《The Men From Zodar》


 Chapter One

    July 6<sup>th</sup>, 2002


    Sara Madden sat on the hillside looking over the city, it was just six in the evening, but because of the black storm clouds forming, it was already getting dark. The temperature had quickly dropped twenty degrees as the storm rapidly moved into the area, and the lights from downtown Kansas City began to light the sky as darkness descended on the city. This was her favorite spot in the whole city, not only could she see the lights of downtown from here, but she could also watch airplanes as they landed at the Kansas City Downtown Airport.


    As a young girl, her whole family would come here to watch planes land. Memories of her parents and brothers, spending hours together in this same place, brought tears to her eyes. They are all deceased now. They died in a car accident several years ago and Sara would be dead as well, if she had been with them on that terrible day.


    Sara had been sitting here for about hour thinking about her marriage to Paul, who had been so romantic while they dated. Sometimes bring her flowers, or small little gifts, and other times he would just write her a love letter. She never saw him get angry, no matter what stimulating incident arose.


    They dated for about nine months before Paul proposed to her. On the night he asked her to marry him, he took her out for a romantic dinner and movie, and while they sat in this exact spot, he popped the question. Sara was ecstatic and could still remember the butterflies that flew around in her belly when he had asked her, as she had been waiting for his proposal for months. They decided on a short engagement, making their wedding date the same as their first date, March 7.


    They were trying to spend as little as possible on the wedding so they could save up for a house. Sara found a formal at a used clothes store, Paul borrowed a suit from his brother, and they tied the knot at the home of a Justice of the Peace. Paul¡¯s father and brother were the only guests present, and his brother took pictures of the ceremony for them. Sara thought the wedding was a depressing affair, even though it was her own wedding ceremony.


    They moved in with his father, another money saving idea of Paul¡¯s. Sara figured it was for a different reason, as she did all the housework, the cooking, and the laundry. The men were too busy drinking their beer and watching football, one game after the other, to help with women¡¯s work as they call it. After nine months of this living arrangement, and, of course, with Sara working a second job, they finally had enough money for a down payment on a small older house.


    Paul was too busy drinking with his father to help Sara look for their new home. She felt the real reason Paul didn¡¯t help her look was that he really didn¡¯t want to move from his father¡¯s home. Sara made sure the house was as far from her father-in-law as possible, and soon she found a cute two-bedroom house, a perfect starter home for them on the other side of the city, about 20 miles away from Paul¡¯s father, and the price of the house was low enough that she could give up her second job. As soon as they received possession of the house, they began moving in, which didn¡¯t take them long, because they didn¡¯t have much in the way of furniture yet, as they had been waiting to buy their furniture after they got a house.


    It was after their move into the new house, Sara realized that Paul had a drinking problem, and began being abusive to Sara. It was as if he had been on good behavior just while they were living with his father. At first, most of his attacks were verbal. Mostly he called her nasty names and telling her everything wrong in his life was her fault. Paul thought she couldn¡¯t do anything right. He had become physically abusive to her just this past year. He was drinking even more now, and he almost lost his job a couple of times because he had gone to work drunk.


    The day after he was abusive to her, Paul would always tell Sara he was sorry and promised never to hurt her again, but he would always break his promise to her the next time he got angry with her. Sometimes months would go by before there would be any trouble, but eventually, the attacks always came again.


    The time before last, he gave her a black eye, bruises all over her body, and a broken arm. She was taking night classes at the nearby college, and luckily for her, she was right-handed, as he had broken her left arm, as she couldn¡¯t write anything legible with her left hand at all.


    Her four friends told her to divorce Paul and get on with her life, as she didn¡¯t have to put up with abuse in her marriage. The women met a few years ago while taking the same accounting class at the nearby college, where their teacher would give take home worksheets and tests, and they would all meet at the library to work together on these projects. The four young women became close during this time, their ages ranged from 20 to 32, but the age difference didn¡¯t matter to them, even though they did mother Brianne, the youngest after her mother died. They continued to see each other, meeting at least once a month for dinner to catch up on each other¡¯s lives.


    Sara and Kayla both were working on their Accounting Degrees, as because of financial reasons they hadn¡¯t gone to college right after finishing high school, so they had gotten a later start on their degrees than the other friends had.


    Kayla wanted to quit school after her husband¡¯s death last year, but the other three friends talked her into continuing with her education. Kayla now had a new boyfriend, the women hadn¡¯t met him yet, but Kayla would grin from ear to ear whenever she would talk about him.


    Maggie recently graduated with her Management Degree, and she too almost quit school as a few months ago, her husband had passed away as well. It has been hard on her to lose him but was harder now as the wealthy in-laws were giving her legal trouble by trying to get custody of her son.


    Brianne was working on her teaching degree and would be graduating soon. Both of her parents were dead now, dying within a few months of each other. She lived with her sister and their stepfather, who her mother had married shortly before her death because of some unknown reasons.


    The stepfather, Scott, wasn¡¯t a likable person, and both girls took a disliked of him from the start of their mother dating him. Brianne and her sister, Amy, thought he would disappear after their mother¡¯s funeral, but for some strange reason he received legal control of both girls and was still living in their home.


    For Sara, the ending of her marriage started six months ago when she came home from class and realize that Paul had been drinking. When he started yelling at her, she knew there was going to be trouble.


    ¡°Where is my dinner, bitch? Why in the hell isn¡¯t on the table yet? Where have you been?¡± He grabbed her right arm, wrapping his fingers tightly around her wrist. ¡°Answer me woman!¡±


    ¡°Paul, today is Wednesday, I was at school.¡± She tried to break loose of his iron tight grip, but he wouldn¡¯t let go. ¡°Paul, you are hurting me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do more than just hurt you this time, you worthless piece of trash.¡± He quickly started dragging her towards the sink, her eyes grew wide when she saw him moving in the direction of the large butcher knife lying in the drainer.


    Before Sara could stop him, he grabbed the knife with his free hand, and she watched in horror as he brought it straight for her body. Sara began pulling with all her might to get away from him, afraid Paul was going to kill her this time. So scared that she picked up the first object within her reach, which just happened to be the iron skillet off the stove.


    She clutched with her left hand, almost dropping it as the weight of the skillet pulled on her arm. Knowing her life depended on what she did next, she brought the skillet up and hit him in the head with as much strength as she could with her weaker arm.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The force was hard enough to knocked Paul unconscious, which instantly made his grip go slack as he fell to the floor. At first, Sara was afraid she had killed him, and was scared she would go to prison for accidentally murdering her abusive husband.


    She sighed with relief when she saw his body slightly move. Good, he wasn¡¯t dead, not yet, anyway. If he should ever try to hurt her again, he might not be so lucky the next time, or maybe next time he would succeed in hurting or killing her. A neighbor must have heard the argument and called 911, because the police arrived within minutes of the incident, and the paramedics arrived a few minutes after the police. The paramedics told her, Paul would have a terrible headache when he woke, and would be surprised to wake at the hospital. If she pressed charges, he would have medical treatment and would go to jail after he recuperated.


    She had been praying to God, asking Him what she should do, and this last attack was his answer. He was telling her to get out of this marriage while she still could. She hadn¡¯t ever pressed charges against him before, but this time had been different, as he would have killed her tonight if she hadn¡¯t protected herself.


    Leaving Paul was the only way for her to stop the abuse, and not only did Sara file assault with the intent to kill charges against him, she also filed for a divorce. She just couldn¡¯t live this way anymore, wondering if the next time he would succeed in his attempt to kill her. Paul agreed to the divorce, if she would drop all the charges, which surprised her, as he was always so controlling of her. He wouldn¡¯t even letting her go to a Tupperware party without him, and who would want their husband along at one of those affairs?


    He also agreed to sell the house and give her all the profits, which was only right, as it had been her who paid for the down payment as well as all the payments for the house. They had lived in the house for five of the six years of their marriage so Sara would have a nice nest egg. At least, they didn¡¯t have children to fight over because they had decided at the beginning of their marriage to wait to have children until they were financially ready. As Paul became more abusive, Sara decided never to have children with him, afraid of what Paul might do to an innocent baby when he was angry.


    The lawyer called her this morning to tell her that the divorce was final, and she was a free woman, which was a good thing, as she was expecting a baby from a quickie one night with Paul. After she and Paul had signed all the paperwork from the sale of their home, Paul decided to celebrate with a bottle of champagne, which turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made.


    Their sex life was the only good part of their marriage, if there was even a good part to it. Unfortunately, they both drank too much and ended in bed together and birth control wasn¡¯t on either of their minds. Since Sara wasn¡¯t sexually active anymore, she had quit taking the pill and Paul just assumed that she was protected. Sara left the next morning before Paul woke up, hoping he wouldn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t remember the previous night¡¯s activity.


    That night was over four months ago, and she hadn¡¯t heard from him since that night, so she just assume he hadn¡¯t a memory of it, which was good as she found out a month after that night that she was pregnant. Sara made a doctor appointment as soon as she had missed her period, the doctor told her the baby was due in late November.


    Yesterday she was sure she felt some little movement, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she had, or maybe it had simply been just her stomach growling. Some nights she would stretch in her sleep, which would cause her legs to cramp and then she would spend the rest of the night crying herself back to sleep. She cried not only because of the pain, but because she was lonely and want someone to hold her. She felt a deep sense of loss of being on her own, but wasn¡¯t sorry she left Paul, but she wanted someone special in her life.


    She wanted someone to be with her to experience all these wonderful changes her body was going through, someone to be with her during the miracle of birth. Sometimes she would call one of her friends, but they were all busy with their own lives and they had their own problems to deal with, which didn¡¯t leave much time for her. She couldn¡¯t watch romantic movies anymore without crying through most of the movie.


    During her previous doctor¡¯s appointment, she heard the baby¡¯s heartbeat for the first time, a warm gentle radiance of love crept through her at the swooshing sound of the heartbeat, which sounded more like a washing machine to her than a human heart. At her next appointment, she is going to have a sonogram, hoping to find out if she was going to have a little girl or not. It amazed her how technology had advance in the medical world over the last few decades, so much that she would know the baby¡¯s sex before it was born.


    She was excited about the baby, but sheer black fright swept through her when she thought of what Paul might do to her or the baby if he found out she was pregnant and hadn¡¯t told him. She knew she had to get as far as possible away from her ex-husband and moving out of this city was the only way she knew how to be safe from him.


    She started searching for a new job in other states and just last week had found a job in Denver. Sara¡¯s friends gave her a great going away party last night, and there had been buckets of tears, and they all promised to write to her. They also promised to have at least one retreat a year so they could get together for old time sake.


    She was leaving tonight and had just about an hour left before it was time to go to the airport. Sara felt relaxed as she watched the lights of small planes as they flew in and out of the Downtown Airport. She was surprised when she noticed that one set of lights coming in was much brighter than the others, it was also moving faster and seemed to be headed straight for her instead of the airport.


    She was transfixed on the brilliant glare and confused that there didn¡¯t seem to be any sound coming from it that usually went with an ordinary airplane. Then the plane stopped and hovered a short distance from her, just like a helicopter would.


    ¡°How strange,¡± she thought. Before she could think any more about it, she heard a rustling sound behind her and quickly turned her head and gasped, ¡°Oh, no!¡±


    There stood Paul, with what light was left; she could make out the vicious look he had on his face. If looks could kill, Sara would be dead by now. She wavered, trying to comprehend what to do, as she quickly put her hands on her tummy, as if to protect her unborn baby.


    ¡°Paul, you surprised me. What are you doing here?¡± She tried to remain calm, but something wasn¡¯t right. Why was he here? How did he know she would be here this late in the evening?


    ¡°Sara, we need to talk,¡± he said with great emphasis.


    She could hear the anger in his voice but couldn¡¯t seem to make her body move. She suddenly felt weak and vulnerable in the face of his anger as Paul started walking to where she sat on the hill.


    He stopped just a few inches from her, and before she knew what was happening, he quickly grabbed her arm, his fingers biting deeply into her arm, roughly pulling her to her feet. He quietly pulled a gun out of his coat pocket and brought it up to Sara¡¯s head.


    She could feel the cold steel of the gun pressed against her temple.


    ¡°Sara, I have been everywhere looking for you. You should have told me about the baby.¡±


    ¡°Baby?¡± she muttered.


    ¡°I ran into a nurse from the clinic today and she congratulated me on the addition to our family. You are coming with me now and in the morning, we will start the process of getting remarried, and be a real family.¡± He seemed very pleased with himself.


    Sara suddenly felt nauseous because of the fear that was knotted inside of her. ¡°Paul, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you about the baby, but the reason I didn¡¯t tell you is,¡± she paused for a split second, ¡°because this isn¡¯t your baby. I had an affair with a man I met after we broke up.¡± She muttered hastily in a small timid voice, fighting hard against the tears that threatened to appear. She had come so far in getting away from this madman, as she wasn¡¯t about to go back to him and have a repeat of the life, she had with him before.


    She prayed he would believe her lie, because if he didn¡¯t, she was a goner. She could feel sweat starting to form on the palms of her hands and her stomach clenched tightly with fear. There wasn¡¯t any way she would remarry this man and subject an innocent baby to a life of hell with him as their father. ¡°I would rather let him kill me first before I¡¯ll ever marry him again.¡± she thought to herself.


    Her comment seemed to amuse him, smiling a smug grin, he cocked the gun suddenly, as if he planned to shoot her if she didn¡¯t agree to his plan. ¡°Sara, you don¡¯t think I would fall for that line, I know you better that. You were a virgin on our wedding night, and I know you¡¯ve never been with another man since our wedding day.¡± He smiled a conceited grin at her, as if he knew for sure she was lying to him.


    ¡°Well, you''re wrong. I¡¯ve changed!¡± Sara exclaimed, lifting her chin, meeting his cold glare straight on.


    Paul laughed. ¡°Yeah right.¡± He tightened his grip even more on her arm.


    Now she knew what it felt like to be petrified with fright. ¡°Paul, let go, you¡¯re hurting me.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ll never get away from me again.¡± He laughed. His laugh was filled with anger and the promise of the pain he would inflect on her. ¡°Never.¡±


    The sound of his laugh sent chills down Sara¡¯s spine and was overcome with the nauseating feeling of despair. ¡°Someone, please help me!¡± she screamed as loud as she could.


    He laughed, ¡°There isn¡¯t any one here to hear you, but me. No one is going to help you.¡±


    Suddenly everything changed in a split of a second. Just as Paul jerked her arm to bring her closer to him, the night suddenly became filled with a blinding light. Sara screamed and pulled away from Paul the best she could during the confusion. She heard the gun go off, then felt the bullet slightly graze her head. She felt a sharp pain at her temple and then a warm sensation of blood oozing from the right side of her head just before she slumped to the ground.

 Chapter Two

    Kayla wore a pair of shorts and a light T-shirt to help stay cooler, as it was hot in her apartment because her air-conditioner was on the blink again.  She was sitting on the side of her bed looking out her apartment window, thinking about Alex and how he had asked her to marry him last night.


    She had been surprised by his marriage proposal, as in all the time they had been dating, Alex had never told her he loved her.  Not even when he asked her to marry him did, he say those three magical words to her, just simply told her he wanted to marry her.


    After Alex left last night, Kayla lain in bed and began to wonder why she hadn¡¯t given Alex a definite yes or no answer last night.  Was it because part of her was afraid?  If so, why was she afraid?  Alex didn¡¯t do anything to make her feel this way, she just felt as if she shouldn¡¯t marry him.  Maybe it had to do with Rick and their failed marriage, worried that this marriage might fail as well.


    Kayla also pondered if she should ask Alex why he wanted to marry her.  She had read too many novels lately about arranged marriage, ones that told how the bride had fallen in love with her new husband, but was waiting for him to say those three magical words, ¡®I love you¡¯ to them, but never did.  This wasn¡¯t a novel written about life in the eighteen hundreds, nor was it an arranged marriage.  This was the year 2002 and she wanted Alex to tell her that he loved her before she gave him her answer.


    The next day Kayla went to the nearby shopping mall to buy a friend¡¯s birthday gift, but her mind tried to make a final decision about Alex¡¯s proposal, as she¡¯d told him she would let him know her answer tonight.  She happened to stop at a jewelry store where she found a beautiful man¡¯s wedding band and fell in love with it.  Maybe she would bring Alex here to see if he liked it too, that is, if she said yes to him.


    Alex wanted her answer tonight, but she still wasn¡¯t sure what it was going to be yet.  He said they would be moving out of Kansas City, but he wouldn¡¯t elaborate, which was puzzling to her.  Why was he being so mysterious?  Why couldn¡¯t he just tell her about where they would be living?  What was the big secret?  Kayla didn¡¯t want to leave her home or her friends, but neither did she want to lose Alex.


    She thought back to the night in January when they first met.  She was lonely, her husband, Rick of two years had been dead for over two years.  Their marriage hadn¡¯t be a great one, but it had started out to be a good one.  Kayla met Rick at college; as they had the same speech class together.  Oh, how Kayla hated that class!  She didn¡¯t like to get up in front of a crowd and speak.  After giving her first speech presentation, Rick introduced himself and offered to help her practice.


    He told her the old saying, ¡®Pretend they are sitting there in their underwear.¡¯  She laughed at his comment, as she could just see her teacher, old man Mr. Oliver in his boxers, as he didn¡¯t look the type to wear any other kind of underwear.


    It wasn¡¯t too much later before Rick asked her out on a date and they dated the rest of the semester.  One night, Rick took her to her favorite restaurant for dinner, and after a wonderful meal, they walked out to the parking lot, and Rick took hold of her hand.  As he looked into her eyes, he told her, ¡°Kayla, I love you,¡± then he pulled her into his arms, right in the middle of the parking lot.  People were walking around them as they stood there in an embrace ambivalence of the people around them.  ¡°Will you marry me?¡±


    Kayla was surprised by his question, as they¡¯d only been dating four months.  She knew he was a great guy, but to marry him and live together for the rest of their lives together, she wasn¡¯t sure about.  Was what she felt for Rick, love?  She never had been in love before, but the thought of him not being in her life, brought her to tears, so maybe this was true love.  ¡°Yes, Rick.  I¡¯ll marry you.¡±


    They got into the car and drove to her apartment.  As soon as the door closed behind them, Rick had Kayla in his arms kissing her, and within ten minutes of arriving to the apartment, they were in bed together.  Luckily, Rick was prepared for such an occasion.  Being this was Kayla¡¯s first experience with sex, she was nervous and self-conscious about taking off her clothes in front of him.  She worried about what Rick would think about her body, as she thought she was overweight, to her the ideal weight was at least ten pounds less than what she weighed.  She had planned to work on losing the extra amount this summer, but she hadn¡¯t even started on it yet and here it was already July.


    She wanted the lights off and Rick wanted the lights on, finally they found a compromise; Kayla left the bathroom light on and slightly closed the door to block most of the light out.  She held her breath as he cautiously began unbuttoning her blouse.  It was as if he was waiting for her to slap his face or something.  Soon he was on the last button, as the blouse opened to his view, Kayla hastily grabbed her blouse, pulling the two sides back together.


    ¡°Kayla, it will be easier to make love without your clothes.¡±  He whispered seductive in her ear.


    She swallowed with difficulty and managed a feeble answer.  ¡°I know, but this is my first time.  I feel unsure about it all as somehow it seems wrong.¡±


    His warm hand gently stroked her face.  ¡°Honey, we are going to be married soon.¡±  He kissed her softly; it was surprising rousing, even though it hadn¡¯t started out to be that way.  ¡°There isn¡¯t anything wrong about us loving each other before we¡¯re married.¡±  He whispered in her ear.


    Awkwardly, she cleared her throat.  ¡°I know.¡±  There was a tingling in the pit of her stomach as she gradually moved away from him and let go of her blouse.


    Slowly Rick gently pushed the blouse off her shoulders, and it fell unnoticed to the floor.  He kissed each bare shoulder before reaching behind her to undo her bra.  When she realized what he was doing, she tried to push him away.


    Tears blinding her and choking her voice.  ¡°Rick, please don¡¯t,¡± She softly begged.  ¡°I can¡¯t do this.¡±  She leaned her forehead against his.


    ¡°Yes, honey, yes you can.¡±  He moved his hands away from her and abruptly pulled his shirt over his head, then took her hands and put them on his bare chest.  ¡°Touch me.¡±  He quietly commanded her.


    Slowly she moved her hands lightly around on his bare chest.  His chest hairs tickled the palms of her hand as she moved them across his chest.  A slight smile tugged on her face, then she pressed her hand harder on his chest, enjoying the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips.  ¡°Does that feel good?¡±  She whispered slyly.


    ¡°Yes.¡±  His eyes were closed, a smile of contentment showed on his face.  He opened his eyes, putting his hands on hers.  ¡°I want to touch you like that too.¡±  He barely could say the words because he was so entranced with the heat that was building inside of him.


    She laughed, and Rick looked at her strangely.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry but that won¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a hairy chest.¡±


    Rick laughed aloud.  ¡°You silly girl.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl.¡±


    ¡°No, you are most definitely all woman.¡±  This time when Rick put his hands on the back of her bra, she didn¡¯t try to stop him.  After unfastening the bra, he pulled it off and let it fall to the floor.  His gaze was riveted on her face, then slowly moved downwards, as he began kissing her and slowly moving his hand to make love to her each of her breasts.


    Soon they were both naked on the bed.  His hands were magical, his words were poetic, and the night was perfect for her.  Afterwards as Kayla laid her head on his shoulder, they made plans for the wedding.  They saw no reason to have a long engagement, so she decided to quit school and married Rick the next month and at the time, it all seemed to be the right thing for her to do.


    It was about a year after they were married, women started calling for Rick at all hours of the night, making her regret her decision to marry Rick before knowing him longer.  He would talk to them privately for a while, and when he hung up, he refused tell her anything about the calls.  One night, Kayla heard the phone ringing, looking at the clock, she saw it was 1:00 in the morning.  Kayla knew from experience if she should answer the phone, whoever was on the other end would simply hang up on her, as they wanted to talk to Rick, not her, so she punched Rick in the arm, ¡°Get the phone.¡±


    Rick slowly answered the phone and Kayla pretended she had fallen back to sleep, listening carefully to his end of the conversation.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t come over now,¡± he hastily whispered.


    Rick was quiet and Kayla knew he was listening to the other person.  ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be there in a few minutes.¡±  Rick just left, without saying good-bye or even left her a note.  He simply left their room and walked out the front door.  She didn¡¯t see him again until the next evening, and when he came in, he acted as if it was a normal evening for them.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Kayla, I¡¯m home.¡±


    ¡°Rick, where did you go last night?¡±  Kayla asked as she fixed their dinner.


    ¡°Nowhere important.  What¡¯s for dinner?  I¡¯m starved.¡±  Rick walked over to the stove to see what Kayla was fixing.


    He didn¡¯t kiss her or even give her a hug hello.  In fact, he hardly ever touched her anymore and it had been months since the last time they made love.  It was as if a brick wall was slowly building between them.  That night was the first time he had ever left when he got a call at night, but it wasn¡¯t the last.


    Sometimes he would pack a small bag and be gone for days at a time, and he wouldn¡¯t ever tell her anything about these calls.  If he thought she loved him so much that she would put up with all this bull, he had another thing coming to him that was for sure.


    It was just after their second anniversary, which of course, he forgot, she told him to pack his belongings and move out permanently.  She told him she wanted a divorce, that way he could be with his other women all the time.


    Rick expression clouded in anger.  ¡°Kayla, those women don¡¯t mean anything to me.  They are just friends who need my help with their problems.¡±  His voice was cold as he yelled at her,


    ¡°When was the last time you made love to me?¡±  Kayla asked, knowing he wouldn¡¯t know the answer.


    Rick thought a minute, and then he looked at her.  ¡°Last week?¡±


    ¡°No, it has been over three months.  When was the last time you made love to someone else?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t made love to anyone else.¡±  He denied, but his eyes dropped to somewhere on the floor as he refused to look at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that crap.  Do you know what last Saturday was?  I bet you don¡¯t.  It was our second wedding anniversary.  Now pack your bag for good this time and leave, I don¡¯t want to ever see you again.¡±


    Rick frowned with cold fury, and then said angrily.  ¡°You are a stupid woman.¡±  He then lifted his arm in the air as if to strike her.


    Kayla took a step backwards when he had raised his arm, afraid he was going to hit her.  So afraid, she ran to the bedroom, locked the door, and quickly called the police.  By the time the police arrived at the house, Rick was already gone.


    The police came back several hours later to tell her Rick had died in a terrible car accident.  Some teenagers were speeding, and lost control of their car, hitting Rick head on and everyone in the two cars died instantly.  Both drivers had been drinking and no one in either car had their seat belts on, but it was doubtful if having a seat belt on would have made any difference in the outcome of this accident.


    Kayla slowly started her life again.  Her husband had been dead for months, but she waited six months more before she started dating again.  She had a hard time finding dates, even to the point she answered an ad in the personal section of the local newspaper.  His name was Peter, and they visited on the phone several times before they decided to meet at a local restaurant.  That way, if they didn¡¯t appeal to each other, they could simply leave and go their separate ways.  Once they began talking, they couldn¡¯t stop, sitting there for over an hour before the waitress asked them to leave.  They laughed because they couldn¡¯t believe how fast the time had passed.  They said their good-byes and Peter said he would call her later.


    Kayla missed the sexual part of her marriage, she wanted to be held, touch and to feel loved again.  Soon she and Peter were lovers, but she didn¡¯t love Peter.  He kept to himself and didn¡¯t let Kayla get close to him.  She knew this relationship wasn¡¯t going anywhere and wanted more than Peter was willing to offer her.  Kayla told him she didn¡¯t wanted to see him any longer and started going to single dances at local hotels.  Sometimes she went to the dances alone and other times she went with some of her girlfriends, but she didn¡¯t ever have a good time at any of them


    It was April 21, and love was it the air.  Kayla was going to a singles dance at the Daily Inn about 20 miles away from her home, and tonight would be the night she would change her usual routine.  In the past, she always waited for a man to ask her to dance, but not tonight.  Instead of waiting for them to ask her to dance, she was going to start asking the guys.  She figured the worst they could say would be to tell her they didn¡¯t want to dance with her.  She couldn¡¯t stay too late tonight because she had to be at work by 7:00 in the morning.


    She had been at the dance for about a half hour, had asked several guys to dance, but most of them had said no, because they were there with their girlfriends.  It was that way at most of the single dances she had been to.  Kayla thought if you came to a singles dance, you shouldn¡¯t be there with a date.  She was thinking about leaving when she saw a tall, good-looking man leave the dance floor with a woman, and wondered if they were a couple, but when she went to a table in the other direction, Kayla took it as a good sign.


    There was something about him that drew her to him.  She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him as she slowly walked towards him.  When she finally reached his table, he was lighting a cigarette.  She decided to go to the ladies¡¯ room first, giving him time to smoke the cigarette before she asked him to dance.  His smoking almost changed her mind about asking him to dance, as she was a nonsmoker and thought smoking was a nasty habit, and bad for one¡¯s health.  She figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt just to dance with him.  It wasn¡¯t as if they would end up getting married for goodness sake.


    When Kayla came back for the bathroom, and saw he was gone and almost cried with disappointment.  Thinking he left the dance, she decided she would go on home herself, so she went back to her table to pick up her belongings.  As she started to leave, she looked once more at the table where he had been sitting and a smile covered her face, as he was just sitting down at the table, with a can of soda in his hand.  Joy bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she approached him, he didn¡¯t see her coming because he was looking out at the dance floor.


    As Kayla walked slowly to his table, she nervously moistened her dry lips.  ¡°Excuse me.  Would you like to dance?¡±  She held her breath, she was afraid his answer would be no.


    He looked up at her and smiled.  ¡°Yes, I would.¡±  His smile reached all the way to his eyes, as his gaze seductively looked her over.


    She was surprised by his answer, because she was positive that he would give her the same response as most of the other men did.  His smile sent her pulses racing, so much so she was afraid she might faint.


    ¡°You can leave your stuff here while we dance.¡±


    She laid down her belonging on the table and waited for him to join her.


    When Alex stood, his eyes glazed into hers, causing his pulses to suddenly take a leap.  He was surprised as warmth flowed through his veins with desire as her nearness overwhelmed him.  Never had he felt this intense attraction to a woman before.  Could she be the one he¡¯d been searching for all his adult life?  ¡°Hello, my name is Alex Gordon.¡±  He put his hand out to shake hands with her, the instant his hand touched hers, an electrifying quiver went up his arm and at that moment he knew he¡¯d found the woman he was going to marry.


    When his hand touched hers, a tingling sensation shot through her as they looked into each other¡¯s eyes, and it was love at first sight for her, then she returned his smile as she took the hand, he offered her.


    Neither of them had ever experienced anything this powerful before.  Hand in hand, they walked onto the dance floor.  He turned to her, his arms encircled her, one hand in the small of her back, and the other grasped her hand.


    As they danced, he told her about himself.  He was 25 years old, he never been married, and was in town on business.  While they danced, Alex would sometimes nibble on her ear, and the first time his lips touched her ear, she jumped in surprised.


    Kayla never had a man do this before, and she found it to be exciting and very erotic.  They danced all the remaining dances together, and the only time he let her out of his sight once when she had to use the ladies¡¯ room.


    Before she knew it, it was midnight and time for her to leave.  He asked her out for breakfast, but she declined, because she needed to get up early in the morning for work.  She wished she could just call in sick so she could spend more time with Alex, but she couldn¡¯t do that to her coworkers or the patients she took care of at the nursing home.  She was troubled, wondering if he would think she was just giving him the brush off, but then he asked for her phone number.


    He told her that he would call her next week, but she had heard that line before.  She was afraid he wouldn¡¯t call her, and she absolutely wanted him to.  Kayla let him kiss her goodnight, holding on tightly to him when his lips touched hers.  It took her several seconds after the kiss ended before she could regain her equilibrium and then he walked her to the car.  Kayla got in, buckled her seat belt, then waved at Alex as she drove away into the darkness of the night.


    The next Friday night, Alex called and asked her out to dinner for that Saturday night at the local pizza restaurant.  Alex brought her a single yellow rose when he came to pick her up, and she was very touched, as she hadn¡¯t ever had a date bring her flowers before, not even just one.  They had a great time and made plans to go out again soon, then Alex gave her a light goodnight kiss and promised to call soon.  This time, Kayla was sure he would call her again.


    Soon the two of them were going out every weekend and talked on the phone often during the week.  Because of her job and the distance, they lived from each other, they weren¡¯t able see each other during the week.


    Kayla smiled as she remembered the first time, they made love.  She was in bed, waiting for him to remove the last piece of his clothing before he joined her.  He was standing in the doorframe of the bathroom, and the glow from the streetlight outside was coming in the through the bathroom window.  It lit the room just enough for Kayla to see what he was still wearing, which was just his bikini underwear.  Kayla¡¯s mouth felt as if a ball of cotton was in it, her heart was thundering in her chest, and she had to concentrate on breathing.  She had never seen a man wear anything except plain white jockey shorts and found what he was wearing arousing as she continued to watch him remove this final piece of clothing.


    From that very first night, their sex life had been great.  Now, Kayla knew the meaning of the expression ¡°great sex,¡± because that was what they had together.  Alex made her feel loved, and he brought out the best part of her whenever they were together.  When Kayla told Alex she loved him, he told her he wasn¡¯t sure of his feeling for her yet.  That was all right with her, she knew he loved her, but just couldn¡¯t put it into words yet.


    A car door slamming outside the window brought her quickly back to the present.  She knew now what her answer would be to Alex¡¯s question.  Before she knew it, Alex was knocking at her door.  She looked out the window, and saw Alex had a dozen yellow roses with him.  They had disagreed once about how many roses he had brought Kayla on their first date.  She said it was just one, he said it was a dozen.  It didn¡¯t matter to her, but it must have been important for him since this time he had at least a dozen yellow roses in his hands.


    She was smiling as she opened the door.  Alex seeing her expression, he knew her answer was yes and opened his arms to her.


    It was as if his arms were calling her to him, she knew it was where she belonged.  He handed her the flowers and then their lips met as she stepped into his embrace.  It was at this exact moment the room filled with a sparkling light that blinded Kayla.

 Chapter Three

    Maggie Reynolds knew what the court¡¯s verdict was going to be even before the judge told her she had lost custody of Ryan, her only son. The whole court proceeding had been a joke from the beginning. Maggie knew she didn¡¯t have a chance against the Reynolds and all their money and influence, since they had bought off the judge with their money.


    Maggie didn¡¯t even have a chance to save her son, but she didn¡¯t give up, giving her all to protect Ryan. Even if she had used all of Jack¡¯s insurance money, it was still a hopeless case. She thought about taking Ryan and running away, but the Reynolds would probably find her anywhere she went, and she would end up in jail for kidnapping her own son. That wouldn¡¯t do anyone any good.


    Jack, her husband, died six months ago and his parents started trying to get custody of Ryan as soon as they found out about his death. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds disapproved of her from the beginning, even before they knew anything about her. In their opinion, Maggie was from the wrong side of the tracks and hadn¡¯t been good enough for their only child. They had a woman already picked out for Jack to marry, someone of their social level. It didn¡¯t matter to them that Jack didn¡¯t want anything to do with their hand-picked-bride.


    Maggie didn¡¯t meet Jack¡¯s parents until the custody hearing because they had always refused to meet her, now she knew why Jack hadn¡¯t wanted her to meet them. The judge told her she could have a few minutes with Ryan before he had to leave with the Reynolds. Maggie valued every second with her young son and as she held Ryan in her lap, she tried to explain the situation to him the best way she could.


    ¡°Sweetheart, you have to go live with your grandparents, as they think I¡¯m not a good mother to you and that they can raise you better. They will never let me see you again, but remember I will always love you, no matter what anyone tells.¡± She felt an acute sense of loss by her own words.


    ¡°But Mommy, they said you can see me every weekend.¡± He smiled, as he replied happily.


    ¡°Yes, I know what they told you, but they lied to you, because they wanted you to leave with them more easily. I will never be able to see you again.¡± Maggie hated telling him this, but he needed to know the truth. She knew that once the Reynolds had Ryan in their custody, she and Ryan would never be allowed to see one another again, no matter what they told her and Ryan. The Reynolds¡¯ money would make damn sure she never saw her son again.


    He needed to understand, because when he didn¡¯t ever see her again, he would know why. ¡°They are mad at me for taking your daddy, their son, away from them. So now they want to take you away from me.¡± Her misery cut through her heart; tears slowly made their way down her cheeks.


    Maggie thought back to six years ago when she and Jack had first met. She was a waitress at Zappy¡¯s Restaurant and when Jack came into the bar for a drink, her eyes watched as the tall, handsome rugged man walked towards her. She couldn¡¯t exactly put her finger on it, but there was something special about this man, she felt as if she already knew him, but that wasn¡¯t possible.


    She walked up to him. ¡°Hello. What would you like a drink tonight?¡± Maggie watched him closely as he checked her out.


    His gaze was soft as a caress, as his eyes raked down her body from head to toe. When it came back up to her eyes, he smiled up at her, but didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Do you see something you like?¡± she asked seductively as she studied his expression.


    He raised his eyebrows as he seemed surprised by her tone.


    She had even shocked herself by her usual words. What had come over her? She never talked to customer this way before.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± He winked at her. ¡°Would you do me the honor of marrying me next Saturday?¡± He mischievously asked her.


    Maggie laughed. ¡°Yes, I will as long as I don¡¯t have to work here anymore. Can I quit my job?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want, baby.¡± They both laughed at their joking.


    That was how it all started, once they started talking, they couldn¡¯t stop. He stayed until she got off work, followed her home, and ended the evening by spending the night. Six weeks later Maggie knew she was pregnant. At first, Maggie had been afraid to tell Jack about the baby, and it took her two more weeks before she found the courage to tell him her news. When she finally told him, he proposed immediately, and of course, she said yes.


    They decided to be married as soon as possible and had a small quiet ceremony at her church. After the ceremony, Jack called and told his parents his news, but they didn¡¯t take the news well. They told him Maggie married him just for his money, but Jack knew differently, he knew they were truly in love; besides he hadn¡¯t told Maggie anything about his family or the amount of money he had.


    Jack would call them occasionally, telling them how Maggie¡¯s pregnancy was coming along, but his parents continued to tell him to leave his wife.


    When Ryan was born, Jack was right beside her in the delivery room. They were so happy, they now had a beautiful baby boy, and Jack to call his parents with the news.


    ¡°Mom, you are a grandmother to a beautiful baby boy. What do you say to that?¡± Jack excitedly told his mother.


    ¡°Jack, your father and I want you to leave Maggie.¡±


    ¡°I have told you over and over, I¡¯m not going to leave Maggie and our baby.¡±


    ¡°Pack up the baby if you must and come home to us. New York is where you should be, not in some Midwest town. Your father and I will forgive you for marrying that tramp.¡± She told Jack in a frosty voice.


    Jack couldn''t believe his mother would even suggest he leave his wife. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not going to leave Maggie, as she is the woman I love.¡± His heart was breaking by his mother¡¯s cold words.


    With a positive determination, his mother told him hatefully. ¡°We¡¯ll disinherit you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m not leaving Maggie, not now, not ever. Good-bye.¡± Jack hung up the phone and had tears in his eyes, heartbroken by his mother¡¯s cruel words. He loved his parents, but he wouldn¡¯t leave Maggie for the world, as she was his true love.


    Not wanting to keep any secrets from her, Jack told Maggie about the phone call with his mother. That was the last time Jack ever called his parents or even mentioned them, and there wasn¡¯t ever any communication between the two families after that phone call.


    It was as if Jack, Maggie, and Ryan didn¡¯t even exist to the Reynolds anymore. Jack said he didn¡¯t want anything to do with his family ever again unless they were willing to except Maggie as his wife, which they never did.


    They had a bad time about two years ago, when their happy world turned bad. When Maggie found out she was pregnant again they were ecstatic, if they had a girl this time, their family would be complete. This pregnancy was different from her first right from the beginning, as she had morning sickness all-day long, where with Ryan she hadn¡¯t been ill at all.


    She started spotting in her sixth month and the doctor ordered her on complete bed rest. Maggie¡¯s parents were deceased, and she had no other family living to help with Ryan and the house, so Jack decided to hire a woman to take care of Maggie and Ryan while he was at work.


    He contacted a nursing agency and they sent over a nurse named Abby Smith. She wasn¡¯t a pleasant woman and Ryan took an instant dislike to her. He stayed away from her during the day as much as possible, spending all his time in the bedroom with Maggie and would hide under the bed whenever Abby came into the room.


    While Ryan sat on the bed with Maggie, she would read to him, or he would bring in his toys and they would play together. What they didn¡¯t know was Abby Smith wanted to break up Jack and Maggie¡¯s marriage, as she wanted Jack for herself from the first moment, she had first laid eyes on him. She knew Jack would be hers soon, because she always got what she wanted and this time she wanted Jack.


    Abby was a young attractive woman. In fact, to some, she was gorgeous. Everything about her was perfect, her hair, her breasts, her weight, even the size of her feet. Abby told Jack to call her Abby, but he always called her Mrs. Smith. Maggie told Jack she didn¡¯t want Mrs. Smith taking care of her anymore because there was something about Mrs. Smith that made her uncomfortable.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Maggie knew that it was the way Abby looked at Jack that bothered her, making her want to kick her out of the house. For whenever they were in a room together, Maggie could see that Abby looked at Jack with desire and lust in her eyes and her smile would always turn to one of seduction when Jack would look her way. She always wore clothes, which showed off her best attributes, such as low-cut blouses, short skirts, or tight-fitting pants and it was upsetting to her that Jack never seemed noticed her. No matter what she wore, Jack didn¡¯t look at her, but Maggie noticed.


    Jack wanted the best for Maggie so he promised her he would call the agency to get a replacement for Abby, but whenever he called the agency, they would always tell him that Abby was the only one available right now. They said they would send someone new as soon as possible, but no one ever came to replace Abby. Jack decided to call a different agency, but none of the others had anyone that could come until next month.


    Maggie kept telling Jack that Abby was after him, but Jack would merely laugh at her, as he didn¡¯t believe for one- minute Abby was after him. He thought it was all Maggie¡¯s imagination because Maggie felt unattractive right now and was letting her mind run away with itself.


    After she had been with them about a month, Abby decided it was time to show Jack how she felt about him. She wanted to cause as much trouble as possible between Jack and the little woman and needed just the right moment to put everything into action.


    Maggie always came to the table for dinner, so Abby planned for Maggie to see Jack in a compromising situation with her one night when she came to dinner. She knew the perfect time had finally arrived when Abby saw Maggie coming toward the dining room and Jack coming out of the kitchen. The timing couldn¡¯t be any better if she had planned it that way.


    As Jack came into the room, Abby grabbed him, her mouth covered his hungrily as she kissed him passionately. At first contact, Jack¡¯s kiss sent a spiral of ecstasy through her, so she put all her feelings for Jack into this kiss. No one had ever resisted one of her kisses before, never. She expected Jack to start kissing her back, but instead she realized that he was trying to push away her away from him. Just as Abby had planned, Maggie walked into the room and saw Abby and Jack kissing.


    ¡°Do you like kissing my husband?¡± Maggie asked pleasantly, with a hint of sarcasm.


    Abby smiled to herself by Maggie¡¯s comment, as she was sure this was going to wreck Jack¡¯s marriage.


    Jack finally pushed Abby away from him, and then he took his arm and ran it over his lips, wiping off Abby¡¯s kiss on his sleeve.


    Abby watched him as he wiped off her kiss and was instantly furious by his actions, no man had ever treated her like this before.


    ¡°He was the one who started the kissing, not me. I have been fighting off his advances for weeks now.¡± Abby said with wide-eye innocence, which was just a smoke screen.


    A soft gasp escaped Jack¡¯s mouth. ¡°What are you saying? That¡¯s a lie as you kissed me, not the other way around.¡± Jack looked at Maggie for her reaction. ¡°Maggie, you must believe me, I didn¡¯t instigate that kiss.¡± Jack frowned, afraid of whom Maggie would believe, especially in her condition and she had seen them kissing with her own eyes.


    ¡°Jack, you haven¡¯t done anything to be ashamed of. You needn¡¯t be afraid to show how you honestly feel about me.¡± Abby stated, basking in the knowledge of her power over the situation.


    Maggie smiled wickedly, one that held no warmth. ¡°Mrs. Smith, I¡¯m sorry to tell you that I don¡¯t believe a single word you just said. I know with all my heart Jack loves me, and he would never do anything to hurt me.¡± She grinned mischievously. ¡°That especially includes him kissing you.¡±


    Jack let out the breath he had been holding. ¡°Get out of here.¡± He told her firmly. ¡°You¡¯re fired and I never want to see you here ever again. I will mail your company your last check,¡± he said with great emphasis.


    Abby couldn¡¯t believe Jack was sending her away, shocked actually, as never in her life had a man rejected her before. ¡°You will be sorry someday. Mark my words, I will have my revenge.¡± She stated with a slight smile of defiance.


    This time Jack hired Mrs. Thompson from an ad in the paper, she was over sixty and motherly to all of them. She instantly became part of their family and they planned to keep her on, even after the baby was born and there was peace once more at the Reynolds¡¯ house.


    When the time came for Maggie to deliver, something went terribly wrong. There wasn¡¯t any way to save the baby, because the cord had been wrapped tightly around the baby¡¯s neck. They were devastated over the loss of their daughter, but life has a way of going on. Because of this horrible experience, they decided not to have any more children as Ryan was enough for them.


    Life gradually settled down for them and Ryan became their whole world. He was a bit spoiled but was basically he was a good child. Maggie was a stay-at-home mom, which she loved, and Jack had started his own investment business and worked out of their home. When Maggie started back to college to finish her management degree, Ryan stayed home with Jack and Mrs. Thompson while she was in class.


    Time slowly passed and the next they knew; Ryan was turning five. They decided to go to Florida to celebrate Ryan¡¯s birthday. They had originally planned to spend a week there, but they were having such a great time, they ended up staying another week.


    On the way home from the airport, they were hit by a reckless driver who was speeding. The car hit straight into Jack¡¯s side of the car, Maggie and Ryan had just minor injuries, but Jack was seriously injured. He was in a coma and wasn¡¯t expected to live much more than a couple of days.


    Maggie spent as much time with Jack as possible, but it wasn¡¯t easy, because Ryan wanted her to be with him too, as he was scared because he knew his father was dying. Sometimes Mrs. Thompson would bring Ryan to the hospital to visit Jack, he would sit on Maggie¡¯s lap and hold his father¡¯s hand.


    Jack had been in the hospital for about two weeks when Dr. Martin came to see Maggie in Jack¡¯s room. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, his shoulder hunched forward, how he hated telling her this news.


    ¡°Mrs. Reynolds, I want you to be prepared for the end as he doesn¡¯t have much time left. His body simply can¡¯t fight any longer; as he has just too many internal injuries. You should call his parents to let them know there isn¡¯t much time left. I¡¯m sure they will want to see him one last time.¡± He takes Maggie¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Grief and despair tore at her heart by his words. ¡°Jack is estranged from his family, in fact we haven¡¯t talked to them since our son was born. I have already started putting Jack¡¯s personal and business affairs in order, and have tried to prepare Ryan for this, but it hasn¡¯t been easy on him. I want to bring him tonight to see his father for the last time. He knows Jack is dying, but it has still been difficult for him to accept.¡± She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears.


    Dr. Martin nodded, ¡°I know this has been hard on all of you, and I have admired how strong you have been during this time. My prayers are with you.¡± He gave Maggie¡¯s hand a squeeze, leaned over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Call me if you need me, no matter what time it is.¡± He said before disappearing out the door.


    When Jack died two days later, Maggie was with him. She could tell by the change in his breathing that death was near, she gave Jack a kiss on the cheek as she lay down beside him. She put her arm over Jack¡¯s chest and held him tight.


    ¡°Jack, it is all right. It¡¯s time for you to let go. Ryan and I will be fine. You have been a wonderful husband and I will love you forever.¡± She sat up and kissed him on his lips. Her anguish almost overcoming her control of her tears.


    Jack seemed to have heard her and Maggie swore she saw him smile. He took one more breath and then everything was still, she put her head on his chest and cried for the loss of the man she loved.


    She didn¡¯t know how long she laid there before a nurse came in to check on Jack. Finding Jack dead and Maggie still holding him, the nurse helped Maggie compose herself before leaving the room. Maggie decided she wouldn¡¯t ever marry again, as she wouldn¡¯t ever find the same love as the one, she and Jack shared.


    The insurance money would be enough to last her for years, even enough money to send Ryan to college when the time came. Maggie planned to continue with Jack¡¯s business, as this way she could still be home for Ryan and continue having an income to help support them.


    Maggie didn¡¯t call Jack¡¯s parents to tell them about his death, as she knew they would find a way to blame her for the accident. Considering they hadn¡¯t been in their lives for years; she decide they wouldn¡¯t even care.


    Shortly after getting on with her life from Jack¡¯s death, Maggie received a phone call from Mr. Reynolds, Jack¡¯s father. He told her a Mrs. Abby Smith had called and told them of Jack¡¯s death after reading about it in the paper. He also told her they were suing her for custody of Ryan, and she couldn¡¯t do a single thing to stop them. They were going to prove her to be an unfit mother, and Mrs. Smith was willing to testify in their behalf to this fact.


    Abby was finally getting her revenge.


    Maggie¡¯s thoughts slowly returned to the present. Quietly she watched as Mr. Reynolds approached them. She wanted to grab Ryan and run as far away as she could, as he was taking her only child away from her forever. ¡°No, please don¡¯t take my son away from me.¡± Maggie tighten her hold on Ryan. ¡°He is all I have in this world.¡± She felt the nauseating sinking feeling of despair shot through her.


    ¡°Now you know how we felt about losing Jack to you.¡± Mr. Reynolds told her as he stood in front of her, smiling a nasty smile at knowing he was hurting her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t steal your son away from you, you sent him away because you wouldn¡¯t accept me as his wife. There is a big difference between the two situations, as you could have seen Jack any time you wanted, but I doubt I¡¯ll ever see Ryan again.¡± She slowly swallowed, lifted her chin, waiting for him to deny her words.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to us. We won and you lost. Now give Ryan to me.¡± He smugly smiled at her.


    Ryan put his arms tightly around Maggie¡¯s neck and began crying. ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to go. I want to stay with you. Please Mommy, I promise I¡¯ll be a good boy.¡± He sobbed against Maggie¡¯s breast.


    ¡°Ryan, you haven¡¯t been a bad boy. I¡¯m sorry about this sweetheart. I wish I could do something to keep you with me.¡± Her throat ached with defeat.


    How was Maggie going to survive this separation from her son? Never again, be able to hold him as she was doing now, nor would she even be able to talk to him. Just as Mr. Reynolds touched Ryan, Maggie tighten her hold on her young son and screamed, ¡°Please someone help us. Don¡¯t let them take my son from me.¡±


    The room suddenly filled with a blinding light.

 Chapter Four

    Brianne Sanders sat on the edge of her bed, her wedding dress laid across her lap, and tears were rolling down both of her cheeks.  As she looked down at her beautiful white dress, a glazed look of despair began to spread over her face.  She found this dress a year ago on clearance and bought it for her hope chest, thinking to wear the dress for a happy occasion, but this was not such an occasion.


    Her wedding to Dirk Vander was to start in thirty minutes, she shuddered inwardly at the thought of the man and didn¡¯t know if she could marry Dirk.  She really didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter, as her stepfather, Scott Williams had blackmailed her into this marriage.


    Dirk was at least sixty if he was a day, and if she didn¡¯t go through with marrying Dirk, her sister, Amy, who was just seventeen would be forced to marry him.  Brianne would be twenty-one in two weeks, and she would do anything to protect her sister, even if it meant her marrying Dirk to do so.


    This whole story started about a year ago, when Brianne¡¯s father was killed, as all he had left his family was bills, bills, and more bills.  He had a gambling problem and spent every evening at the nearby casinos playing the slots machines, most times losing.  Whenever he ran out of money, he would simply use his charge card to get more, using each card until he maxed it out, then he would start on a new account.  Now the credit card companies were all demanding their money immediately!  Brianne¡¯s mother, Ann, couldn¡¯t keep up with all the payments so she had gone to the bank to see about taking out a second mortgage on the house.


    The banker who helped her was Scott Williams, who was of friend of their father.  She soon had the much-needed loan to pay off all the creditors, having just one payment to the bank each month.  Scott knew something about her situation that Ann didn¡¯t know, as he knew that Robert left a ten million-dollar life insurance policy for his family.


    Robert had told Scott about the policy years ago when he first took out the policy.  Scott figured he would marry Ann, get the money, and then run.  However, it hadn¡¯t worked out that way for Scott, as the insurance money didn¡¯t pay out in one large sum as most polices did.  Other than a small monthly allowance for the girls in case of Ann¡¯s death, the policy had a year waiting period before it paid out any substantial amount.


    For the next ten years, it paid out three hundred thousand a year.  The balance of the rest of the money paid out on the eleventh year.  In the case of Ann''s death, the money was to be held in trust, and would be the girl¡¯s when they were either turned twenty-one or were married, and then they would each receive their half of the money.  Until then, the executor would have control of the money.


    Scott didn¡¯t think about Ann dying, she was in her thirties and still had many years left, or so he thought.  Therefore, Scott talked Ann into marrying him, promising her that he would always take care of her, but Ann died of ovarian cancer before Scott ever got his hands on any of the money.


    Shortly before Ann married Scott, she found out about the cancer and that it was too advance for any treatment to help her.  She didn¡¯t tell anyone the bad news, afraid if Scott knew she was dying, he wouldn¡¯t marry her, and Ann wanted someone to take care of her two daughters when she died.  Even when she married Scott, she still wasn¡¯t aware of the insurance money.  Because of the waiting period, the insurance company hadn¡¯t called Ann, and since she didn¡¯t know anything about it, she never called them.


    As soon as Ann married Scott, he called the insurance company to ask when he was getting a check, it was then that he found out about the year waiting period.  He was furious to say the least, as he planned to be long gone by then.  Now he would have to wait around for a year before he could get his hands on a portion of the money, longer if he wanted even more of the money.


    While Scott¡¯s mind was busy on ways to get the money, Ann had her mind on dying.  She wanted to spend her last few months with her family without them watching and waiting for her to die so she continued to remain quiet about her health.


    Scott had no idea his new wife was ill, but if he had taken the time to really look at her, he would have noticed the slow decline of her health.  Her face was pale and often pinched with pain.  Brianne and Amy knew something was wrong, and when they asked their mother about her health, she would always deny there was anything wrong.


    As the time tick closer to Robert¡¯s one-year anniversary of his death, Ann¡¯s health quickly worsened.  Scott was making plans as what he planned to do with the three hundred-thousand-dollar check, but the month before Scott could get his hands on the money, he was burying his wife of less than a year.  Now the money was lost to him unless he could devise a new scheme so he could get the some of the money.


    Scott wanted to marry Brianne himself, but he had his image at the bank to think of, as it wouldn¡¯t look good if he remarried so soon after his wife death, especially to his young stepdaughter.  Then he came up with a new plan, his friend, Dirk Vander, would marry Brianne, that way he could get his hands on at least some of the money.  Since Dirk was to marry Brianne, they figured he should receive the larger portion of the money, and he would give Scott one hundred thousand, keeping the rest for himself each year he remained married to her.


    Now all Scott needed to do was put the plan into motion and do it quickly as the wedding needed to be before Brianne¡¯s birthday, which was just two weeks away.  Scott was afraid Brianne would cause trouble for him, so Scott and Dirk planed for the wedding to be the next day.  Now all he had to do was tell her what he wanted her to do and then wait for the fireworks to go off.  Scott knew Brianne didn¡¯t like him, but that didn¡¯t bother him in the least, as after tomorrow, he wouldn¡¯t ever have to see her again.


    Brianne was walking past Scott¡¯s office when she heard him call to her, asking her to come in.  How she hated this man and didn¡¯t trust him either, thinking her mother had been desperate when she had married Scott.  He reminded Brianne of a snake, a rattlesnake in fact, just waiting to strike with his deadly venom.  She always tried to hide her dislike for him, but sometimes the hatred just seemed to seep out when she was around him. When she turned twenty-one next week, and receive some of her father¡¯s insurance money, she and Amy were moving into an apartment, she couldn¡¯t wait to move out of this house and no longer under his thumb.


    ¡°Close the door,¡± Scott ordered as she entered the room.  ¡°Sit down, because I have something important, I need to tell you.¡±


    An expression of satisfaction showed in his eyes, which made Brianne wonder what he was up to now.  She sat in the chair Scott indicated.


    ¡°Brianne, I want you to know that you and Dirk Vander are to be married tomorrow, and you will stay married to him for at least five years.¡±  Scott announced, then he leaned back in his chair, placing his hands on his chest, forming a steeple with his fingers as he waited for her reaction.  He wasn¡¯t disappointed at by the look of shock on her face when she comprehended his words.


    ¡°Excuse me!  What in the Hell makes you think that I would marry that filthy old goat and especially stay married to him that long?¡±  Brianne shouted as she glared at him with anger that lit her eyes.  ¡°When I turn twenty-one you won¡¯t have any say of my life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the legal guardian for you and your sister, and you will do as I say.  Just so you know, I mean for this wedding to happen, and if you don¡¯t marry Mr. Vander, Amy will.  It is as simple as that.  Now, what is your decision?¡±  Scott smiled smugly at her, as he enjoyed her struggle to capture her composure.


    Brianne just stared at him as the shock of his words hit her full force.  Why in the world would he want her or Amy to marry Mr. Vander?  Brianne knew evil lurked inside Scott¡¯s body and wouldn¡¯t put anything pass this man.  He was up to something, but for the life of her, she couldn¡¯t figure it out what it was.


    She would have to do as he requested, unless she came up with a plan to get both of them out of this wedding blackmail.  She wished she could just run away, but since Amy was involved in this too, she would have to be careful in her plans, besides, they didn¡¯t have any money to live on until her birthday.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Well, what will it be?¡±  Scott asked again, smiling as if he already knew what her answer would be.  He seemed very pleased with himself as he watched her fighting to control her facial expression.


    ¡°Yes, I will marry Mr. Vander, but on one condition,¡± Brianne said bravely, speaking with a quiet, but desperate voice.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t in much of a position to barter.¡±  Scott saw the deadly look she gave him and figured he better not push her too far.  ¡°What is it?¡±  He figured he should at least listen to what she had to say.


    Brianne had to protect Amy, and the only way she knew how to do that was to have her with her.  Now all she had to do was hope Scott would agree to her request.  ¡°I want Amy to come live with me, and for you to give up all legal rights to her,¡± Brianne stated, with her back straight, her chin up and looking directly into Scott¡¯s eyes.


    Scott hadn¡¯t considered on this and had to give Brianne credit for her fast thinking.  Now he and Dirk would have to make some changes in their arrangements.  Brianne would be easier to manage with Amy living with her that is for sure.  ¡°Let me talk to Dirk, and I will let you know later.¡±  He looked down at some paperwork on his desk, already dismissing Brianne from his mind.


    When Scott talked to Dirk about Amy living with him, they both decided to keep the money split the same, except now, Dirk would receive the monthly allowance for both girls.  He rubbed his hands together, already thinking of what he was going to do with more of the insurance money.


    Later in the day when Scott told Brianne that Dirk didn¡¯t care if Amy came and lived with them, she felt having Amy living with them would help her accept this death sentence.  She still wondered how she was going to live with Dirk every day for the next five years.  She didn¡¯t know much about him, but she did know she didn¡¯t want to marry him and spend any of her life with him.  She especially knew she didn¡¯t want to have sex with him.  Maybe she would be lucky, and he would drop dead before the wedding night, but knowing her luck, he would probably live to be 100 years old and she would be stuck with him until then.


    * * *


    A knock at the door brought Brianne back to the present, and she looked at the clock to see what time it was.  She frowned when she saw how late it was as she needed to get ready, Scott would be furious with her if she was even a minute late.  The wedding was being held in Scott¡¯s study, with just the minister, Scott, Dirk, Amy, and herself being present.


    She walked over to the door.  ¡°Who is it?¡± she asked, as she leaned her head against the door and sighed as she wondered if she would actually survive this ordeal.


    ¡°Brianne, it¡¯s me.  Let me in,¡± Amy said.


    Brianne opened the door and smiled as she took in the lovely sight before her, as Amy was already dressed in her beautiful light blue prom dress.  She was a beautiful young lady, so beautiful that she could be a model.


    Amy took after their mother in her looks, whereas Brianne took after their father.  Brianne thought Amy looked like a beautiful delicate flower, whereas she thought that she was more like an old cactus.  Brianne loved her sister and wasn¡¯t jealous of her at all in any way, in fact, she was proud of Amy.  In reality, Brianne was an extremely attractive woman; she just didn¡¯t think she was pretty.


    ¡°Brianne, you aren¡¯t ready yet.¡±  Amy shook her head in annoyance.  ¡°Scott will be furious with you if you make him wait.  Let me help you.  No matter what you have told me, I know Scott has forced you into this scam of a marriage.¡±  Amy looked at Brianne straight in her eyes, waiting for her sister to deny her words.


    Brianne didn¡¯t have the energy to contradict Amy¡¯s claim.  She just stared at Amy, wondering if she should tell her the truth?  This wedding was affecting her as well, as she might as well tell her was this event was all about.  ¡°Amy.¡±  She muttered.


    Amy stopped fiddling with Brianne hair and looked at her sister.  ¡°What is it?¡±  Amy waited for Brianne to continue, but she didn¡¯t respond.  ¡°Brianne, tell me.¡±


    Tears appeared in Brianne eyes.  ¡°Scott is¡­¡±  Brianne paused for a moment and then looked away from Amy.  ¡°Never mind.¡±  Brianne bit her lip to prevent the words from spilling out.


    ¡°No, please tell me.¡±  She pleaded.  ¡°What is Scott doing?¡±


    Brianne turned back towards her sister.  ¡°He is blackmailing me into marring Dirk.¡±  She stated, then watched Amy¡¯s face for her reaction.


    Amy looked stunned and took her a minute to find the words.  ¡°How and why?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t marry Dirk, he will force you into marrying him, but I don¡¯t know why.  He wants one of us to marry Dirk, but for the life of me I can¡¯t think why.¡±


    ¡°How could he force either one of us to marry Dirk?¡±


    ¡°He has legal custody of us.¡±


    ¡°What was Mom thinking of when she married that creep?  So, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I am going to get married today.¡±  She shuddered at the thought of his hands on her body.  ¡°I don¡¯t any other choices.¡±


    Neither of them said another word to each other, Amy simply started helping her sister put on her dress.  When Brianne was dressed, Amy started arranging the veil so it would correctly lie on her head.  Finally, they were ready, with just two minutes to spare.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go downstairs to tell Scott you are ready.  Are you sure, you won¡¯t change your mind?  It still isn¡¯t too late to change it,¡± Amy asked hopefully.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t be changing my mind.¡±  Her mind was lethargic, without hope of any reprieve from this nightmare.  ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±  Brianne tried not to think about the wedding night.  Surely, this must be just a bad dream one where she would wake up and everything would be as it should be, both parents would be alive, and life would go on as it once had.


    Brianne thought back to all the good times she and her family had when she was younger, before her father started gambling.  He would pile them all into one of their many station wagons, as he had several of them over the years, and they would head out on one of their yearly vacations.


    Since they never had any extra money, they always went camping so they would pack up the tent, sleeping bags, camp stove, chairs, fishing poles, and floats and all the other necessary camping items.  She knew of two trips to Colorado, but the first time she was just a baby.  On their last trip to Colorado, she remembered how cold the nights were.  Each night before they went to bed, they would heat up rocks by the fire.  They would then wrap the rocks up in towels and put them in the foot of their sleeping bags to help keep them warm during the night.  No matter what they did to stay warm, by morning they were always cold and shivering.


    She could still remember feeding the little chipmunks in the park, who would come up to you and eat raw popcorn seeds right out of your hand.  After filling their mouths until their cheeks were full, they would scamper away, empty their cheeks, and come back for more.


    All of their other camping trips were taken in the great state of Missouri, since it was their home state, almost every place they went on their vacation wasn¡¯t too far from home.  They floated down several of Missouri¡¯s rivers on rubber rafts and gone through most of the state¡¯s numerous caves.  They had gone on several steamboats over the years, which would slowly travel up and down the muddy Mississippi River.  They made several trips to the top of the St. Louis Arch, which looked out high over the city.  They visited the amusement parks in St. Louis, Branson, and Kansas City.  She and Amy went to World¡¯s of Fun, the Kansas City Park every year for as long as she could remember.


    Branson and Kansas City also each had a water park., but Brianne liked White-Water, the water park in Branson was the best.  She remembered the last time they were there, which turned out to be their last family vacation together.  The park was excessively crowded that day, making the lines and the wait long for each of the rides.  Suddenly storm clouds came in and covered the park with the threatening black clouds.  When the lightening started, the park was quickly closed, and soon people started piling out of the park, trying to beat the rain to their cars.  The rain never came and her family decided to stay around to see if the park would be reopened for the remainder to the day.


    Just as they finally gave up and started to leave, the storm passed, the park was given the all clear, and reopened.  Since most of the people had already left the park, the lines were now shorter and now they were able to go quickly through the line for the rides.  They had to drag their mother out of the park that day because she was having such a great time.  Now Brianne wished they had stayed just a bit longer that day at the park.


    All their vacations outings abruptly ended when the casino boats came into the Kansas City area and her father was bitten by the gambling bug.  Brianne didn¡¯t see her father much after that.  No one knows for sure what exactly happened on the day he was killed, only that he had finally won it big, big for him, anyway.  He won ten thousand dollars on a one-dollar slot machine, so the police thought he was attacked on his way to his car with the prize money.


    When he left the bank, he had ten crisp new one thousand-dollar bills in his pocket and when the police found his body, he didn¡¯t even have a dime to his name.  The police assume the assailant must have followed him to the bank, robbed him, and then killed him sometime after he left the bank.  Neither the money nor the assailant was ever found.


    * * *


    Brianne heard the music start and she knew it was time to leave.  She slowly walked down the stairs and into the study.  When she entered the room, she glanced at Dirk, he wasn¡¯t a bad looking man, just old and fat.  Brianne continued walking until she was standing beside him, thinking she could do this, as she was doing this for Amy.


    Brianne looked over to her sister and saw her sadly looking at her.  ¡°Please someone help us.¡± she whispered, tears of hopelessness appeared, in the knowledge that there wouldn¡¯t be any help for them now.   She leaned over and gave Amy a hug.  It was at the exact moment the two girls embraced; they were all blinded by a brilliant light.

 Chapter Five

    When Sara became aware of her surroundings, she confused to why she was in a white room, in fact, everything in the room was white, even the floor. How did she get here, did Paul call the paramedics and she was now in a hospital? Remembering the blood running down her face, she touched her head to feel for the bandage, but nothing was there. Why didn¡¯t she have some sort of bandage as Paul had shot her in the head?


    She felt no pain or any other kind of distress, just at peace and relaxed, which made her think that she was dead and this was a waiting room for heaven. Slowly, she became aware of voices approaching the door and held her breath, wondering what to expect.


    The door opened gradually, and a man and woman entered the room, each dressed in all white. The man wore a lab coat, a shirt, a pair of pants and white shoes. The woman was wearing a knee length white dress and white, low-heeled shoes. This must definitely be heaven, with all this white everywhere around her.


    ¡°Oh good, you are awake. You¡¯ve been asleep for two hours and we were beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up. I¡¯m Dr. Dave Miller, and this is my nurse and wife, Tammy.¡± He smiled at her and motioned for Sara to sit up. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions for us. First, let me assure you that you aren¡¯t in any danger. No one here is going to harm you.¡±


    ¡°I was shot, but I don¡¯t feel a wound. How can that be?¡± Sara asked quietly, as she frowned in confusion. ¡°Did I dream it?¡± A faint touch of hysteria was in her voice.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t dream being shot. You are not going to understand all of what I am about to tell you, but like I said before, you aren¡¯t in any danger. Do you remember seeing a bright light just before you were shot?¡± Dr. Miller asked her.


    Sara nodded, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°That was our spaceship transport system locking onto your location. After the gun went off, we transported you to onto our ship, and using one of our special medical procedures, we repaired the damage to your head. That¡¯s why you won¡¯t feel a wound. It is as though you were never shot.¡±


    The doctor smiled as if this explained it all. ¡°You are aboard our spaceship, and we want you to come with us to live on our planet. We will be picking up a few more passengers from Earth before we leave for Zodar, which is the name of our planet. It will take us two weeks to get there from here because we are from a different galaxy from yours.¡±


    Sara continued to stare at him, confused if she was truly awake or not.


    ¡°Our mission is to take women home with us to help repopulate our planet, as every few years, our planet is hit with an epidemic, which affects only the native females of our population. However, not all the females are affected by this epidemic at the same time. Fortunately, we have found out that for some reason, women from Earth are immune to this horrible disease. We are now in the process of bringing more women from your planet to our home. We especially want those who have children or who are pregnant, women who are without any family to miss them. If anyone we take doesn¡¯t want to go, we simply erase their memory of us and send them back to Earth. They¡¯re never the wiser, because we return them to Earth at the exact moment, we had initially transported them. We know you are divorced, pregnant, and have no other family living. Just tell us what you want to do. Are you going to Zodar with us or going back to Earth?¡±


    Sara laughed, ¡°What kind of joke is this?¡± She looked back and forth between the couple in front of her for reassurance that this was a joke.


    Tammy walked over to her, took hold of her hand, and looked at Sara with a serious expression. ¡°Sara, this is no joke. This is real to us because it is life-or-death trip for our planet. This mission is important to Zodar, as we need Earthlings to help us continue life on our planet. It¡¯s time for us to finish retrieving additional people and get home to our people, so we need your decision as soon as possible.¡±


    Sara positive this was a dream, decided she might as well try to enjoy it and see where it went from here. ¡°How did you decide to pick me as one of your passengers?¡±


    Dave bought out a book, which looked just like a typical photo album. When Sara opened it up, she saw it started with her baby pictures. Her whole life was in these pictures, every special occasion was recorded here: pictures of her first tooth, first step, her first date, and even her first car. Her graduation pictures from high school and college, her wedding photos, pictures of her parents and both brothers were also in the album. These pictures brought back so many wonderful memories, Sara didn¡¯t seem to feel the wetness on her cheeks as her tears ran down her the side of her face. She slowly touched a picture of her with her parents from her wedding, it seemed so long ago, but she still missed her family a lot.


    Tammy handed Sara a tissue. ¡°Sara, we have been watching you since birth. We do this with all females on Earth, so we know if someone is a potential candidate for our transfer program. As soon as the divorce was final, a red flag went up on your computer file, and your name was added to the list for this trip. This has been our best trip this year, as we are bringing over one hundred females back to Zodar. Today is our last day on Earth and have twenty weddings scheduled again today, that is, if every woman says yes about going with us to Zodar.¡±


    ¡°So, let¡¯s say all this is really happening. What comes next? What will I do on your planet?¡± She questioned them.


    Dave closed the photo album, set it on the bedside table, and then picked up a second album. When he opened the album there were pictures of a young boy, as he turned the pages, the boy grew into a man. He was tall and slender, with light reddish hair and hazel eyes and was extremely good-looking. There were pictures of him with his family as he grew, and he too had wedding pictures. The last picture showed him with his wife, his son, who looked to be about a year old and daughter who looked to be about three years old.


    ¡°Sara, this is Travis McBride and he will be your new husband. Like on Earth, you can work outside the home at different types of jobs or be a stay-at-home mom. It will be between you and Travis; we haven¡¯t any say in the matter.¡±


    The doctor watched Sara¡¯s expression as he told her this information. The room became dreadfully quiet, it was as if the doctor and his wife were holding their breath, waiting for Sara¡¯s decision.


    She looked back at the picture of Travis with his family, realizing if this man needed a wife, something terrible had happened to his first one. Not looking at the couple before her, she asked softly. ¡°What happened to Travis¡¯ wife?¡±


    ¡°His wife and daughter died in the last epidemic.¡±


    Her eyes jerked up from the photo album to the two in front of her. ¡°Oh, how horrible it must have been for him.¡± Feeling bad for the man¡¯s loss, she changed the subject. ¡°Were you two matched like this?¡±


    Tammy smiled, ¡°Yes, we have been together for five years now and I have never been sorry with my decision to marry Dave. I lived in Boston and just lost my parents in a plane accident. Dave was chosen for me; we now have a four-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy at home waiting for our return. Sometimes, just like on Earth, marriages don¡¯t work out and then new matches will be made for each person.¡±


    Sara nodded at her comment.


    ¡°You must know that if you decide to marry Travis, no matter if you stay married or not, you can¡¯t ever return to Earth to live. Never! No matter what situation arises, no one is allowed to return to Earth, as Zodar will become your home. Our goal is to produce a new race, one that will be immune to the epidemic.¡±


    She seemed to accept his words.


    ¡°It will take a few more trips like this one before we won¡¯t have to recruit people from Earth. Each couple is asked to produce at least two offspring, but since you will have a female child from your previous marriage, you just need to have one more child, but can have more children if you want. We need your answer right away, because in an hour we will be leaving Earth¡¯s orbit to start for home.¡±


    Sara felt overwhelmed by she¡¯d heard. ¡°How do you know I¡¯m going to have girl?¡± she asked as her hand rested on her belly.


    Dave winked and said. ¡°We have our ways.¡±


    Sara just stared at him, as all he¡¯d told her was like something out of a science fiction book or movie, as things like this just didn¡¯t happen in real life. Could this be real or was it just a dream? If it was a dream, it was an incredibly realistic one. Yes, this was most definitely a dream, the best one she ever had in her entire life. No, she must be in a coma and this was what was going through her mind. Wow, this would be a great plot for a movie, she thought to herself.


    Oh, what the hell, I will go for this new life. What do I have to lose anyway? Mrs. Miller told her rematches could be made if necessary. Marriage could be great with the right man. Her parents had a great marriage, theirs was nothing like the one she and Paul had. Sara smiled at the two of them. ¡°Yes, I will go with you. When do I get to meet Travis and when is the wedding taking place?¡± she asked excitedly.


    Dave and Tammy each took one of Sara¡¯s hands in theirs and in unison they both said, ¡°Now!¡± Sara was afraid of what exactly they meant by that comment.


    Dave excused himself and quietly left the room as Tammy went to the closet and brought out the most beautiful white wedding dress Sara had ever seen in her life. She got out of bed and walked towards the dress, slowly reaching out to touch it, she smiled as the satin material of the dress felt so silky and smooth against her hand.


    ¡°Go ahead and put the dress on Sara,¡± Tammy said as she hands her the dress.


    Sara removed her clothes, took the dress off the hanger, and put it on, fitting her perfectly. It made her think that it had been made specifically for her, which surprised her. The neckline was slightly scooped, with short sleeves, the hem barely touched the floor in front, and there was a small train in the back. Seeing a pair of shoes, Sara slipped her feet into the white low-heeled pumps, which also were a perfect fit.


    Tammy came up behind Sara to zip up the dress and put the veil on Sara¡¯s head, and then pulled Sara towards the mirror. When she looked at herself in the mirror, Sara was shocked at what she saw looking back at her. Was that really her in that mirror? Tears sprained from her eyes and ran down Sara¡¯s cheek.


    Tammy handed Sara another tissue. ¡°My dear, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you like the dress?¡±


    Sara smiled, ¡°Oh yes! The dress is beautiful. When I was married the first time, I didn¡¯t have a wedding gown, I bought a formal at a secondhand store. It was pretty, but definitely not the same as this gown, as this dress makes me feel like a princess.¡±


    Tammy smiled at Sara¡¯s words.


    ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m someone special, not just plain old Sara.¡± She told Tammy as she twirled around in a circle. ¡°Thank you for the dress, it means a lot to me. Where did it come from? Was it made just for me? How did they know my size?¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°We transported a dress and a pair of your shoes, took the measurements and returned them before you knew they were gone. The dress is yours to keep, the seamstress on board ship made it, and she and her workers make all the dresses,¡± Tammy told her.


    A knock on the door made Sara jump, putting her hand on her chest, she felt her heart pounding is surprise at the sound. When Tammy opened the door, Sara couldn¡¯t see who it was, but heard Dr. Miller tell his wife it was time but wasn¡¯t sure what Dr. Miller meant by that comment.


    When Tammy closed the door, she looked back at Sara.


    ¡°So, when is the wedding to take place?¡± Sara asked her, never expecting what Tammy was about to tell her.


    Tammy smiled, and then looked at her watch. ¡°Your wedding is to start in fifteen minutes.¡±


    Sara¡¯s mouth actually dropped open, as this was all happening too fast for her; she wasn¡¯t ready to get married today. Sara frowned at the very thought of marrying a man she wasn¡¯t going to meet until she was standing beside him at the altar, just the very thought twisted her heart. What would she do if she married another Paul?


    Tammy saw Sara¡¯s frown. ¡°My dear, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Tammy, I¡¯m not ready for the wedding to be today,¡± Sara told her in an exasperated voice. ¡°I thought I would get to meet Travis and have time to become acquainted with him before the wedding. What if we find out we don¡¯t even like each other? There I¡¯ll be, millions of miles from my home on a strange planet, not knowing anyone and stuck in a bad marriage again.¡±


    Sara pulled off her veil, and then kicked her shoes off. ¡°Tammy, help me out of this dress, I¡¯ve changed my mind. I want to go home and forget this ever happened, as I feel too rushed. Before I take my wedding vows, there should be at least some form of courtship, at least an introduction to the man who will be my husband for the rest of my life.¡±


    She fought to get the zipper to work. ¡°I just can¡¯t do this, I¡¯m not ready to get remarried so soon.¡± Sara refused to meet Tammy¡¯s eyes because she was afraid of what she would see there, as she knew she had disappointed Tammy. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that I¡¯ve let you down.¡± Sara began to cry.


    Tammy pulled Sara to the chair. ¡°Sara, sit down, and relax. Try taking some deep breaths. Maybe that will help to calm you down. The reason the wedding is so fast is that there isn¡¯t enough time for a courtship, everyone needs to be married before we start for home. There isn¡¯t enough room to house all the men and women separately. There are also some of the women¡¯s children and their siblings on board who must have rooms as well. That¡¯s why the weddings are so soon. Zodar is different from your planet, by the fact that all couples are married before they live together. Sex is the same way. Marriage comes first. Their religion isn¡¯t much different from some of ours, they too believe in God.¡±


    ¡°But what happens if we aren¡¯t compatible?¡± The thought of Paul made her shiver.


    Tammy already knew the answer, but she asked anyway. ¡°How long did you know your first husband? Would you say the two of you were compatible?¡±


    Sara shook her head to indicate a negative response. ¡°At the beginning of our relationship I thought we were, but he changed after we were married. I always seemed to irritate Paul and never could do anything right in his eyes. By the way, what happened to Paul?¡± Sara asked in a soft whisper, as if she asked aloud Paul would somehow appear before her.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t hurt and is probably wondering what happened to you. All he saw was a bright light that blinded him for a moment and when he opened his eyes, you were gone. Why did you stay with him so long?¡± Tammy couldn¡¯t understand why any woman would stay with an abusive man.


    ¡°I stayed with him because of my marriage vows; he was my husband for better or worse. I thought I was the cause of his violent ways.¡± Sara began wringing her hands together. ¡°I prayed to God to show me a way out of my marriage. I felt it was what He did by Paul¡¯s last attack, as it made me finally decide to get the hell out of my marriage.¡±


    ¡°Sara, you stay here for a moment. I have an idea, and I will be back as soon as I can.¡± Tammy said with excitement in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to will try to postpone the wedding for you, but I can¡¯t promise you anything. Let me see what I can do.¡±


    Tammy left, quietly closing the door behind her. Sara stood and looked in the mirror at herself. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, but how am I going to get home without ending back at the same place I was, with Paul trying to kill me?¡± She said to the mirror, then slowly crumbled into the nearby chair. About five minutes passed when Sara heard a loud knock. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Sara was just thinking that Tammy didn¡¯t need to knock, when the door quickly opened, and a man walked into the room wearing a black tuxedo, looking as if he was ready for his wedding. Sara recognized Travis instantly from his photo album and she couldn¡¯t believe he was even more handsome in person.


    Sara tried to swallow but couldn¡¯t because suddenly her mouth had become dry, as her heart was thumping, and she couldn¡¯t seem to say a coherent word to this man. She just stared at him, as she couldn¡¯t even remember his name, let alone hers.


    He didn¡¯t seem to be aware of Sara¡¯s difficulties as he slowly walked over to her. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Travis.¡± He held out his hand as if he was going to shake hands with her, but instead when his hand touched hers, he pulled her out of the chair, and she fell gracefully into his arms. Travis put his hand on the small of her back and gently pushed her closer against his body, putting his other hand on the back of her head, he slowly brought her lips to his.


    His lips were warm and slightly moist as if he just licked them. He didn¡¯t need to force her, as she was drawn to him like a moth to a light. It was as if Sara¡¯s lips had a mind of their own, she couldn¡¯t have stopped the kiss if her life depended on it. When Travis sensed her acceptance, he deepened the kiss, his tongue entered her mouth and their tongues danced the mating dance together.


    Sara couldn¡¯t think, as she hadn¡¯t ever in all her life ever been kissed like this before. Never! Every part of her body was responding to this man¡¯s kiss and was tingling all over. Her breathing increased, her heart was pounded wildly in her chest, she felt light-headed and weak all over and would have fallen if not for the fact Travis was holding her.


    Paul¡¯s kisses never stimulated her like this, never during their entire marriage. Travis was just kissing her, making her wondered what it must be like to make love to someone whose kisses were as breathtaking as his were. Sara was becoming sexually aroused, and all they were doing was kissing. She could hardly catch her breath, wondering if she was going to survive this kiss?


    His hands never moved from her back, but Sara felt them tighten against her, pulling her closer to him, if that was even possible. She could feel his arousal against her body and her nipples were tingling against her bra. The fact she affected a total stranger to this extreme was even more stimulating to her.


    As Travis ended the kiss, he took his right hand and touched her face. ¡°Sara, you are so beautiful. Please don¡¯t leave, I need you stay here with me. Let me tell you a story.¡±


    She simply nodded.


    ¡°Do you recall the last picture in my photo album?¡± Travis¡¯ voice broke slightly. ¡°It was the picture of me with my wife and children. It was taken last year before my family was destroyed. My wife, Allie, and daughter, Jean died last year during the epidemic. Toby is two now, so he doesn¡¯t really remember them, but still misses them both. I looked through dozens of candidate¡¯s photo albums and as soon as I saw your picture, I knew I wanted you to be his mother.¡± He said in a firm voice.


    ¡°Toby is staying with my in-laws, the Hays¡¯s, while I¡¯m on this trip. He is close to both set of his grandparents and just so you know up-front, I want him to continue seeing his maternal grandparents, because it is important for Toby to know Allie¡¯s parents as well as mine. I hope this won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Sara softly touch Travis¡¯ arm, ¡°I think that¡¯s wonderful, as a child can¡¯t ever have too much love.¡±


    ¡°Sara, you are the one I want to marry, I don¡¯t want anyone else.¡± Travis¡¯ sad eyes looked deeply into hers.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you personally picked me. I didn¡¯t know how I was chosen, but why me?¡± She asked with bewilderment.


    Travis smiled, ¡°Because of the love that shines in your eyes for your family, your smile lights up your whole face. I need a mate as much as I need a mother for Toby.¡±


    When a single tear from her eye rolled down Sara¡¯s cheek, Travis took his finger and wiped the tear away.


    ¡°Oh, Travis, I¡¯m so sorry for your loss. I can¡¯t imagine what you¡¯ve gone though, as I have lost all my family members, but none of them was a spouse or child. Yes, you are right, your son does need a mother, and we both need a spouse. Are you aware I¡¯m four and a half months pregnant?¡± Sara looked down at her barely noticeable tummy and put her hands across the area in a protective manner. ¡°Does that make any difference to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know about the baby.¡± Travis puts his hand on top of hers. ¡°That¡¯s another reason I chose you. Your baby will be immune to our dreadful epidemic, so you¡¯ll never have to experience the loss of a child because of the epidemic. I could try to postpone our wedding for a few more minutes to give you some more time. So, what is your answer going to be? Are you going to marry me or return to earth?¡± His held his breath, waiting for her response, but he let it out when she started shaking her head no. Was she saying no to the marrying part? Travis waited nervously, forcing himself to breath when he realized he was holding his breath again in anticipation of her answer. Would her answer be the right one or not?


    Sara just stared at him as Travis spoke, not saying a word, then she started slowly shaking her head no.


    ¡°I wish you would reconsider and decide to marry me and become my wife and Toby¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really don¡¯t think I can do this. Part of me wants to, really, but I¡¯m just not ready to be married today. I don¡¯t know you or anything about you.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the answer I wanted to hear. Maybe I can persuade you to change your mind into marrying me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think that is possible.¡± She sadly told him, quickly looking away as she didn¡¯t want to see Travis¡¯ disappointment.


    ¡°Do you mind if I try?¡± he asked, hoping he could change her mind about marrying him.


    ¡°No, go ahead and try, but it won¡¯t do you any good,¡± she insisted.


    There was a knock at the door. Sara bid them to enter and Dr. Miller entered the room.


    ¡°Sara, are you sure about your final decision?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± she said as she again wiped her tears way. ¡°I¡¯m ready to leave,¡± Sara replied, trying to sound more positive than she really felt.


    She looked around the room one last time, making sure she had everything she needed, then giggled, as of course, she had everything she needed, because she hadn¡¯t brought anything with her. She took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, feeling more certain this was the right thing to do.


    Dr. Miller took Sara¡¯s arm and led her out of the room. They slowly walk down the quiet corridor; so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. She felt her heart beating rapidly, her palms were sweaty, and her mouth was dry. Sara kept licking her lips, but they wouldn¡¯t stay moistened. Sara kept telling herself she was making the right decision, as there wasn¡¯t any turning back now.


    If only she could see Travis once more, because words were left unsaid to each other, now it was too late. Sara stopped walking, thinking maybe it wasn¡¯t too late, ¡°Dr. Miller, could I see Travis just one more time before we go on? I need to talk to him just one more time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sara, you can¡¯t. You made your decision and now there isn¡¯t any time left to change it. Besides, they are waiting for you.¡±


    They resumed walking, going passed several passageways, but Sara didn¡¯t notice them, she just kept looking straight ahead with a sad expression on her face.


    They stopped at some double doors. Dr. Miller let go of Sara¡¯s arm and handed her a small box. ¡°It¡¯s our going away gift for you.¡±


    She opened it up and acknowledged the gift. ¡°Oh, thank you, it¡¯s beautiful. How thoughtful of you.¡± Sara leaned over gave Dr. Miller a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Thank you and Tammy for all you have done for me.¡±


    Dr. Miller opened the doors and retook her arm. Music played softly throughout the room, a song she had heard many times before and was surprised by it. It made her feel more at ease with her situation as she walked through the open doorway and they continued their journey. As they walked, she looked around her and saw all the other occupants in the room turning to watch them.


    She wondered what they were all thinking as most of them were dressed the same as she was. They too were ready for this same trip, as they¡¯d made the same decision as she had regarding their lives. She felt better now, knowing others had also come to the same conclusion about marrying a total stranger, an alien, from another planet.


    They stop walking and he gave her a kiss on her cheek, ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t ever sorry for your decision, and good luck with your future. Tammy and I wish you the best.¡±


    Then Dr. Miller turned and walked away, and another man gently took her hand into his. ¡°I¡¯ll be helping you on the rest of your journey home,¡± he told her, tightening his grip on her hand.


    She welcomed the feel of his hand on hers, so strong and reassuring. She smiled up at him and he smiled back, and soon she would be where she belonged.


    * * *


    While Sara made a life changing decision about marrying a stranger, Paul was recovering from the extreme bright light filling the night that blinded him for a few seconds. Once his eyes didn¡¯t have spots in them any longer, he opened them, expecting to see Sara with him, but she was gone.


    ¡°Sara, where are you?¡± He really didn¡¯t expect her to answer, but that didn¡¯t stop him from calling out to her. ¡°You better appear in front of me, or I will make sure you suffer a great deal of pain.¡±


    He searched the area for an hour, but without any luck. He was puzzled what had happened, but never dreamed the light may have had something to do with her disappearance. He left the hillside and drove to her apartment.


    He knocked on the door, but no one answered. It didn¡¯t surprise him, but if she thought a door was going to prevent him from getting to her, she had another thing coming. Anger filled him. Not caring what the neighbors would do, he moved away from the door, then ran to it and broke it open, just like he¡¯d seen police do on the television.


    When he stepped into the living room, he just stood there is shock. He slowly turned his head around the room, but everything was gone. He rushed into her bedroom, and found it was empty as well. He felt like crying at realizing he wouldn¡¯t ever see his child, as Sara had finally escaped from him.

 Chapter Six

    Kayla felt safe with Alex¡¯s arms around her, she was confused to what had caused the blinding light. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Alex, so she didn¡¯t notice at first that they weren¡¯t in her home, but in a different room.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked. Before Alex could respond, she saw out of the corner of her eye, realizing they weren¡¯t in her apartment, but in someone¡¯s bedroom. She stood there with an amazed look on her face and she felt shaken by this development. She turned her head and as her eyes roamed the room they were in, she saw there were vases full of yellow roses, which made her think of Alex. She looked at him to see what he thought what had happened to them.


    What surprised Kayla the most was Alex didn¡¯t look bewildered about this development. He acted more as if he had been expecting this to happen, but how could that be?


    ¡°Alex, we aren¡¯t in my apartment anymore. Don¡¯t you find that a bit strange? What has happened to us?¡± She felt a scream of fright at the back of her throat.


    ¡°Kayla, I have something important to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s odd we are no longer in my apartment?¡± she asked with hysteria in her voice.


    ¡°Kayla, calm down. You are safe and everything is all right, he told her in a calm voice. He took her hand and pulled her to the bed, and once there he gently pushed her to sit down, sitting down next to her.


    ¡°Alex, what is wrong with you? How can you tell me everything is all right? Are you telling me you can explain all this?¡± Kayla shouted at him. Her panic causing her breathing to be fast and shallow, making her to feel as if she was about to faint.


    ¡°Shhh, Kayla, don¡¯t yell. Take some slow deep breaths. I can explain what happened, really I can.¡± Alex said in a soothing voice.


    ¡°Then do it and do it now!¡± She yelled. Tears made glistened on her lids, pooling and then they ran down both of her cheeks.


    Alex smoothed his hands over her cheeks, wiping the tears away. ¡°Sweetheart, we¡¯ve been transported onto a spaceship.¡± He stated, looking deep into her eyes as he waited for her reaction.


    Kayla looked at him strangely and then laughed. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    Alex took her hand into his. ¡°Because I¡¯m not from Earth, but from a planet many thousand miles away from Earth. I was sent to your plant to find a bride.¡±


    His comment seemed to amuse her, and a faint light twinkled in the depths of her eyes. ¡°You really expect me to believe you are from another planet. Next thing you¡¯ll be telling me is that you are a space alien.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an alien to your planet.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Of all the things he could have said, this wasn¡¯t what she expected him to tell her at all. She thought that he would deny about being an alien, not agreeing. ¡°Space aliens are odd shaped, have extra eyes, legs, or arms, and are dangerous.¡±


    His expression turned grim. ¡°It¡¯s the truth, I¡¯m from a planet called Zodar. My planet suffers an epidemic that kills the women on our planet, and we¡¯re here to recruit women to marry us, come to our planet to make Zodar their new home. To live the rest of their lives there, as well as to raise a family.¡± Alex continued to explain about the epidemic and how Earth women from were immune. ¡°I want you to marry me, come live with me to my planet, and to raise our children there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Alex, please tell me this is all a joke.¡± She begged.


    His expression stilled and grew serious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sweetheart, this isn¡¯t a joke.¡±


    ¡°I want to go home, Alex. Now! I just want to go home.¡± Kayla gulped hard, hot tears slipped down her cheeks.


    ¡°Kayla, what about us?¡± He asked downheartedly, as suddenly their future looked vague and empty. He never dreamed that she wouldn¡¯t want to be with him and go to his planet to live as he assumed, she loved him.


    ¡°If this is true and you really are from another planet, why can¡¯t you stay with me on Earth?¡± She asked him hopefully.


    He sighed heavily; his voice filled with anguish. ¡°It¡¯s my duty to my planet to help repopulate our world. If you don¡¯t marry me, I will be matched with another woman from Earth. Someone I don¡¯t know or love.¡±


    Kayla couldn¡¯t believe all this. ¡°What do you mean by that last statement?¡± Her mind filled with confusion by his comment.


    ¡°Usually women are transported to the ship and matched with a man who has picked her. The women don¡¯t know the men, they are total strangers to each other. They don¡¯t physically meet each other until the wedding. If the woman, the man has chosen doesn¡¯t want to marry him, she is sent back to Earth, with her memory erased of the visit. The man then has to pick another woman and the procedure starts all again.¡±


    Alex stood and began walking around the room. ¡°We have ways to monitor people on Earth. This is to help us to find the women to recruit. We usually pick women who haven¡¯t any family left on your planet, so they aren¡¯t missed by love ones when we take them with us.¡± Alex stops and looks at Kayla.


    ¡°You have heard stories in the news about people who simple just vanish, without any kind of trace to explain their disappearance. Well, this is one of the reasons why some of the women have come to be missing. They have given up their way of life to come with us to our planet. We have been doing this for several years now.¡±


    He squeezed her hand to get her to look at him. ¡°Sometimes, not often, the man goes down to Earth to live for a while so they can find someone to fall in love with and marry. That¡¯s what I chose to do. Actually, you found me, but still, we fell in love, I asked you to marry me, and here you are. Kayla, please say you will stay and marry me.¡± He waited anxiously for the right answer, the one saying she would marry him.


    ¡°You never told me you loved me.¡± Her voice drifted into hushed whisper.


    ¡°Oh, Kayla.¡± Alex moved back to her where she sat and pulled her into a firm embrace. ¡°I love you so much it hurts. Please say yes. Marry me and come to my planet to live.¡± He begged.


    ¡°This is too much for me to comprehend all at once.¡± She was so confused by Alex¡¯s words.


    ¡°I need your answer now!¡± A sudden thin chill hung on the edge of his words.


    She was filled with frustration and buried her face in her trembling hands. She suddenly looked up. ¡°Alex, I can¡¯t marry you now. I don¡¯t want to leave Earth, as it¡¯s my home.¡±


    Tears appeared in Alex¡¯s eyes as he¡¯d been so sure she would say yes. He wasn¡¯t ashamed to show her his weakness, as he didn¡¯t know how could he go on living without her? ¡°Please don¡¯t do this to us. We have a special love; you can¡¯t let love this special be wasted¡±


    A flash of wild grief ripped through her, knowing she was the cause of his pain. ¡°Please Alex, don¡¯t cry.¡± She seemed at a loss as to how she should comfort him. ¡°Maybe if I had more time, I could get use to the idea of all this.¡± She softly whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there isn¡¯t any time left. It¡¯s now or never.¡± He slowly moved away from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alex, I just can¡¯t do this.¡± She said sadly. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you come back to Earth and stay awhile. Let me get used to the idea of you being who you say you are.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. That sort of thing it isn¡¯t allowed.¡± Alex turned his back on her. ¡°I¡¯ll see to it you are sent back to Earth, immediately!¡± He turned back around to face her. ¡°I must tell you something first, once you are sent home, you won¡¯t remember me. Ever! It will be as if I never existed to you.¡± Alex watched her facial expression. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that change your mind?¡±


    ¡°NO! It will be for the best if I don¡¯t remember you or our love. It would hurt too much otherwise. I do love you Alex, but I guess not enough to leave my home.¡± Her voice broke, as the thought of leaving and never seeing Alex again made a painful knot in the middle of her belly.


    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be my job to send you home, but I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ll send someone else in to prepare you for your return to earth.¡± He racked his hand though his hair. ¡°I just can¡¯t do it.¡± He repeated, before he walked back to where she stood and pulled her into his arms. He took her face into his hands and gave her a passionate kiss. ¡°Kayla, I¡¯ll always love you. Good-bye and good luck.¡± He quickly turned and ran from the room.


    Before Kayla¡¯s mind could react to their kiss, she heard the door slam. She sat back down on the bed as the tears began falling down her cheeks once more. If only she could do it, it would be so wonderful to live the rest of her life with Alex. Frankly, she was too scared to make such a sacrifice, to give up all she knew for the unknown, how she wished she were braver for Alex¡¯s sake.


    Soon there was a knock at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Kayla said as she stood up, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand as she did.


    A man and a woman entered the room. ¡°Hello, my name is Allen Wiley, and this is my wife, Wendy. We are here to help prepare you for your trip home. Are you sure this is what you really want to do?¡± Allen asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s what I must do.¡± Kayla tried to keep the tears at bay. Would she ever quit crying? For now, it was a hopeless feat as the tears came once again. ¡°Please, let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Wendy walked over to Kayla, ¡°Please lay down on the bed. When you wake up you will be home, and this will have all been forgotten. Are you ready, Kayla?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She didn¡¯t sound sure of herself. ¡°Now, please.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Is there a message you would like to leave for Alex?¡± Wendy asked her.


    ¡°Tell him I¡¯m sorry and I truly do love him.¡± Kayla thought a moment more. ¡°Tell him if something should change and he finds he can live on earth for a while; tell him to come back to me.¡±


    ¡°Kayla, Alex won¡¯t ever be coming back to earth as we have certain rules we must follow. He had his chance to find love, so now a wife will be found for him. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Wendy¡¯s heart ached at the sight of seeing Kayla so distraught.


    Kayla acknowledged Wendy comment and then closed her eyes.


    Kayla slowly stretched, moving her arms upward towards the headboard. As she became more awake, she remembered having a peculiar dream about a man who she had fallen in love with. He was from a different planet and had come here to make her his bride and take her away to his planet to live. He seemed too wonderful to be real, as their love for each other was earth-shattering. She felt as if they had been special made for each other, so much so that she could actually feel the lovemaking.


    If only she could really find a love like the one in her dream, she would do anything for a love like that one. She looked at the clock and saw it was only 7:00 in the evening. She frowned, wondering why she was in bed at this time in the evening when she didn¡¯t even remember laying down.


    Kayla gradually got out of bed, and as she made her way into the living room. a yellow speck on the floor happened to catch her eye. She bent down and picked up a yellow rose petal, confused to how this came to be in her apartment.


    Her stomach growled, taking her mind off the rose petal and onto her belly. She laid the petal on the kitchen counter and began fixing her dinner and it was forgotten in the busy time of fixing her dinner.


    After she cleaned up her dinner mess, she decided to take a hot bath and had just walked into her bedroom when something on the floor happened to catch her eye. When she walked over to get a closer look at the object, she gasped when she saw that it was Alex¡¯s red sock on the floor. It was at that exact moment that everything rushed back to her memory, it hadn¡¯t been a dream after all. It had all been real and because of her and her stubbornness, she had lost her true love.


    ¡°Alex,¡± She screamed, looking at the ceiling. ¡°Please, forgive me and take me with you.¡± Kayla closed her eyes and waited, but nothing happened. ¡°Alex, I was wrong. Please forgive me and I¡¯m sure about all this now. Please don¡¯t leave me behind, I love you.¡± Still nothing happened. Terrible regret attacked her conscious as she thought of how she had ruined everything.


    Kayla sat back down on the bed, put her head into her hands, and started crying, and once she started, she couldn¡¯t quit. Where all the tears came from, she had no idea. What had she done? How could she go on living without Alex?


    After about an hour of crying Kayla fell into an exhausted sleep. It took Kayla a few seconds before her mind registered that someone was holding her and stroking her hair. She didn¡¯t want to wake up from this dream, because she wanted to believe it was Alex and stay in his arms. In her sleep, she snuggled against the warm body.


    ¡°Kayla, I love you too. Everything is all right now. There isn''t a need to cry anymore. We will go back to the ship together and be married. We will live happily ever after, just like Cinderella did.¡±


    Kayla opened her eyes; her heart sang with delight when she looked into the eyes of her love. It hadn¡¯t been a dream after all, Alex really was with her. She laughed and hugged him tightly to her, ¡°What do you know about Cinderella?¡±


    ¡°I have read some of your Earth books. Women are always bringing new books with them to Zodar.¡±


    ¡°Alex, I really do love you, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do know. I have been monitoring you since you were sent back as I couldn¡¯t bring myself to let go yet. I heard everything you said.¡± Alex smiled at her as he watched her face change into one of anger.


    ¡°Then what took you so long to get back here.¡± She angrily asked him. ¡°Were you trying to punish me for leaving?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. I needed to talk to the Commander into letting me return for you. We are on a tight schedule, and we are running behind because of you and me. We need to leave your airspace before we are detected by Earth¡¯s radar.¡± He explained to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to go. No doubts this time.¡± She told him with confidence.


    Alex took hold of Kayla¡¯s hand as they stood up together. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Kayla pulled away, swiftly grabbing the lonely red sock off the bed. ¡°Now I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Kayla, I have plenty of socks.¡± His eyebrows arched mischievously.


    ¡°Yes, I know, but this one is extra special.¡± She grinned as she held the sock closely to her chest.


    He put his arms around her and then there was the blinding light again. This time it didn¡¯t scare Kayla, for she was expecting it. Opening her eyes, she saw they were back in the same room as before and Mr. and Mrs. Wiley were smiling at her.


    ¡°Welcome back, Kayla. We are so glad you changed your mind.¡± Wendy said with sincerity.


    ¡°I have a question for you. You told me I wouldn¡¯t remember any of this, but I did. Why was that?¡± Kayla questioned Mrs. Wiley.


    Wendy shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t any explanation for why you remembered. All I can say is that it has never happened to anyone else before, so maybe your love for Alex was too strong for you to forget him.¡± Wendy¡¯s words seemed to please herself, as if she had just hit the head of the nail with a hammer. ¡°Yes, that must be it. Kayla, there isn¡¯t much time left. You must get ready now as your wedding is to start in twenty minutes and you still need to change into your wedding dress.¡±


    Kayla looked down at herself and giggled when she saw that she was still wearing her shorts. ¡°Yes, I better change. It wouldn¡¯t look good to get married looking like this.¡±


    Wendy looked over towards the two men and began fanning her hands at them. ¡°You men, scoot.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I stay and help?¡± Alex asked jokingly.


    ¡°NO!¡± Wendy pushed Alex out the door, and she turned back to Kayla. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get down to business.¡±


    Wendy walked to the closet, opened the door, and proceeded to bring out the most beautiful dress Kayla had ever seen. ¡°Is that my dress?¡± Kayla asked softly. ¡°I¡¯ll look like Cinderella in that dress.¡± Her eyes glowed, and a soft smile appeared on her face.


    ¡°Yes, you will. You won¡¯t believe this, but Alex picked the dress out for you himself.¡±


    Kayla chuckled at the thought, ¡°Who would image he could do such a great job in picking out a women¡¯s dress. Now I know why Alex mentioned Cinderella, because this dress reminds me of her too.¡±


    As so as the door closed, Kayla started pulling off her clothes, once she had them all off, she grabbed the dress. She barely too time to breath as she stepped into the dress, then turning her back to Wendy. Once the dressed was zipped, Kayla kept twirling around in circles, smiling the whole time as she watched herself in the mirror.


    The other woman was a bit stunned as she hadn¡¯t ever seen anyone dress for a wedding as fast as Kayla had. ¡°Kayla, slow down, you don¡¯t have to be in that much of a hurry,¡± she said as she watched Kayla¡¯s antics.


    Kayla stopped turning and looked at Wendy. ¡°I don¡¯t want the Commander to change his mind and send me back to Earth. Now, just the thought of being sent away from Alex makes me shudder.¡±


    Wendy laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that, as Alex has him wrapped around his little finger.¡± Wendy reassured her.


    Kayla was confused by Wendy¡¯s statement. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Alex tell you who the Commander was?¡±


    ¡°All he said was that he talked the Commander into letting him come get me.¡± Who was this commander that he had so much power, yet Alex had gotten him to somehow change his mind about letting her come back on board the ship?


    ¡°I think I might have just stuck my foot into my mouth.¡± Wendy¡¯s smile quickly faded.


    Kayla laughed, ¡°That is an Earth expression. Are you from Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was. Allen and I have been married for two years now. After you have been on Zodar for two years, they¡¯ll ask you and Alex to be a host couple too. Then it is your job to get the brides prepared for the wedding and answer any questions they may have.¡±


    ¡°Alex hasn¡¯t told me much about Zodar yet. Who is the Commander?¡± Kayla asked, holding her breath expecting the worst.


    ¡°The Commander is Alex¡¯s father.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. No wonder you said he had the man wrapped around his finger.¡±


    ¡°When Alex first asked his father if he could be sent back Earth to stay with you until the next trip, Commander Gordon told him no, because Alex had been gone too long as it was. Then Alex asked if he could go and bring you back with him today. Again, he told Alex no. He said you had your chance the same as everyone else had. If he made an exception for Alex, then all the other men would what the same done for them. Alex then showed his father the viewing monitor and he saw for himself the hurt and pain you were experiencing. The Commander felt the reason you didn¡¯t forget Alex, like you were supposed to, was maybe because of your love for Alex. That¡¯s what finally changed his mind, and he allowed Alex to bring you back, while the ship waited for your return.¡±


    ¡°Do you like it on Zodar?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you will too. You won¡¯t be able to see much of a difference from Earth once you get there, as Earth women have been bringing items to Zodar for many years now.¡±


    ¡°How many years has this been going on?¡±


    ¡°For over twenty years now.¡±


    A soft gasp escaped, as Kayla was shocked by this information, assuming this was a new endeavor. ¡°You would think you would hear more about missing people on the news than you do. Don¡¯t people report that people are just disappearing off the face of Earth?¡± Kayla was puzzled by this.


    ¡°Usually the people we take with us don¡¯t have any family to miss them. Many times, friends simply think the person has moved away to be with family, occasionally we blot out their memory of that person. We always try to cover our tracks well, and has always worked, expect in your case that is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just special, I guess.¡± Kayla joked.


    Wendy laughed at Kayla comment.


    ¡°You said I won¡¯t be able to tell much of a difference from Earth. Why is that?¡± Kayla was confused at how another planet could look like Earth.


    ¡°The forefathers of Zodar wanted the women who came to their planet not to get too homesick, so we bring items back that someone requested on each trip to Earth. This way Zodar feels more like home for them. Some people have requested the latest book from their favorite author, or recent movie that has just come out on DVD, others want a certain plant, a flower, or a tree that isn¡¯t found on Zodar yet. Some have even opened their favorite restaurants here. So, if once you get to Zodar and you think of something you want, just let Alex know, and he will see that it is on the next ship.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be too many years before these trips won¡¯t be necessary anymore. Soon the entire women population will be made up of all female Earthlings and their descendants and the epidemic will no longer exist. That is the goal we are trying to achieve on Zodar,¡± Wendy explained.


    ¡°Alex mentioned something about leaving Earth¡¯s airspace before being detected by our planet¡¯s radar. Why doesn¡¯t the United States Government detect this spaceship as soon as it entered our airspace?¡±


    ¡°I think it has something to do with the special metal the ship is made of, as it is a compound that isn¡¯t known on Earth and can¡¯t be detect with their radar. If we stay too long or too close to Earth, sometimes they have detected us. Then the government quietly tries to find out who or what we are. Luckily, Zodar¡¯s technology is way beyond anything Earth has and we have never been fired upon. Not yet anyway.¡±


    Kayla¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wow. I feel as if I¡¯m in a sci-fi movie.


    A knock at the door made Kayla jumped, so engrossed in their conversation she had forgotten all about her wedding.


    Wendy opened the door and Allen entered.


    ¡°Are you ready, Kayla? It¡¯s time to get this show on the road.¡±


    She takes a deep breath, slowly letting it out, then smiles nervously at Allen. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m ready. I can¡¯t believe today is my wedding day.¡±


    ¡°I will go on ahead to find a seat. Allen will walk you to the church, as well as walk you down the aisle. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Wendy gives Kayla a kiss on her cheek and squeezes her hand. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Wendy, can we see each other again and maybe be friends once we land on Zodar?¡±


    Wendy smiled at her. ¡°Yes, I would like that.¡±


    Wendy was gone before Kayla could thank her for all her help. She looked at Allen, and by his expression you could tell he was eager to ¡®get this show on the road¡¯. Kayla lifted her chin, took hold of Allen¡¯s arm, looked over at him, and grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Allen¡¯s expression turns serious. ¡°First, I have something to give you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asks quietly.


    He hands her a velvet box. Her hands are shaking as she opens it up, she gasps when she sees the exact ring she had wanted to buy for Alex. She looked up at Allen, astonishment showed in her face. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    He smiled mischievously at her. ¡°We have our ways.¡± As if that explained it all.


    Kayla laughed and shook her head. ¡°Thank you. You can¡¯t imagine how much this ring means to me. I wanted to take Alex to the mall to look at it this evening after dinner. With all that has happened the last few hours, I had forgotten all about the ring.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you are happy with my choice. Now, let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡±


    Kayla giggled. ¡°Yes let¡¯s.¡± She couldn¡¯t wait to be Mrs. Alex Jackson.

 Chapter Seven

    Maggie tightened her arms around her young son, pulling him against her chest to protect him against the intense glare that was hurting their eyes. The light had scared them, but as it slowly began to dim, Maggie realized they weren¡¯t in the courtroom anymore, but in a beautiful bedroom. When she turned her head, she saw a man and a woman standing nearby watching them. She was confused to why they were with them, but since they were smiling at them, she didn¡¯t feel threatened.


    Maggie whispered to Ryan to open his eyes.


    When he did, he didn¡¯t see his grandpa trying to take him away from his mother, so he quit crying, and sat up.


    Maggie was totally bewildered by this new development. Was her mind playing a trick on her? There wasn¡¯t any possible way to explain how they could be in this room and not in the courtroom anymore. What was even stranger was that she felt as if she was supposed to be here, it was as if this was the right place to be. How could that be possible, as she didn¡¯t even have an idea where she was.


    The woman walked closer to Maggie and Ryan. ¡°Maggie, my name is Tammy Miller, and this is my husband, Dave, who is the ship¡¯s doctor. You can call us by our first names, we are your host couple, and we will answer all of your questions.¡±


    Maggie first stared at the woman, but her mind was baffled by what had happened to them, but quickly found her voice. ¡°How do you know my name? Where are we? How did we get here, wherever here may be and what is going to happen to us?¡± Maggie rapidly asked.


    Dave pulled a chair up next to Maggie and sat down within inches of them. ¡°First of all, you and your son aren¡¯t in any danger and we mean you no harm.¡± He calmly told her. ¡°We¡¯ve been monitoring you for several years and when Jack died, a red flag went up on your file, so we came to retrieve you. You are on now our spaceship.¡±


    Ryan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, boy. Can I go exploring?¡±


    Maggie¡¯s arms gripped Ryan even more tightly to her, afraid she¡¯d passed out. Was she having some sort of a dream?


    Dave smiled at Ryan, before he continued to explain to Maggie why she was on their ship. ¡°We¡¯ve transported you and Ryan to our ship because we want you and your son to come home with us to our planet to live. You have been matched with a man who will become your new husband. His name is Matthew Adams, he is the same age as you are, and he too has a five-year-old son. His wife died a year ago during an epidemic which kills the native females of our planet.¡± Dave continued to explain to Maggie about the epidemic and the death of Matt¡¯s wife. He showed two photo albums to Maggie, same as he had done for Sara. The first one was of her life, and in the album were pictures of Jack, Ryan, and Mrs. Thompson, and of course, herself in the book.


    Maggie started crying as she started going through the first album, as it brought back so many wonderful memories. When Maggie came to the last picture of Jack, she put her hand on his picture. ¡°Bye Jack, I love you.¡± Once again, the tears appeared on Maggie¡¯s face.


    Tammy hands Maggie a tissue, she takes it and dried her tears before starting on the other album. The second album was of Matt¡¯s life. The last picture in the album showed him with his pregnant wife and young son, she saw that they too had once been a happy family.


    Maggie put the album down on top of the other album on the nearby table. ¡°Let me get this straight. You want me to marry Matt, and in exchange, I get to keep my son, and I never have to worry about Jack¡¯s parents taking him away from me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tammy tells her.


    ¡°That seems fair enough to me.¡± Maggie figured she would do anything to be able to keep Ryan with her. ¡°Yes, I will marry Matt and live on your planet.¡± She told the surprised couple. Yes, Maggie thought she would marry Matt, she would marry the devil himself in order to keep her young son with her.


    She would do about anything in her power to keep Ryan from Jack¡¯s parents, even if it meant she was to marry a total stranger, one she would never learn to love and go live with him on a different planet.


    The Millers stared at her for a moment, as in all the trips they ever heard about, never had anyone accept this proposition this fast or this easily.


    Dave was apprehensive about how quickly Maggie made up her mind about this important decision and didn¡¯t want her to regret her decision years later. He went on to explain to Maggie her choices about staying or leaving. ¡°You must understand, once you decide to stay, you can¡¯t ever change your mind.¡±


    ¡°I understand, and my answer is still yes,¡± she told him, as she wasn¡¯t about to change her decision about marrying a stranger as she had to protect her son. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much about my situation you know, but if I go back to earth, my son will be taken away from me. His grandparents are wealthy, so they bought off the legal system as they¡¯re determined to have Ryan.¡±


    ¡°Maggie, because you have a son from a previous marriage, you will be asked to have at least one more child. We have ways to ensure that your baby will be a female, as we need a lot more females on our planet who are immune to this virus. It is our goal in the future that the epidemic won¡¯t ever again affect any females on Zodar. You must understand this isn¡¯t a marriage of convenience, but a marriage necessary to increase the female population on Zodar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand what you are telling me, I¡¯m willing to be a wife in every sense of the word. When do I get to meet Matt, and when will the wedding be taking place?¡± Her eyes held a gleam of excitement in them.


    Dave looked over at his wife and she nodded at him. ¡°The wedding is to take place today, in fact in less than an hour, as we¡¯re in a hurry to head for home.¡±


    Tammy walked to the closet, opened the door, and brought out a dress that looked identical to the one Maggie had worn when she married Jack. Maggie slowly moved Ryan off her lap, stood up and walked over to the dress as if she was in a trance. She slowly reached out and touched the dress, her hands searching the hem until she found the exact spot she was looking for. She gasped. Yes, this was her own wedding gown, the very same one. It had the same small repaired tear in the hem, the one caused by Jack accidentally stepping on the dress on their wedding day, as they danced.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it; this is my own wedding dress.¡± Maggie felt the tears building up behind her lids, she blinked, and the tears slowly make their way down her cheeks. This dress brought back so many wonderful memories. ¡°How did it get here?¡± she asked quietly. Her dazed mind couldn¡¯t accept that she was holding her own wedding dress.


    Tammy smiled at Maggie, ¡°We brought all of your belongings here for you. Since your first marriage was a good one, we figured you wouldn¡¯t mind wearing this dress for the wedding. If you don¡¯t want to wear it, we can find you another dress to wear.¡±


    Maggie shook her head. ¡°No, this dress will be fine. Maybe it will bring me good luck in this marriage too. Jack and I had a small wedding, but it was still beautiful. It was just him and I for the ceremony, he didn¡¯t tell his parents about the wedding until afterwards.¡±


    She had to wipe her tears before she continued with her story. ¡°He didn¡¯t want them to know anything about the wedding until afterwards, as they had a great deal of control over him. Our wedding without them was his way of escaping their overbearing control.¡± Maggie seemed lost in the past for a moment. ¡°I found this dress one day while I out was shopping for dresses. I immediately fell in love with it, but I thought it was too expensive. Sadly, I put the dress back on the rack and left the store. Later, I told Jack that I had found the perfect dress but didn¡¯t buy it because of the cost. He didn¡¯t say much about it, other than he hoped I would find the right dress.¡± She smiled at her memory of that day.


    ¡°The next day he asked me all about the dress. What store was it in? What did it look like? Did I have a salesclerk helping me? How much did it cost?¡± She smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t think much about all the questions when he had asked me all these questions about the dress that I had fallen in love with. Later that week when I finally decided I couldn¡¯t live without the dress and had gone back to get it; the dress was gone. I was so upset that I couldn¡¯t even make it out of the shopping center. I simply sat there on a bench in the middle of the mall and cried for what seemed like hours, but actually it was only for several minutes.¡± She laughed at the memory of that day.


    ¡°When I got home, I told Jack about the dress being gone.¡± Her eyes glistened with tears. ¡°Would you believe that man went into the bedroom and returned with that exact dress in his arms? He knew how much I had wanted that dress, so he¡¯d gone out and bought it for me without me even knowing that he had done it. He said the salesclerk had given him a rough time about buying the dress, asking if he thought it would fit him. It made the dress all that more special, since he had gone through so much trouble to buy it for me. That was the way Jack was, always thinking of me.¡± Maggie finished as tears trickled down her cheek.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Dave cleared his throat. ¡°If you ladies will excuse me, I will take Ryan to meet his new brother. The boys will be waiting for you and Matt in the front row of the church.¡± Dave waited until Maggie¡¯s eyes turned to look at him. ¡°I will be back in a few minutes to walk you down the aisle.¡±


    After they had left, the women continued to get Maggie ready for the wedding. She was a little bit scared as the reality of the situation finally hit her square between the eyes. She knew Matt was an attractive man by what she had seen of his pictures, but she wondered what type of person he was. ¡°Tammy, can you tell me anything personal about Matt?¡± Maggie licked her lips and looked anxiously at Tammy.


    ¡°Maggie, I have known Matt for a couple of years as he¡¯s Dave¡¯s cousin. Matt¡¯s wife, Cindy, was his high school sweetheart and after college, they were married. A few years later Cole was born, he is a sweet boy, but now is extremely sad, missing his mother as you can image. He was exceptionally close to her, but he understands what is happening here, and is accepting this marriage. It was hard on both when Cindy died. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision for Matt to decide to remarry, but knows he¡¯s needed to help his planet survive. Matt is a carpenter and builds houses for a living, and built the house you will be living in.¡± As Tammy continued to talk about Matt and Cole, her love for them showed.


    ¡°You probably noticed Cindy was expecting a baby in their family portrait in the album. They were so excited about having another baby, and knew it was going to be a little girl, but he ended losing them both. We hope to end these horrible epidemics by creating a new species that is immune to it, as for some reason women from Earth aren¡¯t affected, so you needn¡¯t worry about it killing you or any of your children.¡±


    ¡°How strange. How did they come about finding out that it doesn¡¯t affect people from Earth?¡±


    ¡°Trial and error. Luckily, for Zodar, this solution was found sooner than later. I will have to save the rest of the story for another time, for now you need to finish getting dressed.¡±


    As she held the dress in her hand, Maggie thought back to the first time she had worn this dress, she and Jack had been so much in love and they didn¡¯t have a single care in the world. When Jack died, she swore she would never marry again, and here she was getting ready to get married again. Would Jack understand why she was getting marrying so soon after his death? Was this really the right thing for her to do? How will this marriage affect Ryan? Maybe she should have talked to Ryan before agreeing to this marriage.


    Maggie shook her head, as if the clear her mind. What choice did she really have? If she went back to Earth, she would have lost Ryan, the only thing she had left of Jack. After the wedding, she would sit down with Ryan and explain everything to him the best way she could. She hoped he would understand why she was marrying so soon after his father¡¯s death, especially to a stranger who lived in a different galaxy.


    Tammy seemed to sense Maggie¡¯s mood as she saw her faraway expression, she knew Maggie needed to get on with her life and couldn¡¯t remain in her past any longer, so she touched Maggie¡¯s arm, ¡°You need to get dress now, because we¡¯re running out of time.¡±


    Maggie nodded in agreement, finished putting on her wedding dress, and then sat down so Tammy could put the veil into place. Tammy walked over to a table and picked up a small box, returned to Maggie, and she handed it to her. Maggie slowly opened the box, and inside the box was a beautiful man¡¯s golden wedding band.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s beautiful¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. It¡¯s hard to pick out a gift like this, but it is part of our job. It¡¯s so you will have something to give your groom. You can always replace the ring later with one of your own choosing if you want.¡± Tammy quickly added.


    ¡°No, this one will be fine. Thank you for everything.¡± Maggie gives Tammy a quick kiss on the cheek.


    As Dave and Ryan walked down the corridor, Ryan began firing off questions about the ship at Dave. How big was it? How fast could it go? Did it travel faster than the speed of light?


    ¡°Whoa a minute young man, you are asking too many questions for me to answer all at once. I can¡¯t answer all your questions for you, but before this trip is over, we will try to get them all answered for you. I don¡¯t know the exact figures on the size of this ship, but there is enough room for 300 people to live on this ship at one time for several weeks. This ship travels faster than any car you have on your planet, but to the exact speed, we will have to ask someone else. Do you know a lot about spaceships?¡±


    ¡°No, but I see several movies about them. My daddy and I used to watch them together all the time. I want to be a pilot when I grow up, and my daddy told me that I could be one if I worked very hard. He died; you know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Dave said as he looked down at him.


    ¡°I miss my daddy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± He gave the young boy a sad look, unsure what to say to make the situation easier.


    ¡°His mommy and daddy were going to take me away from my mommy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    ¡°Do you know a lot?¡±


    Dave held back a laugh as he smiled down at the young child. ¡°More than some people and less than others. Come on, I want you to meet Cole, the boy who will soon be your new brother.¡±


    Dave took Ryan to a room where a young boy sat on the floor playing a video game. ¡°Cole, this is Ryan. His mother is marrying your father.¡±


    Cole laid down the game¡¯s controller and came over to where the two of them were standing. ¡°Hi, you want to help me kill aliens?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ryan said excitedly.


    The two boys ran back toward the television, Cole reset his game and handed Ryan a controller.


    ¡°These are some bad dudes. Sometimes it is hard to kill them, but with your help it shouldn¡¯t take too long to kill all of them.¡±


    ¡°I have played this game before with my dad. He played with me all the time, but he¡¯s dead now. Does your daddy play with you?¡±


    ¡°All the time. He is really cool.¡± He said proudly.


    ¡°Do you think he will like me?¡± Ryan asked quietly.


    ¡°Sure, he likes everyone.¡±


    Ryan¡¯s smile broadened.


    The two boys continue to play in silence for a while.


    ¡°Cole, will your daddy let me play with you and him?¡± He waited anxiously for Cole¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Sure. We are going to be brothers soon.¡±


    ¡°I was almost a brother once, but my baby sister died,¡± he said sadly.


    ¡°Gee, that¡¯s too bad. I lost my baby sister too, but now we will have each other. When we get home, I want to show you my playhouse my dad built for me.¡±


    Bashfully Ryan asked. ¡°Do you think he could build me a spaceship instead of a playhouse?¡±


    ¡°Sure, my dad can build anything. I¡¯ll ask him later. Ryan, I think we are going to have fun this summer.¡±


    Ryan smiled. ¡°Me too.¡±


    Dave simply smiled. It looked like another marriage was off to a good start. Sometimes when two new families were blended like this, there were problems at first. Jealousy in children was usually the biggest cause of many of the problems in the new marriage, usually caused by children having to share their parent with someone new. Once that problem was taken care of, things usually began to calm down for the new couples.


    Dave stood when the bedroom door opened, and a young good-looking man walked into the living room, his face lighting up when he saw Dave sitting in the room. ¡°Hi doc. Am I running late?¡±


    Dave laughed. ¡°Matt, I have never known for you to be late for anything in your life.¡±


    ¡°Hey Dad.¡± Cole called to his father, then turned back to Ryan. ¡°Come on Ryan, I want you to meet my swell dad.¡±


    Soon the video game was forgotten, and two five-year-old boys were hurrying over to where Matt stood.


    ¡°Dad, this is Ryan. He is going to be my new brother.¡±


    Matt put his hand out to shake. ¡°Nice to meet you. It¡¯s time for us to leave for the church now, so run, and turn off your game for now. Ryan, we¡¯re going to the church, where your mother and I are going to be married, then Cole will be your new brother and I¡¯ll be your new father.¡± He hesitated just a split second, before continuing. ¡°Is that okay with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think that will be great.¡±


    Matt relaxed and smiled at the boy before him. ¡°Dave is going to get your mom and take her to the church. I want you both to behave during the entire time you¡¯re in church. After the ceremony, there will be a party and you two can have fun then, so until then, you both will have to be quiet. Do you both understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daddy. I promise we will both be good.¡±


    Matt smiled at his son. ¡°Thanks, Cole.¡±


    ¡°I promise too.¡±


    Matt put his hand on Ryan¡¯s shoulder and smiled at Ryan. ¡°Thank you too, Ryan.¡±


    Soon the four of them were on their way out the door, Dave headed to the room where Maggie waited, while Matt and the boys headed towards the church.


    Before Maggie knew it, Dave was knocking at the door. Tammy opened the door to let her husband in, then quickly kissed Maggie¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯m going on to the church, we¡¯ll talk more after the ceremony.¡± She was gone before Maggie could say anything more to her.


    Meanwhile down on Earth, another time of drama was going on regarding Maggie and Ryan Reynolds. When the occupants of the courtroom eyesight recovered from the unexpected blinding light, Dewayne went to reach for his grandson, only to find Maggie and Ryan were gone.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone. During the commotion, Maggie has stolen Ryan from us. I want everyone to start looking for them, as no one is leaving until they are found. I want every court room searched and the entire courthouse will be shut down. No one will allow to leave until they are found.¡±


    Marlene rushed to the husband, and he engulfed her into his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what has happened.¡±


    ¡°It must be some sort of trick for her to steal him away from us. I¡¯m going to have her arrested for this action, as Ryan is now ours.¡±


    An hour later, neither Maggie nor Ryan had been found. Everyone in the entire courthouse was questioned, but no one had seen them. The Reynolds were furious, as things like this didn¡¯t happen to them.


    The police were sent to Maggie¡¯s house, and when they forced open the front door, they were shocked at what they found. Actually, it was what they didn¡¯t find, as the house was bare, not one item had been left in the house.


    How was that possible? She couldn¡¯t have done this on her own, so she must have had help from someone, but the Reynolds didn¡¯t have any idea who it could have been. Dewayne posted a hundred thousand reward for the return of their grandson, it went unclaimed, as no one knew what had happened to him or his mother.

 Chapter Eight

    Brianne heard Amy screaming in her ear as she tightened her arms around her sister in a protective manner. As the bright light slowly began to dim, Brianne could see they were in a bedroom, which didn¡¯t make any sense to her. How could this be? She slowly removed her arms from around Amy, as she continued to look at her surroundings. Brianne gasped in surprised to see a man and women in the room with them. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Hello, my name is Allen Wiley, and this is my wife, Wendy. We are your host couple, here to help you in any way we can. The first question that is usually asked is, ¡®Where am I?¡¯ First, let me tell you, you¡¯re not in any danger. We are here to help the two of you, if you are willing to let us. You have been transported onto our spaceship, we want Brianne to marry Luke, one of the men from our planet today, and for Amy to marry another one of our young men in a few years, when she is older, of course.¡±


    Brianne looked at Amy and then back to the Wileys as they stood there watching them. ¡°Is this some sort of joke? People aren¡¯t transported through thin air like in the movies.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m telling you is the truth.¡± Allen looked into her eyes.


    Brianne torn her eyes away from Allen, looking over at Wendy. ¡°We can¡¯t marry people who we don¡¯t know. Could you?¡±


    Wendy smiled at Brianne. ¡°I did.¡±


    Brianne was stunned by Wendy¡¯s words. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m from Earth, born and raised in Kansas City.¡± She looked at Allen and smiled.


    Allen smiled back at his wife. ¡°Zodar suffers an epidemic every few years. The only people who are killed by this horrible disease are the native women of Zodar. The women who are from Earth or have ancestors who were Earthlings are not affected. You do have two choices, you can go with us, or go back home, it is completely up to the two of you.¡±


    Brianne looked over at her sister to see her reaction and saw she was as stun as she was. She looked back to Allen. ¡°Tell us more.¡±


    ¡°If you go back to Earth, we will put you back at the wedding ceremony where you were before we transported you, on the other hand, you can stay here, marry someone who isn¡¯t sixty, and go live on our planet. If you go back to Earth, you will not remember ever being here, and your life would go on as if we hadn¡¯t transported you. If the two of you want to discuss this privately, we will leave for a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Brianne muttered, her mouth tightened, and her expression was grim.


    Allen walked over to the wall. ¡°Before we leave, I want to show you something first.¡± Allen open folding doors on what looked like an ordinary television set, he pushed a button and the television came on. As the picture became clearer, the two girls realized it wasn¡¯t an ordinary television, but instead some kind of viewing monitor.


    ¡°What you are seeing is your bridegroom and stepfather. Watch this before you make your final decision.¡± Allen and Wendy walked to the door, and opened it, but just before shutting the door, Allen sticks his head back in the door. ¡°We will be right outside the door when you¡¯re ready with your decision. Please don¡¯t take too long to decide because we are on a strict time schedule.¡±


    Brianne nodded acknowledging his comment. What would be best for Amy? She only wanted to protect Amy from Dirk.


    The two girls look at the monitor and saw Dirk and Scott were talking together, so Brianne turns the knob to increase the volume so they can hear what is being said.


    ¡°What in the hell just happened here?¡± Scott asked as he quickly looked around the room.


    ¡°Why ask me? This is your house, not mine.¡± Dirk said as he looked at Scott.


    ¡°I wonder how they could simply disappear right before eyes. I didn¡¯t even hear them leave.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this isn¡¯t just some kind of trick you¡¯ve planned so you can get your hands on even more of the insurance money.¡± Dirk looked at Scott with an accusing look.


    ¡°We have to find those two, because unless Brianne marries you, neither one of us will gets a dime of that yearly three hundred-thousand-dollar insurance payment.¡±


    ¡°You think they planned this escape?¡±


    ¡°I know they can¡¯t have much money with them, if they have any at all.¡± Scott moved over to the bar and poured two drinks, taking it over to Dirk and handed him a drink. ¡°At first, I thought about blackmailing Brianne into marrying me and moving to another city, but I was worried that somehow Brianne would cause trouble for me if I forced her to marry me. I¡¯m not stupid, as I know how much she hated me. I thought my idea about having you marrying her was a great one, as at least we were both getting some of the money from her father¡¯s insurance policy. Then when Brianne suggested Amy go live with you, I thought it was a good way to get rid of Amy as well.¡±


    Scott quickly finishes his drink, and then returned to the bar to refill his glass. ¡°We have to find those two, as they couldn¡¯t have gotten too far. Since Brianne is in a wedding dress, and Amy is in a prom dress, they¡¯re bound to stand out; people are going to notice them wherever they go.¡±


    ¡°Scott, you never told me, but how did you find out about Robert¡¯s insurance policy?¡±


    Scott laughed. ¡°One night, he and I went out drinking together. In his sozzled state, he told me about the insurance policy, just not the details, only the amount of the cash payout.¡±


    ¡°Do they have any family that you know of that they could have gone to?¡± Dirk asked, then finished his drink.


    ¡°No, Anne told me all her family was gone.¡±


    Dirk walked to the bar. He stood there a few seconds before pouring another drink. ¡°Maybe their father had some distant relatives living nearby.¡±


    ¡°That it.¡± Scott snapped his fingers. ¡°I bet they have run off to some relative I¡¯m not aware of.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to go about finding these relatives by Brianne¡¯s twenty-first birthday that¡¯s less than two weeks away.¡± Dirk¡¯s voice was filled with panic.


    ¡°We will need something to coax them back to the house, but what?¡± Scott walked around the room. ¡°I need something of their father¡¯s they wouldn¡¯t want to be without. All I have to do it find the item and then find them, the rest should be easy,¡± he said, as he walked towards the different bookshelves that filled the walls in the room.


    He stopped in mid-step and stared at the bookshelf as where all the family pictures were usually displayed, he was shocked to see all their personal items were all gone. Wondering about their bedrooms, Scott rushed out of the room with Dirk right behind him.


    ¡°Scott, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked as he followed him out of the room.


    As Scott runs up the stairs, he calls over his shoulder. ¡°I want to check their rooms.¡±


    Scott threw open Brianne¡¯s bedroom door, the door slamming against the wall as he stepped into the room. He¡¯s shocked at what he sees in the room, actually what he didn¡¯t see, as everything in the room was gone, it was completely empty. He leaned against the doorframe. ¡°How did they do it?¡±


    ¡°Where did everything go?¡± Dirk asked as he came into the room. ¡°When did they have time to do this?¡± he asked shaking his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There is no way those two girls could have done this all by themselves, they must have had help.¡± He frowned and shook his head in bewilderment.


    ¡°Do you think Amy¡¯s room is empty too?¡± Dirk asked.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Scott said as anger lit his face.


    ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Dirk asked in a boy like voice.


    ¡°How in the hell do I know. What I wonder about is what happens to all that money if they never come back. Neither of them knew about the money that I know of. Unless we find Brianne and the two of you are married before her birthday, we are out of luck of ever getting our hands on any of that money.¡±


    ¡°I was afraid you were going to say that.¡± Dirk mumbled.


    Brianne turned off the monitor. ¡°I think we have seen enough. I can¡¯t believe it. If only Mom knew about the money in the first place, she wouldn¡¯t have been forced to married Scott in the second place. We could be home right now and not have to worry about making this strange decision. Amy, how do you feel about marrying a stranger when you get older?¡± Brianne watched her sister closely for her reaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than marrying some creep Scott would have picked for me. He probably would marry me off next week if there were some money in it for him. I say, let¡¯s go for it, but you make the final decision.¡± Amy eyes glowed as she waited expectantly for her reply.


    ¡°Amy, I don¡¯t want to marry Dirk, but I don¡¯t want to marry some stranger either. From what we just saw of Scott and Dirk, they were going steal money that rightfully belonged to us. I don¡¯t think going back to Earth is a choice for us anymore.¡±


    ¡°Brianne, call the Wileys back in and ask them questions before you make a final decision.¡±


    ¡°What question would I ask? No matter what the answers are, it won¡¯t change anything back on Earth. If we go back, I will have to marry Dirk, and if we stay, I¡¯ll have to marry,¡± Brianne waved her hand toward the door. ¡°What¡¯s his name. I say, as long as we are together it doesn¡¯t matter what we do.¡± She said in a discouraged voice.


    ¡°If we stay, we will be free of Scott and won¡¯t be able to force us to do anything anymore. That and we mess up his plans on getting our money,¡± she said with a slight smile of defiance.


    Brianne smiled at her sister. ¡°That¡¯s a plus for staying.¡±


    ¡°Either way, the man you marry will be someone you don¡¯t love. Dirk is old, but you don¡¯t know anything about Luke yet. Maybe he is the one, the one you have dreamed about for so long, the dream man you want to crawl into bed with each night.¡±


    Brianne looked at her sister and smiled. ¡°Yes, the one from my dreams.¡± Every night for the past six months, she had been having dreams about one young man. ¡°The handsome man, who is about six foot three and has a nice attractive athletic body on him.¡± Brianne smiled hungrily. ¡°You know the kind I mean, the kind who looked as if he regularly worked out with weights. He doesn¡¯t have long hair, tattoos, or any body piercing. The color his hair is blond, his eyes are green, and he¡¯s clean-shaven. When I look at him, my stomach does flip-flops, and my heart starts to beat rapidly with sexually anticipation. I¡¯m looking for Mr. Perfect, but it¡¯s unlikely Luke will be him.¡± She said with disappointment. ¡°He¡¯s from my dreams, so there isn¡¯t any way that Luke would be him. I guess I¡¯m looking for someone who couldn¡¯t possible exists.¡± Brianne eyes have a far-off look.


    ¡°Maybe Luke will have some of the qualities you want.¡± Amy helpfully told her.


    ¡°When cows can fly.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re flying.¡± Amy said encouragingly.


    Brianne smiled at her sister. ¡°You want to stay, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have to marry Dirk. From what we¡¯ve seen, I think Scott and Dirk are up to some illegal dealings with Dad¡¯s insurance money. I don¡¯t trust to be near them.¡±


    ¡°All right, we¡¯ll stay.¡± Brianne went to the door and opened it. ¡°Mr. Wiley, we¡¯ll go with you to your planet, but first could you tell us where all our belongings are.¡±


    The Wileys looked pleased with her decision as they both walked back into the room, Wendy walked over to Brianne and took hold of her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear. All your belongings are safe and will be back with you once you are settled on Zodar.¡±


    ¡°What happens now to my father¡¯s insurance money?¡±


    ¡°It will be transferred to you after your wedding.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Brianne was surprised by this news.


    ¡°Yes, we have our sources that help transfers people¡¯s money to Zodar.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what I need to do,¡± she said softly.


    Wendy brought the girls two photo albums, the first one having pictures of Brianne and Amy with their family and the second album were of Luke and Austin Baker. Tammy told the girls that Luke was twenty-one and Austin, was his nineteen-year-old brother.


    Brianne had been matched to marry Luke, but nothing was mentioned about Amy or Austin. The girls slowly looked at the first album, which contained their life story. The pictures brought back many memories for them, and luckily, there weren¡¯t any pictures of Scott in their album.


    They continued to the next album, this album had pictures of the two boys and their parents. Brianne was speechless when she saw the first picture of Luke, as he was indeed the man from her dreams. How could that be? Brianne looked over at Amy. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, it¡¯s him, the one from my dreams.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? Are you sure?¡± Amy studied the picture before them. ¡°He¡¯s cute.¡±


    She took a quick deep breath, trying to keep anger out of her voice, as she answered. ¡°Yes, of course I¡¯m sure.¡± She managed to say. ¡°I should know if it¡¯s him or not.¡±


    She looked at the Wiley¡¯s with bafflement. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how it could be possible, but I have dreamed of Luke.¡± She looked helplessly at the couple.


    Allen smiled. ¡°When we have time, we have ways to help prepare women for marrying our men and to ensure the woman find the man attractive. One of them just happens to be putting the man into the woman¡¯s dream.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Brianne nodded. ¡°How does it work?¡±


    ¡°First, Luke¡¯s picture is showed to you and by that he was able to tell from a computer read out of your reaction you found him attractive. If you hadn¡¯t, he would have simply moved on to someone else, but in your case, you did find him attractive. The next step was to put him into your dreams often so you would remember him. I guess it worked.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it did.¡± Brianne looked over at her sister, Amy smiled and winked at her. Brianne blushed, as she¡¯d told her about some of the feelings she had for this man, even saying she wouldn¡¯t mind having sex with her dream man.


    The girls continued to look at the album. Some of the pictures made the girls laugh and they could tell the brothers were as close to each other as they were. After they were done looking through the second album, Brianne closed it and laid it against her lap.


    Is Amy to marry Austin?¡± Brianne asked Allen.


    ¡°That¡¯s what the two brothers planned. They picked you both for their mates and they have followed your life for the past few months.¡±


    Amy giggled, ¡°I think Austin is kind of cute. I would be happy to marry him.¡±


    Brianne looked at her sister with a surprised expression. ¡°Amy, you little stinker, I¡¯m surprised at you.¡± Brianne laughed when Amy gave her a dirty look. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were so boy crazy.¡±


    ¡°Brianne, I will be eighteen next year.¡± As if that explained it all. ¡°I have you know I have liked boys for years now. Mom was just seventeen when she married Dad, and knew each other for only a few months before they were married, and their marriage was great until Dad started gambling.¡±


    Brianne nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± She turned to the Wileys. ¡°Yes, we will marry the Baker boys, but on one condition. I would like Amy to be at least a year older before she gets married. Will that be possible?¡±


    ¡°Brianne!¡± Amy mouth was tight and grim. ¡°I¡¯m old enough to make that decision for myself.¡±


    Wendy reached over to pick up the last album from Brianne, laid it down on top of the other album, and turned back to the two girls. ¡°Amy can wait until she is twenty-one before she marries Austin, that is, if she wants to wait until then. We do ask each of you to have two children, and at least one will be a girl, which we have ways to ensure of this happening, to help repopulate our planet. Do you both agree to this?¡± Wendy¡¯s eyes went back and forth between the two of them. The two girls nodded yes to the question.


    ¡°When is the wedding? When do we get to meet Luke and Austin?¡± Brianne asked with a slight tremor in her voice.


    Wendy looked down at her watch. ¡°The wedding is in about twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Brianne¡¯s voice broke. ¡°The wedding is today, are you serious?¡± Brianne blankly stared at Wendy.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re on a tight schedule.¡± She put her hand lightly on Brianne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you want to change your mind?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She said weakly. ¡°You just threw me for a loop there for a minute. I guess I thought the wedding was going to be later, like next week or something.¡± Hit with an intense moment of panic, her hands trembled as she tried to swallow the lump that suddenly was stuck in her throat.


    ¡°We have the dress your mother wore on her wedding day, thinking you would prefer it to the one you have on now.¡± Wendy turned to open the door of the closet, reached in and brought out their mother¡¯s wedding dress.


    Brianne¡¯s eyes began to water as she looked at the gown in Wendy¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you, I would love to wear my mother¡¯s dress. I didn¡¯t want to wear it for the other wedding because I felt it was more of an execution than a wedding.¡±


    ¡°Then if you ladies will excuse me, I will leave so you can get ready. I will be back in fifteen minutes. I¡¯m sorry there isn¡¯t much time, but we are on a tight schedule, as yours will be the sixteenth wedding today and there will be several more after yours.¡± Allen waved as he left the room.


    Brianne started removing the dress as soon as the door click closed, as she couldn¡¯t wait to remove it from her sight, as the dress made her think of Dirk. She shivered at the thought of that horrible man and their wedding night, which made her physically sick.


    Within minutes of Allen leaving, Brianne was redressed in her mother¡¯s wedding dress. ¡°I guess I¡¯m as ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± she said nervously, wiping her sweaty hand on a towel.


    Shortly there was a knock at the door, Wendy opened it and let her husband into the room. ¡°Brianne is ready.¡± Wendy looked over at Amy. ¡°Let¡¯s go on ahead and get seated. You will be reunited with Brianne after the ceremony.¡±


    Allen took hold of Brianne¡¯s arm and smiled at her. ¡°Wendy and I were matched this same way just two years ago this month. Now look at us, we couldn¡¯t be happier.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me. Just by looking at the two of you and the love you have for each other, I assumed you and Wendy had been married a lot longer. I¡¯m not nervous about this wedding. I find it romantic in a manner of speaking and exciting, something out of a historical romance novel.¡± Her eyes glowed with anticipation as she smiled at Allen.


    ¡°Brianne, before we leave, I want to give you a gift.¡± He handed her a small jewelry box. ¡°It¡¯s for you to give to Luke.¡±


    Brianne opened the box, and inside was an attractive man¡¯s wedding ring. ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s lovely.¡± She took the ring out, slipped it on her thumb, and then set the empty box on the table.


    Allen acted restless. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we better be going. So, let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡±

 Chapter Nine

    Reverend William Bender started the service by saying, ¡°We have come here today in the presence of these witnesses and before Almighty God to unite in HOLY MATRIMONY, this man and woman: Travis Samuel McBride and Sara Ann Madden.¡±


    Another surprise, not only did they play ¡®Here Comes the Bride¡¯ when she walked down the aisle, but she was also having the typical American wedding service. Sara smiled, squeezing Travis¡¯ hand and he squeezed back. Sara tried to keep her mind on the minister¡¯s words, but before Sara knew it, Reverend Bender was saying to Travis. ¡°Then repeat after me:


    I, Travis, take thee Sara


    To be my lawful wedded wife


    To have and to hold from this day forward,


    For better or worse


    For richer, for poorer,


    In sickness and in health,


    To love and to cherish


    And forsaking all others to be faithful


    ¡®Till death do us part.¡±


    Travis repeated his part without any trouble. His voice was clear and crisp as he looked at Sara, his words were said slowly and loudly for all to hear.


    Before Sara knew it, it was her turn. Her mouth was so dry, she was afraid she wouldn¡¯t be able to say a word when it was her turn to speak.


    ¡°Do you Sara Ann, take this man, Travis, to be your lawful wedded husband, to love and to cherish for so long as you both shall live,¡± said Reverend Bender.


    Sara turned to say, ¡®I DO¡¯, and had to repeat the words twice, before the minister could hear her. The service was over before she realized it, and the minister was pronouncing them husband and wife. Sara waited expectantly for her kiss, the one that would start her new life with this good-looking stranger.


    Her first kiss as Mrs. Travis McBride was short and quick, more like a peck than a kiss. Sara was slightly disappointed, but when she looked up, and saw the room full of people were watching them, she decided it was for the best.


    Reverend Bender lifted his hand up. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Travis McBride.¡±


    Travis led her to the back of the church to sit in the last pew. After they sat down, Sara kept staring at the beautiful ring that now rested on her finger, as it was so breathtaking, she couldn¡¯t quit looking at it. Travis and Sara¡¯s wedding was the thirteenth service today, some say it was an unlucky number, but to Sara¡¯s parents, 13 was their lucky number, maybe it would now be lucky for her also.


    Because Allen was afraid that they were going to be late, he increased their pace to the church. As Kayla hurried down the hall to keep up with Allen, she noticed how her dress felt against her body, making her feel as she was Cinderella. She thought of all the women who would be meeting their future husbands for the first time, and in front of all these strangers, including the man they were about to marry. She bet most of the brides were scared. They were asking questions such as: Will they come to love their new husbands? Will this marriage work? Should they go through with this wedding?


    She knew she already loved her future husband, and their marriage was going to work out for them because of their love for each other. She didn¡¯t even have to worry about the wedding night, which she was sure many of the other brides were thinking of, especially the ones who were virgins. Her mind kept going on nonstop, thinking about Alex, the babies in their future and her new home on a different planet.


    Suddenly Allen stopped walking, jerking Kayla to stop, causing her to look up. She had been so lost in her thoughts she was surprised to see that they had already arrived at the doors of the church.


    Allen looked through the window of the doors and noticed that the previous wedding was through, then waited until the couple sat down and Alex took his place.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you weren¡¯t the previous wedding, especially if you are superstitious.¡± Allen glanced at her and then explained. ¡°It was the thirteen wedding today.¡±


    Kayla shudder. ¡°Yes, I wouldn¡¯t want anything to spoil my day, as I¡¯m superstitious and always stay away from black cats and ladders.¡±


    Allen laughed, ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡± Kayla looked at Allen and winked.


    Allen opened the doors and the music started playing. Before they could take a step down the aisle, a man approached them from the last pew.


    ¡°Kayla, I¡¯m Alex¡¯s father, Kevin Gordon. Would you mind if I walked you down the aisle?¡± His eyes watched her closely as he waited for her answer.


    She smiled sweetly at him. ¡°I would be honored, and I want to thank you for letting Alex return to Earth for me, as he means the world to me.¡±


    ¡°I understand, because he means the world to his mother and me too.¡± He took hold of her hand and placed it on his arm before they proceeded down the aisle together.


    Alex watched as his father spoke to Kayla, making him wonder if there was a problem of some kind. Did his father change his mind about letting them get married? He¡¯d tried to talk him out of marrying Kayla, saying if she loved him enough, she would do anything for him, including leaving her world for his.


    Alex explained to his father, that she loved him very much, but this had been too much of a surprise for her to make the decision in a split second. Not many people wouldn¡¯t have a problem making the decision to leave everything behind and marry someone from a different world.


    His father argued that many women had already accepted to marry one of the men, proving him wrong. Alex claimed that most of the women on this trip were leaving Earth for a better life on their planet, some were even blackmailed to come, as the situation they were in on Earth was far worse than marrying a stranger from a different planet.


    Kevin wanted to argue some more, but knew his son was right. Over the years, he¡¯d heard horrible stories of what the lives of some of the women were like before they were bought to the ship, going to a strange planet was far better than abuse or even death. Finally, he gave his approval for his son to retrieve Kayla and bring her back.


    His frighten eyes look at Kayla and she winked at him, letting him know everything was all right, and he quickly related. When Kayla and Kevin began walking towards Alex, his expression change and began grinning from ear to ear.


    Kayla stared at Alex who was dressed in a black tuxedo and a smile on his face as she walked down the aisle towards him. Thinking how much she loved him and how she hadn¡¯t realized how much he meant to her until it was almost too late, made her shudder. Kayla smiled; she was so glad things had worked out for the two of them.


    When Kayla and Kevin reached Alex, he grabbed her hand from his father, as if he was afraid, she would get away from him.


    His father laughed, ¡°She is all yours, son.¡± Kevin Gordon walked to the front row and sat down beside his wife, Emily. When Kevin noticed his wife had tears in her eyes, he smiled at her, taking her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze.


    Sara kept looking at Travis, who was now her husband for better or worse. She mustn¡¯t think of him as an alien, but as a man whose kisses were like magic. To her, an alien was an awful creature like the ones she seen in the movies, one who killed and scared everyone.


    He had talked her into marrying him by kissing her, as they were magical to her. He glanced over and saw her staring at him; she blushed and turned away from him to look where the next bride stood.


    Sara¡¯s mouth fell open as she instantly recognized the next bride as her friend, Kayla, shocked to see someone she knew here, especially a good friend. Sara placed her hand on Travis¡¯ arm. ¡°Travis, the bride is a friend of mine,¡± she whispered to him.


    ¡°Who in the world, would ever guess you would meet someone you knew here of all places. Alex, the groom, is a friend of mine.¡± Travis whispered back.


    Kayla didn¡¯t look as scared as Sara had felt. Her friend had mentioned that Alex had asked her to marry him, and wondered if Kayla had known Alex was from another planet before she agreed to marry him. She will have to ask her later about it.


    The minister watched Kayla as she leaned over and lightly kissed Alex on the lips, and smiled at the couple before speaking. ¡°I can tell you already know each other, because your love for each other shows on your faces. This is rare and unique event because all the other couples here today are strangers to each other.¡± He then proceeded with their wedding service.


    Kayla and Alex had decided to write their own wedding vows. When the time came for Alex to say his vows, he spoke directly to Kayla.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°I, Alex, take thee Kayla to be my lawful wedded wife. You are my soul mate, my forever after love. You are the other half of my being; I will love you always and always.¡± Tears shone in Alex¡¯s eyes as he spoke.


    When Kayla said her vows to Alex, she too had tears in her eyes by the time she finished. Their words were from their heart and their vows brought tears to some of the other newlywed couples, because everyone could hear the love, they had for each other. All the other newlyweds were hoping they too would come to love their new spouse at much as Kayla already loved hers.


    ¡°Alex, you may kiss your bride.¡± Reverend Bender announced.


    Alex gave Kayla a short lovely kiss.


    Kayla looked at Alex and smiled, but abruptly her expression changed from a smile to a strange look, her coloring quickly changed to pasty white, fear covered her face, then suddenly her body went limp and she started to fall to the floor.


    Alex quickly reached out to grab her before she hit the floor, then looked helplessly around for help as he slowly lowered her to the floor.


    Dr. Miller was beside him before Alex could blink. ¡°Kayla, can you hear me?¡± He asked, but there wasn¡¯t any response from her. Someone handed Dr. Miller a wet washcloth and he wiped Kayla¡¯s face. ¡°Kayla, can you hear me?¡± he repeated.


    Slowly Kayla opened her eyes, ¡°What happened? Why am I on the floor?¡±


    ¡°Sweetheart you fainted. How do you feel?¡± Alex looked frighten.


    Kayla glanced around her and saw everyone staring at her, she blushed, embarrassed with all the attention on her. ¡°Alex, I feel fine now, I think it was just all the excitement of the moment. Please get me out of here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t my kiss that caused you to faint?¡± Alex asked jokingly as he helped her to stand.


    Kayla laughed, ¡°I think you may be right.¡± She continued to hold on to Alex as she regained her balance.


    ¡°I want to see you in my office first in the morning.¡± Dr. Miller said with concern.


    Alex continued to help Kayla as they slowly made their way down the aisle, sitting with Travis and Sara. Alex started to introduce Kayla to Travis and Sara, but Sara stood before he could and the two girls embraced before he could say anything.


    When his eyes opened widely and his mouth dropped open, Travis¡¯ hand pushed Alex¡¯s chin up, closing the gap, and then explained to him about the girls being old friends.


    ¡°Kayla, are you okay?¡± Sara asked with concern.


    ¡°I believe so. I feel fine, maybe I fainted because of all the excitement and the fact I didn¡¯t eat breakfast this morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I bet that was why you fainted.¡± Sara squeezed her hand.


    ¡°Ladies sit down. This next wedding is about to start. You¡¯re plenty of time to visit later.¡± Travis said as he watched the door opening to let the next bride into the chapel.


    Dr. Miller took Maggie¡¯s hand into his. ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± He was holding his breath in anticipation of her answer.


    Maggie smiled, ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± She smiled and gave him a reassuring wink.


    Slowly they began making their way down the hall. Maggie could hear the wedding music in the distant and it became louder as they got closer to the church. When they arrived at the church, Dr. Miller looked through the window before he opened the doors.


    Maggie saw the church was full of other brides and grooms sitting in the rows in their wedding clothes. She glanced towards the front of the church and saw Matt wearing a white tuxedo and a nervous expression on his face, making her smile, but it faded slightly as his sensual eyes fell upon hers. ¡°Oh, what have I gotten myself into.¡±


    Sara saw the next bride as she entered the church, shocked to see it was Maggie, she touched Travis¡¯ arm again. ¡°Travis, I can¡¯t believe it, the bride, Maggie, is Kayla¡¯s and my friend.¡± She whispered to him.


    Travis smiled, ¡°Matt is a friend of ours also, what a strange coincidence.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I will know any of the other brides.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out at the reception.¡±


    Maggie kept saying over and over, ¡°Yes, I can do this. Yes, I can do this.¡± Matt smiled at her as she walked toward him, and it sent shivers down her spine. Before she knew it, she was standing beside Matt.


    Matt took Maggie¡¯s hand as Dr. Miller brought it towards him, which was warm and dry, and his touch comforted her, while at the same time it sent a tingling sensation all the way down to her toes. She took in a quick breath, slowly letting it out, trying to calm the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.


    He was so handsome that she couldn¡¯t quit looking at him. He¡¯s even more handsome than Jack was, Maggie thought to herself. How could she be comparing the two? She was a terrible person to be thinking that way, as Jack had been her husband for years, while Matt was a total stranger to her.


    The minister was already speaking before Maggie¡¯s brain finally started to work. ¡°Matt and Maggie, you are about to enter this special covenant and to pledge and vow to one another your fidelity and commitment. You will find that your lives will be sweetened and enriched by your vows binding you as husband and wife.¡±


    Her mind started wondering if she should be doing this. What was the right option for her? Here she was marrying a total stranger and didn¡¯t know anything about him. What if he was abusive to her and Ryan? Where would she go if she had to leave him? She had so many questions, but no answers. Finally, she forced her brain to quit thinking and listen to the minister again. Soon it was time for her to recite her wedding vows.


    The minister asks, ¡°Maggie, do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?¡±


    She looked at Matt, then she looked at the minister and then back to Matt. She was scared, this was such an important step, and she needed some reassurance. Fear knotted her throat, preventing her from speaking.


    Matt seemed to sense her fear, he smiled and nodded his head at her, as if to say, yes this is the right thing to do.


    Could she really go through with this wedding? The thought of marrying again tore at her insides.


    The church was quiet, not one person made a sound as they waited to hear her answer, especially Matt. Maggie looked into Matt eyes and they saw he was pleading with her to say ¡°Yes.¡± Before Maggie could say a word, she felt a small tug at her sleeve, when she looked down, she saw Cole standing there next to her.


    ¡°Please say yes. I want you to marry my daddy and be my new mother,¡± he begged her, his sad eyes calling to her heart.


    Maggie looked back up at Matt, smiled, and in a voice without any hesitation and loud enough for even the people in the back row to hear, she said. ¡°I do.¡±


    She heard several sighs of relief around her, as well as one from Matt. Quietly she heard the words ¡°Thank you¡± whispered from Matt and she smiled at him.


    The rest of the ceremony finished without any more delays and soon the minister announced, ¡°Matthew you may now kiss your wife.¡±


    Maggie couldn¡¯t believe the feelings she felt when his lips finally touched hers for the first time. Her stomach jumped into her throat and her heart started pounding heavily. She was shocked at her response to Matt¡¯s kiss. She thought all her feeling had died with Jack, but despite her fears, she felt a hot and excited feeling run through her veins. Could she learn to love this man after all?


    The minister concluded with saying, ¡°May I now introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Adams.¡± The audience stood up and began clapping, causing Maggie blushed shyly, as she knew they hadn¡¯t done that for the last bride.


    Matt and Maggie walked with their two boys beside them down the aisle to the back of the church to sit with the others. Travis introduced the men, while Sara introduced the women. He explained to the ladies, that when they were growing up the guys had been known as the three musketeers, as you hardly saw one without the other two. As they waited for the next wedding to start, Alex told the girls, that the groom was also friend of theirs.


    Allen¡¯s comment, ¡®Let¡¯s get this show on the road¡¯, made Brianne laugh, to her this was definitely a show. As they hurried towards the church, Brianne looked at everything, trying to soak everything in to keep her mind off what was going to happen when they reached the end of this journey.


    As they came to door of the church, Allen removed his hand from Brianne¡¯s arm and looked through the window to see if the last wedding was finished yet. They waited a few minutes before he opened the two doors and then they proceeded into the church. They slowly proceeded down the aisle, as the music ¡®Here Comes the Bride¡¯ played in the background.


    Brianne looked to find her sister as soon as they entered the church and smiled when she saw Amy was sitting on the front row watching her. Then Brianne looked at the groom, she gasped and immediately stopped walking.


    Allen looked over at her and wondered if she had suddenly changed her mind about marrying Luke. Allen waited patiently beside her, not forcing her to continue, nor did he say anything to her. He didn¡¯t know where he should do, so he looked for his wife. When he found her watching them, he smiled as seeing her seemed to comfort him.


    The room seemed to have a hush over it, not one person said a single word, not even one body twitched. One look at Luke, you saw the look of despair on his face, his hands were clinched together, his shoulders hunched forward and his eyes were trained on the floor in front of him.


    ¡°My God, he is better looking than his photos.¡± Brianne whispered.


    Allen laughed, as all of the different things she could have said, this certainly wasn¡¯t what he expected.


    Slowly Brianne started them walking towards the front of the church again. You could feel the whole audience of the church let out the breath they seemed to be holding. When Luke heard the sound, he looked up and his face slowly relaxed, and he began smiling as they continued towards him.


    Before Brianne knew it, she was holding Luke¡¯s hand. He gripped her hand firmly in his, with a gentle hold, and it felt good to her. She tried not to think of what those hands would do tonight to her body by keeping her mind on the ceremony and away from tonight¡¯s activity. Brianne kept looking over at Luke, as she couldn¡¯t seem to keep her eyes off him, he was so breathtakingly handsome. Soon she heard the minister say, ¡°Luke, you now may kiss your bride.¡± She held her breath. Could she stand to be kissed by him in front of all these strangers?


    Luke took her into his arms, ¡°Thank you for marrying me.¡± He whispered to her, then gave her their first kiss. In fact, it was the first kiss she had ever experienced from a man other than her father. She had never told anyone that she had never been kissed before, not her girlfriends, not even her own sister.


    One would assume a woman her age would had experienced such an event before, but Brianne hadn¡¯t dated much, and what dates she did have, she had never let them kiss her. Her mother always told her not to let them, because kissing could lead to sex. She didn¡¯t understand how a simple kiss could lead to sex, but she obeyed her mother anyway.


    Brianne enjoyed her first kiss with her new husband so much that she wanted more of them as she felt a warm glow hit her at her womanly core, now understanding what her mother had meant.


    After the kiss, the minister introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. Luke Baker. Luke took her hand and walked her down the aisle to the last row of the church to sit with the other three couples. Introductions were quickly made before the next wedding got under way.


    Matt told Brianne how Alex would try to follow the older boys whenever they would venture off. Most of the time Alex¡¯s mother would make him stay with her, but as he became older, he was seen more and more often with the older boys.


    They still had three wedding left and people were starting to get restless, especially the young children. Some of the people had been there for all the weddings, while others had arrived in time for their own service. The next two weddings proceeded quickly and then the minister said the next wedding was a host couple who was renewing their wedding vows.


    They were married here twelve years ago on this date, it had been the bride¡¯s second marriage, she had been 33 and had two young daughters from her first marriage, and it had been the 29-year-old groom¡¯s first.


    Some people thought their marriage wouldn¡¯t last because he was four years younger than she was, but it had, even though they had their share of rough times that happens during most marriages. The bride wanted to renew her vows to show her husband that she would marry him all over again if given the choice.


    This wedding gave the new brides encouragement to see a couple who was still in love after twelve years of marriage since divorce was a common occurrence on Earth. After their ¡®I do¡¯ were said, Reverend Bender announced cake and punch would be served in the reception hall for all.


    Each couple had their own little cake to cut and there was laughter and silly antics from all. Pictures were taken during the ceremonies and during the reception, which would be keepsakes of their special day for the couples to keep. Nerves were on edge, each in their own thoughts about the wedding night, and their future with this person they had just married.


    There was dancing for all, the first dance was just for the newlyweds, and then everyone took turns dancing with the different brides. The last dance was saved for the new husbands and wives. The song was a slow romantic one to help the set the mood for the wedding night for the nervous and excited newlyweds.

 Chapter Ten

    After the last dance, Travis and Sara headed out of the reception hall towards their room, and her mind started wondering how she had found herself into this situation.  Sara looked over at Travis and his eyes captured hers, but she quickly turned away.  She was nervous as a virgin would be, her mouth was dry, and she was having a hard time trying to swallow.  Travis was a stranger to her, could her consummate this marriage tonight, or should she ask if they could wait until they knew each other better?  When Travis stopped, Sara noticed they were at the door to the room she had gotten ready, knowing that soon the honeymoon would start, her heart started beating rapidly.  He opened the door and let her enter first.


    Sara already knew what the suite looked like, which consisted of a sitting room, a bathroom, and of course the bedroom.  As they slowly made their way into the bedroom, her eyes darted nervously back and forth, and it was then that she noticed that the lights were out, and several candles were lit on the bedside tables.  Somehow, the room looked different to her now, the bed appeared to be a lot smaller tonight in the dimly lit room than it had earlier.  A lovely red negligee was lying on the end of the bed, one that reminded Sara of a red sheet being waved in front of an angry bull, with her being the matador and Matt the bull.


    All she could think of was about sex and somehow this setup didn¡¯t seem right to her.  Having sex with someone she didn¡¯t know made her feel like a prostitute.


    ¡°Sara, Tammy prepared the room for us.  She will help you with transition into your new life, so you can ask her anything.  Your clothes are in the closet, and other personal belongings are here as well.  We transported them here for you to help make you feel more comfortable and to help you feel at home once you¡¯re on Zodar.¡±  Travis seemed to be a bit nervous also.  ¡°Let¡¯s just go to sleep tonight and tomorrow we will start getting acquainted with each other.¡±


    Sara let out the breath she hadn¡¯t realized she had been holding, she felt relieved, but also slightly disappointed by his words.  ¡°Travis, I think it would probably be for the best.  I want us to have a good relationship, as well as a good marriage.  We really don¡¯t know much about each other yet, but time will take care of that problem.¡±


    Travis sent her into the bathroom to change, while he undressed in the bedroom.  He blew out all the candles, turned on his lamp, and climbed into bed to wait for Sara.  When she came out of the bathroom a short time later, she joined Travis in bed.  Travis turned off the light as Sara made herself comfortable.  They kissed each other with a short good night kiss, he pulled her to him, and they snuggled together.  Sara went to sleep almost immediately, because the day had been such an exhausting one for her, that and the fact she had a few too many glasses of champagne.


    Sara was having an erotic dream of someone caressing her breasts, and then their hand slowly glided down the length of her body.  The hand left and a finger began playing with her bellybutton, then the finger became a hand again.  The hand began moving slowly lower, then the hand stopped at her womanly place.


    Travis looked at Sara, her eyes were still closed, and he wondered if she was awake or not.  He didn¡¯t want to rush or startle her, but his body needed release.  He continued touching her, hoping she would soon wake up, as he wanted her to be the one to put out the fire that was burning in him.


    Sara felt on fire, she never had an erotic dream but knew her body needed something, but in her sleep induced state, she couldn¡¯t seem to know exactly what it was.  Sara heard her name being called softly, over and over.  Sara sluggishly opened her eyes, and saw the lamp was on and Travis lying naked beside her.  Her gown was bunched up around her waist, and his hand was stroking her most private area.  ¡°Oh my!¡±  She said.  She¡¯d never felt this aroused before.  ¡°Travis, what are you doing to me?¡±


    ¡°Sara, I¡¯ve changed my mind, I do want to make love to you tonight.  My body aches for you.¡±  Travis took her hand and brought it to him, putting it on the part of his body that made him most definitely all male.


    A knot rose in her throat, she tried to swallow it away, but the thought of where her hand was on his body made that feat impossible to do.


    ¡°Help me take off your gown.¡±  They quickly worked together to discard her gown.  ¡°Sara, tell me you want this too.¡±  His voice broke with huskiness.


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±  She said breathlessly, in a voice to her that seemed to belong to someone else.


    Later, after they had sedated their passion, they laid beside each other, with their bodies touching and both had smiles on their faces.


    ¡°I never dreamed sex could be so beautiful.  Thank you, Travis, for a lovely wedding night.¡±  Sara relieved that making love to Travis hadn¡¯t made her feel like a prostitute after all.


    Travis was playing with her hair with his fingers, as an ornery look filled his face.  ¡°Sara, the night is still young.¡±  His large hand touched her face, gently stroking down her naked body.


    She smiled as a warm tingling feeling began to fill her soul.


    After the reception, Alex and Kayla slowly headed back to their room.  Alex knew that Kayla wasn¡¯t much of a drinker, in their room was a bucket of ice, with a bottle of sparkling grape juice waiting for them.  They held hands while they walked, Alex lightly stroking her hand with his thumb, both quiet as they wondered why Kayla had fainted at the ceremony.


    Kayla thought there wasn¡¯t any way she could be pregnant, but since her periods hadn¡¯t ever been regular, she never knew when it would happen until it came.  Yes, they had been sexually active, and she wasn¡¯t on the pill yet, but they had used other means of birth control every time they¡¯d made love.


    She thought of her mother, who had died a few years ago of cancer.  She couldn¡¯t remember if fainting was one of her symptoms or not, but her mother hid a lot from Kayla and didn¡¯t know she was dying until a month before she died.


    Kayla stopped in her tracks, ¡°Alex, my mom died of cancer, maybe I have cancer too.¡±  Her voice was fragile and shaking with fright.  ¡°Alex I¡¯m scared.¡±  Slowly tears appeared on her cheeks.


    Alex gently wiped away her tears.  ¡°Kayla let¡¯s wait until you see Dr. Miller before you start worrying,¡± he said in a comforting voice.  He hadn¡¯t even thought about the possibility of Kayla being ill, just about her maybe being pregnant, as had read once that fainting was one of the symptoms some women experienced when they were pregnant.  They had been so careful, and Alex had made sure they used birth control every time.  In the off-chance Kayla hadn¡¯t agreed to marry him, he hadn¡¯t wanted her to be left with a baby to care for after he had gone back to Zodar.


    When they arrived at their suite, Alex opened the door, picked Kayla up, and proceeded to carry her into the room.  He gave Kayla a long passionate kiss, kicked the door shut, and carried her into the bedroom.  He set her down on her feet, he put both of his hands on either sides of her face, and he gave her a soft sensual kiss.  ¡°I love you, Kayla.  Thank you for marrying me and leaving your world for the unknown.¡±  There was an eagerness in his voice as he continued to hold her face


    Kayla smiled, ¡°Thank you for coming back to get me.  To think I almost lost you forever.  Now help me get out of my dress.¡±  She muttered with sexual anticipation in her voice.


    ¡°You look so beautiful in your lovely dress; I almost hate to see you take it off.¡±  There was a trace of laughter in his voice.


    She turned her back to him so he could unzip her.  After the dress was unzipped, Kayla turned back around to face Alex.  Not ever taking her eyes off his eyes, she steps out of her shoes, and moves them out of her way.  Slowly she proceeded to remove her arms from the dress, letting it fall to the floor, and slowly stepped out of it.


    Kayla put her arm on Alex¡¯s shoulder to prevent herself from falling, she took her left foot and pushed the dress out of her way, as she undid her garters.  She removed the stocking from her left leg, throwing it on top of the dress and repeated the process for the right leg.  Kayla moved her hands to her bra, undid the back hook, and let the bra fall to the floor.  She put her hand back on Alex¡¯s shoulder for support again and then pulled off her panties.  Alex watched her closely the whole time as she disrobed and Kayla watched him, watching her.


    It was as if he had never seen her nude before, she was so beautiful, and she was now all his.


    ¡°Are you sure you want me to keep the dress on?¡±  Kayla asked seductively, smiling when he shakes his head, back and forth.  ¡°I can put everything back on if you want me too,¡± she said in a joking manner.


    For his answer, Alex quickly removed his clothes.  Now it was Kayla¡¯s turn to watch Alex undressed, she merely stood there watching him as if it was her first time to see him take off his clothes.  She would never get tired of looking at him with or without his clothes.


    Alex sat down to remove his socks and his eyes never left Kayla¡¯s face.  When the last sock hit the floor, Kayla pounced on Alex, knocking him back against the mattress.  They started laughing, suddenly they looked deeply into each other¡¯s eyes, each seeing desire in the other¡¯s eyes.  One action lead to another and before they knew it, they were lovers once more.


    ¡°I love you, Kayla Gordon.¡±  His hoarse whisper broke the silence.


    ¡°I love you, Alex Gordon,¡± she whispered back to him in a silky voice.  As Kayla lay on her back, she lifted her left hand up, admiring her wedding ring.  ¡°Alex, this ring is gorgeous.  It looks like an antique.  However, did you find it?¡±


    Lightly her took her hand into his.  Alex brings her hand to his lips and kisses her finger just above the ring.  ¡°It was my mother¡¯s.  Dad had bought her a new one for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and has been saving it for me to give it to my bride.  Do you mind the ring was my mother¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Good heavens, no.  It makes the ring even more special to me.  I¡¯ll have to thank her tomorrow.¡±


    Alex kissed her one more time and they snuggled before falling into a deep sleep.


    Maggie didn¡¯t want the reception to end, as she was afraid to go back to the room with Matt.  She wasn¡¯t afraid of him, but of what was expected of her tonight.  Ryan and Cole would be staying the night with the other children of newlyweds, so the boys wouldn¡¯t be there to act as a buffer between the two of them. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Maggie had never been sexual with any man except Jack and was unsure of how to act with Matt.  Soon Maggie saw other couples beginning to leave the reception and she tried to keep Matt¡¯s attention elsewhere, buy asking question about Zodar, his job, his home, anything to keep his attention away from their wedding night.


    The ploy worked for a while until someone yelled to Matt.  ¡°Good night Matt, have a great wedding night.¡±  Matt instantly stopped dancing in the middle of the dance floor and looked at Maggie.  Boy, was she in trouble now, as this man wasn¡¯t going to want to hear any excuses about not having a real wedding night tonight as she could see the desire in his eyes as he looked her over seductively.


    Matt slowly headed them towards the exit doors, Maggie felt as if he was pulling her to her doom.  It was impossible for her to steady her erratic pulse as she thought of sex with Matt.  She had thought she wouldn¡¯t have any trouble being able to do this, but she kept thinking about Jack.  Would he understand why she had remarried?  Taking their son, and leaving their whole world behind, to go live with a total stranger on some distance planet?  Somehow, she doubted that he would.


    Maggie was so deep in thought, thinking of Jack, that she didn¡¯t realize they had reached the door to their room until they stopped.  Matt opened the door, picked Maggie up, and carried her into their room.  She could feel the warmth of Matt arms through her dress, his touch seemed to burn her, and was surprised that his simple touch had greatly aroused her.  When he set her feet onto the floor, Maggie jumped away to put some distance between them.


    Matt looked at her strangely but didn¡¯t comment.  ¡°Do you want to get ready for bed first?¡± he softly asked her, his express was smothered with fire.  Seeing the fear in her eyes, he wondered if Maggie thought she had made a mistake in marrying him.


    Maggie cleared her throat twice before she was able to answer him.  ¡°Yes, please.¡±  She hurried past him into the bathroom, quickly shutting the door.  She had put her nightgown on because she didn¡¯t want to be naked when she opened the door and faced Matt, but just couldn¡¯t seem to get her body to open the door and face her new husband.  A knock at the door made her jump, causing her to put her hand on her pounding heart.


    ¡°Maggie, are you all right?¡±  Matt asked in a concerned voice.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m about finished in here.¡±  She told him in a shaking voice.


    When she opened the door, she saw the bedroom was lit in candlelight.  She glanced to the bed and saw Matt standing beside the bed in just his trousers.  Maggie felt butterflies fluttering in her belly, with a will all their own, her eyes moved down his bare chest to the thick patch of hair that disappeared down into his pants.  She quickly moved her eyes to look at Matt¡¯s face and saw that he was watching her, she quickly blushed.  She slowly made her way towards her side of the bed, refusing to look again at Matt¡¯s face.


    Matt slowly headed her way and meeting her just as Maggie reached the end of the bed.  Matt put his hand out to reach for her and she quickly moved away from him, ran to her side of the bed and literally jumped into the bed, throwing the covers up to her chin.


    As Matt watched as his new wife escaped under the sheets, the only word he could use to describe her actions was a scared rabbit running into its hole.


    She tried to slow down her breathing, trying to think of anything except of Matt and their wedding night, but all she could think of was the sight of his hairy muscular chest and the warm glow that was building inside of her.


    Matt sighed, as he was unsure how to approach the subject of sex with Maggie.  She acted as if she was afraid of him, which wasn¡¯t good, this was something they needed to get this straightened out before the situation got worse between them.  When she refused to look at him, he shook his head and walked to the bathroom.


    Maggie watched him close the door, feeling bad for the way she acted.  She knew she was handling this all wrong and should¡¯ve said something to him, but what could she have said?  She knew she wasn¡¯t being fair to Matt, as she had agreed to this marriage and sex was part of this marriage.


    Oh, why did Jack have to die, why couldn¡¯t she be waiting for him to come to bed and not some stranger?  Maybe she could pretend she was asleep when he came to bed, surely, he wouldn¡¯t try to wake her.  They could start fresh tomorrow, and she would have time to get to know him better before consummating this strange peculiar marriage.  Shortly the bathroom door opened, Maggie could see Matt didn¡¯t have a stitch of clothing on.


    She quickly turned her head and tightly closed her eyes.  ¡°Oh, my, I¡¯m in trouble now.¡±  Maggie whispered to herself.  She tried to keep herself calm, as she knew he wasn¡¯t going to hurt her.  He was her husband and only wanted to make love to her, she must do this, because she had made a promise.


    After Matt turned off the bathroom light, she heard him carefully making his way to his side of the bed, and she jumped when she felt his weight sitting on the bed.


    Matt laid down, pulled the covers up, his arms reaching for her in the dark.  He slowly embraced her and started kissing her, his hands started roaming over her body.  ¡°Oh, Maggie, I want you so.¡±  His voice was filled with sexual need.


    Before she realized what was happening Matt was kissing her.  The kisses started out to be gentle, and then slowly became more demanding.  Maggie could hardly breath, Matt¡¯s kisses were heaven, and she was having trouble thinking.  His lips slowly moved down her body and he started kissing her neck.  Matt put his hand on Maggie¡¯s breast and began stroking her nipples, sending a warm tingling through her.  ¡°Oh, Jack!¡±  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Maggie realized what she had said and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.


    Matt quickly removed his hand from her body.


    The air was filled with tension, neither of them knowing what the other one would do next.


    ¡°Matt, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±  Maggie quietly began crying.  ¡°I have been so scared about this night.  I¡¯ve never been with another man before.  I have been thinking about Jack a great deal today as he had been my husband, and I loved him.  It has been hard saying good-bye to him and accepting someone I don¡¯t even know as my husband.  I promised myself that I would never remarry.  Yet here I am, remarried to a total stranger and in his bed about to consummate our wedding vows.  Everything has happened so fast today and I¡¯m having a hard time adjusting to it all.¡±  Tears were running down her cheeks, ¡°I hope you can forgive me.¡±  She spoke in a tear-filled whisper.


    ¡°Oh, Maggie.¡±  He reached out to stroke the tears away.  ¡°I do understand, truly I do.  I loved my first wife also and we had a perfect life together until disaster struck our family.  I tell you what, let¡¯s start over.¡±  In the darkness, Matt found her right hand and shook it.  ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Matt Adams, and I¡¯m your new husband.¡±


    Maggie giggled, the strain was broken, and the night continued as if it was a normal wedding night.


    After the last dance, Brianne found Amy to tell her good-bye for the night.  Amy would be taken to the same area as Ryan and Cole were staying for the duration of the trip.


    Amy grabbed her sister and hugged her tightly to her.  ¡°Brianne, are you scared about your wedding night?¡±  Amy whispered in her ear.


    ¡°Yes, but to tell the truth, I have been trying not to think about tonight.  I know what to expect, but I¡¯m still scared.¡±  The thought of having sex with a man who was her husband, but in fact was a stranger, tore at her insides.


    ¡°Are you going to tell Luke you¡¯re a virgin before he finds out for himself?¡±  Amy asked as she looked deeply into her sister¡¯s eyes.


    Brianne looked over her shoulder to look for Luke and saw him watching them.  Biting her lip, she quickly looked away from him.  ¡°I¡¯m going to try.  It will be embarrassing to tell a perfect stranger such intimate information, but he is now my husband.  I can¡¯t be afraid of him if I¡¯m going to live the rest of my life with him.¡±  Her voice slowly drifted to a hushed whisper.


    The girls hugged again, and each told the other ¡®I love you¡¯ before parting.


    ¡°Amy, I¡¯ll talk to you tomorrow.  Don¡¯t worry so about me, this is a natural part of marriage,¡± Brianne reassured her.  She kissed her sister¡¯s cheek, and wave good-bye as they went their separate ways.


    Brianne composure was just a cover for her sister¡¯s sake, in reality, it was a fragile shell surrounding her and it was about to crack. As she walked towards her new husband, she tried to think of different ways to tell him before they crawled into bed together that she was a virgin.  Maybe she should write him a note.  Thinking of him reading the note and his reaction, made her giggle lightly.  No, she shouldn¡¯t write him a note.  Before she knew it, she was standing in front of Luke.


    ¡°What was so funny?¡±  Luke asked innocently.


    Brianne face paled, ¡°What?¡±  she frowned as she realized that Luke had seen her laugh as she had made her way to him.


    ¡°I saw you laugh a minute ago and I was wondering what was so funny.¡±


    Brianne stammered a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.  It is too personal to tell here.¡±  She didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    Luke took hold of her hand as they walked silently to their room.  When they reached their room, Luke opened the door, picked her up, and carried her over the threshold.  He set her down before he kicked the door closed, causing Brianne to jump at the sound.


    Luke looked over at Brianne, worried as she looked like a scared doe, ready to flee at any moment.


    As Luke made his way to her, Brianne had the strong feeling to run from him, but where would she go?  This man was now her husband and shortly they would be involved sexually.  She needed to tell him her news before it got any harder for her to say it.


    Brianne backed away from her new husband, as he moved towards her.  Nervously she bit her lip, then quickly swallowed as she tried to find her voice.  ¡°Luke could you stay where you are for a minute.  I have something to tell you before we go into the bedroom.¡±  She watched as Luke stopped where he was.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked softly, his eyes burned into hers, watching her closely as he waited for her to speak.


    ¡°Luke, I don¡¯t know exactly how to say it.  I thought about writing you a note, that¡¯s why I laughed earlier this evening.¡±  Panic like she¡¯d never known before welled in her throat.


    Luke was silently waiting, knowing she had something important to tell him by the way she was acting.  He figured that she was scared, so much so that she didn¡¯t want to consummate their wedding vows tonight and was trying to find a way to tell him so.


    She took a deep breath and then another, but she just couldn¡¯t seem to say the words.


    ¡°Brianne, do you want to wait until we are better aquatinted before we have our wedding night?¡±  Luke asked her in a low, composed voice.


    Brianne shook her head no, then quickly turned her back to Luke.  She took another deep breath and blurted the words out.  ¡°I¡¯m a virgin.¡±  There she finally said it, then waited for Luke¡¯s reaction.


    Before she could turn around to face him, Luke was slowly putting his arms around her.  He held her loosely as to not frighten her, as he slowly turned her around to face him.  ¡°Brianne, no wonder you are so scared.  We can wait if it will make you feel better.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to wait.  You are my husband, and I think it would be for the best for us to ¡®get it over with¡¯ so to speak.  I don¡¯t want to spend another day worrying and wondering about our wedding night.¡±  She refused to look at him as she spoke, her eyes looking over his shoulder instead.


    ¡°Yes, I see your point.  You go get ready and I¡¯ll join you in a few minutes.¡±  He lightly squeezed her arms as he lets go of her.


    Brianne entered the bathroom, did her nightly ritual, and quickly put on the nightgown that had been laid out for her.  When she opened the bathroom door, she saw Luke was already in the bed.  She turned the bathroom light off, putting the room into total darkness.


    Brianne seemed to be frozen in place, unsure of what to do next.  Should she turn the light back on or head to the bed in the dark?  Luke lit a match and put it to the wick of a nearby candle, the room became illuminated with a soft glow from the candle.


    Luke pulled the covers back on her side of the bed inviting her to join him.  Brianne blushed, for when he pulled the covers back, she saw a slight glimpse of his nude body.  She slowly climbed in bed with her new husband and he dropped the covers over her.


    She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.  Would she survive this night?  She waited several minutes in the darkness for Luke to make the first move.  When Luke finally touched her, she jumped, and Luke quickly removed his hand from her body.


    All Luke had done was touch her arm.  What would happen when he touched her in a much more intimate place?  A place, no men except a doctor had ever seen, let alone touch before. Despite her fears, she felt hot with desire.


    ¡°Brianne, I¡¯ll be as gentle as I can, but I¡¯ve heard sex can be painful the first time for a virgin.¡±  Luke slowly opened his arms to her, waiting for her to make the next move.


    She moved into his arms.  ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    Trying not to frighten her, he gradually embraced her.


    His arms felt good around her, making her feel safe and secure.  A feeling she hadn¡¯t felt since the death of her father.  She was less nervous now because he knew she was a virgin and his understanding of her fears in this new venture of theirs.


    Luke tenderly began kissing her and Brianne slowly started to relax.  She could feel a strange feeling starting in her private area, a feeling that was unknown to her.  She wondered about the cause, because she had never felt this way before.  She felt Luke¡¯s hands beginning to move ever so lightly all over her body.  Softly touching her at first, gradually becoming more stimulating, and cautiously the kisses became more passionate.  Brianne felt as if she was flying on a cloud, hoping she survived this night.  Soon the nightgown was flying off the bed and then laid forgotten on the floor.

 Chapter Eleven

    The ship was equipped with an automatic timer that slowly lit up the room as if the sun was coming in a window, which was to help passenger stay on a regular day and night schedule while on board the ship.  When Sara woke up the next time, she knew it was morning by the light filling the room.  As she laid there slowly waking, she heard Travis singing in the shower.  She couldn¡¯t make out the words but could tell he was enjoying himself.  Sara decided to join Travis to help him wash his back as she felt frisky and adventurous this morning.


    Sara quietly opened the bathroom door, slipped into the room, and then quietly closed the door.  Travis continued singing, so Sara figured that he hadn¡¯t heard her come in the room.  She pulled her nightgown off and threw it down on the floor.


    She began to wonder if she should just put her gown back on and leave the room before Travis realized she was in the bathroom with him.  Maybe she shouldn¡¯t be doing this.  Would he think she was cheap or something even worse, a whore?  No, Travis was now her husband, it was okay for a wife to join her husband in the shower.  She took a deep breath, slowly and quietly letting it out.  She walked to the end of the tub, pulled the shower curtain back, and stepped into the tub.  Travis had his back to her and didn¡¯t know she was there until she touched his back.


    Travis jumped when Sara¡¯s touch startled him.  He turned quickly and faced Sara with a smile on his face.  ¡°I need help washing my. . .¡±  His eyes looked down towards his waist and then back up to her face in time to see her blush.


    ¡°Yes, I just bet you do,¡± she told him seductively.


    It was sometime later before the two occupants were dressed and ready for the day.  Travis told her today they would spend part of the day with their friends and the rest of the day, it would be just for them


    Kayla opened her eyes and looked around the room, the clock on the bedside table showed 6:00 a.m.  She needed to make an urgent trip to the bathroom before her bladder burst, and when she glanced over at Alex, she saw he was still sleeping.  She crept out of bed quietly so not to wake him, but then suddenly she knew she was going to be sick.


    She put her hand up to her mouth and made a mad dash for the toilet.  Luckily, for her, the lid on the toilet was up.  She quickly bent over, putting her hands on the sides of the toilet, and forcefully emptied her belly.


    Alex heard the commotion and was beside her in an instant, helping by grabbing a washcloth, poured cold water on it, and applied it to her forehead.  After the sickness past, Kayla sank down onto the cold bare bathroom floor to rest.  She looked over at Alex, threw her head back, and let out a peal of laughter.


    ¡°Kayla how are you feeling now?¡± he asked as he continued to wipe her forehead with a wet cloth.


    ¡°Better.¡±  She smiled at his expression.


    Alex looked at her strangely.  ¡°Why were you laughing?¡±  He asked with concern, hoping she wasn¡¯t becoming hysterical.


    ¡°Alex, look at us.  We are as naked as the day we were born, and here we are sitting on the bathroom floor next to the toilet.¡±


    Alex¡¯s body tightened by the sight of Kayla¡¯s naked body.¡±  Alex stood up and helped Kayla to her feet.  ¡°Kayla let¡¯s get you back to bed before you catch a chill.¡±


    ¡°I need to use the toilet first.¡±  Kayla didn¡¯t move when Alex didn¡¯t leave the bathroom.  ¡°Alex, could I have a bit of privacy?¡±


    ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t have anything that I haven¡¯t already seen.¡±  As Kayla¡¯s eyes met his, he realized she meant what she said, so he stepped out and slightly closed the door.


    When he heard the toilet flush, he opened the door.  He stepped inside the room, putting his arm around her waist and they walked together back to the bed.  He could feel she was chilled and hoped his body heat would soon warm her.  Alex tucked Kayla in first, and then he crawled in next to her, put his arm around Kayla, bringing her cold body up against his.


    ¡°Kayla, how are you feeling?¡±  A wave of apprehension shot through him as he wondered why she had vomited.  He was worried that maybe she was physically sick and would make sure they saw Dr. Miller today.


    ¡°Better, I think I¡¯ll go back to sleep for a while,¡± she said sleepily, she yawned and closed her eyes.


    His sexual need for her was beginning to build, but it would have to wait for another time, as she needed her rest right now, not sex.  Alex couldn¡¯t seem to get comfortable with Kayla¡¯s butt positioned right against his groin, making the matter worse.


    Kayla turned over to face Alex and kiss him on his lips as she put her hand on his body part that was giving him so much trouble.  Alex gasped because she had surprised him with her touch.  Alex figured Kayla wasn¡¯t going to get much sleep now.


    Afterwards, they fell back to sleep and the next thing they knew it was 10:00 in the morning.  They needed to hurry so they could get some breakfast before they saw Dr. Miller.  Kayla was hungry, but she ate a light breakfast just in case the nausea returned.


    When they arrived at the doctor¡¯s office, Alex waited in the waiting room while Kayla went in to see the doctor.  He couldn¡¯t seem to sit still, as his nerves were on edge, instead of sitting, he roamed around the office.  It seemed forever before Mrs. Miller asked Alex to come in to talk with the doctor.


    Alex tried to tell himself that he was going to hear good news, not bad.  Tammy showed Alex in and he sat in the chair next to Kayla, quickly taking hold of her hand just in case it was bad news he was about to hear.


    Kayla looked over at him and smile, a smile that showed a twinkle in her eyes.  ¡°Alex, we¡¯re pregnant.  Dr. Miller says the baby is due in January.  He gave me some medicine to settle my stomach and everything is fine with me and the baby.¡±


    Alex let out the breath he had been holding, ¡°Thank God, you are okay.¡±


    ¡°Kayla is in excellent condition and will need to see her again in about a month.¡±  He handed her a card with his name and phone number on it.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you two again in a month.  Make an appointment with Tammy before you leave today.  You know, you two will be the first ones to have a baby from this important endeavor of ours.¡±


    They said their good-byes and left the doctor¡¯s office.  The two newlyweds were in shock with their news, they slowly made their way back to their room, each deep in thought about their news.


    ¡°Alex, Dr. Miller is right about the baby.  We¡¯ll be the first parents to have a baby from this trip.  Some babies might be conceived on this trip, but ours will be the first born from this venture.¡±


    Alex smiled at her.  ¡°Would you believe that I planned it that way?¡± he asked seriously.


    Kayla giggled.  ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Maggie woke to found herself with a big hairy arm across her chest, and smiled, as last night had been wonderful, she had been worrying for nothing.  Matt understood she was scared about this marriage and the idea of sex with him.  She now felt surer about starting this new relationship with Matt.  She was confident their marriage would go more smoothly for them in the sex department the next time they made love.


    She glanced over at the clock and saw it was time to get ready and retrieve their boys for the day.  They had made plans to spend part of it with the rest with the other couples, and later just the four of them.


    She shook Matt¡¯s arm to wake him.  The next thing she knew she had a large hairy man on top of her.  ¡°Would you please behave yourself?  We have two children who are waiting for us to go get them for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°A few extra minutes won¡¯t make much difference.¡±  Matt teased.


    ¡°It will to the boys.¡±  Maggie tried to hide her excitement from Matt, as the thought of having sex with Matt again made her go all mushy inside.


    ¡°I promise five minutes, no more.¡±


    Maggie laughs, ¡°Five minute?"  You think we can have sex in just five minutes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±  Matt stated with confidence.


    ¡°You want to bet on it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±  Matt stated again with confidence.


    ¡°What is the bet?¡±


    ¡°The loser gives the winner a backrub.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll time you.¡±


    Five minutes later found the two lovers dressing and Mathew with a large grin on his face.


    ¡°You are going to be impossible to live with today,¡± Maggie tells him.


    ¡°When I¡¯m right, I¡¯m right,¡± he said with smugness in his voice.


    They left their room and quickly made their way to where the boys were staying.  Matt knocked on the door, the door literally was thrown open, and a child flew into Matt¡¯s arms.  The force of Cole running into Matt knocked them both onto the floor.


    ¡°Daddy, what took you so long?  I have been waiting for hours.¡±  Cole cried.


    Matt looked up at Maggie.  He saw she had her arms around her own son and had an ¡®I told you so¡¯ look on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry buddy, it¡¯s my fault we are late.¡±  Matt detangled himself from his son and stood.  ¡°Let¡¯s go eat some hot breakfast before we start our day.¡±  Matt picked Cole up and put him on his shoulders.  He leans over to Maggie¡¯s ear.  ¡°We¡¯ll call it a tie.¡±


    Maggie simply nods her head.


    Brianne slowly stretched her arm reached out and touched a bare chest, then quickly jerked her arm away and sat straight up in bed.  Now wide-awake, she glanced to the other side of the bed and remembered why she was in bed with this naked man.


    After she lay back down, Luke moved in his sleep, which brought his bareback side up against her, and then he snuggled with her.  Brianne smiled, last night had been wonderful, and it hadn¡¯t been like anything she had expected.  She turned so she could put her arm across Luke¡¯s chest, ¡°Luke, it¡¯s time for you to wake up.¡±


    Luke slowly opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Brianne.  ¡°Why?¡± he asked in a sleepy voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±  Brianne tells him.


    Luke turned so fast engulfing Brianne in his arms that she let out a squeal.


    ¡°Luke!  Behave yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry too, and I want you for breakfast.¡±


    Later, much later found the two newlyweds making their way to the dining room, holding hands as they walked.  When they arrived, they saw Austin and Amy eating their breakfast together, Luke and Brianne helped themselves to the food on the buffet table and joined their siblings.


    When Amy saw her sister, she searched Brianne¡¯s face for any signs of distress or pain, but instead of seeing anything bad, Brianne looked happy.  When Brianne reached the table, she put her hand on top of Amy¡¯s and gave it a light squeeze, then bent down and kissed her sister¡¯s cheek.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She whispered into Amy¡¯s ear.  ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±  Brianne looked over at Austin.  ¡°How¡¯s the food?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great!¡±  Austin stated with his mouth full of breakfast, and the other three laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.  We are to join the others in an hour.¡±  Luke held the chair out for Brianne.


    ¡°Luke, what line of work are you in?¡±


    ¡°Would you believe I¡¯m independently wealthy, and own my own company?¡±


    Brianne looked over at Austin to see what his reaction was to Luke¡¯s comment.  Austin continued eating as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  ¡°Yes, I do believe you.  What kind of business do you have?¡±


    ¡°I have an air delivery service.  I have my pilot¡¯s license and own several planes, so I can deliver anything to anywhere, including people.¡±


    ¡°That sounds exciting.¡±


    ¡°It is, but it¡¯s a lot of work.  The company is slowly growing, and I have just bought two more planes and hired another pilot.¡±


    ¡°Is there something for me to do at your company?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯re plenty of work you can do.  Answer phones, filing, paying bills, you name it and you are welcomed to do it.  Right now, I have been doing it all, I would appreciate any help you can give me.¡±


    ¡°Is Amy going to be living with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Amy will live with us until she and Austin are married, until then Austin will continue to live at home with our parents.  They will have plenty of time to get acquainted before they are married.  Austin is going to a local college working on a BS degree in engineering.  Amy, do you have any college plans?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want to be a teacher for the hearing impaired.  I have already started taking college courses in sign language through my high school.  Sometimes I talk to Brianne in sign before I realize she doesn¡¯t understand a word I¡¯m signing.¡±


    ¡°Wow that sounds great!  Can you teach me to sign?¡±  Austin asked Amy.


    ¡°It will be my pleasure.¡±  Amy says sweetly to Austin.


    Soon they were finished with their breakfast and headed out to join the others.


    Sara¡¯s first day with Travis was wonderful.  After the tour of the ship, they met the other newlyweds, who were all near the same age.  Sara was 32 years old and Travis was 28, Sara laughed when she learned she was married to a younger man.  She had heard you should marry a man at least five years younger because women lived longer than men did.


    Alex and Kayla were 25, Matt and Maggie were 30, and Luke and Brianne were the youngest married couple and were 21 and 20 years old.  Austin was 19 and Amy was 17, they were the youngest couple of the group who would marry sometime in the future.  Amy and Austin decided to spend time with their siblings and the other newlyweds instead of the other young people on the ship, while becoming better acquainted with each other.


    There was a large range of activities they could do aboard the ship.  There were several movies showing at the theater, there was also gambling, bowling, both ice and roller-skating, and even an arcade with video and other games to play.  They decided to go bowling first and then have lunch together before going their separate ways.


    Everyone had a great time, spending time getting acquainted with not only with the other couples, but also with their new mates.  After lunch, everyone went their separate ways, planning on meeting again for dinner.


    Travis and Sara decide to see the movie, ¡°Forever Young¡± with Mel Gibson, as it was Sara¡¯s favorite movie.  Travis and Sara held hands during the movie, and she felt as if she was on a date rather than spending time with a husband.  Travis laughed when Mel Gibson suddenly sat up in the time capsule, making Sara jump.


    ¡°That part always startles me, even though I know it¡¯s going to happen,¡± Sara whispered.  By the end of the movie, she was softly crying.  ¡°I always cry too.  It is such a good love story and has a happy ending.¡±


    Travis smiled at her, ¡°That¡¯s what we are going to have.¡±


    Sara looked at him, wondering what he meant.  ¡°What are we going to have?¡±


    ¡°A happy ending.¡±  Travis stated.


    ¡°Oh, Travis, what a beautiful thought.  I never dreamed I would ever meet a man like you to love, especially after my marriage to Paul.¡±


    After the movie, they held hands as they walked back to their room.  Travis suddenly stopped walking, and there was a slight tug on her arm before Sara realized Travis wasn¡¯t beside her anymore.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about Paul and your marriage to him.¡±


    Of all the things he could have asked her, she wasn¡¯t prepared for this question.  ¡°Travis, I don¡¯t want to talk about it right now.  The pain he caused me over the years is still too raw.¡±


    Travis shortened the space between them.  ¡°I promise you I¡¯ll never intentional hurt you.¡±  Travis kissed her in the middle of the hallway, with people walking all around them staring, but neither of them care.


    After the kiss, Sara put her right hand on the left side of his face.  ¡°I know but thank you for telling me.¡±


    They started walking again, for a few moments the silence became increasing uncomfortable between them, but then Sara softly started her story.  ¡°Paul was so romantic while we dated.  He was also kind and gentle.  He never got angry with me, but after the wedding, he changed.  He started drinking soon after we were married, and it became heavier the longer we lived with his father.  I had hoped he would stop his heavy drinking after we moved out, but instead his drinking became worse.  Our marriage was never a great one, but the drinking destroyed what was left of it.  I guess I hoped our relationship would change for the better, but it didn¡¯t.  One evening he almost killed me.  He would have been successful if I hadn¡¯t hit him in the head with an iron skillet.¡±


    She had to stop a moment to regain her composer.  ¡°After the attack, I filed for a divorce and we put the house up for sale.  When the house sold, we celebrated with some champagne and ended in bed together.  After I signed the paperwork on the house, I should have left, but instead I let him make love to me, as I was lonely and wanted to feel loved again.¡±  Tears were running down Sara¡¯s cheeks, she quickly wiped them away with a tissue from her pocket.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡±


    ¡°What about you and Allie?¡± she asked as they reached the door to their room.  ¡°Did you and Allie have a good marriage?¡±


    Travis unlocked the door and they entered the room.  He slowly shut the door, then he rested his head against the door, keeping his back to Sara.  He realized he had started this by his question about Paul.  Even after all this time, it was still hard to think about Allie and Jean without hurting.  Travis gradually turned to face Sara.  ¡°We were high school sweethearts and were married as soon as we graduated.  Jean was born after our fourth anniversary and Toby was born two years after Jean.  Everything was perfect, then that damn epidemic came and destroyed everything.¡±  Travis¡¯ tears had started shortly after he began his story, but by the end, he was sobbing and couldn¡¯t talk anymore.  He put his hands up to cover his face because he was embarrassed for Sara to see him crying.


    ¡°Oh, Travis, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±  Sara put her hands covered his.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know.  I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have asked you to talk about Allie.¡±  Sara tried to comfort Travis by putting her arms around him and holding him as he cried.  He moved his arms, so they were now around her, while his head rested on her shoulder.


    ¡°No, you have the right to know.  I want you to know I plan for Toby to know about his mother and sister, but I afraid of you hurting in the process.¡±  Travis looked into Sara eyes, hoping she understood.


    ¡°We will do all we can to keep their memories alive for him.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that bother you?¡± Travis questioned.


    ¡°Travis, this is important to you and Toby.  Your memories of Allie and Jean can¡¯t hurt me.  I understand how much you loved her; your previous life is part of who you are.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡±  Travis began kissing Sara, first it was a light kiss, without any passion, but quickly it changed into one of hunger.  He picked Sara up and carried her into the bedroom, set her down and slowly began undressing her, never removing his eyes from hers.  ¡°Sara, I want to make love to you.¡±


    Sara gave him her answer by giving him a passionate kiss.


    Afterwards Travis looked at the clock on the bedside table.  ¡°We better get dressed if we are going to meet the others on time for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Travis, I had a lovely afternoon, maybe we can do this again sometime soon.¡±


    Travis laughed, ¡°You can bet on it.¡±


    After leaving the others, Alex and Kayla decided to return to their room for a nap before dinner.  They hadn¡¯t mentioned their news about the baby to the others yet, as they wanted to tell Alex¡¯s parent first.  Kayla had felt good all day, but now she was getting tired and was looking forward to a nap.  She couldn¡¯t wait to be lying in bed with Alex beside her and making love with her new husband before their nap.


    As they headed back to their room, they ran into Alex¡¯s parents.  Kayla had been introduced to Emily, Alex¡¯s mother, at the reception and of course, his father, Kevin, had walked her down the aisle.  She like both of his parents, and they¡¯d made her feel welcomed in their family, asking her to call them by their first names.


    ¡°Alex, Kayla, how has your first day as a married couple been?¡±


    ¡°It has been enlightening,¡± Alex stated.


    Alex¡¯s parents looked at each other, then back at the newlyweds.  ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±  Emily asked.


    Alex looked at Kayla, she nodded her head, ¡°Go ahead, and tell them.¡±


    ¡°Tell us what?¡±  Emily asked impatiently.


    ¡°We are pregnant.¡±  Kayla and Alex said together.


    Emily grabbed Kayla, giving her a big bear hug.  ¡°Oh boy!  I¡¯m going to be a grandma.  When is the baby due?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Miller says my due date is the middle of January.  This was unexpected, as we hadn¡¯t planned for this to happen.¡±


    That¡¯s what we said about Alex,¡± Kevin said with a straight face.


    Emily hit Kevin playfully in the arm.  ¡°Kevin, that¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°Mom, we are going back to our room to rest awhile before dinner.¡±


    ¡°We will see you both later.¡±  Alex gave his mother a quick peck on the check.  ¡°I love you, Mom and Dad.¡±


    ¡°We love you and congratulations on your news.¡±  Alex¡¯s parents watched as the two lovebirds headed towards their room.  ¡°It is a good thing Kayla decided to marry Alex after all, or otherwise Alex would have never learned about the baby.¡±


    ¡°Alex would have found a way to either stayed on Earth with her or would had returned to her on the next trip.  You didn¡¯t see his pain when she left.  I did, so I know how much he loves her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, for once you are right,¡± Emily said.


    Kevin playfully smacked her bottom.  ¡°Is that so?  For your information I have been right at least one other time.¡±


    ¡°When was that?¡±


    ¡°When I decided to ask you to marry me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.  I love you Kevin Gordon.¡±


    ¡°And I love you, Emily Gordon.  Let¡¯s go take our own nap.¡±  They laughed together as they made their way to their own room with their arms around each other.


    After leaving Alex¡¯s parent, they were forgotten because the newlyweds had other things on their mind.  The door was barely shut when Alex started unbuttoning Kayla¡¯s blouse, and they laughed at their urgency to make love.  It would be awhile before either of them was napping.


    * * *


    Maggie had a great time with her new husband and their new friends.  She was surprised how great Ryan and Cole hit it off together, and were seen everywhere together during the day, two head together, telling each other special secrets, laughing and having a wonderful time.  Maggie felt better now about her new marriage, with the boys getting along so well, it would make the marriage easier for all involved.  If the boys had disliked each other, it could have caused problems for the new family.


    Matt didn¡¯t leave Maggie¡¯s side all day and was always within an arm length from her.  Throughout the day, he would occasionally reach out to touch her, it was as if he was afraid, she would up and disappear on him.  Sometimes he would lean over and peck her on the cheek.  Maggie found herself wanting more than a kiss on the cheek from him.  One time while they were bowling Matt leaned over to kiss her cheek again, but this time Maggie turned her head, so the kiss landed on her lips instead.  Matt had a surprised look on his face for he wasn¡¯t expecting her to move.  After the chaste kiss, Maggie put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him again, this time the kiss was full of passion.


    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s your turn to bowl.  Mom!¡±  When she didn¡¯t respond Ryan yelled, ¡°Hey Mom!¡±


    The newlyweds quickly broke apart and saw everyone was staring at them.  Maggie felt herself blushing.  ¡°I guess we got caught.¡±  Everyone laughed including the two caught kissing in the middle of a crowed bowling alley.  Someone said, ¡°Looks like a good idea to me.¡±  Soon there was more kissing, this time all the newlyweds were involved.  The young boys looked at each other and made a face, as if to say, ¡®yuck¡¯.


    After lunch, Maggie and Matt took the boys to the arcade and had a great time.  No one knew who enjoyed themselves more, the little kids or the big ones.  Soon it would be dinnertime, so they returned to their room to change clothes.  Cole came into the master bedroom where Maggie was standing looking in the closet.  He took her hand into his.  ¡°Maggie, may I call you Mommy?¡±  Cole looked up at Maggie, waiting patiently for her answer.


    Tears quickly appeared in her eyes as she squatted down on her knees to Cole¡¯s level, ¡°I would be honored for you to call me Mommy.¡±  She grabbed him in a big bear hug.


    Matt was coming out of the bathroom when he saw his new wife hugging his young son to her.  He wasn¡¯t sure what just happened, but it brought happiness to his heart to watch them together, feeling this was a good sign for his new marriage.


    Ryan ran over to Matt.  ¡°Cole is going to call my mother, ¡®Mommy¡¯, so can I call you Daddy?¡±


    Ryan¡¯s question surprised him, but at least now Matt knew what was going on here.  This was all so sudden, as Matt thought it would take the boys longer to want to call them by these names.  ¡°Yes, Ryan.  I would like that.¡±


    They quickly finish getting ready so they could meet the others for dinner and were the last ones to arrive.  They sat at one huge table, everyone was talking at once, the only time it was quiet was when the food came.  After dinner they stayed at the table and visited awhile, and soon the clock showed it was 9:00.


    They wondered where the day had gone, for now it was time to end the day for Cole and Ryan, as the boys were nearly asleep in their chairs at the table.  Matt took the boys back to their room, and then rejoined the others.


    Luke suggested going to the ballroom for dancing, as he wanted to slow dance so he could have an excuse to touch Brianne.  Amy and Austin didn¡¯t want to join the newlyweds, deciding on going to the movies instead.  The four couples danced for about an hour before they decided to call it a night and planned to meet again in the morning after breakfast.


    Travis wanted to take a quick shower before bed, so Sara used the bathroom first.  When Travis came out of the bathroom, he found his wife was sound asleep, looking so peaceful lying there he didn¡¯t have the heart to wake her.  He crawled into bed, snuggled with her, and was asleep instantly.


    Kayla and Alex almost ran back to their room, stripping off their clothes as soon as their bedroom door was closed.  They looked at each other and fell into bed laughing at the sight of two adults stripping off their clothes as fast as two horny teenagers would.


    Matt and Maggie were both quiet as they walked back to their room, each were deep in their own thoughts.  Maggie felt more relaxed tonight compared to last night, she found herself humming a tune as her did her nightly toilette.  Matt could hear her from the bedroom since Maggie hadn¡¯t closed the bathroom door.  He smiled, it had been a great day, and it looked like it was going to be a great night as well.


    As Brianne and Luke walked back to their room, they talked about themselves, about their childhood, and some of their interests.  They talked about everything except sex, but they were both thinking about it, each wondering if the other would want to make love again tonight.  At least now, Brianne knew what to expect and was slowly falling in love with her new husband.

 Chapter Twelve

    The ship was carrying 300 people on the trip home, which included the crew, the host couples, the newlyweds, and some of their families.  The trip would take two weeks to travel back to Zodar, which was in a different solar system.  The planet was almost identical with Earth, and in fact, if you didn¡¯t know you were on a different planet, you would think you were still on earth.


    It was as if the two planets were identical copies of each other, the only difference being, Zodar had the epidemic.  It was still a great planet to live on, as it had less pollution, less crime, less prejudice, and less poverty, which were all good thing to have less of on your planet.  The landscape resembled Earth, with its mountains, plains, desserts, swamps, and as well as its cities and farming areas.  Zodar even had the same types of wildlife as Earth had.


    The part of Zodar where the ship was headed for landing was like Missouri, especially the Kansas City area.  The city was called Diamond City, because diamonds were first discovered in this area hundreds of year ago.


    The next two weeks went by fast for the newlyweds, and in about an hour, they would be finally landing on Zodar.  Sara was excited and was so nervous she couldn¡¯t even eat all her lunch.  What would happen if Toby didn¡¯t like her?  Travis tried to comfort her by telling her everything would work out fine and figured she would have to just wait and see.


    Finally, it was time to leave the ship.  Everyone had all their belongings packed and was anxious to leave.  People were starting to make their way out of the ship, and the mood was high.  Fathers were excited about being home to see their children they left behind, the new brides and grooms were nervous about starting their new life together, the women all prayed this would be a better life for them.  The whole trip had taken five weeks, two each for travel time and a week for retrieving the women and performing the weddings.


    Sara was happy to have her good friends in this new world, but sad to see the time had come for them to part ways for the time being.  She promised to see them soon as she hugged each one of them, then each went their separate way.


    As Travis and Sara left the ship, Travis took hold of Sara¡¯s hand, gave it a light squeeze, and smiled at her.  ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Sara shook head yes, ¡°I guess I¡¯m as ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡±


    ¡°We will have to hire a taxi because my parents dropped me off.¡±


    All at once, they heard a little boy¡¯s voice calling, ¡°Papa, Papa.¡±  Then they saw a little boy running in their direction as fast as his little legs could carry him.  Travis knelt to greet his son, and as the little boy ran into his arms, in the process he knocked Travis down onto his backside.


    Travis let out a peal of laughter as he hugged his son to his chest, as he had missed this little fellow more than he thought was possible.  This was the first time they had been away from each other for this length of time.  Occasionally, Toby spent a night or two away with his grandparents, but never this long.  Toby wrapped his arms around his father¡¯s neck and gave him a big wet kiss on the lips.  ¡°I love you, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Toby.¡±  Travis said, standing with Toby¡¯s arms still wrapped around his neck.


    An older couple came forward and the lady took hold of Sara¡¯s hand and quickly shook it.  ¡°Welcome, to Diamond City.  I¡¯m Melissa Hays, and this is my husband, Tom.¡±


    Mr. Hays reached for Sara and engulfed her into a big bear hug, then quickly stepped away, as if he was embarrassed by his show of affection.  ¡°We hope you will be happy here,¡± Tom said as he smiled at Sara.


    Sara felt a little overwhelmed, surprised to see that they both seemed genuinely happy to meet her.  ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure I will be and thank you for this warm welcome.¡±


    ¡°Toby couldn¡¯t wait for his father any longer at home, so we decided to come down to meet you.  I hope you don¡¯t mind?¡±  Melissa eyes looked for approval from her son-in-law.


    Travis walked to her and gave her a hug, with Toby holding on tightly to his neck.  ¡°No, this is fine,¡± he muttered, worried how Sara was going to react for his ex-in-laws being here.


    Everyone just stood there staring at her, no one was moving or saying anything.  Sara wasn¡¯t sure what to say to these people, as she was taking their daughter¡¯s place in Travis and Toby¡¯s life.  ¡°We want you to know you are always welcomed to see Toby, as he is part of your family.¡±


    A teary-eyed Melissa hugged her.  ¡°Thank you so much.  Tom and I was worried you¡¯d be one of those brides that didn¡¯t want the first wife¡¯s family in their grandson¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°As I told Travis, a person can¡¯t have too much love. I¡¯m sure Toby will be better off with his mother¡¯s family still in his life.  We must all keep her alive for him.¡±


    Travis took Toby over to Sara to introduce him to her.  ¡°Toby, this is your new mama.¡±


    Toby reached his little arms out to Sara and she took him into her arms.  As soon as he was there, he gave Sara a wet kiss on her lips.  ¡°Hi, new mama.¡±


    Everyone laughed and the tension was finally broken.  Sara continued to hold Toby as they all made their way to the parking lot.  They didn¡¯t have to wait as their belonging would be sent out to them later.


    The airport reminded Sara of the terminal at the KCI Airport.  People were going in all different directions, people calling out someone¡¯s name to get their attention, and children who hadn¡¯t seen their fathers for over a month were hollering for their attention.  The noise level was more than Sara could stand and was glad when they finally reached the door to the outside.  With everyone in tow, they gradually made their way to the car.


    Toby was talking nonstop about all the things he did with his Grandpa and Grandma while they were together.  Sara was surprised to hear how well Toby spoke for a two-year-old, she couldn¡¯t understand every word he was said, but the others seem as if they did.


    Suddenly he put both of his little hands on either side of Sara¡¯s face, started talking to her, telling her about anything and everything, especially about all his toys at home.


    ¡°Toby, slow down, Sara isn¡¯t going anywhere.  You don¡¯t need to tell her everything about your toys now.¡±  Travis said to his young son.


    ¡°It is all right, I don¡¯t mind.¡±  Sara gave Toby a big hug.  ¡°We are going to get along fine, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Travis smiled, because he could tell she was already falling in love with his young son.


    Sara¡¯s first sight of Zodar was breathtaking as their planet was simply beautiful.  The sky was dotted with blue with big puffy white clouds, the temperature was warm, and everywhere she looked, she saw green.


    The day reminded her of a beautiful July day at home, feeling as if she was still on Earth, because everywhere she looked, it looked just like home.  They stopped next to a van, which was identical with some of the ones on Earth.  In fact, all the other automobiles in the parking lot looked familiar too.  This didn¡¯t surprise Sara since Travis told her there were many Earthlings now living on Zodar, who had brought with them their culture and belongings.  Everywhere you looked, you could see the same items as they had on Earth.  She figured she would see more and more things that would remind her of Earth.


    Travis drove with Sara sitting up front with him.  Melissa sat in a middle seat, while Tom and Toby sat in the back, with Toby sitting in his car seat.  As they drove to the house, Sara saw a Sam¡¯s Restaurant, which cause her to laugh.  She wondered if they would have her favorite sandwich, the Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich, and would have to check out their restaurant as soon as possible.


    As they pulled into the driveway, Sara took one look at the house and her mouth literally fell open, but quickly closed it as she stared at the house in front of her.  She couldn¡¯t believe it, as the house was exactly the style and color, she always dreamed of having, a split tri-level, blue, with burgundy trim.


    Toby had fallen asleep during the fifteen-minute ride to the house but woke up as soon as they all started piling out of the van.  When Travis got Toby out of his car seat, he handed him to Melissa, Sara was slightly hurt, because she thought he was going to give Toby back to her.  A tear appeared, slowly making its way down her cheek, but she took her hand and quickly wiped it away, as she didn¡¯t want Travis to know how his actions had hurt her.


    Travis opened the front door, quickly picked Sara up into his arms, and carried her over the threshold.  Sara let out a little squeal of surprise as she hadn¡¯t been expecting Travis to do this wedding ritual, but it made her happy he did.  Paul had refused to do it, because he thought it was a stupid tradition.  She now realized why he hadn¡¯t given Toby to her, she smiled at her new husband and briskly kissed him on the cheek.


    As Travis carried her into the living room, Sara looked away from Travis and noticed a couple watching their every move, each with a smile a mile wide on their face, causing her to turned red with embarrassment.


    ¡°Travis, please put me down, you have company.¡±


    Travis sets Sara down next to the couple.  ¡°Sara, this is my mother, Betty McBride, and my father, Chris McBride.  Mom, Dad, this is my bride, Sara.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, but embarrassed you saw Travis carrying me.¡±  Sara hastily covered her redden checks with her hands.


    Betty McBride touched Sara¡¯s arm, moving her hands away from her face and gave her a kiss on the cheek.  ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed dear, it¡¯s tradition.  Besides we are family now.¡±


    ¡°Congratulation and welcome to your new home.  We hope you will be happy here.¡±  Chris McBride said as he gave her cheek a hurried peck.


    Travis¡¯s parents had prepared a wedding reception for them.  On the table sat a beautiful wedding cake, a dish with mints, mixed nuts, and bowl full of a foamy punch.  They spent the time visiting and becoming better acquainted with each other.


    It was surprising to Sara that both set of parents treated her as if she was their child instead of a stranger.  Toby crawled into Sara¡¯s lap as soon as she sat down and stayed there during the party.  Later Travis gave Sara a tour of the house, with Toby holding on tightly to Sara¡¯s neck.  It was as if he was afraid, she would leave him, and not come back to him, as his mother had done.  The only word Sara could think of to describe the house was ¡®Perfect¡¯.  She wouldn¡¯t change a single thing in the house, not even the items that had once belonged to Allie or Jean.


    It was late now, and both set of parents were finally gone.  Toby was asleep in his bed, and the newlyweds were ready for bed.  Sara and Travis had tucked him in together and then Sara read Toby a bedtime story, and he was asleep before she could even finish the story.


    Travis took Sara¡¯s hand and together they walked into their bedroom.  She was so happy with her marriage and new home; all were a dream come true.  She had no doubts now that she had made the right decision in marrying Travis.


    Kayla couldn¡¯t believe they were almost to Zodar.  Tomorrow afternoon she would be seeing the planet for the first time.  She had trouble falling to sleep, her mind was busy thinking about her life on this new planet she was going to soon landing on.  Finally, she gave up trying and woke Alex up.  They talked for a while, made love, and afterwards, Kayla snuggled in Alex¡¯s arms and soon she fell into a deep sleep.


    Since they had all rode to the airport together, Alex¡¯s parents were going to give them a ride to Alex¡¯s apartment.  Once they were settled, they would start looking for a house, and she could hardly wait to start house hunting.


    As they walked to their car to wait for his parents, Kayla looked all around her at all the many different sights, thinking she couldn¡¯t believe this wasn¡¯t Earth.  They didn¡¯t have a long wait because Kevin and Emily arrived shortly after the newlyweds.


    ¡°Well, Kayla what do you think of our planet?¡±  Kevin asked as he unlocked the car.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!  I already feel at home here.¡±


    They all piled into Kevin¡¯s car and as they drove through the town, Alex pointed out certain places of interest to Kayla.  She saw a Sam¡¯s Restaurant in the distance, and laughed, as she had been going to Sam¡¯s as long as she could remember, their tater tots were her favorite food.


    Alex knew Kayla needed just twelve more hours of college to finish her Accounting degree, as all her class credits would transfer from Earth.  Now that she was pregnant, he wasn¡¯t sure of her plans.  They hadn¡¯t discussed their plans that included a baby yet, as they were somewhat still in shock.


    Alex pointed out the college as they drove by.


    ¡°Oh, Alex, do you think I can go to school this fall and work on finishing my degree?  I probably won¡¯t be able to finish my degree this semester, but maybe later, when the baby is older I could.  I hate the thought of going to school with a new baby to take care of.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sweetheart, you will be able to finish before the baby comes.  They have accelerated classes; the semesters are just nine weeks long and you¡¯ll be done before you know it.  Look, there¡¯s my old grade school.¡±  Alex pointed as they drove by the school.  ¡°Depending on where we live, our children, could go to school there.¡±


    As the car continued its way to Alex¡¯s apartment.  Emily started telling Kayla stories about Alex, almost from the day of his conception.  Kayla learned several new things about Alex, such as he hated cabbage and loved German Chocolate Cake.  Emily said that he hadn¡¯t like naptime as a child, but Kayla knew he didn¡¯t hate them now, especially naps with her.


    ¡°Kayla, have you thought of baby names yet?¡±  Emily asked as she turned in her seat to see Kayla better.  ¡°Alex was named after my father.¡±


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t talked about names yet.  We have so many other things to do first.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Like what?¡±  Emily asked.


    ¡°First, we need to find a house, and I want to enroll in school for next semester.¡±


    ¡°Emily, quit asking Kayla so many questions,¡± Kevin said as he touched his wife¡¯s hand.  ¡°She will be around for a longtime.  You don¡¯t need to know everything today.¡±


    Emily looked hurt, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kayla.  I¡¯m so excited about finally having a daughter that I got carried away.¡±


    Kayla smiled at her new mother-in-law.  ¡°Thank you for thinking of me as your daughter.  I hope we will be close.  My parents have been gone several years now, but I still miss them.  I also want to thank you for giving Alex my wedding ring.  It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Kayla said as she admired her wedding ring.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.  I was worried you might not want your mother-in-law old ring.¡±


    ¡°No, I love it.¡±  Kayla said sincerely.


    ¡°What kind of house will you be looking for?¡±  Emily asked.


    ¡°We want a house with three bedrooms and plenty of room for a growing family.  We haven¡¯t decided on anything else.¡±  Kayla looked over at Alex and smiled.


    ¡°I know of a house you could buy.¡±


    As if Alex knew what his mother was thinking, ¡°No, Mom, we aren¡¯t buying the house next door to you and Dad.¡±


    ¡°It would be perfect.¡±  Emily stated.


    ¡°Dad, do something about Mom.¡±  Alex pleaded.


    ¡°Alex, your mom is right about the house.  The Williamson¡¯s house is in great shape and the price is way below the market.  It would be a great bargain for you and Kayla.¡±


    Alex looked over at Kayla.  How would she feel living right next door to her in-laws?  She smiled at him, the kind of smile, which said, she liked his parents and wouldn¡¯t mind living next door to them.  ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, it sounds great.¡±  Kayla said as she sensed the question Alex was asking her, ¡°We will have handy baby-sitters right next door.¡±


    ¡°After we drop you off at your place, come over and I¡¯ll have Martha show you the house.  Kayla, you won¡¯t hurt our feelings, if you don¡¯t buy it.  The Williamson¡¯s have remodeled the house many times over the past ten years and it looks younger than it really is.¡±


    ¡°Mom, if it is all right with you, can we look at the house tomorrow?  We want to get settled first and we need to plan on where Kayla¡¯s belongings are to be delivered.  I don¡¯t want to move them twice if we don¡¯t have to.  It has been a big day for us, and I want Kayla to rest this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.  I will call Martha and tell her you will be over tomorrow.  She will have more time to straighten up the house that way.¡±


    Finally, they arrived at Alex¡¯s apartment and unloaded their few bags.


    ¡°Kayla, why don¡¯t we lay down for an hour or so?  Later, I¡¯ll take you out to dinner, take a drive to see some more of the city and stop at a grocery store for some supplies for the week.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good idea.¡±  Kayla yawned, ¡°I¡¯m tired, and a nap sounds great.¡±


    ¡°You go on ahead and lay down.  I¡¯ll be there after I go through my mail.  Mom has been checking it, but I know there are some bills I need to pay today.¡±


    Ten minutes later Alex walked into the bedroom, Kayla was under the covers and was sound asleep.  Alex took off everything except his underwear, crawled under the covers and snuggled up against Kayla without waking her.  As he placed his hand on her stomach, his thoughts were on Kayla and their baby.  He couldn¡¯t believe he was going to be a father.  Would he be as good of a father as his father had been to him?  He sure hoped so.


    Slowly Alex became aware of his surroundings.  Someone was touching him all over his body.  It was a light touch, so light he could feel goose bumps rising on his arms.  At first, he thought maybe, he was dreaming, he didn¡¯t remember being in bed with anyone.  Slowly he opened his eyes and saw his beautiful wife smiling at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± she stated.


    ¡°I can fix that problem.¡±  Alex said as he grabbed her.


    ¡°Not for sex, silly.  I want food.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    Later in evening, the newlyweds were lying in bed, with Alex¡¯s arm around Kayla and her head on his shoulder.  They started discussing some of the decisions they needed to make.


    ¡°Alex, have you thought of any babies¡¯ names yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I like the names Cameron for a boy and Annie for a girl.  They were my maternal grandparent¡¯s names.  What names have you picked out?¡±


    Kayla sat up quickly, ¡°You won¡¯t believe this.  Those are the same names I have picked out.¡±


    Alex laughed, ¡°Yea, right.  You are just trying to please me.¡±


    ¡°No, those were the names of my paternal grandparents.¡±


    ¡°What a small world we live in.¡±  They laughed.  ¡°Good, the baby¡¯s name has been picked out.  Tomorrow, we will enroll you in school and go look at houses.  I¡¯ll call my friend who is a realtor and have him show us several houses in the location we want so you will have several choices and not just one to choose from.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good idea to me.¡±


    Maggie waved good-bye to her friends one last time.  ¡°Come on,¡± shouted Ryan and Cole as they pulled her away from the other couples.  They were all excited about going home, as Cole told Ryan he had a surprise for him at the house, and Ryan couldn¡¯t wait to find out what it was.  Matt went on ahead to retrieve the car so they wouldn¡¯t have to carry all the bags out to the parking lot and was beside the car waiting when they exited out of the building.


    Maggie sucked in her breath as she looked at him, he was so handsome and just looking at Matt took her breath away, and he was all hers.  Maggie though Matt was a romantic man and he made Maggie feel she was all woman, which caused her to think of last night¡¯s lovemaking, which made her blush.


    Matt looked at her just then and saw the blush.  Maggie just smiled at him as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.


    The past two weeks had been wonderful for her.  Maggie had enjoyed the special time with her new family, for when they returned home, Matt would be at work each day instead of being with them.  They decided Maggie would stay-at-home with the boys instead of working outside the home.


    Matt helped them all into the car and made sure everyone was buckled up before starting on their trip home.  Matt and Cole pointed out different places to the two newcomers as they drove home.  Even though everyone had told her Zodar looked like Earth, but she thought they had been exaggerating the fact just to get her to come here, Maggie was surprised how much it reminded her of home.


    ¡°Mommy, look a Zappy store.¡±  Ryan pointed to one of Maggie¡¯s favorite stores.  ¡°Can we go there now?¡±


    ¡°Not now, Ryan, I want you and your Mom to get settled in first, maybe we can stop by later this evening.  Don¡¯t forget about your surprise waiting for you at the house.¡±


    Soon they were pulling into the driveway of a beautiful blue ranch style house.  Matt pushed a button and the garage door opened, slowly pulled in and parked the car.


    Everyone piled out of the car and the boys started towards the house, but Matt called to them before they could open the door.  ¡°Boys, come back here and help unload the car.¡±


    The boys moaned as they came back to the car.  At the sound of the moan, Matt grinned at Maggie over the top of the car.


    They hauled the bags out of the car and into the house, dropping everything in the middle of the dining room floor.  After every belonging was in the house, the boys took off like a gunshot down the hall, with Cole leading the way.  They could hear the children running down the hall and then there was silence.  Suddenly Ryan started yelling for Maggie.


    ¡°Mommy come here.  Hurry, Mommy, hurry.¡±


    Maggie dropped the bag in her hand and ran as fast as she could down the hall.  She stopped in the doorway to the room Ryan was in, expecting the worse.  Her mouth dropped opened as she entered the room, ¡°Oh, my!¡±


    The room held all of Ryan¡¯s belongings, everything, even the picture of Jack, Ryan and herself, which sat in the exact spot on the dresser as it had at home.  Tears glisten in her eyes as she turned to Matt who was behind her.  ¡°How?¡±


    He saw the tears and read her emotions in her eyes.  ¡°We transported it all here for you.  It¡¯s to help Ryan feel more at home.  We brought your belongings here also.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±  She gives her new husband a big kiss.


    ¡°Let me show you our room.¡±  Matt looked at Maggie, giving her a grin, as the words sounded strange to him.  He wondered if she thought so too.  When he saw her expression changed, he knew his words had affect her as well.


    Maggie grinned, ¡°Sounds a bit strange, doesn¡¯t it?  There have been times during the past two weeks I felt that this was all a dream.  Ryan would have been taken away by his grandparents and you and Cole would have never existed to us.  I want you to know how happy you have made us.¡±  Maggie felt those darn tears starting again, so she quickly turned away from Matt, as she didn¡¯t want him to see her crying.


    Matt turned her back around to face him.  ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid for me to see you cry.  It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, as I¡¯m your husband now.  I want to comfort you when you need it.¡±  He took her hand into his.  ¡°Come on, I want to show you our room.¡±


    They walked into their bedroom and Maggie smiled as she looked around the room.  She thought the room was simply beautiful.  There was a queen-size bed on the middle of one wall, and a bedside table on each side of the bed, and a dresser on each side of the room.  Maggie could tell which side of the bed was hers because on the dresser laid some of her personal items.  Also, on her dresser, sat two pictures, one was of Matt and the two boys together, and the other was of her and Matt, taken on their wedding day.  She walked over to their wedding picture, picked it up and smiled.  These pictures brought back wonderful memories of their wedding day.  ¡°How did these pictures get here?¡±


    ¡°I had them transported here from the ship.  My parents set everything up for us so the house would be a surprise for you.  My parents will be by later today, they wanted to be here when we arrived, but I asked them to wait a few hours to give you time to get settled.¡±  Matt walked over to Maggie.  ¡°I want you to know the bedroom furniture is all new, none of it is from my first marriage, as I wanted us to have a fresh start.¡±


    ¡°That was thoughtful of you, but it wasn¡¯t necessary.¡±  Her voice slowly died away.


    Matt looked away from Maggie.  ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be surprised when you see them, but Cole has pictures of his mother in his room.¡±  His voice had a touch of melancholy in it, and quickly cleared his throat.


    ¡°Matt, you don¡¯t have to walk on eggshells with me about your first wife.  The boys should have pictures and other things that belonged to their deceased parent.  Cole will want to remember his mother, just as Ryan will want to remember his father.¡±  She gently touched his face, moving his head until his eyes met hers.  ¡°They are both dead and we shouldn¡¯t let their memories come between us.¡±


    Matt quickly took her into his arms and gave her a big kiss.  ¡°Maggie, you are a good woman, and I love you.¡±  He was surprised by his own comment, as he hadn¡¯t realized he felt this way until he had spoken the words.  Could one fall in love in two weeks?


    Maggie smiled at him, ¡°I think you are a wonderful man and I love you too.¡±


    Matt started kissing Maggie again, but before they could become too serious, they were bombarded by two rowdy boys, who want to be included in the hugging and kissing.  Soon they found themselves all on the bed.  Everyone was laughing and trying to tickle each other, but the doorbell ringing broke up the game.


    Cole jumped off the bed and ran out the bedroom door with Ryan right behind him.  ¡°Grandma and Grandpa are here,¡± he yelled from the other room.


    Matt shook his head, ¡°They are early, as I didn¡¯t expect them for another two hours.  I¡¯m sorry that they¡¯re early.¡±


    Maggie smiled.  ¡°They have missed you and Cole.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, they just want to meet you and Ryan.  Come on.¡±  Matt pulled her off the bed, ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±  His expression changed to one of annoyance.


    Maggie laughed at his expression, ¡°I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    Matt shook his head.  ¡°You don¡¯t know my parents.¡±


    When the newlyweds reached the living room, Matt¡¯s parents were sitting on the sofa with a boy on each of their laps.  They brought each of the boys a present, which was now ripped open and the torn paper laid abandoned on the floor.  They each had a new toy truck in their hands, different colored, but the same type of truck.


    Matt introduced his parents to Maggie.  ¡°Maggie, this is Jeff and Katie Adams.  Mom and Dad, this is Maggie.¡±


    Maggie put out her hand out to shake her new father-in-law¡¯s hand.  Jeff took Cole off his lap, grabbed her, and gave her a bear hug.  ¡°We are family now, so that deserves a hug.¡±


    Maggie laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever been hugged as much as I have these pass two weeks.¡±


    After Jeff hugged her, Katie stood up and gave Maggie a hug, then took Maggie¡¯s hand.  ¡°Come and sit next to me, I want to get to know my new daughter-in-law.¡±  Katie sat back down on the sofa, waiting until Maggie sat down to her before she continued.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯re early, it¡¯s my fault.  I just couldn¡¯t wait any longer to meet you.  I hope you don¡¯t mind?¡±  Katie waited expectantly for Maggie¡¯s response.


    Maggie shook her head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind.  We were just horsing around together on the bed.¡±  When Maggie saw Katie¡¯s shocked expression by her comment, she blushed.  ¡°What I meant to say was that we were all on the bed together playing. As the boys wanted to be included in some hugging and tickling.  The boys have become inseparable these past two weeks, and to think I had been afraid they might not hit it off, but they put my fears to rest.¡±


    They visited for about an hour, then they decided to go out for dinner.  Katie wanted to take Maggie to her favorite restaurant, Sam¡¯s Restaurant, which of course was Maggie¡¯s favorite too.


    After saying good-bye to their friends, Luke, Brianne, Austin, and Amy went to find Luke¡¯s parents, who were coming to pick up the travelers.  As the crowd slowly began to thin out, Luke was able to spot his father in the distance and waved his hand up in the air to get his attention.  When his father finally saw them, he waved back, and they head towards them.


    Luke and Austin quickly hugged both of their parents.


    ¡°Mom and Dad, this is Brianne, my wife and her sister, Amy.  Girls, this is our parents, Emily and Jacob.¡±


    Luke¡¯s parents took turns hugging each of the girls.


    ¡°Welcome to Zodar.  We¡¯re so glad you decided to come to our planet.¡±  Emily was holding one of the Brianne¡¯s hands in hers.  ¡°The boys were so excited when they found the two of you and was all they talked about for days.¡±


    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to tell them all of our secrets.¡±  Luke said to his mother, with a mock of seriousness in his tone.


    Everyone laughed at Luke¡¯s comment.


    ¡°That¡¯s what moms are good for, didn¡¯t you know?¡±  Emily turned to Amy, she looked seriously into Amy¡¯s eyes.  ¡°So, Amy, have you agreed to marry Austin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have.  We haven¡¯t decided exactly when, but it will be sometime after my senior year of high school.  I want to go to college next year, but I don¡¯t know if it will make a difference on when we get married or not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both are too young to be getting married right now anyway.  You will have plenty of time to decide before you have to get married.¡±


    The travelers picked up their luggage and headed towards the parking lot.


    ¡°Brianne, what are your plans?¡±  Jacob asked.


    ¡°Luke said I could work at his company to help him out around the office.  I can flirt with the boss, take long coffee breaks, make long personal phone calls all day and no one will dare complain to the boss about me.¡±  Everyone laughed, ¡°That¡¯s one of the good things about being married to the boss.¡±


    They arrived at the Baker¡¯s station wagon, which reminded the girls of the one the many cars their father had own when he was alive.  The guys sat in the front seat, while the women sat in the back together.  Emily started telling stories from the boy¡¯s childhood.  Soon everyone was laughing at all the trouble these two men had gotten into when they were younger, and the girls shared some stories about each other.  Soon they arrived at Luke¡¯s house and everyone quickly piled out of the car and began unloading the necessary luggage.


    Brianne and Amy hugged Mr. and Mrs. Baker good-bye.  Amy walked over to Austin, thinking no one was watching, hurriedly gave him a kiss.  Turning back towards the others, she saw four pair of eyes watching their exchange, and she blushed.


    ¡°Do you guys mind?¡±  Austin asked shaking his head.  ¡°How¡¯s a guy supposed to get some privacy around here?¡±


    Suddenly the rest of the family turned their backs on the young couple to give them the needed privacy.


    ¡°Okay, Mom and Dad, I¡¯m ready to leave now.¡±  Austin said as he headed to the car.


    Luke, Brianne, and Amy watched as the car started away down the road, each deep in their own thoughts as the car disappeared around the corner.  They slowly picked up their luggage and entered the house.


    ¡°Amy, I¡¯ll show you to your new room first.  I hope you like it, my mom decorated it, but you can change it anyway you want to.¡±


    Luke led the way down the hallway.  As they reached the room, Luke moved out of the way to allow Amy a full view of her new room.


    Amy gasped as she stepped into the room.  ¡°Yellow!  Brianne, can you believe it?¡±  A soft gasp escaped her.  ¡°My new room is yellow.¡±  Emotion filled her voice.  ¡°However, did Emily know yellow is my favorite color?¡± she asked in surprised awe.


    ¡°We know a lot of things about you two, probably more than you would like us to know.¡±


    Amy walked over to the bed and picked up an old worn out stuffed yellow bird as tears appeared in her eyes and she gave the old stuff toy a hug.  ¡°My mom bought this for me many years ago, but I never had the heart to throw it away.¡±  She continued to look around the room.  ¡°How did all my belongings get here?¡±


    ¡°We had it all transported here.  It¡¯s to help you feel more at home here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I can¡¯t tell you how much this means to me to have my belongings here.  I guess Scott and Dirk will never find our things now.¡±  Amy walked over to her new brother-in-law, put her arms around Luke¡¯s waist, and gave him a big bear hug, then lightly kissed his cheek.


    Luke was embarrassed with this show of gratitude and quickly stepped away from Amy.  ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show you the master bedroom.¡±


    The girls followed Luke to the other room.  The room had Brianne¡¯s belongings lying throughout the room, but none of the furniture from her old room was here.  ¡°Brianne, if you worried about your bedroom furniture, it is in the spare bedroom.  Since your bed was a twin-size, I thought we could use your furniture for our children.¡±


    Brianne smiled at Luke, ¡°That will be fine.  Thank you for the wonderful homecoming as this place already feels like home.¡±  She kissed her new husband, not on his cheek as Amy had, but on his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you both like your new rooms.  Austin and I did all the painting, while Mom arranged the furniture.¡±


    ¡°If you two don¡¯t mind, I think I¡¯ll go lay down for a while.¡±  Amy said as she headed out of the room.


    ¡°You go on ahead.  A nap sounds good to me too.¡±  Brianne said just before she yawned.


    ¡°Later, I¡¯ll take you both out for dinner.¡±


    Amy returned to her room and quietly closed her door, leaving the newlyweds alone for the first time since breakfast.  Luke shut their bedroom door and locked it.  He reached for Brianne and lightly touched her breast.  He put his arms around her, bringing Brianne¡¯s body tightly against his.  He kissed her passionately, showing her with his body language he wanted her, she responded, telling him with her body, her answer was yes.

 Chapter Thirteen

    Sara slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room.  Something was wrong here; she wasn¡¯t in her bed at home, but in a hospital room.  How did she get here?  Sara tried to think.  Was she in an accident?  She quickly put her hands on her belly, relieve to find her enlarged belly was still there and the movement beneath her hands showed the baby was still alive.  Sara tried to remember what might have happened to her.  The last thing she remembered was kissing Travis goodnight and snuggling with him in bed.


    There was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    A nurse entered.  ¡°Good, you are awake.¡±


    ¡°What happened to me?  I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    ¡°You were shot and left for dead.  Some teenagers found you and called the police.  You have been in a coma for some time and last night around midnight, you started waking up.  We are preparing to send you back to the hospital for tests before they release you.¡±


    Sara looked around the room.  It looked like a hospital room to her.  ¡°Isn¡¯t this a hospital?¡±


    ¡°No, this is a nursing home.  Your ex-husband you sent here when the hospital released you.¡±


    ¡°My ex-husband?¡±  Sara choked out.  She was beginning to get scared as what in the hell was going on here.  The nurse must be confused, she must have meant Sara¡¯s husband.  ¡°How long have I been in a coma?  I don¡¯t remember what happened to me.¡±


    ¡°You have been here over four months.  Don¡¯t worry, some memory lost is normal at first, but your memory should start returning to you soon.¡±


    Poor Toby, he must be upset with her being away from him while she had been in a coma.  She must ask the nurse to send for Travis and Toby right away.  Before Sara could say anything to the nurse, there was another knock at the door, and she opened the door.  Sara¡¯s three friends enter with smiles on their faces and flowers in their hands.


    ¡°Oh Sara, you had us so scared.  We were afraid you would never wake up.  The doctors have been keeping a close eye on you and the baby.  They were afraid for a while you might go into premature labor and lose the baby.¡±  Maggie told her as she leaned over and hugged Sara.  ¡°We have all been praying for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.  Where is Travis?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±  Kayla asked.


    ¡°My husband.¡±


    ¡°Sara, your ex-husband¡¯s name is Paul.  Don¡¯t you remember that you and Paul are divorced?  He has been here every day to see you and has been worried about you.¡±  Brianne told her.


    Sara closed her eyes and felt tears forming behind her lids.  All of it had all been simply a dream, none of it had been real.  Travis and Toby really didn¡¯t exist, and she hadn¡¯t left Earth to travel to some distant planet to help their world repopulate.  She couldn¡¯t accept this; it just wasn¡¯t right.  Travis was a dream husband and she wouldn¡¯t have changed a single thing about him.  Well, maybe one or two things she would change, but that didn¡¯t matter now.


    She loved the smell of him, especially after he had just shaved.  Sometimes she would simply hug him to breathe in his special scent.  As her friends talked among themselves, she thought she could still smell the aroma of Travis¡¯ aftershave, but that wasn¡¯t possible.


    She thought of little Toby and swore could almost feel him in her arms.  She remembered all the games they played together and all the stories she read to him.  She remembered feeling the baby moving inside her and jumping when it occasionally had the hiccups.


    She remembered times when the two of them had laid in bed and talk to the baby while Travis rubbed lotion across her enlarging abdomen.  Even through Paul was the baby¡¯s father, Sara was happy knowing she was nurturing a growing life inside her.  Sometimes the baby would stretch and push her little legs against Sara¡¯s rib cage, causing her discomfort, but it was still wonderful to her.


    Travis was just a dream, everything about the trip to Zodar and living there hadn¡¯t been real after all.  All of it had been just a dream.  She couldn¡¯t seem to accept that the fact that what had happened to her hadn¡¯t been real.  Travis seemed so real to her, she felt as if she was in mourning for him.  It was too much for Sara to handle and she began to cry.


    ¡°Please Sara don¡¯t cry.  Everything is going to be okay now.¡±  Kayla said.


    Sara stared at her three friends through tearstain eyes.


    ¡°They are still looking for the person who shot you.¡±  Kayla told her.


    ¡°Paul is the one who shot me.  He tried to kill me once before the divorce.¡±  Sara started to get out of bed, but Kayla stopped her.  ¡°Then again on that hilltop, the next time he will get it right.¡±


    ¡°He has an airtight alibi for the time of the shooting,¡± Kayla told her.


    Sara started crying again.  ¡°I don¡¯t care what he has told everyone.  I was there, I know he did it,¡± she shouted loudly.


    Kayla sat on the bed and took hold Sara¡¯s hand.  ¡°Don¡¯t cry Sara, everything will be all right.  Your mind is a little confused right now.¡±


    ¡°I know what happened that night and I know who tried to kill me.¡±  Her crying was becoming hysterical now.  ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t any of you believe me about Paul?  I have told you about all the abuse I had to live with while we were married.  Suddenly you think he is a good guy.¡±  Now what will she do?  Paul had tried to kill her twice now, the next time would he be successful.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get a nurse.  Maybe she can give you something to calm you down.¡±  Maggie said as she started to hurry out the door.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Maggie, wait, I need your help.¡±


    Sara wiped the tears away with a tissue and blew her nose.  ¡°The last thing I remember is Paul shooting me in the head, so I must get out of here before he comes back.  Maggie, do you know anything about my bank account or my personal belonging?¡±


    ¡°When a Mr. Webster called from Jasmine Technology about your new job, I told him about the shooting.  He said to tell you, you would have a job waiting whenever you are ready.  All your personal belongings are still at the apartment you rented.  Since I¡¯m on your checking account I have been paying the rent.¡±  Maggie told her.  ¡°All your money is still in your account.  Paul has been paying all of your medical bills.¡±


    ¡°I had a wonderful dream and we were all in it.  We were all transported to a spaceship, including Ryan and Amy.  We married good-looking space aliens, moved to a distant planet, and lived happily ever after.¡±  Sara looked out the window, while her friends waited for her to continue.  ¡°If I stay here, my life won¡¯t be worth much, I can¡¯t let Paul get hold of me again.  Next time he might succeed in killing me or the baby.  Please say you will help me get away from him.¡±


    ¡°Sara, why don¡¯t you call and have the police handled this situation for you?¡±  Kayla asked.


    ¡°Sara, you aren¡¯t strong enough yet and the baby will be coming soon.  I think you should stay here and get the help you need from authorities.¡±  Brianne told her.


    ¡°Are any of you willing to help me get out of here or not?¡±  Sara screamed.


    ¡°Yes!¡±  Sara¡¯s three friends say in unison.


    ¡°First, we need to create a diversion and then we can sneak out Sara out of here.¡±  Maggie told the others.


    The next hour was one filled with suspense and action.  Kayla and Brianne watched to make sure the coast was clear, no sign of Paul.  Maggie helped Sara put on a robe over her hospital gown, as her other clothes had been taken away.  She didn¡¯t want to leave in just a gown and robe, but she didn¡¯t have any clothes that would fit her enlarged belly.


    The four women were ecstatic felt as if they were in a movie, one where you just knew the bad guy would be showing up at any minute and ruin the getaway.  As they left, they thought a car was following them, but whoever it was, they lost them.  They decided Maggie would drive Sara to Denver, while the others kept an eye on Paul.


    Soon they were in Maggie¡¯s car on their way away from Kansas City.  It was now starting to get dark and they were almost to the Colorado state line.  They stopped often so Sara could get out to stretch and of course to use the bathroom.  Just as they were crossing into Colorado, a big black truck slammed into the side of Maggie¡¯s car.  The force of the impact knocked Maggie¡¯s car off the highway, the women screamed, as Maggie fought to put the car back on the highway.  Sara looked at the driver¡¯s face and screamed again, ¡°Oh my God!  It¡¯s Paul.  I don''t know how, but he¡¯s found us.  Pull over Maggie before he kills us both.¡±


    Maggie slowed the car before pulling onto the side of the highway.  Paul pulled his truck behind the car and got out.


    ¡°Maggie, I¡¯m going with Paul.  You find a place to stay for the night before you head back home.  Call the others to let them know what has happened.¡±  Sara leaned over and kissed Maggie¡¯s cheek.  ¡°Thanks for trying to help me.¡±  Sara slowly opened the car door and stepped out.  She leaned her head back into the car.  ¡°You have been a great friend and tell the others thank you for everything.  I¡¯m sorry I involved all of you in this.  I hope Paul won¡¯t retaliate against any of you for helping me.  Good-bye Maggie, I probably won¡¯t ever see you again.¡±  Sara slammed the car door before Maggie could say a word to her.


    Maggie watched as Sara made her way to Paul.  He was standing next to his truck waiting for her to join him.  When Sara reached Paul, Maggie saw him slam his fist into her friend¡¯s face.  The force was so strong it knocked Sara clear to the ground.


    Maggie was torn as to what she should do.  Should she get out and to try to help Sara or go find some help?  Maggie watched in horror as Paul brought his arm up and pointed a gun straight at her.  Frozen like a deer staring into a car¡¯s headlights, and she couldn¡¯t seem to move a muscle to put the car into drive.  As a bullet flew through her back windshield and pass by her ear, she immediately put the car into gear.  She stomped the gas pedal clear to the floorboard, trying to get as far as possible before he fired another shot.  Maggie stopped at the first place she came to and called the police for help.


    Sara slowly opened her eyes, her head is pounding, and she hurt all over.  She looked around and saw she was in a hospital again.  Before she could think about what was going on, the door opened, and a nurse walked in carrying a blue blanket wrapped bundle in her arms.  Sara felt troubled.  Was this her new baby?  She quickly put her hands to her belly.  She could tell there wasn¡¯t a baby there anymore, but she didn¡¯t remember giving birth.  What¡¯s going on here?  Why couldn¡¯t she remember the delivery of her baby?  The last thing she remembered was Paul¡¯s fist coming straight towards her face.  Shouldn¡¯t every woman remember an event as important as giving birth to their firstborn?


    ¡°Here is your new son.¡±  The nurse said as she placed the baby into Sara¡¯s arms.


    Sara had so wanted a girl but hid her disappointment as she pulled the blanket back to look at her new baby.  She let out of cry of dismay, as the baby looked exactly like Paul.  It was almost as if someone had taken Paul¡¯s head and shrunk to fit this tiny body.  Sara felt so distressed at the sight of her new son.  Would she be able to love her baby when he looked identical to Paul?  She didn¡¯t want any reminders of that awful man every day for the rest of her life.


    ¡°He looks just like his father.¡±  Sara said sadly.


    ¡°Yes, he does.¡±  Said a proud voice beside her.


    Sara felt faint.  Ever so slowly, she turned and looked to her left and saw Paul sitting in a chair next to the bed.  What was she going to do now?  Paul would never let her go now that he knew this was his baby.  The baby and her life were going be a living hell.  How would she be able to protect this baby from Paul?  When she had been shot, why couldn¡¯t she have simply died, instead of living in this nightmare?  Tears began falling down her cheeks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Sara.  Everything is going to work out for us.  We will get remarried and we will be a real family.  We need to think of a name for our new son, I was thinking about the name Paul Jr., especially since he looks so much like me, and you said he wasn¡¯t mine.¡±  Paul laughed.  It was an evil, villain-sounding laugh.  ¡°The police want to talk to you about the shooting in July, hoping you could tell them who shot you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember what happened, so I can¡¯t tell the police anything about the shooting.¡±  Sara closed her eyes so Paul wouldn¡¯t know that she was lying to him.  She knew who had shot her and was even more afraid of Paul than before, because now she knew what he was capable of doing.


    Sara swore she heard Paul¡¯s sigh of relief.  Her mind started racing, she needed to find a way to get away from Paul, but how?  At least they were still divorced, that was one of the good things she had going for her.  She had money in the bank and a job waiting in another state, those were both good things too.  Another good thing was Paul wasn¡¯t aware of either of the job she had waiting for her or where the money from the sale of their house was.  She would probably have to change her name so Paul couldn¡¯t track them down, but that wasn¡¯t any big deal.  Could she do all this with a new baby to take care of and without involving her friends or Paul finding them?


    Sara heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Sara, that¡¯s probably the police.  Are you ready to talk to them?¡±  Paul asked.


    Her mind began to race, as the police were her only hope.  ¡°Yes.¡±  Sara opened her eyes, but refused to look at Paul, as she didn¡¯t want him to see her panic.


    He roughly grabbed her arm.  ¡°Don¡¯t you do anything stupid.¡±  He said, as if he was reading her mind.  His fingers dug into her arm.  ¡°You will never get away from me again.  You hear me bitch, never!¡±  He told her.


    She closed her eyes and screamed, ¡°No!  Someone, please help me!¡±

 Chapter Fourteen

    November 13<sup>th</sup>, 2002


    Someone was shaking her and calling her name.  ¡°Sara, wake up.  You are having a bad dream.¡±  Sara quickly opened her eyes and saw Travis¡¯ wonderful loving face, not Paul¡¯s sadistic one looking back at her.


    She couldn¡¯t believe it, she was in her own bed on Zodar with Travis, not in a hospital room on Earth with Paul.  Sara grabbed Travis, pulling him to her and hugged him as tight as she could to her, ¡°Oh, Travis, hold me.  I dreamed I was back on Earth with Paul and you had been merely a dream.¡±  Sara started crying hysterically.  ¡°Please tell me this isn¡¯t a dream.  I thought I had lost you and Toby.  Travis, I love you so much.¡±


    ¡°Sara, I love you too.¡±  Travis said as he tightened his arms around her.  As he slowly brought his lips to hers, he whispered.  ¡°Shhh, please don¡¯t cry Sara.  This is real, you are here with me, and Paul can never hurt you again, I promise.¡±  Travis kissed Sara with love.  It was a beautiful passionate kiss.


    ¡°Oh, my!¡±  Sara said with surprise.


    Travis laughed, ¡°The kiss was that good, uh?¡±


    ¡°No, my water just broke, I¡¯m going into labor.  I mean yes, the kiss was good.¡±  Sara told him.


    ¡°Sara, do you know what date it is?  I hope you are not superstitious, as it¡¯s the 13<sup>th </sup>of November.¡±


    Sara smiled, ¡°The number 13 has always been a lucky number for my family.  Our wedding was the thirteenth ceremony and today our baby will be born on the thirteenth.  This is a good sign.  Let¡¯s contact the grandparents and go have a baby.¡±


    Both sets of grandparents were waiting for them when the three of them reached the hospital.  Sara had become close to Allie¡¯s parents over the last few months, which made them part of her immediate family, for they were always included in all the family''s parties.


    As the nurses got Sara ready to take her to the delivery room, Travis had Toby give his mother a good-bye kiss.  As he leaned over for Toby to kiss her goodbye, Toby grabbed hold of Sara¡¯s neck, held on tightly, and began crying.


    When Travis finally was able to pull him away from Sara, he explained to his son that his mommy would be coming back to him and when she did, she would bring a new baby sister with her.  Travis handed Toby to his mother, kissed his forehead and left Sara.  The grandparents sat in the hospital waiting room with Toby and each one took a turn at trying to comfort him, but it was a lost cause.


    Sara used natural childbirth and the baby had been born two hours after her water broke, everything had gone without a hitch and Travis had been with her the whole time.  After nursing her new daughter, the baby fell asleep against Sara¡¯s breast.  She watched as her beautiful daughter slept in her arms and didn¡¯t move because the baby felt so good lying against her body.  Every so often, her new daughter would move her tiny lips as if she was still nursing and Sara would smile.


    A nurse came to take the baby back to the nursery.  Sara kissed her new daughter¡¯s soft downy head before she left with the nurse to go to the nursery for the next several hours.  Tears were in Sara¡¯s eyes and Travis handed Sara a tissue.


    ¡°Thank you.  It has been a busy and emotional morning.¡±


    ¡°Have you decided on her name?¡±


    ¡°I would like to name her, Julia Ann, after my mother.  My mother and grandmother were born on Friday, the 13<sup>th</sup>.¡±


    ¡°Too bad today isn¡¯t a Friday.  Julia is a beautiful name; it fits her.  Now you rest, I¡¯m going home to be with Toby for a while and I¡¯ll bring him back later this evening to see you.  I love you, Sara.¡±


    ¡°I love you.  You sure gave me a mighty powerful kiss this morning.¡±  They laughed and Travis waved good-bye.


    Sara yawned, she knew she needed to get some rest before Toby came to see her later today, but she continued to lay and look at the beautiful scenery outside the window.  She thought about the past few months and how happy she was with her new life.  She had undeniably made the right decision in marrying Travis and moving to a different planet.


    Travis was a wonderful loving husband and would find herself thinking about Travis and sex in the middle of the day.  She never thought of sex when she was married to Paul, not even during the act itself.  They continued to make love even though they were supposed to stop six weeks prior to delivery, but they didn¡¯t.  They tried, really, they had, but they just couldn¡¯t stay away from each other.  Once they started kissing and touching each other, they would soon be lost in their passion for each other and the next thing they knew they would find themselves in bed making love.


    Sara thought about how close to her new in-laws, as well as the Hays¡¯ she had become.  From the beginning, they all treated her as their own child, not some stranger and she had come to love them all.


    Sara yawned again.  She had everything a woman could want: a wonderful husband, a son, a daughter, and the home of her dreams.  Slowly she closed her eyes, knowing she better get some rest now while she could.  Soon it would be time to nurse Julia again, and Travis and Toby would be coming to see her later.


    Kayla couldn¡¯t believe it was already November, she taken accelerated classes and graduated the middle of last month with her Accounting degree.  It was a good thing too, because not only did she feel like a beached whale, she now looked like one too.


    The doctor had done a sonogram a few months ago and the test showed twins.  She still couldn¡¯t believe that they were going to be parents of two babies at once.  They also found out they were having a boy and a girl, and they were going to use the names they had original picked out months ago.  Even though she had about two months left before her due date, Dr. Miller told her he thought she would go early.  She sure hoped so, because she was tired of being pregnant.


    They had gone to see the Williamson¡¯s house and Kayla fell instantly in love with the house and had been able to move in the next week.  Mrs. Williamson was eager to move because she wanted to be closer to her children who lived in another town, she¡¯d moved out immediately after they signed the paperwork.  They rented the house from her until the sale was final.


    Kayla and Emily had decorated the house together and they had great time doing it.  Luckily, they had left the nursery for last, and were just getting ready to start work on the it when Kayla found out about the twins.  They bought two cribs, two highchairs, two car seats, but just one stroller, one made especially for twins.


    Kayla and her in-laws became close during the time of the fixing up the house and preparing for the babies.  Kayla and Emily would get together every afternoon for a glass of tea, and at least once a week they would all go out for dinner.


    Alex and Kayla were so happy with their lives, when the twins came, their life would be complete, but then the work would really start for them.  Kayla was getting a bit impatient, tired of being pregnant, and it was getting harder and harder for her to get around.  She could never get comfortable in bed, no matter what position she would use.  Her feet would swell up at night, she was always hungry, and then after she ate, she would have indigestion.  Sometimes Alex would rub her back for her to help ease some of the discomfort and she would finally fall to sleep.  She didn¡¯t know how she was going to be able to last another five to six weeks more of this pregnancy.


    Later today, they planned to go see Sara and the new baby at the hospital.  The four couples had been together playing cards last night.  Little did they know at the time that Sara would have her baby before the next day was over.  They would usually get together at least once a month to play cards, and other times during the month, the whole gang would get together for a cookout or other types of family outings.


    When Alex and Kayla pulled into the hospital parking lot, the clock in the car showed the time as 1:15 in the afternoon.  As Alex and Kayla stepped into the hospital, a nurse ran up to her with a wheelchair.


    Kayla shook her head at the nurse.  ¡°Sorry, we are just here to visit a friend.  I wish I was in labor as I feel like a whale.¡±


    The nurse smiled at her, ¡°It will all be worth it when your baby does come.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will.¡±


    The two of them headed off towards Sara¡¯s room, holding hands as Kayla waddled down the hall.  Sara was in her alone in her when they arrived.


    ¡°Sara, how do you feel?¡±  Kayla asked.


    ¡°Tired, but happy.¡±


    ¡°Where is Travis?¡±  Alex looked around the room for his friend.


    ¡°He went home to be with Toby for a while.  He is bringing him down later to see me and the baby.  This separation has been hard on Toby, he¡¯s afraid I won¡¯t be coming back home to him.¡±


    ¡°It was hard for Toby to lose his mother, but you have been a wonderful mother to him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.  He is a sweet boy and I think of him as my own flesh and blood.¡±


    They visited for about a half hour when Kayla said they needed to be leaving, but when she pushed herself up out of the chair to leave, she felt something wet running down her legs.  Kayla had a scared look on her face.


    ¡°Oh, my God!  My water just broke,¡± she cried out.  ¡°Alex, it¡¯s too soon for the babies to come!  The doctor said the babies would be early, but this is too early!¡± she said as tears began streaming down her face.


    Alex pushed Kayla back down into her chair.  ¡°I¡¯ll go get a nurse.  Try to relax, you are in a hospital, and they are prepared for this kind of emergency.¡±


    Soon a nurse was in the room helping her into a wheelchair, telling her she was being taken to a room to be checked to see how far she was dilated.  Kayla was scared.  What if the babies should die?  Would Alex still love her if she miscarried their children?


    Everything suddenly was happening too fast for her.  When she arrived at the room to be check, Alex was sent from the room.  The nurse said she was starting to dilate and would be staying in this room to wait until she was ready for the delivery of her babies.


    She thought that once she was in her room, everything would slow down, but instead the room became chaotic.  Suddenly, so many people in the room with her she could hardly breathe as she felt as if they were coming out of the woodwork at her.  She was scared and wanted her husband to be with her and tears were running down her cheek.


    A nurse came over to her, ¡°Are you in pain?¡±


    ¡°Some, I just want my husband to be with me.¡±


    ¡°Let me check you again first.¡±  The nurse checked to see how far Kayla was dilated.  ¡°You¡¯re already dilated to 6 cm. and we will be moving you into the delivery room soon.  I¡¯ll send your husband in to with you.¡±


    Soon Alex joined Kayla.  He held her hand with one of his, while he stroked her head with the other.  He wanted to comfort her, but he didn¡¯t know how.  ¡°Kayla, please quit worrying and try to relax.  We have great doctors here and they will do everything possible for you and the babies.¡±


    ¡°Oh Alex, the babies are coming almost two months too early, they will be too small to survive.  I don¡¯t want to lose our babies.  I¡¯m so sorry, I was always so careful.¡±


    Kayla was crying hysterically now.  Alex¡¯s heart was hurting, he felt so damn helpless.  How could he make everything okay for Kayla and the babies?  How could he comfort her when he was just as scared as she was?  Alex felt a couple of tears run down of his cheek and wiped them away as quickly he could.  He was supposed to be the strong one, someone Kayla could lean on.  He looked to see if Kayla had seen him crying and saw she was watching him, making him feel like a weakling for crying and was ashamed of himself.


    Kayla reached out for Alex¡¯s hand.  ¡°Alex, I think more you for being able to show your feelings.  There were a few times as a child that I saw my father cry, and he was a strong and loving man.  I thought more of him because he could show his emotions.¡±


    Alex smiled at Kayla and squeezed her hand, and remained quiet, as there weren¡¯t any words to express his feeling for her.  What a woman he had married, thinking of him while she was scared and in premature labor. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Dr. Miller entered the room and a nurse hurriedly filled him in on what has been happening to Kayla, he then checked Kayla¡¯s progress for himself.


    ¡°Kayla, you are almost there.  We are going to move you to the delivery room now.  Probably before this hour is up, your babies will be born.  I want you to be prepared for whatever might happen here today, but we are going to do everything in our power to help you, delivery a pair of healthy babies.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Miller, it¡¯s too soon for them to come.¡±


    ¡°Kayla, they¡¯re coming and there isn¡¯t anyway now to stopped them.¡±


    Suddenly a strong contraction hit her, and Kayla gasped.  She started working through the contraction as she been taught in natural childbirth classes.  About half an hour later, she heard the doctor exclaim, ¡°I see the head!  Push Kayla, push hard.¡±


    Kayla was tired of pushing, but she took a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could.  Her arms aching from pulling hard on the bar on the side of the bed railing as she pushed with all her might to help to deliver the first of her babies.


    ¡°It¡¯s a boy!¡±  Within seconds a baby¡¯s cry was heard throughout the room.  Before Kayla could see her new baby, a nurse swiftly took him away to clean, measure, and weigh him.


    ¡°Alex, I want to see my baby.¡±  Suddenly another contraction hit her, and she soon forgot about seeing her new son.


    After the contraction had passed, she sighed.  ¡°Alex, I¡¯m too tired, you have this next baby.¡±


    ¡°I would if I could sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°How is Cameron?¡±


    Alex kissed her head.  ¡°He weighed over five pound and looks perfect.¡±


    Kayla cried out when another contraction started.


    ¡°Come on Kayla, just a bit longer now.¡±  Dr. Miller told her


    Kayla pushed with all her might on the next contraction and the next second later, she heard.  ¡°It¡¯s a girl.¡±


    Kayla waited to hear her daughter¡¯s cry, but there wasn¡¯t any sounds coming from the baby.  Everyone was rushing around this way and that, and Dr. Miller rushed the baby over to a table and began working on the baby.  She couldn¡¯t see what was happening to the baby and was becoming scared.  ¡°Alex, why isn¡¯t she crying?¡±


    Kayla was squeezing so hard, Alex¡¯s hand felt as if it was in a vise.  ¡°I don¡¯t know, sweetheart.¡±  Alex watched as Dr. Miller worked on his new daughter.


    Kayla started crying again, ¡°Dr. Miller, what is wrong with my baby?¡±


    Then suddenly the room was filled with the loud cry of a second baby.  It was music to everyone¡¯s ears to hear this new life, communicating to the world with her little lungs.


    An hour later found Alex and Kayla with a sleeping baby in each of their arms.  Cameron weighed in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces and Annie weighed exactly 5 pounds.  Dr. Miller told them the babies were healthy and were a good size for preemies.  When Kayla tried nursing the twins at the same time, Alex had to laugh at the eagerness of the two of them.  It had been a trying experience feeding them simultaneously, as they would become upset when one of them would lose their nipple.  It had been a successful adventure with Alex¡¯s help, but from now on, she would feed one at a time.


    Two nurses came to take the babies back to the nursery so Kayla could get some rest.  Alex laid Cameron in his bassinet, and then came to get Annie from Kayla, she gave her new daughter a kiss on her forehead before handing her to Alex.  They watched as the nurses rolled the two bassinets out of the room, then Alex sat down on the side of the bed and he gave his wife a kiss.


    ¡°They are both beautiful.  Thank you for giving them to me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.  I should be thanking you for finding and marrying me in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Mom and Dad are in the waiting room; they want to see you before they leave.  I¡¯m going on home so you can get some rest.  I¡¯ll stop by to tell Sara about the newest member of our family before I leave.  I¡¯ll call Maggie and Brianne when I get home.¡±


    Alex kissed his wife good-bye, waving as he stepped through the door, and at the last minute, he turned and blew her a kiss good-bye.


    Kayla laughed and blew him a kiss back.  She was so tired, she slowly closed her eyes, and asleep almost immediately.  When Kevin and Emily stepped into her room, they saw she was sound asleep, since they didn¡¯t want to wake her, they quietly left the room and headed to the nursery to see their new grandbabies.


    Maggie looked at the calendar, seeing it was November 13, she smiled as that was Sara¡¯s lucky number.  Travis had called this morning to tell them about their new baby, and he said Sara and the baby were doing great.  Maggie told Travis they would get Matt¡¯s parents to watch the boys and would be down to the hospital later to see Sara.


    Maggie was baking cookies when the phone rang the next time, she looked at the clock to check the time.  Matt usually called at 3:00 to talk to her and the boys, since the clock showed it was only 2:45, she didn¡¯t think it wasn¡¯t him calling.


    ¡°Hi, Maggie, this is Alex.  I¡¯m calling to tell you I became a new daddy today as Kayla gave birth an hour ago, all are all doing well.  I came home so Kayla could get some much-needed rest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my goodness!  Did Kayla have any trouble?¡±  Maggie asked with concern.


    ¡°She did a great job of it all.  Annie gave us a scare at the beginning, as she had some trouble breathing at first, but then she belted out a good cry.  They were both over 5 pounds and the doctor said the babies might have to stay a little bit longer in the hospital than Kayla.¡±


    ¡°We will stop by to see Kayla after we visit with Sara.  Your children now have the same birthday as Travis and Sara¡¯s baby.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re right, I hadn¡¯t thought about it before.  I better get moving, I still have more phone calls to make.¡±


    After hanging up from Alex, the phone rang again, this time it was Matt.  Maggie told him all the news about all the new babies, he was happy everyone was doing well.  He wanted to talk to the boys, but Maggie told him they were at a friend¡¯s house playing, and they would be home later tonight.  He was disappointed that the boys weren¡¯t home so he could talk to them, but he would see them this evening.  They talked a few minutes more before hanging up.


    As Maggie put the last batch of cookies into the oven, she thought of the news she had of her own to tell Matt and had arranged for the boys to be away when she told him.  She had her suspicions that she was pregnant, but wanted to be sure before she said anything to Matt.  The doctor confirmed it for her this morning, so she was going to tell him tonight when he got home.


    Her due date was July 6, the same date as their first anniversary, so this would be a special anniversary gift for Matt and hoped the boys would like her news as well as their daddy.


    After Maggie took the last batch of cookies out of the oven, she sat down on the bar stool at the kitchen counter and started thinking over the past few months.  Boy, they had been busy ones.  Ryan and Cole had started school in September and were in different classrooms.  At first, they were upset about not being in the same room, but slowly they started making friends with the other children.  Maggie thought this separation had been a good thing for the boys because they had become too dependent on each other over the summer.


    Wherever you found one boy, the other one was not far behind.  It was strange how they never fought or argued with each other like other siblings did.  It was almost scary the way they got along so well with each other.  Time would tell if the fighting would come.


    She and Matt were doing great together too and couldn¡¯t remember when she didn¡¯t love her husband.  She thought back to their wedding day, remembering how she had felt when she had first seen him.  She had been so sure she would never love this man, so sure she would never love any man other than Jack.  How wrong she had been.  This was one time she was glad she had been wrong.


    The rest of the afternoon went by fast as Maggie spent the time fixing a special dinner for the two of them.  She kept repeating in her mind just how she planned to tell Matt about the baby, had come up with several versions, but she couldn¡¯t decide which one was the best one.  Before she was ready for Matt to be home, she heard his car drive up.  It was now or never.


    ¡°Maggie, I¡¯m home.¡±


    She took a deep breath and headed out to greet Matt.  They hugged and kissed each other hello.


    ¡°Where are the boys?  Aren¡¯t they home yet?¡±  Matt sounded disappointed when two little boys didn¡¯t run to meet him like usual.


    ¡°They are having dinner at a friend¡¯s house tonight.¡±  Maggie took his hand and led him into the living room.  ¡°Let¡¯s sit down for a bit before dinner.¡±


    Matt sat down on the edge of the couch as his wife wasn¡¯t acting like herself.  ¡°Maggie, you are acting strangely.  What¡¯s wrong?  Has something happened to one of the boys?¡±


    Maggie smiled at him, as he knew her so well after just these few months.  She took both of his hands into hers.  ¡°Matt, we are going to have a baby.¡±  She blurted all at once, not at all how she had planned to tell him her news.


    ¡°Oh, boy!¡±  Matt jumped up off the couch, grabbed Maggie and gave her a big bear hug.


    ¡°I take it you like my news.¡±  Maggie said with laughter in her voice.


    ¡°Yes.¡±  Matt started pulling her towards the bedroom.


    ¡°Matt, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°I want to show you how happy I am with your news.¡±


    It was sometime later before Matt and Maggie had their dinner.  The boys came home a short time later, and Matt told them their news, then there was more celebrating.  The boys wanted to go out for ice cream, because they thought it was the best way to celebrate the news.


    The phone ringing woke Brianne up.  She hadn¡¯t been feeling well earlier, so she had laid down for a nap after lunch.  She had started back to college in August, taking classes in the morning every day, and studying in the afternoon.  Alex hired Penny, an old friend, to take Kayla¡¯s place at the office until she¡¯d finish with school.


    ¡°Hello.¡±  Brianne answered sleepily as she looked over at the clock and saw that it was 3:00 in the afternoon.


    ¡°Brianne, this is Alex.  Did I wake you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was taking a nap.¡±  Brianne yawned.  ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I woke you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to be up away.¡±


    ¡°Is school taking its toll on you?¡±


    ¡°I must have worn my brain out this morning.¡±  Brianne laughed


    ¡°I¡¯m calling to tell you Kayla had the babies today.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s too soon.  Is everyone okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everyone is doing fine now.  Annie had some trouble breathing at first, but she is doing fine now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad to hear that, we will try to stop by after we visit Sara this evening.¡±


    ¡°That will be fine.  Maggie and Matt plan to stop by this evening also.¡±


    ¡°Tell Kayla I said congratulations, and we will see you later this evening.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.  Bye Brianne, don¡¯t study too hard.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.  Bye.¡±


    Brianne thought she better get out of bed before Amy came home to found her in bed and start worrying about her.  Brianne had just gotten out of bed when the phone rang again.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Brianne, it me.¡±  Amy said.


    ¡°Where are you?  I thought you would be walking in the door about now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Austin.  He had some shopping to do this afternoon and wanted me to come along, so he picked me up from school.  Don¡¯t expect me for dinner either, as Austin said we eat out before coming home.¡±


    ¡°Well, be careful and have a good time.¡±


    ¡°I always have a good time when I¡¯m with Austin.  Bye.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Amy.¡±  Brianne set the receiver down.  She hoped they weren¡¯t going ring shopping as she felt Amy was still too young to get married, but she wouldn¡¯t stand in the way if they decide to move up the wedding date.  Right now, it was set for July 6, 2004, on Luke and hers second wedding anniversary.  Even then, Amy would only be nineteen.  Brianne had hoped that they would wait until Amy graduated from college before they would marry.


    Brianne decided since Amy wouldn¡¯t be home for a while, she would run down to the store to buy a home pregnancy test as she had a feeling this might be the reason she hadn¡¯t been feeling well lately.  She had forgotten to mark the calendar last month, so she had no idea if she was late or not.


    Soon Brianne had her answer.  As they used to say back home, ¡®the rabbit died¡¯.  She couldn¡¯t believe it; she was finally going to be a mommy.  She couldn¡¯t wait to tell Luke, so she decided to run down to the airport and surprise him with the good news.


    When Brianne arrived, Penny was on the phone, talking loudly to someone, so she motioned for Brianne to have a seat.  The two had never met in person, just talked on the phone several times, so Penny didn¡¯t know Luke¡¯s wife was the guest.


    Brianne wasn¡¯t paying much attention to Penny¡¯s conversation until she heard her name mentioned and then she knew they were talking about her.  Brianne smiled, as this was going to be interesting, but she heard more than she had bargain for.


    ¡°Margie, he has never talked to me about how they met, or how long they knew each other before they were married.  When I point-blank ask him a personal question about his marriage, he either changes the subject or tells me it¡¯s none of my business.  I just know she married him for his money.¡±


    Then there was silence, indicating Margie was talking to her.  ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he has any idea I have been making a pass at him.  I¡¯m about ready to just start taking off my clothes and see what he¡¯ll do.  It¡¯s always Brianne this, Brianne that, on and on.  I¡¯m so tired of it, I¡¯m about ready to scream.¡±  More silence, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.  I¡¯ll come right out and tell him I want him, and that I would be a better wife for him.¡±


    Brianne couldn¡¯t believe all she was hearing.  Penny must know Brianne could hear every word of her phone conversation, but she mustn¡¯t care whom overhead her.  Didn¡¯t Penny know about the repopulation program?  Being a native of Zodar, Brianne assume Penny would know all about it.  The thought entered her mind to tell Penny who she was, but she wasn¡¯t sure how to go about it.


    Just then, the door opened, and Luke walked in.  His eyes went right to Brianne and his face lit up with a smile.  ¡°Honey, this is a pleasant surprise.  What brings you down here?  Is everything okay?¡±  Luke sounded concerned.


    Brianne walked over to Luke and gave him a passionate kiss.  ¡°Yes, darling everything is fine at home.  Let¡¯s go into your office where we can talk privately,¡± she said seductively.


    Luke just looked at Brianne, as he hadn¡¯t ever seen her act this way.  ¡°Have you met Penny yet?¡±


    Penny had since hung up the phone and was just staring at Brianne.


    Brianne had a big grin on her face.  ¡°No, she was on the phone visiting when I walked in.  She was telling the person on the other end how she had the hots for you and was thinking about taking off her clothes to get your attention.¡±


    She takes in a deep breath, then continues.  ¡°And she thinks I married you for your money.  Of course, she didn¡¯t know who I was at the time, but it didn¡¯t stop her from talking about us.¡±  Turning to Penny, ¡°Did I get all that right?¡± she asked sweetly.


    Penny stood up and her face was red from embarrassment.  ¡°I quit.  Mail me my check.¡±


    No one said a word as Penny started grabbing a few of her personal belongings.  Luke and Brianne watched as she packed her belongings and stormed out the door.


    Luke turned to Brianne and grabbed her by the upper arms.


    Brianne was startled by his actions and at first, thought Luke was mad at her because Penny had quit.  Alex pulled her into his arms and gave Brianne a big kiss.


    ¡°Thank you.  I have wanted her to quit forever.¡±


    Brianne pushed Alex into a chair and then planted herself onto his lap.


    ¡°Would you please explain to me what has been going on here?  You never mentioned you were having a problem with Penny.¡±


    ¡°Brianne, I didn¡¯t want you to worry.  You have enough to worry about with school and Amy, without adding this place to your list of worries.  You needed to concentrate on school, not my business.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your wife, it¡¯s my job to worry about you and your company.  What will you do now that Penny is gone?


    ¡°Have a celebration.¡±


    Brianne gave him a dirty look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Mom help for a while, as she will love getting out of the house for a while.  By the way, how come you are here anyway?¡±


    Brianne didn¡¯t pay any attention to Luke¡¯s question.  ¡°What about Penny, did you know how she felt about you?¡±


    ¡°I knew what she was after, but I ignored her, as I kept hoping she would quit on her own.  Since she was an old friend of the family, I didn¡¯t have the heart to fire her.  By the way, nothing ever happened between the two of us.¡±


    Brianne kissed her husband, ¡°I know, but to change the subject back to why I¡¯m here.  I have some important news to tell you and I couldn¡¯t wait until this evening to tell you.¡±  She put her right hand on his cheek, ¡°Alex, I found out today the reason I haven¡¯t been feeling well lately is because,¡± she paused, and then she smiled at him, ¡°we are going to have a baby.¡±


    Alex jumped up, almost knocking Brianne to the floor.  He grabbed her, swinging her around in a circle.  ¡°Oh, boy!¡±  He kissed her.  ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I did a home pregnancy test, so I still need to go to the doctor to confirm it.¡±


    ¡°Wait until I tell the guys.¡±


    Brianne laughed, ¡°What about your parents?  Shouldn¡¯t you tell them first?  Your mom will be hurt if you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course I will, you silly goose.¡±


    She fakes a cry, ¡°Now you are calling me names, oh boo hoo.¡±


    They both laughed, and the kissing began once again.

 Epilogue

    July 2004


    The chapel was beautifully decorated, flowers were everywhere, and music was softly playing in the background.  The room was filled to its capacity, as everyone from Luke¡¯s and Brianne¡¯s wedding was in the audience.


    It was almost time to start the wedding, Amy was dressed and becoming anxious, as far as she knew the groom was still missing.  She kept looking at her watch and saw the minutes were rapidly ticking by.


    ¡°Amy, will you please stop watching the time.  He will be here, and you will get married.¡±


    Amy sat down beside Brianne and burst into tears.  ¡°You don¡¯t understand.  We had a terrible fight last night.¡±  Amy pulled a tissue out of the tissue box, ¡°He said he wouldn¡¯t marry me even if I were the last women left on his planet.¡±  She nosily blows her nose.


    Brianne pulled Amy into her arms and gave her a hug.  ¡°Honey, he loves you.  He was just nervous and spouting off.  I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t mean what he said.  He will be here soon, and you will get married.¡±


    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t coming.¡±  Amy pulled away and walked to the window.  ¡°He¡¯s going to stand me up in front of all our family and friends.  I thought it would be so romantic to be married on your anniversary.¡±


    ¡°Amy, what did you two fight about?¡±  Brianne asked.


    ¡°He said I was selfish because I wanted to finish college before we had a baby, saying it was my duty to the planet to have a baby right away.¡±  Amy sighed, ¡°I told him it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want a baby, just didn¡¯t want one right now, besides I¡¯m only nineteen.  I want just the two of us to have some fun before we have the responsibility of a baby to tend with in our lives.  I¡¯m not ready to be someone¡¯s mother.¡±  Amy started crying again.


    Brianne tried to comfort her sister the best she could.  ¡°I guess this wouldn¡¯t be a good time to tell you I¡¯m pregnant again, would it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Brianne, that¡¯s wonderful.  I¡¯m so happy for you.  When did you find out?  When is the baby due?¡±


    Brianne laughed, ¡°I just found out this morning, and the baby is due around late January.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were planning another baby so soon.¡±


    Brianne again laughed, ¡°No, this was a surprise, a happy one, but still a surprise.  We were too much of a hurry one night to remember the birth control.¡±


    ¡°Shame on you and at your age too.¡±  Amy laughed, ¡°Thanks for cheering me up.¡±


    A knock on the door made Amy jump up, ¡°That¡¯s someone coming to tell us Austin isn¡¯t coming.  I can¡¯t bear it, you answer it.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    Brianne smiled at her sister as she opened the door, ¡°Hi Dad.¡±  Brianne says to her father-in-law.  ¡°Are you ready for the bride?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everyone is ready.¡±


    Amy ran to the door and pulling it out of Brianne¡¯s hand, ¡°Austin is here, he is really here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my dear.  He¡¯s ready and waiting at the front of the church.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it; I really can¡¯t believe he showed up after last night.¡±  Amy said with surprise.  ¡°He was so mad at me last night, so I didn¡¯t think he was going to show up.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Kevin said.


    ¡°You know?  How do you know?¡±  Amy questioned Kevin.


    ¡°Austin came by the house last night because he was so upset.  After he told us what the problem was, we told him, he was wrong, and you were right.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±  Amy asked.


    ¡°Yes, really.  We told him there was plenty of time to have babies, so waiting another couple of years so you could finish college wouldn¡¯t hurt.  Brianne and Luke will just have to have another baby.¡±


    Both the girls giggle, but neither of them mentioned to Kevin, Brianne¡¯s news.  This was Amy¡¯s day and Brianne didn¡¯t want to take anything away from her special day.


    Amy walked over to her future father-in-law and she kissed his cheek.  ¡°Thank you.  I love Austin so much I would hate to lose him.  I love you and Mom as if you were my own parents.¡±  The girls had started calling them mom and dad from the very first day that Alex and Brianne were married, as it just seemed to be the right thing for them to do.


    ¡°You welcome, we feel the same about both of you girls.  Now, let¡¯s get this wedding started because I need another daughter.¡±


    Amy giggled, ¡°You have always treated me as your daughter from the day we first met.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but now it will be official.¡±  His eyes twinkled with merriment.


    ¡°Come on you two, everyone is waiting.¡±  Brianne handed Amy her bouquet, picked up her own, and after making sure they were behind her, she headed out the door.


    Soon they were at the doors of the chapel.


    Brianne nodded to the organist, to start playing ¡®Here comes the Bride¡¯, then began walking slowly down the aisle with Kevin and Amy directly behind her.


    Amy had a big smile on her face, as she couldn''t believe this wedding was finally happening for her.  She had been so scared and upset earlier, but now everything was wonderful.


    Austin smiled and winked at her, and she smiled and winked back at him.  Oh, how she loved Austin, he made her so happy.


    Next thing Amy knew Kevin was putting her hand into Austin¡¯s warm hand.  They had asked Reverend Bender to perform the ceremony, and this wedding was as beautiful as her sister had been, except they didn¡¯t have to share it with nineteen other couples.


    Soon it was time for Austin to kiss his bride, he gave her a lovely kiss, and then the minister pronounced them husband and wife.


    The reception was a combination wedding reception and anniversary party.  For some, this was the first time they have seen the other couples since their own wedding two years ago.


    The offsprings from these unions, ages ranged from eighteen months to two weeks of age.  Travis and Sara were there with Julia and their six-week-old infant daughter, Christa.  Alex and Kayla were there with their children, Cameron, Annie and their two-month-old daughter, Haley.  Maggie and Matt were there with Ryan, Cole and their daughter, Madison who had been born June 13, 2003.  Brianne and Luke were there with their daughter Taylor, who had been born on the same day as Madison.  There were also many pregnant women at this wedding today, which included Brianne.  Someone might think there was something in the water to cause so many pregnancies to be in one place at one time.  The older children were running every direction, while the babies were been held by family or friends.  Zodar¡¯s repopulating program was off to a good start as all the new babies had been girls except one, and that was Cameron.


    ¡°Amy, how does it feel to finally be Mrs. Austin Baker?¡±  Her new father-in-law asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s heaven on Earth.¡±


    He laughed.  ¡°If you say so.¡±