Fissure

The trio of brothers around me erupted in laughter, Joseph guffawing in stomach clenching fits. “Yeah, good luck with that, Patrick.”

“Here we thought you were the one that knew everything there was to know about women,” Nathanial chuckled in his baritone tenor. “There’s a higher likelihood of you calling mercy when I’ve got you locked in an arm bar than you have of convincing a woman of something she doesn’t want to be convinced of.”

I slammed the brakes at the bottom of the ramp, hoping it would startle their laughter away. No can do.

“I’ve never, nor will I ever, call mercy because your arm bars are easier to get out of than Rumpelstiltskin’s here”—I pointed my finger at the youngest Hayward brother—“left armed choker hold’s”—Nathanial’s face went from pissed to mega pissed—“and Emma is different than other women. She’ll understand.”

“Sure she will,” Joseph smirked, massaging my shoulders like he was preparing me for a boxing match. “Good luck with that, champ. Let us know how it goes.”

Tearing away at the last few miles towards Emma, I found myself checking the rear view mirror for blinking red and blue lights. Whatever I was sentenced to, I was more troubled by the idea the blues would get to me before I got to Emma. I had to see her, touch her, one more time before I did some hard or soft time.

“Hey, you guys wouldn’t happen to know where I could find myself a badass attorney with an unheard of win ratio, would you?”

Nathanial grunted. “Because you’re my brother, I’ll defend you, but because you are my brother, I’m charging you double.”

“You still owe me from that snafu you found yourself in a few years back in Serbia,” I argued.

“It wasn’t a snafu,” Nathanial said, his voice tight. “And nothing I couldn’t handle minus one brother on a perpetual ego trip.”

“Boy, I’ve sure missed you guys,” I said, pulling into the driveway. “It’s been too peaceful without the three of you around to gang up on me.”

I cut the engine, noticing the blinds moving as someone peeked out. “All right, boys. Be on your best behavior. You’re about to meet my future wife,” I said, shutting the door behind me and turning into a double wide sized chest.

“What are you playing at, Patrick?” Nathanial growled low in my face, glaring at me. “When Joseph told me you were seeing a girl from school”—I threw the traitor baby of the family a glare—“I didn’t take it seriously since none of your relationships, and I use the term relationship loosely, get anywhere close to serious. But this one’s obviously crossed that line.” He was still growling as he tilted his head to the house where she was somewhere inside. “She’s a Mortal and, last time I checked, our kind is not allowed to fraternize, let alone Unite, with one.”

I shoved him away from me. “William did it.”

“That was different,” Nathanial replied, stepping back into the space I’d created.

“Why?” I hissed. “Because he was having wet dreams of Bryn for generations?” I shoved him again, taking my anger at the intricacies and impossible rules of my kind out on my bear of a brother.

Then I realized what I’d said. I looked over the roof of the car at William. “Sorry, no disrespect to you or Bryn. I’m just pissed at pious Zeus over here.”

William waved a dismissive hand, trying to keep from laughing. At least someone had a sense of humor other than me.

“It will all work out,” I said, staring at nothing in particular.

Nathanial grunted. “Classic Patrick justification for doing something you know isn’t right.”

“Classic Patrick solution,” I annunciated, looking up into the lined face of my brother, wondering why everyone thought we looked so much alike. He looked like a hulking, angry troll ninety percent of the time. “It will work. Stay tuned and enjoy the show because I can’t wait to say I told you so when all’s said and done.”

“Nothing is ever said and done with you,” Nathanial replied, blocking my path when I tried to move away from him. I could have teleported to get away, but he’d thrown down a silent challenge and that was something I never ran—or teleported—away from. I’d stand square in front of him until I’d worn him down.

“Back me up on this, William,” I said, knowing he was the only one who could understand what it felt like to want something more than anything else you’d ever wanted, only to be told it could never be yours. Neither of us were the kind of man that were subservient enough to let that pass.

“Leave him alone,” William said in his ever calm voice. “He’s got this.”

Pausing, he let that settle between the group of us before continuing. “Can anyone think of a single time Patrick has ever failed at something he set out to do?” he asked, boring his eyes into Nathanial and then Joseph. “Can anyone think of a time Patrick has ever let us down? Can anyone think of anything Patrick has done that has earned him anything but a future of happiness?”

Our eyes locked for only a moment, but it was a powerful one. This was the reason I, and the other two brothers, idolized William. He was a god who’d been born to mankind. Lucky for me, he was on my side.

“Let him run the show. I, for one, will be there to provide whatever support you need. Just say the word, and I’m there,” he said, nodding. “Bryn, too.”

This time when I moved to get around Nathanial, he didn’t block me. Nothing like one of William’s speeches to make the stubborn headed see reason.

“Hey, brother,” I said, grabbing him in a tight embrace and swinging him around. “Have I told you lately that I love you?” I crooned, covering my hand with my heart. “Have I told you, there’s no one else above you?” I continued, singing like I was performing in a sold-out stadium.

“Ugh,” Joseph said, coming up behind me and clamping a hand over my mouth. “That’s a Hell on Wheels song and we are no longer on wheels, so please, save us the hell.”

I broke his hold and caught him in a neck lock, mussing his hair because it looked better than mine for the first time in eternity and I couldn’t have that.

“Come on,” I said, throwing my other arm around William’s neck, messing his hair too because his always looked good and he thought product was a term associated with economics. “You guys are going to love Emma.”

“That reminds me,” William said, flipping his hair back once I was done faux-hawking it. “Bryn says she expects to meet the girl who took her place in your heart. Soon. Dinner tomorrow night soon.”

“I think I’ll be eating from a metal tray in an orange jumpsuit tomorrow night,” I said, making a face because orange did not compliment me. “We’ll do dinner when I’m out. Although we’ll probably have to do it here since I doubt my parole will allow for out-of-state dinners with family.”

Joseph elbowed me. “Like trivial things such as breaking laws has ever stopped you before.”

“Yeah, before,” I said, walking up the pathway, not really caring if Nathanial followed or not. He could stay on the driveway and pout the night out if he wanted. “But now I’ve got Emma. I’ve got responsibilities.”

“Holy crap,” Joseph hollered, slapping his knee. “It took him two hundred years, but he finally grew up.”

I stuck my tongue out at him as we stepped up onto the porch. “Yeah, well, you’re ugly.”

“Burn,” Joseph deadpanned, pushing me against the door. It was open just enough I toppled inside, sliding across the wood floors a few feet before my shoulder rammed into a blood free pair of jeans.

“Hey, Tex,” I said, looking up.

“You sure know how to make an entrance,” he said, looking down at me like he could squash me, before extending his hand and helping me up.

“It’s a middle child thing,” I said, hopping to a stand. Looking back at my brothers filtering into the room, I decided now was the time to get the introductions out of the way.

“This is Tex,”—he tilted his chin at the Haywards behind me—“that’s Dallas,” I pointed at the tower leaning against the counter with arms crossed, “and that’s Austin.” I motioned to the Scarlett who was looking a little worse for wear, a little regretful, and a lot sick to his stomach.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a swaying motion approach from down the hall. I was grinning like Joseph by the time I turned to her and was laughing for some reason—love had made me kind of mad—as I jogged over to her. I forgot about the six brothers between us staring at each other in the kitchen, I forgot about the cops coming to get me sometime in the near future, I forgot about the world. Except for ours. That would go with me wherever I went.

“Did Doctor Grey make me all pretty for you?” she asked, smiling at me.

“Radiant,” I answered, resting my hands on her face, not seeing past the bruises and bandages, but seeing the strength and mercy in them. Ty could have killed her, he nearly did, but by the hand of God or the hand of fate, he hadn’t. And it was the first and last thing I’d be thankful to him for.

“Come here,” I said, pressing a soft kiss into her swollen lips. “I want to introduce you to some guys I know.”

As we rounded the corner in full view of my brothers, I remembered again why it was I’d give my life for any of them. They all took one long look at Emma, not missing one thing, and smiled.

There wasn’t a pause in response as they squirmed from the bruises, there wasn’t a slant of pity in their eyes for the battered girl bandaged before them, there wasn’t a single line of disapproval on any of their foreheads, not even Nathanial, although I knew he disapproved of this for one reason. There was nothing but acceptance.

A stroke of eureka occurred right then. Against everything I’d always been told and believed about perfection not being a providence of this fallen world, I knew in my heart just then that was only partly true. There weren’t perfect people, nor were there perfect lives or perfect relationships. There were, however, perfect moments. And this was one of them.

“Emma,” I said, keeping her tucked to my side, “meet my brothers. Brothers, meet Emma.”

Emma lifted her hand and made a wave. “Nice to meet you, brothers,” she said, staring at them like they were at her.

I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You can stop gawking now. I know they’re not bad to look at, but they’re married men with territorial, uber jealous wives.”

Turning her head so her lips were in line with mine, she whispered, “I wasn’t gawking. I was just noticing how I wound up with the hottest one.”

I kissed her, not caring that I was making three brothers uncomfortable and three brothers aggravated. “Lord knows I don’t need the boost, but you are good for my ego, woman,” I said, a tad flushed and more than a tad breathless.