Merry & Seduced by Shelley Munro

know.”
    “It’s not silly. We’ll make our day special and start our own traditions. We can continue them wherever we find ourselves on Christmas day.”
    “I love you, Ry,” she said, her heart aching with the hugeness of her emotions.
    “Love you too, kitten.” He took her hand and led her toward the bedroom. “Let me prove it.”
    “Excellent idea,” she said with a saucy wink and a hip bump. “You need to keep reminding me or I might think I dreamed the entire alien experience.” She let out a shriek when he pinched her bottom and growled.
    “You’d better run, little girl,” he said, his voice full of feline.
    Camryn took one look at her mate, ripped her hand free and ran right into the bedroom.
    * * * * *
    “I haven’t been to the beach before,” Amme said.
    “No?” Marcus shot a puzzled glance at her, and she realized she’d erred with her throwaway comment. He pulled into the driveway of Max’s farm and stopped outside their door. “Wait there. I’ll go and tell Max we’re here.”
    Before he could climb from his vehicle the front door opened, and Luke ran out carrying a ball and a towel.
    Amme grinned at the little boy. “Someone is excited.”
    “I want to swim,” Autumn said from her car seat.
    “We’re all going to swim,” Marcus said, sharing a grin with Amme.
    The bright smile turned her insides rebellious. They swooped and dived and didn’t behave in the correct cyborg manner. This wasn’t the time for a malfunction, yet she couldn’t help but enjoy his sparkling happiness. Amme gave a soft sigh as he went to help Max with the car seat for Luke. Marcus had made this holiday feel special—a celebration of home. In a short time she’d become attached to Autumn, which was the way her programming should work, but this tie to Marcus…
    The rear door opened, and Max deftly fixed Luke’s car seat in place. In a matter of mins, he had his son buckled in and ready to depart.
    “Is Ellen coming with us?” Marcus asked.
    Max shot a quick apologetic glance to Amme. “No, she has a lot of Christmas baking to do. She’s making edible gifts for her sisters and cooking a Christmas cake to take with us to Taupo.”
    “Oh,” Amme said. “I thought…Camryn said we would have Christmas dinner here. She must be disappointed. I know she was looking forward to it.”
    Max’s expression wiped clean, yet Amme sensed the tension in him and the anguish at the tension between his wife and his twin sister.
    “We can have Christmas dinner at my place,” Marcus said as he pulled out of the driveway. “Still plenty of time to arrange it, and we already have our trees.”
    Max shrugged, and Amme picked up another wave of his unhappiness. “I’d promised Ellen already, and I don’t want to disappoint her. I suggested to Camryn we have a party to celebrate the new year instead.”
    “Good idea,” Marcus said. “Since you’ll be away, why don’t we have it at my place? I have plenty of helpers.” He winked at Amme. “Your friends seem to relish organizing things.”
    “That’s a fine plan,” Amme said. “That way Ellen won’t have to race home and organize a party.”
    “We’ll invite the neighbors and some of my friends,” Marcus said. “How does that sound?”
    Max shared another quick look with Amme or at least their gazes connected when she glanced back. “That would work. It’s a great idea, and I know it’d reassure Ellen. She’s stressed at the moment, and it’s not good for the babies.”
    The babies might be a factor, but Amme knew Ellen didn’t want her house overrun with aliens. At least Camryn’s brother seemed more open-minded.
    “What is the name of this beach?” Amme asked. “Camryn calls it Ma Right Eye. That can’t be right?”
    Max burst out laughing. “You mean Maraetai. It’s ma-rye-a-tie. The Maori language can confuse visitors.”
    “One day, not long ago, she had us laughing until we were crying when she was explaining some of the names.