Chapter Five
Avelyn felt her heart break as Lily cried, reaching out for her. The daycare woman looked irritated that the baby was crying, but there wasn’t anything Avelyn could do about it. She’d promised Thrace she would go to the clinic for tests and she couldn’t very well do that with Lily in tow.
“How long will you be?” the woman asked with a Russian accent.
“I’m not sure. I’m meeting the doctor at the clinic for some tests, but I don’t know what all he needs to do. It could be an hour or it could be a few hours.”
“I told Thrace last time he brought this child here she was not welcome back. I do not have time to cater to a wailing baby when there are others needing attention.”
Avelyn felt her anger spark as she narrowed her eyes at the rude woman. “That wailing baby, as you call her, is the sweetest child I’ve ever met. Maybe she cries the entire time she’s here because of you. Perhaps if you weren’t so cold and abrasive, she would react differently to you. She knows you don’t like her, so she doesn’t like you either.”
The woman’s lips twisted in a sneer and she thrust Lily back into Avelyn’s arms. “I will not watch her.”
Before Avelyn could respond, the door was slammed shut in her face. She looked down at sweet Lily, who was hiccupping but no longer screaming. Avelyn comforted the baby and walked away from the daycare center. She had a choice to make. She could either go to Xonos’ office and ask if the baby could stay, or she’d have to make other arrangements for Lily and come back. Since she was already at the Terran station, she figured she might as well start with Xonos and see what he had to say.
As she approached the clinic, she saw Thrace leaning against the wall, one booted foot propped and his arms folded over his massive chest. He frowned when he saw Lily in her arms and shoved away from the wall, walking toward her. Lily babbled and cooed at him and he smiled at the sweet girl.
“I thought she was staying at daycare?” he asked.
“There was a slight problem. That wretched woman might have said some disparaging things about Lily, which may have led to me losing my temper and going off on her.” Avelyn shrugged. “Neither of us is welcome at daycare now. Which was driven home by the door being slammed in our faces.”
“That woman needs to be replaced,” he grumbled. “You can’t very well go through with your appointment if Lily is clinging to you, and I can’t take her because I have work to do.”
“Then I’ll have to make other arrangements and either come back later today or maybe tomorrow. I can always see if Victoria would watch her for a little while, if she isn’t too busy.”
Thrace curled an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him, Lily cradled between the two of them. “I don’t like the idea of having to wait. I want to set your mind at ease on the issue so we can move forward with our lives.”
“I know, and I want that too, even though I’m not as confident about the outcome as you are, but I have to think of Lily first.”
“And that is why I love you.” He stiffened and his eyes went wide, his face paling a shade.
Avelyn had no doubt that the words had just slipped out, and there was a good chance he didn’t mean them. She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek before pulling away. That brief contact of her lips against his warm skin was enough to make her want a proper kiss, the kind of kiss that curled her toes and made her forget everything around her.
“I should go home and call Victoria.”
“Let’s step inside and speak to Xonos first, that way he’ll know to expect you either later today or in the morning.”
Avelyn followed him inside the clinic and smiled at the very pregnant redhead in the waiting room. The woman looked up, saw Thrace, and smiled. Jealousy bit into Avelyn, but she forced it back. Obviously, the woman was already with someone, considering her current state.
“Thrace!” The woman managed to stand and waddled over to them. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Good morning, Brielle.”
Avelyn watched as the petite woman hugged Thrace and fought the urge to bare her teeth at the woman.
“Brielle,” Thrace said, “this is Avelyn. We’re hoping to become mated, as soon as Xonos can examine her and we complete the paperwork.”
The redhead’s smile widened. “How wonderful! Were you hoping to see him this morning?”
“That was the plan,” Avelyn said. “Until the daycare refused to watch Lily.”
Brielle frowned. “They won’t watch her? But… isn’t that their job?”
“They said she requires too much of their attention because she cries the entire time she’s there. I may have had a few choice words to say to them as well.”
Brielle nodded. “As you should have. Well, I think my appointment is going to go by quickly. I don’t have any plans today and I could stay and watch her if you’d like? I could take her to the employee lounge.”
Avelyn looked at Thrace. “There’s a lounge?”
“Yes. I didn’t get to finish our tour yesterday.” He smiled. “But I think Brielle has an excellent idea, if she’s sure she doesn’t mind watching Lily.”
“Not at all,” Brielle assured them. “I know she can be fussy, but it will be good practice for me.”
Thrace frowned and pressed a finger to his ear. “Tell them I’ll be right there.”
“What is it?” Avelyn asked.
“Work. I’ll come check on you as soon as I’m free.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and took off at a run.
“I don’t see how you do it,” Brielle said. “I’d worry about my husband every time he walked out the door if he worked security around here. With so many alien races in one building, and not all of them friendly toward one another, and also the humans who kick up a fuss things can get scary. There was a bomb threat just last month.”
“He said he was with the military on his world, so I’m assuming he’s been trained for this kind of work.” Although, she had to admit the idea of a bomb was terrifying. Thrace might be good at his job, but he wasn’t invincible.
Brielle nodded. “I’m sure he is.”
Xonos entered the waiting area and smiled at them. “Morning, ladies. Brielle, I know you had an appointment, but to what do I owe the pleasure, Avelyn?”
“Thrace and I had a discussion about mates and he would like for you to run some tests on me. I told him your council would never approve me as a mate because I can’t have children anymore. I had a miscarriage and there was some internal damage.”
“And Thrace wants me to verify or disprove what your doctor told you?” Xonos asked.
“Yes. That is, if you have time this morning. If not, I can make arrangements to come back at another time. Brielle offered to watch Lily once her appointment is over.”
“I can work you in this morning. My schedule is pretty light until closer to lunch. Well, barring any emergencies. They don’t happen often, but they do crop up here and there. It’s bound to happen when you thrust together so many different people from different backgrounds. Not everyone gets along, even if they are all here for the same reason. I think the competition just makes it worse.”
“I’ll wait out here while you see Brielle, then I’ll hand Lily to her while you do whatever it is that needs to be done to me.”
Xonos laughed. “Very well. Brielle’s appointment shouldn’t take long.”
Avelyn sat as Brielle went into the back. With Lily in her lap, she pointed at the large screen on the wall and tried to interest the baby in the movie that played. Lily, however, was more fascinated with Avelyn’s hair, and wound it around her chubby little hands and yanked.
They didn’t wait for very long. Brielle hurried out and scooped Lily up into her arms. The baby looked momentarily startled and looked from Brielle to Avelyn, as if deciding whether or not she should cry. Avelyn stood, kissed Lily’s cheek, and handed the diaper bag to Brielle.
“Sweet girl, Momma will come get you shortly. Okay?”
/> It was the first time she’d referred to herself as Lily’s mother, but it felt right.
“Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma.” Lily reached for her.
Avelyn felt a rush of pleasure that her sweet girl’s first word was momma. Sort of. She didn’t think Thrace would be too thrilled with the news though. He’d spent months with Lily, and by all rights, it should have been Da-Da that she said first. Maybe that was something they could work on and surprise him, hopefully before Lily called her momma in front of him.
Avelyn waved bye as Brielle walked out with Lily. The baby didn’t look too certain about being taken away, but at least she wasn’t screaming. Yet. Xonos motioned for Avelyn to follow him. The room they entered was stark white with a counter, several cabinets, and a bunch of gadgets she couldn’t identify.
“Why don’t you tell me a little more about your situation?” Xonos asked. “I know you said there was a miscarriage, but that doesn’t usually result in damage that is irreversible.”
“I was married to an abusive man. We argued one day and he shoved me down a flight of stairs. I was about four months pregnant at the time and I miscarried from the fall. I had some bruised ribs, a fractured wrist, and some other slight injuries from the fall. The doctor who patched me up told me that either I would never have children again, or if I did become pregnant, there was a chance I wouldn’t carry to term.”
“I see.” Xonos frowned. “I’m going to pull out a gown and step out of the room while you change.”
He pulled a garment from a cabinet and set it on the table next to her, then stepped out of the room just as he’d promised. Avelyn quickly changed clothes and got back up on the table. When Xonos entered the room again, she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach. Whatever he discovered today, would mean the difference in her having a happily-ever-after, or possibly having to find a new job. She didn’t think she could continue to work for Thrace if it meant getting more and more attached to Lily and him, only to lose them to another woman when he selected a mate. Someone as handsome and kind as Thrace wouldn’t be alone forever. It was too depressing to even think about.
“Why don’t we start with a bio scan?” he suggested. “Lie back on the table.”
While she did as he requested, he went across the room and pulled a blanket from the cabinet. He draped it over the lower half of her body before raising her gown to just under her breasts. She watched as he pulled a small metal cylinder from his pocket and then scanned her stomach with it.
He frowned as he studied the gadget and then rolled a bigger machine over toward her. He levered the arm over her and she watched as a bright green light scanned her abdomen after which the machine gave him a readout. Xonos studied it a moment and then looked at her, as if contemplating what to say.
“I’m not sure how to tell you this. You’re certain the doctor said you wouldn’t have children because of the accident?”
“Yes. He said they had to operate.”
“Was this doctor a friend of your mate’s by any chance? Someone who might do you harm if your mate had requested it?”
She opened and shut her mouth several times before answering. “I don’t know. I guess it’s possible. The fall knocked me out and I woke up in the hospital after my injuries had been taken care of. I only know what the hospital did because the doctor told me about it when I woke up.”
“I’m going to step out again and let you get dressed; then we need to have a rather serious talk.”
Dread filled her, but she nodded and sat up. After Xonos left, she got dressed quickly and then opened the door so he would know she was finished. He was leaning against the wall in the hall and stepped inside when he saw her.
“Maybe we should have this talk in my office. And I think Thrace should be present, if he’s able to attend.”
The feeling of unease tripled as she followed Xonos to his office in the back of the building. She settled into a chair and waited while he called Thrace. The doctor’s expression was grim while they waited. When Thrace burst into the room, she fought to hold back tears, certain they were about to hear something unsettling. He lifted her out of her chair, sat down, and pulled her into his lap. With his arms wrapped around her, she supposed she was as ready as she’d ever be to hear the news.
“Thrace, I asked Avelyn some questions about her past and the miscarriage she had because it didn’t make sense to me that there would be severe damage. I don’t know much about human medicine, but I figured they would have come far enough along that something like a miscarriage shouldn’t prevent her from having more children.”
“Is the damage extensive?” Thrace asked.
“That’s just it. There’s no damage.” Xonos looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know how to say this, but… they performed a hysterectomy on her. I’m not sure how they did it without her noticing. There should have been hormone pills she needed to take.”
Avelyn was in a state of shock. “Hysterectomy?”
“Either your mate ordered it done because he thought you would return to him, and he didn’t wish to have children with you, or he knew you would try to leave and wanted to ruin your life. Either way, it’s irreversible.”
Thrace’s arms tightened around her. “Is there any way you can write up something for me to present to the council showing that this was done to her and she is in no way at fault for her inability to have children?”
“Thrace, they’ll never approve of me,” she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. “It’s over. We just need to move on and figure out what happens now. Obviously, you’ll find a mate one day and I’ll be in the way. Maybe I can stay with you long enough to earn some money to sustain me while I search for another job. I’d like to see Lily occasionally, if that’s okay.”
He growled. “You’re not going to see Lily occasionally, you’re going to see her every day. I don’t care that you can’t have children. I told you before that there is always adoption. Having you in my life is much more important to me than being able to have children of my own blood.”
“I’ll get something written up and ready for you by the end of the day,” Xonos said. “And if you need me to speak to them, I’ll be happy to do so. I’m sorry I didn’t have better news for you.”
“How could he have done this to me?” She sobbed against Thrace’s chest.
“I don’t know, but we won’t let him get away with it. As soon as we’re mated, I’ll make sure he’s prosecuted for what he did to you. As the mate of a Terran, you will be deemed far more important than him, despite his money.”
“They’ll never let us be together.” She blinked up at him tearfully.
“You need to call Kelvyk,” Xonos said. “You can ask him to speak to his uncle on your behalf. If Chief Councillor Borgoz approves the mating, it will go through without issue.”
“I’ll place the call as soon as I escort Avelyn and Lily to a limo. I only wish I could take the day off to be with them.”
“I’ll be fine,” Avelyn assured him. “It’s upsetting news, but it isn’t something we can change. And if your council comes back and says we can’t be mated, then you’ll have to accept it, Thrace. I don’t want you to anger them by pushing the issue.”
“I will fight back with everything I have, Avelyn, because you are worth having, at any cost. The worst they can do is ban me, in which case I will appeal to Earth’s government to become part of their society. And if they won’t have me, then I will find us another world to live on, but what I won’t do is give up.”
Avelyn’s eyes teared up again at his words. In that moment, she knew that love wasn’t going to come someday. She loved him already. Who wouldn’t fall in love with such an incredible male? He was the stuff dreams were made of. So what if his skin was a lilac color? Or if his eyes were purple? Truthfully, she found him to be breathtaking and loved those things about him. She was saddened by the fact they couldn’t have children together because they would have been beautiful babies.
“If you’re willing to fight, t
hen I will fight by your side,” she said softly. “If you’re willing to give up everything to be with me, I will do the same for you. All I want is for us to be a family -- Lily, you, and me. That’s all that matters.”
He smiled. “Come. I’ll take you to Brielle and Lily, and then walk you to the limo. You should go home and rest until I get off work. Maybe we’ll go out somewhere nice for dinner. Stop in one of the shops at the hotel and ask them to charge your purchase to my room, and don’t argue about it. I’ll have to make sure you have access to my funds so you can buy more clothes. I’m sure Lily needs things too.”
By now, she knew better than to argue with him. He could be so stubborn! But she knew he was doing it because he cared. Everything Thrace did was for Lily’s benefit, or hers. He seldom did anything that was just for him. She’d have to make arrangements for him to have some male bonding time with his friends. She knew he liked Xonos and hoped Victoria would know of other friends she could contact, or perhaps their mates. The women could arrange something for all of their men. Did alien men like movie nights, watching sports, or playing video games? Thrace almost always put something on that either Lily or she wanted to watch so she didn’t know what he did or didn’t like. She’d have to rectify that.
When they entered the lounge, Brielle smiled and carried Lily over to them. The little girl was fussing a little, but it wasn’t an all-out scream fest just yet. Avelyn held out her arms and Lily practically threw herself at her.
“Ma. Ma. Ma. Ma,” Lily babbled.
Thrace’s eyes widened. “She called you momma.”
“It was an accident. I swear I haven’t been training her to say that.” Avelyn worried he would be angry, but a huge smile diffused her worries.
“Can you teach her to say Da-Da too?”
“You’re not upset she called me momma?”
Thrace wrapped an arm around her waist. “Of course not. You are her momma. I think that’s been apparent from the moment she went to you at the station in Las Vegas. She chose you, Avelyn, just as I have. We’re yours, and you’re ours.”
Avelyn and the Alien Daddy (Intergalactic Brides 3) Page 5