Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection

by Gianna Gabriela

  Going up to Levi, I pull him down so I can whisper in his ear.

  “Levi, dinner is in forty minutes and she hasn’t picked anything yet. Should we hurry her along?”

  The side of his mouth tilts up into a grin and he nods, looking down at Lily.

  “Okay, Lily bug. We need to start making decisions, okay?” He winks at her and she winks back. I’m starting to feel like I’m missing something here.

  “Okay, Daddy. Can we just go look at one more thing? Please?”

  This man is such a sucker for his little girl that he nods and we follow her back to the front of the store. I tell them I’m gonna look around and wander away from them, hoping that when I find them again they’ve made a selection or two. I’m starving. And I need to pee. Or throw up. I’m going to tell them at dinner, so I just want to hurry up and get there.

  Ugh. Please don’t let me puke at the table. I’m so nervous.

  “Emmy!” Turning around, I see Lily racing toward me, a giant white box in her hands. “Daddy said we could get her!” Dawning hits me. She’s getting another doll.

  Ordinarily I wouldn’t care, but these things are expensive, and I’m afraid she’s just weaseled her way into another one. Lily is a good kid, and I know Levi means well, but this wasn’t part of the plan, and the mommy-to-be in me rears her head.

  “Levi, we talked about this,” I hiss at him when he reaches us.

  “Baby, it’s—”

  “No, seriously. You said no new dolls, so what is this?”

  “It’s for you, Emmy,” Lily pipes up, holding the box out to me. I raise my eyebrows.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, Daddy saw it and said we had to get it for you. It looks like you.”

  I don’t have a good response, so I grab the top of the box and pull it open. Nestled inside is a brand new American Girl doll, with blue eyes and long blonde hair in a braid. She’s wearing blue scrubs with a tiny stethoscope around her neck. Smiling, I lift her out of the box and run my finger down the doll’s cheek.

  “I love it, Levi. Thank—” I break off, my eyes locked on the hand. Raising the arm, I see the tiny engagement ring on her finger, the fake plastic diamond shining in the bright lights.

  “What the…?” Moving the doll, my eyes fall upon Levi, who is down on one knee in front of me. My eyes immediately fill with tears when he pulls a small box out of his pocket. “Levi….”

  “Emmy, when you came into my life a year ago, I had no idea the journey we were both about to be sent on. I love you, and every day I spend with you is a blessing I cherish. Marry me, Em. Be my wife. Spend the rest of your life with me. Make me the happiest man in the world, baby. Will you marry me?”

  Lily is bouncing up and down next to him, a huge smile on her face.

  Taking a deep breath, the tears begin falling down my cheeks. I try to get the one word out, but I’m so overwhelmed that I can’t help what happens next.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Shock flashes across Levi’s face and he slowly stands, stepping in front of me.

  “You… what?”

  I make a noise that’s a cross between a sob and a laugh, and Levi cups my face.

  “I’m pregnant,” I whisper, barely getting the words out before he’s kissing me, looping an arm around my waist to hold me tight against him.

  “Holy shit,” he whispers, leaning his forehead onto mine.

  “Yes.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, I will marry you, Levi Jackson. Sorry, I should’ve said that first, huh?”

  Laughing, Levi kisses my nose and then pulls away, slipping the most beautiful emerald-cut diamond onto my finger. When it’s secure, he bends down and kisses right above where the ring sits.

  “I love you, baby. Thank you.”

  “For what?” I ask, cupping his strong jaw, the diamond sparkling bright.

  “For being everything I didn’t know I wanted and more.”

  Smiling, I reach up on tiptoes to kiss him, completely wrapped in his arms. Pulling away, I wipe at the tears on my cheeks, praying I’m not a complete mess.

  “Emmy?” I hear Lily’s voice from behind Levi, and I move around him to kneel in front of her. I grab her hands and smile at her.

  “Yeah, Lil?”

  “Does this mean I can call you Mommy now?”

  I swallow hard past the lump in my throat and look over my shoulder at Levi, tears swimming in his eyes as well. I look back at Lily and pull her into my arms.

  “I’d love nothing more, Lily. I love you, baby girl.”

  “I love you, Mommy.”

  Crying softly into her hair, I feel Levi’s hands come down on my back, rubbing gently to comfort me. Lily sniffles and I know she’s crying too.

  Pulling away, I stand up and wipe my fresh tears, Lily doing the same thing.

  “Well, now that we have several things to celebrate, what do you say we head to the restaurant?” Levi asks, kissing me on the cheek.

  “Let’s go,” I say, gripping tight to his hand. Lily runs ahead of us, carrying the Emmy doll, giggling loudly. We walk behind her, my head resting against his arm.

  Stepping into the cool air, we walk down the empty sidewalk, the restaurant only a few blocks over. When we arrive, I turn to Levi and wrap my arms around his waist. He grasps my face and kisses me, his lips soft against mine.

  “I love you,” he murmurs, looking deep into my eyes.

  “I love you, Levi Jackson.”

  As we head inside, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

  After all, our story has only just begun.

  The End.

  About the Author

  Born and raised in New England, Heather Lyn lives in Southern Maine with her husband and son. When she doesn’t have her nose in a book, you can generally find her listening to country music or drinking coffee. Proficient in sarcasm, she enjoys bringing as much life to her books as she can. With a lifelong love of reading and storytelling, she decided to try her hand at self-publishing in 2016, when she released her debut novel.

  HUNTER

  A Helheim Novella

  Lauren Dawes

  1

  Hunter smiled down at his daughter, wondering how he’d gotten so damn lucky. Grace was his life now, but he hadn’t always been so at ease with the idea of raising his daughter alone. His mate, Natasha, had always wanted at least three kids. He hadn’t wanted any—his fear that both the pregnancy and birth would be too dangerous for her, much more of a risk than he was willing to take.

  Natasha had smiled and told him not to worry, that the chances of anything going wrong would be slim to none. Still, he hadn’t been able to shake the idea. He wanted to make his mate happy though, so in the end, he agreed to try, agreed to help her through the pregnancy the best he could.

  But it wasn’t supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be him and Natasha raising this child—together—except she wasn’t here now. For a long time, he’d been so angry at her. Angry at her for leaving him, for not being able to hang on, for not listening to him when he begged her to stay. He traced the shape of Grace’s brow, her nose, the cupid bow of her lips. He thought she was a carbon copy of his dead mate. More than once, he’d wondered how he was supposed to do this on his own. How was he supposed to mold this little girl’s life into something that would honor her mother’s memory?

  Fuck. He had no idea where to start.

  “How’s our little princess doing?” his mother asked, sweeping into the room. He turned to her, smiling faintly.

  “She’s good, Mom.”

  She clicked her tongue, smiling at little Grace as she fussed over her. “Come to Grandma,” she cooed, taking her from Hunter’s arms.

  He blew out a relieved breath and slumped down into the armchair. He loved watching his mom rocking Grace back and forth, whispering to her, singing to her, doing everything her mother should’ve been doing.

  Christ, he missed her so much.

  It was true that his and
Natasha’s romance had been a whirlwind, but it had been more powerful than he had ever believed it would be. They were truly meant to be together…

  But that was over now.

  “I’ll go and get her lunch ready,” he murmured, excusing himself from the room. In the kitchen, he pulled out the bread and peanut butter, making her a quick sandwich. Grabbing an apple from the bowl, he sliced it up and stuck it on the side of her plate.

  “Hunter, honey, she’s eating her own shirt,” his mom called.

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” he called, picking up the plate and wandering back through to the living room. His mom was sitting on the floor with Grace now, trying to encourage her to stand up without holding on to anything. His mom loved it. She loved raising the next generation of werewolves, helping them grow and achieve their milestones.

  Grace was the first female born into their pack in nearly twenty years. His sister, Casey, had been the last.

  “We found another stray,” his mom announced.

  “Another?” he asked. That had to be the second this month.

  She nodded and looked at him. “A female.”

  “What?” That was so rare. Males survived. Females didn’t. That was just the way it went.

  “She somehow made it through the transition—alone, I might add—and is now adjusting to her new life as a werewolf.”

  Whatever. He didn’t have the brain capacity or inclination to care right now. “Why are you telling me this, Mom? I thought Casey was handling all the strays.”

  “She is, Hunter,” she replied, somewhat exasperated. “But there’s only so much temporary accommodation on offer. We’re packed to the gills at the main house.”

  “And?”

  She rolled her eyes. “And you’re still the alpha of this pack, whether you like it or not.”

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Yes, he was the alpha of this pack, although he’d been depending heavily on his brothers and sister to run the day-to-day stuff. His grief was still suffocating. “What do you want me to do, huh? I have Grace to think about.”

  She glanced down at his daughter. “That’s what I mean, Hunter. You have Grace. You’ve lost your mate. You’re not handling her death well at all.”

  “I’m doing the best I can, Mom.”

  She smiled at him sadly and he felt like an ass. She knew exactly what losing a mate was like. Despite their relationship barely holding up in the last decade, Hunter knew his mom loved his dad. “I know you are, honey. I just think it might do you good to have a bit of adult company around here.”

  A female. That’s what she meant. Someone to replace Natasha. His hands balled into fists. “I won’t disrespect my mate’s memory like that.”

  “I’m not asking you to. All I’m asking is for you to accept help when it’s given to you. There’s no way you’re coping.”

  He wasn’t. He was so fucking far from coping he barely recognized his own face in the mirror every morning. “I don’t want you to move in here with me.”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t cramp your style like that,” she replied. “But there is another solution.”

  He arched a brow. “Yeah?”

  “You could allow this Bitten wolf to move in here.”

  “Fuck no,” he replied. “Fuck. No. Not with Grace here.”

  “Just hear me out,” she pressed. “She needs somewhere to stay. She’s been vetted and we’ll have someone keeping tabs on her until her probation period is over.”

  “I’m not having a strange fucking female in my house with my daughter,” he barked, standing up from his seat. What the fuck was his mom thinking?

  She looked at him, pleading him with her eyes. “Just give her a chance, okay? Give yourself a chance to grieve.”

  “I have grieved,” he snarled.

  Lie.

  Shaking her head, she said, “No, you haven’t. You’ve not dealt with your mate’s passing at all.”

  “Whatever,” he muttered.

  “Hunter, please. You’re responsible for this woman now and she needs you. It’s your duty.”

  He studied his mom. Of course she was right. He was alpha, even if he hadn’t felt like that for a while now. Despite that, as alpha he was responsible for caring for all his pack mates, whether they be Born or Bitten wolves. He chewed the inside of his cheek before saying, “Fine. She can stay for a couple of days. As soon as she finds something more permanent, she’s out of here. And that’s a goddamn order.”

  She nodded. “That’s all I ask.”

  It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

  2

  Ava splashed water onto her face, watching the rivulets track down her cheeks in her reflection in the mirror. She couldn’t get used to this—this feeling of being hot all the time. A woman who had introduced herself as Patricia the second day she was here had said it was normal. Everything about her genetic makeup had changed when she’d undergone, and survived, her first shift. Ava was an anomaly. Females didn’t survive the shift, and the ones who did became so lost to their wolves that they had to be put down.

  “Everything all right, dear?”

  She turned to find Patricia standing in the doorway to the bathroom, her graying hair swept up into a loose bun on top of her head. Ava turned around, leaning up against the counter.

  “Fine,” she replied. “I just can’t get used to this heat.”

  The older woman smiled. “Born wolves don’t notice a difference, but I can see how you’d be suffering with the change.”

  “Born wolves?” she asked.

  Patricia nodded. “The ones who came from a pure bloodline. The ones who were born to werewolf parents.”

  “Like you?” Ava asked quietly. She kept her eyes averted, not quite understanding why she felt a desire to supplicate herself to this woman.

  “Yes, dear.” She walked into the bathroom, lowering the lid on the toilet and perching on the top. Ava almost laughed at the sight of this regal woman sitting there and talking to her. “Do you feel different when you look at me?”

  She nodded. “It’s hard to explain. I just feel…”

  “Respectful,” Patricia supplied with an easy smile.

  “I guess that’s the feeling.” Ava tried looking in her eyes again but found she couldn't. It was the strangest sensation. Up until a month ago, she’d been the top pediatric surgeon in Seattle. She headed teams of mostly men, kicking ass and running things how she liked them done. Now she was…

  Lost in a world she didn’t understand.

  She’d been told she wouldn’t be able to return to work yet—not until she got a hang of her shifts and her wolf. Surgery would have to be done under extreme care with the chance of blood exchanges more dangerous than before. She’d called the hospital, telling them she was taking a three month sabbatical. It had kind of been perfect; they’d been pushing her to take some time off anyway.

  “I have some news,” Patricia said, breaking her from her thoughts.

  “Oh?”

  “You know we’ve been trying to find you somewhere to stay until you’re ready to return to your life and your work.” Ava nodded to show she was following. “Well, I think I’ve come up with a solution. You’ll be staying with my son, Hunter, and his daughter until you’re ready to leave us, although we do hope you’ll reconsider returning to Seattle.”

  “The alpha Hunter?” She nearly choked on her own tongue. She’d seen Hunter. She was terrified of Hunter. Brooding didn’t even start to describe him. He was tall, built like he lifted cars for a living and had a stare that made her feel like she was being stripped bare. He had a streak of white running through his hair, adding to that air of mystery he had.

  “Yes, dear. Is that all right?”

  Ava started shaking her head but stopped. “What does he have to say about this?”

  “He’s... coming around to the idea.”

  “You mean he hates it?” she asked.

  Patricia smiled. “Yes, he does, but he lis
tens to his mother, and when I tell him something is going to happen, you can set your watch to it.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” she replied. Patricia looked like the kind of woman who commanded any room she walked into. She was a matriarch in the truest sense of the word. Ava licked her lips. “When do I move in?”

  “I can take you around right now if you like.”

  She glanced around, although it wasn’t like she had any possessions. She was far from Seattle and had no means to return. She looked back at Patricia, her gaze automatically finding the other woman’s chin. “Okay.”

  “Good. He’s expecting you.”

  Ava followed the woman from the bathroom and down the hall. The house she’d been staying in was nice, but she knew it was only ever meant to be a temporary arrangement. There were too many people crammed into the place that she didn’t actually feel comfortable staying there—more like she was just crashing there.

  Patricia stepped outside, and Ava expected her to go to one of the many cars parked out front. Instead, she turned down the path that led to a small guest house detached from the main house. She glanced back at the cars longingly. She’d thought about taking one of them and driving herself back, but with no money for gas, she knew she wouldn’t be able to make it that far. And honestly, what did she have to get back to? She lived to work. She had no family. No social life. No reason to return other than her job.

  Patricia knocked on the door of the guesthouse, which looked more like a rustic cottage. There was a wrap-around porch, the railings looking rickety at best. Jesus, what had she gotten herself into? Hunter answered the door, his pale blue eyes taking her in first before focusing on his mother.

  “Well, don’t just stand there, Hunter, let us in,” Patricia said, shoving him aside and bustling in. Cautiously, Ava followed, letting her gaze sweep the main room.