Page 27 of What Makes an Alien a Dad?

“That was nice of you,” I said softly as he led me between the racks of clothes and away from the man.

His expression didn’t ease, even as we got completely out of sight from anyone in the main hall of the mall. His shoulders squared, his grip remained firm on my arm.

“Professor? Are you alright?” Hearing about past pregnancy complications of a woman he’d never met couldn’t have upset him so. “Do you know that man? Or his sister?”

“No.” He stopped in his tracks.

Letting go of my arm, he ran his hands through the fur on his head.

“But she shouldn’t have pushed her luck with the third one.”

“You think three are too many?”

“The number isn’t the problem. Some women can do just fine with more than that. But some...” He rubbed his chest through the white shirt he wore. “My mother didn’t survive even one.”

“Oh no...” I stared at him. “I’m so sorry, Professor. I...I didn’t know.”

That might be another reason he’d chosen this career path—his mother died while giving birth to him. He wanted to make sure it never happened to anyone else.

Professor Thormus cared about his patients far more than he let people know, more than he possibly wanted to care.

He nodded, acknowledging my sympathy and squared his shoulders.

“It was a long time ago. There have been great advancements in medicine since.”

My mind was still reeling from his revelation. “Your father must’ve been devastated. And you... You grew up without a mother.”

“Like most children in Voran do,” he pointed out. “Maya, you feel too much for others. But there is no need to feel sorry for me or for my father. Yes, he was devastated by her death, but my mother had broken his heart many times over before that. Though it wasn’t really her fault.”

“Were they married?”

“No. He proposed to her many times, but she turned him down again and again, until she married someone else.”

“Oh, that’s...” I felt lost for words, but the professor finished for me.

“That is a typical situation in Voran where women often have many options, forcing men to compete for their attention. I deliberately chose to avoid putting myself into that situation.”

The wall of clothes suddenly parted.

“Can I help you find what you’re looking for?” A cheerful woman greeted us, shoving the clothes aside.

The professor cleared his throat, promptly schooling his expression back to neutral.

“Yes. We need a pair of pajamas for the lady.” He gestured at me.

“Oooh!” The woman looked way too excited to see me. “You’re a human!”

“Well...yes.” I smoothed my hands down my sides.

“I’m Lievoa Kyradus, the owner and the main dress designer of this store. My cousin is married to a human, too. Her bakery shop is right here, in the mall. Did you try any yet?”

“The Earth Girl’s Desserts? I love their cupcakes.”

“Yes! That’s the one. She’s not there today, sadly. But she would love to see you. Are you in the group Earth Brides of Voran?”

“No.” I had no idea there was such a group.

“Why not? Every human woman I know is in that group. It’s so helpful, they say, especially when you’re new to the planet.”

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