Even after Luci had finished the two year Vet Tech course at the local community college—which she never could have done if her mom hadn’t been able to watch the kids—and started working part time while the kids were in school, Tony still wouldn’t lift a finger around the house.
“You can work if you want to,” he told her. “But the money goes into our shared bank account. And the minute the house starts looking like a pig sty or my dinner is late—even once—you’re out of there. Understand?”
Luci hated herself now, for putting up with his bullying. But at the time, she’d thought she had no choice. Now she waited to see if Raze would act the same way her ex had when asked to do a domestic duty. If he did, she would know immediately he wasn’t the kind of man she wanted to be with.
But instead of protesting, the big Kindred nodded thoughtfully.
“I’ve been in a human food store several times now, but I never knew quite what to buy. It’ll be interesting to have a list and see how the ingredients fit together when you cook them.”
He promised to come over to drop off the groceries and pick up the kittens as soon as Luci got home so she could start cooking. When he left in his shiny silver shuttle car, with her list in one hand, she couldn’t help thinking that the big Kindred seemed like a genuinely nice guy. And a sexy one too.
Though she tried to keep her mind on her work as she finished the last bit of her shift at the clinic, all she could think of was the next time she would see him.
Seven
Raze couldn’t wait to see the curvy little Earth female again.
As he drove through downtown Tampa, Luci was all he could think about. The spontaneous hug she had given him had really intrigued him. He could still feel the press of her gorgeous, soft body against his and smell her sweet, feminine scent.
Raze was glad she’d allowed him to buy the food for tonight’s Last Meal. He simply didn’t understand a society that didn’t honor and reward the hard work of a female trying to raise her young ones—especially one trying to raise them alone. In such an uncaring world, Lucia needed someone to help her. A male to protect and provide for her.
A little voice inside his head whispered softly that the male in question could be him.
Raze pushed it away. He was a hybrid, he reminded himself. He couldn’t bond with her—couldn’t give her the deep, soul-connection, which was what such a lovely female deserved and no doubt desired.
Well, at least he could spend time with her while he was here on Earth. He had already called over to the HKR building and extended his leave time for a couple more solar weeks.
He intended to use that time raising the kittens and getting close to Lucia—as close as a friend could be, anyway, since that was all he could ever be to her.
Eight
The next two weeks seemed like a dream to Luci. She saw Raze every day—sometimes with the kids and her mom at dinnertime—and sometimes at the clinic. The kittens, (which were thriving,) provided an excellent excuse—which was good, because the more she saw the big Kindred, the more she wanted to see him.
The thing she likes most about Raze, she decided, was that he was always a perfect gentleman. He never shouted or even raised his voice and he was always gentle and kind with the kids, who were really getting to love him. The twins were over their shyness now and they would come running and climb all over the big Kindred like a tree the minute they heard his deep rumbling voice.
Frannie liked to sit on his knee while he read her stories from her favorite books. She was at that age where she wanted to hear the same book over and over and over again, which frankly, drove Luci a little nuts. But Raze read her The Princess and her Dragon over and over—sometimes multiple times in a row—in both English and Spanish without complaining once.
In addition to her kids, all the animals loved him as well. Even Oreo, the extremely skittish guinea pig, didn’t try to run when Raze picked him up. Hippy and Hoppy, their two rescue bunnies, also trusted him instinctively. And Lucky, the one-eyed, one-eared tomcat, wove around his ankles purring the minute the big Kindred walked in the door.
Most telling of all, Luci’s mother was finally coming around. Part of it was probably the way Raze loved her cooking. He praised her menudo extravagantly and said her tamales were the best thing he’d ever put in his mouth. He treated her like a queen too—always listening respectfully when she talked, which was certainly something Tony had never done. In response to the big Kindred’s patient wooing, Luci’s mom finally thawed and confided to Luci that he was a “good, clean kind of boy,” which was high praise indeed, coming from her.
Luci was inclined to agree with her mother. There were so many good things about Raze that no one could have guessed from his scary outer appearance—such as his willingness to help around the house.
Surprisingly—at least to Luci—he didn’t mind cooking himself or taking a hand in the cleanup afterwards. He went to a Kindred grocery, not far from the Human/Kindred Relations building, and made them all a meal that was native to his home world—a delicious spicy stew that everyone loved. And if Luci cooked, he washed the dishes afterwards.
He even took her whole family on a day trip to Disney World on one of her rare days off. Living in Tampa, they were only an hour away and Raze drove them all in his spacious shuttle-car which was whisper-quiet and ate up the miles incredibly quickly. He insisted on paying for everything and Luci let him—though she knew she shouldn’t. But it was just so nice to feel taken care of for once!
After arriving at The Magic Kingdom, Raze helped with the kids, keeping the boys amused while Lucia and Frannie did a special Princess makeover at Cinderella’s Castle. Frannie was over the moon as she got to dress like her favorite Princess from Frozen and the boys loved the It’s a Small World ride.
Through it all—the crush of the crowds and the heat and the lines, Raze kept his cool. He shepherded Lucia’s little family through the large park, making sure everyone was safe and happy and buying the kids pretty much anything they asked for. Lucia was horrified at the amount of money he was spending but when she tried to stop him, Raze said,
“Please, Lucia—let me do this. I don’t have a family or children of my own. Let me pretend, just for a day, that you all belong to me. I know you’re proud and capable, but let me have this one day of providing for you. Please?”
The big Kindred’s words had melted Lucia’s heart and she had at last nodded reluctantly.
“All right, but you’ll spoil them.”
Raze had flashed her a charming grin.
“I want to. So let me—just for today. All right?”
“All right.” She sighed and threw up her hands. “I guess I can’t stop you. But no more ice cream or we’re going to be cleaning up puke.”
Raze had agreed to that and then proceeded to buy Frannie a huge, round, rainbow lollypop as big as her head. The boys got matching Mickey ears to wear and everybody was happy.
It was a wonderful day—one Luci told herself she would never forget. Raze was so kind and generous and patient—a truly good guy. All in all, the big Kindred seemed to be just about perfect—except for one thing.