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Chapter 1 - Quinn
Please don’t let that be poop, please don’t let that be poop! When potty training your child, finding random brown spots on the ground can mean anything. The internet said she would be potty trained in three days—it’s been a week. Oh well, she won’t pee her pants forever…right? Doing the sniff test, because being a mom is NOT glamorous, I am relieved to find it is not poop…so what is it?
It’s a good thing she is so cute; in fact, she takes my breath away. She looks so much like her father, from her dirty blonde hair to her beautiful hazel eyes that change in the light. Sometimes, when I look at her, I see her father, and it breaks my heart all over again, but it wasn’t her fault he rejected me.
“Mommy! I take Barbie in bath?”
“You want to take the Barbie into the bath with you? Sure, Maddie.”
Someone knocks on the door while I wash my hands of the mysterious goop. Opening the door, I see Mrs. Rosa from next door.
“Mrs. Rosa! How are you? Are you okay?”
“Hello dear, yes, yes, I’m good. I am just leaving to play gin with the girls, but I wanted to bring your plate back. Those orange cranberry scones were delicious! Thank you so much for bringing me some.”
Mrs. Rosa has been my neighbor since I moved in and has even helped babysit on occasion. She always said hi to Maddie and me and took the time to check in. She is a busy seventy-five-year-old woman, but her kindness has made living here much more bearable. Her presence always reminds me of my mother’s. Mom was far more reserved than Mrs. Rosa but always attentive and loving. She once climbed up a tree to get me. My little child brain thought I could climb to the top of the tree, but it turns out I’m afraid of heights. Mom climbed up that tree to get me because I was too scared to come down. I found out later that she was terrified of heights as well. But that didn’t stop her from getting to me. When my Aunt told me I was going to get the gift, Mom started to change. Maybe Mom was scared of what kind of life I was going to live… I don’t really know, she never really talked about it after that. Though we weren’t very close before I left, I still miss that caring mother that raised me.
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Rosa. I can’t thank you enough for watching Maddie the other day. Making some scones is the least I can do.”
“Well, I don’t mean to hold you up. I know it’s close to bedtime for my little sweet pea, and I have some money to take from the old bitties down at the Hall.”
I snort at that because I think she might be the oldest. She pats my face like a sweet old grandma and heads out. Sometimes, it would be nice to go out, but life right now is a bit hectic; with working full-time, studying part-time, and raising Maddie, there isn’t a lot of time to go and buy a coffee, let alone play gin. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, because my baby girl is the most important person in my life, and living here in this big city away from the shifter life I used to know is the only way I know how to protect her.
“Thank you, Mrs. Rosa, for everything.”
“Of course, dear. Time for this old lady to make money off her unsuspecting friends!”
I close the door, laughing to myself. Mrs. Rosa is such a sweet woman.
“Mommy! We have bath?”
“Yes, baby, let’s go have a bath.”
After Maddie is washed and in bed, I take a deep breath. Some days, it feels like a sprint to get through the day, but I know this is a marathon, and I need to pace myself. Being a single mom wasn’t exactly how I planned on living my life, but…well, things don’t always go to plan. At one time, I could see the life I wanted, a life with my true mate, maybe raising our family, hopefully away from my pack, but it turns out my true mate didn’t want that life with me. I feel foolish. When I first met my true mate, the sparks were intense, and the feeling of rightness was overwhelming! My true mate who would love and accept me unconditionally. I was always told when you meet your true mate, it would be an instant attraction, and your perfect life would begin. My true mate and I did feel that explosive pull and even came together to share a fantastic moment, but it was short-lived. Before I knew what was happening, he rejected me and threw me away because of pack politics. Those hopeless romantic stories of the man fighting for the woman he loves don’t happen in real life; it certainly didn’t happen for me, but with all that came the most amazing gift, my little Maddie. Turning the kettle on for a cup of tea, my phone rings.
“Hello, Paige.”
“Girl! How are you doing? It feels like forever since I’ve seen you.”
“...You literally saw me this morning.”
“EXACTLY! It’s too long, plus that doesn’t count. It was a quick chat, not nearly enough time to hear about your mysterious man on that mail order app.”
A warm feeling flows over my skin, and butterflies take off in my stomach. My true mate may have rejected me, but it would seem there is still hope for me to find love.
“So, how’s it going?” Paige says with enthusiasm that oozes through the phone.
“He is…wonderful. He is so easy to talk to, and we have a lot of similar interests. I feel like a teenager whenever I open the app and read his messages. I should thank you for convincing me to do this.”
“Of course! I mean, is it a bit selfish urging you to do this so I can see how it works…maybe?”
I snort at that, because that would be why she would have me sign up for the shifter mail-order bride app. The paranormal community is so spread out that sometimes it’s hard to meet people. The idea of the app is to connect other shifters from all walks of life with one another. It’s anonymous, and you are matched based on interests and compatibility. After some time, you can choose to meet your match and trial run mating with them, meaning you live with them as husband and wife. By the end, you can choose to actually officially mate or go your separate ways.
“Ugh, I should hate you for using me as a guinea pig, but…I’m not mad. I really kind of like him, and I don’t even know what he looks like. He checks in every day, asks how I’m doing, and even cares to ask about Maddie.”
“He sounds nice, Quinn, just what you need.”
“Well, I’m going to go; we kinda have this routine where we talk after I put Maddie down.”
