Alien in the Family

He laughed and slung me gently over his shoulder. “Sure.” He nipped my behind, and I giggled as he carried me into the bedroom. “As soon as I’ve made love to you in it for another year, year and a half, why not?”

“I love how you think.”

CHAPTER 43

IN AN HOUR, GIVE OR TAKE, I brushed my hair and marveled at how this dress hid wrinkles. I’d already felt the money spent was more than worth it, but it was nice not to have to change into something else.

Martini had his standard suit on, but because I’d begged, he was just carrying the jacket, and he had the shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest and the sleeves rolled up to about midforearm. Wasn’t my fault that this was the second time he’d had to dress. He looked too good to pass up the first time. Only the clock prevented me from insisting he looked too good the second time, too.

I took another look in the mirror. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to go have di

“Sure, why not?”

“It’s kind of . . .”

“Totally sexy?” Martini was gri

“Um, yeah. I mean, it’s a little much for di

“My dad picked everything up for me, and he saw you in it before. He didn’t seem to mind, and I can promise you he wasn’t upset, I’d have noticed.”

I doubted that, based on Martini’s reactions when he’d first seen me in it, but I kept this to myself. “Maybe we should stop and find some kind of wrap or something.”

“Nah.” Martini draped his jacket around me. “How’s that?”

It seemed workable; it was black, the dress was black, why not? I really put the jacket on and rolled up the sleeves. “I’m bringing the eighties back, I think. All I need is a fedora.”

“Mmmm, let’s be sure to pick that up sometime soon.”

It didn’t really say, “completing the ensemble,” but under the circumstances, I took my purse along. The hell with a handbag—the last time I’d tried that I’d been chased through the Arizona desert by sociopaths. I took the Poofs along as well. I didn’t know what else to do with them, and I figured they needed to eat.

I was heading for the door when Martini grabbed my arm. “Baby, wait a minute.”

I turned around. He had a fu

“Yeah.” He drew me over to the couch and sat us down. I took my purse off and put it on the table—it didn’t seem that this was going to be quick. “I just wanted to . . . ask you something.” He looked nervous and worried, so, despite my best efforts, I got nervous and worried.

“Okay. What’s wrong?” My throat felt tight. Had I done something?

He stroked my face. “No, baby, you haven’t done anything wrong.” He closed his eyes. “You’d think it would be easier this time around.”

“What? What would be easier?” I tried not to panic and failed utterly. It was stupid and silly, and I could remember that whenever the logical side of my mind had a say in the matter—but the oldest fear I had about my relationship with Martini was that he really didn’t want to be with me for me but wanted me only because I was a human and so exotic and forbidden. This worry skipped and laughed out of my deeper consciousness where I’d shoved it away for the past six months and danced through my mind. It shared that Martini was breaking up with me, again, and that this time, he meant it.

“Oh, Kitty . . . no, baby, no.” He pulled me into his arms. “Baby, how can you think that? Especially after all this time?”

“What’s wrong? What do you need to tell me? Are you mad at me?” My voice was heading to the dog-only register.

Martini pulled me into his lap and held me tightly. “Shhh, baby. No, nothing’s wrong. I didn’t mean to scare you. Kitty, I love you so much . . . for you, not because you’re a human. Because you’re everything I ever dreamed of and never thought I’d find. I never believed you’d love me or choose me over everyone else.”

I wrapped my arms around him. “Then what do you need to tell me?” I was shaking, and the logical part of my mind mentioned we hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep in the past many hours and maybe I needed some.

“Ask you.” He reached into his pants pocket. “I need to ask you something.” He rocked me. “Baby, please, relax. It’s not bad. At least, I don’t think you’ll think it’s bad.” I heard uncertainty in his voice, faint, but there.

I nodded and sat up in his lap. Be a big girl, calm down and deal. Okay, I could handle that. Hopefully.

Martini stroked my face, then slid his hand to rub the back of my neck. He got a fu

“But I can’t wear the necklace anymore because someone hates me.” I started to cry and felt like a moron.

“I know, baby. And it bothers me, but you didn’t take it off because you wanted to. You took it off because you had to.” He kissed my tears away. “Kitty, oh, baby, stop. You’re too tired. I should have let you sleep.”

“I didn’t want to sleep, I wanted to make love to you.”

He laughed softly. “And you wonder why I think you’re the most perfect woman in the universe?” He took my hand and put something into it, something small. “I wanted to do this more romantically, but I think, under the circumstances, let me just say I hope you like it, and if you don’t, the store is open twenty-four/seven and said we could exchange it any time.”

I looked down to see a ring. A diamond ring. Stone not too big, marquis cut, excellent quality from what I could guess, gold setting with an intricate design that enhanced the stone’s beauty.

“I know you like the traditional cut better,” Martini said softly. “But since that’s what Reynolds had for you, can you manage to forgive me for not wanting to give you something exactly like it?”

I couldn’t talk. It was beautiful, and I felt both beyond happy and fairly stupid at the same time. He took the ring out of my palm and slid it onto the ring finger of my left hand. It fit perfectly and looked real, not like paste, which was why I hated large stones.

Brain finally kicked in, and I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him wildly. He wrapped his arms around me. “Can I take that as a yes?” he asked when we finally pulled apart.

“Yes. Jeff, I love it. But why, and why now? You didn’t have to buy this for me.”

“Yes, I did.” He leaned my head against his shoulder. “Your family doesn’t understand our customs, and I know they think you’ve been deluding yourself. No ring means no commitment to humans. I verified that with James, by the way, and Michael. They’re all here, but the moment I realized you couldn’t wear the necklace again, I knew I had to give you something—for your peace of mind, mine, and your family’s.”

“When did you have time to shop for this?”

“I went down to the mall about fifteen minutes after you and James. I figured it was the best time. I’d picked it out when I felt your terror with Moira, told them to hold it, and ran for you. I had my father make sure it was held, and he picked it up when he got the clothes for you. I picked the clothes out while waiting for backup with Moira. Had to do something to fill the time.”

“No complaints. You know, your dad loves you so much, Jeff.”

“Yeah, I’ve picked that up. Finally.”

“Are your blocks down?” I tried not to sound worried. Failed.

“No, they’re all up and functioning. You’ve just helped me . . . filter a little better when it comes to my parents, that’s all.”