I get the memo from my plants that my family is on their way and will be at my den in about 10 minutes. That doesn't give me nearly enough time to clean.

  Right, I think we had some conversation at a recent dinner about them coming to "inspect" my territory. It makes me fume as I clear my kitchen counters of excess vegetable parts and fruit peelings.

  Who are they to drop in, anyways? It's lucky that Jade has school at this time, otherwise I'd be freaking out and screaming at them.

  I take a deep breath and remember all my practice. I am calm. I am forgiveness.

  Plus, I have a boyfriend now. There's no need to act in such a childish way. I am mature.

  I wait in front of my den for them. Mom arrives first through the thicket of trees, then Dad behind her. Thorn comes bouncing along through the branches and jumps down dramatically.

  "Hello," I greet them, my voice flat. "So nice of you to announce your visit."

  Mom just crosses her arms. "Thistle, we talked about this. Weren't you paying attention?"

  Uuuuuggggghhhhhh. "It slipped my mind. I..." Oooohhh, I do not want to say this. Do it for Jade. Make him proud. "I apologize."

  She squints at me, then sighs. "Oh, well. My bad for expecting more." Mom spins around, surveying the outside of my den. "You've kept the forest well from what I've seen. Minus a few trails and trampled plants that only could have been the work of the world's most ungraceful deer."

  How much have they seen already? I had hoped they wouldn't notice Jade's clumsy tracks. "Ungraceful indeed."

  "Well, your den is spiffy as ever!" Dad joins in. "Though, I still think the roof is an odd choice." He peers up at it. "Have you thickened it since the last time we visited?"

  Yeah, since I hate to relegate Jade to my tiny room whenever it rains. "That's what plants do, Dad. They grow." I turn around and lead them into my den. Instead of, "Can we get this over with," I manage to say, "Anything else?"

  But right as we walk through, I realize my horrible mistake. Scattered across the floor, there's pink petals that either fell or were torn off of me. Thorns sharpen along my arms in horror. Maybe they won't notice?

  Mom looks down and grimaces. "Oh, Thistle, that's disgusting."

  "It reeks of pollen in here!" Dad adds, unhelpfully. "Sheesh, what kind of company have you been keeping? And when are we going to meet him?"

  I clench my claws and glance at Thorn, but he doesn't say anything. He actually keeps his mouth shut for once, lingering about the edge of the room and looking surprised. I'll admit, that gets him a few points from me. "It's nothing! I was just flirting with a maple tree!"

  Dad looks at me with what I can only assume is pure disappointment. "You couldn't have even chosen a member of your own species?"

  My tail lashes. "What do you have against interspecies relationships?!"

  "Honey, please." He looks down at me with condescension. "My father was a tree. They don't make very good parents."

  "Don't you dare talk about Grandpa Cherry Blossom like that! He taught me more about speaking to plants than you did!"

  "Well, they don't put food on the table! Unless they're fruit trees...but his cherries were always sour, anyways."

  Mom cuts off our bickering with a sigh. "Thistle, quit arguing with your father. Not that any of this matters. Of course, someone of your age would want all the flirting and none of the propagation and parenting."

  I set my eyes on her, but hold my tongue. I am calm I am calm I am calm. "Let's finish the tour."

  I show them to all the riveting places in my den. Kitchen. Sitting area. Bedroom. Mom and Dad meet it all with some amount of held back criticism. Mom especially examines every detail of my living space, as if looking for something to find issue with.

  And find something she does.

  "Thistle?" Her voice hitches with incredulity. She paces over to my shelf and points. "What is that?"

  Jade's book stands proud, propped up against the wooden wall. Oh, foxgloves!

  "That's nothing," I rush. "I found it in the woods."

  She picks it up and grimaces. "Awfully pristine, isn't it?"

  I lunge at her and grasp it before she can open it. "It's delicate!"

  She looks at me, surprised. Then, she narrows her eyes. "Thistle, where did you get that book?"

  "I said I found it!"

  "Darling, we both know that's a lie," Dad pipes in. "Did you travel into the human town and swipe it?"

  "No!" Wait, maybe that would have been a better cover story. But it's too late now. "What do you all care about my treasures? The cool stuff I find is my business!"

  "Um..." Thorn shuffles awkwardly in the corner. "I-I believe you. Since you're so close to the road, traveling humans have gotta drop stuff all the time, right?"

  "Yes, thank you, Thorn." I seriously have never felt more affection for a family member in my life. I'll be sure to go easy on him next time he annoys me into beating him up.

  "That would explain the smell of human," Mom mutters. "Do you pick up their garbage often?"

  "Yes. Yes, I do." I slide the book back into its place. Crisis averted. "Now, this has been a lovely family bonding occasion, but it's going to be sunhigh soon and I need my beauty photosynthesis—"

  "Thiiiiistle!" Jade's voice echoes outside my den.

  Oh.

  Oh no.

  Mom looks alarmed. "Who is that?"

  "N-nobody," I stutter.

  Jade pokes his head in. "Hey! How's it—" He stops and stares when he sees my family, dread slowly growing on his face. There's an odd box in his hands, pink and suspicious. "Uhhh...wrong...den..."

  Mom leaps down from my bedroom and scuttles up to him, baring her fangs. "Who are you and how do you know my daughter, human?!"

  "Stop!" I dash forward and step between them. "Cut it out! He's just a friend!" I glance back at Jade. "You're supposed to be at school," I whisper-growl.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Summer break just began," he says, shrinking.

  Mom snorts. "Thistle, you know better than to mix with humans! And what kind of vile thing does he have there? It smells awful." She flicks her claw past me, opening the box before I can stop her.

  A white cake with hearts and flowers and pink text reading, "You make my heart bloom, too!" sits inside.

  That's it. I'm dead anyways.

  I grasp Jade's shoulder and pull him away from my mother, then take his box and gently set it aside on the floor for safe keeping. Then, with everyone glaring at us, I grab him by the shirt collar and pull him into a passionate kiss.

  Dad's reaction is instant. "OOOUHHGHHH, Thistle! That's just unnatural!"

  When I pull back from Jade, he looks dazed, but not unhappy. "I DON'T CARE!" I stand in front of him, blocking him. "This is the one I choose to love, and he is a human!" I stop myself before I can say, "cry about it!" Instead, I look at Mom. "Nothing you say will ever change that." Despite all my attempts to keep my voice even, my next words come out raw. "Because he SUPPORTS me! And he LOVES me! And I feel OKAY when I'm around him, which wasn't something I thought was possible when I was under YOUR ROOF! If you don't like that, then get out of my territory!"

  Dad grumbles something under his breath, but Mom holds up a claw, stopping him. She sets her eyes on me, then peers past at Jade. "May I at least speak with him, so I may know the creature courting my daughter?"

  "NO!"

  Jade places a hand on my shoulder, causing a flurry of inconvenient flowers to bloom. "Thistle, it's okay. I'll talk to her."

  I grasp his hand, meeting his eyes. "But—" I can already see it in my mind. Her biting words, her vicious criticisms, all directed towards my sweet, perfect Jade. "You don't have to do that. Please, just let me handle it."

  He shakes his head, firm. "No. I want to do this."

  Ugh. Stupid, stupid, stupid human. But he's my stupid human. And if he has his heart set on this, then it's not my place to stop him, as much as I want to. I blink back angry tears and reluctantly step aside, letting Jade pass.

  Although he's taller than Mom, she has a way of peering at him as if he were below her. She steps toward him. "So, you wish to be with my daughter, human?"

  Jade straightens, then nods. "I do, ma'am. Very much."

  "And what makes you think you can do that?" She circles him slowly.

  Rather than staring straight ahead, Jade follows her with his gaze, his expression more firm than I've ever seen it before. "What makes you think we can't? I love Thistle with all my heart. I don't see any reason why us being different species would change that. We're happy together."

  "Is that so?" She leans forward, baring intimidating teeth. "Happy? And do you think you'll be happy in 10 years? 20? When you are trapped together? Or will your incompatibilities weigh on you?"

  Jade stops to think. Then, he replies, "I know it will be hard, but any relationship requires work."

  "You say that, but do you truly understand? When the hormones wear off, when you're old and brittle and cranky, do you really think you could still tolerate one another?"

  His response comes quick. "I want to grow alongside Thistle, to discover new things together, even when we aren't young and attractive anymore. I'm not looking for a summer fling, ma'am, I want a lifelong partner."

  His words make my flowers bloom anew. A part of me still tries to whisper in my mind that the only reason he likes me is because of some weird fetish he has. But here and now, he proves me wrong.

  Dad crosses his arm and rolls his eyes. Thorn, meanwhile, has been quiet, just wringing his tail anxiously and watching.

  Mom circles back in front of Jade. She jabs a claw towards him, and a growl escapes my throat in response.

  "Then tell me, human, would you support my baby girl?"

  "In any way I can!"

  "Would you cradle her even when she's sick with the blight and bring her water when she's wilted?"

  "Of course!" Jade grows more passionate by the moment, clearly upset at the image of me being hurt.

  "Could you upkeep her garden? Feed her? Build her den stronger than it is now?" Mom almost spits her words. "Could you fight off invading nymphs? Or even your own kind, should they encroach into the forest? Could you protect her, human? With your dull fingers, and teeth, and blood that drains out so easily? Could you kill for her?!"

  Jade gets quiet.

  "Well?! Answer me, human!"

  Right as I'm about to step in, he speaks. "I recognize that I don't have all the qualities you might want me to. I'm not strong like a nymph. I can't talk to plants, or manipulate them into a fortress. But that won't stop me from doing what I can. I am a scientist, and an artist. I might not be able to fight off invading humans, but I still have my words and research. If I don't have those, then I'll still work hard around these woods, keeping Thistle's forest healthy. And if I can't even do that, then at least I'll be there for her, lending and ear when she just needs someone to listen."

  Now, Jade turns to me. "You have an amazing daughter, ma'am. She makes up for so many of the qualities I lack. She's strong, and fierce, and she never settles in the face of injustice."

  Flowers bloom up and down my hair.

  "I'm...not any of those things. But she still loves me, for reasons even I can't always fathom." Jade smiles at me. "It's our differences that makes us a good team. Not the fact that one of us is perfect. So even when we do become old, and brittle, and cranky, I swear by this one thing: I'm not just going to 'tolerate' your daughter. I'm going to love with her with every bit of my being."

  Mom steps back, the expression on her face unknowable. She stares at Jade for one moment. Then another. All the while, he just keeps his eyes on me.

  Then, she crosses her arms, and she lets out a breath. "What is your name, human?"

  He looks at her. "Jade."

  "Jade. If you hurt my daughter, I will hunt you down, cut you open, and feed your organs to the wolves. But until then, I give you my blessing to court Thistle."

  "WHAT?!" Dad booms. "You can't—you can't do that! I'm her father, and I say no! Humans and nymphs aren't meant to be together!"

  "Oh, shove some mulch in it, you overgrown weed!" Mom shouts back. "This boy could teach you a thing or two about how to treat a woman! And the plants like him. If you have a problem with him, take it up with me!"

  I walk up to Jade's side. His face is utterly stunned. "Th-thank you, ma'am—"

  "Whatever." She waves a claw. "I wasn't kidding about the wolves. You'd better stay in line, boy."

  With a great huff, Dad storms out of my den. But as he does, Thorn shuffles up to Jade. He looks up at the other boy. "Do you want to hang out some time? You seem cool."

  Jade smiles. "Of course!"

  Before I can hear the rest of their conversation, Mom leans over to me. "Thistle, can I talk to you in private?"

  My eyes narrow in suspicion, but I still nod. She leads me outside, where the boys' chatter is muted. Then, she starts clambering up the side of my den. I follow her until we both sit on the thick branched roof, overlooking the forest.

  "Okay, I admit, the roof isn't a bad idea," she says.

  I get straight to the point. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

  Mom purses her lips and stares out at the tree line. "Thistle, the truth is, I..." She takes in a breath, uncertainty entering her voice. "I think I owe you an apology."

  "What?"

  "When you talked about the way Jade made you feel, I realized something." She brings her tail in front of her, plucking at loose thorns left over from when she yelled at Dad. "I've been cold to you. Colder than a mother ever should be. I never realized how unhappy you were, because I didn't know what it looked like for you to be happy until you were side by side with him."

  I stare off into space.

  "I was so far in my own head, in my own problems, I hadn't thought at all about how you were feeling." She barks out a laugh. "Isn't that terrible? It's my one job as a mother, and I couldn't even manage that. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself for propagating with such a loser."

  "Huh." Emotions build in my chest. A return of those feelings that had first exploded embarrassingly in front of Jade. I don't quite hold them back, letting the tears build in my eyes. "What, then? Is that all you wanted to tell me?" The words come out more biting than I mean them to, altered by the shake in my voice.

  Mother sighs. "No. I want...I want to make things right." She looks at me. "Thistle, when I look at you, you remind me so much of myself, but without the years of regret and mistakes. You are strong, even if a bit hotheaded. But it's that attitude that will help you protect Jade. He seems soft, and squishy, inside and out, like any animal would be. I trust you'll be able to cherish him. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you were too much of this, not enough of that. I thought it would make you stronger, but if I had been told that every day as a sapling, I think it would have made me brittle instead." She breaks eye contact. "You're amazing, Thistle. And I don't want you to be held down by all the stupid, petty stuff I've always said. So, I'll try to be a bit less of a prickly old burr. I know it bothers you when I—" She stops herself. "Well, say just about anything, but I think that's my fault and not yours." Her last words are touched with a sad chuckle.

  I cross my arms, feeling my lip beginning to tremble.

  After all those years, that's what she has to say? It doesn't feel like enough.

  But what would ever be enough?

  She can't turn back the sun. She can't raise me again. What's done is done, for better or for worse.

  I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. Then, I reach for her and pull her into a hug.

  She seems surprised. But after a second, she brings her arms around me, too, if a bit awkwardly.

  "I forgive you." The words come so much easier than I thought they would. I guess all that practice really did pay off. And regardless of whether I truly believed my words when I chose to say them, a part of me already feels less angry.

  We separate. "Well, I had better go hunt down your father," Mom says. She stands and paces back over to the edge of the roof. But before making her escape, she looks back at me again. "Take care, Thistle. I love you."

  "I love you, too."