“Fruit. Fruit. Fruit.”
“Very good,” Timalah says, grinning from ear to ear. “He is catching on quick. Soon enough he will be outspeaking us all.”
Ghenie gives him a soft smile. I know he has some sort of weirdTorallehconnection to everyone but he’s also mentioned to me that he’s fairly certain Druim will be the nextTorallehafter him. It’s weird knowing that. Druim is just a baby still, but someday he’ll be grown and when he is, he might well be leading theLayperrypeople.
The next people through the door are Maria, Aldo, Gendry, and their daughter, MJ. I clasp Gendry on the shoulder and welcome the rest inside.
“I have to poop,” I say to Gendry. Aldo bursts into a fit of giggles.
“Excuse me?” Maria asks, looking put out. I hold up my hands.
“Sorry, it’s an inside joke.”
“When I was on Earth, Christian told me that was a phrase humans used to greet each other. That is the first thing I said when meeting Aldo.”
Maria raises her brow at her son. “That’s how he introduced himself and you still fell for him?”
“I did indeed,” he says with a grin, looking up at his mate. These two are somehow sappier than Timalah and Miles. Okay, enough eye fucking before I toss up my lunch.
“Right this way,” I say, ushering them towards the table. “You can make your own plate and mingle as you see fit. The kids have a little area in the living room. Let me know if you need anything.”
Now I sit by the door and wait, hoping I don’t look like an idiot to everyone else already here. When there’s a knock at the door, my heart jumps up to my throat. I take a breath before opening it up.
“Christian! Hello! It’s so lovely to see you. Thank you again for inviting us,” Scrintum says, pulling me into a tight hug. I let out a squeak of surprise before composing myself and hugging him back.
Plun on the other hand reaches over and takes my hand, giving it a firm shake. “Nice to see you again, son.”
There’s that word again. Son. He says it with such warmth and casualness but it leaves me feeling some sort of way.
“Come in,” I say, closing the door behind them. “I have a table of food for you to pick from and a bottle of your favorite wine. Ghenie picked it out because he knew you liked it.”
“That is quite thoughtful, Christian.”
Timalah, Gendry, and Ghenie are talking in a corner together while Miles, Aldo, and Maria are sitting in the living area with the kids. I guide Scrintum and Plun to the food table, showing them the selection.
“You seem nervous,” Plun says, picking up a plate and piling food onto it. He’s a man of few words so when he speaks, it usually means something.
“I’m not! Of course not! What do I have to be nervous about?”
“Nothing,” he says, reaching over and clasping my shoulder. “Take a breath.”
I suck in a sharp breath and I have to admit, I do feel a lot better afterwards. I go to grab the wine but I misjudge the distance. Christ on a cracker, I spill it across my pants.
“Fuck.”
Scrintum is there, pushing me into the kitchen. “No worries. Let me get you cleaned up.”
“No, you don’t have to.”
“I insist. Let me dote on you.”
Scrintum pushes me down onto the breakfast stool, running around the kitchen in order to grab a rag and some water. Then he wipes the mess from my shirt and pants. Plun on the other hand, grabs a different rag and cleans up the table in the other room. Both do it without any fuss. There’s no shouting or anger or resentment that I’ve ruined the moment.
They take care of me and do it with soft smiles on their faces. Like they’reenjoyingbeing able to care for me.
I am floored with emotions. They hit me square in the chest so hard I suddenly can’t breathe.
My entire life, I wondered what it would be like to have parents who loved me and suddenly, out of nowhere, I have them. Plun and Scrintum barely know me but I think they’ve adopted me without me realizing.
