And Gio's opinion was the one that mattered.
He is our mate, her jaguar purred in her chest. It still didn't talk much, but it was a constant presence, comfortable and reassuring, the never-fading awareness of her deepest soul.What else could possibly matter?
She was Gio's mate. Her jaguar was right. Worrying about other things made no sense.
Anyway, she thought, it wasn't fair to assume that Gio's family would judge or reject her without giving them a chance, any more than hers had rejected him. Mace and Thea and the others seemed nice, and she knew Gio had already told them about her, so it wasn't as if they expected her to be a gentle domestic type of person.
It will be all right,she told herself.
Of course it will,her jaguar said.
Just then, as if to reaffirm her decision, the clouds parted briefly and a shaft of light lanced down upon the bay. Max caught her breath. It was only there for a moment. But in that magical instant, the water of the bay turned the clear blue-green of glass, and the curtains of rain were illuminated in layers against a dramatic backdrop of dark gray clouds.
Then the rain and the clouds closed back in again, and Max was left heartstruck by that moment of transcendental beauty.
Any place that could deliver sights like that, she thought, wasn't going to leave her rejected and adrift.
She left the guest room and went quietly downstairs. Although the house was large and complex, she had taken note of the turns she and Thea had followed, and she found her way back without difficulty.
She discovered that in her absence, a delicious-looking lunch had been spread out on the table. The cheeses, meats, olives, and luscious grapes from Gio's estate had taken pride of place on the table, along with brown bread, a steaming cheese-and-pasta casserole, tempting desserts, and a crisp Greek salad. There was also a silver coffee service and an array of tea things.
"My original plan was to have a picnic in the garden, but the weather had other plans," Mace explained. "So I asked the cook to switch the menu to a comfort food entrée that feels more appropriate for our current autumn-like conditions, and we'll just have our picnic around the fireplace instead. There are plenty of chairs, or feel free to pull up a cushion if that's more your style."
Max loaded a plate. Gio, she noticed, was wearing a dark brown sweater which was a virtual twin to Mace's dark red one, clearly from Mace's wardrobe. It looked so soft and intensely touchable that she decided on the spot she was going to need Gio to add some sweaters to his wardrobe. From the way he was eyeing the cardigan gaping over her cleavage, she suspected he was having similar thoughts about her own change of style.
Max could easily have stuck near Gio, but she felt that she ought to get started on meeting the others properly. So she took full advantage of the cushion suggestion, and went and sat on a large plush pillow in front of the fireplace near Jess.
"Good choice," Jess told her. "One thing this place has plenty of is lounging-around furniture."
Jess didn't have a plate of her own. The baby was sleeping in her lap, effectively trapping her in her chair.
"Do you want me to bring you anything?" Max asked.
"Don't worry about it. Uncle Mace is taking care of it."
"Is he an honorary uncle?" Max asked. "Or are you related?" She was only starting to get a handle on the connections between everyone in Gio's little found family.
"Oh, he's my biological uncle. I never knew him growing up; we only met as adults. He helped me save my mate's life. I'll tell you all about it later."
Mace came over with a plate in one hand and a lap desk in the other. "How shall we arrange this?" he asked, looking down fondly at Jess and the snuggly bundle in her lap.
"With this many people here, there's got to be someone who wants to hold a baby," Jess said pointedly.
"Volunteer!" Gio called from the buffet.
Max had been shyly waffling over whether to volunteer herself, but she decided that it was all right to stay on the periphery of the baby-cuddling party for now. When Gio picked up the baby and held the small burden tenderly against his chest, something inside her melted like ice cream in the sun.
Yes,she thought,we should have our own soon.
"A fine, strong son," Gio remarked, cuddling the baby with awkward care.
"What's his name?" Max asked.
"Rhein," Jess said. "An old family name from his father's side of the family."
"Yes, whereisReive, anyway?" Gio asked. "I was hoping to say hello."
"He's out on dragon business, but he'll be back for dinner, or possibly tomorrow." She glanced toward Max. "Have you met any dragons before?"
