The Man Made of Stars

Chapter 1

ONE

PLANET: EARTH

Camille stretched her stiff legs, asking the afternoon sun to tan her skin from where she hid underneath the large red-and-white-striped umbrella.

They had been at the beach for hours, but a bit more sunlight wouldn’t hurt.

Her skin was at the point of aging where she simply didn’t care—no amount of treatments or cream could rewind years of life.

And she embraced her wrinkles, grateful that she had lived long enough to find them etched deep into her face and hands.

However, her personal well-being was the last thing on her mind.

What mattered most in the world was the small boy she watched playing in the sand.

His bright blond hair was bleached by a long season of sunrays and salt.

They had spent the majority of their days oceanside over the school break—their bodies warmed and minds at ease, worries whisked away on the sea breeze.

“Grandma!” the boy called over the crashing waves. “Look at this one!” He beamed, proud of his latest discovery, holding up a bright pink shell to add to his collection that was already overflowing with his treasures.

“That is your best one yet, sweetheart!” she replied.

His bright eyes shone with delight. The same color as his mother’s—like her daughter’s.

Not a day went by without Kendra making her way into her thoughts, and it was impossible not too when her son was nearly the spitting image of the woman he never got to know .

. . or meet. Her presence remained with them, though, thanks to pictures capturing the beautiful woman with blonde hair and green eyes, forever imprinted in photographs and video.

But merely thinking of her kept her alive.

She may not have been sitting at this beach with them, but she was there.

The boy’s hair was the longest it had ever been—he had to keep pushing it to the side to keep it from blocking his view.

A haircut would be needed before school started in a couple weeks.

His father wouldn’t have approved of them allowing it to grow wild, but he had been off-planet for nearly a year, only checking in every few weeks.

Most of the time, the distance was so far that not even a video call was possible from wherever he was in the galaxy.

He didn’t need to know what they were up to on a daily basis, or at least, that was what Camille told herself.

The truth was that she was overly protective of her grandson, even from his own father.

It wasn’t because she disliked her son-in-law—she was rather fond of him and loved him like her own.

It was just her motherly instinct telling her to stand in front of her grandson when she felt like his childhood was slowly being taken from him, and so much had already been taken.

Her husband often commented that she went too far, but she never changed one iota.

Elias had made the choice to place Renn with her and Charlie full-time, and she intended to give her grandson all the love and attention he deserved.

It wasn’t Renn’s fault his father had chosen career over family—over him.

Elias had tried at the beginning. He took nearly eighteen months away from work when Renn was born, even considered taking his son with him on missions once he was older.

But the idea of strangers taking care of her grandson on a star ship millions of miles away from Earth didn’t sit right with Camille, and she knew with her whole heart that Kendra wouldn’t have wanted that either.

So, really, there wasn’t a choice. She told Elias and refused any other option, unless it meant he would be staying, which she knew wasn’t going to happen.

They agreed that Renn would stay with her, and when his father was Earthside . . . well, they would figure it out as Elias spent the majority of his time in space in his role as Captain Anton.

Raising a toddler wasn’t something she ever planned to do again, but she wouldn’t have spent these past several years any other way.

Just like with Kendra, Charlie helped with him just as much as she did.

It wasn’t easy by any means, but Renn was worth it, and truly, he made it easier than most. He had a calm and collected disposition from a young age—respected and loved his grandparents dearly.

“Aldrenn, come sit in the shade for a bit,” she called, patting the beach towel laid out beside her, a pattern of shooting stars printed on the fabric.

He didn’t protest and held the shell delicately in his palm, sand sticking to his lanky legs and arms as he held it out to her for a closer look.

She hummed in praise for his latest find.

Aldrenn had grown so much over the summer, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he someday grew taller than his father.

He continued to inspect the shell carefully, running his fingers over the grooves on its surface.

“Are you sad summer is coming to an end?” Camille eventually asked, mustering extra care since the subject was something they had avoided for weeks.

He pretended to study the shell for a moment and then, without looking up, he said, “I don’t want to start at a new school.”

She had suspected he had been holding that in for quite some time.

“Your father thinks this will be great for you and your future. So do I,” she said gently. The silence hung between for another moment.

“Whatever father says is best, I suppose.”

Camille pushed the hair out of his eyes, stroking his cheeks, coaxing him to look at her.

She sometimes forgot he was only eight as he often spoke wiser beyond his years—a trait that many adults noticed rather quickly, especially his teachers.

It wasn’t a surprise when the school dean suggested Aldrenn attend a different institution that could match his abilities and education level.

He had already transferred schools two years ago, though.

So much change for a young child—too much—and Camille wasn’t thrilled with the decision, but she would never let Aldrenn know what she really thought.

“And it’s still close to home,” she added. The school was a thirty-minute drive into the city. Not far from The Academy, actually. It wasn’t ideal to spend an hour on the road each day, but it was doable, and she knew she would never hear a complaint about Renn.

“That’s good,” he said with a soft smile.

The unspoken words lingered between them for a few minutes.

Aldrenn’s father had high expectations when it came to his only child, carefully planning his future since the day he found out he was going to have a son.

Of course, her daughter had high hopes for her son as well, but she doubted Kendra would have been so strict about what Aldrenn’s future would entail.

Aldrenn was still a boy, and she didn’t want him to be forced to grow up too quickly no matter who his father was.

From the moment he was laid in her arms, she sensed that he would be a force in this world. He immediately became a bright spot in their lives.

There was something incredibly devastating and beautiful about how the best and worst day of Camille’s life was wrapped into one heartwrenching sensation.

She had never truly healed from that day—when her daughter died mere moments after the birth of her grandson.

The memory lived with her as if it was yesterday, and it would remain with her forever.

There was nothing she could have done but watch the panic on everyone’s faces—the pure shock taking over Elias’s face.

Aldrenn was practically pushed aside as the medical team tried everything to save one life from leaving the world just as another had entered.

“Whatever happens, we will all be proud of you.” She paused, treading carefully. “And if you truly want to attend The Academy someday, like your father, I think this will help to make it happen,” she said slowly, watching his expression.

His focus remained on the shell.

“Is that still what you want, sweetheart?” she asked, her voice slightly softer than before. He was quiet for a moment, but then he set the shell down resolutely and gazed up at her. His nose and cheeks were dotted with freckles, more visible from the long hours of sunlight.

Those bright, curious eyes, a mix of grey and green, searched hers for a few seconds before he spoke. “Do you think my mother would want that? If she was here?” he asked softly.

“I think your mother would want you to be happy,” she replied, holding back the tears that were always present when he spoke of his mother.

“I think I want to be a pilot or a mechanic . . . maybe a captain,” he admitted, like he was nervous of what she might think or say, but she only smiled at him with love, pleased to hear he had thought about it to a degree.

Aldrenn’s father would no doubt want him to follow his path to the letter, even if he had never come out and said it plainly.

Everyone knew what he wished for his son.

Aldrenn was on a path to be a captain someday, plain and simple.

There was no point in ignoring that notion.

It was expected, the way many famous captains and commanders often expected the same from their offspring.

Perhaps she should have said more that day at the beach—told Aldrenn that he didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to.

But while she may be a protective grandparent, he still had a father who deserved respect and, because of their shared blood, had a duty to look after his son in whatever way he saw best.

“That sounds wonderful, sweetheart. There’s no rush in deciding. You’ll know what to do when the time comes.” She lovingly pushed his hair out of his eyes again as he gave her a wide grin, the freckles on his nose scrunching up.

“Can we stay for a little bit longer, Grandma? Please?”

“Ten more minutes. Your Pop will get cranky if we aren’t home for dinner soon.” She gave him a wink and he responded with his own. He had gotten quite good at the gesture; she caught him practicing it in the mirror one day.

That boy will probably get away with a lot with that wink someday, she thought, as she watched him jump into the surf, the wave carrying him back to the shore before he dove in again.

These moments were a treasure—times when Aldrenn could be a normal little boy, not a care in the world of his future.

But even then she somehow knew his life would be anything but ordinary.