by Grady, D. R.
“Love, I’m going with Tia for a moment, I’ll be back, soon,” Emma told Rich, and flapped a hand at him. Tia didn’t miss the promise her aunt’s eyes sent to Rich. She also bet Emma had never once been deemed a nerd in all her life.
Why did life have to be so unfair?
“Okay, honey, tell me what the problem is,” Emma instructed. And because she was General Emma, and her dearest aunt, Tia spilled it. “Emma, I’m a nerd.”
“Have you been speaking to your brothers again?”
Tia arched an eyebrow. “They are my brothers. I thought I was supposed to speak to them.”
“You may speak to them, you may not believe what they say,” General Emma corrected in that voice no one smart argued with.
“Oh. What’s the difference?”
“Tia, of all the nieces, and there are how many?” General Emma paused to count on her fingers. “Never mind, there are a lot of you, and out of all of them, I’d say you’re one of the most beautiful.”
Tia choked. “What?”
“Hello? You’re nearly six feet tall, slender as a model, with beautiful bone structure and hair and skin. Tia, there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“I’m not beautiful.” Tia said, but she frowned at her aunt, grappling to determine whether she should listen to this beloved woman, or the Apes.
The problem was, the Apes had had a lot more to say on the subject, and were known to harp on it far longer than Emma. Old beliefs were hard to discount.
“You are. You happen to be extremely bright in most things, and you’re gorgeous. Just because a woman is smart doesn’t mean she can’t also be attractive.”
“But—”
“There are no buts, Tia. You are Tia Morrison, Ph.D. but there’s no denying you look like your mother. You have your father’s height, but you look almost identical to your mother.”
“My mother is gorgeous.”
“Yes, she is. And you look exactly like her. That makes you every bit as beautiful. Don’t listen to what your brothers say. They don’t count, of course.”
“They don’t?”
Emma laughed. “No. Remember all the tea parties we had at my house?”
“Of course. Your house was my favorite escape. I knew you’d let me come and visit whenever the Apes got out of hand.”
“You practically spent your entire summers with me,” Emma said, and stroked a hand up Tia’s arm.
“I did. Thanks for giving me a reprieve, by the way.”
“You’re welcome. I needed you as much as you needed me, I think.”
“Oh?”
“I hadn’t lost Rich and Shelby so long before that, you know,” she said and Tia straightened.
“That’s right.” Tia thought about her newest cousin, Shelby O’Riley-Welby, Emma and Rich’s daughter, who contacted them after she was diagnosed with leukemia and needed to locate her birth family. [The Nerd’s Pocket Pets – Book 4 – The Morrison Family Series]
“I needed a little girl around the house sometimes. Needed to know I could have been a good mother.”
“You were necessary for my sanity, Aunt Emma,” Tia assured her. “If not for you, I would have been jailed and charged with homicide by age seven.”
Emma laughed, as Tia had intended for her to do. “I think your parents were aware of that, which is why your mother showed you the way to my house.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
Her aunt hugged her, a loving embrace as familiar to her as her favorite sweater. Comforting, warm, and sweet. “So am I, baby.”
Later at supper that night Tia was really happy to have Emma and Rich join them. She was finally enjoying a meal here, and the conversation that flowed around them. “Remember, baby, knights-in-shining-armor are hard to come by these days,” Emma reminded her.
Tia grinned while her eyes welled up a little. “That they are. Fortunately, I have one on standby.” Quizzical faces peered at her from around the table. Even the virulent woman looked interested. Tia couldn’t quite look in Aleksi’s direction, but her Uncle Rich saved her, bless him.
“You have a knight in shining armor on standby?”
“I do,” she gurgled with a grin.
“I think we need to hear this story,” Aleksi said as he finished cutting a piece of steak and set his knife down.
“Yes, I’m interested,” Rich said, his eyes gleaming in his handsome face. If he wasn’t totally in love with her beloved aunt...
More than a few of her cousins had commented on what a hotty he was. Tia concurred. He was good to all of them, but especially her aunt.
“At least one more knight has been added to the family,” she said, her eyes hopefully speaking for her. His eyes softened and he glanced at Emma. Whose eyes warmed and she reached out a hand to place on his knee.
“Yes, another one has definitely been added,” Emma agreed, and Tia had to blink back tears. Their love was so...pure and precious. She wanted that kind of love.
“The story, if you will,” Aleksi directed and she was grateful he interrupted the moment. Crying in front of the Prince of Rurikstan probably wasn’t good manners.
“I had a really important dinner to attend while in graduate school.”
“It determined where you ended up for your post doc work, didn’t it?” Emma inserted.
“Essentially. It was one of the most important dinners of my career.”
“What happened?” Aleksi’s mother asked, a hand hovering at her throat.
“I’d just broken up with the man I was dating. A nasty, unhappy break-up. I obviously couldn’t take him.”
“Obviously not,” Emma said, shaking her head.
“But you had planned to take him?” Rich asked.
She nodded. “Yes. He was supposed to escort me. It wasn’t necessary to have an escort, but the host and hostess made it evident we were to make every effort.” Tia used her fork to extract the almonds from her green beans.
“You needed an escort,” Rich concluded.
Tia shuddered. “All I could think about was I’d end up with a post doc in some place where I’d be afraid to go out alone. I managed to work myself into a panic. And that’s when my mother chose to call.” She grinned.
“This was a good thing?” Aleksi asked, and his lips twitched. Her heart copied the movement. Keep your mind on the story.
“A very good thing,” Tia said emphatically.
“What happened?” Rich asked.
“I broke down into a torrent of tears, and yes, torrent describes my emotional state at the time. I was sure my career was ruined.”
“She hadn’t been functioning on much sleep, and hadn’t eaten all day,” Emma inserted.
“I hadn’t been taking care of myself at all. I was homesick, tired, worried about my thesis, and I’d just broken up with a man I erroneously thought I had a future with.” Tia paused to take a sip of water from her goblet.
“And your mother called,” Aleksi prompted.
“Yes, she called and I spilled it. She managed to catch the gist of the problem. And offered to send a replacement.”
“Oh?” Rich said, his smile broadening.
“I gave her specific instructions that he had to be well groomed, mature, sophisticated, handsome, I had a whole list of characteristics I knew would exclude all three of my brothers.”
She laughed with the rest of the table, before continuing with the story. “I’m sure at this point there’s no way she can find anyone.”
“But she did?”
“I remember her saying, ‘I have the perfect man in mind. Give me a little time. I can have him there in time for your dinner.’
“I, of course, didn’t believe her. I thanked her anyway, hung up the phone, and continued crying.” Tia shook her head at how silly she’d been.
“In the meantime, Lily, her mother, phoned my brother, who is Tia’s grandfather.” Emma took over the story.
Tia liked the sweet smile on Emma’s face. “I happened to be visiti
ng when the call came through. Hiram, Tia’s grandfather, had been going through a rough patch and was a little down. Well, Lily called and her first words were, ‘How would you like to be a knight in shining armor for a fair maiden in distress?’”
Tia laughed. She never tired of hearing this story. “My brother perked right up. He made a big show of tugging out his wallet and digging through it. He said, ‘Looks like my knight in shining armor card is still valid. I can do it.’ I think he was beaming from ear to ear.
“Knowing Tia needed him helped yank him right out of the doldrums he’d been in. He couldn’t pack his bag fast enough. Your grandmother helped and happily kissed him when he left.”
“My mom made all the arrangements while he packed, and he hopped a plane and in about three hours after sobbing my heart out to her, there’s this knock at the door.” Tia took over the story. “I’m thinking I’m going to vomit because my life is ruined, and I know my mom, even as good as she is, is never going to find me a suitable escort. But I went to answer the door, sure I’d end up washing dishes in a greasy spoon.” Tia speared a chunk of steak.
“And you opened the door?” Rich prompted.
“I opened the door and there stands the epitome of the man I wanted. My granddad.” Tia smiled as she remembered the relief, happiness, and giddiness that had descended on her as soon as she realized who her mother had sent.
“She sent her father?” Aleksi’s mother asked, and Tia thought she saw the semblance of a smile around her lips. Would wonders never cease?
“She sent her father-in-law. When I opened the door he said, “I’m a knight in shining armor, come to rescue a certain maiden in distress.”
Tia laughed and quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped.
“What did you do?” Rich asked right before Aleksi.
“I flung myself in his arms, kissed him about a hundred times and then let him have the shower first. When I got dressed that night I couldn’t believe my luck.”
“Luck, baby?” Emma asked.
“I’d gone from having a jerk for an escort to no escort, to being on the arm of the most handsome, refined man in the world.” Tia smiled as she remembered that precious night. “I was the most beautiful woman there, because my granddad had flown up to save me.”
“He was very happy to do that, you know,” Emma said.
“I know. I don’t think he could have enjoyed himself more. We were the topic of conversation for weeks.”
“Oh?” Emma said, like that was news to her.
“All my colleagues agreed I had the best escort that night. It also turns out our host was an old Marine buddy of Granddad’s and they had plenty to talk about. We had such a fun evening. He made it fun, and I forgot all about how important the dinner was for my career.”
“And you got your choice of post doctorate places?” Rich asked and cocked his head.
“I did, but you know, even if I had gone alone, I still think they would have been kind. I just blew the whole thing out of proportion.”
“But you earned a knight in shining armor,” Emma said with a fond smile.
“I did. That’s a precious memory. Granddad and I had a wonderful weekend.”
“He stayed the weekend with you?” Aleksi asked.
“Yes. We went out for breakfast, lounged by the pool, played miniature golf, and rented some movies. I get my taste in movies from him, apparently. We had a great time.”
“I remember he came home relaxed and happy that weekend,” Emma said and stared at Tia. “I think he needed that time as much as you did.”
Tia nodded. “I needed it, I know. My thesis writing was so much easier because I relaxed and took care of myself for the weekend, so when I went back to work, I was ready to tackle it with a fresh perspective.”
“Is this knight in shining armor still available?” Aleksi’s mother asked. She seemed almost human, her eyes ablaze with an interested light.
“Yes. He’s bailed out several of the female cousins since then. And Grandmom has done the same for some of the male cousins. My grandparents are so much fun.”
“Did I know he was a former Marine?” Rich asked Emma.
His wife frowned. “I think so. Remember how I told you Lainy teased Mitch he was Hiram’s new favorite grandson because Mitch was a Marine?” [The Nerd and the Marine – Book 1 – The Morrison Family Series]
Rich nodded, “That’s right.”
“Lainy?” Aleksi asked.
Tia answered, “Lainy is one of my first cousins. She’s an electronics expert and amazing. She married Mitch, the Marine in question and they have three kids now. Actually, I think she just had their third, right?” she asked her aunt.
Emma nodded. “That’s right.”
“I couldn’t remember if she’d had the baby.” Tia bit her lip.
“She had their second boy a week ago. K.C. and Max are also expecting their third.”
Tia turned to Aleksi and his mother. “I have about a hundred first cousins and there are always a bunch of pregnancies. Our family is huge.”
“And growing,” Emma said. “It’s harder and harder to keep track of who is expecting.”
“What about Shelby and Sam?” Tia asked. “Shelby is Rich and Emma’s daughter,” she added for Aleksi and Gracia’s benefit.
“They just completed the paperwork for their third and fourth children.”
Tia fought to contain her surprise. “Are they planning to stop at four?”
“Yes, I think so,” Rich said, his voice dry. “But they both love kids, so it’s hard to say.”
“Neither of them seems to mind the chaos kids add,” Emma said. Tia loved how evident their love for their daughter and her children was.
“Macy doesn’t seem to mind the chaos of four kids, lots of pets, and Nick,” Tia said with a crooked grin.
“Macy is your sister-in-law?” Aleksi asked and she was impressed he remembered. Maybe he had been paying attention when she showed him her family photos.
“That’s right. She’s the one who married Nick and his four kids and is in vet school right now.”
“She married Nick and his four kids?” Gracia repeated faintly. She looked confused.
“Nick’s first wife was killed in a car accident. He’d gone through a bunch of nannies until Macy came along, and they fell in love. She married him and took on his readymade family.”
“You’d never know she wasn’t their birth mother,” Emma said.
“No. The kids have all started calling her Mom, even Savannah. She’s more of a mother to them than their biological mother ever was.”
“Savannah is your oldest niece?” Aleksi questioned.
“Right. She’s fifteen now,” Tia said. Had she sent Savannah a birthday gift? Was there a party? Yes, that’s right, she’d given the girl some accessories for her new phone. That’s right.
“Savannah is as beautiful as you, Tia,” Emma said, and to her surprise, Rich nodded in agreement beside her.
“Definitely,” he said.
Tia stared at them. “She’s far more beautiful than I ever was.”
“No, I think she’s a miniature Tia in the making.”
She snorted. “Just what this world needs, another Tia.”
When she glanced at Aleksi, she saw his eyes had half-masted and he was staring at her like he didn’t believe more than one Tia was a bad thing at all.
Oh no.
Was he a contender for the knight in shining armor role in her life?
Chapter 7
How on earth did a man oust a woman’s grandfather from the role of knight in shining armor? It wasn’t like he could challenge him to a duel or something. The man was family, her ancestor, and therefore played an incredibly important part of her life. It was also evident that Tia loved him very much.
There was also the factor that Aleksi wasn’t sure he could handle the whole knight in shining armor thing, anyway. That pesky little part of being the hereditary prince generally meant he wasn’t
allowed to engage in dangerous exploits, which had seriously hampered his growing up years.
And likely contributed to his decision to continue his education in America; then do most of his father’s traveling since. He had hoped Americans wouldn’t care that he had royal blood flowing through his veins. He’d hoped in vain. Seemed there were hangers-on in every country. Not all of his peers had cared about his title and wealth. In fact, Tia used to stare through him. Aleksi was surprised she even remembered his name when they re-met at that conference.
Her eyes had actually bulged a little when he asked for her phone number. Like she couldn’t believe he remembered her.
As if he would ever forget her.
Too bad he hadn’t managed to talk to her while they were in school. But he felt like the timing then was bad. She had been utterly focused, even as a freshman. He had appreciated and respected that kind of devotion.
Slanting a glance at her, he wondered, now that she had succeeded in her chosen profession, if she could be convinced to hold the same devotion to her spouse and any children they might produce.
The thought enticed and terrified him.
“Your wells are making your people sick?” Rich O’Riley asked him after they settled a little away from the women in one of the main living areas.
Aleksi nodded. “We’re pretty certain it’s the wells. After the boiling decree went out, not nearly as many people have grown sick.”
“But you’re still seeing some?”
“Yes,” he said and sighed. “The medical staff suspect that those who are growing ill now haven’t been boiling their water, or haven’t done so properly.”
The admiral nodded.
Aleksi cocked his head as he peered at the older man. He narrowed his eyes. “Do you have another theory?” The man was a high ranking military official. He should have thought to utilize the admiral’s knowledge before now.
“We’re always on the alert, after 9-11, for terrorist dealings,” O’Riley said and sipped from the mug in his hand.