Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Vicky frowned. “Don’t you think that sounds a little desperate? Besides, I can’t go right now—my two girls are coming over so we can have a mother-daughter movie night. I almost never get to see both of them together anymore since they’re both off to college and grad school—I don’t want to miss them.”
She didn’t add that she was too afraid to go with Kat—afraid that Chain would look at her in that same, pitying way that Kevin had when he had first announced he was going and Vicky—in a stunned panic—had begged him not to leave her.
She didn’t want to seem desperate—didn’t want to be pitied. And no matter how Kat interpreted the situation, she still couldn’t quite believe that Chain had been trying to find a way to ask her to marry—or bond—with him the last time they’d been together. It seemed too incredible to be believed.
No, it was just too risky, she told herself. There was no way she was going back up to the Mother Ship. Let Chain come down to her if he seriously wanted to date her—or mate her, as Kat seemed to think. Otherwise, Vicky was staying right here on Earth to protect her bruised and tender heart. She’d been hurt too much by men in the recent past to do anything else.
Kat looked frustrated but then she threw up her hands and sighed.
“All right, if you don’t want to come, I can’t make you. Can I at least tell Chainor you don’t hate him for being an M-Switch Kindred?”
“Of course I don’t hate him!” Vicky exclaimed. “I could never hate him.”
“All right then.” Kat nodded. She looked at Lizabeth. “I guess we’d better be getting back to the Mother Ship.”
“If you don’t mind.” The other woman put a hand on her swollen belly. “I’m getting kicked internally here—the twins are restless right now. I’d like to go lie down for a while.”
“Well, thank you for coming,” Vicky said as she and Kat helped Lizabeth up and she saw them to the door. “It was really nice of you to make the trip all the way down here just to try and, uh, set things straight.”
“I just wanted to make sure you and Chainor got a second chance,” Kat said. “He’s going back to his home, soon, you know. He doesn’t live on the Mother Ship.”
“He doesn’t?” Vicky asked. “Well…where does he live?”
“I heard him telling my hubby, Lock, that he has a ‘lovely little domicile’ in the Alpha Centauri system,” Kat said. “That’s almost four and a half light years from here, in case you were wondering. Which means that, without folding space, it would take you somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred and thirty-seven thousand years to get there.” She raised an eyebrow at Vicky. “Now that’s a long-distance relationship.”
Vicky let out a low whistle.
“That’s…a lot,” she admitted.
“Uh, huh.” Kat nodded. “Well, we’d better go.” She turned but Vicky reached out a hand to stop her.
“Wait,” she said. “Would you…could you please ask Chain to come and see me before…before he goes all that way?” she asked. “Tell him I’d really like to see him again.”
“Of course, I would—I’d love to.” Kat’s face broke into a wide smile. “I’ll be more than happy to pass on that message.”
“Thank you.” Vicky smiled at her and then gave her a spontaneous hug. “Thank you,” she said again. “You didn’t have to come and tell me all this. I still don’t know if I can believe that a young, handsome warrior like Chain could actually want me. But, well…just thank you.”
Kat hugged her back.
“My pleasure, doll. Now let me get back to the Mother Ship so I can pass along your message.” She winked at Vicky. “I’d say you ought to save an extra seat on your couch for movie night. I’m thinking you’re going to have one more than you planned on.”
She gave her arm to Lizabeth, who seemed to be leaning on it rather heavily, and waved once more before turning to go.
Vicky watched the two women leave, her heart pounding as she considered the possibilities. Part of her insisted that it couldn’t be true—that Chain couldn’t really want to be with her permanently. But a small seed of hope had been planted by Kat’s words and her certainty. Maybe Chain did want her.
She supposed she would have to wait until tonight to find out.
Chapter Thirty-six
They were halfway back to the Mother Ship when Lizabeth clutched her belly and groaned.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Kat asked, instantly attuned to her friend’s distress.
“These pains I’m having…” Lizabeth’s face was gray and she was sweating. “I thought they were just false labor back at Vicky’s house. But now…” She shifted and moaned again. “Now I’m not so sure,” she finished, panting.
“Oh my God, we have to get you to the doctor now!” Kat exclaimed. “And we have to call Lone—didn’t you say he’s your birthing coach?”