Theron's Hope (Brides of Theron) (37 page)

Zane piped in and said, “My mother is going to love you and my father will be just as taken with you as I am.  He is an excellent judge of character.  He is going to see you and be amazed at the strong, loving, and perfect mate that I have found for myself.  Just you wait and see.”

Jo nodded and said, “It is impossible not to instantly to be impressed by you Miss Grace.  You are a very kind and loving person.  They would be insane to not like you.  You relax and listen to Dr. Zane.  He knows how his parents think.  You will be fine.”  She had finished cleaning up the kitchen but for the dishes they were currently using and went off to do her chores. 

“Are you sure, positively sure?”  Grace asked.  “You know this is going to be a tough day for me.”

“I am positive they will love you.  Don’t you worry, my love.  I will be by your side the entire day.  Look, I am going to miss them all very much too.  I am going to miss them more than I thought possible.”  He looked in her eyes giving her what strength he had.  He was feeling the pain in his heart because they were leaving and knew beyond a shadow of doubt she felt it as well.  He never thought that he would bond so tightly with these people. That it would be hard, even for him, to say goodbye.  He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.  “Not to change the subject or anything but do you think Jo would mind very much if I took some of the spices in the cabinet?”

Grace gave him a quizzical look and said, “I don’t think she would mind, you can actually take anything that you would want from our apartment.  What is mine is yours now, husband.”  She said as she watched him gathering what items he wished from the kitchen and place them on the counter.  She retrieved a canvas shopping bag from the pantry and started to put all the bottles in.  He took several bottles of the wine they shared on the first night in the apartment as well as most of the spices in the cabinet.  Gathering up all the various bottles that would not fit in the bag into his arms, he brought them to the bedroom to pack.  She added the small travel cork screw to the lot and gave him a large suitcase to pack whatever he wished to bring back with him.  The clothing that Grace acquired for him was definitely going with him.  The clothes fit him like a glove and he really liked the way he looked in them.  He also brought the boxer briefs that Grace had delivered to the apartment for him.  They were much more comfortable than what was available as standard issue on the ship. 

They went into the closet so she could pack up what she needed.  He was giving her insight into what clothes she might want to bring.  The women on his planet were so much larger than her so it would be important for her to have a few things to wear.  She asked him about ship laundry and he promised he would show her when she got back.  She had a question that she wanted to ask him for days now but it always slipped from her mind before she could ask it.  “Zane, why did they put us up for auction?  Out of all the experiences that I have had on the ship, that was the most unsettling.  Didn’t the women just get purchased by the warrior that scouted them out?”

“Well, I never thought of that.  It seems that they did.  I was there for the whole auction and all the purchasers ended up being the warrior that initially brought the woman aboard the ship.  I guess we did not know how to handle how the females were to be distributed.  I guess that the council thought that by giving all the other warriors a chance to purchase a mate made it fairer for everyone.  We had not thought that we would ever find suitable mates in the universe so everything was decided rather quickly.”  Zane was clearly thinking about this as he became quiet and was staring at nothing in particular.

“When we get back on the ship, I would like to meet with the council about this specifically.   If we are to ever return to obtain anymore women from any planet the distribution will have to be handled differently.  Auctions are what you do to obtain cows, cars, and fine pieces of art.  They are not for obtaining people.”

He collected her in his arms and said, “You are the finest piece of art I have ever purchased.”  He laughed and kissed her.

When he was finished teasing her she slapped at his chest playfully and said, “I am being serious Zane!  I am not a cow and I will not have women from my planet treated this way ever again on your ships.”

“You are so sexy when you are mad.  Your eyes actually do light up.  Has anyone told you that your hair matches your temperament?”  Zane said amused.

“This is not a laughing matter. Besides, I am not mad.  I just want to make the adjustment of the merging of two cultures more acceptable for the women.  It really is degrading to be sold to the highest bidder.  However, you should know that I was extremely scared until I looked out into the crowd to see you there.  I knew that you would be kind to me.  It is the only reason I didn’t freak out up there.”  She reached up to tenderly lay her palm on the side of his face. Her face was serious as she looked into his big aqua eyes.

“You are going to make an excellent advocate for the women from your planet.  I will set up the meeting with the council as soon as we are back on Theron.  I will make sure that they hear every one of your suggestions.”  He admired her strength and her concern for others.  “I will stand behind you on this or any other endeavor you have in mind and I will support you in every way.  Is this acceptable for you?”

She smiled, knowing that her greatest supporter stood in front of her and not only had her heart in his embrace but currently had her body.  She nodded to him and pulled him down for a kiss that was interrupted by the sound of Jo knocking on the door to tell them that Michael and his family had arrived. 

They went to join them in the living room.  The kids were so excited.  It seems that the weather outside was wonderful with a bit of a chill and the wind was perfect for flying kites.  The children went up to Grace and Zane with their kites in hand showing them the pretty patterns made with varying colors of nylon fabric.  Jacob went straight to Zane with is kite held tight in his hands.  He lifted his arms to have Zane pick him up and in his broken language described his kite that he considered a great treasure.

All of them left the apartment with a blanket and picnic lunch that Jo had packed for them with crackers and cheese and small sandwiches.  There were juice boxes for the kids and wine for the adults.  The men set out the blanket and Grace and Emily sat down as Zane and Michael helped the kids with their kites.  This was the first time since she had been back that she had been alone with Emily. She wanted to spend some time with her this week but Emily was busy with the kids and she was on her own mission doing something.

Grace asked Emily, “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Emily was laughing at the kids running circles around the men, “You know you can ask me anything Grace.”

“When you met Michael and you had sex with him the first time, was it different than any other experience you had ever had?  Because, when I saw Zane for the first time I knew that he was supposed to be in my life and when we have sex, I can’t even describe how intense it is.  I have never felt so whole in my whole life.  Is this how it is with you and Michael?”  She looked at Emily trying to validate the feelings she felt for Zane.

“You have just found your soul mate sister.  That is exactly what it was for Michael and me.  The minute I met him I knew he was the one.  The first time we made love was mind blowing.  I can still reflect on it from time to time.  The electrical feeling that pulsed through me upon our first kiss was something I have never felt before.  I am so happy that you found him.  He is good with you, you are happier than I have ever seen you before.  It is the only reason I can find it in my selfish heart to let you go.”  Emily’s eyes started to fill with tears. 

“Oh Emily, I am trying really hard to hold it together here.  Please don’t cry or I will cry too and that is not going to be easy for the kids or Michael.  I can see that he has been trying very hard to contain his emotions all this week.”   Grace was really putting that mask to work today.  It was all she could do to make it easier for everyone around her.

Emily put a hand to her abdomen, “The baby just kicked!”  She said excitedly and grabbed Grace’s hand and placed it on her belly.  “The baby is kicking!  Michael, the baby is kicking!”  The tears were now excitement as Michael rushed over to feel his unborn child kick for the first time. The girls rushed to join their father but were soon bored and went to stand by Zane and Jacob and resume their kite flying. Michael kissed Emily and took off behind them.  “You know that if it is a girl we intend to call her Grace and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it this time.”  She giggled.

“Fine, point taken,
but what will you name the baby
if he is a boy?”  Grace said excitedly. 

“Michael would like to name him Zane.  He said that Zane is a wonderful man and he is so glad that you are happy.  Do you think it is alright?  I mean it is not a common name, but it is not that outlandish either,” Emily asked.

“Zane is a wonderful name.  It is not even that odd compared to some of the names I have come across in journalism.”  Grace smiled.  “So, how was your date with the astronaut the other night?”

“Astronaut?  What are you talking about Grace?”  Emily asked, puzzled.

“Well, technically your husband has been to space and by definition an astronaut is someone who travels or works in space.  Michael was brought aboard the ship and even though he wasn’t trained to work there, he traveled in the same orbit as the moon.  Just think Em, the song “Rocket man” could be his song now.”  They giggled as they glanced over to where Michael was standing.

“I hadn’t thought of that.  Just wait until I tell him.  He is going to make such a big deal of this.  His head is big enough as it is and the idea of him being an astronaut will make his day.”  Emily paused a moment, “The reason I have been so busy this week is because I have been working on a project for you.  I was going to make it for your birthday, but since you won’t be here in a couple of weeks I had to rush to finish it.  I am going to give it to you before you leave today.”

Grace gave Emily a hug.  “You didn’t need to get me anything.  I am taking you all with me in here.”  She pointed to her heart.  “If you are alive when I return, I will find you and see you and Michael both.  I will definitely look in on the kids and your grandkids.  I promise you that.”

“It gives me great comfort to hear that.  I hope I am around to see you.  You are going to be so much younger than me, aren’t you?”  Em said trying to find a smile.

“I don’t know how it works exactly but I should be somewhat younger.  Even Zane does not know about how it all works.  The people of their planet live so much longer than us.  He thinks it may be the diet or that most of them spend their lives traveling.  It might be as simple as the conditions of the planet he lives on.  Only time will tell, Em.”  She gave her friend another hug and started to recline propping herself on her arms as she basked in the sunlight.

The men were having a blast with the kids.  Jacob was trying to fly his kite into Gianna’s and she was getting frustrated with him, yelling for him to stop as she pulled hers away farther and farther from the others.  She and Emily just sat on the blanket watching them like they would a movie.  The air was dry but a bit chilly and the sun coming from behind the clouds was starting to warm their skin.  What a fabulous day to enjoy the park.

They had all the heavy talk they could handle this morning so Em and Grace sat and talked like there would be a tomorrow with each other.  It was like nothing had ever changed and it made them both feel a bit better.  It was like they were just enjoying the moments they had left without thinking about what would come later. It certainly made it easier for Grace to enjoy her last day on earth’s surface.  She knew that Emily was giving her friend to a man most capable of making her happy.  Michael and Emily both knew that she was supposed to be with Zane.