Parallel Desire (8 page)

K
elsey's stomach churned with
nervous anxiety, causing Erica to kick and churn in response. "You're going to meet your granddad today," Kelsey murmured, rubbing her round belly.

"I'm so happy that you'll get to share your pregnancy with him." Jared gave her a slightly wistful smile.

She slid her hand through the crook of Jared's arm, pulling him closer. "You're thinking of your own parents."

He smiled, stroking her cheek tenderly. "They would love you just like I do—and our baby? They would have showered her with royal jewels and ceremonies until"—he laughed, a distant look in his eyes—"well, until she came of age, most likely. Yes, love, I miss them and wish they could meet my family."

His mother and father had been murdered when Jared was barely more than ten years old, placing him on the throne when he was still just a child. He'd lost more than his family then; he'd lost his youth and his innocence, something Kelsey had grown to understand more deeply during this pregnancy. She missed her own mother more than she had in a long time, years really, wishing she could share all the utile details of her pregnancy, her fears and hopes for baby Erica. Her disconnection from her father had made those melancholy feelings only more pronounced—the main reason Jared was willing to risk Patrick Wells's visit to the base today.

A diplomatic officer joined the two of them. "My lord, once our visitor arrives on deck, he will be escorted into the Special Planning Room in quadrant one."

"Why the last-minute switch?" Jared stiffened slightly against her, and Kelsey wondered what about this change disturbed him.

"Security precaution, per lieutenant Daniels. Standard op, sir." The young officer's face reddened slightly, his dark brown eyes blinking nervously. Clearly it was a major assignment for the guy, and she got the idea that he hadn't spent much time in her husband's presence prior to today.

"Lieutenant Harty, what possible security precaution should dictate a move from my quarters—where we were scheduled for a late afternoon lunch—to the impersonal planning room?"

Harty gave his head a slight shake. "I'm not sure, my lord. But those were my orders."

Jared disengaged from Kelsey's grasp, slipping an arm around the officer's shoulder, walking with him and whispering something in quiet tones. A look of pride shone on Harty's face, and he nodded while punching something into his comm. Jared returned to her, grinning. "We're going to eat in the planning room."

Kelsey scrunched her nose, confused. "What did you tell him? And why did that bother you so much?"

"I told him that he was doing an excellent job, and would receive a glowing report from my staff." Jared folded both arms over his chest, glancing at the control tower. "And that he was to do everything within his power to personally impress my father-in-law. I suggested there could be a promotion in it for him if he made me look especially good today."

Kelsey slugged him playfully. "You're shameless, Your Highness."

"My pride knows no bounds."

"It's not pride." She smiled up at him. "You're just looking after me. He will love you, just like I do."

Jared stroked her cheek. "I wish I felt so confident."

They'd talked about Jared's anxieties repeatedly, his fears that her father would resent him for essentially secreting her away from the rest of her family. Not to mention the very fact of Jared's alien nature—and that he'd put Kelsey squarely in the midst of an ongoing war.

Officer Harry returned, half jogging to where they stood. "My lord, Lieutenant Daniels explained the reasoning behind the move. They wanted to perform a last-minute security sweep of the main lodge and of your quarters. He suggests that perhaps you might bring the queen's father there directly after lunch."

Something didn't feel right to Kelsey; whether it was her newly developing intuition, inherited from Jared upon their mating, or simply her gut instinct, she wasn't sure. She turned to her husband. "Is something going on here? Something more than Dad's visit?"

"Security is elevated, my lady," Harty volunteered. "We've raised the code by two levels since yesterday."

Kelsey cut her eyes at Jared.
What is going on, huh? Something you're not telling me?

He's a human, Kelse—an outsider. We have to take precautions.

But he's my father; something more must be going on.

Jared's lips parted as if he would answer aloud, but catching himself, he spoke through their bond.
We had disturbing intel come through yesterday. We're acting on it, heightening our security alerts.

And you were going to tell me when exactly?
Kelsey planted one hand on her hip, and Harty watched them like he would a tennis match as they volleyed back and forth wordlessly.

Jared grinned at her, doing his best to look guileless as he bent to kiss her forehead. "Once you'd delivered the baby and I knew you wouldn't worry."

Harty squinted, glancing back and forth between them in confusion: Obviously their navigation between spoken and internal dialogue was difficult for an outsider to follow—much less understand.

"I expect details once my dad leaves." Kelsey stared at her husband meaningfully, widening her eyes. "There can't be secrets, not between us."

A loud horn sounded, a digital light blinking red by the main hangar door. "And that would be our guest," Jared said, drawing in a heavy breath.

Kelsey's hand swept protectively over her large belly.
Oh, Dad, please love them like I do. Please accept who I am … who they are.

One of their midsized transports entered the bay, and Kelsey reached for Jared's hand. "Here we go. Showtime."

K
elsey watched as her father
disembarked from the craft, flanked in front and behind by a joint force of several Refarian and USAF flight officers. Even though some of the human ranks had been coming on base for months, the sight of her father in the company of mixed human and alien forces shocked her slightly.

But clearly not so much as the entire event shocked her father, whose normally warm blue eyes had a startled expression to them, much like the time she'd announced her plans to become a geologist. Not a politician like he had always planned for her to be. Her father glanced about as if he half expected to come under attack by evil aliens, and Kelsey's anxiety doubled.

But then his gaze lighted on her, and she broke away from Jared, rushing into his arms. "Dad!" She flung her arms about his neck, her large belly bumping him squarely in the stomach before she remembered just how pregnant she really was. Some part of her mind wondered if he'd been briefed properly, or if her advanced state of pregnancy was a surprise. Still, she didn't care; it had been five long months since she'd seen him or even much of the outside world. "I'm so glad you're here," she said, burrowing her face against his shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa," he chided. "Let me get a good look at you." But she only clung to him harder, tears stinging her eyes.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted, slowly peeling away from him.

"I can see that." His mouth tightened slightly, and he kept hold of her shoulders, raking her with his parental gaze. Disapproval, shock, confusion, were obvious on his freckled face, the lines around his normally boyish eyes bracketing with tension.

"I hope they told you—I mean, well, the USAF or whoever gave you the briefing."

Her father nodded and slipped his hand atop her belly. "I just can't do this math, sweetie.… You're almost full term. They said you were four months pregnant." He glanced about them, blinking at the bright work lights suspended over their heads in the hangar.

"Four and a half months, actually, and that's a big part of my story—our story, Jared's and mine." Kelsey turned, searching over her shoulder for Jared, who gave her a cautious smile but still kept his distance. She waved him closer, then turned back to her father.

"That's him?"

"Of course it's him." She laughed uncomfortably because her father didn't exactly sound overjoyed to see him. Again she sought out Jared, who walked toward them, his gait a bit more regal than usual—an obvious defense mechanism that nearly caused her to giggle uncontrollably from nervousness.

"Sir, it's my honor to meet you." Jared extended a firm hand toward her father, inclining his head slightly out of respect.

For a beat her father hesitated, then clasped Jared's hand, giving it a stalwart shake. "I'll admit it's a strange day for me." Her father broke into a strained smile. "Normally I'd know everything about you, Bennett. As it is, I'm playing catch-up, and that's a pretty big disadvantage for any father."

"Understood completely, sir." Jared nodded thoughtfully. "I have many regrets on that point, but I hope that today will begin to remedy our situation."

Kelsey suppressed a grin, hearing Jared speak so formally with her dad, a man who—although well acquainted with the upper echelons of political society—was still, in his heart, an outdoorsman and a rancher.

"Look," she interjected, noting the many curious faces of the engineers and soldiers on the flight deck, "let's go someplace private, okay? I've got so much to tell you, Dad, but not out here where the world can see."

"The world? Sweetheart, I just took a top-secret flight with a USAF escort. I don't think the world's eyes are on us right now."

He didn't laugh or smile as he said it, and she fought a flash of anger. Of course her father wouldn't make today easy for her; as much as he loved her, he'd never made much of anything comfortable, at least not when it came to the things that mattered most to her heart.

Thankfully, Jared intervened. "We have lunch waiting in one of our meeting rooms." He extended his hand, indicating the direction they would go. "If you will, sir, follow me?"

"I
saw you five months ago
, Kelsey, at that fundraiser." Patrick took a sip of his water. "Were you pregnant then? Were the two of you already involved?"

Jared leaned back in his seat, letting Kelsey take the lead in answering the questions. So far, he was having a hard time getting a fix on his father-in-law's mood about current events, much less his opinion.

Kelsey stared down at her plate. "Dad, you know, it's just really complicated."

"You either were or were not pregnant. That's not too complicated."

"I hadn't met up with Jared … again back then. The gestational period"—Kelsey patted her belly—"it's different because of the baby I'm carrying."

Patrick scowled at each of them, his eyes, so like Kelsey's, narrowing in confusion. "I don't understand any of this. Met Jared again? I thought you only met him …" His words trailed off, and he gaped at his daughter as if finally hearing her words. "What kind of gestational cycle?"

"Dad, it's five months with this baby." Kelsey's voice rose slightly. "I'm almost to term, okay? Your granddaughter, Erica, will be here in a few weeks. As for Jared"—she glanced nervously in her mate's direction—"we met a long time ago. It's something that we'll have to explain over time."

But, not surprisingly, Patrick Wells seemed fixated on the health of both his daughter and his granddaughter. "Five months. You look well past eight months on a, uh, human time frame."

Kelsey leaned back in her chair, blotting at her mouth with her napkin. "That's about right, Daddy. Almost done." She laughed, a bit hysterically. "Thank God! Man, it's been really uncomfortable for the past two weeks."

"You hadn't told me that, love." Jared's black eyes narrowed in concern. "That you've been in such discomfort."

Kelsey tossed down her napkin. "Geez, just what I need, not one but two men in my life, worrying about me, hovering."

"It's an alien pregnancy, sweetie." Her father took hold of her hand. "Perhaps the first? Hell if I know the truth about that."

Kelsey avoided both of their eyes, hanging her head. "No, it's not the first. We know of others."

Patrick squeezed her hand, smiling at last. "You'll do fine, then. The baby is healthy, right? All the signs are that she's progressing okay? That you are?"

Kelsey played with her food, almost like a little girl. "Daddy, it's all fine. Me, Erica … don't worry. We really are okay."

"You named the baby after your mother," Patrick observed softly, not quite looking at his daughter. Jared felt a strange tightening in his chest, a painful yearning for his own mother and father spearing him to the core.

Kelsey didn't look up, didn't meet her father's stare. "She's my daughter, Mom's granddaughter… of course."

"Didn't Jared have someone with a name?"

A hard silence fell over the room, and Jared knew it was his responsibility to reply. "Sir, my own mother is long dead, lost in this war that—even now—we still fight. Our daughter's name was not my choice, but your own daughter's. Erica is perfect for our precious girl."

Kelsey's heart rate sped double time. "You know, Dad, I get that you don't approve of this situation or my choices, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm twenty-eight years old, and for once I'm doing something for me. I'm here with Jared because it's where I want to be." Her palms began to sweat where she'd planted them on the table, and it was all she could do to meet her father's heated stare straight on. "When Mom died, you never cared what I wanted. You hauled me across the country for your career and never thought twice about it. So you know what? I don't really care if you approve of my relationship with Jared or not."