"Oh, wow," was the first thing that left Montez's mouth after he, his parents and his older sibllings (including a newly arrived Trenyce and Ra'Shawn) spent at least one hour listening to the Coleman and Thomaston families recapping them about Evangeline and Theodore's plan for Alyssa (formerly known as Andrew) and Gio (formerly known as Gianna) and the Adam/Eve Project that the friends-turned-lovers were to partake in for a year. "I thought I heard it all, but this takes the cake."

Sure enough, gentle reader, the Purdues were at the Thomaston residence in search of some answers after Montez, Bianca, and their parents had that unpleasant meeting with Mariah Stelley and her female family members. And while there was a part of Montez that believed that the Adam/Eve project was nothing more than a rumor, he knew that there was more than what met the eye- especially when it came to the backstory of Alyssa Chapman and Giovanni Romavalati. Hence the meeting with the two families. And after recapping the clans about what had been said, Douglass and Mark decided to finally come clean to the Purdue family about everything.

"I'll bet," Bianca remarked, pausing to take a sip of sparkling water. To Carson and Melanie, "And you two are okay with this?"

"We don't have much of a choice, given that Gio and Alyssa would likely be homeless if one or both of them refused," Melanie replied, shooting a pointed glance at her parents. "And part of me still thinks that Mom and Dad are only in on this for the money."

"I'm inclined to agree," Carson replied. "But it looks like Gio and Alyssa are somehow okay with this. In a way, I once said that Andrew would make a wonderful woman when he went through the long-hair phase back in middle school and kids teased him because it made him look like a girl. Now? I kind of saw it coming."

That earned some smiles all around.

"Of course, you realize that you will need to keep this discreet from the general public, Montez," Mark intoned as Mr. Evans and Mr. Hawthorne arrived into the parlor room. "Our family is bound to face some backlash from the conservative families here in Fairfield Estates as well as the Republic of Texas if any of this gets out before the wedding."

The young man in question nodded, eyes lighting up at the sight of Gio and Alyssa (both of them in pastels) arriving. "I kind of suspected that to happen, given my tendencies to run my mouth a lot," he commented. "I mean, I love a good scandal and gossip, but there are some lines that are never meant to be crossed- especially something of this kind of caliber."

"But what can make us prove that you can be trustworthy to keep our children- your friends- from being in the press?" Denise asked him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How can you prove to us that you and your clan can be discreet on what you all will see in the days to come?"

Before Montez could reply, Ra'Shawn (a mechanical engineer) cleared his throat. "You can't, ma'am," he said. "You all have every right to keep us out of the loop and even go as far as to have us silenced. I will not hesitate to admit that my little brother and our parents are gossip-mongers who can spread rumors faster than Marion Jones can sprint around the tracks at the Olympics in Sydney. But, never let it be said that Montez isn't loyal to Gio and Alyssa. Even when they were Andrew and Gianna, he made sure that they and their other friends bonded together and presented a united front in the face of trouble. He's sensible, ready to defend someone, and can definitely clock a hater with several sharp words."

"That's true," Trenyce (owner of a hair salon in downtown Dallas) piped up, nodding as her curly locks bounced. "Montez has his flaws and can be a bit reckless at times, but he can put up a fight when it comes to people like Mariah."

The Coleman and Thomaston adults glanced at each other before whispering sotto-voce some words. Montez inhaled sharply as Alyssa mouthed, "Are you okay?"

"I hope so," Montez mouthed back.

After a couple of minutes, the four adults looked at each other. "My wife, Douglass, Estelle, and I still have our doubts about your credibility, Montez Purdue," Mark intoned, sitting up in his chair and straightening his posture. "But if you and your family can agree to work with us and make sure to keep Alyssa and Gio's transformation out of the Stelley family frontlines, you can expect to help us out in the days to come."

"I totally agree with y'all," Montez breathed as he and his family were presented with NDA agreements. "And for the record, Mr. Thomaston? I don't always run off at the mouth regarding important secrets such as this one. My older siblings, Bianca in particular, will hold me and my parents accountable for this."

"That's right," Edilean piped up as her husband nodded silently nodded in assent. "Now, about Mariah and her female family members, my son has informed them that they are not to be at the party that my son will be throwing for them. And you can be assured that we will help out with the wedding planning."

"See that you all will," Alyssa stated firmly. "My ex-girlfriend is known to be quite vicious and there's really no telling what can happen. We can't afford for her to cause any more scandals or headaches while Gio and I undergo our gender transitions."

All members of the Purdue family nodded, moderately surprised on how Alyssa was showing some masculine qualities. "You can count on us," Montez replied as he signed his NDA before his siblings and parents did the same. "And I gotta say, Alyssa, your manliness is showing even though you're now a female."

"All part of the transition," Gio hummed, wrapping an arm around his fiancee's waist in a protective manner. "All part of the transition."

************************

After making further arrangements to call each other, Montez and his family soon left the Thomaston compound with the young man riding with his parents back to their house. "Wow," he breathed as he sat back in his seat while his father drove. "This day has been full of surprises."

"That's beyond the truth and then some," George remarked. He glanced at his son. "I hope you mean every word that you say about not telling anyone else about this, Montez. This isn't the time to play around anymore, especially when it comes to your friends."

"I know, Dad. And the same has to go for you, Mom, Ra'Shawn, Trenyce, and Bianca. We're now part of the games that Alyssa and Gio are playing in order for them to help with their late relatives' experiment. If the Stelley women gets wind of this, shit's going to hit the fan and stink up everything. I meant every word. I won't let that happen."

His parents nodded as they soon arrived home where the other Purdue siblings were waiting for them. "Right now, son, we got a party to plan," Edilean told him. "We have five days to get everything settled, from the food to the atmosphere. Time to make some magic."

"Then let's get to work," Montez proclaimed. "After all, it's my duty to make Chapman and Romavalati feel welcome to the neighborhood."

Well, folks, The Purdues are now part of the Adam/Eve Collective Alliance with the others. The question is, however, remains: can they help pull off a year-long farce and keep Mariah out of the picture? We'll see!

But coming up next, Alyssa and Gio are finally moved into the Coleman guesthouse and they are now spending some quiet time together...complete with their first kiss as an engaged transgender couple! Stay tuned!

Dedicating this chapter out to AphroditeGreyl. Media: "Kill of the Night" by Gin Wigmore.

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