Page 33 of My Monster, My Choice

I was so very wrong.

There’s something else going on, something my mate is hiding from me. I’m sure she doesn’t wantkish, but she pretends everything is all right. It’s apparent in the way she waits for the deadline that’s swiftly approaching—my time up on Earth.

In the meantime, I made sure to volunteer for construction of the new traveling port. The physical labor will get me my choice of the next job—and I choose Earth. I will return in the next six lunar cycles and will be able to remain the entire rotation on Earth. However, I can also test the equipment and can visit this planet once each lunar cycle. I will still see the first few months of my grandkish’s growth. I can visit Kenny and Christina monthly.

And I will allow Christina to pretend she can fight me while I figure out what is going on with her.

ChapterTwelve

CHRISTINA

Try as I might, I can’t find a decent fight to pick with him. When I’m grumpy, the infuriating man is understanding. He picks up after himself, he helps clean the house, and he loves Kenny. He plays with him and gently teaches him to be the young man he’ll be soon enough.

I’m getting more and more desperate.

He leaves for Pimeon today and I’m trying to ease into breaking things off. I’ve been short tempered with him, laying beside him in bed without touching, even though we wake up tangled as usual.

Except for this morning. The smell of pancakes wafts up the stairs. Seriously, one more fault against the man. Who lets a woman sleep in and feeds her son when he’s about to leave for his own planet?

I throw on a robe to stumble down the stairs.

“There she is,” Kenny says. “Goo’ mornin’, bootiful.”

“Good morning, my mate,” Elex says, making me frown. I’m about to send him off as a single man and he calls me his mate?

“Your son understands I’ll be leaving today. He’s ready,” Elex says and Kenny nods.

“Terr and Ree gonna be there. And I gotta take care of you, mum. ‘Til pappy—uh, ‘til Elex comes back.”

I’ll have to pretend not to hear his slip. Elex has spent his own time getting my son prepared to accept his leave. Giving him a job to do to keep him busy. To take care of his mother.

“An’ I okay because I knows you’smated.” Kenny says the word in a sing-song tone. “You love her,” he says, pointing to Elex, who smiles and nods.

Oh, God. My son is attached to this man, as much as I am. What am I going to do.

“Kinny! Kinny! It’s me, Suzee.” Susie screams from the back porch.

“Sushi!” Kenny’s eyes grow wide as he screams at the top of his lungs. “Sushi! My momma gonna get married! Ima gonna have a steppappy!” In his excitement, he scrambles from the barstool, his fingers waving wildly in the air, as he runs to the back porch, babbling all the way.

“I’ll be leaving at noon,” Elex says softly, and he knows. He knows I want to break up, I feel it in my gut.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry to bring it up now, just when you have to go back. But…um…well, it’s not quite working anymore. Not like I thought it would. I need to focus on my son, and he’s way too emotionally involved—”

“Christina. What has brought this on?” His words seem perfunctory.

“Nothing. I mean, there’s not a cataclysmic event. It’s just not working,” I repeat lamely.

I’ve never seen an angry Adroki but there’s no missing the clipped jaw, the ticking vein in his neck. Maybe he did think he was going to leave without me bringing it up.

“Lie.”

“Arrogant much?” I ask.

In a heartbeat, he’s around the counter and in my face.

And being so close to him, feeling the warmth of his skin, the rasp of his voice, he’s right. It’s all a lie. But it’s a lie for his own sake. He has the chance to have his own babies. I can’t keep that from him.

For the smallest moment, I’m saddened, wondering if my son would have been wonderful too. Even without his father. I think he would have. He would have had Carlton’s genes and my rearing.

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