Page 41 of Badd Baby

Aunt Low shrugged, smiling. "I really am. We worked together before on—"

"Antony and Cleopatra," Hamish cut in. "You were brilliant in that, Mrs. Grace. Just brilliant."

"Thank you, Hamish. It was a fun project." She glanced at her watch. "I hate to cut this short, but I really do have to get ready for my meeting. It was absolutely wonderful to meet you all. Hamish, Raquel, congratulations, and please, enjoy your evening. Duncan, I expect you to call us again soon, you hear me?"

"I will, I promise. And not just when I want something."

Aunt Low just waved me off. "That's not what I meant. You know we're here for whatever you need." She kissed the tips of her fingers on both hands and blew kisses at the screen. "Okay, we're off. Goodbye! Congratulations!"

"Congratulations, indeed," Uncle Xavier said. "Duncan, excellent to see you again, however briefly. Goodbye."

I waved, and then ended the connection.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Raquel turned to look at me. "Is this for real? You're not pranking us?"

I laughed. “That would be the cruelest prank ever pulled, I think." I gave her slender shoulder a friendly squeeze. "It's for real. They're really my aunt and uncle, this is really their boat, and you're really sleeping here tonight." I moved away from the couch. "C'mon, let me give you the tour."

Later, after I'd given them the tour of the yacht and they'd brought their luggage aboard, Rune and I were lounging together on the bow, sipping beer from the stocked galley while Raquel and Hamish got settled—they'd insisted we stay so we could all keep hanging out together.

"So," Rune said to me. "Any other famous family members?"

I laughed. “Um, well?"

“C’mon, no.” She gave me a wide-eyed stare. "For real?"

"I mentioned Uncle Canaan and Aunt Aerie, I think…"

Rune blinked. "Wait…no. No! You're kidding."

I shrugged. "No?"

"Canary? Your other aunt and uncle are Canary?"

"Aunt Eva is a pretty well-known photographer," I said.

"Eva…” She frowned. "Evangeline Badd is also your aunt?"

"Yes."

"My mother is obsessed with her work. They have at least four framed original prints at their house." She sighed, shaking her head. "Anyone else?"

"My sister Delia is married to Hunter Hawkins. Not sure if that counts."

She facepalmed herself. "Yes, Duncan, it does. Is he as hot in real life as he looks in photographs?”

I laughed. "I mean, I'm a straight dude, but yeah, he's pretty freaking good-looking. Cool as fuck, also. He gives pretty rad gifts at Christmas."

She giggled. "Can I be super nosy and ask what he's gotten you?"

"Well, last year he took all of us cousins up to the Asgard for three days, which was, obviously, really fucking wild."

She boggled at me. "Shut up. You're lying to me."

I laughed. "I'm not! Look!" I pulled out my phone and scrolled back through my photos until I found the section from the trip. "Swipe left."

She swiped slowly through my photos—of the Brynhild that took us up, the Asgard from a distance, floating in the blackness of space, and then various views of the Asgard, the Earth, the sun, the moon.

"What was that like?" Rune asked.