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“I love you, too,” she said and pressed herself tighter into his warm body.
Dante turned to face her, and soon his gaze met hers. They lay there like that for a long time, just gazing at each other. Tinsley knew fate truly had brought them into each other’s lives, each other’s arms, each other’s hearts.
He was her soulmate. As she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his, she knew she never wanted to be anywhere but in his arms. It was the truest thing she had ever known.
Chapter 40
Dante felt a twinge of sadness as Lorr receded behind them. It was always hard to leave his home planet, and after the three weeks they’d spent there together, it was even harder.
He hadn’t realized it, but showing Tinsley his home planet, introducing her to his family, and sharing his customs with her—all these things felt like the beginning of their life together. He’d loved how well she got along with his father, how she embraced the Lorr customs—even the ones that didn’t make sense to her—and how she’d fallen in love with every plant and insect she saw.
Changing scenery so suddenly was jarring. But the closer they got to Noxxa, the more his sadness slipped away. It was soon replaced with visions of what lay ahead, and by the time the planet came into view, his heart was full with excitement.
“That’s it. Right?” Tinsley called out, pointing at the large planet in the distance.
“That’s it,” Dante replied, smiling. “Home sweet home.”
It wasn’t exactly Lorr, but there were plenty of things to like about Noxxa. Their treatment of humans unfortunately wasn’t one of them, but attitudes were changing slowly, and Tinsley wouldn’t be the only human woman in the neighborhood.
He was sure Tinsley would become fast friends with Gianna, Scarlett, Willow, and Layla and he couldn’t wait for them to meet.
Plus, there wasn’t a war going on, unlike on his home planet, and for all Noxxa’s shortcomings, this fact alone made up for them. All that mattered to him now, though, was that Tinsley was safe, and they could work toward peace on Lorr.
As he brought the ship down to land in one of the transporter docks outside the city, he glanced at Tinsley. Once again, she was wide-eyed, but unlike her reaction to Lorr, Dante didn’t understand why.
“You’ve been here before. Haven’t you?” he asked as they jumped into the pod that would take them to his home.
Tinsley must have intuited his meaning because she turned to him with a sheepish smile.
“Yeah, a bunch of times,” she revealed. “But it was always for work. I haven’t really had a permanent home in a long time. It’s like seeing Noxxa for the first time again.”
Dante reached over and clasped her hand briefly. “I’m so glad you chose to share your life with me,” he said. “It reminds me of how I saw Lorr again for the first time by bringing you there.”
He gave her hand a squeeze before putting the pod into gear and zooming through the Noxxan streets toward his home. Our home, he corrected himself, smiling.
They arrived within a few minutes, and Tinsley had her face pressed up against the window the whole way. He could almost see her absorbing the surroundings into her new concept of home.
The local bar, the supermarket, the city square, the theater, and the holocinema—these were all her places now, the way they were his. It made him feel warm inside.
The feeling only expanded as they made their way into the house.
The couch, the kitchen, the dining table, the bath, and the huge Lorr-sized bed—these were all hers now, too.
“Welcome home,” he said as he led her around. “I hope you like it.”
Tinsley smiled, hugging him. “I love it,” came her muffled reply, her face pressed tightly against his chest.
“I brought something back for you as well,” he told her, watching the excitement in her eyes as she pulled away.
Dante reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. He handed it over and waited as Tinsley opened it up.
“Seeds?” she asked, a little puzzled.
Dante chuckled. “Spotted sararose seeds,” he explained. “So, we can have a little bit of Lorr here with us.”
A wash of gratitude and happiness came over Tinsley’s face, and Dante could see how much it meant to her.
“Thank you,” she told him. “Maybe we can try to get some Earth seeds, too. Make ourselves a little blended garden.”
