by Fiona Roarke
Gabrielle clung to him and started crying. She couldn’t help it. He was an incredible lover. He’d followed her to the ends of the universe, literally. He gave up everything he knew for her. He abdicated a throne for her. He pissed off his mother, the Queen, for her. What could she ever give him to measure up to all his sacrifices? Did she deserve to be this happy?
“Why the sorrow, Gabrielle?” she heard him murmur against her throat. He sounded sad.
“I don’t think I deserve you, Keller.” She sobbed.
Keller slowly lifted himself onto his forearms and gave her an engaging glare. She couldn’t turn away. He mesmerized her.
Inhaling deeply as if taming his temper, he then smiled wickedly. “This again,” he said evenly. “I already left one planet. I can’t imagine where we’ll move to now. Mars? Jupiter?”
“You deserve to be king and marry a princess.”
“Don’t you love me?”
“Doesn’t matter.” And the tears fell copiously from her eyes.
“Sure it does. You are better than any princess I’ve ever known. It makes me mourn to see water come from your eyes.”
“Earth men don’t like to see women cry, either.”
“I love you, Gabrielle. Please become my life partner. I bought you a ring from the Home Shopping Network last night and everything.”
“What?” Gabrielle stopped crying and lifted her head off the pillow. “The Home Shopping Network? Are you joking?” She made a mental note to put a block on certain cable channels for him. A vision of faux white gold band with a forty-eight carat cubic-zirconium golf ball embedded danced before her mind.
“Yes, I learned about joking, too. Comedy Central. Very amusing.” He laughed. “You should see your face, Gabrielle.”
She squinted at him, trying not to smile in return. Keller had a sense of humor after all. Who would have thought?
“So, do you have a ring or not, Romeo?”
“Almost. I ordered it from a place called Tiffany.com. My Earth mother assured me it is the very best place.”
“Tiffany’s good,” she said, relaxing a bit. “So, where is it?”
“To be delivered to my apartment later on today.”
“This ring you got,” she said mischievously, “is it big?”
“I imagine it’s adequate enough in size to get the job done.”
“Will I be able to lift my hand?”
“Of course. Will you marry me, Gabrielle? I love you,” he said sincerely, his eyes shining with pure, unadulterated love for her.
Gabrielle looked at him, overwhelmed by her own love for him. “I will. I do love you, Keller. Don’t ever doubt my feelings for you.”
Then they sealed the proposal with…just a kiss.
Epilogue
Skippy took an instant liking to Keller who secretly fed him dog treats like candy to a spoiled child whenever Gabrielle wasn’t looking. Keller took an instant liking to Skippy, too, because they both loved Gabrielle unconditionally.
Keller took Gabrielle to his Earth mother’s house for dinner the very next night. Ruth Keller was indeed delighted her son was dating a sweet girl. As expected, she began asking about their future wedding plans before dessert was served.
Gabrielle was overjoyed to have a future mother-in-law who actually liked her and didn’t think her son was too good for the likes of her.
Keller waited a whole week before giving the Tiffany ring to Gabrielle. He asked her formally in a public restaurant with several strangers clapping at his bended knee proposal.
After waiting two months, they did get married in a small civil ceremony, where Ruth cried buckets as she held Skippy on her lap. Gabrielle insisted the vows contain the words “life partner” in there a couple times so Keller would feel at home.
Sometime later, and after several attempts at the reproduction ceremony, where Gabrielle finally learned the optimal position for impregnation, she found out soon after she was gestating an alien human hybrid. Keller and Ruth were both beside themselves with joy as Gabrielle enjoyed crackers and Sprite until she, too, felt the joy.
Eight months later, she bore Keller a son, whom they named Craig in honor of a friend from far away. Gabrielle wisely said giving him the name Crag would only make him the kick toy of bullies everywhere.
Eight months and two years later, Gabrielle bore Keller twin daughters, Emma Ruth and Elizabeth, which Keller warned her was going to happen if she kept requesting the optimal position for impregnation on a regular basis, whether they were trying to conceive or not.
Keller and Gabrielle were strolling with the children in the park one day when, lo and behold, they received an unexpected visitor. Elsbeth, Queen of Tiburon, who still ruled with an iron fist, came to visit the son who’d abdicated the throne in favor of one puny, alien, female creature, and of course, to meet her new grandchildren.
Keller and his mother forged a fragile peace and forgave each other. Gabrielle was moved to invite her alien mother-in-law to visit planet Earth anytime she wanted but added, “Please call first, and try to come at night.” Don’t want to alarm the other puny, earthling neighbors.
And like most fairytales, Gabrielle and Keller, along with Skippy, Ruth, and the hybrid children, lived happily ever after.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fiona Roarke
Fiona Roarke is a multi-published author who lives a quiet life, with the exception of the characters and stories roaming around in her head. She writes about sexy alpha heroes in many different genres because nothing’s sexier than a good man gone bad boy.
When she's not curled on the sofa reading a great book or at the movie theater watching the latest action film, Fiona spends her time writing about the next bad boy (or bad boy alien) who needs his story told.
A hearty dose of laughter, each and every day, is required, along with lots of coffee first thing in the morning, as important parts of her daily routine.
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