“You found a boyfriend?” Mom asked me. “One of the humans up there working?”
“Not exactly. Um, you heard about them suspending the service for a little while so they could rejig that mate matching program and the contracts to include the Dragonii, right?”
“You got matched to one of them? They take their mates across the universe! Can we go with you? Will they let us visit?” my Mom didn’t wait for answers as she peppered me with her questions.
“Deep breath, honey.” Dad broke in. ”Let the boy speak. You’ve got to give him a chance to answer you one question at a time. Go on,son.”
“Well, uh, so, those of us who signed on about that time had to wait to take the test and they got it fixed a couple of days ago,” my eyes begged my mates to let my tiny white lie pass. They merely looked at me with one eyebrow raised, but said nothing, so I continued. “Anyway, I got called in for my test and I matched not only a Mylos stationed here, but so did another guy. So they then ran us humans together to see what would happen, and um, we matched too. So, I’ve got two mates. I’m sorry I didn’t call you as soon as I knew, but I had the treatment, and then the mate test, and we were moving in together and all that.”
“Two?” Mom repeated faintly. “I’ve not seen cake toppers with three grooms in the set. Land’s sake alive! The church ladies will be having kittens when they hear this. Ha! Three grooms will make this wedding more talked about than Thelma Rae’s granddaughter’s to that fella that sold his phone game app for a million dollars!”
“That sounds like you’ve had your hands full,” Dad said. “Can’t say as I ever expected you to marry two fellas, but then I never expected aliens to come to Earth and us all be buddies like we are, neither. As long as you’re happy, I reckon it’s a good thing. But if they ever treat you wrong, I’ll find a way to come up there and give them a butt whooppin’ they won’t ever forget.”
“Noted,” Kit replied. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m Kittinir, Alec’s Mylos mate. I’m a professor, now teaching an extension course in association with Rivindale University.”
“And I’m Carl, also a professor doing the same thing, only human.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Mom said. “So, when’s the date?”
“Date?” Kit asked, blinking.
“The wedding date we want,” Carl supplied.
“Yes, I need the date so I can get the ball rolling.”
“We just want a small simple ceremony, Mom. Maybe here on board.”
“Small and simple I can do, but it needs to be here,” she replied firmly. “They’ll need to invite their closest colleagues and family. And you know your Aunt Jamie won’t take a shuttle. She won’t fly in a plane, never mind a space ship!”
“How about I give my dad your contact information and you two can put together a suggested guest list, limited to forty to fifty people max?” Carl suggested. “And pick a venue that will let us get married within the next two to three weeks. That way we can take a trip for our honeymoon, finish settling in together here, and be back in time for Kit and I to start teaching our fall classes without rushing anything.”
Anything except the wedding he meant, and I offered him my fist to bump, as he’d just cleverly found a way to keep the list small and the wedding modest. He gave it a bump, smirking.
“Two to three weeks is a push, but if you don’t mind getting married in a park or our back yard, I suppose we can do it.”
“Just keep it simple. People manage it in Vegas, so we could always buy a small wedding package there if we have to.”
“All costs will be covered by the Fleet,” Kit informed him.
“My baby is not getting married by no Elvis impersonator!”
“They have regular officiants too!” my dad retorted.
“Just no! Half the family would wander off to play slots and Ed will end up back on the booze with all those free drinks!”
“Um, ma’am?” Carl ventured.
“Call me Mom, sugar. We’re family now.”
“Okay. Mom, do you have a pen handy?”
“Hang on a sec. Let me get mine out of my purse. Okay, got it and some paper.”
“My dad’s name is Ronald Shorely,” Carl said, before slowly giving Mom his number and email address. “I’ll let him know later today to expect your call.”
“It’s Carl’s birthday today so his dad will be calling him tonight,” I explained.
“His birthday? Happy birthday, son!” Dad said.
