Page 64 of Tarek

Sarah's smile faltered. She explained that the children were coming later, once their new home was ready. She'd been told it would take another week or two to finish the house, and she'd decided not to make them wait aboard the ship when she could get settled first.

Doran's expression cleared as he explained that the construction machines had worked through the night. The private residence and shared public rooms were finished, and the remaining work on the tenants' rooms would be completed by that evening. Sarah and he talked for a moment longer, her discussing their wedding and her parents’ desire to attend and bring the children with them then.

My wrist comm chimed, and I glanced down. Bob had just sent me a message informing me that we were to be Sarah’s first lodgers while we waited for our home to be built, that it had all been arranged already but not mentioned as he didn’t want to risk ruining Sarah’s surprise. I showed Darren the message, and he looked at me, clearly surprised by how quickly everything had been arranged. I smiled and nodded. It seemed like a sensible plan.

Doran helped Sarah towards the vehicles waiting outside the hangar, and we followed with our luggage. Nick and Rethan left with Skye, promising to take good care of her and bring her back whenever we wanted so we didn’t burden Sarah with extra dog babysitting duties on top of everything else as she already had her own dog to look after. The boys were already talking about visiting the farm and seeing Sunshine and their friends, and Laura had fallen asleep against Darren's shoulder.

The journey to Dragon's Rest took us through the growing town of Walnut Grove. The buildings were arranged along broad streets, with porches, shops, and homes that looked as though they'd been lifted from a much older version of America. There was a town square with benches and trees, a general store, a café, and several smaller businesses. Beyond the town, the land opened into green fields and gentle hills, with the colony's larger settlement areas visible in the distance.

Darren looked around with quiet interest, taking in the houses and the people walking along the streets. I could see him imagining what life might be like here, where the children would go to school, where he would work, and what kind of home he wanted us to build. I was doing the very same thing.

Dragon's Rest was a large, welcoming house with enough space for Sarah and Doran to live comfortably while also accommodating guests. Doran showed us inside, explaining where we'd sleep, where the children could play, and how to reach the kitchen and other shared areas.

"This is lovely," Darren said as he looked around.

Sarah beamed, nodding as she too looked around and took it all in

The boys immediately began exploring the rooms, with Evan asking where they could keep their cars and Matt wanting to know whether there was a place to play outside. Doran assured them there was plenty of space, and that soon, there would be an actual park and playground built. Once the children were settled, I stood beside Darren in the doorway to the living room and watched them move about the house. Laura was asleep in her portable crib in our room, and the boys were already choosing which bed was theirs in the room across from ours. Skye was away at the farm, and for once there was nothing immediate that required us to rush anywhere.

Tomorrow, Darren and I would meet Johree, collect our stunners, and begin learning what it meant to serve as sheriff and deputy of New Haven. There would be plenty to do, and plenty of mistakes to avoid, but for the first time in a long while, I was looking forward to the work. For now, though, there was just us, and this place.

I turned towards Darren. He was watching the boys with a soft smile, his hand resting on my arm. When he caught me looking, he raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "I'm just glad we're here."

He smiled and slipped his fingers between mine.

"So am I."

And I meant it. We had a place to stay, a community already offering us help, and a life that was finally beginning to take shape around us. It wasn't perfect and never would be, but it didn't need to be. It was ours, and I was ready to make it home. It was more than enough.

22

DARREN

The children were still asleep when Tarek and I slipped out of Dragon's Rest the next morning, leaving them in the capable hands of our friends. I was more grateful for that than I could easily express. We had a place to stay, people who genuinely wanted to help us settle in, and friends willing to look after our children so we could get started at work without worrying about whether Laura needed a bottle or the boys were getting underfoot.

After everything we'd been through, having that sort of support felt almost unreal.

Tarek and I grabbed coffee in insulated travel mugs and two pastries from the kitchen's replicators, then headed for the sheriff's office. The building stood near the center of Walnut Grove, close enough to the spaceport that we could see some of the landing facilities from the front steps.

Johree was already waiting for us on the porch. "Morning, gentlemen," he greeted us, smiling as we approached. "Ready to become official?"

"As ready as we're going to be," I replied, taking another sip of coffee.

Johree chuckled. "That's a sensible attitude to have. Come on, then. Let's get the formalities out of the way."

We followed him inside, where he had everything laid out on a desk: two copies of the oath of office, a data pad, and a pair of gun belts with stunners secured in their holsters.

"Read the oath aloud, please," he instructed. "Then I'll record your thumbprints and retinal scans for the official records."

I set my coffee down and picked up the document. The wording was straightforward enough, pledging to uphold New Haven's laws, protect its residents, act fairly, and use our authority responsibly. I read it aloud, with Tarek following immediately after me.

Once we'd finished, Johree passed us the data pad. We each pressed a thumb to the scanner and looked into the retinal reader while it captured our identifying information.

"Excellent," Johree said, checking the results. "You're both officially appointed. We'll have a public ceremony later, during the park's grand opening."