Bad Nerd Rising (8 page)

Tia choked. “What?”

“Hello? You’re nearly six feet tall, slender
as a model, with beautiful bone structure and hair and skin. Tia,
there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“I’m not beautiful.” Tia said, but she
frowned at her aunt, grappling to determine whether she should
listen to this beloved woman, or the Apes.

The problem was, the Apes had had a lot more
to say on the subject, and were known to harp on it far longer than
Emma. Old beliefs were hard to discount.

“You are. You happen to be extremely bright
in most things, and you’re gorgeous. Just because a woman is smart
doesn’t mean she can’t also be attractive.”

“But—”

“There are no buts, Tia. You are Tia
Morrison, Ph.D. but there’s no denying you look like your mother.
You have your father’s height, but you look almost identical to
your mother.”

“My mother is gorgeous.”

“Yes, she is. And you look exactly like her.
That makes you every bit as beautiful. Don’t listen to what your
brothers say. They don’t count, of course.”

“They don’t?”

Emma laughed. “No. Remember all the tea
parties we had at my house?”

“Of course. Your house was my favorite
escape. I knew you’d let me come and visit whenever the Apes got
out of hand.”

“You practically spent your entire summers
with me,” Emma said, and stroked a hand up Tia’s arm.

“I did. Thanks for giving me a reprieve, by
the way.”

“You’re welcome. I needed you as much as you
needed me, I think.”

“Oh?”

“I hadn’t lost Rich and Shelby so long
before that, you know,” she said and Tia straightened.

“That’s right.” Tia thought
about her newest cousin, Shelby O’Riley-Welby, Emma and Rich’s
daughter, who contacted them after she was diagnosed with leukemia
and needed to locate her birth family.
[
The Nerd’s Pocket Pets
– Book 4 – The Morrison Family Series]

“I needed a little girl around the house
sometimes. Needed to know I could have been a good mother.”

“You were necessary for my sanity, Aunt
Emma,” Tia assured her. “If not for you, I would have been jailed
and charged with homicide by age seven.”

Emma laughed, as Tia had intended for her to
do. “I think your parents were aware of that, which is why your
mother showed you the way to my house.”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

Her aunt hugged her, a loving embrace as
familiar to her as her favorite sweater. Comforting, warm, and
sweet. “So am I, baby.”

Later at supper that night Tia was really
happy to have Emma and Rich join them. She was finally enjoying a
meal here, and the conversation that flowed around them. “Remember,
baby, knights-in-shining-armor are hard to come by these days,”
Emma reminded her.

Tia grinned while her eyes welled up a
little. “That they are. Fortunately, I have one on standby.”
Quizzical faces peered at her from around the table. Even the
virulent woman looked interested. Tia couldn’t quite look in
Aleksi’s direction, but her Uncle Rich saved her, bless him.

“You have a knight in shining armor on
standby?”

“I do,” she gurgled with a grin.

“I think we need to hear this story,” Aleksi
said as he finished cutting a piece of steak and set his knife
down.

“Yes, I’m interested,” Rich said, his eyes
gleaming in his handsome face. If he wasn’t totally in love with
her beloved aunt...

More than a few of her cousins had commented
on what a hotty he was. Tia concurred. He was good to all of them,
but especially her aunt.

“At least one more knight has been added to
the family,” she said, her eyes hopefully speaking for her. His
eyes softened and he glanced at Emma. Whose eyes warmed and she
reached out a hand to place on his knee.

“Yes, another one has definitely been
added,” Emma agreed, and Tia had to blink back tears. Their love
was so...pure and precious. She wanted that kind of love.

“The story, if you will,” Aleksi directed
and she was grateful he interrupted the moment. Crying in front of
the Prince of Rurikstan probably wasn’t good manners.

“I had a really important dinner to attend
while in graduate school.”

“It determined where you ended up for your
post doc work, didn’t it?” Emma inserted.

“Essentially. It was one of the most
important dinners of my career.”

“What happened?” Aleksi’s mother asked, a
hand hovering at her throat.

“I’d just broken up with the man I was
dating. A nasty, unhappy break-up. I obviously couldn’t take
him.”

“Obviously not,” Emma said, shaking her
head.

“But you had planned to take him?” Rich
asked.

She nodded. “Yes. He was supposed to escort
me. It wasn’t necessary to have an escort, but the host and hostess
made it evident we were to make every effort.” Tia used her fork to
extract the almonds from her green beans.

“You needed an escort,” Rich concluded.

Tia shuddered. “All I could think about was
I’d end up with a post doc in some place where I’d be afraid to go
out alone. I managed to work myself into a panic. And that’s when
my mother chose to call.” She grinned.

“This was a good thing?”
Aleksi asked, and his lips twitched. Her heart copied the
movement.
Keep your mind on the
story.

“A very good thing,” Tia said
emphatically.

“What happened?” Rich asked.

“I broke down into a
torrent of tears, and yes,
torrent
describes my emotional state at the time. I was
sure my career was ruined.”

“She hadn’t been functioning on much sleep,
and hadn’t eaten all day,” Emma inserted.

“I hadn’t been taking care of myself at all.
I was homesick, tired, worried about my thesis, and I’d just broken
up with a man I erroneously thought I had a future with.” Tia
paused to take a sip of water from her goblet.

“And your mother called,” Aleksi
prompted.

“Yes, she called and I spilled it. She
managed to catch the gist of the problem. And offered to send a
replacement.”

“Oh?” Rich said, his smile broadening.

“I gave her specific instructions that he
had to be well groomed, mature, sophisticated, handsome, I had a
whole list of characteristics I knew would exclude all three of my
brothers.”

She laughed with the rest of the table,
before continuing with the story. “I’m sure at this point there’s
no way she can find anyone.”

“But she did?”

“I remember her saying, ‘I have the perfect
man in mind. Give me a little time. I can have him there in time
for your dinner.’

“I, of course, didn’t believe her. I thanked
her anyway, hung up the phone, and continued crying.” Tia shook her
head at how silly she’d been.

“In the meantime, Lily, her mother, phoned
my brother, who is Tia’s grandfather.” Emma took over the
story.

Tia liked the sweet smile on Emma’s face. “I
happened to be visiting when the call came through. Hiram, Tia’s
grandfather, had been going through a rough patch and was a little
down. Well, Lily called and her first words were, ‘How would you
like to be a knight in shining armor for a fair maiden in
distress?’”

Tia laughed. She never tired of hearing this
story. “My brother perked right up. He made a big show of tugging
out his wallet and digging through it. He said, ‘Looks like my
knight in shining armor card is still valid. I can do it.’ I think
he was beaming from ear to ear.

“Knowing Tia needed him helped yank him
right out of the doldrums he’d been in. He couldn’t pack his bag
fast enough. Your grandmother helped and happily kissed him when he
left.”

“My mom made all the arrangements while he
packed, and he hopped a plane and in about three hours after
sobbing my heart out to her, there’s this knock at the door.” Tia
took over the story. “I’m thinking I’m going to vomit because my
life is ruined, and I know my mom, even as good as she is, is never
going to find me a suitable escort. But I went to answer the door,
sure I’d end up washing dishes in a greasy spoon.” Tia speared a
chunk of steak.

“And you opened the door?” Rich
prompted.

“I opened the door and there stands the
epitome of the man I wanted. My granddad.” Tia smiled as she
remembered the relief, happiness, and giddiness that had descended
on her as soon as she realized who her mother had sent.

“She sent her father?” Aleksi’s mother
asked, and Tia thought she saw the semblance of a smile around her
lips. Would wonders never cease?

“She sent her father-in-law. When I opened
the door he said, “I’m a knight in shining armor, come to rescue a
certain maiden in distress.”

Tia laughed and quickly wiped away a tear
that had escaped.

“What did you do?” Rich asked right before
Aleksi.

“I flung myself in his arms, kissed him
about a hundred times and then let him have the shower first. When
I got dressed that night I couldn’t believe my luck.”

“Luck, baby?” Emma asked.

“I’d gone from having a jerk for an escort
to no escort, to being on the arm of the most handsome, refined man
in the world.” Tia smiled as she remembered that precious night. “I
was the most beautiful woman there, because my granddad had flown
up to save me.”

“He was very happy to do that, you know,”
Emma said.

“I know. I don’t think he could have enjoyed
himself more. We were the topic of conversation for weeks.”

“Oh?” Emma said, like that was news to
her.

“All my colleagues agreed I had the best
escort that night. It also turns out our host was an old Marine
buddy of Granddad’s and they had plenty to talk about. We had such
a fun evening. He made it fun, and I forgot all about how important
the dinner was for my career.”

“And you got your choice of post doctorate
places?” Rich asked and cocked his head.

“I did, but you know, even if I had gone
alone, I still think they would have been kind. I just blew the
whole thing out of proportion.”

“But you earned a knight in shining armor,”
Emma said with a fond smile.

“I did. That’s a precious memory. Granddad
and I had a wonderful weekend.”

“He stayed the weekend with you?” Aleksi
asked.

“Yes. We went out for breakfast, lounged by
the pool, played miniature golf, and rented some movies. I get my
taste in movies from him, apparently. We had a great time.”

“I remember he came home relaxed and happy
that weekend,” Emma said and stared at Tia. “I think he needed that
time as much as you did.”

Tia nodded. “I needed it, I know. My thesis
writing was so much easier because I relaxed and took care of
myself for the weekend, so when I went back to work, I was ready to
tackle it with a fresh perspective.”

“Is this knight in shining armor still
available?” Aleksi’s mother asked. She seemed almost human, her
eyes ablaze with an interested light.

“Yes. He’s bailed out several of the female
cousins since then. And Grandmom has done the same for some of the
male cousins. My grandparents are so much fun.”

“Did I know he was a former Marine?” Rich
asked Emma.

His wife frowned. “I think
so. Remember how I told you Lainy teased Mitch he was Hiram’s new
favorite grandson because Mitch was a Marine?” [
The Nerd and the Marine
– Book 1 –
The Morrison Family Series
]

Rich nodded, “That’s right.”

“Lainy?” Aleksi asked.

Tia answered, “Lainy is one of my first
cousins. She’s an electronics expert and amazing. She married
Mitch, the Marine in question and they have three kids now.
Actually, I think she just had their third, right?” she asked her
aunt.

Emma nodded. “That’s right.”

“I couldn’t remember if she’d had the baby.”
Tia bit her lip.

“She had their second boy a week ago. K.C.
and Max are also expecting their third.”

Tia turned to Aleksi and his mother. “I have
about a hundred first cousins and there are always a bunch of
pregnancies. Our family is huge.”

“And growing,” Emma said. “It’s harder and
harder to keep track of who is expecting.”

“What about Shelby and Sam?” Tia asked.
“Shelby is Rich and Emma’s daughter,” she added for Aleksi and
Gracia’s benefit.

“They just completed the paperwork for their
third and fourth children.”

Tia fought to contain her surprise. “Are
they planning to stop at four?”

“Yes, I think so,” Rich said, his voice dry.
“But they both love kids, so it’s hard to say.”

“Neither of them seems to mind the chaos
kids add,” Emma said. Tia loved how evident their love for their
daughter and her children was.

“Macy doesn’t seem to mind the chaos of four
kids, lots of pets, and Nick,” Tia said with a crooked grin.

“Macy is your sister-in-law?” Aleksi asked
and she was impressed he remembered. Maybe he had been paying
attention when she showed him her family photos.

“That’s right. She’s the one who married
Nick and his four kids and is in vet school right now.”

“She married Nick and his four kids?” Gracia
repeated faintly. She looked confused.

“Nick’s first wife was killed in a car
accident. He’d gone through a bunch of nannies until Macy came
along, and they fell in love. She married him and took on his
readymade family.”

“You’d never know she wasn’t their birth
mother,” Emma said.

“No. The kids have all started calling her
Mom, even Savannah. She’s more of a mother to them than their
biological mother ever was.”

“Savannah is your oldest niece?” Aleksi
questioned.

“Right. She’s fifteen now,” Tia said. Had
she sent Savannah a birthday gift? Was there a party? Yes, that’s
right, she’d given the girl some accessories for her new phone.
That’s right.