“Different how?”
“I think that’s something you need to ask her yourself.” Athtar’s voice was gentle despite its depth. “But if I had to guess... I’d say she’s working up to telling you something important.”
“Something bad?”
“Something important. Those aren’t always the same thing.” Athtar smiled slightly. “When Faith told me she was carrying our first child, she spent three days finding reasons to avoid the conversation. I thought she was going to leave me. Turns out she was terrified of how I’d react.”
Doren’s brain stumbled over the words, tried to rearrange them into something that made sense.
Carrying.
Child.
How I’d react.
“You think?—”
“I think you should talk to your mate.” Athtar rose, his massive frame blocking the moonlight for a moment. “And I think you should remember that the universe doesn’t give us treasures like this very often. Don’t be too much of an idiot to accept the gift.”
The walkback to their small house felt longer than usual.
Emma was quiet beside him, her hand in his, her attention seemingly fixed on the path ahead. The night air carried the salt-sweet scent of Sherae’s ocean, and somewhere in the darkness, a nocturnal creature called out—a long, musical note that faded into silence.
“Beautiful night,” Emma said.
“Mmm.”
“The moons are almost full. Faith says there’s a festival coming up. Something about blessing the fishing boats.”
“Emma.”
She stopped walking. In the moonlight, her face was half-illuminated, half-shadowed, and her expression was somewhere between hope and terror.
“I know you’ve been wanting to ask,” she said quietly. “I’ve been... I should have told you before. I just didn’t know how.”
“Told me what?”
“I saw Faith’s physician while we were on the last run. Before Pasfal Station.” Emma’s voice was steady, but her hand trembled slightly in his. “I wanted to know if it was possible. If a human and a Tajiri could... if we were compatible.”
Doren’s heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. “Compatible.”
“For children.” Emma’s eyes met his, and he saw it all—the hope, the fear, the desperate love that matched his own. “I want a baby, Doren. Our baby. Not because Ari isn’t enough—she’s everything—but because I want... I want more. I want a familywith you. A real family. And I know that means staying in one place for a while, and I know it’s not what you planned?—”
He kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t planned. It was raw need and overwhelming joy and something he couldn’t name, something that felt like every lonely year of his life suddenly making sense because they’d led him here.
“You impossible woman,” he breathed against her lips. “You absolute, impossible—do you have any idea?—”
“Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes, Emma. Stars above, it’s been yes since the moment I met you.” He pulled back enough to see her face, to watch the tears spill over her cheeks and catch the moonlight. “You want a baby? We’ll have a baby. You want ten babies? We’ll have ten babies.”
“Let’s start with one.”
“One. One is good. One is—” He kissed her again, softer this time, tasting salt and joy. “When? How long have you known we could?—”
“The physician confirmed it three weeks ago. We’re compatible. There might need to be some medical assistance, but it’s possible.” Emma’s hands came up to frame his face, her touch gentle and sure. “I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you. I was afraid you’d think it was too fast, or too risky, or?—”
