Page 29 of All You Need is Alien Love
Kai tears open the package like an eager kid at Christmas. Inside is a digital photo frame, and when he turns it on a seemingly never-ending slideshow of images of me, from the day I was born all the way through my teenage years and beyond, starts playing across the screen.
My sweet hubby-boo’s staring at the images and smiling so big and bright it’s damn near blinding.
Benji flashes a mellow but happy grin. “Dude, I know how much you love my nephew, and I trust you to be an equal partner with him for the rest of his life. I may not know you as well as River does, but I’ve seen the way you look at him. That’s true love all the way.” He gestures at the digital photo frame. “I wanted to share some of the memories I have of River growingup because I know you’ll appreciate and treasure them. He’s been the most important person in my life for a long time, and now he’s going to be your most precious person.”
Love you, I mouth at Benji.
He rewards me with his sweetest smile and an air kiss.
Kai clutches the gift to his chest, his eyes wet with unshed tears. “This is one the most amazing gifts I’ve ever received. Thank you.”
I lean in closer, my heart full and warm. “You bet your sweet ass it is. It’s all pictures of me.” I point to a chubby baby snapshot of me in a diaper and nothing else on the screen. Naturally, I’m giving the camera a mischievous look with one hand curled coyly under my chin, the other fisted on a hip. “Look at how stinking cute I was! I could have been a child model. Talk about a wasted opportunity.”
Kai laughs and leans over to plant a soft kiss on my cheek. “You’re still adorable, babe, and you always will be.”
Damn the man, but he is giving me all the feels! My love for him just gets deeper and more complex with every day that we spend together. The intensity of it makes me breathless—and so very grateful.
My father steps up and hands Kai a bigger package with some heft to it. “This is from Melody and me.”
Kai opens the box and we both stare in amazement at the shit ton of DVDs inside.
“We’ve included some of River’s favorite movies and TV shows from when he was little,” my dad explains. “In his early years, Melody raised him on a steady diet of all the quintessential sci-fi and fantasy classics, and there’s no better way to know River than through what he loves.”
I clutch a hand to my chest, genuinely touched. “OMG, you guys, this is so awesome.”
Kai has a slightly dazed look on his face.
I sigh happily. “See, boo, now we’ve got movies for our date nights for weeks to come.”
“Oh… goody…” he says in a faint voice that sounds far from enthused.
I give his shoulder a playful smack. “You’re gonna love it.” I start rummaging through the box, oohing and aahing at some of the titles, excited to see quite a few I haven’t actually had time to introduce to Kai yet.
“This is great, Mom and Dad, thanks so much.”
It’s comforting to know we still connect on things like this. They remember what I like, even after all these years.
Maddox gets to his feet as my dad and Benji sit down. “It’s my great pleasure to give our welcome gift to River. Ellie and I are so delighted to officially have River as our third son because, just as he did with Kai, he won over our hearts from the very beginning.” He passes me a square box that looks uncannily similar to the one Kai opened earlier.
I rip and tear my way through the paper and yank the lid open, squeeing in delight when I find another digital photo frame.
Maddox’s cheeks flush. “Ahem, yes. We consulted with Benji and decided that it was only fair and appropriate for you to receive a similar chronicle of Kai’s early life.”
I turn the screen on and the first picture is of a newborn Kai screaming his head off with four of his wee baby tentacles squirming in the air.
“Oh. My. Freaking.Gods. You were so adorable! Are all baby Iyarans this cute?”
Iris waggles her eyebrows at me. “Of course they are! You never know, you and my grandson might get a chance to find out someday.”
She’s no doubt referring to the whole Tentaculum Calefaction business. Thankfully, Kai managed to get throughhis unexpected episode and is back to normal. Just learning that males of his species have the potential to gestate offspring was a bit mind-blowing to a—mostly—human person like me.
“Grandma, I don’t think River and I are ready for something like that just yet. Maybe someday.” Kai’s arm squeezes around me, and I pat his thigh in reassurance.
“We’ll see,” Iris murmurs, a twinkle in her eye that makes me start to sweat.
I turn my attention back to the picture frame as more images flash by. Kai as a toddler with chubby cheeks slays me! He stares at the camera with big purple eyes and his thumb in his mouth while those mischievous tentacles of his curl in the air.
My heart pitter-patters.
