by Jae
“Oh, the more the merrier.” Helen laughed. “It will be wonderful to meet Griffin’s family.”
Jorie’s stomach twitched nervously. Let’s hope you’ll still think that when you learn who they really are.
“Any idea what I could give them for Christmas?” Helen asked. “I don’t know Griffin’s family, but I don’t want to show up empty-handed.”
As far as Jorie knew, Wrasa didn’t even celebrate Christmas. “Don’t worry about it, Mom. Griffin’s family isn’t big on presents. If we feed them, they’ll be happy.”
“With so many guests, I could book an earlier flight and help Griffin with the cooking,” her mother said.
Jorie hesitated. At times, Griffin could be pretty territorial about the kitchen. Or maybe it’s just me she doesn’t want in there.
“I don’t want to intrude,” Helen said when Jorie’s hesitation continued.
“You’re not intruding. I’m sure Griffin would love to have some help. She’s planning a big dinner.” In fact, their shopping list read like a supply order for an entire army regiment.
“Wonderful.” Joy vibrated in Helen’s voice. “I’m really looking forward to spending Christmas with you.”
Jorie gulped. “Me too, Mom.” Her hands shook when she hung up. God, I hope I made the right decision.
* * *
“Emmy, no! Get down!” In one tigerlike pounce, Griffin crossed the living room—but she was too late.
The Christmas tree, complete with its tri-colored cat ornament, came crashing down.
“Shit.” Only Griffin’s quick reflexes saved the Christmas balls and glass figures from smashing on the table with its dinnerware. She grabbed the slender tree trunk. Fir needles bit into her hands, making her growl.
Emmy jumped down from the tree and disappeared under the couch.
Hurried steps approached, and Jorie peeked into the room. Her eyes widened when she saw Griffin with her hands wrapped around the Christmas tree, holding it at an angle. “What are you doing with the Christmas tree?”
“Me?” The glowing star on top of the tree started to pitch to the side, and Griffin quickly reached up and straightened it. “I didn’t do anything. Emmy—”
“You’re not sharpening your claws on the Christmas tree, are you, liger?” Jorie crossed the living room and bumped Griffin’s hip, making the ornaments on the tree rattle.
“No! But unlike me, Emmy never learned to keep her claws to herself.”
A playful twinkle entered Jorie’s dark eyes. “Since when are you good at keeping your claws to yourself?” She lifted up on her tiptoes. Warm breath brushed over Griffin’s lips, and then Jorie kissed her.
The scent of coconut and spring grass replaced the Christmas aromas drifting through the house. Griffin closed her eyes and sank into the kiss. She slid her hands down a warm back.
“Hey!” Jorie caught the tree before it could fall.
“Oops.” Griffin grinned and bent to steal another kiss. “Okay, so keeping my claws to myself isn’t my strongest point. But at least I didn’t try to climb the tree, like Emmy did.”
Jorie shook her head and sighed dramatically. “Cats.”
Before Griffin could protest, Helen entered, drying her hands on the “kiss the cook” apron she had borrowed from Griffin. “Griffin, I think the turkey could use another—” She stopped when her gaze fell on the tree Jorie was still holding. “Oh. What happened?”
“The cats in this household can’t keep their claws to themselves,” Jorie said. She straightened the tree and replaced a few ornaments that had fallen off.
Under the pretense of helping her, Griffin pinched one firm ass cheek.
“Ow!” Jorie glared playfully. “See? You’re proving me right,” she said, just low enough that her mother couldn’t understand. More loudly she added, “Emmy tried to climb the tree, and it almost toppled over.”
“Oh, gosh.” Helen stared at the tree. “Cats and Christmas trees don’t mix well, do they?”
Jorie grinned brightly and gave Griffin a sideway glance. “No, they don’t.”
“It’s a really beautiful tree.”
It was. Griffin looked at it with satisfaction.
“Oh, yeah, it’s the most beautiful tree on the Upper Peninsula—and I would know because Griffin made me look at all of them before she decided on this one,” Jorie said with a laugh. She reached for Griffin’s hand and kissed the tiny marks where the fir needles had pressed into her skin.
Griffin had never celebrated Christmas before. For her first Christmas with Jorie, not just any tree would do. It had to be the perfect tree with the perfect decoration. Every string of tinsel was exactly in the right place—or at least it had been before Emmy had decided to climb the tree. Now it looked a little worse for wear. Well, at least my family probably won’t notice since they never had a Christmas tree before.
The doorbell rang.
Griffin and Jorie exchanged a silent glance. “You and your mom go greet my family,” Griffin said. “I’ve got a cat to get out from under the couch.”
* * *
Helen stayed back but watched with interest as the first guests entered the house.
A blond, slender woman set down the two covered dishes she carried and wrapped her arms around Jorie in a warm greeting. Her taller companion, loaded down with more dishes and a heavy looking bag, kissed Jorie on the cheek.
Tears of joy blurred Helen’s vision, and she quickly wiped them away. After decades of worrying about her daughter, it was the best Christmas present Helen could imagine to see Jorie surrounded by people who cared about her and to have Jorie return the warm greetings with obvious affection.
“Mom, this is Griffin’s sister Leigh and her partner, Rhonda.” Jorie gestured first to the tall woman, then to the blonde with the friendly smile. “Leigh, Ronnie, this is my mother, Helen Price.”
Partner. Right. Jorie mentioned that Griffin has a sister who’s gay too. Helen shook hands and helped to carry in bowls and dishes.
The door had barely closed behind them when the bell rang again.
“Leigh, can you help Griffin out in the kitchen?” Jorie asked. “And Ronnie, if you want, you have time to look at the latest chapter before dinner. My laptop is in the bedroom. Just be careful not to let the cats escape. My mother is allergic.”
As if evoked by that word, Helen’s eyes started to water and a tickle began in her nose. She sneezed twice and helplessly shook her head at Jorie’s worried glance. The sudden onset of her allergies surprised her. Before, when she had helped Griffin in the kitchen, her eyes had burned and her nose had itched too, but she had blamed it on cutting onions. But this was clearly a reaction to cats. Usually, her cat allergy was a very mild one. Her neighbor’s cat evoked nothing more than a light itching, but something about Jorie’s cats made her react strongly. Maybe it’s because she has three of them.
Jorie opened the door to reveal an auburn-haired woman who tugged at the ribbon around the present she held. When she looked up, Helen met observant eyes the same color as Griffin’s.
Again, Jorie made introductions—and confirmed that this was indeed Griffin’s mother.
Helen watched Nella Westmore greet Jorie—friendly, but not with the same warmth as Rhonda and Leigh. Is that just how Nella is, or does she have some reservations about Jorie and Griffin’s relationship? Instantly, Helen vowed to show her unconditional acceptance tonight. Maybe she could help Nella come to terms with her daughter’s sexual orientation.
Another car rolled up the driveway before Jorie could close the door. Two men got out and fell into step with each other. A woman followed behind them. They, too, carried covered dishes.
Maybe they thought Jorie would be doing the cooking, so they wanted to bring their own food, just in case. Helen chuckled to herself.
The lighter-haired man reached the door first and didn’t hesitate to pull Jorie into a warm hug. “Hey there, kitten.” He fluffed Jorie’s hair in a fatherly way.
Tea
rs filled Helen’s eyes again. Just the allergies. But truth be told, the tears had nothing to do with cat hairs and everything to do with the man’s greeting. Helen’s late husband had always greeted their daughter in much the same way. It was bittersweet to see Jorie have that kind of relationship in her life again.
The second man loomed in the doorway for a moment. He silently touched Jorie’s shoulder.
“We’re not celebrating Christmas in the doorway, are we?” a female voice asked behind the two men. When they stepped aside, a slender blond woman of about Helen’s age walked up and hugged Jorie too.
“Guys, this is my mother, Helen Price. Mom, this is Rhonda’s mother, Martha. And these two are Brian and Gus, Griffin’s fathers.” Jorie stopped. She bit her lip as if she had said too much.
Ah. Helen patted Jorie’s hand. So Griffin has two fathers. Oh, well, what’s another gay couple in the family? No big deal, right? Helen shrugged. They are people like you and me. She helped putting away the guests’ coats and carried food and presents inside, all the while listening to the family members hugging and greeting each other. They all seemed like one big, happy family.
Except for Nella. Griffin’s mother didn’t seem interested in interacting with the others. Instead of following the other guests into the living room, she lingered in the hall and looked around as if she was trying to find the quickest way out.
How weird. Helen had looked forward to spending Christmas with Jorie and Griffin since she had learned about the dinner, so she couldn’t understand Nella’s lack of enthusiasm at all. Where’s her Christmas spirit? “I’m so glad we finally get to meet each other,” Helen said.
Nella nodded but said nothing.
“I think the world of your daughter.” Maybe that would get her some reaction and reveal how Nella thought about their daughters’ relationship. “Griffin is such a lovely girl.”
An auburn eyebrow shot up. Nella eyed her skeptically.
Okay. Helen chuckled. Maybe calling a six-foot-two woman a lovely girl was a bit over-the-top. “Before she met Griffin, my daughter lived in a world of her own and didn’t socialize much. I’m sure if not for Griffin, she’d spend Christmas just with a bunch of cats.”
Now a grin spread over Nella’s face. “Oh, no, spending Christmas with a bunch of cats...of course we wouldn’t want that.”
Is she being sarcastic? Helen couldn’t figure out any possible double meaning to Nella’s words, so she decided that she didn’t know Nella well enough to interpret her tone. “Would you like something to drink? Red wine? White?” Maybe a good glass of wine would mellow Nella a little.
“No, thank you,” Nella said. “But a glass of milk would be great.”
Helen furrowed her brow. Milk? “Ah, sure.” She led Nella into the kitchen and poured her a glass of milk. “So have you visited before or do you want a tour of the house?”
“I spent some time here when Jorie and I were working on a book together,” Nella said.
“Oh. So you’re a writer too?” Helen asked.
“Not exactly. I guess you could say I’m an expert on one of the topics Jorie wrote about.”
“Ah, kind of like Griffin.” If Helen remembered correctly, Griffin and Jorie had met when Jorie had researched big cats for one of her books. “Isn’t it nice that Griffin’s job brought the girls together?”
“Oh, yes.” Again, a slight smile darted across Nella’s face, as if she was secretly amused about something that Helen didn’t get.
Her superior demeanor was starting to irritate Helen. Does she think her daughter is too good for mine? Or that it’s just a phase and their relationship won’t last? “You did know that your daughter is gay before she met Jorie, didn’t you?”
“Sure,” Nella said. “I knew when she was just a cu—just a girl.”
“Mom?” Jorie called from the living room. “Where are you? Don’t you wanna join us in the living room?”
Helen gave Nella a nod. Her Christmas mission to make sure Nella was supportive of their daughters would have to wait.
* * *
“You can show your muzzle now,” Nella said. “I know you are there.”
Not looking guilty at all to have listened in on her conversation, Gus strolled into the kitchen. “You know she thinks you are a homophobe?”
“What are you talking about, Kasari?” They had only met a handful of times over the past thirty years, but somehow, Nella always felt attacked by Gus, maybe because she didn’t understand him and his sense of humor at all.
“You’re not exactly spreading Christmas cheer. Helen probably thinks it’s because you don’t want to spend the holidays with your daughter and her lesbian lover.” Gus’s green eyes sparkled with amusement.
“I don’t want to spend the holidays with the whole pride,” Nella said. “It has nothing to do with Griffin and Jorie.” This was exactly why she had insisted on raising her daughters alone instead of accepting Brian’s offer to move in with him. Too many pride entanglements and too little solitude.
Gus grinned. “Yeah, but then again, Helen doesn’t know that you are the only tiger-shifter in the house.”
The human’s endless questions were beginning to make sense now. She was trying to find out if I accept Jorie in Griffin’s life. A glimmer of respect started deep within her. Nella had never liked humans—at least not until she had met Jorie—but she understood the need to protect her cubs. Well, let’s hope revealing our existence to her doesn’t go horribly wrong. A mother protecting her cub can be a dangerous opponent—even if she doesn’t have any claws.
* * *
“Where’s Mom?” Jorie craned her neck. Her shape-shifter guests were looking at the Christmas tree, grumbling about the human need to fell a perfectly good tree and drag it inside, but her mother was nowhere to be seen.
“Relax.” Griffin trailed her hands over Jorie’s shoulders and gently massaged them. “She’s probably just in the kitchen, getting something to drink.”
Some of the tension dissipated from Jorie’s muscles. “I just want today to go well.” Introducing the in-laws to each other was nerve-racking enough, but she also worried about how her mother would take the revelation that shape-shifters existed.
“It will.” Griffin squeezed her softly. “Just think how poor Rufus must have felt when he introduced his and Ky’s parents to each other. A coyote-shifter, a wolf-shifter, a tiger-shifter, and two lion-shifters—compared to that meeting, today should go just fine.”
Helen entered the living room. Her eyes shone as she took in the people crowding around the Christmas tree.
For Jorie, having so many people in her house took some getting used to, but Helen had always loved being around people. She’ll fit right in with the Kasari part of Griffin’s family. At least I hope so.
Helen took a seat on the couch and slid to the side to make room for other guests.
Brian and Gus promptly sat next to her. The couch dipped considerably.
Wide-eyed, Helen grabbed for the armrest.
“See? I told you we should have given Jorie a new couch for Christmas,” Brian said to his brother. “Her furniture is not fit for us.”
“Brian.” Gus’s voice sounded as if he were speaking to a three-year-old. “You don’t give furniture for Christmas. People want to pick their own couch.” He sent Helen an apologetic glance. “Our family is not big on Christmas, usually, so you have to excuse Brian.”
“Is it time for the presents?” Griffin asked.
Jorie chuckled. If she were in her cat form, her ears would perk up. With typical feline curiosity, Griffin had tried to find out what was hiding in the wrapped parcels hidden in Jorie’s closet since the beginning of December. She had pawed them and sniffed them until Jorie had threatened to ban her from the bedroom. “After dinner, Griff.”
“But the turkey still needs a little time in the oven.” Griffin’s whiskey-colored eyes gleamed. “Let’s open presents now.”
Helen reached out and patted Griffin’s
knee. “Remember when you were a little girl, Jorie? We always opened presents before dinner, so you wouldn’t have to wait so long. Maybe we should take pity on the little one too?” She looked up at Griffin with a teasing grin.
Griffin’s family members looked a bit startled that Griffin would allow a human to tease her like that, but Griffin just grinned. Sometimes, she seemed more at ease with Helen than with her own mother. “Yes, please.”
“We should at least wait for Ky and Rufe,” Jorie said. “It seems they are running late.”
The doorbell sounded before she had even closed her mouth.
With a satisfied grin, Griffin strode to the door. She returned with Kylin and Rufus.
Helen’s eyes widened when she took in Kylin.
Is it her size or that she looks a lot like Griffin? With whiskey-colored eyes and wind-tumbled red locks, Kylin resembled her fraternal twin, but for Jorie, they had always looked very different. Kylin looks good, though. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her eyes shone as if she was as eager to open the Christmas presents as her sister was.
Her guests began to unwrap their presents, and Jorie laughed at the items that were piling up on the coffee table. Except for the books from Rhonda and Leigh, most items weren’t exactly traditional Christmas gifts.
Nella smoothed her fingers over the bow on her present before handing it to Jorie. “Here,” she said, sounding as if she were holding the most original present in the history of Wrasa.
Laughter shook Jorie when she removed the wrapping paper and saw what it was—a meat mallet.
Brian nudged his brother. “I thought you said no furniture and no kitchen utensils?”
“Yeah, well, apparently no one enlightened Nella about the do’s and don’ts of Christmas presents,” Gus said.
Nella straightened her broad shoulders and gave him a cool glance. “I’ll have you know that meat mallets are a popular Christmas gift. I bet you can’t beat that.”