Raylic kissed her cheek and then they drove home. At the house, Raylic parked his SUV in the garage, grabbed Shane’s booster seat and new coat, then climbed into the passenger seat of her van, giving her directions to Thrace and Avelyn’s home. It was small, compared to Raylic’s house, but looked cute. The red brick home had blue shutters, white trim and sat in a quaint neighborhood on a cove.
Heidi parked in the driveway behind a large truck and a sedan. When they rang the bell, a dog started barking from somewhere inside the house. Shane had always wanted a pet, and Heidi knew he’d probably had a blast playing with Avelyn’s dog. She could already hear his pleas for a puppy of his own, and she had no doubt that Raylic would get him one.
A large Terran in black leather pulled open the door then smiled when he saw Raylic.
“This must be your new mate,” the alien said, motioning for them to enter.
“Thrace, this is Heidi. Heidi, Thrace is mated to Avelyn, and the little girl you met earlier is their adopted daughter. Speaking of adoptions, I hear you may be gaining a new family member soon.”
“There’s a boy from Helon-9 who lost his parents in a skirmish last month. He doesn’t have any remaining family, and no one on their world wants the responsibility of raising yet another male child. Their situation with females isn’t as dire as ours, but there is only one Helios girl born for every seven Helios boys.” Thrace shook his head. “I can’t imagine giving up a child, though, just because he wasn’t born a girl. The boy is four and probably doesn’t even understand what’s going on.”
“What’s a Helios?” Heidi asked.
“They’re an alien race who are green with dark brown hair. Their eyes are usually a golden color, but sometimes there are variations,” Thrace answered. “We will gladly welcome the boy into our home, but we’re waiting on the paperwork to be processed. My mate and I have been trying to adopt another child since Lily was only two. We’ve been denied countless times, so we’re very happy about this boy.”
“I’m sure he’ll adjust quickly since he’s so young,” Heidi said. “And this is a lovely home. He’ll be lucky to have parents like Avelyn and you.”
“Thank you,” Thrace said with a nod of his head. “The children and my mate are in the sunroom at the back of the house. I had it added on this past year, and Avelyn likes to do crafts out there. I believe she pulled out the paints and easels.”
Thrace led the way to the sunroom and Heidi smiled when she saw Shane painting a rainbow. The room was warm despite the wall of windows that overlooked a decent sized backyard. Heidi stood in the doorway and just watched her son for a few minutes. He chattered away to Lily and Avelyn, oblivious to the fact his parents had arrived.
Heidi moved further into the room and went to check out Shane’s painting.
“That’s really pretty,” she said.
Shane dropped his paintbrush and flew into Heidi’s arms.
“You’re here!” he squealed. “You’ve been gone forever.”
“I’m sorry it took us so long,” Heidi said. “We have a surprise for you though. Two surprises.”
“Really?” His eyes lit up.
Raylic handed him the sack with his new coat. “This is something you need, more than something you necessarily want.”
Shane pulled the blue coat out of the bag and hugged Raylic and Heidi. “Thank you. My old coat got a hole in it today.”
“How on earth did you get a hole in your coat?” Heidi asked.
Shane shrugged. “It wasn’t there when I put it on, but when we got here, there was a hole in the sleeve. I did catch it on the door of Miss Avelyn’s car though.”
“We were going to offer to replace it,” Avelyn said.
Raylic waved away her offer. “Not necessary. I had planned to buy this new coat today anyway. His old one wasn’t anywhere near warm enough.”
“What do you tell Miss Avelyn and Mr. Thrace?” Heidi asked.
“Thank you for letting me come to your house,” Shane said. “I had fun playing with Lily.”
Lily smiled, showing off a set of fangs. “I had fun too. It was good practice for when I get my new little brother.”
“I’m going to have a new little brother or sister too,” Shane said. “The baby is in Mama’s tummy.”
“Congratulations,” Avelyn said. “You must be so excited.”
“We are,” Raylic said. “We aren’t going to take up any more of your time. Shane, the second surprise is waiting in the driveway. Your mom got something new today too.”
Shane scrambled to put on his new coat, hugged everyone goodbye, and then raced to the front door. When he saw the van parked in the driveway, he could barely contain his excitement, especially when Heidi told him he could watch movies in it. Raylic buckled their son, and then they headed home.
“We do have one more surprise for you,” Heidi said. “Your daddy bought you a swimsuit, and we have an indoor pool.”
Shane clapped his hands and bounced in his seat. “We can go swimming?”
Heidi smiled. “Yes, we’re going swimming when we get home. Then you’re going to take a bath, put on PJs, and we’ll order dinner.”
“Pizza?” Shane asked.
Heidi groaned. “No more pizza for at least a week. Daddy said there’s a menu at home we can look at, so we’ll see what they offer, okay?”
Shane sighed and nodded.
It didn’t take long to reach the house, and Heidi pulled into the garage. She hoped Shane wouldn’t look in the back window of Raylic’s SUV and see the toys stashed there. They managed to get inside without incident and Shane took off upstairs with Heidi and Raylic following at a slower pace. They gave him the swimsuit before leaving to change into theirs. When Shane saw the pool, he went running for the steps that led into the shallow end.
“Don’t you dare go deeper than where you can touch the bottom,” Heidi warned. “You don’t swim well enough for that just yet.”
“Maybe we should get him a swim instructor?” Raylic said softly. “I could probably find someone to come a few days a week until he gets good enough that you won’t worry.”
“It’s not a bad idea, but don’t mention it to him just yet. I’d hate to get his hopes up and then you not be able to find someone. It is winter, after all. Most swim lessons are during the summer months.”
“I’ll see what I can arrange.”
She kissed him softly and then went into the pool to keep an eye on Shane. They splashed and played together as a family for over two hours, and then Heidi hustled Shane out of the pool and upstairs for his bath. After he was dressed for bed, Heidi rinsed off in the shower and put on her pajamas as well, then went to check out the menu with Shane while Raylic showered and dressed.
“We should probably all order from the same restaurant,” Heidi said. “You pick first, and then your daddy and I will find something at the same place. But no pizza!”
Shane sighed and handed the menu to Heidi. “Can we order from somewhere that has chicken?”
“Like chicken nuggets or a chicken breast?”
“The big pieces with those little lines on them.”
“You want a grilled chicken breast?” she asked.
He nodded.
Heidi looked over the menu and read off the choices that matched what he wanted until he picked one. Then she figured out what she wanted and handed the menu to Raylic as he entered the kitchen. After the order was called in, Raylic lifted Shane and carried him to the living room with Heidi trailing behind them.
“We get to eat in here?” Shane asked.
Heidi looked at the pristine floors and furniture. “Raylic, I don’t think that’s such a great idea. We should eat in the kitchen.”
“Heidi, there isn’t anything in this room that can’t be replaced. I thought we’d watch a movie while we ate. I know it’s going to be a little while before it’s delivered, but we can go ahead and start the movie now.”
She sighed and agreed, even if she did worry that S
hane would destroy something by spilling food or drink on it. Shane picked an animated movie on Netflix, and they settled in to watch it while they waited for their food. Heidi yawned as she leaned her head on Raylic’s shoulder, with Shane cuddled against her other side. It had been a long day, and she wasn’t certain she’d stay awake for very long after they ate. She could only hope that Raylic would find a fun way to wake her up if that happened. After the multiple orgasms last night, she was hoping for an encore.
Chapter Eight
Days passed, and Christmas inched ever closer. Now it was Christmas Eve, and Shane was buzzing around the house with so much energy they were having trouble keeping up. Raylic had to admit that Shane’s excitement was starting to rub off on him. The presents had been wrapped the other day and were under the tree, except for the train table and new train set. Those were going under the tree tonight from Santa.
Heidi had been in the kitchen all morning and afternoon cooking one thing after another. The dining room table had a festive tablecloth on it and had been covered with one tray of food after another. Raylic had picked up a ham from a local shop earlier in the day, and it sat sliced and ready to eat in the middle of the table. Heidi had made candied yams, green bean casserole, pigs in a blanket, some sort of pumpkin spread, a spinach artichoke dip, and no less than four desserts.
The first of their guests had already arrived, and Shane had taken Reyvor’s girls up to the playroom. Raylic had told his friends to come in when they arrived so he wouldn’t have to answer the door every few minutes. They were waiting on Thrace and Avelyn, Syl and Brielle, Xonos and Victoria. Each couple was bringing their children so Shane would have someone to play with. They’d decided against doing a gift swap since the gathering had been last minute.
“I promise no one bites,” Raylic whispered in Heidi’s ear. “You look ready to bolt.”
“What if they don’t like me?”
“Everyone is going to love you. Just relax and enjoy yourself. And remember, each of the mates was once a single woman who had fallen on hard times. Victoria lived in an apartment, not much better than yours, and her daughter was dying. Brielle had been engaged, and her ex came back to inform her she had to move out because he was marrying someone else. Avelyn had been divorced after living with an abusive male. Every woman here has been in a difficult situation, so don’t feel like they’re better than you. They’ve all struggled, and no one will look down on you.”
She nodded and moved away from him to mingle with their guests. As more people arrived, Heidi slowly looked like she was relaxing and having a nice time. Raylic enjoyed having the Christmas Eve gathering at his house and decided he’d do another gathering again soon. Syl usually hosted everyone at his place, but his six-year-old daughter, Emily, had taken ill the night of their party and the celebration had been canceled. Thankfully, she was better this evening and had been able to come with them.
Syl’s daughter, Evie, and Reyvor’s daughter, Nikki, were the oldest kids at fifteen, and they’d curled up in a corner to talk and play on their phones, too old to play with the other kids and too young to mingle with the adults. Reyvor’s daughter Winnie was the next oldest at twelve, and was upstairs keeping an eye on the younger kids, with the help of Dexter, Syl’s adopted son, and Lily.
Raylic’s home had never been so full of love and laughter before, and he was enjoying every minute of it. The buffet was waiting whenever someone was ready to eat, and Heidi had even placed some snacks on the table upstairs in the playroom for the kids. As the hours passed, Raylic felt the anticipation building. It would be his first time playing Santa, and he couldn’t wait.
“You’re over here grinning like a crazy person,” Syl said. “You’d think you’d never had friends over before.”
“It’s Christmas Eve,” Raylic said.
“I’m aware.”
“I get to be Santa tonight,” he whispered in case any little ears were nearby.
“I remember the first time I got to do that, when Dexter came to live with us. You didn’t go overboard, did you? Brielle made me take back half of what I had bought that year.”
Raylic shook his head. “Heidi was with me when I went shopping. What’s under the tree is the bulk of what Shane is getting, but Santa has two big gifts he’s delivering, and one extra thing that even Heidi doesn’t know about.”
“Surprising the mate on Christmas morning?” Syl asked. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
Raylic shrugged. “I’ve arranged for Shane to have swimming lessons starting next week. I asked the instructor to give me something I could put under the tree for Christmas morning, so she printed off a certificate for a month of swim lessons.”
“You, uh, did think to get your mate something, didn’t you?” Syl asked.
“I went shopping yesterday, claiming that there were some things I needed to take care of at the Terran station. I made sure I went to the mall so I could have them gift wrap everything. Her packages are in the back of my SUV. I thought I’d send her up to bed, before I stick them under the tree, so she’ll be surprised tomorrow.”
Thrace joined them. “What are we discussing?”
“Christmas presents,” Syl said. “It’s his first Christmas with a family.”
Thrace sighed. “That first Christmas was the best ever. Make sure you take lots of pictures, even if it’s just with your phone. You’ll want to look back on them as your son gets older.”
“Thanks,” Raylic said. “I’ll make sure I charge my phone tonight.”
“Did you give your mate the means and time to buy you something?” Thrace asked. “I screwed up the first year with Avelyn, and she never had a chance to shop for me. She was so pissed when she saw all her presents under the tree, and I didn’t have any.”
Raylic’s eyes widened. “Oh shit.”
Thrace chuckled. “You are going to be in so much trouble tomorrow.”
Syl leaned a little closer. “Unless you convince her that sex tonight is the best Christmas present you’ve ever received.”
“She’s going to kill me tomorrow, isn’t she?” Raylic sighed. “And here I thought I was doing so well at this mate and father thing. It seems there’s still a lot I need to learn.”
“Just tell her that she’s the best gift you’ve ever had and nothing could have topped claiming her as your mate,” Thrace suggested. “Women love that romantic stuff.”
Raylic nodded. “I can do that. It would be the truth anyway.”
Thrace slapped him on the back. “Good luck. I think I’m going to gather my mate and Lily and head home. She still believes in Santa, so I need to get her to bed before too long. With some luck, the car ride home will tire her out.”
“I think we’re going to head out too,” Syl said. “It’s nearly eight o’clock, and it’s bedtime for Emily. I’m sure Dexter will be awake a while longer, but I’m hoping they’re both passed out within an hour. I have plans for Brielle tonight that don’t include children.”
Raylic smiled, having those same types of plans for his mate as well. He bid his friends goodbye, helped everyone get out the door, then leaned against it and breathed a sigh of relief. It had been great having everyone over, but he was more than ready to have his family to himself for the rest of the night. Although he had a feeling Heidi would send Shane to bed.
He started putting away the leftovers, so Heidi wouldn’t have to do everything herself, then went upstairs to find his family. Heidi was just tucking Shane into bed when he stopped in the bedroom doorway. Their son was yawning widely and insisting he wasn’t tired. He smiled when he saw the new Christmas-themed pajamas he’d picked up the other day. Since pictures were mentioned, he was glad he’d picked some up for everyone.
“I want to see Santa,” Shane whined.
“If you’re awake, Santa won’t come,” Heidi said. “It’s part of the magic of Christmas. Only little boys who are asleep get presents from Santa.”
Shane’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
> Heidi nodded. “Now, close your eyes and have sweet dreams. It will be morning before you know it and you’ll get to open all your presents.”
“Night, Mama. Night, Daddy.”
“Goodnight, sweet boy,” Heidi said, brushing a kiss on his cheek.
Raylic pushed off the doorframe and went to kiss Shane goodnight. “Sleep tight, and we’ll see you in the morning.”
Shane yawned again and nodded before turning onto his side and closing his eyes, his bear clutched tight against his chest. Raylic followed Heidi into the hall, flicking off Shane’s light and pulling his door shut. Then they tiptoed downstairs to set up the train table and new train set. Raylic, thankfully, had all the right tools, and after an hour, the table was together, and the train was placed on top.
“Why don’t you head upstairs?” Raylic suggested. “I want to check all the windows and doors, and then I’ll be up. I won’t be long.”
Heidi kissed him, flicking her tongue against his lips. “You better not be. I have plans for you tonight, Santa.”
He smiled and swatted her ass as she walked away. When he was certain she wasn’t coming back down, he went out to his SUV and pulled her presents from the back then placed them under the tree. As he was hiding them amongst Shane’s presents, he noticed one package that looked like it had been wrapped by a bear. The tag read To Daddy, From Shane. His heart melted at the thought of his son giving him a gift. As he stood, he noticed an envelope tucked into the branches of the tree with his name written across the front. It seemed his family had found a way to give him gifts after all, and he couldn’t wait to see them.
Raylic checked the locks on the windows and doors then made his way upstairs. His sexy mate was lounging on the bed, completely bare. After closing and locking the door, he began removing his clothes, eager to get his hands on her. Once the last of his clothing was gone, he crawled across the bed and eased down beside her, turning her to face him. His mouth claimed hers gently, and when her lips parted, his tongue slipped between them. Raylic could taste the sweetness of the eggnog she’d consumed earlier in the evening as he devoured her.
Heidi and the Alien Cop Page 8
