Chapter 63 Tai
SIXTY-THREE
Tai
“Wake up, Sunshine,” I yell from the kitchen. I could hardly sleep last night and woke up early to get ready for today. I’ve been frantically moving around the house, trying to make sure everything is perfect while Bri is sound asleep.
“Breakfast is ready! You better be out here in two minutes or I’m coming to get you!” I hear a sleepy groan come from our room.
“I’m up! I’m up,” Bri says and I hear her bare feet hit the floor.
I hit the red icon on the processor to prepare her hot noodles. Usually I make her breakfast, but today we are in a hurry. So, it’s noodles, and I already know she’ll have plenty of complaints.
She pads her way down the hall toward me. I spin and hold the steaming bowl behind my back so she can’t see what I’ve got.
“Sit down and eat. We can’t be late,” I order her in the sternest captain’s voice I can muster. I’ve got to be careful when I use that tone with her. Sometimes it sends a shiver of desire down her spine. Other times it has the opposite effect, and I’m at the mercy of her wrath.
“Bossy this morning, are we?”
I plunk the bowl of noodles down in front of her and smile widely.
“Are you kidding me? I’m going back to bed,” she says.
“Don’t you dare. We have to leave in a few minutes. I know you’ll want to be there right when they step off the lander.”
When she looks up at me, she tries to scowl, but I catch a hint of a smile on her lips. She shovels into the food with renewed enthusiasm, realizing the time.
The food is gone, and Bri is showered and walking out the door in record time. The porter ride to the base is quiet. She spends most of it with her face plastered to the window, taking in the scenery like she hasn’t seen it hundreds of times over the last year.
“It’s going to be okay. They’ll be here safe and sound,” I tell her and squeeze her knee. She looks over at me with a weak smile and worry in her eyes.
“I know. I just hate landing. I hope my mom handles it better than I did,” she says.
Her mom and brothers are scheduled to arrive in less than an hour, and I don’t think Bri will take a full breath until they are on land with us.
“You’ve gotten better! You didn’t even barf when you brought us back here.” I offer support, trying to take her mind off her worries.
“I didn’t have any choice! I couldn’t puke and land at the same time. If someone had bothered to wake up, they could have landed it for me.” She looks over with an accusing stare. It’s so fucking cute.
“Wake up? It took two direct hits of blaster fire and losing an arm to bring me down! Trust me, I would much rather not have been injured,” I say.
“That sounds like an excuse.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do all the landings from here on out. As long as you don’t get me killed by some psychotic cult members.”
That gets a laugh out of her. She shakes her head.
“If I remember correctly, I saved you! I could have left your ass there.”
The base comes into view, and I scan the sky looking for any glimpse of the approaching lander carrying Bri’s family, my family.
The gates swing open, welcoming us onto the busy military base. Porters and Tilaks hurry in every direction in preparation for the landing today. The same base where I saw Bri for the first time. I was such an asshole that day.
Looking back, it’s possible I knew who she would become to me. Maybe part of me recognized her as my mate, but I wasn’t ready to accept it. I had a lot of growing and healing to deal with before I was ready for someone as amazing as Bri.
“Hey, I love you,” I say when I notice her chewing on her lip. I’ve noticed she does that when she’s worried.
“I love you, too.”
I stop the porter in a quiet corner, away from the noise and rush of the rest of the base. Once the engine is off, I hop out and jog to her side. I offer my hand as she steps out. Rather than release her hand, I step toward her, blocking her from moving.
I tilt her chin up, directing her eyes to meet mine.
“I remember the first time I saw you. You stepped off the lander, and the suns hit your pink hair.”
I curl a strand of hair around my finger, reveling in the softness.
“I was an asshole and a mess. I was so deep in my own shit, I couldn’t see what had come crashing into my life. You barged in and tore down every wall. Once your family is all settled in, I want to do the human marriage ceremony.”
“You do?” she asks. “I thought you didn’t do human stuff.”
“I don’t mind it so much anymore.” I love teasing her. She smacks me in the abs, and I pretend to be hurt with an “oomph.”
“Let’s do it. Let’s do the human marriage ceremony. By the way, I know that you know it’s called a wedding.” She pulls me down for a kiss. I slip the small box out of my pocket and slide the tiny ring onto her finger.
Surprised, she looks down at her hand, the blue stone glowing brightly on her skin.
“Tai! What?!” She wiggles her fingers up and down, watching the light dance throughout the stone.
“I told you! I want to do the human thing.”
“I love—” She’s interrupted by a loud roar above. “They’re here!” She grabs my hand and hauls me to the landing pad in the center of the base.
Hand in hand, we run to the landing pad and watch anxiously as the lander slowly descends.
A Tilak steps up next to us, examining his yuriOS. “Your passengers must be important for you to have paid for expedited arrival,” he says absently as he swipes through the screens on his yuriOS.
“Tai?” Bri looks over at me. “You did this?”
I pull her into my side and nod at the lander extending its landing gear a few feet off the ground. “Look. They're almost here.”
“Don’t change the subject. Did you pay for them to come here? I thought it was part of the relocation program.” She doesn’t look away from me, and I don’t want her to miss the landing, so I answer her questions.
“I didn’t want you to have to wait. I have credits saved up from my time in the military, and I called in a few favors.”
Tears stream down her face. “I can’t believe you did that,” she yells over the loud engines of the lander.
She shouldn’t be surprised. I told her I wanted to build a better world for her.
Hot wind from the propulsion blasts hits us, and she finally turns her attention to the lander.
The ground shakes when it comes to a halt.
The engines go silent, and the whole world freezes in anticipation until the cargo door whooshes open and Bri is already running for the descending ramp.
She crashes into an older woman and wraps her arms around her with a tight squeeze.
Her three brothers are close behind. They’re all blond, so Bri’s pink hair stands in contrast.
They all collide into a group hug, holding each other tight. I’ve lost sight of Bri. She’s in the middle, surrounded by love.
My heart stutters at the sight. I wonder what that’s like.
The group untangles, and Bri reaches for me. My feet carry me to her, unable to resist her call. The circle opens and folds me in. I’m suddenly surrounded and held tight with the rest of them.
We stay silent long enough for me to start feeling a little uncomfortable.
It’s going to take some getting used to, all the affection and people around.
We finally pull apart, and I smile at Bri’s mom for the first time.
They look a lot alike. Bright smile. Big, round blue eyes that match the color of my skin.
“Everyone, this is Tai.” Bri laughs and wipes a tear away.
They all turn and look at me with matching smiles. I notice Bri’s mom is carrying a puke bag. Without a second of hesitation, I reach for it.
“Here, let me help you with that.”