Fane shrugged. “My mom almost died when she had me. She had a stroke when she was only six months along. They managed to keep her pregnant for a couple of weeks, but then she had me. I only weighed a pound and a half.”
“Really?”
Fane lifted and flexed one arm muscle—impressively—and joked, “From a one-and-a-half pound weakling to a one-hundred-eighty-five pound Hulk in eighteen short years.” Rapunzel couldn’t tear her eyes from his arm. Finally he dropped it. “After that, they told her it was too risky to have another baby. She could’ve died. My dad said it wasn’t worth the risk. So I’m it.”
“Do you miss having siblings?”
He shook his head. “I’m pretty close to my cousins. Plus, I have a lot of friends. So I’ve never missed having brothers or sisters. Besides, I pretty much always get my way since there’s no one to argue with me.”
Rapunzel thought about that. “I don’t have anyone to argue with, either, but I don’t get my way. Everything is my mother’s way.”
Fane nodded. “Your life is definitely a little different than mine, huh?”
“You think?” Rapunzel said, using one of Fane’s phrases. They looked at each other and laughed.
“The world is a poorer place for not having you in it, Rapunzel. It’s a shame to have you locked up in that tower.”
“Thank you,” she said, meaning it. At least one person in the real world was aware of her.
chapter
*.*
30
.**
It didn’t take long for Rapunzel to discover that Fane was right about the noise. As soon as his relatives arrived, it became very loud in his house.
“Hey, Rapunzel, when are you going to get rid of this jerk and go out with a real man?”
Rapunzel looked up at Kevin, Fane’s cousin. It wasn’t the first time he had made a similar comment. He’d been teasing Rapunzel about dating him since he’d arrived at the house. He was the same age as Fane, older by two months, a fact he never let Fane forget.
“You should date a real man, like me,” he continued.
“I’m not dating Fane. We’re just friends,” she said.
Kevin punched Fane in the shoulder. “What’s wrong with you, bro? You have a gorgeous girl like this hanging around and you’re not dating her? You must be loco. See what I’m talking about, Rapunzel? If you were with a real man, like me, I wouldn’t hesitate dating you.”
Rapunzel glanced at Fane to see his clenched jaw ticking and a spot of red in his cheek. Was he angry at Kevin for insinuating that he should be dating her? Rapunzel’s attention was drawn away from Fane and Kevin by Ava and Liv, Fane’s eleven- and twelve-year-old cousins who were braiding the back of her hair.
As soon as they had come into the house and spotted her hair, they squealed in delight and begged her to let them braid it. She left the crown braid in but let them loosen the back, which they had since braided into a bunch of smaller braids. They were now taking the smaller braids and twisting them into a single braid down her back.
Their mother, Sandy, came into the room. “Are you still torturing Rapunzel’s hair?” she asked the girls.
The girls completely ignored her, but Rapunzel smiled at Fane’s aunt. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. It feels kind of nice having someone else do my hair for once.”
“You do your own hair?” Sandy sounded surprised.
“Yes, my mother did it when I was little of course, but she hasn’t done it for several years now. I usually just braid it in a single braid so that it doesn’t drag on the floor.”
“I’ve never seen hair that long on a person so young,” Sandy said, “In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen hair that long on anybody of any age.”
Rapunzel wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she just smiled.
“Can we put ribbons in your hair?” Ava asked.
“Where do you think you’re going to get ribbon in a house that has only one teenage boy and no young girls?” Sandy asked.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Fane does wear ribbons in his hair,” Kevin interjected, “since Fane is not even man enough to ask a girl on a decent date.”
At that, Fane tackled Kevin around the waist, pulling him to the floor. Rapunzel stood in alarm, but Fane’s Uncle David calmly walked into the room and said, “Take it outside, boys.”
Kevin took off running, slamming his way out the front door, Fane hot on his heels. Everyone scrambled to the front windows to watch the spectacle, laughing and making bets on who would win. Rapunzel wasn’t sure what to make of the whole situation. Weren’t they afraid that one of them would hurt the other? But as she looked out the window she saw that Fane and Kevin laughed as they wrestled. Finally Fane straddled Kevin, holding Kevin’s arms above his head. Kevin laughingly yelled, “Uncle! Uncle!” Rapunzel glanced over at the uncles, surprised that none of them heeded his call.
Fane stood, reaching a hand down to pull Kevin to his feet. Kevin slung an arm around Fane’s neck, scrubbing the top of his head with his knuckles. Just then, Kevin and Fane both stopped and glanced toward the sky.
“It’s snowing!” Kevin yelled. Fane’s eyes came to Rapunzel’s, and he grinned at her. In that one look she knew that he understood she’d never been outside in the snow before.
“Come out,” Fane mouthed to her, waving her out with a gesture.
Within moments the house had emptied of nearly every person as they all stood outside, looking up at the sky and the flakes drifting down. Fane came to Rapunzel and took her hand in his. His hand was icy cold. A worried look came across his face.
“You probably shouldn’t be out here. You’re going to get sick,” he said.
Before she could answer, Beth stuck her head out the door. “You all get in here, out of the cold. Dinner’s ready.”
That brought a cheer, particularly from the men, and they all stumbled over one another, pushing their way back into the house. Fane and Rapunzel held back. She lifted her hand as a snowflake landed in it and immediately melted.
“I’ve felt the snow outside my window,” she told him, “but I’ve never stood outside in it.”
Fane brought her hand to his mouth and said, “Let’s go eat until we’re sick, and then I’ll find you a decent coat and some gloves and we’ll come back out.”
“We have to eat until we’re sick? Why?”
Fane just laughed and led the way into the house.
* * *
Rapunzel was amazed at how Fane’s family had multiple, loud conversations going on throughout dinner. She wasn’t sure which conversation to follow and didn’t attempt to jump into any of them unless she was asked a direct question. It could have easily been overwhelming. Instead, Rapunzel found herself completely enjoying the chaos. She’d never been with any family members other than her mother.
There was also more food than she’d ever seen in one sitting. Fane’s uncles ate so much food, she felt sure that their bellies would explode. Rapunzel realized that Fane had only been half teasing about eating until they were sick.
While they ate, the snowstorm had increased in intensity, until the world turned white by the amount of snow falling from the sky. By the time they finished eating, there was a good base of snow on the ground. Fane kept true to his word. He placed one of his mom’s thick winter coats on her. It fell to her knees, puffy with feathers, and felt as warm as a cocoon. He gave her a knit cap and some thick gloves to wear. His mom lent her some sweatpants to put on beneath her skirt to keep her legs warm, and a pair of her boots that were only half a size too large. They went outside, followed by Kevin, Ava, Liv, and the rest of the cousins. It was colder than she’d expected, but she quickly warmed up as they all began chasing one another around in the snow. Liv taught her how to make a snow angel, and some of the other cousins attempted to build a snowman, but the snow was too wet and there wasn’t quite enough of it yet.
Soon, another of Fane’s aunts came out and called them in for hot chocolate. Rapunzel thought the
y would refuse since they had just eaten such a huge feast, but they all went running in as if they hadn’t eaten for days.
Rapunzel moved to follow them until Fane took her hand in his and laid a finger on his lips, indicating that she should be silent. As soon as the last cousin disappeared through the door, he led her around the side of the house. He looked furtively left and right and then quickly led her out of the front yard and down the sidewalk.
Rapunzel had no idea where he was taking her but trusted him enough to follow. After a few minutes they came to a wide expanse of snow-covered grass. Several trees populated the area as well as some benches and children’s play areas. She had seen play areas like these online and in movies but had never seen one herself.
“What is this place?” she asked in awe.
“It’s a park,” he said. He pointed. “Those are the playgrounds. I guess you’ve never been to one, huh?”
Rapunzel didn’t answer but pointed to the playground. “Can we see those closer?”
“We can do better than that.”
They walked over to the play area and Fane stopped next to a tall structure that had long chains dangling down with slices of rubber between each set of chains.
“Have you ever swung before?” he asked.
“Swung?” she echoed.
“Oh man, you’re in for the ride of your life,” he said.
He showed her how to sit on the slice of rubber and where to hold the chains, then moved to stand behind her.
“Hold on tight,” he said, placing his hands on either side of her waist and then backing up, dragging her with him until her feet were off the ground. “Keep your feet up,” he cautioned as he let her go.
Rapunzel’s stomach dropped as she flew forward with the motion. She panicked for just a second, but then sensation overtook her and she laughed. Fane continued to push her higher and higher while she clung tightly to the chains, her legs sticking straight out in front of her the entire time.
Fane jumped onto the swing next to her and pushed backward, setting himself swinging alongside her. He showed her how to pump her legs to keep the motion going. However, Fane, being much more experienced, soon swung much higher than her. After a few minutes, he released himself from the swing, landing about ten feet in front of the swing set.
“Wanna jump?” he asked.
“No thanks.” She laughed. Fane slowed her down and said, “You’ve gotta try the slide.”
Fane showed her what each piece of equipment was for and how to use it. The “monkey bars,” as he called them, were beyond her ability to hold onto with the thick gloves. She climbed up the top instead and sat atop the metal contraption.
Standing beneath her, Fane dramatically called, “Rapunzel, throw down your hair,” with his hands clasped dramatically in front of his chest.
Rapunzel laughed and dropped it through the bars.
“Wrap it around the bar twice,” he said.
She did as he asked, confused. He grabbed hold the end of it and began climbing as if it were a rope. The bar took his weight on her hair, only tugging slightly against her scalp as he climbed. At the top he grabbed the bar to hold his weight and said, “Lean down.”
She did so, and he pulled himself up, kissing her through the bars. Then he dropped back to the snowy ground. Rapunzel, enjoying the game, said, “Climb up again,” this time leaving her face near the bars. Showing off, Fane did pull-ups when he reached the top, kissing her each time he pulled up.
Finally he dropped back to the ground. “Come down. It’ll be much easier to kiss you down here.” Rapunzel was happy to comply.
The merry-go-round made her feel ill, but the teeter-totter was her favorite. She knew that Fane did most of the work to keep them moving up and down on the teeter-totter. The sensation of flying into the air and then dropping back to the ground gave her endless pleasure—even more than the swings.
Finally, he decided they better return to the house before his mother “called out the National Guard.” When she asked what the National Guard was, he told her it was kind of like the military police. Knowing that police would surely tell her mother that she had been out of the house, she practically ran back to Fane’s house. When they arrived, Rapunzel was stunned to find that it was time to eat yet again. Pie, this time.
After a couple hours and football games—which seemed pointless and violent to Rapunzel—the relatives began leaving. Rapunzel was sad to see them go. As Kevin left he hugged her and said, “As soon as you’re ready for a real man, just give me a call.” He laughed as Fane growled and shoved him away from her.
Fane and Rapunzel settled in front of the TV to watch a movie with his parents. The snow began coming down in earnest again, and Beth glanced worriedly out the window at the dark skies.
“It’s getting bad out there,” she said. “Maybe you should just stay the night here, Rapunzel, and Fane can take you home tomorrow when the roads have been plowed.”
Apprehension tightened Rapunzel’s stomach at the thought of not being home in her tower, where she belonged. Then she realized that her mother would never know she hadn’t spent the night at home. Also, it sounded incredibly appealing to stay here in the warmth and comfort of Fane’s home. She agreed and Beth gave her some dry sweat pants and a sweatshirt to wear to bed. She also gave her a toothbrush and washcloth. Fane showed her to their guest room.
“You’ll have to share the bathroom with me,” he said, pointing to an open door down the hallway. “Sorry if it’s full of boy stuff instead of the things you’re probably used to having in your own bathroom.”
“I don’t mind,” Rapunzel said. “It’s really nice of your mom to let me stay here.”
“Let me know if you need anything like more blankets or pillows or—”
“Fane, everything is great. Don’t worry about me.”
Fane shuffled uncomfortably and Rapunzel laid her hand on his arm. “Thank you, Fane, for sharing today with me. I never imagined how great Thanksgiving could be. Your family is really amazing.”
Fane cocked a brow at her. “So . . . what did you think of Kevin?”
“He’s really nice. I can see that teasing runs in your family.”
“Yeah, but did you think he was, I don’t know, cute, I guess?”
“Well yeah, of course,” she said. Disappointment colored Fane’s face until she said, “I thought all your cousins were cute, especially Ava and Liv.”
Fane grinned. “So you don’t think you would date him?”
Rapunzel shook her head. “I can’t date anyone, Fane. You know that.”
Fane looked frustrated. “But if you could?”
“Why would I date him? I like . . .” Heat suffused her face at what she’d been about to say.
“You like?”
Rapunzel looked away, embarrassed, and mumbled, “Someone else.”
Fane smiled. “I’m the only ‘someone else’ you know.”
Rapunzel looked up at him “So?”
Fane didn’t answer, only bent his head to kiss her. Rapunzel wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly. When he lifted his head he said, “I like you too.”
Later, as Rapunzel lay in a strange bed in a strange house, she’d never felt more at home.
chapter
*.*
31
.**
Rapunzel opened her eyes and quickly sat up, startled. For a moment she didn’t know where she was and then remembered she was at Fane’s house. A knock sounded on the door and she said, “Come in.” Her face melted into a smile at the sight of Fane standing there.
“Good morning,” Fane said.
“Good morning,” she answered.
“There are towels and things in the bathroom if you want to shower or anything.”
“Thanks.”
“I have an idea,” Fane said, “for getting into the trunk.”
“Really?” Hope filled Rapunzel.
“After you get dressed, we’ll have breakfast and I’ll
tell you my plan.”
Two hours later, they walked through the greenhouse. They went up to Rapunzel’s room so she could change out of her skirt. Fane had come armed with some tools. They made their way down to the old log cabin and pulled the trunk out.
“That’s what I thought,” Fane said, pointing to the tiny screws on the hinges. He pulled out a little screwdriver and proceeded to remove the screws. He looked at Rapunzel and said, “Are you sure about this?”
She nodded and he lifted the lid. Inside the trunk they saw stacks of papers, some old, some which looked a little newer. Rapunzel shuffled through some of the papers, not really looking at them. A wedding dress, wrapped in tissue paper, rested beneath the papers. She pulled it out, careful with the fragile, yellowed material. The dress was clearly old but beautiful. There were a few old pieces of jewelry in the bottom and some photographs. While she looked at these items, Fane went through the papers.
“Uh, Rapunzel, you might want to take a look at these.”
“What are they?” she asked.
“It looks like some of these writings might be from your mother.”
“What?” Rapunzel asked, dropping the ring she had been examining back into the trunk and reaching for the papers.
Just then, they heard a noise from the floor above them. They both froze. Fane raised a finger to his lips and then waved for her to stay put while he went to investigate. He walked over to the door and slowly turned the handle, opening it just the smallest of cracks to look out. He listened for a minute or two, then closed the door and returned to Rapunzel’s side.
“It sounds like maybe your cook has come home.”
“What are we going to do?” Rapunzel whispered, terror filling her mind, making it impossible to think clearly.
“We’ll have to sneak upstairs,” Fane said, moving to put the papers back in the trunk.
“No,” Rapunzel said, “I’ll take those up with me so I can look at them later.”
“Okay,” Fane said. Rapunzel replaced the other items inside, and Fane carefully replaced the lid, reattaching the screws to the hinges. He placed the stack of papers inside his shirt and tucked his shirt inside his pants to carry them hands-free. They carefully slid the trunk back beneath the bed. Fane took her hand and led her to the door.