Page 78 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space

I could only imagine the mix of emotions, from the fear of surgery, to holding the baby he’d longed to carry.

It was as he relaxed, leaning back against the bed, our son on his chest, that I perched on the bed next to him.

“Did you pick a name?” I asked.

He looked at me, then our son, and back to me. “I did.”

His gaze drifted back down. “Hunter.”

I blinked several times. “Hunter? Isn’t that a human name?”

“It is.”

“I thought…”

He looked back up and smiled. “I considered it for many weeks, ever since you suggested that I honor Naqoi. That meant more to me than I could ever describe. But it never felt right. I wanted something that symbolized us instead. I remembered the early days, when we would watch television in your room. The show we talked about the most… your favorite character’s name was Hunter.”

He paused and gave me a smile. “That felt right, and as soon as I saw him, I knew.”

I smiled and leaned in to kiss him. “This is what you want?”

“Yes.”

I turned and ran my hand over our son’s head. “Welcome to the world, Hunter.”

His life wasn’t going to be easy. The hopes and dreams of the Lalyllte were on his shoulders, as well as the other babies that would be born. Would our children be able to turn the tide and help their civilization grow again?

And how would the people of Earth react when the truth was revealed? Would they be ready?

But none of that mattered yet. For now, he was simply our son. He had a family that would love him and raise him to be the best man he could be.

I turned back to Eashai and smiled. He was my mate—my partner.

Never would I have imagined that I’d be in love with a man from another planet, or that we’d have a child together, but now I could see my life no other way.

And I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for us.