His sisters burst out laughing.
“Well, come on,” said Emma, wiping tears from her eyes. “You have to meet the rest of the family.”
The next thing Fen knew, she was hauled out of the bedroom and back to the living room. Carter was sitting on the sofa, glass in hand, surrounded by the family. He was in the middle of a story, but as soon as Fen came out, everyone jumped up and introduced themselves. She met his mother, father, grandmother, two aunts, and a nephew, plus two foster kids (the elephant and the hedgehog.)
Every single one of them seemed absolutely thrilled to meet her, and kept promising that the rest of the family had been summoned and would be there soon. It was true. New family members kept arriving until the house was bursting at the seams, and then they were all settled down for a lavish and delicious dinner.
“Made with Little Bit appliances,” said Carter’s grandma, with a wink at Fen.
Carter heaved a long-suffering sigh for the benefit of his family, then winked at her too.
Dinner was a long and noisy affair, with multiple conversations going on at once. Everyone kept piling food on Fen’s plate, congratulating her for putting up with Carter, and asking her questions about herself. Chatty as they were, they all seemed very interested in her, too. But she noticed they were carefully avoiding the topic of what exactly had happened to Carter to change his shift form. From the pointed looks, they weren’t going to get into that until the younger kids were asleep.
Fen took the opportunity to keep up her end of the conversation by asking about Carter’s childhood. He looked increasingly pained as his family recounted a number of hilarious and embarrassing stories. But they also told stories about how smart he was, how he’d stood up for bullied kids, and how impressed they were with his piloting, inventing, and business skills. They teased each other and pushed each other’s buttons, but there was no malice in it. Whenever anyone looked like they might be on the verge of anger or hurt, they backed off.
As the parents went off to put their kids to bed, Fen thought,This is what a family that loves each other looks like.
Once the kids were tucked in, Carter began telling his story. It turned out that the Howes could be quiet when they wanted, and they let him talk with very few interruptions. Fen sat beside him and held his hand under the table. But he got through the story much more easily than he had when he’d told it to her, and she could see that he was no longer afraid of being shamed or rejected.
His mother cried, and Emma shouted at him for not telling her what was going on so she could help, and his grandmother scolded him for not bringing Fiona home after he’d bitten her. But no one shamed him. No one rejected him. And everyone told him they loved him. After a while, Fen could see that they were getting into some deep family stuff, and she excused herself and went up to his old bedroom in the attic.
Carter joined her about an hour later. He looked tired and his eyes were reddened, but he was smiling.
“Everything all right?” she asked.
He nodded. “A bit intense, but I guess that’s what I get for dodging them for two years.”
She beckoned him into bed. Fen was already in it, wearing a pair of Emma’s pajamas. “Emma left these for me on the bed. Also a water bottle, a saucer of cookies, and clothes for next morning.”
“She’s sweet like that.”
“They’re all sweet. You’re lucky to have them.”
“I am.” He grinned. “They do drive me crazy if I have to interact with them for more than about three days at a time. But in three-day installments, they’re great.”
“I’m jealous,” Fen confessed.
He pulled her close. “Don’t be. They’re dying to be your family too, you know. All you have to do is let them.”
If he’d said that before she met them, she wouldn’t have believed it. But now that she had, she knew it was true. They loved her for Carter’s sake, but they liked her for her own. His sisters admired her as a strong female entrepreneur, and his grandmother thought her appliances were brilliant, and his mother had an enormous heart and was delighted to acquire another daughter, and his father shared her taste in movies, and the foster elephant kid had been utterly charmed by her willingness to sit on the floor and playJumanji.
Her eyes stung with tears. Blinking hard, she said, “Of course I’ll let them.”
“They’ll be thrilled,” he promised her. “Honestly, they’re lucky to have you. And they know it.”
“I’m the lucky one,” said Fen.
“No.” Carter kissed her. “I am.”
Chapter 33
Fen satwith Sugar nestled in her lap as Carter typed up their wedding guest list. They’d already filled in the obvious—family, friends, the Defenders, the women entrepreneur’s softball league, and a number of Little Bit and Howe Enterprises employees—and were now getting into the questionable cases.
“I want Norris,” said Fen.
Carter rolled his eyes, but typed him in. “If he turns into a giant fish when they ask if anyone has any objections, it’s on you.”
“I think he’ll manage to hold out till the shifters’ reception.” The wedding was for all the guests, but they were holding two receptions. Like the wedding itself, both were on a tiny, privately owned island, but on different days. One was for the guests who didn’t know about shifters, and the other was for shifters and their friends and family. “He can swim all he likes at that one. Anyway, he has to come. I owe him a very special wedding favor.”
