Page 50 of Tarek

I looked up at him, surprised by how much I needed to hear that. "Good. Because I don't think my brain has caught up with the rest of me yet."

He laughed softly. "Mine either."

That made me feel better than it should have. I wasn't the only one trying to make sense of a situation that had begun with a matching test and somehow led to standing beside a handsome Dragonii who smelled like cardamom and chocolate, with a new colony and an entirely different life waiting for us. For now, that was enough.

I gave him a small smile.

“Come on, I’ll show you where our quarters are so you can both get settled in.”

17

TAREK

Bob had sent me Darren's full profile earlier that day, and I'd read it carefully before our meeting. I knew he was a father of three, that he'd worked as a paralegal for a lawyer specializing in real estate, and that he'd applied for the New Haven position because he wanted to build a safer, more meaningful future for his family and had a desire to help people. I'd also seen his photograph, which showed a handsome human with warm brown eyes and dark hair.

It hadn't captured the way his face changed when he smiled at his children or how his expression softened whenever he looked at Laura. Nor had it conveyed the subtle scent of vanilla, sea salt, and pine that made something deep inside me settle the moment I came within range of him, while exciting that ancient part of my brain that recognized it had scented its intended mate.

The knowledge was both exhilarating and strangely calming. I had spent years working aboard a merchant vessel, protecting cargo and dealing with whatever trouble the crew managed to create. I'd applied for the sheriff's position because I wanted a life on a planet, a place where my work would matter to the people around me. I hadn't expected to find my mate waiting for me there, but now that I had, I couldn't imagine wanting anything else.

Darren was understandably nervous, though he was doing his best to hide it. I could smell the uncertainty beneath his usual scent, along with the attraction he was trying very hard not to show. I wasn't going to embarrass him by mentioning it. We had seven days after meeting to satisfy the mating response, but I had no intention of rushing him simply because the law gave us a deadline. I wanted him to choose me willingly. I wanted him to feel safe with me, to trust me, and to want what was going to happen between us.

He had three children. They were part of his life, and if I wanted to be part of his, I would have to earn their trust as well as his. Watching him with Evan, Matt, and Laura had already told me a great deal about the kind of father he was. I had also seen how he watched me with Vrann. He'd noticed the way the boy stayed close to me, and I suspected he'd been trying to work out what that meant. I hoped he'd understood that I took my responsibilities seriously. Vrann had been through enough upheaval without being hurried into trusting people he had only just met. He deserved time, patience, and adults who meant what they said. Darren seemed to understand that instinctively on his own, as well, and his own interactions with him proved that.

As I followed him to our quarters about the ship, I smiled. He smiled back, and something in my chest eased further. The next few days would bring plenty of practical matters to sort out. We would have to settle into New Haven, learn how to live with the knowledge that we were legally mated, and work out what we both wanted from the relationship. There would be more adults and children to meet, a home to establish while staying wherever it was they’d temporarily lodge us, and a new job for the two of us to settle into.

But for the first time in years, I wasn't thinking about cargo manifests, damaged hull plating, or the next emergency alarm. I was thinking about home and, for the first time, home had a face, a scent, and a smile. It belonged to Darren Brooks, and around him, three small human faces of our children and our canine, which I was about to meet.

And I was going to do everything I could to make sure they all knew they were safe with me.

18

TAREK

Our quarters aboard the Alliance vessel were comfortable enough for the short journey to New Haven, and Bob had evidently made sure we had everything we needed. There was plenty of room for the children to play, a separate sleeping area for Laura, and enough seating for Darren and me to settle down with the colony information without having to perch awkwardly on the edge of a bunk.

The children had immediately claimed the floor, spreading out their toy cars and shuttle and quickly became completely absorbed in an elaborate game that appeared to involve a shuttle rescue, a traffic jam, and somebody's car being accused of stealing another car's parking space. Vrann had joined in without hesitation, and although he was still quieter than the human boys, he was smiling more than he had when we'd first arrived at the spaceport. Skye had settled nearby, watching the proceedings with the patient interest of a canine who was waiting for someone to drop a snack.

Laura, meanwhile, was asleep in her stroller, not even stirring when Darren lowered the seat so she could lie flat. Darren glanced down at her and laughed softly. “She'll sleep through anything. The boys could probably stage an interplanetary war right beside her, and she'd sleep right through the whole thing.”

“That's a useful talent. Especially in a family this size.”

“You have no idea.” Darren grinned at me before turning his attention to the data pad Bob had supplied. “Right. Let's see what our new home looks like.”

I settled into the chair opposite him, stretching my legs out comfortably. We had the rest of today and all of tomorrow before we were due to arrive, and there was no reason we couldn't use the time to familiarize ourselves with the settlement. The information package included maps, photographs, details of the sheriff's office, the school, the medical facilities, and the various businesses already operating in Walnut Grove. The colony was still developing, and while only a limited range of services was available to residents at present, more would be added as positions were filled and buildings erected.

Darren scrolled through the photographs, pausing when he reached the town centre. “Oh, that's fantastic,” he said with a chuckle.

I leaned forward. “What is?”

“The jail.”

I examined the image. It showed three distinct buildings: a wooden sheriff's office with a broad porch, a large and rather grand courthouse nearby, and a smaller but not much less grand building that, when he rotated the view, showed two of the windows on one side were barred.

“What about it?” I asked, wondering if he meant how much simpler our office building was.

Darren tapped the screen. “It looks like Mayberry. The jail is pretty much straight out of an old American television show except for the two windows in the cells, and the sheriff's office looks like something from the Old West.”

I stared at him. “Mayberry?”