Charlotte and the Alien Ambassador (9 page)

“I guess I’ve been depressed. You see, I’m in love with the baby’s father, but he made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with me. It isn’t for the reasons you’re thinking though. He believes it would be a disservice to me if we were to get married, even though he’s everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s a very busy man, and he’s concerned that his job will always come first and I’ll come to resent him.”

“And would you?”

She shook her head. “I understand about being in a position of power. My father is a Senator and never had time for me. The difference is that I know the man I love would love me in return, and I’m sure he would love this child. My father has hated me from the moment he found out I was deaf.”

“If you’re so certain he would want this baby and that he would come to love you, why haven’t you gone back to him? You know that all it would take is one word to the reservation desk that you’re expecting a Terran child and you’d be on the next shuttle.”

“What if I’m wrong? What if I get there and he doesn’t want us or has moved on? There are plenty of women for him to choose from. For all I know, someone new has caught his attention and he’s ready to settle down with her.”

Cosmir rolled his eyes. “Is this a human woman thing? First you say he could love the baby and you, and now you have him ready to mate with someone else. You can’t have it both ways. Do you know what I think?”

“What?”

“I think you’re scared. You’ve been rejected once already and you’re worried that it will happen again if you pursue him, despite your brave words. But you know what, Charlotte? You’re never going to know if you don’t go after him. If he decides he truly doesn’t want you, don’t you think it’s better to know that now so you can prepare a better life for your child and you?”

“What if we start small? Maybe I could send him a transmission through the Vid-Comm and just let him know where I am and that I’m safe? I’m not even certain he knows I’ve returned to Earth. I left his home intending to get a place of my own, but my father tracked me down and forced me to return here. He said that he would come after me if I didn’t do as he said.”

“How old are you?” Cosmir asked.

“Twenty-nine.”

“So you’re an adult and pregnant, but you’re still letting your father dictate your life? What would have been the harm in staying on our world and having him come after you? As soon as the council knew you were expecting, they never would have let him take you away.”

Her brow furrowed. “But the council did know. At least, one of them did, and he was with me when I received the message from my father. In fact, it was Larimar who walked me to the shuttle.”

Cosmir narrowed his eyes and his nostrils flared. “Charlotte, what haven’t you told us? There is no way a councilman would have let you off our world knowing you carried a Terran child.”

She didn’t respond and cast her gaze down.

“It’s a councilman’s baby, isn’t it?” he demanded. “Larimar was covering for one of his fellow council members and got you off the planet because the father didn’t want anything to do with you. We have to go to Chief Councilor Borgoz and demand that something be done. There’s no way he knew about the child or your situation.”

Charlotte felt herself pale at his words. “Please don’t call Borgoz.”

“Why not? And it had better be a damn good reason, Charlotte. Our council members can’t be allowed to treat a potential mate so callously and then expect the rest of the planet’s males to fall in line. Your pedigree is impeccable if you’re a Senator’s daughter, so that can’t be it. Did he want a love match and he just didn’t love you? I can’t imagine anything else causing this problem. They’ve stressed the rules for mating, and now their bucking their own authority? You can obviously conceive, your father is well-connected, and from what I’ve seen, you’re quiet and shy. What more could he have wanted?”

“He didn’t want to love me. He wanted someone he could ignore without it pricking his conscience. It wasn’t a matter of my not being an ideal mate. He felt
he
wasn’t an ideal mate. He said I deserved better and he tried pushing me off on other council members.”

“You still haven’t given me a good reason not to contact Borgoz and have this sorted immediately.”

Charlotte twisted her hands in her lap. “You can’t contact Borgoz because… he’s the father.”

Cosmir looked shocked, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised. He opened and shut his mouth several times, as if he had something to say but wasn’t sure what it was. Finally, he seemed to gather his composure.

“Did you tell Borgoz that you are pregnant?” he asked. “Does the Chief Councilor have any idea he’s going to be a father?”

“No,” she said softly.

“This isn’t right, Charlotte. I may not know the male personally, but I can honestly say he would want his offspring. It’s not fair of you to keep the baby from him. I won’t tell your secret, but I want you to seriously think about what you’re doing. Your child could have everything it would ever want, including a doting father, and you’re cheating him or her of that by being too scared to face Borgoz.”

She knew he had a good point, but her heart still ached when she thought of Borgoz. She wasn’t ready to face him yet, but maybe soon. It felt good to get her secret out, but she hoped Cosmir wouldn’t tell anyone. If word got out, she could only imagine what would happen.

At the restaurant, she made sure to order a large portion, even though she didn’t feel much like eating, and then she answered more of Cosmir’s questions. He tried to convince her several times to rethink her plans, but she brushed him aside each time. This was her life and she had to do what she thought was best, not only for her but for the baby. If Borgoz was worried he would be a horrible mate, how could she believe he would be a good father?

With a sigh, she realized she was lying to herself. She only hoped that when she did get the courage to face him, either in person or through the Vid-Comm, that he would forgive her deception. For now, she would concentrate on making sure the baby gained weight and became healthy. She couldn’t spend her time worrying about anything else.

Borgoz was beyond furious. What good was it to be in a position of power if you couldn’t use that power to find the woman you loved? He’d asked the council for help in locating Charlotte. He knew if he could just get a message to her, find a way to get her to the Terran station near her home, then he could get her back to Zelthrane-3 where she belonged. He barely slept, hardly ate… he missed her.

“What do you mean you won’t locate her?” he asked with a slight growl. “She’s my mate!”

Larimar drummed his fingers on the table. “It’s more that we
can’t
help you. I called to check on Charlotte after she returned home. Her father told me she’d been thrown out after refusing to marry a male of his choosing. We have no idea where she is. Their planet isn’t exactly small, and while I’m fairly certain she’s still in the same general area, I have no way to track her.”

“There has to be something we can do. If I can’t leave to go get her, then she has to be brought here.”

Everything inside him was wound tight. If he had even an idea of where Charlotte was, he’d leave without any hesitation, his position be damned. If they wanted to find a new Chief Councilor, he’d let them. Nothing was more important than Charlotte. If only he’d realized that before it was too late.

“I want a message sent to all Terran stations on Earth with a description of Charlotte and stating that she is to be returned to our world at once.” His brow furrowed. “Even if she doesn’t want to come back. I need to explain a few things, and I’m sure once I talk to her, she’ll realize this is where she belongs.”

“Are you ready to give it all up for her?” Larimar asked.

“Yes.”

The councilman nodded. “I don’t think it will come down to that, but I’m sure she would like to know that she’s more important than your job. Wasn’t that the reason the two of you parted? Because of work?”

“Yes and no,” Borgoz answered. “I thought she deserved someone younger, someone who could devote more of their time to her. But then I realized I could delegate more of my responsibilities to the rest of the council so I would have more time for her. And for some reason, our age difference never bothered her.”

“If she can be found, we’ll take care of it,” Larimar said. “But you have to be prepared for the possibility of never seeing her again.”

Borgoz narrowed his eyes at Larimar. He could tell by the way the councilman shifted his eyes and by his body language that he was hiding something. Did Larimar really know where Charlotte was and just didn’t want to tell him? There was only one way to find out.

Moving around the table, he positioned himself behind Larimar and leaned over, bracing his hand on Larimar’s hand, his lips near the councilman’s ear. “If I find out you’ve hidden something from me, that you knew where Charlotte was all this time, then there will be nowhere for you to hide. Do you understand?”

He heard Larimar swallow and the councilman gave a slight nod.

“So, is there something you’d like to share?” Borgoz asked. “Something about Charlotte?”

“I really don’t know where she is,” Larimar said.

“But you know something? Something else about Charlotte?”

The councilman paled but nodded. Borgoz waited, but when the councilman didn’t say another word, he banged his fist on the table, making Larimar jump.

“She’s pregnant.”

Everything in Borgoz stilled at those words. Charlotte was pregnant? With his child? His heart kicked in his chest and began to race. He straightened and tried to calm his thoughts. If she was carrying his child and she was stuck on Earth… what if she didn’t get proper care? Not just any doctor would be able to take care of her.

“Did she know before she went back to Earth?” Borgoz asked.

“She wanted to be wanted for herself, not because she was carrying your child. Her plan had been to wait you out in the tower and hope that you would decide to go after her. But then her father called demanding her return and there wasn’t a way for her stay, not unless you claimed her without her father’s permission. I should have told you when I realized what her father had planned, should have forced her back to your home and made her tell you everything, but she seemed scared and defeated.”

“It’s my fault.” The thought sickened him, but he couldn’t deny it. If he’d claimed her sooner, if he hadn’t alerted her father to his intentions, then Charlotte would be safe in his arms right now. She was out there, lost to him and completely alone, and it was his own damn fault. If he hadn’t thought he knew what was best for her, if he’d only listened when she said all she wanted was to be with him, then none of this would be happening now. She’d be safe by his side, in his home, and in his bed -- where she belonged.

“Forget blame. Figure out how you’re going to get her back,” Helio said. “If she’s carrying one of our babies, then she’s going to need a Terran doctor, right?”

Borgoz’s spine stiffened. “Contact every Terran station on Earth and tell them the situation. Explain that Charlotte is very much wanted here and that she should be returned immediately.”

“You know how protective our males feel towards a pregnant female,” another council member said. “What if she refuses to return and they decide to keep her there?”

His jaw clenched. “Then my position be damned. I’ll go after her.”

“We’ll work on getting a message out to everyone as soon as this meeting adjourns.” Helio nodded toward the door. “I think we can finish without you, if you’d like to start making arrangements for Charlotte. I’m sure there is much to be done before your mate is returned to you.”

Borgoz stormed out of the room and returned to his home where he paced the room that had once been Charlotte’s. He’d scoured the place, looking for anything that had belonged to her, but she’d left nothing behind. Except his broken heart. If she’d been smart enough to seek out a Terran doctor, then there was hope he’d have her in his arms again soon. But if she hadn’t…

He shook his head. No, he wouldn’t think that way. He’d remain positive and determined. No matter what, his mate would be with him again soon. There had to be some benefit to ruling an entire planet. If he couldn’t use his power for himself on occasion, what good was it? It wasn’t like he’d ever asked for anything. This was the first time he’d ever contemplated abusing his position or making demands of his people that didn’t have to do with their collective future. Although, he supposed in a way they were discussing the future of their world. If Charlotte was carrying a baby boy, it was very possible his son would walk in his footsteps and lead their people one day.

And if it was a daughter… his heart swelled. Females were precious to his people, especially after so few had been born since his father’s generation. If he had a daughter, he would treat her like the princess she was, and he’d ensure that she only mated the male of her choosing. Now that Borgoz had found love, he would settle for nothing less for his children.

The doctor faced her, arms folded and eyes narrowed. Charlotte wasn’t sure what she’d done wrong, but he’d had that fierce expression on his face since she’d shown up to have the baby checked. So far, he hadn’t checked her at all, just glowered. She looked around the room before meeting his gaze once more.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked. “You did want me here this morning, didn’t you?”

“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Charlotte? Something about the baby you carry?”

She placed a protective hand over her stomach. “You know as much about the baby as I do.”

“I find that incredibly hard to believe,” he said icily. “Do you have any idea the position you’ve put me in? Not only is the council seeking you, but it seems our Chief Councilor has demanded your immediate return to my world. Now, would you care to explain what’s going on? Because I’ve already reached a few conclusions on my own, and they aren’t making me happy.”

Borgoz was looking for her? Had he changed his mind?