Page 52 of Secret Twins for the Alien Dad

It’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. My heart flutters at it, and I grab his horns, pulling him down to kiss me properly, our lips only parting when I need to catch my breath. “And you’ve changed my world in so many ways, all for the better.”

I press my forehead to his. “I cannot imagine my life now without you in it.”

He smiles and sits back. His body is tense, his tail twitching anxiously. “On that note, there is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.”

Despite his cheer, I feel tense. Instead of panicking like a part of me wants to, I arch an eyebrow. “Zair, when someone says something like that, they usually mean that they want to break up.”

“Not at all what I’m saying!” he exclaims. “Actually, the opposite.” He takes my hands. “After the babies are born, and when you’re ready, of course, I was wondering if you wanted to make our bond official with a mating ceremony.”

Joy at the proposal mixes with trepidation. I may have lived most of my adult life on Kalei, but there is still so much I don’t know about his culture. Mating ceremonies are intimate, so I’m not exactly sure what they entail. A part of me pictures some kind of wild orgy, but I hope that isn’t it. “What happens in a mating ceremony?”

“Well,” he says, getting out of his chair and onto his knees in front of me. “There are variations across the confederated Kaleidian tribes, but the basics are simple enough. It starts at high noon and ends at sundown. We will sit facing each other in a circle and stare at one another in silence while surrounded by a crowd of friends and family permitted to talk, but we should be focused only on each other.”

“That’s it?” I ask.

He nods and lifts my hands to press a kiss to them. “It’s a lot more difficult than it sounds. Many call it a test of endurance because we must support each other through this challenge and superstition says that if we fail, then the relationship is doomed.”

“No pressure,” I say with a nervous laugh, and he chuckles, too.

“Yeah, well, we both know how much you struggle with sitting still.” The mischievous glint in his eye fades as he sobers. “But really, the ceremony is about togetherness. It’s about proving to the world how comfortable we are with one another and how strong our bond is.”

He swallows. “So, what do you think?”

I bite my lip as another cramp rolls through me. Maybe they’re not just sore muscles after all.

I put it out of my mind, though, because my heart is soaring at the thought of Zair wanting to make our relationship official in the eyes of the rest of the world. If you told me a year ago that I was going to find my soulmate in a hot Kaleidian warrior, marry him, and have his children – not necessarily in that order – I’d have called you insane.

I bend over and press a kiss to his lips. “Yes! I’d love to have a mating ceremony with you.”

He surges forward and deepens the kiss, and I cling to him, tasting the steak and Kalei wine on his lips. But then another cramp courses through my whole body, a stronger one this time, and I double over with a gasp.

Zair pulls away, alarmed. “What is it? Is something wrong with the babies?”

Holding my stomach, I breathe through the pain as it crests like a wave and flattens back out. He lifts my shirt with trembling fingers, and I manage a weak laugh. “Zair, as happy as I am about your proposal, I don’t think I’m in the mood for some celebratory sex right now.”

“No, Myra, look!” He points at the skin of my distended belly. A blue rash the same shade as his scales has spread across it.

“What is that?” I ask, a stab of anxiety slicing through me. I should have known something would go wrong. Something always goes wrong.

He lets out a soft, breathy laugh and presses his lips to my forehead. “Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry. The blue flush just means that the babies are coming.”

“Oh,” I say, relaxing, and then I register what he said. “Oh, shit!” I leap to my feet, only to be bowled over by another cramp. No, not a cramp, a contraction.

He gently sits me back down. “Relax, okay? I’ll get your baby go-bag and we’ll head to the clinic. Everything will be fine.”

“I’m holding you to that,” I say through gritted teeth. These contractions are getting closer and closer together.

He disappears and reappears moments later, helping me to the door. I hesitate once we’re outside. Because everything in Mairg is so close, we don’t have a hovercar. The clinic is only a few blocks away, usually within walking distance, but I’m not sure if I can make it like this.

I’m about to voice this to Zair after he locks the door, but like always, he seems to anticipate what I’m going to say before I say it. He slings the duffel bag over his shoulders so that it’s crossbody and scoops me in a bridal carry.

With me in his arms, he taps a button on his comm-pad to send our coordinates to a hover-cab service. One arrives within minutes, and we’re off to the clinic.

26

ZAIR

The hover-cab glides over the ground as it transports us to the clinic. Her monitoring app has already alerted them that we are on our way. The consultant has read all their vital signs from the app and confirmed mother and babies are all fine. But I am terrified something will go wrong or she will give birth in the cab.

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