Page 25 of Space Daddy and a Boy Called Twink

“But sometimes I want to kill him too, so I guess I have that in common with your kids,” he joked, though I could hear the strain in his voice. His lips twisted into his dimple as he made eye contact.

“I’m sorry for this pain.”

“It’s okay. It’s my asshole dad’s fault. If I can even call him that.”

A burning sensation settled in my chest, and I found myself wishing I could track down that father so I could make him suffer for the way he made Twink feel. I could never imagine doing that to my own children. But I had to acknowledge I’d hurt him too.

“I apologize for my deception to you, Twink. I was uncertain of what to expect from this planet, so I used my natural survival skills in hopes of integrating in your community and finding tools to fix my ship. I wasn’t expecting to meet someone I had this kind of chemistry with. Someone who…”

I wasn’t sure if it was wise to share this with him. From my knowledge of various mating rituals and communal expectations, the way they shifted and my newness to this world, I would likely be violating some rule around these things, but it was hard to be dishonest with him, especially now that we’d already shared so much.

“…I would want to mate with.”

His cheeks turned pink, which electrified me.

“You’re just saying that to make up for attacking me in an alley.”

“No, I felt it from the moment we met…that you would be a great partner to create offspring with.”

He made a face, the balance of hormones in his body shifting rapidly in a way that confused me. Perhaps I had said too much.

“Well, you know that thing I said before about impregnating me? I can’t actually have kids. Like, there’s nothing in me that can bear children.”

“Oh…” I added this to the ever-lengthening list of things I’d misunderstood since landing on this planet.

He slid his hand out from under mine. “I guess if it’s your nature to want to procreate, then that means you aren’t interested in me.”

“It’s not something I’m familiar with, but I’m very interested in you, Twink. Sorry, I should say Charlie now.”

“No, I’m fine with Twink,” he said, not pulling his gaze from mine.

I grinned, unsure why that pleased me so much.

“And you will still refer to me as Daddy?” I asked hopefully.

“Of course.”

“And you forgive me for deceiving and kidnapping you?”

“Depends. Will you let me go after this conversation?”

“Yes. I promise. I only wanted to keep you safe.”

His expression turned serious, which surprised me since I’d intended for that to set him at ease. “I’m starting to realize that. It’s just a lot to take in.”

“Yes, I can appreciate that. And I’m sorry for putting so much on you so quickly.”

“I think you’ve done enough apologizing for one day.”

“You think it’s better to spread them out over a longer period of time?”

His brows twisted up.

“That was a joke,” I said.

He laughed. “Oh, it’s hard to tell with you now.”

“As I’m getting a better handle on the language, that’s becoming easier.”