Much later that night Carmella awakened to the feel of Bilal's arms wrapping around her as his body spooned behind her.
"Hi, honey," she gave him a sleepy look from over her shoulder. "How did it go?"
He kissed her neck. "Much better than expected." He talked excitedly about his reunion with his friends. "I asked Raj if he would like to meet our son. He wasn't ready."
"That stinks," she said, coming fully awake. "I don't want that man rejecting my son."
Bilal hugged her. "I don't think he's rejecting Raj as much as he's rejecting the notion of having children to worry about in a society where they won't have a voice."
Carmella settled back against him. "Well, I can certainly understand that. Having a child changes everything. I never thought that I'd ever willingly leave earth." She told him about the mall and how happy Raj was just to have a conversation with other kids.