Page 46 of My Christmas Alien Mate

He fidgeted nervously, and I realized he was taking a risk here. If I rebuked him, it would be in front of his father and brother, but I was too happy to even contemplate it. "Oh, Galexor, thank you!"

I threw my arms around him, careful of the envelope, and kissed him. "Thank you. You are my Christmas alien miracle."

"You like it?"

"I love it. I love you." I kissed him again. "But I will have to pay you back."

He grinned crookedly and whispered only for me to hear, "I have a few ideas on how."

I slapped his arm, but he pulled me closer, kissing me until we were both breathless and said, "I love you."

"How did you pull this off and when?" I asked, still astounded that I, we, wouldn't have to leave the only place I had ever known as home.

"Remember the day I said I went into Charming?" I nodded. "Well I kind of lied. I went there too, but I also went into the city. It was more inconspicuous to sell my diamonds there. Then I opened a bank account and went back to Charming, where I paid the bank off."

I had tears in my eyes when I stared at the man who did all that for me. One thing nagged at me though. "How did you open a bank account? You don't have a driver's license, social security number…"

"I do, however, have the full force of the Galactic Union's tech team behind me. Trust me, your human computers are not that hard to hack. Here," he pulled something from his pants pockets, and I stared at a driver's license, social security card, and birth certificate. "Galexor Solano," I read out loud, staring at the birthdate that made him three years older than me.

"Oh, Galexor." I didn't know what to say.

"Which brings me to my next gift."

He pulled something from his other pocket and fell on one knee, making mine go mushy and weak. "Amber McGregor, we only met a couple of weeks ago, but in my heart, I know you are the one, my forever mate. Ever since I met you, I learned things about myself I didn't know. You have awakened parts in me I would have never discovered without you. That one day away from you was hell. The only reason I didn't come home after an hour was because I needed to do these things, for you, for us."

Tears were falling down my cheeks, and I pressed my hand against my heart to keep it from jumping out of my chest.

"That day though taught me that I never, ever want to be away from you again. So I'm asking you if you would marry me, be my Christmas mate?"

I sank to my knees and hugged him. "Yes. Galexor, yes."

He kissed me so deeply I forgot everything around me until Kzod cleared his throat. With an impish look on his face, Galexor opened the ring box for me, and my breath caught. What was inside had to be a two or three carat diamond. I didn't know much about it, only that it was huge and looked like the princess bloom ring I had admired on one of our trips to Charming.

"Do you like it?"

I pulled it out and stared at it. The stone was so brilliant, it reflected off the lights in so many facets, it took my breath away. "It's stunning."

"You are stunning," he smiled and put the ring on my finger.

"How did you know my size?"

"I may or may not have wound some string around your finger while you slept," he admitted.

I shook my head. "You are more conniving than I gave you credit for, between this and your trip to the city—"

"You have no idea how conniving he can be," Adred interrupted, and Galexor glared at him.

"But you'll always have me to keep yourChristmas matein line," Adred laughed.

Kzod and Adred helped Galexor and me to our feet, and the four of us hugged. "I always wanted a sister," Adred said.

"And I a daughter," Kzod added.

"And I a father and a brother." I smiled.

"And I a Christmas mate," Galexor laughed, but his eyes looked suspiciously moist.

ThisChristmasturnedoutto be the best day of my life. Slowly, we made our way through the mountain of presents, joked, ate, and were… merry. A word I hadn't quite understood until that day.

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