Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

M olly was sure they weren’t going to make it back to the heart of the station before the guy that left her with his two goons came back. But she and Tav got further and further away, and by the time they started to see other people milling around, she felt something inside of her relax. Besides, she had the blaster in her pocket, so it wasn’t like she was completely defenseless.

And Tav apparently had claws. She’d only seen them for a second, but they’d looked terrifying. She was definitely grateful that he was on her side.

They detoured from the quickest path back to her quarters and found a guard station. The guards didn’t seem to believe her story of a warehouse full of stolen goods, but when she handed over the blaster, they started to come around. She and Tav had dumped the presents in a closet outside of the party room. She didn’t want them taken in as evidence or something—they were meant for the children and she wouldn’t ruin the party.

When the guards demanded that she and Tav lead them back where they’d come from, she wanted to refuse. Her heart beat too fast and she stood on the edge of a panic attack. But Tav put his hand on her back and steadied her, grounded her. He was exactly what she needed, and she’d been a fool to think she could live without him when this was all done.

She turned to him, ready to tell him she’d made her decision, but a guard interrupted them and broke the moment. Oh, well. She’d tell Tav later. It would be better to put a little space between the trauma and happiness. But she was giddy with it and all thoughts of her fear washed away with the possibility of things to come.

When they got to the room, it was just as they’d left it. The two goons were rolling around on the ground trying to get free and around them was a feast of stolen goods. Both of the guards looked shocked, and when Molly told him that there was a third man who’d gotten away, they cursed.

But they let Molly and Tav go, telling them they’d collect their statements later.

And so she and Tav made the trek back again. Molly was happy to head back to her quarters and celebrate their survival in the most natural way possible, but Tav tugged her towards the party hall, a secret smile on his face.

“What?” she asked. She was ready to throw off her clothes, not do any more work. Not after all of tonight’s excitement.

“There’s something I want to show you. To give you.” He laced their fingers together.

“A present?” She’d been so focused on making the party perfect for everyone else that it hadn’t occurred to her that anyone would want to give her anything, not even her mate.

“You deserve it. Come on.”

They continued on to the hall and Tav made her close her eyes when she walked through the door. And then she had to close them for several more minutes while he wrestled with something that sounded heavy, letting out a curse when it thumped to the floor.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, a laugh in her voice.

“Just fine,” Tav insisted, voice strained.

The laugh escaped, but Molly kept her eyes closed as her curiosity mounted.

“Okay, now,” Tav said, suddenly behind her, his arms wrapping tight around her middle.

Molly opened her eyes and gasped. It was snowing ! Right there in the middle of the room, snow seemed to fall all around them, but it wasn’t cold, and when she reached out, her hand went through the flakes. “How?” she asked. She’d spent more than a week trying to figure out how to set something up before abandoning the idea. And here Tav had given her the winter that she’d dreamed of.

He kissed her cheek and nuzzled her neck. “I worked with my engineer to modify a holoplayer. I wanted to give you the real thing, but that seemed like it could get very cold. And wet. And not at all what would make your party the best one Honora Station has ever seen.”

She turned in his arms and covered his lips with hers, kissing the daylights out of him, kissing him like he was her entire world. “You’re… this… I love yo—it, I love it!” Her cheeks flamed as she realized what she’d almost said. What she had said. It was one thing to decide to fly away with him, but saying those words felt so much more meaningful.

But Tav knew what she meant, and he wasn’t going to let her get away with her deflection. “I love you, too, my mate. So what do you say we go get rested before the party, and then make this a night that Honora Station will never forget.”

Molly grinned. “And then we fly away in your ship and spread joy and parties throughout the galaxy.”

“Really?” The naked hope in his face was enough to make Molly’s heart stutter, as if he’d been so uncertain of what her decision would be.

“Really.” She kissed his nose. “I don’t want to be away from the man I love. Now come on. Let’s go celebrate.”

At the end of it all, the party wasn’t perfect. One of the musicians’ instruments broke halfway through his performance, and they ran out of some of the food long before the night ended. But the gifts were a hit with the children and the snow was a favorite of everyone else. Molly wanted to spend the whole party in Tav’s arms, but her job wasn’t done yet, and she was too busy directing people around to make time to enjoy herself with her mate.

It was a little disappointing, but they’d have plenty of time ahead of them to live and laugh and make more memories. One night was hardly that much of a sacrifice.

But that night was coming to a close and Molly could finally sit back and enjoy everything she’d done. She took a drink from a passing android waiter and surveyed the party around her. It was good, really good, and she was responsible for it. Smiling faces were all around her and her heart warmed, knowing that she’d brought this little slice of joy to each and every person in the room.

And that joy blossomed into something even bigger when she spotted a golden man coming towards her with a short, purple woman at his side. When Tav met her, he scooped her up into his arms as if it had been months instead of hours since they saw each other last. She didn’t know how long it would take for this excitement to fade, or if it ever would, but as long as Tav was with her, it didn’t matter.

“This is who I’ve been telling you about,” he said, addressing the woman beside him. “Molly is my denya and she’ll be joining us once she’s wrapped up here. Molly, this is Juuno, my engineer. She keeps our ship in the sky.”

Our ship. Oh, she liked the sound of that.

“And I’m your friend,” Juuno added, elbowing Tav playfully in the side.

“And she’s my friend,” Tav repeated obediently.

Yeah, Molly could become friends with that woman. “I’m glad you’ve kept my mate in line.” She grinned at Juuno, who just rolled her eyes.

“I’ll leave the two of you alone for now. But,” she pointed at Tav, poking her finger into his bicep, “we do need to talk about supplies tomorrow, so no disappearing all day. I will find you, and I don’t want to see your sexfest. Got it?”

Molly blushed and wanted to hide her face, but neither she nor Tav denied what was going to happen the moment they got alone.

“I promise I’ll find you tomorrow. Afternoon.”

Juuno scoffed, but she left them alone.

Molly wrapped her arms around Tav as the band switched from an upbeat tune to something slower. She swayed with him, their hips moving in sync. “Sexfest, huh?”

Tav grinned and gave her a quick kiss. “Well, what else would we do?”

She laughed and snuggled in closer. “Did you hear that station security rounded up that guy from yesterday? I guess he’s been running a theft ring on the station for months !”

“And station security just ignored it?”

“I told you they suck.” Molly knew that if she and Tav hadn’t managed to catch the guys red handed it would have continued on until they made an even bigger mistake. No doubt about it.

“You are truly something else, my denya.” Tav held her close and let her nestle into him.

“I’m yours,” Molly replied. Nothing else mattered as much as that. She’d come to Honora Station to make a name for herself, to prove that she could pull off a project like this and bring happiness to a whole lot of people. And in doing so, she’d somehow been lucky enough to find happiness for herself. She had her mate for life and the whole of the galaxy spread out before her, with every opportunity out there within reach with Tav by her side. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Tav leaned down and kissed her, the taste of him new and familiar all at the same time. Molly opened for him and pulled him close. And in her heart she knew that the party hadn’t been perfect, but her night sure had been. Every night spent with her mate could be nothing else.