Page 24 of A Layperry's Heart
I shimmy up the bed, resting my head against the pillows. Aldo tucks himself against my chest, wrapping his arm around my middle.
“Will you stay tonight?”
Aldo’s voice is achingly soft and filled with the same longing I find myself feeling at the center of my chest. I lean down and kiss the top of his head, his hair soft against my lips.
I want to tell him that I will stay forever if only he asks. My feelings for him have a word, one I’m not sure we’re ready for quite yet but a word I know is real without a doubt. I love him. I love Aldo.
I run my fingers down his spine, carefully wrapping my tail around his upper thigh. “Yes,” I whisper back. “I’ll stay the night.”
Chapter Nine
Aldo
Icheckmyhairin the mirror again, making sure it looks okay. I’ve dyed it a pretty purple color, only realizing it matches Gendry’s skin when it was all done and dried. I’m not sure if I did it by accident or if my subconscious wanted us to match but either way, I think it looks really nice on me.
“You look perfect,” Gendry says beside me, resting a hand on my thigh. He gives me a gentle squeeze and a soft smile that shows off the little fangs I love so much. Not to mention how much I enjoy the feel of them against my skin. I have a bite mark over the place that Gendry is currently squeezing and yep, I really need to stop thinking about that before I pop a boner in the car outside my mother’s house.
I need to get my shit together. Taking in a deep breath, I calm my racing heart. We’re just having lunch with my mother, what’s the worst that could happen?
“I can tell that you are worried. Are you sure you want me here? I do not wish to add to your worry.”
Gendry’s soft words break me out of my anxiety spiral. Everything is going to be okay. My two favorite people are about to meet.
“I’m okay,” I tell him, bringing his hand to my mouth and kissing his knuckles. It’s been about two months since we sat down and had our talk about how we were feeling about each other. The night ended with the most amazing round of sex and since then, we’ve been nearly inseparable. Sure, I still need to go to work and Gendry does things with Christian. He’s also started working at the bookshop with my cousin, Carlos. We’re not attached at the hip, but every night we end up in bed together. It doesn’t even always lead to sex, some nights we just fall asleep whispering and holding each other.
I’ve never been so happy in a relationship before. All the men I’ve dated before ended up not working out for one reason or another. Maybe all that time, they never worked out because they weren’tGendry. Maybe I was waiting for the alien next door.
Jesus, that sounds like the title of a terrible porn parody.
“I want you to meet my mama. She’s going to love you once she sees past,” I pause, waving a hand at Gendry’s face, “all of this.”
“All of this?”
“Yeah,” I say gently. “The fact that you’re purple and an alien and have a pair of antennae on your head. It might take her a second but she’ll love you once she gets to know you.”
“I hope so,” Gendry says. “I want her approval for our relationship. Family is important. I need her to know that my feelings for you are true. I need her to know I would do everything in my power to keep you from hurting.”
My heart gives a twinge within my chest, affection practically bursting through my seams. It’s getting harder and harder not to throw myself into Gendry’s arms and tell him that I’ve fallen completely and utterly in love with him. I’ve only known him a few months but I already know everything I need to know about him. I love him.
“Let’s go,” I say, unlocking the car and stepping outside. I swallow around the nervous lump in my throat and head to the front door of Mama’s home. It’s small and just on the outskirts of town. The perfect little setup for a house of one.
I knock on the door and only a moment passes before my mother is opening the door, greeting me with a wide smile. She immediately pulls me into a hug. We’re about the same size so when she pulls back to greet Gendry, she has to look up at him, the same way I normally do.
“Oh,” she says, turning back towards me. “Who is this, Aldo?”
“Mama,” I say slowly, holding on to her shoulders and giving them a squeeze. “This is my boyfriend. His name is Gendry.”
“I see,” is all she says before turning around and walking into the house. “Come in! Lunch is ready to be served. I hope you brought your appetite because I made a lot.”
I let out the breath I was holding. Turning towards Gendry, I grab his wrist and walk inside, closing the door behind us.
“This is going really well,” I tell him under my breath.
“Is it? I cannot tell.”
“Oh yeah. She invited us both in. If she was upset she would have taken off her shoe, thrown it at my head, and then told us to leave so she could have some time to cool down. This is going super well.”
Gendry gives me a look that makes me chuckle. “I’m kidding. She wouldn’t do that. But trust me, I can tell she’s going to make a genuine effort to get to know you.”
