69. My Extended Family (Liona)

Liona wondered what her gift was, since her grandparents couldn't bring it with them. "Won't you please tell me what it is if you couldn't bring it? Summer is so far away, and I'll be going on a trip with Chloe and Allison!" She begged.

"Well. Alright. Just don't tell your Grandpa Darrol that I told you, and you'll have to be surprised when you see it in person." Her grandfather said before he took a moment to pull out his phone before he showed her a picture he had taken.

In the picture was her Grandpa Darr standing next to the most beautiful horse she'd ever seen. It was a Clydesdale with a butterscotch coat and blond mane and tail. The horse had a rainbow of ribbons braided into their mane and tail. It looked almost exactly like the unicorn plushie she had adored as a little kid. If only the beautiful horse had a horn, then it would look exactly like her stuffed animal plushie, Whinny, that now sat on a shelf in her room.

"Oh, my goddess! You got me my very own horse?! It looks just like Whinny!" Liona gushed in excitement.

"Is that what you'd like to name her? She's a gentle mare and loves the occasional ride. She has been waiting for you. She's three years old and is finally ready to meet her new owner."

"She's so young!" Liona couldn't believe it.

"Her breeder let us know that this little lady was not doing so well at her previous home since she was being bullied by the other horses. She got in contact with us when we were looking around for the perfect horse for you. We adopted her, and she's been fitting in well and thriving on the ranch. When your mom was your age she also got her very own horse, and we decided to do the same for you since you still love horses as much as your mom did at your age. You'll have to come and see her soon so that she gets to know you." Grandpa Asher explained.

"The next three-day weekend, I'll come and visit, Grandpa! I can't wait to meet her! Maybe I can convince Mom and Dad to come, and we can all go trail riding together then!" Liona was excited to meet her very own horse and get to know her.

Before now, she had borrowed the elderly horses that her grandparents boarded at their ranch. After a few short years living in a small cabin for their retirement, they had moved to her great-great-grandmother's old ranch and took it over after her passing when her grandpa had inherited it. She had only been a baby when her great-great-grandmother passed away, so she didn't remember her, but she had been just another amazing family member that her parents and grandparents had loved dearly.

"I'm sure your grandpa Darrol will love it if you visit. Although, with your mother's job and the recent activity with crime, I have a hard time believing I'll get to see your parents any time soon. This celebration was hard enough for them to attend." Her Grandfather seemed a bit sad.

"Cheer up, Grandpa! I know Mom will want a vacation soon, and Dad will take time off, despite his busy schedule, to take Mom away to relax if she needs it. Dad has always been attentive to Mom. Even if it's not for a while, there's always the family summer vacation that we all take together! I'm sure we will visit you then. The fourth of July is always something we all look forward to, since the best fireworks display is always held at the park over in the city near you!" Liona tried to cheer up her grandpa. It seemed like he and Grandpa Darr were a little lonely over in their big ranch house by themselves with only the animals to look after.

"Thank you, Liona. We will look forward to the summer when we can see all of you if we don't see everyone before then. In the meantime, I believe that your Great Aunt Raylina and Great Uncle Shane want to see you. They have been eyeballing me the entire dance…" Her grandpa chuckled.

"They made it. Yay!" Liona was excited since last she knew her great-aunt and uncle had been in Korea visiting her great-aunt's family.

Taking a break from dancing since her feet hurt, she went over to her great-aunt who was grouped with her great-uncle as well as her Aunt Yui and her other aunts and uncles. Great-Aunt Raylina had four children, and Aunt Yui was the oldest. Then there was Uncle Sylvester, named after her great-great-great uncle. Then there was Aunt Cherie, named after a great lady, that had worked with her family in the past, and then there was Uncle Kai, who had been named after her Grandpa Kaito. Of all of her Great-Aunt's children, only her Aunt Yui had a more traditional Korean name, for reasons she didn't understand.

Hi Aunties! Hi Uncles!" Liona greeted them.

Happy birthday, Liona!" They all gave her birthday wishes as she sat at a table where they were sitting, while one of the staff set a plate of food before her.

"So, did your Grandpa tell you what your birthday present was?" Her Great-Aunt asked.

"Auntie! When can we get started designing the new uniforms?!" She was really excited to get started.

"I will be coming by with patterns, sample fabrics, and other various reference materials from my time abroad for you to look over and help make the new uniforms. Part of your great-uncle's and my trip was a business trip for inspiration and to source new materials for my little shop." Her Great-Aunt explained with a smile at her husband.

"Mom, you and Dad went overseas for more than just a business trip! Your grandkids already tattled when they showed off their presents that you gave them!" Her Uncle Sylvester laughed as he eyeballed his children running around with the other young kids.

"Yui, why don't you settle down and get married already, Sis? I mean, the kids could always use more cousins!" Liona's Aunt Cherie said as her two children ran by as well.

"I'm engaged, don't look at me like that, Sis!" Uncle Kai laughed. "I'll have children when my fiancé is ready."

Liona watched as her Aunt Yui glared at her siblings.

"Children, Yulia is entitled to her life choices. She is not obligated to get married or have children if she doesn't want to." Great-Uncle Shane scolded.

"Thanks Dad. But I have been seeing someone lately, but I don't know if she feels the same way as I do. As for children, maybe someday I'll adopt or use a surrogate, depending on what the cards have in store for me." Aunt Yui smiled as her nieces and nephews ran around their table.

"Well, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters to your dad and I." Liona smiled at her family. They were all supportive of each other and never looked down on anyone for their life choices. If only she could get Erik to see this about her family, and maybe he wouldn't think all well-off people were so awful!

Thinking of Erik brought on a sigh, which of course was misinterpreted by her family. They all thought she was tired, which she was. Her heat, even when suppressed, did take a lot out of her. Her mom had once explained that her body was naturally expending energy even if she was suppressing it, and all that made her tired. A couple of days usually had her set to right, but she had school to look forward to tomorrow, which meant no rest for her. There was no way her mom or dad were going to let her take a day off, even with her slightly improved grades.

As the party wrapped up, more gifts from her family that had been piled in a corner of the grand ballroom, only seemed to get bigger as gifts were added from the staff. Apparently her great-grandparents, who no longer liked to travel, all had sent more gifts and the staff had been in charge of delivering them to the gathering. She had way too much already, and she almost dreaded going through yet another pile of well-meaning gifts. She had nearly everything she could want already, so most gifts she ended up donating every year. 

But maybe this year, these gifts could be put to better use, and she could use one of the charities her parents were close with to give these gifts to Erik's family so they could make use of them. She wanted to help them, but didn't know how to effectively help them without them becoming reliant on her. Her Mom and Aunt Emma had made that abundantly clear, that could happen if she wasn't mindful about her actions.

She would have to think it over and ask her parents for help in that regard. Her mom often worked with overwhelmed omega moms that needed help caring for their babies, or those that had been abused and needed extra medical care during their pregnancies. Her dad also worked with alphas and omegas that had been victims of crimes and directed them to the right charities to help them get back on their feet. She admired them both so much since they had found what they wanted to do with their lives and made it their careers, which they both enjoyed, despite their often-long hours.