossed a toy back and forth and he tried to reach it.

Ally glanced up as Kallum came into the room, gave him a happy smile that he wished he’d captured with a vid-image, and called a halt to their game by giving the toy to her son. Not happy for things to end so abruptly, Alex climbed onto his mother’s lap, and threw the toy in the air, giggling happily when it flew over his head.

Drew laughed, snagged the toy off the floor, and then helped Ally to her feet. “Sorry, babe,” he said as he stepped over to press a kiss to Kallum’s lips, “we must have lost track of time. I’ll just go get lunch ready.”

“It’s okay,” Kallum said, unable to explain the feeling that something had changed. “I’m actually home a little early. I’ll give you a hand, if you like.”

Drew raised an eyebrow, but didn’t object. It was rare that Kallum got time to cook—when Drew had been sick they’d spent a lot of time eating home deliveries from the local restaurants—but he found the simple routine of putting together a meal quite relaxing when he had the chance. Unfortunately, especially since the new fertility project he was working on with Tosh, he didn’t often get the time or the opportunity.

“It’s about time for Alex’s nap,” Ally said, lifting the baby into her arms. Despite his excitement of moments ago, the youngster rubbed his eyes tiredly before resting his head on his mother’s shoulder. It was such a beautiful thing to witness the bond between mother and child, and it was probably something he’d never grow tired of seeing.

Hopefully, the in-vitro-fertilization project would be successful and many more Desconians would get to experience the joys of raising children.

Kallum pulled Drew into his arms as they watched Ally leave the room. “Have you had a good day?”

Drew nodded, glanced at the closed door to Ally’s bedroom, and whispered, “But there’s something I need to tell you.”

“You can tell me anything, Drew,” Kallum said as he shuffled them toward the kitchen. He got the distinct impression that whatever Drew had to tell him, he didn’t want Ally overhearing.

“I kissed Ally.”

“So?” Kallum asked as confusion wound through him. Kissing was a normal part of Desconian friendship. Drew’s apparent confession made no sense, especially since Kallum himself had kissed Ally good-bye earlier that morning.

Drew exhaled a deep breath. “I kissed her like I would any other friend, but…” He hesitated, blushing when he looked over to Kallum. “I wanted so much more.”

Kallum gave him a smile and moved back into his husband’s embrace. It was clear that Drew felt like he’d done something wrong, but it was actually a reaction Kallum had been hoping for.