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Tarek had carried Laura’s folded high chair over from Sarah’s and quickly set it up at one of the tables so I could secure her into it. As I leaned forward to fasten the strap, my polo shifted, and the collar pulled aside just enough to expose the new bite mark on my neck. I didn't notice, but Nick certainly did.

He gently nudged my arm while giving me a knowing grin before leaning just close enough to murmur, “Congratulations,” without the boys overhearing.

My face heated instantly. “Thanks.”

He didn't say another word, which was probably the kindest thing he could have done. His grin, however, said plenty. Sarah glanced between us, then her gaze landed on the mark as I moved to tug my collar over it. Her expression lit up with delighted understanding.

“Oh, good!” she said, beaming. “I'd hoped you two had got that sorted. It was, after all, the whole reason behind last night’s sleepover.”

“Sarah,” I muttered, trying to keep my voice low while the boys debated whether they could have pancakes and waffles and French toast all on the same plate.

She gave me a gentle shoulder bump. “You two are good together. Gives me hope I'll be as lucky.”

I looked at her, and the warmth in her expression took some of the embarrassment away. “I hope you are, too.” I took a deep breath. “I think I’m proof that the stars and Xeranos know what they’re doing.”

“Me too, and you’re probably right. One hundred percent success rate and all that.” She smiled and turned back to the children before she could make me any more self-conscious.

I settled Laura's bib around her neck and put a few baby-friendly pieces of food on her tray. Tarek helped the boys with their plates, and watching him with them was becoming one of my favorite things. He didn't simply tolerate their questions; he listened to them, answered seriously when he could, and laughed with them when their imaginations ran away with them. He was patient in a way that felt natural rather than forced, and it made something warm settle deep inside me.

After breakfast, we each returned to our quarters to relax and finish packing. We were due to leave first thing the following morning after a quick breakfast, and there was no need to spend the entire morning beforehand rushing around. Our luggage was already organized, and the larger household shipment would follow separately in a few days, so all that remained was to make sure we had the things we needed close at hand and keep everything else packed.

Tarek and the boys settled in for most of the day with Little House on the Prairie playing on the screen. I was surprised to find how much attention Tarek paid to it. He watched the little town, the homes, the general store, the school, and the way the community gathered around one another, and every now and then he would comment on something that caught his interest.

“Bob has used this as a reference for New Haven,” he said at one point. “Not to copy it exactly, but to make the colony feel familiar to humans. The new building facades, many with porches, the town square, the arrangement of the streets, the way the buildings sit together. He’s melding an imagined sense of community from the familiarity with this vid series with how the place it represents translates in real life, community building by design so everyone feels as if they belong and it’s a comfortable as well as functional place to live and work.”

I watched him for a moment. He seemed to understand that distinction in a way that went beyond architectural planning. He wasn't just interested in making a colony function; he wanted it to feel like somewhere people could belong. It was another thing I liked about him and Bob, too, because he was right. A lot of consideration had gone into how Bob had transformed the original colony, for the good of both Dragonii and humans and anyone else who came there.

The boys half-watched the show while playing with their cars and the little shuttle they'd brought along. Before long the floor was once more covered in an elaborate arrangement of vehicles, invisible roads, and imaginary spaceports. Tarek kept one eye on the television and another on the children, occasionally answering questions about the show.

After a while, I left them to it and went to the mess hall to find lunch. The ship had a good selection of food, and I was beginning to appreciate how easy it was to feed a family without having to cook or wash dishes afterward. I brought back sandwiches and drinks for everyone, along with something suitable for Laura, and spread the food out on the clean blankets we'd put on the floor.

It turned into a picnic almost immediately. The boys sat cross-legged with their sandwiches, Vrann arranged his current share of the cars in a careful line beside his plate, and Tarek shifted slightly so he could keep watching Little House while eating. Skye settled near me, hoping that the word picnic meant there might be something in it for her.

I gave her a little of her own food and made sure Laura had what she needed, then settled down with my sandwich. It was simple, ordinary, and comfortable, and I found myself thinking that this was how a family should feel. Not perfect. Not staged. Just people sharing food, laughing over small things, and being happy to spend time together. It was something I’d thought we’d all lost and would never find again. I was very happy to have been wrong about that.

The afternoon passed quietly. Tarek continued watching the show, occasionally pausing to discuss with me why Bob had chosen certain elements for New Haven and to express his dismay at some of the shenanigans that the children and some of the adult residents got up to. The boys played, argued briefly over a car, made up, and then began building a spaceport that apparently required every vehicle they owned and their Hot Wheels cases laid on their sides. I spent some time reviewing the travel arrangements on my data pad and making sure our things were ready for the morning.

When evening came, I returned to the chow hall for dinner. This time, I ran into Nick, who apparently had the same idea.

“Taking dinner back to the room?” he asked, eyeing my tray.

“It's easier with the kids,” I said. “They're wound up over the shuttle ride and finally getting to see their new home. They're so excited they're practically bouncing off the walls, and I'm not sure any of us has the patience for a formal meal in the chow hall tonight. It's easier to let them eat while they play.”

Nick laughed in understanding. “Exactly what I was thinking. Mine are just as bad. I was very happy to let Sarah watch them while I came and got the food.”

We collected our orders together: burgers, chicken nuggets, fries, apple slices, and drinks, with a few baby-friendly items for Laura. Nick added extra fries for his boys, and I picked up a little something for Skye as well. We carried everything back to the quarters, where the children were already growing tired from a day of excitement and play.

Dinner was noisier than lunch, mostly because Matt had decided that the shuttle needed a runway, and Evan was insisting that a sheriff's office should be built beside it and that his train case was suitable for the role. Vrann added some suggestions that somehow made the entire operation even more complicated. Tarek listened with great seriousness, as though they were presenting plans for a real colony project. I laughed, telling them it was all too complicated for me, while passing out the drinks and making sure Laura had her food. It was the sort of evening I could imagine repeating in a real home, with familiar routines and the comfortable chaos of children who knew they were safe.

By the time dinner was finished, the boys were yawning, Laura was rubbing her eyes, and even Skye had settled down. I helped the children get ready for bed, checked that their things were packed with nothing at all getting missed, and made sure everything we'd need in the morning was close at hand. Tarek helped without being asked, and together we managed to get everyone settled with surprisingly little fuss.

Tarek and I climbed into our respective bunks after a quick kiss, after the boys had insisted after we’d given them and Laura their own goodnight ones. It had been a good day, but I was ready to stop traveling and start the rest of our regular lives together. I wanted to get to New Haven, begin my new job, and learn what it meant to be Tarek's deputy as well as his mate. More than that, I wanted to discover how we could build a life together from what we’d already started, leaning on one another, encouraging each other, and becoming the kind of partners who could face whatever came next without having to face it alone. Tarek was already becoming more than the man the treaty had matched me with. He was shaping up to be my best friend, too, and that mattered more to me than I could have imagined a few days ago.

Just one more sleep and it’ll be show time.

I pulled the blanket up and looked across at Tarek. He shifted onto his side and smiled at me.

“Goodnight, Darren,” he whispered as the kids had already zonked out now.