Page 18 of Colvin
They left the cabin and Colvin led the way to the wardroom, which was up a few decks. Darien was fascinated by everything he saw on the way and enthralled with the gravlift between decks.. The chief steward consulted with Ivy as to what might tempt her son’s palate and sent one of her minions rushing off to the galley to obtain a selection of dishes.
Captain Degrasay came in, full of good cheer. “I hope you and your boy will be going to Ardanna Prime with us,” he said to Ivy.
She checked with Colvin and he said, “Actually yes, they will be. And we have a favor to ask.”
“You know I don’t have any bigger quarters to offer, right?” the captain joked. “I love you like a brother, Colvin, but I’m not giving up my own cabin.”
“Oh too bad,” he said. “I was going to ask to borrow it for my wedding night.”
Degrasay stared at him, laden fork in his hand forgotten. Then he glanced at Ivy’s hand, which she lifted above to table to better show off the engagement ring. “Oh well, in that case, I’ll make an exception, as my wedding present to you. Congratulations!”
There was a round of well wishes from the other officers at the table. A bubbly feelgood was brought out by the chief steward after a quick consultation with the captain and a toast was drunk to Colvin and Ivy’s happy future. Darien made do with fruit juice but he loved clinking cups with everyone and wanted to keep doing it.
“Actually, I have another present as well,” Degrasay said when the toasting was over and Ivy had redirected Darien to his green vegetables. “I’m going to assign a pair of ensigns to you for the duration of the voyage home.”
“Do I need staff?” Colvin asked, puzzled.
“They both come from large families and have extensive experience minding young ones,” the captain replied with a mischievous grin. “Of course they volunteered for the duty—it’s an honor to be of service to the famous war hero General Colvin Lawben and his fated mate. I don’t expect them to be full-time childcare but they’ll be on call and certainly for the wedding night they’ll keep young Darien company. He won’t even miss you.” Giving Ivy a half bow, he added, “Assuming of course you’re comfortable with them. My adjutant has set up an interview for tomorrow morning to get your blessing on my choices.”
“I’m sure the ensigns will be terrific babysitters and it’s a nice gesture on your part,” she said. “A meeting will be good though—I can tell them about Darien’s quirks and preferences.”
“I’ve set aside a space in the ship’s exercise facility for Darien to use as a play area. Can’t have a toddler running around a battleship. The ensigns are getting it ready today so he can use it as soon as tomorrow if you like.”
“You’re going above and beyond,” Ivy said in a delighted tone. ”I wasn’t looking forward to keeping him amused in Colvin’s cabin for the entire cruise. Darien always has a lot of energy to expend and the cabin is a bit cramped with three of us in there.”
“Everything’s settled then,” Colvin said, feeling content. “Delain can have his staff pack up your things and Darien’s and we’ll transfer it up here. Your household goods as well.”
“I need a nice dress to wear for my wedding,” she said with a flash of her old spirit, which he was glad to see. “And flowers. I assume you’ll wear your dress uniform?”
He nodded, considering the logistics of the wedding. “Tell me who you want brought aboard as your attendants and any special guests and I’ll take care of it. We should keep the attendee list on the small side though. The chapel on board isn’t large.” Colvin was willing to go to any amount of effort to ensure the wedding took place the way Ivy wanted it to be, even if the venue and the officiant were unusual. All he cared about was they’d be married and she’d be his wife as well as his mate.
And he was keenly anticipating his wedding night in the borrowed captain’s cabin, with Darien being cared for by trusted junior officers elsewhere.
Grudgingly agreeing to show up for his assigned stint as a ‘date’ for an unknown human woman had been the best decision of his life as it all turned out and he guessed he owed the Intergalactic Dating Agency a huge debt for matching him with Ivy. He wasn’t about to do a holo endorsement for them or anything but he would definitely speak well of the program to his superiors and to anyone else who asked.
Life changing was the only way to describe it. And he was blessed by the Ardannan gods to now have a fated mate, a son and the ability to shift into his regimandane.
Who could ask for anything more?
Epilogue
One year later…
Ivy’s last meeting had ended an hour ago and her workday was done, thank goodness. She puttered around a bit, straightening up her desk and sending a few messages while she waited for Colvin and Darien to come pick her up. Being the director of the Ardanna-IDA Liaison Office on Ardanna Prime was a huge responsibility but she loved the challenges inherent in the position. After walking her down the aisle at her shipboard wedding to Colvin, her old boss Goff Delain had revealed he’d recommended her for the position and it was hers for the taking if she wanted it. Since she had no desire to stop working outside the home and loved having IDA as her employer, she’d enthusiastically agreed. It was good for both sides in the pact to have her as the lead, since she was an example of how well the program was working.
She had a terrific staff, young and enthusiastic and felt she’d brought positive energy and innovation to the tasks.
They had actually gone from the battleship to Resort Planet one final time, a few days after the wedding, so Darien could attend a birthday/farewell party at the childcare. He’d been promised there wouldn’t be any ‘bad ladies’ in attendance, only his friends and favorite teachers. Of course he’d had a great time and loved being the center of attention and opening all the presents. Colvin had accompanied them, as had a full team of the Ardannan Special Forces. Their presence dampened the party atmosphere a little but not for Darien who regarded them all as his special friends and playmates.
Her apartment had already been packed up by the Ardannans and the contents sent to the ship, so she was spared having to deal with any of that.
After the party ended Colvin and the soldiers whisked her and Darien away and back to the battleship, which left orbit and headed home soon thereafter. Another ship would be sent to accompany the second wave of Ardannan prospective matches.
She and Colvin had managed to find more than a few opportunities to be private in their cabin during the cruise, thanks to the kindness of the captain and the officers who’d volunteered to watch Darien when needed. Ivy soon learned Colvin was a legend among his military peers for both his battlefield exploits and his modesty about them. She’d felt increasingly badly about him giving up his career for her although he insisted he was ready to do so and totally at peace with the decision.
Arriving on Ardanna Prime had been a whirlwind of activity and she almost missed being on the battleship. Colvin’s mother, the matriarch of the Lawben clan was indeed a force of nature and had taken matters very much into her capable hands. She was philosophical about the couple having had a simple shipboard wedding but she did indeed plan the biggest party Ivy could ever have imagined, on the sprawling Lawben ancestral estate, which was even attended (briefly) by the king and queen.
Colvin and two of his cousins who were able to attend transformed into their regimandanes at the party, at the request of the royals and that had been an impressive scene, with three gigantic golden horned lions roaring and showing off their claws and fangs. Darien had gotten his long-promised ride on Colvin’s back and hadn’t been scared at all.
