Alien in the Family

wasn’t my idea, okay? But it’s not out of the question, either. You haven’t put any deposits down anywhere yet.”
    “Invitations are out.” Renata and Kevin were saying quiet good-byes to my grandparents. “And we sort of have a deposit out.”
    “We aren’t charging you to come to our home,” Lucinda said dryly. Yeah, okay, I’d given up, and we’d asked Martini’s parents if we could get married at their estate. It would suck for my family, but we hadn’t found any place else we actually both liked. Reader, in particular, felt us getting married in Florida was insane.
    “It’s been taking you two forever to make any kind of decision,” Mom added in an exasperated tone.
    “And pretty much everyone invited is here, yes, got it. Wow, the timing is just so impeccable and all. I’ll ponder why you all thought now was such a great time to spring this on us while I go try to save the . . . business. Back in a while.” I hoped.
    My dad shook his head. “I was with James.”
    “You helped.”
    He smiled. “I did. Take care of things, call us if you need us—we’ll have our cell phones on us at all times.”
    “Thanks.” I hugged my family good-bye, asked my mother to make some phone calls for me, Martini and Reader hugged my parents and Martini’s and shook hands with my grandparents, and then we left.
    Chuckie was at the door, ushering our teams out. He looked at me. “I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
    “But you knew it was going to happen.”
    “Only tonight when I realized they were all here.”
    “Okay, we’re out. What the hell is going on?” Martini was growling. “Not the invasion, what you were talking to our parents about. And what the hell have you told them you’ve been doing?”
    Reader laughed. “She told them she and I started our own marketing agency. Small but with a high-paying customer base. Easier explanation than what we really do. And as for what’s going on, jeez, Jeff, think about it.”
    Chuckie was counting noses. “We have everyone. Brian, you sure you’re coming along?”
    “Yeah. Hey, Kitty, Jeff.”
    “Bri, nice to see you. Michael riding herd on you?”
    “Like always,” Michael Gower said. “You know, you dragged my parents out here and you still haven’t talked to them.”
    He was right. And I needed to. “Back in a flash. Michael, can you introduce me?”
    “Sure.” We trotted off. I heard Reader and Chuckie explaining the obvious to Martini. He was starting to bellow as we got back inside the restaurant. “He’s a little slow sometimes,” Michael said with a laugh.
    “Caught us both by surprise. I’m just clearer on how my family works.”
    “You okay with it?” He took my elbow and led me toward an interracial couple about my parents’ age. The man was typical A-C handsome, and I could see a resemblance to Alfred. The woman was stunning in her own right—skin the same color as her sons’, beautiful features. They were with two younger Dazzlers, same skin tone as their mother and the boys.
    “Yeah, I think so. Not sure about Jeff. Paul wasn’t kidding—human external genetics rule, don’t they?”
    “Yes,” Mrs. Gower said with a knowing smile. “They do.” She stood up, as did the rest of the family. “Paul and James have told us so much about you. I’m Ericka, this is my husband, Stanley, and our girls, Abigail and Naomi.”
    Shook paws all around, then everyone except Ericka sat back down. “Sorry to be rude, but we’re at the usual end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it time, and I need to ask you two things.”
    “Go ahead,” she said with another knowing smile. “I can guess both.”
    “Oh, yeah?”
    She nodded. “Yes, it’s worth it. Yes, it can be absolute hell, and the extended, nosy, always-there family can be torturous. But once you’re in, you’re in, and they’ll love you like the rest of the clan and die for you if they have to. Paul was a lot of work, but, honestly, Michael was more. He got more of the human side in his personality,” she added with a laugh. Wow, she was good or I was obvious.
    Michael shrugged. “Playing the field’s allowed.”
    “Not like you play it,” Naomi said with a snort.
    “So,” Ericka added, “while you’re likely to get powerful children, I don’t agree with Lucinda’s concerns. I’ve heard enough about you to feel confident you can handle it. And your parents are clearly capable of helping.”
    “Not to mention Jeff.”
    “Yes. Now, your other