FAE-ted (6 page)

I checked the clock radio: 8:00 a.m. Without a glance in
Nate's direction, I walked to Anna's room and got my clothes. In her
bathroom, I washed up and put my hair in a real ponytail. I also
applied a little make-up before I dressed. My thoughts were on last
night's storm and this morning's shock of finding myself lying so
close to Nate. It was a feeling I could get used to, and I wished I'd
milked it for all it was worth. Instead, I'd bolted from the bed like the
coward I was.

Once ready for the day, I wasn't sure what to do. I thought of
checking on Anna, but felt hesitant to enter Nate's room. So I went
downstairs to look in the fridge for breakfast food. Or was Anna
planning on McDonald's again? Unsure, I sat on a stool and drummed
my fingers on the bar for at least a half hour.

"Here she is." Nate and Anna walked into the room. I saw
that she'd put on the clothing I'd packed for her. I also saw that Nate
had on jeans and an Old Navy T-shirt that really brought out the
color of his eyes. His chin and cheeks were a little whiskery, a look
that suited him, and when the two of them stopped within touching
distance, I sat on my hands so I wouldn't.

"I pooped," Anna said. "Nate wiped me."

With a delighted laugh, I high-fived both of them. "You've
come a long way, Prince Nate."

"Yeah. I think I've
really
got it now." He seemed quite
proud of himself.

I gave myself a mental pat on the back for my small part in
his transformation. "I think so, too. When are your folks getting
home?"

"Around noon."

"My brothers will be at my house by ten. Since I should
probably be there when they arrive, you'd better take me home." I
slipped off my stool, my eyes on Anna, who I'd expected to disagree.
"You and Nate can go to McDonald's after you drop me off."

"But I want you to come, too."

"I wish I could, but the Brantley's have some Christmas Eve
traditions. That means family stuff we do every single year."

Anna pouted, but didn't argue. Neither did Nate. That didn't
surprise or hurt me. I hadn't expected anything else. A wildest dream
was a wildest dream, right? Even Santa had his limits.

When Nate pulled into my driveway a half hour later, I
hopped right out of the car and shut my door instead of asking them
inside--something I might've done if my heart wasn't breaking. But it
was. So I blew a kiss to Anna through her window, waved to Nate,
and ran inside without a backward glance, stopping to lean against
the front door the moment I shut it. There I caught my breath and
composed myself. Mom and Dad would have questions; I needed to
be able to answer them without crying. My mood would affect my
family, and I could think of nothing worse than the blue Christmas
that could result.

Once my brothers got home we did our usual holiday things
from baking cookies to delivering them to beloved neighbors. Mom,
Josh, and I watched
A Christmas Carol
; Dad, Mick, and I
watched
A Christmas Story.
Afterward we made fudge. In
short, I found myself smack in the middle of my world again, missing
Nate like crazy.

I couldn't count the times when I saw a guy out of the corner
of my eye and looked to my right or left, expecting to see him instead
of a brother. Remembering stories of how people with amputations
still experienced phantom pain, I equated my loss to that. Nate and
Anna had exited my life as quickly as they'd entered it, but I felt as if
they were still part of my existence.

Though I truly doubted I'd sleep that night, I did, and
dreamed of Anna but not her big brother. That scared me just a little.
Believing what I did about dreams, I couldn't help but take his
absence from last night's as proof that my subconscious had finally
admitted he was an impossibility. After all, I'd been with both of
them that day. Shouldn't he have popped up somewhere during the
night just as his little sis had?

A huge pile of presents Christmas morning proved to be a
welcome distraction. And as I sat on the floor in my wrinkled PJs
with my goofy brothers nearby, I was reminded that they all loved
me as much as I loved them. That meant I was one lucky girl--too
lucky to mope on the best holiday of the year.

Just as I was opening my last present, which I felt sure was
the Xbox Dad and I had begged Mom for, my cell phone blasted and
began to dance on the side table. Dad tossed it to me. I didn't
immediately recognize the caller, probably because my stalking
hadn't included memorizing a cell number I'd never use.
"Hello?"

"I'm at your front door. I forgot to pay you yesterday."

Not quite believing my ears, I said, "Nate?"

"Of course."

Of course? There was no
of course
about it, at least
where he was concerned. "I'll be right out."

I jumped up, belatedly realizing that my parents and
brothers stared at me, obviously curious. Since I didn't know what to
tell them, I pointed to my unopened package. "Do not touch that
box."

I got all the way to the front door before I remembered what
a hot mess I was in my rattiest PJs with my uncombed hair. So I only
opened it a crack when I checked to make sure Nate was really there.
He was. My heart skipped a beat. "Hey."

"Hey." He clearly waited to be invited in.

"I look like shit."

"I disagree."

Hm. "So why are you here?"

"I already said. I need to pay you. I also have a present,
and...we need to talk. Can I please come in? I'm freezing my ass
off."

I opened the door as wide as it would go and then shut it
once he'd stepped inside. Though I dreaded introducing him to
brothers who'd never forget, I took Nate's coat to put it on the rack
and then headed back to our den with him trailing me. "Mom, Dad,
Josh, Mick...this is Nate Marshall."

Nate stepped up and offered each of the guys a
handshake.

"Well it's about time." Dad's words totally panicked me. Was
he going to spill the crush beans?

Mom elbowed him in the side. "Nice to see you again."

Since Nate seemed a little lost, I pointed to the loveseat. "Do
you want to sit down?"

He shook his head. "I can't stay. Neil--that's my brother--will
be home soon, and my stepmom's cooking something special for us."
He thrust some cash and a small black box at me. "Merry Christmas,
Leeloo."

With my family watching avidly, I set aside the money and
self-consciously opened the box. Inside lay a dainty silver chain with
a blue crystal faerie dangling from it. I instantly melted in a puddle of
goo. "Oh, Nate. It's perfect." I gave him a quick hug and then grabbed
his wrist. "Mom, Dad, we're going to my room."

Dad began to sputter, and, my big brothers, to grin. Mom
patted Dad's leg to settle him down.

"Leave that Xbox alone," I called as I led Nate down the
hall.

Mick's outraged, "You got her a freakin' Xbox?" made both of
us laugh.

When we got to my room, I smoothed my rumpled
bedspread so we could sit on it. "Would you help me with this?" I
handed Nate the necklace, turned my back, and pulled aside my
tousled hair so he could. Once he finished, I went to my dresser
mirror to check it out. "It's so beautiful. Thanks, Nate."

He patted the bed. I walked back to him and sat. Clearing his
throat as if he were about to make a big speech or something, he
said, "Leeloo, I think you're
fae
-bulous."

I groaned and fell back on the mattress, my hands over my
face.

"No, no. You have to listen. I've been practicing this all
night." He pulled on my arm until I sat up again and looked him in
the eye. "You're not only
fae
-bulous, you're
fae
-nny,
fae
-thful, and one
fae
-xy chick. Most of all, though,
you're
fae
-miliar to me now. So
fae
-miliar, that I've
been lost ever since you got out of my
Fae
-rd yesterday."

What a doofus. My smile spread so wide it hurt. "Really and
truly?"

"Really and truly." Nate reached out, firmly pulling me up
and then guiding me onto his lap. "Remember that couple we were
talking about yesterday? The one where the man and woman stick it
out instead of bailing at the first sign of trouble?"

"I remember."

"I want to be that guy."

I could barely breathe. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I love you."

I gasped.

Nate's arms tightened around me as if he thought I might
bolt. "I know it's too soon--"

I stopped him right there, standing so I could turn and
straddle his thighs, a bold move that clearly surprised him, at least
for a nanosecond. Then he grinned that sexy grin and wrapped his
arms around me.

Framing his face with my hands, I said, "Too soon? Nate
Marshal, I've only loved you since I was fifteen."

"What?"

"Oh yeah. You're my wildest dream, my ultimate fantasy,
the one
. And I want to be the girl who sticks it out with you."
Of course we kissed. And that one kiss became a lot of them, each
better than the one before it until we both had to come up for
air.

All smiles, Nate tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear to
get it out of my flushed face. "You know what this means, don't
you?"

"That I should've bought you a Christmas present?"

He cracked up. "No, sil-ly. It means we're perfect for each
other."

"As in
fae
-ted?" I touched his cheek.

"Yeah." He caught my hand and kissed my palm. "For always
and always, happily ever after."

Linda Varner Palmer has been writing for many years,
ranging in genre from Silhouette romances to YA paranormal
romances. She was a Romance Writers of America (RWA) Rita
finalist twice and won the 2011 and 2012 Electronic Publishing
Industry Coalition (EPIC) awards in the YA category. She was a
finalist for a 2013 EPIC Award in the YA category as well as the 2013
Ariana award for YA cover art. Her website is
www.lindavpalmer.com.

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