The moment Drew opened his eyes and saw the large Terran in their bedroom, he got really quiet. Scooting out of his toddler bed, he approached Brexton, showing no fear, only curiosity. Her little sweetheart tugged on the alien’s pants, and without hesitating, Brexton reached down and picked up her son.
“Drew doesn’t usually like strangers,” she said, a little taken aback at how easily her son had gone to the alien.
Her baby boy pulled on Brexton’s beard, then grabbed his hair. Instead of getting angry, like other men in her life would have done, the big guy just smiled at her son, flashing even white teeth. Seeing her little boy in the alien’s arms was making Blossom feel funny. Her knees were a little weak, her stomach was flipping over, and… She closed her eyes. No! Just no. She would not feel desire for the sexy hunk. That way lay trouble, as three pregnancies had proven to her.
“Something wrong?” Brexton asked.
“No. I just…” She looked at her son, who was now snuggled against the alien’s chest. She’d never seen Drew so content before, not with someone who wasn’t her. He’d never even been that relaxed with his dad. “You’re good with kids.”
“Kids are easy. It’s adults that I don’t usually understand,” he said.
She smiled a little. Yeah, she could sympathize. She’d bet humans were strange to the aliens. From watching the news, she’d learned that his people came from a world where everyone had the same color skin, hair, and eyes, everyone spoke the same language, and there was no crime or violence. It had seemed like a strange concept to Blossom, who had known nothing but pain and violence all her life.
Brexton cuddled Drew close as he looked around the room.
“You don’t have a tree,” the alien observed.
Tree? Oh, right. Christmas was coming. It was odd hearing someone from another planet ask about a Christmas tree, but she supposed the aliens had adapted once they had moved to Earth. She knew that some had decided to make their homes here, giving the small planet what protection they could.
“No money for one. We’re barely getting by,” she admitted.
“Blossom, I understand pride, and I also know that it’s not always easy to trust other people, but I really would like to help you. If you’ll let me.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because women and children should be protected, cared for, not placed in harm’s way, especially to settle a debt. I don’t like human males, or the way they treat their females. It’s no wonder women of all ages are always trying to get into the bride program. After being here for so long, I can see why they’d want to leave.”
“If Earth is so horrible, why are you still here?” she asked.
“Your planet isn’t horrible, just… different. On my world, I was training to be a warrior, but it didn’t suit me. Here, I have the freedom to do something different. We don’t have movies and music on my world, or we didn’t before I came here. I’ve heard that my people have borrowed some of your entertainment from Earth and taken it home with them. The human females who lived on my world were missing things from their home.”
She had to admit that she’d been intrigued by the big aliens ever since she’d first seen them on TV. Then Brexton had started acting and popping up in commercials and movies. She’d never been able to look away, drawn to him even when he was just on a screen and not physically standing in her living room. Faced with the reality of the man she’d been crushing on, it was difficult to turn him away, especially when he was offering her a way out. She might end up right back in this neighborhood, but for at least a little while, her children would get to see a different way of life.
“We’ll go with you,” she said.
He looked around the shabby apartment. “Will it injure your pride if I offer to buy you new things and leave these here?”
New things? Did he mean all new clothes for the kids? They hadn’t ever owned brand new items, except what she could get at the dollar store. There were so many things she’d wanted to do for her babies, and she hadn’t had the funds to do it. She’d stayed home while Mike had worked. Or at least she’d thought he was working. It hadn’t occurred to her that he would decide to be a drug mule, or lose his boss’s stuff. Blossom didn’t know why she always attracted the men who liked trouble.
“A mother will do pretty much anything for her children, including swallowing her pride. I don’t need much, but if you could make sure the kids are taken care of…”
He shook his head. “You’ll all get new things. I don’t have beds like these at my home, but I’m assuming they’re easy to find?”
“Baby stores have them,” she said. “I got these from a second-hand shop, though.”
“We’ll get new ones,” he said.
“Brexton, I don’t think you understand how expensive children can be, especially if you insist on buying all new things for them.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Do I look like I’m hurting for money?”
“Um, no,” she said, scanning his outfit, which looked pricey. His slacks appeared to be good quality, and she had no doubt his shirt was worth more than she spent on food in a week or two. “Where did you park?”
“At the curb out front.”
Blossom’s heart nearly jumped into her throat and she went running. When she cleared the front door of the apartment building and saw a shiny black BMW SUV sitting at the curb, untouched, she breathed a sigh of relief, and looked around in curiosity. Cars not even half as nice would have been stolen and stripped by now. Why hadn’t anyone touched his car?
She looked around again and one of the gang members from her building emerged from the shadows of the alley and gave her a nod. Blossom tried to never make eye contact with them, and she froze, wondering if he was about to come talk to her. Or worse. She’d always feared what would happen to her kids if she disappeared.
