Chapter 9

Cousin Marcus

I woke up and found Ruby was with us in bed, "Wha?" I yawned.

"She had a bad dream." Ters explained, kissing my neck.

"About last week?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Hmm, I suppose that's normal. So, good morning, dork." I kissed his nose.

"Monty…" He smiled and pressed his forehead to mine.

My phone buzzed and I looked at it. Tersly rested his head on my chest. It was Cousin Marcus. He was coming to the museum- Today! Before the museum opened!

"Tersly, you gotta get dressed! My cousin is coming! Go out to breakfast or something. I don't care; you just have leave for a bit. Like you don't live here." I hastily got up and was finding clothes for him.

"Monty…" He hesitated.

"What?" I asked, looking at him.

"Don't you think we should tell your family? We've been married for almost 10 years. I-I think you should introduce me to them." He looked at me shyly.

"Tersly, no. They're all loud and rowdy and Marcus can't keep his mouth shut to save his life. You don't want to meet them." I told him, giving him his clothes.

"But-" He frowned.

"Tersly, please. Don't do this now." I got dressed myself.

"We have to tell someone, Montehue. What if Scarlet calls again? Or someone sets me up on blind date again? I don't want to live in secret anymore." He said quietly.

"What brought this on?" I frowned as Tersly looked at Ruby, "Don't you dare bring her into this!"

"She shouldn't have to pretend she only has one parent!" He argued.

"Daddy?" Ruby yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, Ruby, I'm so sorry, did we wake you? You wanna go back to bed?" I tried to get her to lie down.

"What's going on?" She asked, not doing what I wanted.

"Um, Tersly is going out to breakfast." I smiled uneasily.

"Why aren't we going too?" She wondered.

"My cousin is coming over so I have to stay," I explained and she frowned, "I know, Sweetheart. I know."

"Why can't Tersly stay?" She looked at me with those adorable green eyes.

"We haven't told anyone we're married, remember?" I reminded her. She frowned and looked at me unhappily.

"Your father's being stubborn, Ruby. I'll bring you back somethi-" Ters started.

"No." I told him.

"Hmph." Ruby crossed her arms as Tersly stayed quiet.

"We'll get breakfast some other time, ok?" I told her. She sulked. I groaned a little. Now she was mad at me too.

Tersly left and I tried to make Ruby breakfast, but she was being so stubborn. Marcus was at the door before I knew it. I answered it. He looked older than I remembered. His short, black hair now had some white in it. He let his beard grow out. He had crow's feet branching off his baby blue eyes. He was still shorter than me though.

"Montehue!" He smiled.

"Marcus!" I hugged him.

"How've you been? We never hear from you anymore." He asked with fake cheer.

"Marcy, you know my work has crazy hours." I reminded him sternly.

"You could, you know, email or get this, it hasn't become one your "artifacts", write an old fashioned letter. Paper is still plentiful." He hit me playfully.

"I'm fine; I've been fine since the last family get together." I told him.

"You've been to." He added.

"Ok, so I haven't been in the last few years, sue me." I frowned.

"Look, you remember my sister, right?" He asked.

"It hasn't been that long," I said, "Maria, why?"

He looked genuinely relieved, "She's getting married in a few months. But we're having a dinner next week. She'd really like it if you came." He handed me an envelope.

"To the wedding or the dinner?" I opened it. It was an invitation. She was marrying a man I never met, but I guess I would meet him soon.

"Both preferably." He told me.

"DAAAD! I'm hungry!" Ruby yelled, getting tired of waiting, and coming to find me.

"Then you should have eaten what I made you!" I retorted as she found me and Marcus. She shied away from my cousin and buried her face in my shirt.

"Who's this?" Marcus frowned.

"This is Ruby Ray, my daughter. I just adopted her this year." I was in the process of getting all the paperwork done, but details.

"Hi, Ruby." He waved, but didn't get a response.

"She's shy." I rubbed her back and held her close.

"Are you bringing her?" He asked.

"I don't know. It depends on Ru here," I picked her up, "You wanna meet my family?"

"Hmm." She hummed.

"It's next week, Sweetie. No rush." I reassured her.

"Montehue?" Tersly called, "The restaurant was crowded so I ordered to go. You don't mind if I eat here, do you?" He asked when he got closer. The vindictive little shit.

"No, it's fine." I sighed.

"Pancake?" Ruby asked, while looking at Tersly.

"I'm sure your father won't mind if I give you one." He glared at me.

"Next time, you won't get so lucky and you'll have to eat what we have here." I told Ruby as I set her down.

"Nu-uh." She disagreed, taking Tersly's hand and they went to the kitchen.

"She seems to like your assistant." Marcus told me.

"She knows him." I said simply.

"I better get going. I have to help Maria with the planning. I have to pick up some stuff." Marcus explained.

"Oh, it's alright. I'll see you at the… dinner then?" I said, not fully comfortable with the words in my mouth.

"See you then." He smiled and left.

I went to the kitchen and saw Tersly and Ruby eating happily. Tersly swallowed his food and asked, "So, what was that about?"

"Marcus's sister, so also my cousin, is getting married and they want me to come. It's a few months away. There's also a dinner next week. She wants me there too." I sat down.

"Are you going?" He asked.

"I will unless something comes up." I'd wait until after the dinner to decide if Maria's wedding was worth the trouble of dealing with my family.

"I want Tersly to come to the dinner. Or I'm not going!" Ruby told me.

"Ruby, my family's not part of-" I started.

"You promised!" She glared and sent a shiver down my spine.

"Only if you go. I'm not bringing Tersly if you can't go." I said firmly.

"Ok." She smiled and ate her pancake.

Tersly avoided talking about the dinner until after work. He wanted to go, regardless of the fact that Ruby might change her mind and not want to meet my family. I told him that Ruby couldn't be alone for an evening. He knew I was right, even if Ruby wouldn't do anything bad, but he was still mad about the fact that I wouldn't introduce him as my husband and earlier when he had to leave the house so I had to sleep on the couch.