CHLOE

I rub my rounded belly as I gaze out at the fields of our farm. Jutari should be coming in for the day soon, and I’m eager to see him. I want a foot rub, a shoulder rub, and a kiss, not necessarily in that order. It’s been a long but successful day, and I gaze around my small kitchen with pleasure. Three hundred cans of jitai berry jam and a hundred sixteen loaves of protein bread that can be vacuum sealed into tiny nuggets and will last for years. Yesterday was seski pickles, a savory sort of vegetable I’ve learned to love. Farming—even in outer space—is all about canning and making the food last so you don’t have to worry about your next meal. There’s a quiet sort of joy in seeing a stocked pantry, and this time it’s no different than the last time we harvested and made supplies for the long winters on Risda III.

Well, no, I take it back. Last winter I wasn’t pregnant. Last winter, we’d sent off for a “frontier” doctor to come and visit our homestead out on the far reaches of the known galaxies. He’d arrived and shot me full of hormones that would allow my body to recognize and accept Jutari’s sperm and for us to have a child.

Now here we are, almost a full Earth-year later (and two-thirds of a Risda year), and my belly’s finally bulging out and I’m getting past the barfs that come with the first trimester of normal human pregnancy. Jutari’s people—the messakah—seem to be pregnant for a long, long time, so we’re not exactly sure when this baby will be coming, but it’ll be baking for a while longer. That’s all right by me—I’m enjoying being pregnant (now that I’m not puking all the time), and I’m enjoying the closeness it’s brought Jutari and myself.

I never thought I’d love my big blue guy so freaking much. Even now, just thinking about him makes me sigh happily. I peek out the window to see if he’s coming home, and my heart races when I see a familiar pair of broad shoulders and arched horns heading in through the fields. He’s home.

I move to the front panel of our house and push the button that opens the “portal,” though I’ll always think of it as a front door. Our home is a little domed construction that’s thermoregulated even in the heat of summer and the cold of winter, and it’s not huge, but I like its coziness. Since I’m pregnant and can’t work in the field with Jutari (I think my protective guy would have a heart attack at the thought) I’ve worked on making our home more pleasant. I’ve gotten yarn from a neighboring farm that raises goat-like fluffy creatures, and my mom taught me how to crochet years ago, so I’ve been busy making blankets and wall hangings and anything else I can imagine.

Jutari’s broad face lights up at the sight of me coming out to greet him, and it’s like we’re newlyweds all over again, even though we’ve been “mated” for almost two years now. His steps pick up until he reaches my side, and then he grabs me in his arms, lifts me off my feet, and nuzzles my neck. “My sweet wife. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” I wrap my arms and legs around him and hold tight. “How’s the farming?”

He presses a kiss to my mouth, and his hands slide to my butt, holding me against him. “Good. The kachas got into the beans again, but Goros says he’ll give us two of their young when they’re weaned in exchange for what we’ve lost.”

“They’re good neighbors,” I agree, thinking of Goros’s nearby farm, and kiss my Jutari again. “You upset?”

“Not at all. My little human has mentioned how much she likes kacha milk, so I thought it would be good to have a few of our own.” He grins at me. “I hope you are ready to tend animals.”

“Well, I clean up after you, so I figure if that hasn’t trained me, nothing will.”

“That so?” He mock-growls, and nibbles at my neck, making me squeal. I love how playful my big blue husband is. I’d have never thought that the big, fierce, blue alien in maximum security at an intergalactic prison could be fun, but he’s got a devilish side to him that comes out, especially around me.

“It’s totally the truth,” I call out as he enters our small house and heads straight for our bed. He’s sweaty and a little dirty from working out in the fields all day, but that doesn’t bother me one bit. Our playful banter ends as I press my mouth to his in a deep kiss, and then the kiss becomes something more.

A lot more.

After we’ve had sex, Jutari puts one blue hand on my rounded belly, caressing it. “How is my son today?”

“Mmm, busy. He’s been bouncing against my bladder all morning.” I put my hand over his. “You think he’ll come out with horns?”

“Messakah children do, but this one will be half-human.” His expression grows unnaturally serious, and he gazes up at me. “Are you happy here? With me?”

I tilt my head at him. “That’s an odd thing to ask.”

He rubs his thumb over my belly, sending skitters through my still-sensitive body. “I just…worry that you will not be happy here. We are very far away from the nearest space station. We don’t get many visitors. It’s just you and me, and soon there will be a child to think about. I worry this is lonely for you, Chloe. I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy,” I reassure him. “Did I think I was going to grow up and become a space farmer? No. Did I think I was going to marry a notorious criminal and live on the edge of the galaxy in hiding because he’s wanted for a list of crimes and I’m a freakish alien? No.” His expression grows bleaker with every word I speak, but I continue. “But am I happy? Absolutely.” I reach up and touch his cheek. “I love being here with you. I love our little farm. I don’t mind that we don’t have many neighbors—it makes me feel safer that way, because no one’s going to come and take me away from you. I don’t mind that we only get a few visitors a year, and it’s usually your brother and his new wife. I don’t mind farming. I don’t mind any of this. It doesn’t matter that it’s not an exciting life. I think I had enough exciting back on Haven. I’m ready for nice and quiet.”

He grins, showing off his sharp white teeth that look so dangerous and are yet so very gentle against my skin. “I feel the same.”

Our baby chooses that moment to kick against his daddy’s hand. “See?” I tell Jutari. “We’re in complete agreement.”