Page 102 of Truthful Deceptions

With a chuckle, I recapped the conversation. Unlike me, Cleo didn't seem confused by Sloane, she only looked sad.

“None of us have had it easy,” she murmured. “But it seems like Sloane might have had it worse. I wonder what her childhood was like.”

“If you want to know, you can ask,” I said. “I'm not opening that box.”

“Maybe someday,” Cleo agreed.

“She said she was always pretending,” I said. “Do you think she really likes JJ or that she was pretending so you'd like her?”

Cleo's brows wrinkled as she thought about it. “You know, I'm not sure, and that's unsettling.”

I nodded my head. “Well, I told her to be herself, so I guess we'll see who she is soon.”

“I hope so,” Cleo said.

“How long until you can come back to the suite?” I asked.

“The healers said tomorrow morning,” she said, “as long as JJ keeps being perfect and the nanos in my body do their job. But they still want to check on me once a day. They wouldn't tell me how long that would last.”

I nodded my head over to where Narmuna and Lexarit were talking with Tolly and one of the law keepers.

“How are they handling everything?”

“Like proud papas,” she said. “JJ hasn't been set on a bed yet because one of us is always holding him. They have endless questions for me and Healer Grifforum about child development. Every time he makes a sound, they half panic.”

“That sounds like the average first-time parent,” I said. “Remember, these guys didn't grow up like us, taking care of siblings or other children in the neighborhood. They don't even have that experience to go by.”

“I know,” she said. “It's equal parts adorable and annoying.”

“They're going to be great dads,” I said.

She nodded. “As good as Jasper would’ve been.”

“You know, I think Jasper picked them for you,” I said. “He knew you’d need plenty of help, so he got you two Talins.”

She rolled her eyes at the same time JJ woke up and started fussing. She held out her arms, and I handed him over. She tucked him against a breast, and he latched on and fed with gusto.

“Good job,” I told him. “Keep it up and we'll promote you to toddler.”

Chapter 30

Opal

“Why did you want to meet them here?” Tolly asked. We were sitting on a bench in the play area waiting for a Talin to arrive with his human. Even though I was by myself and sitting on a bench next to Tolly, Talins had gathered around the fence to watch.

“It'll be easier to get the human by herself so I can check to make sure she's okay,” I explained. “You could talk to her owner about the contracts he's offering. That'll keep him away from us.”

“That's a good plan,” he said with a rumble of agreement.

I smirked. “I thought so.”

“Have you had time to read the contracts I sent you?” he asked.

“Most of them, but a few were too complicated for me to make it through,” I admitted. “I wish you guys used Universal. It’d be a lot easier if I didn't have to run everything through translation.”

“I'm sorry. I should've thought of that,” he said. “When we get back to the suite, I'll go over them with you. Narmuna was hoping to have a crew meeting soon to decide on a few things, including picking a few contracts. I want you to be able to make an informed choice when we get to that part of the meeting.”

“This is the first time I've ever been a decision-making member of a crew,” I said. “I like it.”