Earth Husbands are Odd (Earth Fathers #2) - Lyn Gala Page 0,43
over Max and even though he kept a certain distance from the children, he would shiver in pleasure when Max described how well they were doing in their studies. He was a proud papa octopus.
“Not that I’ve read about,” she admitted. “But I haven’t heard of anyone actually having spider eggs erupt from their bodies, and that is still an ongoing nightmare of mine. Sometimes the possibility is enough to give someone the creeps.” She shivered dramatically.
“Rick is my common-law husband,” Max said.
Her mouth fell open. Literally. He could’ve counted her teeth if he’d wanted to. He didn’t.
“When he found out that I had misunderstood the job description, he offered to abort the children. He was a big ball of curled up tentacles and misery, but he would have done that if I wanted. He respected that I had a choice about whether or not to have babies in me.”
She opened her mouth without speaking, closed it, and then cleared her throat. “So, he wasn’t a sick fuck who knocked you up and forced you to carry his children, so you married him?”
And that was the Dee Max knew and generally tried to avoid. “No, that’s when I looked at him as a person and not an employer. He’s kind and a giant worry wart and a good father and weirdly obsessed with Darth Vader and Jar Jar Binks.”
“What? How the hell does he know about Star Wars?”
A half-second too late, Max realized that he didn’t want Dee to know how close he had been to Earth. Being stranded was one thing, but she would not approve of his plan to go AWOL... or rather to stay AWOL. “I like to tell them stories. By the way, I’ve told them the version where Jar Jar is a secret sith who uses the drunken monk martial arts to make everyone underestimate him. So if they start talking to you about Jar Jar, be prepared for weirdness.”
Both her eyebrows were making a run for her hairline. “So this Hidden one,” and boy couldn’t Max hear the air quotes around that, “likes Darth Vader and sith infiltrators and you think he’s a keeper?”
“He’s equally obsessed with Galen Erso and Buffy Summers.”
“Who?”
“Galen Erso. The Empire forced him to help design the death star, so he built it in a way to destroy it and then gave the plans to the rebellion, and Buffy Summers is the vampire slayer.”
She studied him for several long minutes. “You watch too much TV.”
“I did before I enlisted. Afterward, I didn’t have enough time to truly indulge my addiction.” He grinned at her, but she did not seem to appreciate his humor.
She rubbed a hand over her face. “Look, I get that this Hidden one has been kind and that you have an emotional connection to its kids. I get that.” She took a breath.
Max jumped in before she could say anything more offensive than the shit she had already said. “Don’t even assume this is some sort of fucking Stockholm syndrome. Rick hired me. He didn’t threaten me, and when Hunter aliens invaded the ship, I protected my family because they are my family.”
She leaned closer. “But did you have a choice? I know what it feels like to be alone. I get it. Aliens are not exactly touchy-feely sorts. I always thought of myself as an introvert, but I am crawling out of my own skin without someone to talk to, someone to touch or hear laugh.” Her voice projected more desperation. “It’s so fucking hard that my head aches with the pressure of being alone most of the time. However, the Uglies are not your only choice. The main docks have small living quarters that anyone can claim for the night. They’re clean and secure. And food is free if you don’t mind bland staples. Living with this alien is not your only choice. You can have a decent life here. I’ll show you the ropes. And now that the translation computer works, maybe there will be more opportunities... other opportunities. You can’t limit yourself to one plan. There will be other ways to get home.” She caught his hand in hers and held on with a strength that startled Max.
He stared at her, horrified by the pain he could see reflected in her features, but repulsed by the suggestion that he should choose her over his family. He squeezed her hands back and wondered how long it had been since she touched anyone. Had anyone