"Ty!" He heard his name being called, pulling him from his sleep. Disoriented for a moment, he couldn't understand where he was. When his name was called a second time, he could hear the frustration in the voice and suddenly he could remember where he was and why.
"Yeah, Ma, I'm coming!" He called back. Ty sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes as he stretched awake. Sleepily, he dragged himself down the cherry wood stairs he'd ran up and down countless times as a child. He went straight to the fridge, grabbing the carton of orange juice and lifting it to his lips.
"Ty, I've told you a million times to stop doing that!" His mother scolded.
He shrugged sheepishly before placing the carton back down. "Habit. Sorry, Ma. What did you need?" He leaned in the kiss her waiting cheek, sleep still fighting for control.
"You have a visitor." She pointed to the living room before leaving the kitchen, giving Ty and his guest privacy.
He didn't bother hiding his disappointment when he saw Sammy sitting on the couch instead of Shay. "What are you doing here?" He was only mildly surprised to see her dressed in what he had always told her was his favorite dress. It was too tight in all the right places, accentuating her curves perfectly. Her breasts were pushed up in it, and it used to drive Ty crazy and would always lead to them being late to wherever they were headed. Today, the dress and Sammy in it had no effect on him.
"Andre hadn't seen you, so this was my next stop. Your mom is a shit liar."
Ty scoffed, nodding his head in agreement. "That much is true. You look like hell," he noted as he sat on the arm of the chair furthest from her.
"Yeah, well, I've been crying, what do you expect?" Sammy snapped. At Ty's raised eyebrow, her defensive demeanor shrunk back inside of her. "Sorry," she muttered, feeling small. "Ty, I'm so sorry. You have to believe me."
"Why should I?"
"I didn't mean for it to happen. I know I should have stopped it, stopped her. I'm sorry."
"Sammy, I was ready to marry you! I was giving up my job to be home with you more, to make you happy. And the whole time you were going around behind my back? How am I supposed to believe you, anyways, after what I heard her say?"
Sammy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't know, Ty. You were just gone so many nights. I needed someone!"
"Needed someone?!" He echoed loudly. "I've been here, Sam! I have been there every single day but it is not my fault if you didn't come to me! What was it? Sex? Money? Attention?"
"All of it!" She cried out, tears shamelessly streaking down her face. "All of it, Ty, is that what you want to hear?!"
He stared at her silently, feeling the anger and hurt course through him. "The truth, Samantha. I want you to tell me the truth. Nothing I gave you was enough." His words were cold even to his own ears.
Sammy's body shook with the intensity of her sobs. "What can I do, Ty?"
He shrugged. "Nothing, Sammy. There's nothing you can do. This wasn't a mistake, this wasn't an accident. You've been doing this for months behind my back. You've been telling her you were going to leave me for her. At least this way your conscience is clear; you aren't doing the leaving."
She scoffed angrily, fishing a tissue out of her purse. "Sure, my conscience is the one that needs clearing. Bet you're ready to put that last new escort of yours to bed. Paid you a pretty penny for a date, imagine a fuck."
Ty stood and crossed the room quickly, dropping to sit on the coffee table in front of Sammy. "What and who I do is no longer your concern, Samantha. I have been loyal to you since day one; you fucked that up. You better leave her name out of this. She has nothing to do with you being a whore. I bet she came back last night, didn't she? After I left. Since you so desperately needed someone and I was never there, I wasn't last night." Her silence and inability to meet his eyes was all the answer he needed. "Did you fuck her last night?"
Sammy's eyes snapped to his and she bit her lip. She nodded slowly. "Ty... Ty, I love you. I really do, but I love her too. I can't explain it. But I can't let this end terribly between us. I love you, and I need you in my life. You're my best friend. I feel so empty without you."
Ty nodded, stepping as far away from her as the room allowed. She had the nerve to come crying to him, acting like she wanted him back when she fucked Jessica again? "I can't believe a single word that comes out of your mouth. You come here and beg for my attention, all the while you were with her against last night. Fuck off, Sammy. Just get out." Sammy looked at him for a moment before quickly gathering herself and left, knocking into his legs with unnecessary force and slamming the door shut behind her.
He shouldn't have called her a whore, and he knew he'd end up apologizing later, but in the moment, he felt relieved for telling her off. "Told you I never liked her," his mother appeared from the other room. "Tell me about this woman she mentioned. Who is she?"
"Her name is Shaylee. And I think she's why I'm not letting Sammy apologize her way back into my life. Among other obvious reasons, at least."
"Oh? Well why don't I get a pot of coffee started and you can tell me about her. Have you known her long?"
Ty followed his mother into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she prepared the coffee. "That's the crazy part. I haven't known her long; maybe two weeks. She found me through work and then we just...kept hanging out, I guess. I've really only seen her a few times since then, but Ma... Am I crazy for having feelings for a woman I barely even know?"
She shrugged, pouring two mugs. "I knew I wanted to marry your father the minute we shared our first kiss. And he'd tell you that he's known since he first laid eyes on me. He jokes and says I was stubborn," she winked, a smile in her eyes. "He chased me for weeks after we first met and asked me out eight times. Each time, I had a different excuse to say no. Finally, after he had come over for dinner...your Grandmother loved him, you see, and was just waiting for us to get together. We were sitting out on the porch and I turned to him and asked him to be my boyfriend."
"You asked Dad? And he lets you tell people that?" Ty laughed.
She laughed, shaking her head. "Anytime I tell the story he says I'm remembering it wrong. But he's not around to say that anymore." His mother laughed again, nudging him with her elbow.
Even as she smiled, Ty could see the pain in her eyes over the loss of her husband. It'd been years, but one never really got over the death of their soulmate. "So what happened next?" He asked, trying to move past the pain.
"The rest is history, baby. We were wed within the year. Your brother came a year later. What I'm trying to say, sweetheart, is sometimes the heart and the soul know before the brain. Love is never a logical thing." Ty's mother took another long sip of her coffee and he took a moment to study the woman who raised him. Her hair had taken on grey highlights in the otherwise chestnut colored hair, no doubt due to him and Andre. He could see the wrinkles around her eyes from the many years of smiles and laughter shared.
He realized then that he didn't need a fairy family -- he had family here that would feel more like home than strangers related by blood would. He wasn't sure how he would tell his mom or Andre, but rules be damned -- if he was really royalty, then he could change the rules.
"Thanks, Momma. For everything, including taking me in." He reached across the table and squeezed her arm, smiling.
Her eyes widened in surprise before softening, a genuine smile crossing her face. "You'll always be my little boy. To think today, you're one of the most logical men I know. Remember the talk of magic and fairies you used to rave on about?" She threw her head back in a hearty laugh. "You were so adamant they were real. I swear, only my boy," she chided lovingly.
Ty bit back the urge to tell her they were real. How would he prove it? It's not like he'd figured out how to make his fairy skin show up. He returned an uneasy smile, settling on telling her when he could prove it.
---------------------
"Okay, tell me again why you want to go back?" Andre sighed, putting his legs up on the coffee table. Andre, having learned of the engagement being called off, had come over first thing the following morning. "She could have been sleeping with her in your bed!"
"I live there Andre. For now, anyways. I'll wash the sheets and it'll be like new, I guess. The lease is almost over, anyways."
"How much longer?"
Ty shrugged. "Three or four months?"
Andre shot up, his feet hitting the hardwood floor with a loud thud. "How is that almost over? Dude, why aren't you more upset about this?"
Ty regarded his older brother for a moment, wondering when he'd started holding grudges. Growing up, Andre had always been so forgiving and sweet, their mom used to tease and call him her living cavity. He never stayed angry, and certainly not about Ty's problems. "It's not like you or Mom ever liked her anyways, so why bother being upset? Shit happens, clean it up, and move on, right?"
Truth be told, Ty wasn't as bothered as he knew he should be. He felt betrayed, sure, but also a little relieved. Marrying a woman his family didn't like never bothered him until he realized how easily Andre's banter with Shay was easy and not forced, unlike nearly every interaction between Andre and Sammy. His relief, though he wasn't ready to admit it to himself yet, was more for the freedom he now had to explore whatever was growing between him and Shay.
"Okay, fine. Moving on... to Shay?" Andre relaxed back against the couch, a knowing smile on his face.
"Too soon, dude. Sammy and I only just broke off the engagement."
"Sammy didn't even wait for you to break up. Go for her, or I will." He winked, goading his brother.
Ty could feel the heat rise to his cheeks and his fists involuntarily curled by his side. He cleared his throat, rolling his head to relieve the tension that had built. "She's off-limits, Dre." He growled, unable to control the possession he felt coursing through him.
Andre lifted his hands in surrender, the smirk still on his face. "When do you see her again? Does she know you and Sammy broke up?"
Ty shook his head no, but before he could vocalize his response, their mother stepped into the room, flour decorating the front of her apron. "Tonight, please. We are going to have a family dinner to celebrate new beginnings. She seems to be the talk of the day, so I'd like to meet her."
Ty's eyes met his brother's and he suppressed a groan. He knew somehow, Andre was involved with this. "I'll ask, Ma." He sighed, standing up. Retrieving his phone from his pocket, he dialed Shay's number.
"For someone who asked me about technological advances, you sure seem to have forgotten that texting exists," Shay teased upon answering.
He smiled, her voice stirring feelings he once believed he'd never feel for anyone but Sammy. "I like hearing your voice," he answered honestly.
Shay's smile was evident in her voice. "A charmer, are we? Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"My mom is making dinner tonight and I wanted to see if you could come. It'd be me, my mom and my brother."
Shay was silent for a moment, and then: "No Samantha?"
"No." He said shortly, not offering up any information. "Dinner is usually early, around 4, but you can get here whenever. I'll be here all day. I'll text you the address, so if you can, just show up."
"I'll be there." Shay promised.
"Cool, see you soon." Ty slid his phone back into his pocket after sending the address, a smile on his face. As he turned to head back into the house, he jumped when he saw his mother standing in the doorway.
"Why did you stay with her so long, Ty?" She scolded gently. "The happiness I just saw in your face puts all smiles with Samantha to shame."
"Mom, come on." Ty sighed, his excitement fading away. "I get it, you were right; she was bad news."
"Tyro," she spoke sternly. "I've been supportive and patient of you and Samantha. But had she not cheated, you'd still be with her, and that's wrong because of how you feel for Shay."
"It's been a week and a half. There's nothing there." As he said it, he knew he was lying. But what if what he was feeling was just because of the bond? How strong was this the bond? "Don't you have pies to bake?" He asked, trying to distract her.
She narrowed her eyes at him and swatted his arm. "They're baking, but I know how to take a hint. Just don't be so scared. Love comes when it wants, as quickly as it wants. Go with it, Tyro. Some things are beyond your control." She turned, leaving Ty alone again.
He sighed and turned back around, resting his arms on the lattice built up around the porch. He was transported in his thoughts to years ago when he was resting against this very porch after hearing of his father's passing.
"Any day now," the doctors had said. That was a week ago, and the family agreed that he should be home and comfortable in his final hours. They had nurse in and out their home every day to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. Seeing his state deteriorate, they had all said their final words to him the night before.
"Tyro," his father called him nearer, his voice frail and weak, only a shell of what used to be a deep, hearty voice. "You be good to your mother, you hear? Remember that blood doesn't make a family; love and comfort do. I love you, son." He extended his arms and Ty leaned in, hugging him gently, tears pricking the back of his eyes.
The morning he'd passed, him and Andre had been home doing yardwork, their father too weak to do the duties and their mother being his caretaker. Ty had gone up to the porch and poured himself a glass of lemonade and slowly drank as he leaned against the lattice. Ty's mother came outside and stood beside him, waiting for Andre to join them. "He went in his sleep," she spoke quietly. "I watched the monitor and his heart rate just...stopped." Her sons wrapped around her, enclosing her into a hug.
"Ty?" A voice brought him back to present day, memories of that day tucking themselves away once again.
"Yeah, what's up?" He turned to Andre, clearing his throat.
"You looked out of it. Had to make sure you weren't reconsidering leaving Sammy."
Ty rolled his eyes and threw a lazy punch at his brother's arm. "Even if I was, Shay would still be off-limits."
"What are you talking about? I'd never go after a girl you're denying feelings for just to piss you off," he winked.
Ty hesitated, the words on the top of his tongue. "If I tell you something crazy, will you not freak out?"
"Don't tell me you really are going back to Sam." His teeth gritted, the smile leaving his face.
"No. No, man. I uh. Shay's a fairy princess. And I'm a fairy prince, and we were bonded before I was put up for adoption which might be the only reason I'm even feeling attracted to her," he inhaled deeply, having let the words fall out of his mouth in one breath. He watched Andre, trying to gauge his reaction. After a few moments of silence and a blank face, he reached out and shoved him in the shoulder. "Dre, c'mon man, say something."
"You used to say the same shit when we first got you. My first birthday with you was just a few weeks after we got you, and I was turning eight. You told me back in your kingdom, when fairies turned eight, you started training. You never told me what you would be training for. When I talked to Mom about it, she said it was just how you coped with your birth parents dying and the stories helped you. I'd left it alone, but one night I saw your skin looking different. It scared the shit out of me and I told Mom. She said it was my imagination playing tricks on me."
Ty stood silently, listening to his brother recount things he had no way of remembering himself. "How did my skin look different?"
Andre met his gaze steadily, concern creasing around his eyes. "You looked green, dude. Like the Grinch."
"Did you believe me?"
"Ty, in the years we've been brothers, the one thing you've never liked was make-believe. Commit me to an asylum, but yeah, I did. And I do now. I feel crazy for it, but I believe you."
"I can prove it," he blurted out. "Well, I can't. But Shay can. It's weird as hell. But man, I need someone to talk to about this shit. It's driving me nuts."
Andre took a seat in the tan wicker chair in the corner of the porch, motioning for Ty to follow suit. "Let's hear it then, Your Majesty."
Ty sat beside him, rolling his eyes. "She said when we were kids, right before my kingdom was attacked," Ty ignored the raised eyebrow Andre shot him and continued. "There was a ceremony that promised us to each other."
"Basically, an arranged marriage? Archaic."
Ty nodded in agreement. "They're more common in the Royal families, but yeah. Anyways, how do I know what I'm feeling isn't just because of the bond? I don't want to make a life commitment to someone because of some damn promise made over twenty years ago."
"Ask her, then. This stuff is beyond me, bro. But I'd go with it, if I were you. She's beautiful, and clearly not a gold digger. She's nice, and I'm sure she'll be a winner in Mom's eyes. We'll find out in a few minutes." Andre nodded his head towards the driveway and Ty's heart skipped a beat. He checked his phone for the time and was amazed to see it had been nearly two hours since he'd invited her. "Go get her, tiger."
Ty stood to meet Shay, leaning against the columns around the opening in the porch. "You made it," he smiled, taking the plate from her arms. "And you brought food!"
Shay blushed, dipping her head low. "I failed miserably at the cooking lessons I had to take. These are courtesy of my mother's recipe. She says hello."
Ty smiled and turned to lead her inside. "Come meet my family.