Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Grath looked surprised but kissed her back, also on the cheek, while saying,
“Thank you for letting me come to your holiday festivities.”
“Oh my goodness, you’re so welcome, young man! I’ve been trying to get Mattie to bring someone home for ages!” her mother exclaimed. “But the two of you must be freezing—come in, come in!”
She beckoned them excitedly into the house and they followed her through the front living area around to the back where the big, farmhouse kitchen was packed with Mattie’s family standing around the stove and the hand-carved kitchen island.
“Mattie!” her older sister Anna exclaimed, reaching for her at once.
Mattie hugged her, feeling her sister’s baby bump pressing against her own stomach. She laughed as they pulled apart.
“Oh my God, you’re huge!”
“I am, aren’t I?” Anna grinned, caressing her rounded stomach protectively. “I’m due in two months! But who’s you’re man?”
She nodded up at Grath, who loomed head and shoulders above all of them.
For the first time, Mattie felt guilty for lying. She’d always been close with her older sister—the two of them had used to share everything. They had only grown apart when Mattie had moved up to the Kindred Mother Ship. Still, she had to keep the real nature of her relationship with Grath secret or the jig would be up and she would never get that assignment to Vi’ri’tex Delta.
“This is Grath. He’s my Protector and my…” Mattie swallowed. “And my date for the holidays.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Grath rumbled. Leaning down, he swept Anna into a hug and kissed her on the cheek, just as he had done with Mattie’s mom.
“Oh my! Nice to meet you, too!” Anna looked quite flushed and overwhelmed when Grath let her go. “He’s so big!” she whispered to Mattie.
“He’s Kindred—they all are.” Mattie shrugged. She supposed she had gotten used to how huge the Kindred warriors all were, since she’d been living among them for months now.
“Grath, this is my husband, Ethan,” Anna said, nodding at her spouse.
Ethan was only a few inches taller than she was with sandy brown hair and mild brown eyes.
“Pleased to meet you,” he said, holding out a hand.
But Grath ignored the offered hand and gathered the much smaller man into a bear hug, just as he had with Mattie’s mother and sister.
“Ooof!” Ethan gasped as the muscular arms encircled him and then Grath kissed him soundly on the cheek before letting him go.
Mattie couldn’t help grinning at her brother-in-law’s shocked look. But she moved hurriedly to intervene before Grath could also grab her Dad in a bear hug.
“No, wait—you shake hands with human men,” she said quickly, as her Dad eyed the huge warrior uncertainly.
“You told me to kiss them all on the cheek,” Grath pointed out, frowning at her.
“Yes, well, I was wrong. You can just shake hands. See? Dad—hold out your hand,” Mattie commanded.
Her father—an older man with gray hair and glasses—put out his hand hesitantly and Grath enveloped it with his own, much larger one.
“Pleased to meet you,” Mattie’s Dad said. “Er, welcome to our home.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” Grath rumbled politely. He sniffed the air. “What’s that delicious smell?”
“Oh—that’s a roast I’m cooking for supper!” Mattie’s mother was suddenly busy at the stove, checking inside the oven and looking at the mashed potatoes and green beans. “Mattie—I hope your, er, new boyfriend isn’t a vegetarian,” she said over her shoulder.
Mattie looked up at Grath. Actually, they had never discussed dietary restrictions or food preferences or anything at all, really, because they had always been at odds. This was the first time since he’d become her Protector that the big Kindred wasn’t shoving her away.
“Grath?” she asked as her mom looked on anxiously. “Do you mind eating meat?”
“I’ll eat anything you put in front of me,” Grath assured them politely. “Especially when it smells as good as whatever it is you’re cooking.”
“Oh, good!” Mattie’s mom looked relieved. “Well, everything is almost ready. Mattie, would you go get your Grandma? She’s lying down in her room.”
“No, I’m not! Here I am.”
Grandma Thelma came into the farmhouse kitchen, leaning heavily on a cane. She was eighty-five but still as sharp as ever and the first thing she did was give Mattie a hug that smelled like baby powder and old-fashioned perfume.
“It’s good to see you back again, sweetie-pie,” she said, using her old nickname for Mattie as they embraced. “Now who’s this giant you brought to see us?” she added as they pulled apart.
“Grandma Thelma, this is Grath. He’s my Protector and we’re also dating,” Mattie said, trying her best to sound honest though she was squirming inside about lying to her sweet old grandma.
“Pleased to meet you, Ma’am,” Grath said politely. He leaned down to give her Grandma a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Mattie thought it was like watching a Great Dane trying cautiously to be friendly with a Pomeranian. Grandma Thelma was so tiny and shrunken that the top of her head barely came up to Mattie’s shoulder, so Grath had to bend nearly double to embrace her. He hugged the old lady very carefully, she noticed, almost as though Grandma Thelma was made of fine China and might develop a crack if he squeezed too tightly.