“I think we have to. You need to clear your name, and we want to have a word with the asshole who put his hands onourfemale.”
She wriggled out from between them, got to her feet, and then turned back so she could see them both. “You’re offering to come back to Amadox Station and help me get my life back?”
Mace growled, and the sound made her bare toes curl into the rug that covered the hard metal deck. “Do I need to say it again?”
“No. I just… I wanted to be sure I understood the plan.”
“It’s not a plan yet. Right now, it’s more of a statement of intent,” Xaber said, but he was smiling.
“We’ll figure out something, but before we start planning, I have two things to say. First, I want to thank you both. For having my back. For believing in me. For trusting me to fix your ship.” Tish took a deep breath and let herself say the words that had dwelled at the edges of her mind, waiting for her to find the courage to admit they were true. “I love you. Both of you. That’s why I didn’t run when I got the message about the bounty. I…just thought you should know.”
They were on their knees in front of her in a flash, both of them taking one of her hands in theirs.
“I love you, too,” Mace said it first.
“Me too. I mean, I love you, Tishna. Or Tix. Or whatever you want us to call you.”
She laughed, suffused with joy, relief, and hope. “Tish. Call me Tish. That’s who I really am. Though Tix is okay too.”
“Tish. There’s one more thing we need to talk about,” Mace said, suddenly serious.
Xaber nodded. “Right. That. I almost forgot.”
“What now?” Her ability to cope was already at its breaking point.
“When we were out today, we talked about you a lot. This thing with the bounty just made it more urgent,” Xaber said.
“But we had already agreed that we wanted to ask you something.” Mace glanced at Xaber, who nodded for him to continue. “We want you to stay on theTruewith us. Permanently. This ship needs an engineer. And we need you.”
Xaber sighed. “You forgot to ask her the question, Mace.”
“He doesn’t need to.” This was what she wanted. What she’d dreamed about from the first morning she’d woken up nestled between them. She was free to be herself. The lies, the guilt, and the worry were gone.
With a whoop, she threw herself into their arms, sending them into a tangled tumble. “The answer is yes.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Mace layon the deck of what had once been an empty cabin and marveled at how much had changed, in this place and everywhere else on the ship. Tish had transformed the cabin into a sanctuary. There were soft rugs beneath his back and colored fabrics everywhere.
That’s what she’d done for him, too. She’d brought color and comfort into his life.
The architect of all that change was currently sprawled across his chest, laughing. Her skin was still damp, and her hair hung in wet spirals over the front of her face. He liked the way her hair had looked in the photo Flek had shown them, with the long braids that crisscrossed her scalp. He preferred her like this, though, because this was the female he knew. To him, she would always be the female who danced in the rain and never backed down from a fight.
Tish had been kissing Xaber, but she stiffened suddenly and raised her head. “Wait. Can we do this? I mean, should we? You two are cyborgs. Your lifespans are going to be what, three or four times as long as mine? I’m just an ordinary human. Are you sure you this is what you want?”
“Nope, no take-backs!” Mace sat up and pulled her into his lap. “You already said yes.”
“And we have a plan for that, too.” Xaber fished the vial of medi-bots out of his pocket and held it up for her to see. “Can you guess what this is?”
She gasped. “Nofraxxingway. How?”
“Apparently, it pays to have friends. Who knew?” Xaber said.
“That would change things.” Tish looked at the vial as if it held the secrets to the universe. In a way, it did. She would never be sick again. Her life would be measured in centuries instead of decades. They could get her the implants that would allow her direct communication with them.
“It would.” Mace stroked her gently. “The choice is yours, temptress. Either way, we’re keeping you.”
“Several lifetimes with the two of you and an enhanced metabolism? Hells, yes. Sign me up.” She took the vial from Xaber and grinned. “I am going to eatsomuch pizza.”
