He found Ranvik and Blossom waiting in the parking lot in a populated area. A limo was waiting, the driver holding the door open. Brexton took Blossom’s hand when he was close enough to touch her. Her body relaxed and she pressed closer to him. Even though they were strangers for the most part, he loved that she felt safe with him and took comfort in his embrace. The thought that he could have lost her made his chest ache, like someone was trying to squeeze the life out of him.
Ranvik gave him a nod and Brexton helped Blossom into the limo. He slid in next to her, and Ranvik took the seat across from them. The driver shut the door and Blossom practically crawled into his lap. He held her tight and wished they were alone so he could distract her from what nearly happened to them. He knew she was probably just as worried about the children as he was. When she’d agreed to be his, he’d promised to keep them safe, and he’d nearly failed.
Mike Moretti was a known threat, but he’d been blindsided by the fan who apparently wanted them dead. He’d run across a few crazy fans over the years, but none who had tried to physically harm him. What kind of person would not only try to kill him, but his pregnant mate as well? Especially a fan who already knew they had children. It just proved that monsters could hide anywhere.
The limo pulled up to the gate at Brexton’s home and he gave the male the code. Anyone who worked for the Terran station could be trusted, or so he hoped. Just to be safe, he’d change the code once they were safely inside the house. Only those who worked for him or protected his family would have access. The driver pulled to a stop in front of the house, then got out and opened their door. Ranvik gave them a little wave.
“If your reinforcements aren’t here by morning, I’ll be here to relieve Pryntar,” Ranvik said.
“Thank you. Not just for standing guard today, but for checking the car before we got inside. I could feel that something was off, but I didn’t know what it was,” Brexton said.
“It was an honor to protect your mate and unborn child.”
Brexton helped Blossom from the car, gave a nod to Pryntar, who was standing guard at the front door, then stepped inside. The sound of the living room TV pulled him in that direction. Mrs. Connors was straightening the area while RaeLynn and Drew stared at a cartoon playing on the large screen. A space had been cleared by the front window, and he noticed a large tree box sitting nearby, as well as shopping bags that he assumed held the ornaments he’d requested.
He lounged against the doorframe, Blossom pulled tight against his side, and he smiled as contentment filled him. Even though he hadn’t fathered those children, they were very much his, and he was going to give them a Christmas to remember. It was getting closer, and he would need to shop for his new family. Despite the fact his family was now targeted by two crazy people, he knew they needed a large dose of normal, and he didn’t think that was something the children had ever had before. Possibly not Blossom either.
Instead of disturbing them just yet, he led Blossom to the kitchen and started a kettle of water. She pulled out a chair and sat at the table, then heaved a heavy sigh. Her gaze scanned the room, but she didn’t say a word. Brexton busied himself, fixing some hot tea for both of them, and adding a little honey to sweeten it. He placed a steaming mug in front of her before claiming the chair beside her.
“As much as I would love to have a family night,” he said, “I thought we could use a quiet moment to ourselves. There’s a lot we don’t know about each other, and there really hasn’t been time to talk.”
She sipped at her tea and gave him a hesitant smile. “What did you want to know?”
“The place where you were living… had you been there long?”
“You mean have I lived in the worst neighborhood in town for all of my life?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Yes and no. We’d only been in that apartment since I started dating Mike, but that part of town? I grew up there. I got pregnant in high school and dropped out. Didn’t really have a home life, so I was on my own. When an eviction notice was posted on the place I’d been living, I knew I needed to do something or face life on the streets,” she said.
“What did you do?”
“Found a guy to take care of me. Or at least I thought I had. I lost the baby, and he turned out to be an abusive jerk. Didn’t take me long to grab onto someone else. I’ve had the worst taste in men all my life.” She looked up at him. “Until you.”
He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He’d set out to save her and the children, had wanted to get them out of the place, now he wondered if that’s all they had between them. Would she ever come to have feelings for him? Maybe even love him one day? He’d pushed her into accepting a mating between them, and she’d tried to tell him it was a bad idea. If she were truly only after a way to provide for her children, wouldn’t she have jumped at the chance to be claimed by him? No… she might have done that in the past with other men, but that’s not what was happening between them. The way she looked at him, the soft glow she had when they made love… she couldn’t fake those things. She cared, even if she didn’t love him. Just as he cared a great deal for her and the children.
“And the father of your children?” he asked.
“They have different daddies. I told you what happened to them. They weren’t winners by any means, but it’s hard to find one of those where I lived. I grew up in that environment, and I’d always sworn I’d never raise my kids there. Until I got pregnant and had nowhere else to go. It’s hard to dig your way out of that place, especially without at least a high school diploma or knowing some sort of trade.”
Brexton reached over and laced his fingers with hers. She didn’t give herself enough credit. Yes, she’d felt trapped in that place, but even though her apartment had been shabby, he’d noticed that she’d kept it neat and tidy. Even if she hadn’t had much, she’d had enough pride to make sure her children were clean and fed, by doing whatever was necessary.
He’d thought the government was supposed to help women in her situation, but they seemed to have failed her. Or maybe she hadn’t asked for help. Either way, it made him wonder how many others faced the same fate as Blossom. Were there other teens in the high school for that area who were pregnant, or in danger of getting pregnant before graduating? Teens who would drop out of school and have no chance to leave that neighborhood, unless someone saved them from it?
He’d have to make a few calls and see if maybe he could get a program started. Something to help young mothers in need. If Earth’s government didn’t care enough to help them, then he would. Someone needed to make their lives better, easier, and safer. Perhaps he should send a few warriors to that part of town and see if anyone wanted to apply to the bride program. If any of them were as sweet as his Blossom, then he knew the males from his world would gladly welcome them.
“What about you?” she asked. “Why did you come to Earth?”
“I was nineteen when I came here and had been a warrior for three years. Or at least I’d trained as one. I’d been on a few missions and knew that life wasn’t for me. There aren’t many options on my world, with most of the males being trained for fighting. When I realized that I could come here, to a new planet with new opportunities, I grabbed the chance. Not only were there plenty of unmated females, but I hoped I would get the chance to be someone else.”
“You mean be the man you were supposed to be?” she asked. “You’re a wonderful actor. I’ve seen your movies. Or at least the few I’ve been able to watch on TV. We didn’t have the movie channels or anything, but sometimes they play your movies on basic cable.”
“You couldn’t feed your children, but you had cable?” he asked, thinking it didn’t sound like the Blossom he was getting to know.
Her cheeks flushed. “Not exactly. I may have had access illegally. Someone in my building worked for the cable company for a short time, and when they were fired, they made sure everyone had access to at least the basic package. I mostly got it for the kids so they could watch those educational shows.”
“You’ve done well with them, but I noticed Drew doesn’t speak much. Has he always been like that?” Brexton asked.
