Page 28 of Tarek

“When an application is made for either program, the relevant information is made available to the appropriate systems. Your legal status, the circumstances of your divorce, the custody arrangements for your children, and the restrictions concerning the financial proceedings are all part of the relevant records. I had access to that information before you ever met your new husband, so that I could carry out my duties properly.”

My face grew hotter. “So you knew everything already?”

“I knew the relevant facts. I don't consider them a reason to think less of you.”

I wished the chair would swallow me whole. “Wonderful. So I've had a complete stranger read the worst parts of my life before I've even met my husband.”

“Technically, I am not a stranger. I have been singing nursery rhymes to your daughter.”

Despite myself, I let out a small, startled laugh. It wasn't much, but it loosened something in my chest.

“And,” the AI continued, sounding positively delighted now that I'd managed to laugh, “I am thrilled about your match because the universe has revealed the person most suited to you. Tarek isn't simply an eligible Dragonii male who happened to take the same test. He is your match. Your compatibility is exceptional, and the results indicate he is ideal for the sort of partnership you need. He is your perfect match, after all. We have a zero percent failure rate spanning decades, ever since I was created and then developed the original algorithm for the Bride Fleet at Alteria VII.”

“That's what the test says,” I pointed out. “It doesn't know what happened in my marriage. It doesn't know what it feels like to wake up one day and discover that your entire life was built on lies. What if I'm unable to trust him and I become the reason it fails?”

“Tarek is not Philip, and your test results do not indicate that you are likely to sabotage yourself. Be cautious, yes. Sabotage, no.”

I looked up toward the speaker for a long moment, searching for some sign that the AI understood how much those words meant to me. Pellan and Rhovan exchanged a look.

“I can tell you that infidelity is biologically impossible for Dragonii and Mylos. The concept of cheating on a mate is foreign and abhorrent to both species. Mates and family are sacrosanct. That doesn't mean I can promise you that every day of your life together will be easy, or that two people will never disagree. But Tarek is not going to betray you in the way Philip did.”

The room went quiet as both officers nodded in strange agreement.

I wanted to believe him. God, how I wanted to believe him. But hope was a frightening thing when you'd once trusted it so completely and watched it turn to ashes.

“What if we don't fall in love?” I asked. “What if we meet, discover we're compatible on paper, and find out we don't actually like each other?”

“Your bond will form when you mate,” Xero replied through the overhead speaker. “The moment that happens, you will both feel it. The connection is something the human partner experiences just as clearly as the Dragonii or Mylos partner does.”

That was a little more than I was ready to contemplate, so I concentrated on the other part of what he'd said.

“Does that mean we'll automatically be in love?”

“Not necessarily in the way you understand romantic love at present. The bond is a powerful connection, but you will still have your own personalities, interests, and ways of expressing affection. The highest compatibility ratings are often found in mates who are each other's very best friend, even if each has another friend they regularly spend time with platonically. A strong friendship is an excellent foundation for a lasting partnership, and love puts down strong roots in that fertile soil.”

I looked down at my hands.

Two best friends.

Two men who understood each other, who shared a home and raised children together. Two people who could trust each other enough to be honest, who could lean on each other when life got difficult, who could laugh together over dinner and take turns getting up with a sick child in the middle of the night. Perhaps, eventually, there might be enough attraction between us to make sharing a bedroom enjoyable, too.

The thought was unexpectedly comforting.

I could manage that. I could manage friendship. I could manage a man who wanted to be my friend, who wanted to help raise the children, who wanted to build a life with us. I didn't have to believe in a grand romance yet. I only had to believe that I could meet someone decent and give friendship a chance.

And having another adult to help raise three children would be a blessing, especially if he genuinely wanted to be there. I loved my children more than anything, but loving them didn't make the work less exhausting. I could admit that without being a bad father.

I held on to that possibility as tightly as I could.

“Two best friends,” I said quietly. “Living together, raising the children, working together. Maybe eventually more than friends, if it happens naturally.”

“An excellent place to start,” Xero agreed. “And we have faith that love will find you both.”

Pellan smiled at me. “How are you feeling now?”

I took a moment to consider the question. My hands had stopped shaking, and my breathing had settled. I still felt as though someone had turned my life upside down, but I no longer felt as if I were about to fall apart.

“Better,” I admitted. “Still terrified, but better.”