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LENA LOOKED AROUND frantically for clothes she could throw on. Her shirt had gotten ripped at some point, and she didn’t think it was appropriate meet the parents attire. Of course, Solan’s clothes made it abundantly clear what they had been doing for the past few hours. But she was thirty-four goddamn years old and Solan’s mom could deal with it.
“I can make her go away,” Solan offered. He looked a little frantic himself and had ripped open a drawer, rifling through neatly folded clothes to find his own outfit to wear downstairs.
“We have to meet sometime.” It was abrupt, but Lena had already met his sister today, sort of. Could meeting his mother be any worse?
“I was hoping for a meeting over lunch or dinner. This is a bit sudden.” Solan held up a pair of pants and examined them. They apparently met his standard. He pulled them on and then went in search of a shirt.
“Are you taking back that whole loving me thing?” Lena teased. It made butterflies swarm in her stomach to think about it too closely. No guy had ever told her that he loved her before. She should’ve said it back. She should probably say it back right now. But for some reason the words got caught on her tongue. She felt it. This thing between them was the real deal. It wasn’t going away. But she couldn’t figure out how to say that out loud.
Solan tugged a shirt over his head before leaning in close to kiss her with a grin. “Never,” he promised.
She realized she had gotten caught up in watching her Match get dressed and quickly threw on the clothes she had in her hands. “Then let’s get this out of the way. I think you said something about dinner and I’m starting to get a bit hungry. Vigorous activity takes it out of me.” She would like some dinner, and then some more vigorous activity. Lots of vigorous activity.
They went downstairs and found his mother waiting in a brightly lit room right off the main hall. She was sitting on a chair and looking out the window, casually petting Solan’s dog—no, trott, Lena corrected herself. She looked over when Lena and Solan entered the room and watched as they sat.
“Mother, this is my bonded Match, Lena Richardson. Lena, this is my mother, Lureyne Zadra.” Solan did introductions, and Lena detected a bit of tension in his voice.
She was going to soldier through this. Meeting his mother couldn’t be worse than her tour in Kuwait, or trying to block out the blast of the bomb earlier that day. Right? “It’s nice to meet you, Lureyne.” Lena had learned a thing or two about Synnrs and the Zulir in general. Because Lena was Solan’s Match, it was proper for her to address his parents and his siblings by their first names. Otherwise she would’ve used a title or honorific.
Lureyne looked at her son. “This is all quite a surprise. Solan, go fetch us some refreshments. Take your time.”
Solan stiffened. “Mother...”
Lena had had a feeling that this was coming. She gave Solan’s thigh a gentle squeeze and offered a smile. She could handle his mother. If she was going to be in his life, she would have to. After a second’s hesitation, he left.
Lureyne didn’t speak until the door closed behind Solan. “I was surprised to learn my son had a Match. You know he was quite opposed to the institution.”
“Yes,” Lena agreed. “He told me.” She had an idea of how this conversation was about to play out. What was the Synnr equivalent of writing a check to make the undesirable girlfriend go away? And how much would she offer? There was no number high enough to make Lena leave, but she was a bit curious.
“He told you everything?” Lureyne was surprised.
Lena shrugged. “Enough to make me understand.” The situation with Solan’s dad sucked. But it was obvious from one minute of conversation that Lureyne was a proud woman and wouldn’t accept any sympathy or pity for what had happened.
Lureyne stood and crossed the room to stand beside a small writing desk. The trott looked up before settling back down on the floor. She didn’t pick anything up, and Lena got the idea that she moved more to keep Lena’s attention than for any other reason. “You know that my son has certain expectations in his position. The Zadra name is ancient. Carrying it on is important.”
Was she getting ready to write that check? She was laying it on thick. “We haven’t really discussed family yet. If we choose to have kids I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”
Lureyne pursed her lips. “A Match is not a marriage. One does not automatically equal the other.”
Lena could hurt her. She could say something cutting about Lureyne’s marriage, and what a Match had done to her family. But she wasn’t going to. Lureyne was being hostile, and Lena didn’t like it. But some things couldn’t be unsaid. Still, she made sure to meet the woman’s eyes and let her see that Lena was intentionally choosing not to say anything hurtful.
Lureyne didn’t acknowledge the look. “We are not Apsyns. I am pleased my son has found his Match, even though you are human. You seem like an intelligent woman. You look well enough. And from what I hear, you are becoming a capable soldier, even if you put my son’s career in jeopardy at first.”
Well, that was a heaping pile of bullshit. Now Lena was regretting holding her tongue earlier.
And Lureyne continued. “But no Zadra has ever Matched with a human before. There is a tradition that must be recognized.”
No wonder Solan had issues if he had grown up under this woman. And Lena was a bit concerned that the Synnrs and Apsyns weren’t nearly as different as they liked to pretend they were. But she wasn’t going to put up with bigoted crap. “I realize I’m not on Earth anymore. But if I was, I would call all of that a bunch of racist nonsense. Don’t tell me I’m not good enough for Solan. He is an adult. He has chosen me. I have chosen him. I love him. And I’m not going to let you come between us. You can say you’re not an Apsyn all you like, but right now you’re talking like one. I realize this might be surprising, so I’m going to be nice. You can walk out the door right now and come back and start again. I’m willing to forget this conversation ever happened.” She didn’t want to. She wanted to cut things off for good. But for Solan’s sake she’d give his mother one more chance. “It’s been a few minutes. Solan’s going to walk in real soon. Your choice.” Some people could change, could adapt, could learn. Could Lureyne?
Lureyne studied her for several moments, her eyes flicking up and down. Lena had to fight the urge to straighten her posture. She wasn’t going to let Lureyne affect her like that. Then the woman nodded and turned towards the door.
And at that moment, Solan walked back in. “Mother? Are you leaving so soon?”
She nodded regretfully. “Congratulations on your Match. Three children paired off in a year. I’ll consider that a success. Come over for lunch tomorrow. I would love to get to know your Match more.”
Those weren’t Lena’s exact terms, but Lureyne wasn’t the kind of woman to give in totally. Still, it was a step, and Lena could accept that. If they were going to have a relationship, it would be built one day at a time. Lureyne gave her son a hug and left.
Solan took his seat beside her as soon as she was gone. “What happened?”
“I think your mom wants you to marry a Synnr woman,” Lena wasn’t going to waste time explaining everything. Solan knew his mother. He could figure the rest out.
“If I marry anyone, it would be you, of course.” He sounded both confused and affronted, and it made Lena’s heart clench.
“I love you.” Whatever had been holding those words back dissolved, and Lena felt relief in saying it. She loved Solan, Solan loved her, and they would deal with whatever issues there were with his family as they came up.
That brought a huge smile to Solan’s face. “And it only took one interrogation from my mother for you to realize it. I wonder what you will tell me after lunch.”
Lena’s stomach growled. “You better feed me dinner or we’re not going to make it to lunch.” She wasn’t sure when she had eaten her last full meal. They hadn’t managed to finish breakfast. She had no idea what time it was. This had been the longest day of her life.
“Was she horrible?” he asked with a sympathetic grimace. “We don’t have to go to lunch.”
That he was ready to take her side comforted her. And one day they might have to make a choice between putting up with his mother’s attitude or living happily. But Lena wasn’t ready to give up just yet. “Remember how I said some things are strangely similar to Earth? I can’t say I was completely surprised. A bit disappointed, but not surprised.”
He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “You and me above all others,” he promised. “My mother will have to get used to that.”
