“What can we do?” she asked them.
“I don’t even know,” Axel said. Cam shook his head.
“We can’t let her be exiled and erased from our family.”
“We’ll go talk to my father. Maybe he’ll have an idea of what can be done.”
Cam reached for Lucy. “Let me be the first to welcome you to the family.” He hugged her and kissed her forehead. “Whatever I can do to help out with Francine’s new family status and issues, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Cam,” Axel said. His brother waved and exited the room.
Lucy stared at Axel. “I can’t believe we’re really married.”
“I can’t either.”
“Should we go to the reception?”
Lucy nodded. “Let me spend a minute with Francine and I’ll meet you at our table.”
Once Axel had kissed her and left, taking Valene with him to help explain, Lucy closed the doors again.
Francine grinned. “I know what you’re going to say, but you don’t need to. I’m relieved, not upset.”
“Our parents just exiled you. Surely you are a little bit upset.”
Francine shrugged. “Well, I did consider this when I came up with this plan, you know.”
“I didn’t.”
“Because you haven’t had several weeks to work out the details like I have. You found out less than an hour ago. This was the fifth plan I came up with along the way.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I only knew one thing. I was not going to marry Axel once I knew you loved him. The truth is, I didn’t want to marry him even before I knew about your feelings for each other. Not that he isn’t a very nice man, but I’m not over my last heartbreak and I may never be. It’s probably best if I’m deleted out of the family. I wasn’t expecting to remain part of it anyway.”
Lucy hugged Francine. “I will never erase you from my life. You know that, right?”
“I know. And that’s likely a good thing because it looks like I’ll be staying on Earth and I’ll also be living with you. Perhaps I can become your cook or maid or both until you have kids and then I can become Aunt Nanny.”
“I like Aunt Fancy better.”
Francine grinned. “I want you and Axel to be happy. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“I will always be grateful for what you did.”
Lucy and Francine hugged each other tight and then walked together to the reception.
Francine sat with them in the maid of honor spot. Their parents never once spoke to her, looked in her direction or acknowledged her presence.
Lucy figured their parents would eventually get over it. As furious as they seemed to be, they couldn’t hold a grudge forever. She hoped. In the short term, she didn’t want any possible retaliation against the Grey family for the surprising Earther wedding event. Lucy would give her parents some time and their extravagant wedding on Alpha-Prime, then do her best to soften them up with regard to Francine.
At the end of the evening, after the reception was over and the hired crew was cleaning up, Valene offered Francine a place to live until her parents came around.
Axel and Lucy drove away in his big truck. Someone had tied strings of shoes and cans to the back bumper. It was very odd, but her new husband explained it was an Earther tradition.
Lucy woke up the next morning, face down and snuggled up next to a very warm someone, suddenly hoping the previous day hadn’t been just a dream. She lifted up, instantly awake, eyes wide and searching for a clue as to reality. Axel’s eyes opened. He grinned.
“Good morning, wife of mine.”
