The Space Speculation: Book 2 ~Painful Past~

Chapter 21: Almost Perfect

For three entire weeks, I stayed home to recover and hold my precious angel.

 I felt bad every time I would call her a nickname I used to call Bill.

I reassured myself every day that Chad, though ruthless and wicked to the core, wouldn't hurt his only nephew. What little sanity he had left was William. 

I wondered if Paisley would ever turn into her Plutonian or Neptunian form. I wondered if she would ever learn about space and me being alien. I hoped not. I prayed not.

"Jay!" I called to Jace one evening.

"Yeah?" he answered, plopping down on the couch next to me, a cold leftover pizza slice in hand.

I ran my hand through his dark mussed hair.

"Should we tell Paisely about me? About my home? About, well, everything?"

We both looked down at our sleeping princess in my arms.

"Honestly, Paisley, it's up to you."

I bit my lip.

"Well," I began, " I'd rather not drag her into my messed up life. "

"Hey! You dragged me into it!"

"You dragged yourself, buddy."

Jace smirked and wrapped his loving arm around my shoulder.

"But seriously. I mean, when we go to get William she's gonna find out."

He grunted and agreement. He then yawned and kissed Paisley's pudgy cheek.

"Never in a million years would I think I'd ever have such a perfect family."

Jace laid his head on my lap and was soon snoring.

I kissed the tangled mass of black waves in the top of his head. I sighed.

"I will love you always."

Raising a human child was much different than raising an alien. It was especially different raising a firy, sassy, independent little girl like Paisley Parker. But I adored every second of it.

Paisley grew fast. I would blink and she would be a year older.

Every night Jace would come home, kiss us both, and twirl us around the kitchen. Something would be warming on the stove and the news would be blasting on full volume.

Often I would slip in subtle complaints about our tiny apartment being too tiny. Once Paisley turned four, I was ready to escape this small bird cage of doom.

"Jace! I need to get out of here! I'm pretty sure this house has been slowly shrinking since day one!"

He just laughed.

"I promise you, Princess Paisley Parker, we will move to a more appropriate home soon."

I just smile and sighed.

"That's what you always say."

We didn't move until Pais was six years old.

We moved into a much bigger place in a friendly neighbourhood nearby. It had many more rooms, a larger kitchen, and a backyard.

I cried tears of joy when I first stepped inside our new home.

"What are you, a crybaby?" Paisley had said when I started to sob.

"Says the baby," Jace said playfully, and then began chasing her through the house, Paisley shrieking with pleasure the whole way.

My new life was almost complete. I had a wonderful, loyal husband, a large loving family-in-law, a precious princess who kept me on my feet, a big beautiful house finally; all I needed now was my little baby boy, and my life would be perfect.

This section was written by Melina and Amity