25. Lisa

Afew weeks have gone by since the whole incident with Zaraq. We decided to lay low for a while just in case our plan didn’t go exactly right.

Beth, who was almost frantic that she’d sent me to my demise, has been keeping an ear out for us. It’s all over the news now, though. Every live holo-broadcast is talking about the former crime syndicate leader who is now behind bars.

Once the authorities confirmed his identity, he had a lot more charges than just a stolen ship thrown against him. Enough to basically guarantee a few lifetimes in prison. And so we could finally move about the city again without fear of Zaraq being released and coming after us.

“You don’t think anyone from your former syndicate will come looking for us either?” I ask Ozadus.

He shakes his head. “No, I don’t believe so. With so much heat on Zaraq, no one will be stupid enough to break him out. And with a power vacuum now left to fill, they’ll be too focused on becoming the next leader rather than coming after us. Whoever the new guy ends up being, he won’t care about some big shot from the past. No matter how great Zarag thought I was.”

The tension is my body ebbs away, and I let out a little laugh. “Good, because I want to get out of here and get back home. No offense, Beth.”

We’ve been staying with Beth in her little two bedroom apartment just in case. Her place is nice, but definitely not made for three adults and a baby.

Beth snorts. “No offense to you, either. I love you, but I’ll be glad to have my space back.”

We all laugh at that, and I hug her goodbye before we make our way back to our house. Our house. It feels so nice to think of it that way. That it’s true.

I take Ozadus’ hand in mine as we walk, and he squeezes mine. My heart soars as I remember this is really real. That he’s here and he’s committed to us.

As soon as we get home, all the tension from the past few weeks hits us like a ship and we all pass out. The next day, though, we decided to get out of the house and do something fun together now that we can.

After talking about it, we decide a trip to get dessert is in order to properly celebrate. There’s a little dessert parlor we decide on just down the road and we head out. Zhara babbles happily all the way there.

Ozadus laughs as we walk. “Somehow, I think she knows we’re going to go eat sweet stuff.”

I grin. “Yeah, I get the feeling that when she’s older she’s going to be a sweets queen fiend.”

Zhara chirps something nonsensical in response and flails her arms around excitedly. Ozadus tickles her stomach and grins at his daughter. “Definitely a fiend. Sweet queen or otherwise.”

The little dessert parlor is quiet, and we sit at a table by the big picture window. It feels nice to sit somewhere so vulnerable and not be afraid of an attack. From the way Ozadus is gazing out the window with pure contentment, I imagine he’s feeling the same way.

We take our time looking at the menu before I decide on a variety of chocolate-covered fruits with sour centers. Ozadus orders a large bowl of sweet frozen crème covered in syrup. And we even order a small slice of cake for Zhara.

Apparently, we were right about calling Zhara a sweets queen fiend. She grabs chunks of cake and stuffs them into her mouth like a wild animal tearing into their kill. I click my tongue as I watch her. “You’re going to crash hard in about an hour, my feisty one.”

Zhara, of course, doesn’t understand and probably wouldn’t care if she did. Not with more cake still in front of her.

I look up to see Ozadus watching us with a soft smile. I tilt my head. “What is it?”

He shakes his head. “I just can’t believe how lucky I am to be here in this moment. To have you two. And to not have to worry about my old life coming to haunt me or ruin this.”

I smile at this wonderful man I’ve come to love so deeply. “We’re lucky too.”

I lift one of my chocolate-covered fruits like it’s a wine glass. “To you being a free man!”

Ozadus chuckles at that and lifts a spoonful of his dessert, mimicking my gesture. “To a wonderful afternoon spent with the two loveliest ladies in all the universe.”

Zhara lets out a displeased noise, and we turn to see her glaring at her empty plate. “Ate all your cake, huh?” I tease her.

She scowls at the plate and flaps her arms angrily. I shrug my shoulders. “Sorry, kid. It’s all gone.”

Then her eyes turn on my dessert. She flaps her arms and looks at me expectantly. A grin spreads across my face. “You want my dessert? Are you sure?”

Ozadus lifts an eyebrow. “Isn’t it sour?”

“Yep.”

I take a little bit of the sweet and sour chocolate-covered fruit in my hand and offer it to Zhara. She immediately eats it and for a second, she seems content. Then the sourness registers. Her whole face scrunches up and she tries to reflexively spit it out as if that will get rid of the taste, not realizing she’s already swallowed and crossed that bridge.

Ozadus and I burst into laughter. Zhara squawks in mild outrage at our amusement, and I kiss her head placatingly. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I couldn’t resist.”

We spend another half hour lounging around the dessert parlor just talking and laughing. When Zhara gets too squirmy, we decide to go by a nearby park and walk around.

The sun is just peeking around the clouds and there’s a gentle breeze offsetting the heat. I tilt my head back and simply take in the day.

Ozadus nudges me halfway through our walk. He gestures with a tilt of his head to Zhara in my arms. I look down and smile. Zhara is fast asleep, crashed from a long day and too much sugar just like I thought she would.

“I guess it’s time to head home,” I say, propping Zhara against me with one hand and taking his hand with the other.

He kisses the back of it before squeezing it. “Lead the way.”

We take the long way home and by the time we get to our house, the sun is starting to set. I tuck Zhara into her crib and stroke her cheek fondly. Ozadus is waiting for me in the living room when I leave Zhara.

“Think she’ll be out for a while?” he asks, drawing me into his arms.

I grin as I slide into his embrace and run a hand down his chest. “At least another few hours.”

I kiss his jaw and then press a firm kiss to his lips which he returns. Before we can do anything more, though, he pulls back and gives me a sly grin. “Later. First, I want to show you something.”

Frowning, I let him pull me out the front door. We go to the side of the house where Ozadus lets go of my hand and starts climbing up the side of the house. I gape at him. “What are you doing?”

“Just follow me,” he says, mischief in his eyes.

I give him a dubious look but follow him nonetheless. Or at least I try to. Stepping where he steps, grabbing what he grabs, but my limbs aren’t quite as long or toned and I nearly slip. Ozadus grabs me at the last moment and hauls me onto the roof with him.

He’s grinning at me, and I give him a half-hearted frown. “Mind telling me why you dragged me onto the roof?”

“I thought we’d get the best view of the stars here.”

At first, I think he’s kidding, but he simply looks up and watches the night sky. So I scooch closer to him and do the same. It is a nice view of the stars. The house is just far enough away from the docks that there aren’t so many lights and there’s a clearer view of the sky.

I realize that it’s been a long time since I simply appreciated the stars. I lean back against Ozadus’ chest and he wraps his arms around me as we look at the sky.

We stand there for what feels like hours before Ozadus speaks. “You know, I used to hate watching the stars. It made me feel insignificant in the universe. How could anything and everything I ever do possibly matter in a space so vast?”

I turn to look at him and a small smile crosses his face. “But as I’ve spent time with you, with Zhara, I see it differently now. I see the endless possibilities, the hope of a new beginning.”

He turns me to fully face him. “And I realize that my actions don’t have to affect the whole galaxy. That I’m content just to make my own place in this galaxy, no matter how small.”

Ozadus cups my cheek. “And I want to make that place with you.”

I place my hand over his and smile up at him. “Ozadus, you know I’m yours.”

He nods. “I do. But I don’t want to leave any doubts in your mind. Never again. I want to give you a sign that I will never leave or forsake our family.”

I open my mouth, ready to tell him that I know he would never do something like that. Before I can say a word, I freeze. Ozadus has let go of me and has dropped to one knee. My hands go to cover my mouth as he pulls out a beautiful ring that reflects in the starlight.

“Lisa,” he all but whispers. “I love you more than words could ever say, so I hope this speaks even more clearly. Lisa, will you marry me?”

Something between a laugh and a sob wrenches itself from my throat, and I nod frantically. “Yes! Of course, I’ll marry you!”

He grins and slips the ring onto my finger. I only have a moment to admire the gem on my hand before he sweeps me up into his arms and spins me around. We kiss fiercely, and I know at this moment that there is no one as lucky as I am right now.