“Just a lot of blur,” Lizzie said disappointedly. “We’re out here in space, and we can’t see any of it, not really.”
“Well, maybe once we hit our next stop we’ll be able to see some things.” Things like star charts that would lead us back to Kreaving and his crew, for example. Heaved another internal sigh—the kids wanted a vacation and this wasn’t much of one so far. Not that we were here to have fun, but since we were here, the kids might as well enjoy it.
Jeff pushed the button and the metal cover went back over the window. “You know what, why don’t your mother and I tell you guys about when we visited Alpha Four?”
“When was that, Daddy?” Jamie asked, interest radiating.
He grinned as he sat down on the couch in the living room area and pulled her up onto his lap. “Oh, this was before you were born, Jamie-Kat.” I sat on one side of him with Charlie in my lap, and Lizzie took Jeff’s other side.
“How old would Lizzie have been?” Jamie asked.
Jeff turned to our teenager who was looking a little wistful. “Hmmm, I think, about eight or nine.” Jeff put his arm around Lizzie’s shoulders. “So, a little girl, but bigger than you are now.” He hugged Lizzie. “Though I’m sure she was still amazing at that age, just like you and Charlie are.”
Jamie beamed, Lizzie looked pleased, and Charlie climbed out of my lap and into Jeff’s. I felt the love.
Jeff grinned at me as Jamie snuggled under Jeff’s arm so that she was on Lizzie, too, and Charlie did the same on Jeff’s other side while Jeff put his other arm around me. “Don’t want you feeling left out, baby.” Charlie did me a solid by imitating Jamie and allowing part of himself to be on my lap, too.
“I’ll whine about how no one wants to snuggle with me later.”
“Oh, Mommy, we’re with Daddy so the pets can be closer to you,” Jamie said. “They’re a little scared and they want to be with us, but they want to be near you the most. You’re the one they love best, even though they love all of us so much.”
Her Poof appeared in her lap and mewed at her in a hurt tone. Jamie picked the Poof up and kissed it. “I’m sorry, Mous-Mous. I know you love me best of all.” She cuddled the Poof to her chest and it seemed appeased.
Looked to my left. Sure enough, Bruno and his mate, Lola, were both on the couch. Lola got into my lap and settled in on and between me and Charlie. Bruno snuggled up next to me, then Ginger trotted in, leapt gracefully onto the back of the couch, and settled on it behind me and Jeff. Wilbur followed her and the chocho settled at our feet with a happy honk.
This meant it was now time for the rest of the Poofs and the rabbits. Peter and SuperBun hopped over while the rest of our Poofs all appeared and snuggled into their owners’ necks. SuperBun and Peter both jumped up into my lap. Several other rabbits hopped in and they also jumped up and settled into laps. Extra Poofs and rabbits lined the back of the couch or were on the floor cuddled next to Wilbur, who seemed to love having new friends.
Risked a look at Jeff. He looked like he was warring between laughing his head off and asking for a divorce.
He laughed and winked at me. “Never the latter, baby. Ever. Now, who wants the story?”
“I do!” all three kids said in unison.
Ginger and the Poofs purred, Wilbur honked, the rabbits wiggled their noses, and Bruno and Lola cawed quietly. “That’s a big yes from everyone, Jeff. Carry on. I’ll add in as necessary.”
“Oh, I’m sure you will. Just before Mommy and I got married, we had a chance to go to Alpha Four to see relatives we hadn’t even met yet. Your uncle Alexander and great-aunt Victoria.”
Jeff shared an extremely sanitized version of the events during the end of Operation Invasion. But his voice was soothing and the story was sweet. He described Alpha Four—far better than I would have, and with a lot more detail.
“I wanted to go there,” Lizzie said, trying not to yawn. “I wanted to visit King Alexander.”
“We’ll get there,” I said. “I promise.”
“I don’t care where we go,” Jamie said. She yawned, then went on. “I just want us to all be together when we go. I’m sorry the puppies and kitties didn’t get to come with us.”
“They’re happy taking care of Papa Sol, Nana Angela, Grandpa Alfred, and Grandma Lucinda. And anyone else who had to stay home.” Knew that the Poofs and Peregrines had given the Animal Orders for such, so I wasn’t lying. After me and Jamie, I was pretty sure that Dad was all the animals’ favorite, since his idea of poor treatment for a pet was that said pet might not have the best dog or cat bed available in every room. So those left at home were being spoiled rotten, and that included any ocellars, chochos, Poofs, and Peregrines, as well as the dogs and cats.
“That’s right,” Jeff said. “They have their jobs to do, just like we do. And speaking of jobs, we had a job to do on Alpha Four before we went home to Earth. We got to install Uncle Alexander as the King.”
He went on to describe a ceremony that had never happened, though I imagined it was what normally happened. Charlie yawned so widely I wondered if he had Ezkot blood in him. Then he leaned his head against Jeff’s chest, his Poof still cuddled into his neck, his little hands wrapped gently around the bunny in his lap, Lola’s head resting against his side, and fell fast asleep.
Jeff smiled and kept on talking, telling the girls about our wedding. They were interested and fighting to stay awake, but Jeff was definitely lulling them to sleep, as were the rhythmic sounds of animal snoozing and the warmth of all the fur and feathers around us.
Lizzie leaned her head against Jeff’s shoulders, murmured that she was paying attention but needed to close her eyes, and was out.
Jamie heaved a sigh. “Mommy?” she asked as Jeff paused.
“Yes?”
“Will you go to sleep if you’re the last one awake?”
This was a good question, because when we were in what I considered a danger situation and everyone else was asleep, no matter how tired I was, I woke up and stayed awake. And Jamie knew it.
“I think so.”
Jeff kissed the top of Jamie’s head. “Don’t worry about it, Jamie-Kat. I promise Mommy’s going to fall asleep right after you.”
“O-kay,” she said with another big yawn. She leaned against Jeff’s chest. “Tell me again about how Mommy ran to meet you, Daddy.”
He chuckled. “It was the best wedding ever.” Jamie was asleep before the last word. Jeff kissed my forehead. “You’re next, baby.”
Decided that there were times to obey my husband, and this was one of them. Leaned my head back against his shoulder and listened to Ginger’s purring. “This is nice.”
“It is,” Jeff said softly. “My family. You sleep, baby. You’ve earned it.”
My turn to yawn. “You need to sleep, too.”