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It wasn’t until much later they were able to talk about everything that happened. “Well, it could have gone much worse,” Mia pointed out, though it certainly hadn’t gone well.
“You are not wrong, but her reaction to the news, fake or not, was a bit extreme. I think I might be right, but I need more evidence to act on it. For now, let’s get some sleep, and I’ll see what I can do tomorrow from home.”
“Sounds good. Sleep well.” Mia cuddled up to him in bed, breathing in his familiar scent. It reminded her vaguely of pine trees from back on Earth. He stroked her back lightly as they relaxed, and she soon found all of her tension drifting away as she dozed off.
Whether his people would react like his sister or be more understanding like his brother still remained to be seen. But when it was just the two of them together, it didn’t matter. Mia knew they belonged together whether anyone else accepted it or not.
* * *
Mia woke earlythe next morning to get the kitchen cleaned up from the previous night’s meal. She watched Tharon act as if he was leaving and come back inside to go to his office for the day. After she cleaned up around the dining room and kitchen, she got the kids ready for school. They had just left when the doorbell rang.
She was surprised to see Werin at the door. “Hello, I wasn’t expecting you today. Did I mess up the customs again?”
“No, not at all. I just thought about my reaction last night and realized I should come by to set things right. Especially if you are going to be my sister-in-law.”
“That’s so kind of you. Come on in.” Mia stepped to the side, inviting Werin into the house.
Werin looked around as Mia closed the door and led her into the living room. “You certainly keep the house in order. Before you, I’m pretty sure the house was always a wreck since Tharon was always busy and barely had time for the children.”
“I try, that’s all. They should be home later this afternoon if you want to stick around and say hello.”
“That’s all right, dear. How did you manage to make the dinner last night so well? I didn’t think our cuisine was something an Earthling could pick up.”
“Honestly, it wasn’t easy at first, but the more I work at it, the easier it gets.”
“You seem to have picked up on it well in your short time here. Is Tharon around today?”
Mia remembered Tharon wanted to make it look like he was going to the office today and shrugged an answer. “I think he is at the office.” She didn’t lie technically. Hewasat the office. Just the office at home.
“Oh, will he be there long?”
“I think he said he had a lot of work to do today, so we probably won’t see him until around dinnertime.” Again, she hadn’t lied, just fudged the truth a little.
The words no sooner left her mouth than Werin leapt across the couch in Mia’s direction. Mia barely got out of the way in time. “What do you think you are doing?”
Werin gritted an answer through her teeth. “You will not marry my brother. It’s against all our policies and customs.”
Mia stood in a defensive posture to block her next attack. “I should have known better than to trust you.” She was ready to dodge the next attack from Werin and grab the metal poker from beside the fireplace.
“I should have taken you down before you even met my brother.” Werin jumped toward her again, ready to yank her up with her massive arms. Mia managed to dodge her hands and rolled for the fireplace. She grabbed the poker as Tharon ran into the room. “I thought you said he was in the office for the day?”
“That’s funny. I thought you said you were sorry about how you reacted to the news last night,” Tharon replied.
“How do you expect me to react when you bring an Earthling to our planet to nanny my niece and nephew? Let alone when you tell me you are planning to marry her. Kiek was right. I should've let him kill you both.” Werin had obviously given up any pretense.
“Thanks for putting the final pieces together for me. All I needed was for you to slip up and do something as stupid as what you are doing right now.” Tharon sounded triumphant in his statement. “Now I can arrest you and settle this whole issue once and for all.”
“Not before I get a few hits in.” Werin jumped for Mia again but fell short when Tharon grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to bring both of her arms behind her back and cuff her.
“It’s a good thing I keep cuffs on my uniform at all times.”
Mia cuddled up to him. “Thank you for coming to help me, sugar buns. I think I could have taken her, though.”
“Hmm. Let’s just say I wasn’t willing to take the chance, sweet thing.”
TWENTY-FIVE
MIA
