Page 271 of Destined For Her Alien Daddy
“Yes.”
She exhales like she has been holding that distinction too tightly. “A home base.”
“With windows.”
“And a table.”
“Several tables.”
“For organized notes.”
I give her a patient look.
“For mostly organized notes,” she amends.
“And a secure office that Brakk is not allowed to wire without supervision.”
“He’ll wire it anyway.”
“Yes, but we will pretend rules exist.”
“Healthy governance.”
I look toward the ship, then back to her. “A shrine.”
Her hand tightens around mine. “For remembering. Choosing. Not forgiving too easily.”
“Yes.”
“And maybe a kitchen.”
“For your pancakes?”
She points at me. “Careful.”
“I will cook.”
“Oh, thank God.”
“I did not realize you had surrendered breakfast.”
“I have strategically delegated breakfast.”
The launch bay announcement chimes overhead.
“All expedition personnel, boarding begins final count. Departure clearance in ten minutes.”
Around us, movement intensifies. Researchers hurry toward the ramp. Technicians clear the loading track. The hum of the ship deepens as her engines cycle through preflight calibration. The air shifts, warmer now with power waking under the deck.
Anita does not move yet.
Neither do I.
She looks at our joined hands. “This feels different.”
“How?”
“Before, everything between us happened under pressure. The bond. The ruins. Rolaev . The archive. The escape. Even the quiet after had the shard sitting in the next room like a morally complicated houseguest.”
