Page 39 of Little Saint Nautilus

“Thank you, Mom. You look beautiful, too.” When she finally released her hold on me, I cleared my throat. “I’d like you to meet someone special. Mom, this is Nemo.”

Nemo shoved his plate at her, smiling widely. “Hi Cory’s mom, we made cookies.”

My mom grinned and pulled him into her smothering hug, the plate awkwardly held between them. “It’s lovely to meet you, Nemo. You can just call me Mom. How’s that sound?”

She released him and he stood there with tears in his eyes and a look of adoration on his face. “I would like that very much…Mom.”

Gah! Something was in the air because my eyes felt misty, too. I blinked hard to try to clear them. The joy on Nemo’s face at the immediate acceptance just about did me in. That and seeing my…matewith my mother. I wanted to scoop her off her feet and spin her around with the gratitude I felt about her reception of Nemo.

She looked at his plate and tilted her head, trying to decipher what shapes they were. “Is that an…octopus?”

Nemo huffed. “Yes. They didn’t have any nautilus shapes, so it was as close as we could get.”

“Well, I imagine a nautilus would be a difficult shape to portray with a cookie. But I like it; a Christmas octopus. Oh, and a shark, too?”

“Yes. Sea creatures are sort of a theme for us,” I responded.

Nemo piped in, “You should see our tree! We have the best ornament. It’s a seahorse, and it’s rainbow-colored! Can you believe it? Seahorsesaren’trainbow-colored.” He laughed as if he’d told the funniest joke. I couldn’t help but join in because his joy was completely infectious. Even my mom snorted with amusement.

She brought us inside, where Nemo was introduced to my dad, who’d greeted him with a handshake. It was simply his way. Gramps called Nemo to the kitchen, demanding to get the first cookie. Nemo beamed and happily followed the command, eager to please my grandfather. Later, when I was alone with my dad, he gave me a smile and a nod of approval. It was as much as I expected of him. It wasn’t that I thought he would have a problem with Nemo. I meant what I’d told him, that they would love him, but it was just my dad’s way. My mom did enough talking for both of them, and he was happy to let her.

A few minutes later, my grandfather had his arm over Nemo’s shoulder, as the two came out of the kitchen looking conspiratorial. He was so smallnext to the old man, and yet, they looked like the makings of a buddy-cop movie. Something told me those two would get up to trouble together, and the thought made my heart feel like it would explode out of my chest. I couldn’t imagine anything better than my grandfather taking Nemo under his wing.

“I like this one, Cory. You planning to keep him around for a while?” Gramps asked in his gruff voice.

My gaze locked with the petite man who had completely captured my heart. “A while, yeah. Like maybe forever.”

My mom gasped, and I saw my dad’s brows arch with surprise at the declaration. Gramps just gave me a wink and tugged Nemo to his side. “Sounds like we should kick off this party with a little celebration.”

He released Nemo, who walked over and reached up to cup my face. His thumb scraped over my trimmed scruff. “Forever, Cory.”

Gramps returned with a bottle of champagne and began pouring glasses for all of us. Nemo took one and sniffed it, making a face when the bubbles tickled his nose. I pursed my lips to hold back my smile.

Gramps lifted his glass high in a toast. “Welcome to the family, Nemo. Listen to your heart and it will always guide you home.

Cheers rang out, and I tapped the edge of Nemo’s glass with mine and took a sip. He did the same before setting his glass on the table. He turnedtoward me and grabbed my hand, placing it over his heart. “My heart led me to you, Cory.Youare my home.”

The deeper meaning of his home hung between us, making a lump rise in my throat. I forced the lump down, needing to respond, not caring we were in front of my family. “I feel whole when I’m with you, that you were the piece I’d been missing and spent years searching for. You’re my home, too.”

I bent down and kissed him to the sound of ‘aww’ from my mom in the background.

“All right. Enough of that mushy stuff. Let’s eat,” Gramps announced, breaking up our kiss, but he gave me a wink when I met his eye. Just like that, Nemo was a part of my family, as he would be…always.

Nautilus families had their own form of connection and affection, but it was often more limited to the instincts that came from our shelled forms. I’d had a few laughs with some of my family above water, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t anything like the loud and expressive version I experienced with Cory’s family, but it was captivating. Watching the way they talked and laughed and supported each other made me feel warm through and through. They had a special bond, and they had extended that bond to welcome me in.

A part of me was still missing, still far away, but Cory and his family helped me see that home was more than my shell, more than my refuge. It washim. That night, I decided I would stop looking. Stop obsessing over something that was gone and wouldn’t be coming back.

The idea sat like a rock in my belly, but I needed to let it go and focus on the life I had with Cory. It was a beautiful life with him. He loved me, cherished me, and protected me. He was more than I could have ever hoped for in a mate. I needed to look ahead with him and not keep looking back. Starting with Christmas and the promise and hope it brought.

Cory

Christmas morning, I woke with a strange feeling in my chest. I thought it was my excitement to share the holiday with Nemo, or carry-over from the night before and my heart feeling so full at seeing him with my family. The sensation remained even after our breakfast and hot cocoa, making me feel restless. Perhaps it was simply heartburn after all the food I’d had the last couple of days.

Nemo sat in my lap, staring at the Christmas tree. “Do we have to take it down when Christmasis over?”

“Typically, yes, though people do it at different times. But if it makes you happy, we can keep it up as long as you’d like.”

“Hmm. I’ll think about it. I really enjoyed putting it up with you, and I think it would feel more special next year if we don’t keep it out too long.”

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