Page 14 of Mate for the Space Cowboy (Match Made in Space #3)

Chapter Fourteen

MELODY

“Can you see?” the doctor asks.

I peer at the screen she’s showing us. I know I’m pregnant because I can feel it. What started as almost a subtle hum inside has become a strong sense of presence.

Hunter stands next to where I’m seated on the exam table. “Wow,” I breathe, looking at the shadowy shape in the image.

The doctor looks from me to Hunter. “There’s your little baby,” she says. “We can already see a little tail developing.” She points at a blurry spot on the image.

When I look up at Hunter and see tears shining in his eyes, I feel like my heart might burst out of my chest. “I can’t believe it!” I exclaim.

I look over at the doctor again while Hunter squeezes my hand. “I felt like I was pregnant, but I’m surprised that it happened so fast,” I add.

The doctor taps through a few screens on her computer before facing me again. She grew up here and has a slender tail that flicks behind her as her intelligent gaze studies me. “Most women from Earth say that, but our research is clear. Human women become more fertile when they come to our planet. Right now, our people need this,” she says. “We’re grateful you are willing to come here.” The doctor shifts her focus to Hunter. “And how are you feeling, our father-to-be?”

“Very excited.” He looks down at me. “But now I’m going to worry about Melody.”

The doctor’s chuckle is warm. “She’ll be fine. She is very healthy, and the pregnancy is progressing as it should. All of her vital signs are strong. Do you have any questions for me before I go to my next patient?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”

She dips her chin in acknowledgment. “Please schedule with the receptionist on the way out. We have a regular series of appointments for you. If anything comes up, all you have to do is page our office through your communicator. We have backup emergency services if needed. I don’t anticipate you’ll need that at any point, though.”

With another smile, she slips out of the office. Hunter steps in front of me, letting his forehead fall to mine. “I love you.” His voice is gruff.

“And I, you,” I say.

He places a palm over my belly as he lifts his head. “I can already feel the curve. I’ve also noticed that your breasts are swelling.”

His eyes drop to my breasts, and I giggle. He takes a quick breath. “I will try not to worry too much.”

I place my palm over his where it rests on my belly. “You worry too much as it is. I’ll be fine,” I say.

That afternoon, Hunter has to go to work. In addition to monitoring the protesters, Earth has sent their first team of emissaries to our planet in decades. It’s a big deal. Many have gathered at the governmental buildings to address this, and Jane is in meetings with them.

Nadine has told me she’s having a support group this afternoon, so I decide to join her. I feel like I’ve adjusted to life here fairly well. I enjoy meeting with the women from Earth and feeling like I’m a part of something.

Nadine is already there with Romi, Risa, Hannah, Jenny, and Martha. When I sit down beside Romi, she smiles at me and waggles her brows. “Congratulations,” she says in a sing-song voice.

“Is it official?” Nadine asks.

I nod. “Yes, I saw the doctor today with Hunter. I can’t wait.” I feel like I’ve been smiling for hours at this point.

“What’s official?” Martha asks.

“I’m pregnant. I thought I was, but I wasn’t ready to say anything about it until the doctor confirmed it. To be honest…” I pause, my gaze sobering. “When I lived on Earth, the last thing I wanted was to have a baby. I hoped to avoid men and family for the rest of my life. I can’t believe how different I feel after just a few months here.”

“Here, having a family is worth it,” Nadine offers softly.

“It is,” I agree.

Risa glances toward Romi. “And what about you? Have you met your mate yet?”

I expect Romi to shake her head and be dismissive, but when she hesitates and her cheeks turn pink, my mouth drops open. “Who?” I gasp.

“Tell us everything,” Nadine teases. She gestures to the center of the table. “And, please, eat. I got the snacks from the coffee shop. Trudy made her special cookies, and the lemonade is, of course, from the lemon grove in town.”

“Romi has been a little cynical about meeting anyone. We weren’t sure she’d even want to find a mate,” I explain to the newer women in our group as I take a cookie and a glass of lemonade.

Romi rolls her eyes. “I’ve been worried I wouldn’t find a mate, but…” Pausing, she looks toward me. “When Hunter and his team returned to the stables, there was a man with them who I hadn’t seen yet.” Her cheeks are bright red, and she pauses to take a swallow of lemonade.

“And?” Nadine circles her hand in the air impatiently.

Romi rolls her eyes again. “And, well, there was a vibe.”

“A vibe or a pulse?” I prompt.

Romi sighs. “I don’t know what the infinity pulse feels like, but I know this man wouldn’t stop looking at me. He’s the first alien I’ve met that I might want anything to do with. Well, not just alien man, but a man of any species—human, alien, or otherwise.”

Nadine and I laugh together, along with the other women who join in.

Romi throws her hands up. “I can’t help that I don’t like men. I mean, Asher seems really nice, and Kayden worships the very ground you walk on, but still,” she says dryly. Her eyes arc toward me. “Hunter worships you too, and it’s strange to see.” She looks toward the new women who’ve arrived from Earth. “The way the men here treat women is…” She sighs dramatically. “You’d think it was a joke. Even the couples who don’t have the infinity pulse are good to each other. The men are respectful of women here. They’re kind, and they protect them. The women are treated…”

When she pauses again, Nadine interjects, “Like equals.”

“Yeah.” Romi nods vigorously. “It’s crazy.”

“What’s his name?” I ask, wondering if I’ve met the man Romi might like.

“Thorne. Hunter said that even though he’s grumpy, he’s a good man. It was kind of funny,” Romi offers with a shrug. “Hunter saw us looking at each other.”

“I’ve met Thorne,” Nadine offers, her lips teasing with a smile. “He is on the broody side. I agree with Hunter that he can be a grump. I’ll ask Kayden about him and get the whole scoop.”

“Same,” I offer. “If he was with Hunter, then he’s on the team of spies. Hunter only works with those he trusts, so that’s a good sign about Thorne.”

“Can someone explain this whole spy thing to us?” Risa asks.

Nadine quickly summarizes the situation. “This planet is a democracy. They vote and everything, but they’ve always had a figurehead royal family. They keep it that way because it’s a benevolent leadership, and the royal family protects the planet.”

“It’s one of the best planets in the galaxy,” I add. “We have the best medical care here. We offer services all over the galaxy, even to Earth.”

“Anyway, long story short, there’s a small group in one town that has been protesting the line of succession in the royal family,” Romi says.

I roll my eyes. “They say we shouldn’t have a royal family, but they want to change the royal family succession so they can be part of it. Before Asher found Jane on Earth, he had to marry within a certain timeframe. He was running out of time. That’s why they came to Earth. Although they’ve traveled to Earth for centuries. That’s not anything new, but after so many women died in the big space storm during the festival to honor women, they came up with this plan to set up a matchmaking service with Earth. That’s why we’re all here.”

Nadine picks up the thread. “Asher married in time, and Jane’s already had a baby. The protesters kidnapped her, though, so now it’s a big deal.”

Jenny gasps.

“Women are much safer here than on Earth,” I hurry to explain. “Jane wasn’t harmed, but the spies that are part of the security for the royal family and the government are monitoring the situation in that town. There are new security protocols in place for all of us.”

“The men who spy are some of the most trusted bodyguards in the royal security. Since Thorne is one of them, that’s a good sign,” Nadine adds. “We’ll get the details on him. I know Melody will help me find out everything we need to know.”

Romi looks between us, vulnerability and uncertainty flickering in her eyes. I smile over at her. “I want you to experience the infinity pulse, although I totally understand your perspective. I felt the same way. I thought if I could just get married and not have to worry about being beaten, that would be enough. I still believe that, but I hope for more for you too.”

Romi startles me by leaning over and giving me a quick side hug. “Enough about me. Let’s talk about something else,” she announces a moment later.

Nadine is excited about her support group and launches into an introduction of why she wanted to start this. She even brings out a whiteboard, eliciting a chuckle from Romi.

Nadine grins over at her. “Hey, this will help us too. There’s so much to learn.” She glances among us. “So many different aliens travel to this planet because it’s an intergalactic hub. This planet is respected by many others and provides support all over the galaxy. Until I arrived, I didn’t know they’d provided food and other supplies to Earth for decades.”

“I’m wondering about Earth finally traveling here,” I chime in. “It’s not like they don’t travel at all, but they have shitty spaceships. Only the wealthiest of the wealthy can afford to travel. They certainly haven’t sent a governmental emissary group anywhere recently.”

“We don’t freaking know how much people from Earth have traveled,” Romi says bluntly. “I mean, sure, we know they haven’t come here, but who would tell us back there? Here, there’s news, and we have access to information. The only thing we had on Earth was GalaxyCosmo. I’ve learned more about Earth’s history here than I did living on Earth. My mom was a teacher for a while, and my grandmother was too, so we had some old history books hidden, but there were missing pages.” Romi shakes her head. She turns her focus to the new women in the group. “No matter what, life here will be better for you. Even though I worry, Jane promises us that you're safe here, even if you don’t find a mate. I believe her.”

“I do too. Also, if you decide you want to have kids but don’t find a mate, they have a whole program for that. Trudy, an orc who lives here, and her wife plan to have a baby. Trudy is so excited,” Nadine explains.

“What about jobs? We want to work,” Risa says.

Nadine gets rolling with that question, happily using her whiteboard to list their options.