Friends & Lovers Trilogy (45 page)

Rich stepped back and turned to his dresser,
pulling something out before turning back to Roni.

When he dropped to his knee, Roni’s heart
threatened to gallop out of her chest, and she didn’t think it was
possible to feel any happier than she did at that moment.

Rich opened the box which contained a simple
band with a round diamond in the center.

“
Roni, this ring is only a
fraction of the ring I want for you, but I offer it to you as a
symbol of my heart and the life I want to spend with you. I’ve been
carrying this ring around for the past eight months. I wanted the
timing to be right, and I knew you weren’t ready, but I wanted to
have it handy once you were.” She smiled at him, eyes shimmering
with more tears, and she wanted nothing more than to scream yes,
and be in his arms, but she let him finish.

“
I want to share this Rec
Center with you, buy a home and raise children with you. I want to
be the shoulder you cry on and the person you share life’s greatest
joys with. I know I was only a shell of a man when I met you, and I
hope to one day be the man that you deserve to have by your side as
you grow old. Marry me, Roni, and make me the happiest man on
earth.”

Roni nodded spastically and said, “Yes,”
before putting her hand out for him to place the ring on her
finger.

Once it was on he stood, and she put her
hand out to admire it.

“
It’s the most perfect ring
I’ve ever seen,” Roni gushed before catapulting herself into the
place that she wanted to be for the rest of her life. Rich’s
arms.

Keep reading for an excerpt from my Contemporary
Fantasy

Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale

Available April 23, 2013

1

I’m only 900 years old, which is relatively
young for a fairy godmother, equivalent to an eighteen year old
human.

My clan is considered small amongst the
fairies of our woods, as I only have six brothers and four sisters.
Normally, woodland fairies cannot be godmothers or godfathers, but
our mother was a fairy godmother before she partnered with my
father, so it’s in our bloodline.

My mother is a descendant of the Huldafolk.
They’re known for their kindness and generous spirit, which makes
them ideal Godparents for humans.

My father is a Feeorin, a capricious lot,
with a love of singing and dancing. We get our red hair from our
father and pale skin from our mother, although I often wished for
the green complexion of my father’s family.

* * *

Despite the differences in their clans, my
parents knew immediately that they were meant to be. My mother had
returned from a mission and my father was singing at the
Midsummer’s Eve feast. It was love at first sight.

When fairies find the person they’re fated
for, we love each other for all eternity. Our bodies give us signs
to help us realize that we have found the one.

My parents were lucky to have found each
other when they had reached their mature forms and were old enough
to be bound.

Once they met, fell in love, and The Fates
determined they could be partnered; my mother was able to forgo her
fairy godmother status and stay permanently in the woods with my
father. She could, however, pass her status on to one of her
children.

Our parents love to tell us the story of how
they met and fell in love and how The Fates help all of us find
love.

When you come in to contact with a fae that
you have a strong connection with, your heart pounds like a drum,
your right hand begins to tingle to the point of itching, and your
eyes will momentarily turn pink to match your yearning heart.

When all of those things occur, you may
appeal to The Fates for a blessing of your union. If The Fates do
not agree that the union is everlasting, you will not be allowed to
see each other again in this lifetime. If they agree that you are
meant, the joining of your lives would begin in that moment and
will not end until the passing of both beings.

“
What happens if you never
feel the signs, Mama?” my younger sister, Ella often asked our
mother.

“
Don’t worry, sweet girl,”
Mother always assured her. “It’s in our nature to enjoy lives full
of love.”

We all love to hear the stories and can’t
wait to feel the stirrings of fate. I always dreamed of finding my
fate, but I also wished to follow my mother’s path and be a
Godparent. The thought of helping humans reach their potential or
overcome a hardship, really called to me. I wanted to make a
difference and be a part of something grander than the woods of my
youth.

My brothers and sisters have no interest
whatsoever in being a Godparent. They’re content to rule the woods
and live a happy and carefree life.

We all look alike, with our fair skin and
bright red hair; our wings are the feature that separates us. Each
pair is unique, a reflection of our personalities.

When it comes to personality, I’m the odd
one of the bunch. Similar to my brothers and sisters, I love to
frolic and dance, and I’m always ready to join them on a merry
chase, but they often joke that if I can’t be found, listen for
signs of the injured or brokenhearted, I’ll be there trying to fix
the situation.

* * *

The day I finally gathered the courage to
talk to my parents about my desire to follow my mother’s path, I
came upon them sitting outside our dwelling, enjoying the glow of a
lightening bug.

My mother looked up at me, her pleasure at
my approach evident, but I noticed the concern on her face, as if
she had been awaiting my arrival and knew the outcome of our
conversation.

“
What’s it sweet girl? We
know something has been bothering you,” my mother began as I walked
nearer, my wings fluttering gently in the breeze of the cool
morning. She held my father’s hand in hers, as if it were an
extension of her own.

“
I’ve been thinking about
this for a long time, but I haven’t known how to tell you until
now,” I said softly, staring down at the ground. “I want to help
people, as you did, Mama. I want to train to become a
godmother.”

They looked at each other, smiled, then
looked back at me.

“
Of course you do, honey,”
my father said with a quiet voice.

“
You already knew?” I
looked out over the pond outside our home relieved that they
weren’t upset.

“
Nissa, of all of our
children, you are the most like your mother: kind hearted, giving,
and sensitive. Your siblings are content with life here and will be
happy as they are, but we knew that you would be the one to choose
this path.”

They weren’t sad about my decision, sad that
it meant I would have to leave the woods. Knowing that this would
make me happy and fulfill my destiny made it easier for them to
accept.

* * *

In between helping humans, I was free to
come home and visit my family for a while before I accepted on a
new mission.

After finally finishing the three years
training, which consisted of classroom education, use of magic, and
finally, hands on experience, I was about to embark on my first
project without my trainer, Fairy Godfather Titus, who had been
with me since my first day at Headquarters.

* * *

When I volunteered, and was accepted to be a
Fairy Godmother, I received the initial welcome packet. Once I had
completed all of the entrance documents, I reported to Headquarters
to meet my trainer and begin my years of training. I was given a
room, and was instructed to wait there for my trainer.

“
You must be Nissa,” I was
so nervous and unsure of my surroundings, that I hadn’t notice the
tall, grey haired fairy enter my room, until the boom of his voice
startled me.

“
I’m Titus,” He said by way
of introduction. “Follow me, so we can begin your
training.”

The frown never left his face, and before I
had a chance to reply, I was rushing after him down the hall.

That was how my training began, and pretty
much set the tone for the next three years.

* * *

The magic portion of the training was my
favorite part. I loved feeling of calmness that passed through me
when I knew the magic was working. I enjoyed manipulating objects
and feelings, and the pride that came with success.

Classroom was a necessary evil, but I
dreaded the days I had to stay inside. It was interesting to learn
about the history of Fairy Godparents, and to read about past
projects, but I longed to be outside practicing magic.

Once the magic and classroom training were
complete, and Titus deemed me ready, we began the practical
training.

For the first project, Titus took the lead.
The second one we completed together. For the third project, I was
the lead, but Titus was there as back up.

Now that I had completed all facets of my
training, I was finally a Fairy Godmother.

I knew Titus was happy that my training was
complete, not that I was a bad pupil or anything, he got very
frustrated with my approach. He wanted me to be stern and detached
with the projects, but I preferred to treat humans as I would my
own friends and family. Being a Godparent would be very lonely, in
my opinion, if I didn’t make friends along the way.

Titus started in this business five thousand
years ago and started as a trainer two thousand years ago. He only
had one more fairy to train and then he could retire. Since fairies
generally live anywhere from twelve to fourteen thousand years, he
would have more than a few years left to enjoy his retirement.

He was more than ready to find a sweet
little fae to settle down with and enjoy a quiet life, after
dealing with young fairy pupils and the projects we took on.

As a thank you for the last few years, I
decided to surprise Titus with a little gift.

Tomorrow he started training his new pupil
and I began my new project. Once that happened, I would not see him
again unless I was having problems, and he needed to come in and
save me.

I really hoped that it wouldn’t come to
that, so I needed to say goodbye today.

* * *

I was in the cafeteria of the training
building, putting the finishing touches on the dew drop sweetcake I
made for Titus. I made it with boysenberry, his favorite, and
decorated it with his initials. It looked delicious and I hoped he
liked it.

Titus walked in to get his morning cup of
hot nectar; if he didn’t get his nectar you could forget about him
acknowledging you. He was usually quite grumpy in the morning. I
watched as he added a dash of bitter, to take some of the sweetness
away, and took the first sip. He sat at his favorite table in the
corner and opened the paper to read. Once he was settled in and
sipping on his drink, I picked up the sweetcake and went over to
join him.

The bells in my hair jingled as I walked,
alerting him of my approach.

“
You are no longer my
pupil, Nissa, so our morning meetings are no longer necessary,”
Titus’s voice came out in a big boom, but I knew he was really a
sweetheart underneath all of his bluster. His hair was naturally
grey and stuck out in wild tufts framing his face. I always wanted
to reach out and tame it, but I feared he would be embarrassed, so
I left it alone.

I smiled broadly at him and replied, “Good
morning, Titus. I made you this sweetcake, your favorite, to say
thank you and goodbye. I hope your next pupil is a quick study and
you get to retire as soon as possible.”

I set the sweetcake in front of him and saw
him struggle to hide the delight that spread across his face.
Without invitation, I sat across from him and grabbed one of his
hands in mine.

“
I mean it Titus. I’ll miss
you.”

He looked into my eyes and said, “Nissa, you
have the makings of a great godmother. You need to focus on the
task you are given, not on the emotions of the project, and you
will be fine.”

I felt myself grow warm and the blush run
through my body. Once it reached my wings they slowly lit up and
shimmered with delight.

Sometimes being a fairy is so
embarrassing.

“
Thank you Titus, that
means a lot to me. I’ll let you enjoy your morning ritual before
the work day begins. Good luck with your new pupil. I hope you
enjoy the sweetcake.” With that I stood to leave.

As I walked past him I stopped briefly to
kiss his cheek. “Goodbye, “I whispered.

I walked out of the cafeteria and headed for
my room to wait until my meeting with the mission specialist. The
meeting would be held at the headquarters branch.

Now when I say branch, it’s meant literally.
Our “building” was in an old oak on the outskirts of the Redwood
Forest, in Northern California. The branches contained different
divisions: Headquarters, Administration, Housing, and Training.

As a Fairy Godmother, once I was assigned a
project and left the headquarters, I would take on a human form,
maintaining my basic features. Obviously I would lose my wings and
ability to fly, and I would grow into a form more fitting for a
human, but my hair, face and complexion would remain the same.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan,
and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High
School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she
has set her Young Adult series. She is married and has a blended
family with five children. She is currently serving in the United
States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has
always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by
independently publishing her first novels through Amazon.