The Fae Book 2: Burr and Daisy

Chapter 14: Lipstick On A Pig

Once I stormed away from Oberon and up the steps to my apartment -- slamming the door just in case my anger hadn't penetrated that thick skull of his -- I peeked out the window and saw Oberon still standing there, looking up at my place, his beautiful perfect, stupid face confused. And maybe he had a right to look confused because I guarantee there would have been a line of women stretching from one end of the state to the other who would probably happily commit murder to marry the man.

Every woman except me.

I'm sure he thought the fairy show would make me jump into his arms or something, but maybe he didn't know that I'd seen fairies for years when I was growing up, no matter how I tried to convince myself that it was my imagination. With his revelation tonight, I also realized that my "dreams" of fairies surrounding my baby and me at night were quite real. They were singing us lullabies and watching over us because I was queen to Oberon's king, and I was having his baby.

Looking back, I realized Nan knew. The day I told her that she had fairies in her garden, too, and that the fairies used to call me princess but now called me queen, she had known and had even said as much. Which makes me think there was a lot going on with that family, more than I'd ever suspected. 

So many questions rolling around in my mind. Questions I really wanted answers to, but I refused to ask Oberon. I was too tired to talk to anyone now, but as soon as I got off work the next day, I was calling Harmony and making her spill.

I peeked out again, and Oberon was pacing on the lawn, occasionally throwing out an arm and sometimes his mouth moving as if he were talking to someone -- but I now knew it was thousands of little someones. Despite everything, it made me a little bit happy to see him looking slightly deranged to anyone who just happened to be passing by.

I brushed my teeth, washed my face, threw on my pajamas and grabbed a glass of water. I settled into bed and tonight, the fairies revealed themselves right away, no longer needing to wait until I was so sleepy I couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality. They settled over and around my belly, and I immediately felt soothed. 

My hand went to my bump, and I rubbed it; ever since I saw the positive pregnancy test almost five months ago, I could hardly keep my hand off my belly. I imagined the little life growing beneath my hand and wondered if the baby would be a boy or a girl and who the baby would favor in looks...and I always hoped it would be Oberon. I didn't want my child to feel the sting of nasty comments or to feel inadequate every time he or she looked in a mirror.

As soon as I had that thought, I heard a chorus of beautiful queen, beautiful queen in my head and couldn't help smiling. They always made me feel better, no matter my mood.

You always think you're resigned to never being seen a certain way. I knew first from my aunt and then from the meaner kids at school that it was a good thing I had a nice personality because I wasn't going anywhere on my looks. And I accepted that because my eyes worked just fine. There was nothing special about my face that would make anyone look at me more than once before dismissing me. Boys and then men wanted the Harmonys and Raines of this world and no wonder. They were beautiful in such a way that they stood out and made men take second and third looks.

I was reminded of the time the three of us were at the bar one night, and I was wearing a new dress that Harmony's mother had given me for my birthday. I actually felt pretty, wearing a brand new dress for the very first time in my life that wasn't second hand. Harmony and Raine were temporarily diverted, talking to some men who had just come up to our table, and I was enjoying people watching. A guy I knew from high school, Steve, walked toward me, smiling and I smiled back. He was someone I'd always considered cute and there was no doubt he was coming over to me. I had seen him a few minutes earlier talking to Teresa, the biggest bitch in town and someone the three of us hated with the passion of a thousand suns, but he'd left her to come over to me. Me!