She’d been keeping meticulous notes on all the animals she encountered on the beach and in the forest ever since they’d been relocated in a private house that rested just inside the tree line, a short walk from the facility they’d been held in. She gazed at the dimming sky as the suns dipped near the horizon, mesmerized by the light reflecting off the water. Touching the slight swell of her stomach, she wondered if their child would miss Vella once they returned to Earth. It was a worry she’d never had until now.Tucking her notebook underneath her arm, she traipsed up the beach and toward the house, knowing Erik would come looking for her if she didn’t return soon. Warmth spread through her at the thought of him. He’d been keeping busy studying the Blumeran spaceships under Nuemis’s supervision, and though he enjoyed learning more about Vella and the alien technology, she knew he was as anxious to get home as she was. He was also anxious to become a father, and he counted down the weeks with enthusiasm.
