Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“Yes. Moon flower – you light up and blossom for me at night. Sometimes during the day too, when our son is occupied.”
“Awe, that’s so sweet. And dirty. And is making me a little bit horny.”
He smirked, looking proud of himself. He looked a bit lighter in his step, too, as we walked across the street away from the waterfalls and toward a large park with arches of pink and purple trees shaped in a double arch like the top of a heart.
“Oh Zane. Look how pretty!”
“We would’ve had wedding portraits done there.”
“Oh… they would’ve been so nice with me in that dress.”
“Do not mention that fucking dress.”
I laughed.
“It’s pretty awful when you think about it. My planet killed almost all the women here and your planet keeps trying to kill me.”
“It won’t succeed,” he vowed. “If needed, I’d move to Earth with you to keep you safe.”
I double blinked and then I kissed him.
“I’m so glad you can run fast, Zane. So glad it was you that caught me.”
“Not as glad as I am, shortcake.”
We approached the archway when Zane stopped in his tracks. I nearly tripped at how fast he halted. He was staring straight ahead at a pink water fountain.
Oh. It was pretty.
He pulled me tight to his side. I stared up at his face.
He was staring at a man and shorter, obviously Earth woman arguing by the water fountain. The man was holding a small baby and a woman was pointing at him, shouting. I did a double take. I did a double take for two reasons. One, the man looked almost exactly the same as Zane. Two, the woman pointing and shouting at him was Lacey.
Epilogue
Seven Years Later
We’ve given Ollie three siblings so far. Two sisters (Jewel and Ruby) and our youngest, a brother (Zane Junior). And we may have another one or two, we’ll see. Our girls have my eyes and Zane’s (and Ollie’s) hair. Our son has my hair and my eyes. He’s a little male carbon copy of me. I think I want at least one more baby. A baby with Zane’s blue eyes, if at all possible.
Pregnancy is a breeze here and significantly shorter than it’d be back home with an Earth man. And I love our big Earthling/Phallyxian family.
We continue to live in our pretty McMansion with Ollie Sr. next door and with Chili and his furry family living in their attached habitat. Fuschillas no longer have such a bad rap. In fact, their habitats are for sale through Zane’s company and they are increasing in popularity as pets.
We have a holiday home four houses away from Daxx and Jetta and we go there every few months for weekends and spend most of the school breaks there as well.
I’ve published fourteen children’s books. Ollie has illustrated every one of them. Oh, and a series of romance novels about girls who are sent out on a space matchmaking project. Zane used his technological skills to get me published on Earth. My books are bestsellers there and I’ve been approached by email about optioning them to be made into a TV series. I’m thinking about it.
Marko is competing next week for his own place in an upcoming matchmaking project. The competition and matchmaking process are vastly different from when I got here. Men are now ranked based on more than brute strength. And women who arrive here are given a choice about marriage and who they actually date. It’s now more like space speed-dating than a bunch of looters in a bad neighborhood.
Earth girls don’t even have to get married immediately if they don’t want to. But, it’s an honor system in place that states that they should be here with the understanding that they’re seeking a mate.
It’s not 100% safe to wander the streets at night as a female because there’s still some unrest and a bit of a shortage, but there are ways for us to have a degree of freedom and it’s getting better and better all the time.
And Phallyx is in talks with another planet that has humanoid-like women from a similar but more primitive culture who may be sending a large number here as their planet is overpopulated. So, choices could increase very soon. For everyone.
A year before, divorce laws went into place. It’s sad, but true. Not every single couple that arrived worked out and the powers that be finally made concessions for it, requiring counseling and then allowing it on a case-by-case basis.
Treya got counseling instead of jail time, much to Zane’s disappointment. She has stayed out of trouble and even apologized to me four years ago when we ran into her and Spar at the theatre. We’ll never be friends, of course, but I don’t fear she’ll come after me. She told me that counseling helped, a lot, and that she appreciated that I went against my husband to suggest to the courts that counseling was preferable to imprisonment.