Mama and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #1) - Honey Phillips Page 0,40
humor restored.
“S’okay, Leonardo. Mama said I shouldn’t a let you give me all the good stuff.” She made a face. “I has to eat vegetables and yucky stuff so I can grow up big and strong.”
Her words didn’t help. “I stunted your growth?”
Abigail gave him a soft smile. “Hrebec, it was only one meal. She’s fine.”
“Mama says all the bad stuff is gone now,” Lucie said cheerfully.
“I’m very glad.” His knees were weak with relief.
“Me too. I don’t like feeling yucky.” Lucie sighed. “No more sweet stuff.”
Her little face was so woebegone that, even in spite of the evening’s events, he wanted to promise her she could have whatever she wanted. Fortunately, Abigail intervened.
“I said you could have dessert—after you ate your vegetables. Now back to bed, you little minx.”
Lucie jumped up on the bed and gave him a pleading look. “I’s awake now. Tell me a story.”
He looked at Abigail, and she nodded. He sat down on the bed and Lucie snuggled against him. While he told her the story of the princess, Abigail moved quietly around the room, tidying up as she went. Lucie fell asleep before he finished the tale.
“Are you certain that Mekoi doesn’t need to see her?” he asked as Abigail returned to bed.
“It was just an upset stomach. You saw for yourself how quickly she recovered. Children are very resilient.”
“That was not been my experience.”
“I know, Hrebec, and I’m very sorry.” She carefully moved Lucie to one side so she could curl up next to him instead.
As she ran a soothing hand down his chest, his body immediately started to respond, but his worries still consumed him. “How am I going to take care of Tiana?”
“You’ll learn. Every parent has to do it.” She yawned and snuggled closer. “As long as you love her, it will be fine.”
A few minutes later, she was asleep. He gently disengaged her long enough to bring Tiana back to bed with them. The infant’s eyes opened, dark and serious in the quiet room.
“I will take care of you,” he vowed.
A toothless grin dissolved into a yawn as her tail came up and circled his wrist
His chest ached. “I love you, little one.”
Lucie made a soft noise in her sleep and his tail automatically moved to pat her shoulder while Abigail settled more fully against him
“I love all of you,” he whispered, studying his sleeping girls. “And I’m going to lose you.”
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning, Abby insisted that Hrebec try feeding Tiana again. He eventually succeeded, although not without Abby touching the baby. Even then, she didn’t feed well and her tail gripped Abby’s wrist the entire time. She tried not to let it worry her—it was only the second time he’d tried—but she felt an underlying sense of panic. Hrebec looked equally as worried.
“Why don’t you take her with you today?” she suggested. “You can still bring her back for feeding times,” she added hastily. “But this will give her a chance to spend time with you.”
“I cannot carry her the entire time.”
“You could take her bassinet.” When he cast it a look of acute dislike, she said, “Or we could rig up a snuggy?”
“A what?”
“A sort of sling. To carry her against your chest.”
“That would be acceptable.”
Together they managed to wind a length of material around his chest and form a pouch for the baby. He should have looked ridiculous, but the sight of the big warrior with the tiny baby tucked to his chest made her heart—and other parts—warm. From the heated look in his dark eyes, she suspected that he had detected her arousal. He took a step towards her, but Lucie interrupted.
She pointed at the sling. “I wants Leonardo to carry me that way.”
To Abby’s surprise, he answered perfectly. “But you’re a big girl now. Big girls ride differently.”
Abby choked and turned away, cursing her dirty mind.
“Perhaps after the mid-shift meal, you can spend some time with me?” He glanced at Abby. “If your mother approves.”
Lucie was already bouncing up and down. “She will, won’t you, Mama?”
Two sets of dark eyes looked at her, one human brown and the other reptilian black, but their pleading expressions were identical.
“Fine,” she laughed. “Tiana can come and take a nap with me.”
Hrebec left with Tiana, but not before giving Abby a kiss, just long enough to arouse her interest.
Lucie giggled. “Leonardo’s kissing Mama.”
She then proceeded to repeat her observation to the girls when they gathered for breakfast in the ready room. They had agreed to meet there