“Sarai needed help getting on her feet here, but she can run the hostel alone.”
“Then let’s leave today,” Seth said, pinning her with his dark gaze.
“Can I at least have some time to pack?” Calla said, laughing. “I’d like to say goodbye to our guests, too. How about tomorrow?”
“I’ll give you until then,” Seth said. He leaned down caught her mouth in a deep, soul-searching kiss. “But no longer.”
“All right,” Calla said happily.
She smiled up at him, and his heart caught. She was finally his. What would their child look like, he wondered. All Saurellian children looked similar, but Calla was different than any other Saurellian mother had ever been. Would they have a little girl?
Would she have freckles like her mother? Only time would tell...
“If we’re going to leave tomorrow, I have a lot to get done today,” Calla said. “First, I’ll need to tell Sarai and the kids. I think it might be better if you got out of here for a couple of hours. I’d like to tell her in private.
“All right,” Seth said. “But I’m coming back this afternoon, and I’m definitely staying here tonight. You’re never going to sleep alone again.”
“That’s something I can handle,” Calla replied with a laugh. “Now finish your shower and get out of here.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sarai asked tightly. Jax had left her room early that morning. Unsure of what to do, she had started her day as usual, waiting for Calla to appear. Her friend had come in to the kitchen looking like Sarai felt–sore and worn out from being fucked long and hard. Calla, however, had a glow about her that made Sarai realize she was a lost cause. She was in love with Seth, and Sarai was going to lose her. It was too late to do anything to change the situation. Sorrow filled her heart.
She and Calla sat at the kitchen table. The children had already eaten their breakfast and had gone outside to play. Calla had decided to take them out for treats later that morning and tell them.
“I’m sure,” she said. “I love him, Sarai. He had good reasons for behaving like he did before. If I had trusted him, none of this would have happened.”
“If he had trusted you, none of it would have happened, either,” Sarai muttered darkly.
“Well, we have a choice,” Calla said briskly. “Seth and I can spend the rest of our lives hating each other for what happened, or we can learn from our mistakes. We choose to forgive ourselves and start over. I want happiness, Sarai, and Seth and I will only find it together. It’s time to put the past behind us.”
“I’ll miss you,” Sarai said, dropping her composed facade. Losing Calla was almost too much to bear. “Oh, Calla, you’ve been like a sister to me. I don’t know what the children and I will do without you!”
“Oh, I think you’ll do just fine,” Calla said. “Sarai, you’re a new woman now. You own your own business, and your children have a future, just take life one step at a time. And remember, we can always visit.”
“I guess I just don’t want anything to change,” Sarai said with a sigh. She would save her tears for later, when Calla couldn’t see them. “Are you sure you can trust him?
A bad marriage is a terrible thing, Calla. I don’t wish this upon you. It would be better if you stayed here with us, where it’s safe.”
“I’ll be safe with him,” Calla said, tears building in her eyes. She and Sarai stood and held each other for several long minutes. Then Able burst through the door. They both jumped in surprise.
“Think about it, Calla,” Sarai whispered. “It isn’t too late to change your mind.”
“My mind’s been made up from the minute I saw him,” Calla replied, smiling happily. Sarai didn’t return the smile. Instead, she held out her arms to her son.
“Sweetheart, go get your sister,” Sarai said, giving him a quick hug. “Calla is taking you out for a treat. There’s something she needs to tell you.”
Able turned and ran out the door, and Calla followed. Sarai waited until they were gone, then sat down at the table. She lay her head down on her hands and let the tears flow. The thought of Calla leaving was too horrible. Worse yet, she was leaving so soon.
She would be alone with the children again, all by herself against the whole world.
“Sarai?” a male voice asked. She whipped her head up–Jax had come into the kitchen so quietly she hadn’t heard him at all. Sarai quickly wiped her face, then looked away from him. She didn’t like looking weak in front of any man, let alone this one. He was too quick to take advantage of a woman’s weakness.
“You’re upset because Calla’s leaving, aren’t you?” Jax asked softly, coming to over to her bench. He swung one leg over, settling himself in a straddling position facing her.
“It’s going to be all right. She’s his life mate–in Saurellia there is no greater bond that can exist between two people. They’ll be happy together, they’ll make each other complete.”
“I don’t care,” Sarai said, still refusing to look at him. Bastard. He’d used her, and now he had the nerve to try and comfort her. “I’m going to miss her, and I don’t like him.
He’s not good enough for her.”
“Seth is a good man,” Jax said softly. “I’ve known him for more than ten years, and I know that he’ll always love her.”
“You know, I’m sick and tired of men who think they need to take care of women,”
Sarai said harshly, finally looking at him. Her eyes blazed with the force of her emotions.
“I had a husband who ‘took care’ of me regularly, and I wouldn’t wish marriage on any woman. It’s a trap, and Calla’s falling into it. It’s a trap.” She repeated quietly, more to herself than to Jax.
“That’s not true,” Jess replied. “For a Saurellian-“
“Don’t give me your crap,” Sarai said, standing abruptly. She paced across the kitchen, then turned to lean against the counter with her arms folded in front of her. “Get out of my kitchen, get out of my hostel. You brought him here, you’re responsible for this. Go back to Saurellia, because I don’t ever want to see you again.”
“I can’t do that, Sarai,” Jax said with determination. The intensity of his gaze frightened her. She turned away from him, willing him to disappear. He came up behind her, she could feel his presence, just as any creature can feel the presence of a predator.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back to confront him.
“Get out,” she repeated coldly, staring at a spot in the middle of his chest. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the authorities to remove you.”
It was an idle threat, they both knew it. She couldn’t move more than a few inches without running into him, and Jax was more than powerful enough to stop her. But he stepped back, raising his arms in mock surrender.
“I’ll give you some space, Sarai,” Jax said. “But I’m not ready to leave Hector Prime just yet. I’ll see you again.”
“Don’t threaten me,” Sarai gritted out between clenched teeth.
“I would never threaten you,” Jax replied with a strange smile. “And I’ll never lie, either. I’m not your ex-husband, Sarai. I’m a good man, and I won’t hurt you.”
With that, he turned on his heels and strode out of the kitchen.
The next day, after all the hugs were given and all the tears were shed, Calla and Seth sat alone in the cockpit of his new ship. It was bigger than the old one, with a more sophisticated design. The cockpit in particular was larger, with a small, cushioned couch behind the pilots’ seats. Calla raised one eyebrow in question when she saw it, and Seth laughed.