Natural Family Disasters

by Jae

  Uh-oh. The cats are getting competitive about Christmas gifts.

  Brian handed over his present with a flourish.

  “Thank you.” Jorie opened the present and revealed two pairs of socks. Tiny paw prints dotted the soles.

  “Socks?” Gus arched an eyebrow at his brother. “You gave them socks?”

  “They’re really warm,” Brian said.

  “They’re great,” Jorie said. She felt a little the way she did when one of her cats brought home a dead mouse and laid it in front of her with feline pride. She leaned up from her position, sitting cross-legged on the floor, and kissed Brian’s bearded cheek.

  A satisfied smirk crossed Brian’s face. “What did you get them?”

  Gus pointed at the gift certificates Griffin was studying. “Massages for Griffin and cooking lessons for Jorie.”

  The roomful of people erupted into laughter.

  Heat flushed Jorie’s cheeks.

  Behind her, Griffin vibrated with a silent purr at the thought of enjoying a massage.

  Helen leaned down and tugged on Jorie’s sleeve. “I see they know your little flaws already.” She looked up when a small, wrapped box landed on her lap. “For me?” Clearly, she hadn’t expected that anyone in Griffin’s family would bring a gift for her.

  “Just a little something,” Gus said.

  When Helen opened the present, a stylish silk scarf, with colors that matched Helen’s eyes, landed in her hands. “Oh, how pretty. I had heard that men like you have a wonderful sense of fashion, but I always thought that was just a stereotype.”

  Men like Gus? Jorie frowned. Most cat-shifters were indeed very fashion-conscious, but Helen couldn’t know that.

  Brian handed Helen a small, round box.

  Oh, no. Jorie eyed the box. He didn’t get Mom jewelry just to outdo his brother, did he?

  When Helen tentatively lifted the lid, no silver or gold sparkled in the lights of the Christmas tree. Instead, a piece of chocolate candy lay in the box.

  Just one? Jorie grinned. Oh, how little he knows human women.

  But Brian grinned as if he had given Helen a precious jewel. “Eat it.”

  Helen hesitated. Her gaze searched out Jorie. “But dinner will be ready soon, and I don’t want to spoil my appetite.”

  “Eat it!” Brian growled.

  At Jorie’s encouraging nod, Helen put the piece of chocolate into her mouth. She chewed twice. Then her jaw froze. Her eyes watered, and this time, it had nothing to do with her allergies. Her gaze darted around as if in search of a napkin or a garbage can where she could safely spit out the chocolate, but finally, her good manners won out. She swallowed and then sat gasping. Gratefully, she reached for the glass of water that Martha handed her and gulped it down.

  What the hell did he give my mother? Jorie glared at Brian.

  Griffin settled down on the floor next to Jorie and whispered, “I think he put the Wrasa antihistamine in there. It tastes awful, but it has no side effects. Having dinner with eight big cats shouldn’t be a problem now.”

  Still, Jorie didn’t appreciate Brian giving her mother the medicine without her consent. Well, it’s not like he could ask her. And I’ll make him apologize later.

  When the last drop of the water was gone, Helen looked up. “Um, delicious. Thank you, Brian.”

  Sharp teeth glinted for a moment when Brian smiled. “See, Gus? She liked it.” He grinned down at Helen. “I’ll give you more of them next year.”

  “Oh. Um.” Helen blanched. “That’s not necessary.”

  Poor Mom. Jorie reached up and squeezed her mother’s hand. Welcome to the world of cat-and-mouse games.

  “Here.” Griffin set the biggest present in the room down on Jorie’s lap.

  Jorie looked from the box to the strangely serious Griffin. Shadows swirled through the whiskey-colored eyes. Did she feel guilty about buying a gift despite their agreement? “I thought we said no big presents this year?” Jorie asked. “We’re saving up for a vacation on the Bahamas, remember?” Secretly, Jorie planned to make it their honeymoon.

  “Yeah, I know, but this is one thing I still owe you,” Griffin said.

  Holding her breath, Jorie tore off the wrapping paper. She hoped Griffin’s present wasn’t anywhere near as personal as hers had been. Heat flushed her skin when she remembered the adult-rated story she had written for Griffin. She had promised to read it to Griffin as soon as they were alone in the house again. The big box opened, and Jorie pulled out a new laptop. “Griffin...” Speechless, she smoothed her hands over the shiny surface.

  “Your old one has never been quite the same after you...um...accidentally dropped it,” Griffin said, her gaze lowered to the floor.

  “Hey.” Jorie reached for Griffin’s hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. Only the two of them knew what had really happened to her laptop—she had hit Griffin over the head with it when Griffin had broken into her bedroom with orders to kill her. But instead of following orders, Griffin had saved Jorie’s life and risked her own. Jorie had long since forgiven her, and she didn’t want Griffin to feel guilty anymore. “You didn’t have to do that. I was the one who dropped the laptop.”

  “I know I didn’t have to do this. But I wanted to.” Griffin looked into her eyes as if they were alone in the room.

  “I helped pick it out,” Leigh said.

  “Yeah, while they left me to shop for all the other presents,” Rhonda said.

  She was the only one in Griffin’s family who actually liked shopping. While the crowds and the noise in malls were simply too much for the other cat-shifters, Rhonda stalked the stores like a lioness on the hunt, searching for just the right prey.

  “Then thanks to all of you.” Jorie put the laptop back into its box. She knew she would get to play with it tomorrow morning while Griffin took Helen out for pasties. The two of them had made it their own personal tradition every time Jorie’s mother came to visit.

  Helen handed out little presents to Griffin’s family.

  Jorie received a fist-sized gift. She hefted it in her hand, surprised by its weight. “No socks.” She peeked at Griffin, who held a wrapped present that looked like a book.

  “You didn’t confuse us, did you?” Griffin chuckled. “Jorie’s the one who rarely takes her nose out of a book.”

  “She won’t put her nose in this one,” Helen said.

  With her typical catlike neatness, Griffin slipped her finger under the tape and removed the wrapping paper without tearing or wrinkling.

  Jorie was faster. Seconds later, she held a tiger figurine in her hand. The level of detail was amazing, right down to the whiskers and the white dots on the backside of the tiger’s ears. It looked amazingly like Nella’s cat form. “Beautiful.” Jorie trailed her finger over the tiger’s stripes.

  “For your desk,” Helen said. “Maybe it will inspire you to write a sequel.”

  While Jorie thanked her mother, Griffin had finally folded the wrapping paper and held up her present. “A cookbook. Thank you, Helen.”

  When Jorie took a closer look, her throat constricted. This wasn’t just any cookbook. It had belonged to Helen’s mother. When Jorie had been a child, Helen had often tried to lure her into helping in the kitchen by promising that she would one day inherit her grandmother’s cookbook. After years of continued disinterest from Jorie, Helen had given up and accepted that Jorie would never like cooking. “Mom...” If Jorie had ever doubted her mother’s acceptance of her relationship with Griffin, these doubts were gone now. Words failed her.

  “It was my mother’s,” Helen said quietly.

  Griffin’s gaze flew up from the cookbook. “Helen...” She cleared her throat. “Are you sure you want me to have it?”

  “Yes.” Helen’s one-word answer said it all.

  “Thank you.” Griffin leaned over to hug Helen, cradling her with the gentleness she reserved for family.

  “Thanks, Mom. This means a lot to both of us.” Jorie took a breath and handed her m
other an envelope. “And this is from Griffin and me.”

  With one flick of her finger, Helen opened the envelope. “Airplane tickets?”

  “I want you to be able to visit us whenever you feel like it,” Jorie said. Time together was the most valuable gift she could give her mother. In the past, she had hidden from the world, including Helen, here in small-town Michigan, but all of that had changed in the last year. Her heart and her life felt complete now, and she wanted her mother in it.

  Helen wrapped one arm around Jorie, the other around Griffin, and pulled both of them into a shared embrace. “Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion.

  The timer went off in the kitchen.

  They pulled back from their embrace.

  “The turkey is ready,” Griffin said.

  Before Jorie could even twitch, nine hungry Wrasa were on their feet and heading for the kitchen.

  Helen stood too and reached for Jorie’s hand to help her up from the floor. “Griffin’s family is really lovely,” she said, one hand pressed to her chest in a gesture of sincerity. She lowered her voice. “But between you and me, their taste in chocolates is a little off.”

  * * *

  Helen stared at the table, halfway expecting it to break down under its heavy burden. A giant turkey sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by two hams, roast beef, meatballs, a large dish of lasagna, and two different pasta dishes. Behind them, on the coffee table, mashed potatoes were piled up in two large bowls. Different breads and rolls stood within easy reach of the main table. Steam rose off two casserole dishes of gravy.

  Wow. Helen watched the other guests pile food up on their plates. It seems they all have Griffin’s appetite. She forgot to eat while she watched them interact with each other.

  The young man across from her lovingly picked the juiciest pieces of roast beef and placed them on the plate of Griffin’s twin sister. Kylin graced him with a soft smile. Next to them, Leigh’s girlfriend stole the corn off Leigh’s plate and nudged a bite of turkey over in exchange. Helen’s gaze wandered to Gus and Brian, then to Jorie and Griffin, who stole a quick kiss before they reached for their forks.

  They are just like any other couple. Not that she had thought otherwise, but before seeing Griffin and Jorie together, she’d never had an opportunity to meet gay people. At first, she had been afraid that being gay would make her daughter even more of an outsider, but now she found that the opposite was true. With her black hair and dark eyes, Jorie looked very different from the rest of the blond or red-haired, mainly green-eyed people at the table, but there was a sense of familiarity and of family that included Jorie.

  Jorie seemed completely at ease with Griffin’s family; she even teased the gruff Brian. Griffin’s sisters and their partners treated her like a favorite sister-in-law.

  “Mom?” Jorie asked. “Everything okay? You aren’t eating.”

  Brian grinned. “Maybe she’s holding out for more of my delicious chocolate.”

  Just thinking about that piece of candy made Helen’s stomach roil. But at least her allergy seemed gone, now that the cats were safely in the bedroom, so she could enjoy her meal. “I’m fine.” She poured gravy over the delicious mashed potatoes that Griffin had made. “I’m just not used to so many people at the table.”

  “Yeah,” Nella said. “It can be a bit overwhelming.”

  It was, but in a very good way. “Oh, no. It’s really nice.”

  “Now here’s a woman who knows the value of family.” Brian patted her arm. His fingers lingered for a moment. “And mine is a really lovable family.”

  Is he just being nice, or is he flirting? Helen peeked at Gus, who was talking to Rhonda’s mother, oblivious to his partner’s straying attention. Maybe Brian is bisexual. Or is he flirting with me to hide that he’s gay? She still hadn’t figured out the relationship between Griffin’s fathers when the last crumb of dinner had disappeared before her baffled eyes.

  Without being asked to help, Griffin’s family began to pile up empty bowls and plates and carried them to the kitchen.

  Helen stood to help too.

  Next to her, Griffin’s brother-in-law snatched a big pot away from his wife, leaving her to carry a few of the glasses to the kitchen.

  Oh, what a gentleman. It seemed that all of Brian’s daughters had chosen their partners well.

  When they stopped in the doorway, she almost collided with the couple.

  “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Price,” the young man with the earnest brown eyes said. “But Jorie said it’s tradition, so would you mind if I kissed my wife?” He pointed at the twig of mistletoe dangling from the ceiling above the door.

  Helen laughed. “Oh, no, go right ahead, young man.” She respectfully averted her gaze when they kissed. On her way back to the living room to pick up more empty plates, she passed Gus and Brian. She realized they were the only couple who hadn’t even touched hands all evening. Maybe they think I wouldn’t like it if they were openly affectionate with each other. “You know,” she said as they stepped out of the living room and paused under the mistletoe, “I really wouldn’t mind if you wanted to kiss each other.”

  Brian’s eyes widened. “Kiss each other?” He looked at her as if that were an utterly foreign concept to him.

  “Sure.” Helen gave him an encouraging smile. “You’re under the mistletoe, after all.”

  Through squinting eyes, Brian stared up at the ceiling. “And because we’re standing under a piece of greenery, you want me to kiss him?” He stabbed a finger in Gus’s direction.

  “It’s fine, really,” Helen said. “I’m not homophobic.”

  “Homophobic?” Brian’s brows now almost reached his hairline.

  Gus laughed. He trailed his hand up his partner’s arm and breathed into his ear. “Oh, don’t be upset that she found us out, darlin’.”

  “What?” Brian shoved him away and continued to stare at Helen. “You think I’m gay? You think we are...? Ick!”

  “Something wrong?” Jorie asked when she left the kitchen and found them standing in the hall and Gus laughing hysterically.

  “Yes! Your mother thinks I’m gay.” Brian grumbled.

  He’s not? Nothing made sense to Helen anymore.

  “She thinks we are gay,” Gus said. “Gay together.” He wiggled his brows.

  After a few seconds of baffled silence, Jorie started to laugh so loudly that the others came out of the kitchen to see what was going on. “Oh, Mom.” Jorie gasped for breath. “Gus and Brian are brothers.”

  “Brothers?” Helen’s gaze darted from the grinning Gus to Brian, who didn’t look amused at all. “But you said they’re Griffin’s fathers, so I thought...” She stopped, completely confused.

  “They are.” Jorie sighed. “Mom, I think it’s time to explain a few things.”

  The tension in the house rose noticeably.

  “Let’s go into the living room,” Jorie said. “I think you need to sit down for this conversation.”

  That didn’t sound good. Helen’s knees trembled as she followed Jorie back into the living room. Jorie telling you she’s gay didn’t shock you, so you should be able to take whatever else she has to tell you.

  “What made you think I’m gay?” Brian called after them.

  “Later, Dad,” Griffin said. “Right now it’s not important.”

  Someone gently pressed Helen down onto the couch.

  Jorie settled down next to her and reached for her hands. “Mom...” She cleared her throat. “There’s something I wanted to tell you for a while, but I always chickened out.” Fear flickered in her daughter’s eyes.

  An icy ball formed in Helen’s stomach. “You aren’t sick, are you?”

  “No.” Jorie patted Helen’s hands. “No, Mom. Nothing like that. It’s nothing bad, really. It will just be a bit of a shock because I’m sure you aren’t expecting it.”

  The ball of ice transformed into excited butterflies. “You’re pregnant!”

  “If that
’s true, then my daughter is even more talented than I thought,” Gus said.

  Helen looked up at him. I thought he wasn’t Griffin’s father after all?

  “What?” Jorie made a sound somewhere between a cough and a giggle. “No, of course not. Aren’t you forgetting something?” She gestured between her and Griffin, who was blushing. “Sorry to be so blunt, but there’s no sperm involved in this relationship.”

  Determined not to show how rattled she felt, Helen looked her in the eyes. “There are other ways nowadays, you know?”

  Now Jorie was blushing too. “I’m not pregnant, okay?”

  “Okay. If it’s not that, what do you want to tell me?”

  In the sudden silence, Griffin’s family exchanged glances, as if deciding who should tell her. Finally, they all looked at Jorie.

  Griffin stepped behind Jorie and laid both hands on her shoulders in a gesture of silent support.

  “Mom.” Jorie took a deep breath. “You read my new novel, right?”

  Helen nodded. She hadn’t just read it once. She had read it half a dozen times during the last few weeks. “I loved it. It’s the best of all of your works.”

  A blush dusted Jorie’s cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “I mean it. It’s fantastic.” The most fantastic thing was that Helen could feel the love between the two main characters, and it made her think that Jorie had written a lot of her own experiences and emotions into the story. In fact, Quinn reminds me of Griffin.

  “Then I’m sure you remember the shape-shifters?” Jorie asked.

  “Of course I do.” Normally, Helen didn’t read a lot of fantasy novels. But Jorie’s shape-shifters... “I loved them. They just seemed so real.”

  All over the living room, the other guests exchanged meaningful glances. It seemed there was a silent communication going on, and only Helen was excluded.

  “Mom, I don’t know how to tell you this, but...” Jorie’s eyes fluttered shut and then opened again. “They are real. These shape-shifters really exist. And Griffin, Brian, Gus, and all the others here, they are shape-shifters.”