Mama and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #1) - Honey Phillips Page 0,72
while, we come back to stay with Hrebec?”
“Forever?” Lucie’s eyes widened.
“Yes, forever,” he said.
Her eyes flew to his. “And you’s be my Papa for real?”
“Yes, little one.”
“Yay! That would be the best thing ever. Better than… better than ice cream!”
He laughed and drew his family close, his own eyes stinging.
Abby pulled away from their happy huddle long enough to get Tiana from her bassinet.
“You’ll always be my daughter now,” she whispered to the baby. Tiana smiled up at her and wrapped her tail around Abby’s wrist, as if she understood Abby’s words. Abby’s eyes filled with tears again and she hugged her close. “That’s my girl.”
They joined Hrebec and Lucie on the couch, where her daughter was peppering him with eager questions about the village. Abby could see that she had already forgotten the part about returning to Earth first. Deciding that it would be best to find out where they stood as soon as possible, she excused herself and went to visit Amber. The girl still looked tired but radiantly happy. Abby admired Trevi, then hesitated, not quite sure how to broach the subject.
“Let me guess,” Amber said after Abby’s silence stretched out. “You want to talk to me about returning to Earth.”
“How did you know?”
“You think TeShawna can keep her mouth shut?”
“Amber, I want you to understand that there’s absolutely no pressure on you to stay here. If you want to return, I’ll go with you and remain until you’re in a place where you feel comfortable.”
“And then what? Are you going to stay on Earth?”
She hesitated for a fraction of second before shaking her head. “No. We’re coming back to be with Hrebec and Tiana.”
“Then you don’t need to go back there just for me.”
“I want to make sure you understand that you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”
Amber plucked at Trevi’s blanket and then looked at Abby. “Do you know how I ended up with you?”
“No.” Amber was her newest girl and they hadn’t talked much about her history. Abby only knew that the baby’s father had died.
“I’m not like the other girls—I actually had a happy childhood. My mom and dad were great. But then when I was thirteen, they were killed in a car accident. I ended up living with my mom’s aunt. I’d only met her once or twice before.” She shrugged. “She wasn’t bad. She just didn’t care that much. Oh, if I stayed out too late, she’d tell me not to do it again, but then she’d forget all about it. I did a lot of stupid things trying to get her attention, but it never really worked. Then I met Danny.” Her mouth curved in a reminiscent smile. “I really loved him and he loved me, too. We started making plans to get married as soon as I graduated.”
She grew silent, looking off into the past, before she continued. “He died. Just happened to be in a convenience store when some asshole with a gun decided to rob it and shoot up the place. Two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. I wanted the baby, so I didn’t tell anyone. I tried to hide it and did a pretty good job. I was eight months along before my aunt saw me changing one day and realized that I wasn’t just getting fat. All that time trying to get her attention? Well, I had it then.”
“What happened?” Abby asked, her heart already breaking.
“She said it was bad enough having to take care of one kid that wasn’t hers—she wasn’t about to take on two. Dragged me to the doctor and got so pissed when she found out it was too late for an abortion. That’s when she dropped me off at your door.”
“I’m so sorry, Amber.”
“Not your fault. But my point is I don’t have a family on Earth—I have one here with you and the girls. Please don’t make me leave.”
“I would never do that.” Unable to restrain her tears, Abby reached over and hugged the girl. Amber hugged her back just as tightly before finally giving a watery sniffle.
“So what’s the deal? Are we going to become permanent residents on the ship?”
When Amber handed her a tissue, Abby blew her nose and smiled. “I think we have a better plan.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
It wasn’t until Abby left Amber’s room that the realization finally hit her. They were going to stay with Hrebec. When she practically skipped back into their rooms, he took one look at