Sunlight
Page 23
“I’ll make you happy, Lainey, I promise.”
“You already make me happy.” She smiled up at him through her tears. “Let’s go.”
Epilogue
Lainey sat at her bedroom window, staring out at the night sky. Millions of stars twinkled overhead, dazzling in their number. Somewhere out there, amongst all those stars, was a small planet she had once called home. Earth. In two days, she would be on her way to Earth. She could hardly wait to see her parents again.
A soft sigh escaped her lips. So much had happened in the last five years. She had been places and seen things she had never dreamed existed as they explored the galaxy, looking for a place to settle down.
In the end, they had made their home on a small planet named Marna Two, which seemed to be inhabited by people who didn’t seem to fit in anywhere else.
Marna Two was a lovely place, reminiscent, in many ways, of Earth. The sky was not quite blue, not quite lavender, but something in between. There was grass and trees, oceans and lakes, furry animals and brightly colored birds.
As Lainey had always believed, there were lots of different kinds of people: some with blue hair and very pale skin, others who were incredibly hirsute with enormous eyes, and yet, as varied as their appearances, customs, and languages might be, they were all human in shape, reminding her of a Bible verse found in Genesis:
“‘So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.’”
They had lived on Marna Two for almost four years now, and Lainey was happier than she had ever been in her life. In spite of living on a different planet, life was not that different than it had been on Earth. People worked and played, got married and had babies, worried about their children, worshipped as they saw fit.
Micah had a job delivering mail between Marna Two and Quinton Rells. Months of flying around the galaxy looking for a home had cured Lainey of her fear of flying, and she and the children often accompanied Micah on his route.
Best of all, she was able to keep writing. Who would have thought that there would be an audience for mystery novels on a small planet on the east end of the Milky Way? But there was a voracious market that bought everything she turned out and asked for more.
Yes, she thought, turning away from the window, it had been a wonderful five years.
Filled with a sense of joy that made sitting still impossible, Lainey walked down the hallway to the nursery and peeked inside. The twins, Bronte and Bronwyn, were sleeping peacefully. They were almost three years old, and Lainey was certain they were the most beautiful, most precocious little girls ever born. Micah loved his son, beamed with pride at Mike’s every new accomplishment, but the whole family knew that these two little girls had their father completely captivated.
After drawing the covers over her daughters, Lainey crossed the hallway and opened the door to Mike’s bedroom. As usual, he lay sprawled on his back, one arm thrown over his head. He was a handsome boy, the spitting image of his father except for his curly black hair.
Quietly, she closed the door behind her and went down the stairs to the first level. She found Micah in the kitchen, hunched over the table, her latest manuscript spread out in front of him.
“Well, what do you think?” Lainey asked. Standing behind him, she draped her hands over Micah’s shoulders and nuzzled his ear. “Will it sell?”
“It’s a little different from your usual stuff, isn’t it?” Turning his head, Micah kissed her fingertips.
“A little. Do you think anyone will believe it?”
Chuckling softly, Micah pulled Lainey into his lap. “I don’t know, cominza,” he mused, trailing kisses over her face and neck. “Spaceships and alien lovers are pretty farfetched.”
Lainey poked him in the ribs. The story was their story, a modern-day romance that took the heroine to heaven and beyond.
Micah groaned in mock pain as she nudged him in the side again, and then he captured her lips with his, savoring her warmth, her sweetness. The fire between them had never cooled. If anything, the attraction that had ever been there, the passion and the deep inner love they had shared almost from the beginning had only grown stronger.
His arm curved around her waist, drawing her closer still. Resting his head on her breast, he breathed in the fragrance that was Lainey. His woman. His wife. The mother of his children. The author of his happiness.
Daily, he thanked whatever fates had caused his ship to crash on a distant planet, just as he thanked the Supreme Being for the woman in his arms, for the children she had blessed him with, for the love and devotion that warmed him, heart and soul.
“Tell me,” Micah murmured as he trailed moist kisses along the side of her neck, “how does the story end?”
Lainey gazed deep into her husband’s silver-blue eyes, expressive, beautiful eyes that reflected the fathomless depths of his love.
“Can’t you guess?” she asked, a small, happy smile curving her lips. “They lived and loved happily ever after.”
He should have known, Micah thought. Romantic that she was, all Lainey’s books ended the same. And as he drew her into his arms and kissed her, he vowed to do everything in his power to ensure that they, too, would live and love happily ever after.
About Amanda Ashley
Amanda Ashley is one of those rare birds—a California native. She’s lived in Southern California her whole life and loves it. She married her high school sweetheart and they have three sons, all handsome enough to be cover models!
Amanda never intended to be a published author. It just happened. She has always loved to read, though. The Black Stallion books, Nancy Drew, Mary Stewart. And then she discovered romance novels. One night when her husband was at work, her kids were in bed and there was nothing on TV, she sat down and started writing a book of her own. And she’s been writing ever since.
Amanda and her alter ego, Madeline Baker, have written over seventy books, many of which have appeared on various bestseller lists, including the New York Times list, the Waldenbooks Bestseller list, and the USA Today list. Not bad for someone who started writing just for the fun of it.
Sunlight
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Sunlight Copyright © 2014, 2016 Amanda Ashley
Originally published in Sunlight, Moonlight, 1997
Cover design by Cindy Lucas