Page 34 of Jorhee

“Is there a driving test we need to take if we use it off of the farm?” Roger asked, already settling his older children into rear seats.

I sighed. “Not yet. You’re fine to operate it as long as you don’t pose a danger to anyone.”

Roger nodded as he took their youngest from his wife. She climbed in and took him back, settling him on her lap. “We’ll be sure to practice first.”

“Great! “

“They’re super easy,” Demert assured him. “You’ll be an expert after a little bit of practice.”

Both drivers bowed their heads to me and the small human family began excitedly waving goodbye to me and everyone else they could see as the flitters slowly flew away, taking them towards their new life here in New Haven.

“They were nice folks. Cute kids, too.” He grinned. “Did you see how Bethany and George kept trying to get Buster to stay close so they could pet him?”

I smiled indulgently down at the canine in question. “I certainly did.”

“Oh! I know! There’s a custom we have back on Earth where you give a present to someone who gets a new home and moves in. It’s called a housewarming gift. If I ask and they say it’s okay, can we get them a dog or a cat of their own?”

It was a dear, sweet thought and my hearts filled with warmth from it.

“I think that’s a wonderful tradition. Yes, find out if they will accept such a gift, and if so, we’ll arrange for it immediately.”

“We’re going to need a bigger water fountain if more than Buster is going to be in town,” Bob said.

“Water fountain?” Jesse echoed.

“Yes. In addition to troughs and tie ups for horses who may end up being ridden into town, a central water fountain for cats and dogs is being placed.”

“Huh. That's not a bad idea, actually.”

I nodded my agreement, turning to watch as the roof was placed on our house.

“Looks like the outside is nearly finished already,” I murmured.

Jesse turned to look, and the camera moved with him. ”It’s so cool how the outside walls and the roof already have the correct texture and color.”

“The colors look even better in reality than the rendering did.”

“Sure does,” he said softly. Then louder. “Alright, that’s all for this video today. We’ll be seeing you again after the wedding, which will be streamed live and then a copy of it uploaded here to the channel, so you can watch us get hitched if you want to. Hope to see you later!”

The light on the cambot went dark.

“Come on, let’s get back to being lazy.”

I took his hand to walk back to our quarters aboard ship.

“That sounds wonderful to me.”

I could simply sit and hold him all day and night, and be perfectly content.

22

JESSE

The morning of our wedding was as bright and sunny as always, the twin moons still looming impossibly large in the sky. The manse was complete - at least, as complete as it could be without the stove and double door refrigerator and freezer we’d ordered from Earth along with the stained glass windows from the ecclesiastical guild in Wisconsin. The clawfoot tubs, the shower stalls with glass and steel doors etched with sheaves of wheat, the bidet toilets made to look like old wall hung toilets unless you looked carefully, and the wall hung sinks with carved “wooden” legs and shelves beneath to hold extra hand towels had all been replicated and installed, as had the lighting and a homey mix of furniture of human and Dragonii styles for our private living quarters. Well, except for all of the bedrooms. Those stood empty except for our master. The guestroom in our wing would get its furnishings when the fancy stuff for the official business half of the house got done.

We hadn’t stayed in it yet, though yesterday evening Kiprr and Fethri had helped us move our clothes and other personal effects from our quarters aboard the corsair. We’d managed to load most of it into the back of my truck, which, since itsfuel source conversion made it legal to drive here, we’d used as a moving truck. Johree had barely fit inside the cab and had declared that he was sticking to a flitter after this unless absolutely necessary, which made me laugh. Our outfits for the wedding had remained aboard, along with the flowers for our lapels, so after getting up this morning and sharing a quick breakfast, we’d gone into our rooms and dressed. I knew it wasn’t typical wedding protocol back on Earth, but I didn’t give two shits about that. He was already mine just as I was his, except for the pretty words and the bite mark.

This was the first time I’d been with someone and not had sex from practically the lust at first sight moment. The lack of it had not only given me a terrible case of blue balls, but gifted me a larger awareness of everything else about him. Things like the way he smelled after a shower and after a long day, the way his eyes lit up and the way he simply seemed to somehow radiate actual joy when he let loose a laugh, the tenderness in his gaze whenever I caught him looking at me, and the naturalness of how we melted into each other while cuddling on the sofa. Then there were his kisses - gentle, yet filled with a restrained hunger I could sense; ones which were more than quick pecks, so filled with easy, deep affection that I found myself wanting; and the last few nights, slow, languid ones accompanied by gentle touches to my head, shoulders and back that overcame my senses until all there was was him. We always parted abruptly, me panting and his eyes intense, nostrils flaring, as he moved away and wished me a hurried good night before retreating to his room. But not before I saw he’d well and truly joined me in the Great Blue Balls Club.