Page 42 of My Christmas Alien Mate

Maybe it was because Galexor had entered my life at a point where I had been at my most vulnerable, or maybe it was because he was an alien, either way though, we were part of each other's lives now, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

In the master bedroom, Galexor found another set of sheets that would fit my bed, one that wasn't lavender, and threw it into the washing machine. It still astonished me how quickly he adapted to human amenities, but for him, they were probably mere antiques.

"I'll ask Dad to get us a real cleaner unit," Galexor mumbled from the laundry room, making me smile at the way he was calling his father Dad now. We were definitely watching too many human movies. Galexor had taken to them with vigor. He explained that they didn't have anything like that in the Galactic Union, they had history reenactment, or science documentaries, but no science fiction. Everything in their culture was geared toward advancement and learning, from toys for the children to entertainment for the adults, at least everything he had told me about so far.

I wondered if we would be fighting about how to raise and school our children in the future, but for some reason, I was sure Galexor and I would find the perfect middle ground.

A couple of generations back, my great-whatever-grandma had come from Germany, and their Christmas tradition had been a goose for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Over time, that goose had changed into a turkey, which was what I was making for us tonight and the roasting meat in the oven seemed to make Galexor extra hungry, because he nibbled on everything I put out.

"I'll go get them," Galexor said once it got dark outside.

"I'll come with you," I offered, and we walked hand in hand to the pier.

When the spaceship came into view, I was reminded of how Galexor and I met, which seemed forever ago but was in truth only a little over a week and marveled again at how close we had come in such a short time.

A low giggle escaped when I thought about my lake becoming a parking lot for alien spaceships, and Galexor gave me a questioning glance. Before I could fill him in though, we saw two forms swimming toward us. Galexor waved his flashlight to send them in the right direction, and I stared at the dark water, remembering with a shiver how I had fallen in and almost drowned. I squeezed Galexor's hand.

"You saved me that day."

He shook his head. "No, you saved me. You have no idea about what you have given me. Not only your love, but a meaning in life. A true meaning in life, better than risking it by testing a new protoship and running on adrenaline. Love is a much better motivator, trust me."

I smiled at him and saw the truth reflected in his eyes, warming my heart. I had worried that one day he might look back at his military career and regret having chosen to become a baker instead, but right then, I knew that worry was groundless. I realized Galexor might have enjoyed the risks he took before, but now he was ready to settle down with me and build something that would support us for the rest of our lives rather than cutting it short.

Galexor gave his dad and Adred a hand to pull them up onto the pier and when I hugged them hello, I marveled again that neither their hair nor their uniforms were wet.

Galexor had insisted on decorating the back of the house just like I had the front, and as we were walking back to the cabin, I noticed both Kzod and Adred staring at the many twinkling lights.

"This is beautiful."

"It's for Christmas," Galexor explained and for the next few minutes while we walked to the house, he explained everything he knew about Christmas to his father and brother, making me smile.

He had even picked movies for later:It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story,andHome Alone,buton top of that list wasHow the Grinch Stole Christmas, the original one, and we had decided that he and his family would watch it while I put the finishing touches on our dinner. At first, Galexor hadn't liked that idea, but I told him that it would be rude of us to leave our guests alone while he helped me in the kitchen no matter how much I appreciated the help.

Never had I had more fun preparing a meal than that day while the men chuckled over the Grinch's shenanigans, and I stole a glance here and there. I got so engrossed, I almost burned the green beans.

As if I had planned it that way—which I hadn't, I'm not that good—the food was ready right after the movie ended, and soon we sat around the table Galexor had decorated earlier with Grandma's good china.

"I still can't get over having a tree in the middle of your house," Kzod observed, taking his first bite of turkey.

"It took me a while to get used to it too," Galexor admitted.

"And all those colorful boxes are presents?" Adred asked.

"Yes, and we're not allowed to open them until tomorrow morning," Galexor explained the rules to Adred.

My gaze followed his and a shudder of pleasure ran through me when I remembered that a week ago there had been nothing. I hadn't bothered to buy any presents for myself, and the tree had looked bare. Now though, it looked almost obscene with the number of wrapped gifts stacked on top of each other.

Not only had Galexor and I gone overboard with buying for each other, we also bought presents for his father and brother, and by the way the men had whispered and vanished into my room earlier, I surmised they had brought presents as well that Galexor helped them wrap.

"This is delicious, just like your baking," Kzod praised after he swallowed his first bite of turkey.

"Thank you," I smiled at Kzod.

"You helped make this?" Kzod pointed his fork at Galexor.

I answered in his stead. "He made the bread rolls, the mashed potatoes, and the red cabbage, following my grandma's recipe."

Kzod raised an eyebrow at his son. "I'm impressed. Looks like you're as good with a stove as you are with a blaster."

---