Page 126 of Alien Soldier's Heir

“Takes more than a wormhole to kill me.”

Her laugh breaks on a sob. She leans down and kisses my forehead, my cheek, my lips—featherlight, frantic, like if she stops I might disappear.

I reach up and thread my fingers through hers. Pull her hand to my chest, right over my heart.

“I’m staying,” I say. “For good.”

She swallows. “You better.”

“No more wormholes. No more missions. No more maybes.”

“You’re really ready for that?” she asks, voice so soft I almost miss it.

“I don’t want space anymore,” I say. “I want this. You. Him. The chaos, the crayons on the floor, the cold caf, all of it. I want mornings with you in this bed. I want Dar waking us up too early. I want roots.”

Her eyes fill, glimmering with unshed tears.

“And I want you to know I mean it,” I add, reaching into the drawer beside the bed.

She watches as I pull out a small leather cord, threaded with something old and silver at the center—weathered, a little bent, but still recognizable.

My flight wings.

Alliance issue.

Decommissioned when I quit, retired with honors after the wormhole collapse.

I had Verzius help me punch a hole in the middle and string them on a cord.

I hold it out to her.

“I’m not good with speeches,” I say, heart thudding in my chest, “but this—this is everything I’ve been. Everything I’ve done. And I don’t want to fly anymore unless it’s with you.”

Her lips part. A soft sound escapes.

“I’m not giving you a ring,” I add. “I’m giving you this. The one thing that’s ever meant anything to me before I met you. I want you to have it. I want you to wear it. I want you to say yes.”

She blinks once.

Twice.

Then laughs—wet and shaky and perfect.

“Yes,” she breathes, voice breaking. “Of course, yes. You ridiculous, wonderful man.”

Then she’s on top of me, kissing me like we’ve got eternity.

Which maybe we do.

“Ew!” comes a voice from the hallway.

Nova pulls back just as Dar peeks around the corner, hands over his face, eyes wide.

“GROSS!”

I grin. “Kid’s got timing.”

Verzius appears behind Dar, sipping from a cup that definitely isn’t his. “I told him not to look. He didn’t listen.”