in his native tongue.
His voice was gentle and affectionate, and she imagined he was spilling his heart to her and confessing his love. It was a beautiful thought. God, how she hoped it was true, because the truth was, she was starting to fall in love with him.
He cared for her, made her feel safe, and it was nice to finally feel wanted. She had spent so many years feeling unwanted and uncertain, as well as frightened of her future. But now she finally had a place to call home and a sweet, albeit possessive, mate to call her very own.
Chapter 21
“You look tired,” Rem’s mother said. “Are you feeling all right, Tyra?”
“Oh, I’m feeling just fine,” Tyra replied, her face flushing. Rem had kept her up rather late last night and she was definitely feeling the effects of it today, though she wasn’t about to complain. She had enjoyed every second of their time together.
“I hope that son of mine isn’t working you too hard. He has money, you know. He could afford to hire a housekeeper for you.” Alissina smiled. “If you would like, I can send one of our housekeepers over to help you tomorrow.”
“Oh, I appreciate the offer, really I do, but that’s not necessary. I truly enjoy keeping house and especially cooking. Of course, I might change my mind about wanting help after we have children,” she replied with a giggle as they approached a crowded square that contained dozens upon dozens of vendor booths.
Alissina grabbed for Tyra’s arm and stopped her in the street. “Children?” she asked with a wide grin. “Do you think you will have children soon? Are you trying?”
Tyra flushed. “I, um…” Her voice trailed off and her face heated further. She didn’t know how to respond.
“Ah, so you are trying,” Rem’s mother said, her voice filled with delight. “Well, I cannot wait to become a grandmother. I never thought Rem would take a mate so I was overjoyed when I learned he was taking a mail order bride from Earth.”
“Why did you think Rem would never take a mate?” Tyra couldn’t help but ask. She felt guilty, as the answer likely had something to do with the loss Rem had mentioned, the person he’d cared about who’d died because of the Xieandans. She knew she ought to hear this from Rem himself. Now that she’d asked the question, though, she wasn’t about to take it back.
Alissina drew in a deep breath. “Oh, it’s only that his heart was broken long ago. Has he not mentioned this to you at all?”
“He told me he lost someone he cared about because of the Xieandans, though he did not elaborate. Is-is that related?” Her heart raced at the prospect as her suspicions started to grow.
“It probably isn’t my place to tell you,” Alissina said, though her voice remained cheerful. She wasn’t upset that Tyra had been prying. “He will likely tell you more about it when the time is right. But know that it happened many years ago, long before we even traveled to your solar system. I doubt he’s still grieving the female’s loss, especially now that he has you.” Her tone was warm and motherly. She patted Tyra on the arm and then beckoned her down a narrow street.
“Where are we going?” she asked, even as she continued processing Alissina’s admissions. Not only had Rem had his heart broken by a female, but it appeared that same female had perished because of the Xieandans.
“There’s a new dress shop down this way. They have the most fashionable gowns.”
Tyra glanced at her wrist comm. Rem had told her it would also permit her to make purchases, she simply needed to allow a shop owner to scan it. He’d also told her to buy whatever she wanted and not to worry about the cost, jokingly warning her that his mother would probably push the most expensive clothing items upon her, as the older woman had a taste for more refined items. She appreciated that Rem had allowed her to spend the day in the city with his mother, though she still felt a little strange over the prospect of spending lots of his money, even if Alissina had claimed he was affluent.
Over the next few hours, Alissina whisked her into shop after shop. At first, Tyra tried to protest how many items the woman was insisting she buy—she wasn’t used to having so many new things and had never owned a brand-new dress before—but