Alien in the Family

hurry up. Go!”
    Kimmie squealed with laughter and dragged Raymond off. He didn’t argue. Martini unhooked my hand from his arm, grabbed my shoes in his free hand, and grinned at me. “They’re ahead, and you can’t run fast in that dress.”
    I flipped the veil to the wrap position. “I’m still a sprinter.” I grabbed his hand, and he started us running after the kids. “We’ll be back,” I shouted to our parents as we ran by them. “We’re racing for money.”
    “I love how you have to run in this dress,” Martini said as we moved around the room. The kids were little, but they were money-motivated, because they were far ahead. Kimmie looked back, Martini made a lunge forward, she shrieked a laugh, and they kept on going. “Is asking you to wear it once a week too much, you think?”
    “Probably, but we can discuss it. Jeff, is anyone going to speak to us ever again?”
    “Don’t care,” he said cheerfully. “Boy, are you slow in this. I have a great idea for our honeymoon. You try to run away from me in this, and I’ll chase you.”
    I started laughing. “I do love how you think.”
    “Yeah? Tell me so in another minute.” He stopped, flipped me gently over his shoulder, then took off at a better trot.
    I was laughing too hard to protest. Got a glimpse of Aunt Carla’s face. The Gower girls were by her, but they were laughing so hard I was pretty sure they weren’t using their A-C talents for anything right now, and Aunt Carla’s expression seemed to confirm that. I wasn’t sure if she was going to have a conniption fit, a heart attack, or merely storm out, but the horror on her face was worth the whole experience. She shook her finger at me, and I shrieked with laughter.
    “Are we catching them?”
    “Yeah, but Kimmie’s not clear on the concept. We’re taking a full lap.”
    “You up to it?”
    He snorted. “Baby, I could do this all day. I plan on doing this all day, too.” We rounded another corner, and I saw people I’d seen before. Martini put on another burst of speed. “Kimmie, go up and down the aisle next, okay? From Uncle Christopher to the back and then back to Uncle Christopher, okay? Then stop.”
    “Okay, Uncle Jeff,” she called out at the top of her lungs, giggling like mad.
    “Come on,” Raymond said. “They’re catching us!”
    Martini slowed down a little. “You okay back there?”
    “Yeah, view of your butt’s great. I love this tuxedo, by the way. I can’t wait to rip it off you.” I heard a couple of gasps and a lot of laughter. “Whoops.”
    Martini just laughed. “Yeah, it sucks to be me.”
    Rounded another corner. Waved to the people in the front row. The ones who weren’t rolling with laughter or shocked out of their minds managed to wave back. Rounded another corner, got to see our wedding party. The guys had given up and were laughing, too.
    Kimmie and Raymond must have reached the back, because they passed us. “We’re beating you,” Kimmie shrieked joyfully.
    “We can still catch you,” I called back. They ran faster.
    We reached the back, and Martini flipped me gently back onto my feet. “Your shoes.” He handed them to me with an almost wistful look on his face.
    “Wow, just like our first date.”
    “Yeah.” He smiled, and I realized he’d wondered if I remembered.
    “I could never forget the first time I met you, Jeff,” I said softly, as I put my shoes back on.
    “No one ever forgets their first superbeing.”
    “No. No girl ever forgets the first time she meets the man of her dreams.”
    His expression was so loving and tender, I couldn’t help it. The tears started to roll down my face. But they weren’t tears of shame or fear or hurt.
    Martini took my face in his hands and gently wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “I love you. Now, let’s go finish getting married.” He pulled the veil on, right side up, adjusted it carefully, then wrapped my right arm in his left again.
    We walked up the aisle. There were a lot of people watching us, but we only looked at each other. It was the most romantic thing I’d ever experienced.
    Reached the front. “We beat you,” Kimmie said.
    “You did. Fair and square.” Martini reached into his tux and pulled out his wallet, extracted two twenties, squatted down and handed one to each of them. “Well done. Raymond, you still have the rings?”
    “Yes, sir, Mister Martini.” He held out his fist.
    “Good man. Keep hold of them for a bit longer.” Martini stood