Blaze: A Firefighter Romance

by Lisa Lace

  "You're right, of course." I kissed my daughter on the cheek. "In fact, that's why I came to see you.

  "Oh?" She looked surprised and curious.

  "I wondered if you could teach me what you know about herbs and plants. I'm interested in learning how to cure my children naturally."

  "You only have one child." The woman looked at me accusingly.

  "Damn. Jesse's going to be upset. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone yet."

  "I would have guessed, dear. I won't say anything if you don't want me to."

  I blushed. "Thank you. We'd like to tell people ourselves after I'm in my second trimester."

  "Of course. Have you told your mother already?"

  I stared down at the brilliantly clean floor while my daughter played with one of my braids. "I don't think I will." I stared off into the distance. "My mother's not too interested in my life these days."

  Mrs. Boyko clucked a few times and patted me on the shoulder. I tried to think happy thoughts so I wouldn't look as hurt as I felt.

  "I don't know her, but if what you say is true, she seems a foolish woman. She's missing out on a wonderful family and a special daughter."

  That made me feel better. A smile broke out on my face.

  "I suppose," I said. "I feel like Charlotte has a grandmother in you."

  "Stop, Annalee! You'll make me start crying."

  I gave her a hug, feeling a little close to tears myself.

  "But what about your genetic grandchildren?"

  "I try not to make that distinction. I don't talk about real or fake grandchildren. I have blood grandchildren and the grandchildren of my heart. Charlotte is not better or worse than the others."

  "Do you have any pictures of them?" I wanted to take my mind off how sweet Mrs. Boyko was before I lost control and broke down into sobs.

  She pulled out a computer and touched her thumb on the screen, opening the lock.

  I put on my 'Technology Consultant' hat for a moment. "It would be easier if you used a retinal scan, Mrs. Boyko. We can set it up tomorrow evening when Jesse and I come over for Sunday dinner."

  "Whatever you say, dear." After some fiddling, beautiful pictures for me to admire appeared on her screen. "I will come by at naptime every day and we can teaching you herbalism. I'm happy to share my knowledge with you, Annalee."

  It was like I had found the mother I never had before. And there was life after teaching. I would discover another passion and interest in plant life. I couldn't wait to start my new studies.

  I strolled out of the main homestead and into the yard, headed toward the guest house. Unofficially it was my home, and we would always refer to the building as the guest house.

  When I reached our steps, I heard a carriage approach behind me. I turned and shaded my eyes from the sun. I saw the profile of Marsaline, the Queen of Yordbrook, poking her head out the window of the carriage.

  Charlotte was sleeping in my arms, taking a nap. I hurried into the house and laid her in the middle of our big bed. Jesse's cousin was cleaning the kitchen. I asked her to listen in case Charlotte woke up. The young woman often watched my daughter when I needed a babysitter. I didn't mind leaving my daughter while Marigold was there.

  I ran to meet Marsaline emerging from her conveyance.

  "Marsaline!" I spoke without thinking and covered my mouth in embarrassment. "I apologize. I mean, your Majesty. Why have you graced us with your presence?"

  She looked around to see if anyone was near enough to overhear us. When she had determined to her satisfaction that no one was, she answered me truthfully.

  "I want to see him, Annalee."

  Marsaline and Porter had been separated for some time. She had been busy, not only changing the laws about science and technology, but also modifying the restrictions on who was eligible to marry royalty. Until they passed new legislation, Porter and Marsaline were pretending they barely knew each other.

  "Come with me."

  No one in the house had noticed the Queen's arrival. Her driver was rushing to put away the carriage. Without seeing the Queen or her transport, no one would know her whereabouts until she chose to reveal herself.

  Porter had a retreat in the woods nearby. He kept himself busy running a technology import business and writing software. Once he had the opportunity, he found out he loved computers.

  "How goes your work with the council?"

  That was one of the problems with a monarchy combined with a representative democracy. The elected officials were resistant to any change, but Marsaline had royal blood. She was surprisingly effective in getting her way with things that were important to her.

  "I believe we have reached an accord." She was barely paying attention to me, focusing on her search of the forest in front of us.

  "It's finished? What about the other thing?"

  "We can finally get married, if that's what you're implying. Marriage requires two people, however, and I need to find my fiance."

  I checked off some boxes in my mental checklist. "What about Controller Kozel?" I wondered if she was still at large.

  "We deported the former Controller, Annalee. You don't need to be afraid of her anymore."

  I was surprised at how relieved I felt to hear those words. I had recurring nightmares she would find me and exact vengeance even though the Queen had removed her from the position. Now that I had confirmation of her departure, I felt myself relaxing.

  In another minute, we were at Porter's quarters. It looked like a huntsman's lodge on the outside, but Porter redid the interior to his specifications. We saw him coming out the door.

  His eyes were bright. "The computer said it was you, but I didn't believe it."

  Jesse appeared behind him and my breath caught in my throat. I felt like he was only looking at me. He ran to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Part of me wanted to run away with him, but I couldn't stop my eyes from looking at the scene unfolding before us. I know I should have left. For some reason, I needed to see how the relationship between Porter and the Queen played out.

  "The Queen wants to see you." She pulled back her hood, revealing light brown hair in a simple braid. It was nothing like the elaborate hairstyle she wore at the palace.

  Porter was mesmerized by the sight of her bare head. He reached out his hand to gently smooth her hair away from her forehead. They spoke as if we weren't there.

  "Enough to leave when the parliament remains in session?"

  "I did it, Porter. It's finished. We can get married now."

  Porter held her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. Jesse tugged on my hand, pulling me away.

  "Porter's going to be the Queen's consort," Jesse said with a laugh.

  "It's unbelievable," I said. "Too bad he can't be the king. He'll remind her of the days when she was a commoner and keep her relaxed."

  "And she'll help him upgrade his style," Jesse added. "They're perfect for each other."

  "Just like us," I said, swinging his hand as we walked through the forest.

  He stopped and gently tugged my hand, pulling me into his arms. I happily wrapped my hands around his neck.

  "I love you, Annalee. But are you happy here? I worry that our lives are too dull, and I know you miss life on Earth." Concern filled Jesse's eyes as he waited for my answer.

  "For the last time, I didn't enjoy my modern life. I worked too hard. I was lonely. I have more time to relax here, and I've got you..." I cupped his cheek with my hand. "And Charlotte. Mrs. Boyko is more of a mother to me than mine has ever been. And everyone. I love my life and my new job."

  "I don't know. Is there anything else you want?" His eyes twinkled.

  I locked my eyes on his.

  "Let me think." I tapped my head, pretending to consider it. "How about an hour alone with you and we'll call it even?"

  "Mrs. Boyko has been asking me why we don't let her watch the little one. It seems like a good time to call in the favor."

  My body hummed with anticipation a
t the thought of spending time alone with my husband.

  "Charlotte is napping," I said.

  "Come on, Annalee. I know what we can do with our free time."

  "Whatever you desire, husband," I said. My face flushed, and I dropped my eyes as if I were a demure Yordbrook wife.

  "I know a place where we can go to be alone."

  "Alone?" I said. "I'm never alone with you, Jesse."

  It was the truth. I wouldn't want it any other way.

  Naima

  A TerraMates Novel

  Chapter One

  GABRIELLA

  I had finished my day at work, and it was time to relax at home. Yoga would clear my mind. I tucked my legs underneath me, breathing out deeply. As my eyelids closed, I propped my back against the wall.

  Trying to stop thinking about everything racing through my head was always a mission, almost like a second job. I owed a lot of money. I didn't want to dwell on it, but it was always at the back of my mind. It was going to take forever to pay off all my debts. Sometimes the neutral hum of my desktop computer could soothe my mind and lead me directly to sleep, but not tonight.

  I would have to do other things to relax. I tried to focus on the rising and falling of my chest, feeling my body begin to loosen with each breath I took. I imagined a peaceful scene. The picturesque stretch of Two Moons Lake materialized in my mind. I saw a wooden dinghy floating on the glittering green water. The view never failed to pacify my turbulent emotions. I liked to imagine it was my private island, a perfect, unperturbed space for me and my thoughts to run free.

  My mind descended into peace. All I felt was the easy, cottony comfort of my sweat pants.

  Ding.

  My eyes popped open, moving to the new message alert flashing on my desktop screen. I hoped something good had broken my meditation. I kicked out my legs with an irritated sigh and hopped to my feet. Once I got close enough to read the sender's name, my eyes turned into slits. My stomach churned, and I felt the bitter sensation of resentment. I didn't want to see that name ever again, but there it was.

  Jake Turner.

  At one point in my life, that name would have meant the world to me. The very thought of Jake once left my knees weak. I was different back then; I was a silly, love-struck sixteen-year-old, and I latched onto the first "real" man who showered me with any amount of attention.

  Jake was twenty-three, he had a car, and he was sexy as sin. Those tattoos, piercings, and the irresistible dimples on either side of his pearly-white grin were overwhelming. Jake was a stereotypical bad boy, and I had to get my hands him.

  Looking back I could recognize that the attributes which attracted me to Jake were both superficial and negative, but at the time, they were exciting. On the eve of my seventeenth birthday, I emptied my room. I stuffed all my clothes, plastic jewelry, and anything that ever meant something to me into two duffel bags. I carefully snuck out of my house and into the dead of the night. Jake's clunky secondhand convertible seemed like a horse-drawn carriage to me, waiting to whisk us off to my happily ever after.

  Guess how long that lasted?

  My bubble of delusion popped in a few weeks. Living life with an unemployed boyfriend whose primary objective in life was to sit on his couch and try to kill people in Call of Duty wasn't as glamorous as you might think. I convinced myself he was still young and conflicted, and assumed Jake's aimlessness was a symptom of him trying to navigate his way through life.

  Picking up the slack for the both of us, I started juggling two jobs and eighty-hour work weeks. Jake only got off his ass when it was time to do odd jobs with his friends in painting or construction. Money ran through his fingers. I know he went on drinking binges and late-night parties with his friend, but he never contributed to the rent or our stack of bills.

  I'm not sure why I stayed with him as long as I did. What I did know was that going back home with my tail tucked between my legs wasn't an option for me. I was going to make the most of what I had. I had a roof over my head, and I wasn't living on the streets. I had even grown accustomed to our predictable routine. From an outsider's perspective, you would think we were friends with benefits, not lovers. Maybe not even that - he was more of a couch surfer. But his name was on the lease.

  A couple of years later, my hands and arms were covered with raw callouses, oil spatters, and bleach burns. Jake was usually passed out on the couch in a booze-induced coma. I was a minimum wage zombie clocking in and out of work. I decided to make an effort to get a better job. If my relationship with Jake wasn't getting any better, maybe the problem was our finances. Unfortunately, I didn't have a high-school diploma, but I worked with what I had.

  I talked my way into a full-time job at an upscale boutique. As a junior sales associate, my wages were low, but I kept my mouth shut and worked hard. I went through every position in the store before I made manager. It felt like heaven. I would get year-end bonuses, additional time off, and a raise. Everything was going to change for us now. I knew a fresh start was just around the corner.

  One lazy Tuesday afternoon, I left the assistant manager in charge and headed home early to surprise Jake. Before I could kick off my shoes by the front door, I was greeted by the sight of Jake fucking two trollops on my living room couch. I couldn't get over the betrayal. The threesome was the final strike against Jake.

  I experienced an unnerving feeling of déjà vu when I packed up everything I owned. Undeterred by Jake's blubbering apologies, I crammed everything I bought with my salary (which was everything in the apartment) into boxes and suitcases…even the game console I bought him last Christmas.

  My eyes had stared at the desktop monitor for so long that they were beginning to water. The mouse wavered between the Read and Dismiss buttons of the message alert window. Time to make a decision. I sucked in my breath and tapped Read.

  itz_big: Hey babe. U holding up without me?

  itz_big: It's been 3 months. You ready to stop this tantrum and come home yet?

  Disgusting. I knew he couldn't see me, but I pretended he could. I crossed my arms, cocking my head to one side as I thought about the brazen, shameless stupidity of his words. Whatever else you might think about Jake, he apparently had balls of steel. Thinking back about all his mistakes took me into a furious rage.

  I had been late to work countless times because I was tending to a twenty-something loser who couldn't handle his booze. I spent many nights alone while he was out frolicking with his equally juvenile friends, drinking God-knows-what and screwing God-knows-who. The worst memory was finding him balls-deep in a silicone Barbie doll, whose lusty screams continued to haunt my nightmares.

  Maybe that was the second worst memory. The worst memory was discovering Jake had stolen my identity and used it to open a bunch of credit cards under my name. The money disappeared a long time ago, but I was stuck paying the bills. Even though I received a pay raise as manager, I was going to be working for a long time to climb out of debt.

  Ok. Dismiss. Click. Done. My computer beeped softly, clearing the message from my screen. I returned to my bed and tried to meditate and clear my mind. Even though my eyes were squeezed tightly shut, my heavy breathing and racing mind stopped me from achieving any inner peace.

  Ding.

  Fuck. I couldn't believe it was Jake again. I opened my eyes and dragged myself to my feet, but the computer monitor was still dark.

  This time, it was my phone notifying me I had a message. With a frown, I picked it up and checked the screen. The message was from a new app I had installed yesterday. It was called M8r, from the TerraMates company.

  The message wasn't from itz_big. The username was GenLaz241. I thought about accepting the request.

  TerraMates specialized in marrying Earth women with aliens. Sounds ridiculous, right? But at this point, I had given up on having a fairy-tale ending for my life with a human man. All the same, I thought there was someone out there for me. Maybe my special someone just wasn't on this planet.

 
I had never felt like I belonged on Earth. It sounds silly, but these thoughts were in my mind since I was a child. Humans are inherently selfish, and nothing ever changes. We participate in an endless cycle of war, poverty, and heartbreak. The same news stories which appear in the headlines today could be topics of conversation from centuries ago. Humanity feeds on endless drama. We refuse to take a step back and learn from our mistakes.

  My kindred spirit, my 'Mr. Right,' my soul mate, whatever you want to call it...I knew my special someone is out there. If I had a chance to cross through outer space to fill the gaping hole in my life, so be it.

  I usually wasn't one to participate in matchmaking of any kind. In fact, I used to poke fun at people who did. But right now, I was ready to roll the dice and broaden my selection pool. In fact, it was possible to look all over the galaxy. I could wipe my slate clean and find love all at the same time.

  What could go wrong?

  Before I made my decision, I opened M8r to look up 'GenLaz241'.

  Location: Planet Maztek. Languages: Standard, Maztekki, Hindirin.

  My eyes bulged when I saw the name of the planet. Dad had been a doctor and humanitarian. He regularly visited Maztek to aid the native population there, kind of like Doctors Without Borders, but the borders were really far away. In his down time, Dad promoted relations between Maztek and Earth. He took a lot of heat from his friends for being friendly to aliens, but he always said it was worth it.

  Whenever he came back from the planet, he brought me toys and stories about what an enchanting, mystical paradise Maztek was. The best present he ever gave me was a special Maztek lullaby he sang to me when I had problems sleeping.

  Dad promised to take me to see Maztek when I was ten years old. He said I would be old enough then. Dad broke the promise when his passenger shuttle crashed. He didn't make it back home in time for my tenth birthday. In fact, he never made it home at all.

  Swallowing, I accepted the message request. My phone's screen split. On one side was an image of myself, and I suddenly realized I did not look my best. Shit. I had swept my strawberry-blonde hair way from my face in a sloppy ponytail. The dark rings under my eyes were prominent under the poor light conditions in the room. I fumbled for the lamp and hastily switched it on. My face looked brighter. I tried holding the phone at different angles, wondering if I would look more beautiful from another perspective. Pulling off my scrunchie, I shook my hair loose and fluffed it to add volume.