* * *

I know something’s coming I can feel it. I’ve had years of practice reading people. When you’ve been locked away from the world your whole life, you find interest in a lot of things people take for granted. Like how to use all your senses to read a situation.

It’s how I know that I can trust these men and women, even though I’ve never been exposed to this many people at once before in my life.

It’s like being dumped out of my familiar fishbowl and into the real world without gills. And though the fear threatens to overtake me at times, there’s one thing here that keeps me grounded. Devon.

I see in him a mixture of the two men in my life. My brother and my dad. There’s something gentle and kind in his eyes when he looks at me, but more than that, there’s something inside me that comes alive whenever he’s near.

My life has been a very sheltered one. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve met in my whole life until now, that’s including my father, mother and brother.

As a very young child I was happy. I had all the things any little girl could ever wish for. Because I knew no other way, I found joy in the things dad brought to me.

My dad was my whole world. When he wasn’t working or off somewhere he spent most of his time with me teaching me. By the age of three or four I could read and so I got all my knowledge of the outside world from books before my first computer at twelve.

When my brother came along and I learned that it wasn’t normal for little girls to be shut away from the world it had broken my heart. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t do the things my brother was allowed to do.

Until a few days ago, my father would only tell me that it was for my own protection. All the secrecy, the seclusion. Having to travel in the dead of night when we moved between houses. Until that too became too dangerous.

I figured out for myself when I was very young that I was adopted. Not only because I look nothing like my family, but I just didn’t feel connected.

Don’t get me wrong it was nothing they did. In fact they went above and beyond to make my life as comfortable and happy as they could given the circumstances.

But there was always something missing. Except with my brother Track. From a very young age he’s been my little protector. He’s the first human being I loved unconditionally, until now.

He never understood, never accepted the way my life was. Until him, I didn’t know to question, because I knew no other way.

The story I told Devon earlier is just one of the many ways in which my little brother had tried to change my life.

While I stayed home all day getting my lessons through the computer, from disembodied voices of the men and women who taught me, he got to go off to school and meet people.

He’s the one who started bringing the outside world to me. My parents did their bit there too, but Track was the one who brought me video clips of real people, the kids he went to school with, his friends.

He let me into his life in the most invasive way, sharing everything he could with the sister he loved and did not resent for making his life the disaster it was.

I knew he’d lost out on a lot because of me, only because he refused to take part in anything that I couldn’t be a part of, which was pretty much everything.

By the time he was in high school and I was taking college level courses online, I had come to accept my life while living vicariously through him. But he never did.

He made the days less lonely and gave me hope that someday things will change. My dad for all his love was more reserved. His only interest was in spoiling me to make up for the fact that I couldn’t have a normal life.

My rooms were always the most beautiful, and the clothes I never got to wear anywhere were the latest in fashion. I know, because I got to choose them myself from the many magazines dad brought for me to choose from.

I knew from television and later the limited access I had to the Internet that normal people didn’t live this way.

By then I’d stopped asking dad about my real parents and this danger that he was protecting me from once I realized that it was stressing him.

Each time I’d bring it up he’d get this pained look on his face and age ten lifetimes. I knew whatever it was it must be pretty bad and as I grew older I learned to be content, somewhat.

Then Track met Valerie, the girl he ran home and gushed to me about. I saw love for the first time. Not the aged comfortable love of my parents, but love in its first blush.

I’ve read stories, I know all the mechanics of love and where it leads, but I had never seen that fire, that light that shone in my little brother’s eyes that day.

That night we talked and talked about his newfound love and when tears rolled down my cheeks, he’d wrapped his arms around me and sworn a solemn oath that he was going to get me out of there. That one day I too will find love.

He’d never come to terms with my situation and for some reason this new development seemed to galvanize him into action.

Dad had never told him any more than he’d told me, but unlike me, the docile obedient daughter, Track never took no for an answer.

From the time he was old enough, he kept pushing and prodding to get to the truth, but to no avail. And then something changed.

Track had always been good with computers, he even taught me how to do some of the stuff he did. It was fun, a new way to alleviate the boredom.

There was only one thing he refused to teach me until I nagged him. He was never able to refuse me anything and soon he was teaching me the secrets of hacking.

I found a new hobby after that and though we never did anything to harm others, it was fun figuring out the intricacies. I was pretty good at it in no time, but never as good as he.

Like everything else, I knew he was going to marry his teenage girlfriend before anyone else did. He’d told me about her being sick and her dad’s neglect. I knew he saw me in her and wanted to save her, and wondered if anyone would ever feel that way about me.

It was not long after that that he started disappearing only to return weeks later looking more and more morose. For the first time he didn’t share a part of his life with me.

Then a little over a month ago I noticed a new tension in the air at home. I spend so much time with my dad that I know his every mood, same with Track.

I’d walk into a room and they’d stop talking right away. Whenever we were in a room together the focus was always on me, but that’s nothing new, it’s always been that way.

But this time was different, this time I was afraid. It was the way they were acting, especially Track this last time he came home from one of his many absences of late.

Then dad sat me down and without telling me much more than I already knew, explained that things were coming to a head and soon I will have all the answers.

I was so afraid after he told me this. Afraid that I’d finally learn the truth and it would change my life. Suddenly I wanted my life to remain just the way it was.

I’d grown used to the way things were. It’s not like I never got to see the outside world. My family owns homes in other places around the world, and though I was kept hidden in all of them when we did visit, it was at least a change of scenery and I was allowed more freedom in some of them than at home.

My whole life has been lived through a computer. It’s where I was taught, where I did my shopping, where I learned social graces and all the things a young lady should know according to dad.

I lacked for nothing in my life, except my freedom. Yet I didn’t feel like a prisoner, and there were times I thought my dad must love me very much to go to these lengths to keep me safe, even though I wasn’t his blood.

Now here I am and my life seems to have gone into overdrive in a matter of days. Dad hadn’t had time to prepare me for this, it seems things were out of his control. But he trusted these men that much was obvious.

Poor Track, the look on his face when I left. My poor baby brother, my guardian warrior. I remember the first time I held him, the unbridled feelings and emotions that enveloped me then and I knew that he was mine.

Now all these years later I have those same feelings again, but in a whole new way. It happened the first time I saw Devon.

As someone who relies on her senses to tell her what’s what, I knew from the first moment that he was mine too, I just didn’t quite understand how. Until now!

Now the fear isn’t as strong because of him. I like the others too. I’ve learned what sort of men they are through the women.

I also know they’re very secretive because their women know nothing of my situation. I shared what I could with them without putting myself in danger, but in the end I don’t know that much either.

They didn’t treat me like a freak the way I half expected, but instead drew me into their circle, like I was one of them, with one glaring difference. They each belonged to one of the men here, whereas I was…what am I?

It was them who got the truth of my feelings for Devon out in the open because it was just that easy to talk to them, what with all their prodding.

I tested out all the things I’d learned over the years on them and was never more excited than when I was able to come up with an answer for one of their issues, of which they seemed to have plenty and all surrounding their men.

They’re brave these women, brave and strong though I don’t think they know it. And it was hard to believe that they hadn’t always known each other.

When Kat tells the story of how she met her Lyon and fell in love, it gives me hope that I can have that. The others assured me that it didn’t take them long to know that their man was the one.

It gave me hope, though there was no doubt on my part where Devon was concerned. It was his distance that scared me most.

Until Danielle explained that that’s how they pretty much all were in the beginning. And Kelly, who’s new like me. She was still coming to terms with her whirlwind romance so I didn’t feel so alone. We were alike her and I, though she was a little ahead of me in the game by a few days.

Maybe that’s why I’d let her talk me into the dance tonight, why I’d trusted the women that it would work to get Devon to accept his feelings for me.

Feelings his sisters were sure he had but I was still doubting. How could I know he had feelings for me when he wouldn’t even touch me, and was always in a hurry to get away from me whenever we were alone?

But that day on the beach I’d seen another side to him. I’d seen the way he looked at me when he didn’t think I was watching.

If not for the women I would be scared out of my head. I’d only seen love from a distance or through my brother, but these feelings awakening inside me were all new and oh so frightening.

I was in a new place surrounded by people I didn’t know and my life was going through this miraculous change and it all seemed to be happening so fast.

And then he kissed me, and told me he wanted to have babies with me and nothing else matters. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, what the big secret of my life is, but I know in my soul that as long as Devon is at my side, it will all work out.

* * *

“Well?” Kelly tapped my leg and brought me out of my reverie. I’d drifted away in my head while the others were whispering and laughing at their men and their antics.

“He kissed me.” I touched my lips as though I could still feel the pressure of his there. She squealed and the others shushed her even though they too were smiling and clapping their hands.

“Told you it would work, woot.”

“Okay-okay-okay shh, they’re looking.” Kat shushed us and we all took a look across the room at the men who seemed to be deep in conversation about something.

My tummy cramped a little when I thought it might have something to do with me and the reason I’d been brought here. But the look on Devon’s face soon calmed me again, only to send the blood heating in my veins.

“Oh my, I hope Hank looks at me like that.” Cierra fanned herself and grinned as my cheeks heated up. I couldn’t look away from him. I wonder if he knew that his eyes gave away everything?

I finally blinked and when I looked again he was talking to his brothers. “Oh damn I’m jumping Connor tonight.”

“As if you’d have to, the man can’t keep his hands off you.”

“You’ve got a point Vanessa but good heavens did you see that look? Who knew Devon had it in him?”

“It’s always the quiet silent types.” Ginger laughed and the rest of us joined in.

“You ladies are forgetting one thing. That dance.”

“Oh Kat I’m sure they’ve forgotten all about that.”

“Uh-huh, you ladies have so much to learn. These men don’t forget shit. I’d bet you good money if they don’t bring it up tonight, some time in the future it will be the topic of discussion and my ass will be on the line.”

“Why, you didn’t plan it.”

“Try telling that to Colton Lyon. As long as I’m anywhere in the vicinity he seems to think it’s my responsibility.”

“I’ve noticed that about them, they all seem to have the same school of thought. Melissa’s always starting some shit and Clayton ends up blaming me.”

“Hey, I’m not the only one. The rest of you pull your fair share of stunts.”

“Yes Missy, but not as often and nowhere near as hair-brained.”

That set off another one of their playful arguments as to who gets up to the most shenanigans. I’ve learned so much about who they are and who their men are from listening to their stories of their escapades, but each time I hear one I long to be part of that.

I want to make Devon crazy the way his sisters say they do their men. I want him to sneak off with me the way Colton does with his Kat when they think no one’s paying attention.

Or have him just touch me just because he can’t help himself the way all the men seem to with their women.

As I sat there listening to the laughter and gaiety with one eye secretly trained on Devon, I felt alive for the first time in my life.

I felt hope, like all those things he whispered to me out on the deck could somehow come true. My very own fairytale.