She felt him smile against her hair. “Ever is a long time.” He said hopefully.
“Marriage is supposed to be ‘til death do us part.”
“Only in your culture.”
“I like my culture. I’m going to stick with what I know.”
His breath whooshed out, like he wasfinallybeginning to understand how very, very permanent their marriage was. “I like your culture, too. ‘Until death’ is an acceptable timeframe for me to belong to you.”
“Good!” She sniffed, still feeling harassed. “Because if you everdotry to leave me, I’m probably going to murder you.”
That made him chuckle. “Being parted from you would surely kill me, anyway. Your eyes can stop leaking. All is well! We will go to Earth together.”
Hathgarr made a disgusted sound. “Oh Xane… Nythtar Omega as a home?Really?”
Xane ignored his brother’s snobbery. “We have only small details to work out, Sadie. Such as: Will your dwelling be large enough for me? I will need wide doorways.” He pointed to his horns.
Her brain started catching up with her euphoric emotions. “You want to move into my apartment?”
“Yes, I will acclimate easily. Earth can’t be so very different from other planets.”
Sadie winced, picturing the marriage license guy’s reaction to a green, four-armed, horned alien showing up as a groom. Not even Vegas would be okay with that. And the CIA would probably get all pissy. And NASA would be calling off the hook. And then a bunch of other acronym agencies would get involved. Sooner or later, Xane would end up in a sci-fi lab, getting dissected by government agents in white rubber suits.
“Um… I don’t know if that’s such a great plan…” She began.
“I know itisa great plan.” He interrupted, like she was about to refuse him and he wouldn’t let it happen. “I know I will stay with you forever.”
Hathgarr’s head swiveled back and forth, watching them argue.
“Yes,obviouslywe’ll stay together.” Sadie told Xane. “I want that, too.”
He relaxed.
“But…” Her mind raced for a way to sugarcoat human bigotry. She never wanted Xane to feel like he’d forced her to move away from Ohio or that he wasn’t perfect just the way he was. “Earthlings aren’t all that welcoming to people who look different.”
He scoffed, like it was a non-issue. “It will be fine. I excel at blending in.”
“Right.” Sadie agreed. Yeah, time for a new strategy. “I don’t have a ranch, though.” Heck, her apartment didn’t even have a view. She looked at Xane’s beautiful face.Now, she had a view. “Wouldn’t you rather live on a ranch? I’d rather live on a ranch. It would remind me of growing up on my grandpa’s farm.”
“We will buy a farm for your ‘apartment,’ then. I deposited the two-million credits you won at the casino, using the other ship’s banking-transport module. Is that currency on Earth?”
“Your wife is rich,andshe refuses to contemplate another husband,andshe looks like that?” Hathgarr made a frustrated noise. “This becomes very unfair, brother.”
Sadie and Xane disregarded his grousing.
“I don’t really miss my old life very much.” Sadie assured her husband. “Don’t you think it makes the most sense for us to move to Rtaharion? It’s so much more convenient than trying to squeeze crops into my studio apartment.”
He blinked. “You wish to go to Rtaharion?”
“Excellent idea!” Hathgarr pronounced quickly and slapped Sadie on the back. If Xane hadn’t been holding her, shewould have toppled right to the floor. Hathgarr didn’t notice. “You heard the princess.” He bellowed, heading for the other members of the crew. “Direct us home.”
Xane shot his brother a frustrated look and then refocused on Sadie. “You’re sure this is what you want?” He seemed reluctant to believe her change of heart. “I would not have you giving up your home world, for my sake. I do not mind living on Earth.”
Sadiereallydidn’t want to explain to him that humans would call in the National Guard and maybe the Ghostbusters, if he showed up in Toledo. It would dampen the mood. “I’d like to be a princess.” She reminded him instead. “And I can only be that on Rtaharion, right?”
“This is true.” He nodded thoughtfully, tension easing from his shoulders. “We must live on my planet, if the title is ‘super-important’ to you.”
“Sosuper-important.” She deadpanned in her gravest tone. “And I don’t have any family on Earth, but you have a brother. I’ve always wanted a brother. You can share him with me.”