Page 163 of Riv's Sanctuary
"I don't think so. I know it. I can feel it deep down. I wasn't taken away from my home on Earth for nothing. My whole purpose was to be here, right now, with you."
Riv swallowed hard, pulling her closer to him as he buried his head into her hair.
They stood like that for a few moments before a breath shuddered through him.
"I think I love you," he said.
Lauren smiled.
She’d waited ages to hear those three words, but not just from anyone. She was happy she was hearing it from him.
"I love you, too, Riv."
"Let's go to bed."
"Let's."
Epilogue
Two weeks later
Life on the Sanctuary seemed to have gone right back to normal.
The umus whistle-wheaked like maniacs every day, wanting to be fed.
Grot went off hunting, disappearing for hours, but returned every night to sleep at the foot of their bed.
The tilgrans still greeted her every morning, stretching their necks over the edge of their enclosure to bump their heads gently into her and the ooga still ignored them for the most part, grazing happily.
As they cuddled in bed, her head resting on his chest, Riv played with her hair.
He still hadn't heard from his brother and she knew it was stressing him. She'd told him it was fine for him to go look for his sibling but he refused to leave her alone, still fearing the alligator guards reappearing.
It was a difficult decision to make.
A part of her felt guilty being the reason he didn't want to leave, no matter how he assured her that it was fine.
Just as she snuggled further into him, the sound of his comm pinging sounded in the room.
Riv didn't move to answer it.
"Aren't you going to get that?" she asked.
“Whoever it is can wait.”
"It could be your brother."
With that, he paused for a bit before reaching for the device.
As he looked at the screen, she could see his countenance change.
"What do you want?"
Lauren covered her mouth, the instant chuckle bubbling within her.
He was a grumpypants, but he was her grumpypants.
Riv glanced her way and his face softened a bit.