by Lola Kidd
If she was being totally honest, part of the reason she didn’t leave the house much was guilt and fear. For one moment, she hadn’t wanted him. She hadn’t wanted her baby. Now, if anything happened to him, she didn’t know how she’d go on. And he was a little shifter baby. She’d just read online about how little shifter kids were going missing. There was so much in the world that could hurt him. If she wasn’t around to protect him, what might happen?
She sighed to herself. Times like these, she wished she had a partner. Someone who could understand exactly what she was afraid of. And who could understand better than the person who had helped make little George?
She’d never been able to find his father. It was a one-night stand after all. She had no idea how to get in touch with him. She’d tried all of her internet stalking tricks and had come up empty-handed. Her parents offered to hire a PI to try and find him, but she’d refused.
In truth, most of the time she didn’t want to find him. What if he wasn’t a nice guy? What if he wanted to share custody?
She knew it made her a terrible person, but she didn’t want to risk it. All she knew was that he was a polar bear shifter and he frequented that one bar. That was it. She didn’t even know his last name. Polar bear shifters weren’t super common, but it wasn’t like there was a shifter directory or list. There was no easy way to find him.
Going back to Celebration was going to put her mind at ease. If she saw him again, it was meant to be. If she didn’t, she would never feel bad about it again. She was going to leave it up to fate. The same thing that had brought her George.
When she pulled up at Kelly’s house, her little sister was already waiting outside.
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you’re here,” Kelly hugged her tight. “I’m so proud of you.”
Her little sister, her best friend. They looked so similar people thought they were twins. They were less than a year apart—it felt like they were as close as twins.
“I can hardly believe it either,” Pearl said. “But I’m glad to be here. I wouldn’t leave him for anyone else.”
“Are you sure you want to go to Celebration of all places?” Kelly asked once again.
Pearl nodded. “I’m positive. This is your biggest weekend of the year and you get so much business from this pageant. I have to go. You need me, and I want to go for me too. I loved our business. I want to keep it going.”
She did need to put food on the table somehow, too. It wasn’t like she was getting any child support. It was all on her. She got a lot of help from her parents, but she wanted to be able to support her son on her own. She could easily do that if she got involved with the business again. She was much better at the business-end of things, and they would be able to pick up more clients with her working again.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Kelly threw her bag in the trunk. “Do you want to drive first?”
Pearl nodded. “Sure. Gas first?”
“Of course. Gotta get snacks before we go. All part of the plan.”
Pearl rolled her eyes. “Sure, Kelly. Sure.”
Her little sister always let her car get to empty. It was hilarious as long as she wasn’t in the car too. The number of times they’d had to sit on the side of the road waiting for gas was embarrassing. It wasn’t like she couldn’t afford to fill up either. That was just Kelly.
Pearl got behind the wheel of Kelly’s minivan and adjusted the mirror. The back was filled with all of the hair and makeup items they would need. They ran a freelance business serving contestants in beauty pageants. It could get hectic, but it was a blast.
This was a big weekend too. The Celebration Little Miss Christmas pageant. It was one of the biggest pageants in the country, and they were booked solid. So they were going to be busy, busy, busy. Which was great. Pearl was going to need the constant distraction.
She was only going to give herself one break, just long enough to grab a drink at the fateful bar. If she ran into him, she did, and if not, oh well. But at the very least she wanted to have a drink in the place that led to her son’s birth. It would do her good. She would take a picture so one day she’d show him where it all began.
This was a big weekend for her and she was going to do her best to enjoy it. No matter what, she was going to come home a more relaxed woman with a renewed sense of purpose. This was going to be so good for her.
If she kept repeating that herself, maybe she’d believe it by the time they got to Celebration.
Chapter Three
Nick sighed heavily as he pulled out of the gas station. Back in this damn town again. Same shit, different day. He hadn’t wanted to be back here. He’d hoped that by this time of year, he would have a more permanent job. A more permanent life. That wasn’t in the cards this year.
Maybe it would never be in the cards for him.
As always, Celebration was bustling. There wasn’t a shifter town like it in the whole country. They were the only one that welcomed humans with open arms. That made a spectacle of themselves. He didn’t know how they did it.
This weekend was special. One of the biggest mixed beauty pageants in the world was taking place and there wasn’t a free room in the whole damn town. If board wasn’t included with his job, he would be sleeping in his car. The streets were jam-packed and there were people everywhere. Even for Celebration, it was wild. He wished he could be anywhere but here.
He was glad to have the work. It would pay for a few more months of looking for a “real” job. Not that he was searching for anything in particular. Or even anywhere in particular.
That was his life now. He was a complete wanderer. But being back in Celebration reminded him of something he wished were a permanent fixture in his life.
Pearl.
It was crazy. He had only met her once and been with her for a few hours. But ever since that day, he thought about her constantly. What was she doing right now? Was she happy? Was she seeing anyone? Did she have a dog? What was her favorite color? Did she still have those sparkly hair clips?
So many questions he wanted to ask that he would never get the answers to. He didn’t even know her last name or where she was from. Stupid, stupid, stupid. If he’d at least asked for her hometown, he’d have a better shot of finding her. He knew what she looked like and her first name, but that was it. If he’d had a picture, he could at least put it up online and make a call for help. As insane as that sounded, he would have done it in a heartbeat. But he couldn’t. It wasn’t even an option.
Instead, he would move from town to town and job to job, never having a real home, never connecting with anyone, and probably never finding his mate. That was why he and his bear were so obsessed with her. It wasn’t really about her; it couldn’t be. It was about having a home and someone to call his own.
She was the last person he’d slept with and that was why his animal was so attached. Not that he’d ever been this hung up on a one-night stand before. But he tried not to think about that. Because the other possibility was too painful to even consider.
What if she really was his mate? If she was, he would never find her again. The odds were too low and the world too big. If she was it, he was doomed to be mateless for life. Not the best situation for a shifter, and especially bad for one with a crazed animal. He wondered what would happen to his bear if he never found his mate.
No. He couldn’t think about that. Not now.
He looked at his phone and it was blank. Shit. He couldn’t remember what his hotel was. Perfect time for his phone to die. He pulled to the side of the road and got out of the car. He went to the trunk to find his car charger, where he had tossed it last time he’d cleaned his car. It took a few minutes of rummaging to locate it. As he walked back to the driver’s side, there was a screeching sound and his car lurched forward.
“What the hell?” He turned to see a car rear-ending him.
Nick moved out of the way before he could be hit by his own car. The car backed up and then drove off with a screech
of tires. “Are you kidding me?!”
Nick kicked his tire. What kind of animal hits someone and then drives off?
He walked to the back of the car and checked. His bumper was barely hanging on. He resisted the urge to kick the car again.
“Hey are you okay? I saw what that guy did and I’ve called the police. What a jerk.”
Nick looked up to the car that was pulled over next to him. “Thanks. I’m fine. Just in shock.”
“You want something to drink? We have a ton of water.” The car backed up and pulled in behind him. The driver-side door opened and a pretty brunette got out with a bottle of water. “Here, I’m sure you could use it.”
Nick sat down on the curb and opened the bottle. There was a familiar smell in the air but he couldn’t place it. “Thanks.”
“I’m Kelly.” She put out her hand.
“Nick.” As he shook it a police cruiser pulled up next to them.
“Hey, is this the hit-and-run?” the young officer asked.
Kelly nodded. “It is and we saw it.”
“Well more her than me,” Nick said. “I barely saw anything since I was jumping out of the way to save my tail.”
“Me and my sister,” Kelly explained turning to her car. “Pearl, you’re going to have to leave the heater for a minute. It isn’t even cold out here. Grab your coat and come on. You won’t freeze, I promise.”
Nick squeezed the bottle he was holding so tight that liquid shot in the air and covered him. “Shit.”
That accident must have left him more dazed than he realized. He was sure he was seeing his dream girl right now. But that was impossible.
“Pearl, this is Nick and Officer...?” Kelly turned to the cop who had stepped out of her car and was approaching.
“Officer Lopez. I’m going to want to get information from all of you.” She took out a small notepad. “Could I speak to whoever called the police first over here?”
Kelly raised her hand. “That would be us.”
From her wide eyed stare and the way she was breathing, she had to recognize him. He could feel it in his bones. There was no way she had forgotten him.
“Nice to meet you, Pearl,” Nick said, his head spinning. He couldn’t even put out his hand to offer her a proper hello. He was glad the women were speaking a distance from him. He was shaking from head to toe. He didn’t think he would be able to keep it together. His animal was raging inside.
Why aren’t we going to talk to her? Are we just going to let her get away again?
No, he wasn’t. He for sure wasn’t. But he had no idea what to say to her. He couldn’t just walk over and announce his undying love and obsession. She wasn’t making a move to talk to him either. So he had to be extra careful. It wasn’t like she’d been thinking about him this whole time. He had to play it cool. He was going to speak to her in his own time once he’d calmed down.
Her sister was nice. There was no way that Kelly would leave without speaking to him one more time. He would get an in then. She had a nice family because of course she was perfect. Everything he never had and always wanted. He bet her parents were great too. The kind you could talk to about anything and always supported you no matter what.
The cop finished up with the ladies and then came to talk to him. Nick had a tough time keeping his mind on the conversation. He was on pins and needles waiting to see if the women would leave before he was done talking. He still hadn’t figured out what he would say to Pearl. The cop finished and then waved over Pearl and Kelly.
“Thanks for your statements. I’m not sure if we’ll find this person, but I feel like we have a good shot. You can find the report later, Mr. Lerman. Do you need a tow?”
Nick nodded. “Thank you. And no I don’t. My car is fine to drive. I’ll just tape the bumper up until I can get it fixed.”
“We can help,” Kelly volunteered.
“Don’t we need to get to the hotel?” Pearl asked.
Kelly waved her away. “It won’t take that long. We’ve come this far, may as well see him off.”
Pearl nodded. “Sure.”
Nick rummaged around his trunk for duct tape. He took his phone charger from his pocket and put in back in the trunk. “This little guy saved me from whiplash. If I’d found it faster, I would have been in the car when it happened.”
“Dead phone?” Kelly asked.
He nodded. “Yup. I got out to find it.”
“Just think, if you’d charged your phone properly, none of this would have even happened,” Pearl mused.
He looked at her, thinking of a retort, but she looked away without meeting his eye. He had no idea what to say. Words escaped him totally. She was so beautiful.
“You guys want to get some dinner?” he asked. “My treat.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Kelly said. Her eyes were the same warm brown as her sister’s. It was startling how much they looked alike.
“I want to. You guys have been so nice to me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have any witnesses. I know I interrupted your holiday weekend with all this drama. Dinner is the least I can do.”
Kelly looked at Pearl. “Want a free meal?”
Pearl looked at Nick and shrugged. “I’ll never turn down free food from a nice guy.”
Nick beamed. “Great. You ladies have any favorite spots in town?”
“That cheesy Italian place? The one with the pizza for a mascot?” Kelly laughed. “I know it’s a little juvenile and not popular anymore, but we’ve been going there for years on our first night in town. It’s tradition and good luck.”
“The Leaning Tower of Pizza?” Nick chuckled. “Whatever floats your boat. I’ll meet you guys there as soon as I get this bumper taped up.”
He bent down and made fast work of the taping. With the women holding it up, it was no problem at all.
“Thanks.” He threw the tape back in his trunk. “See you two at the restaurant.”
“Try not to get into any accidents.” Kelly winked at him before returning to her own car.
This day was turning out better than he could have imagined. He was getting a second chance at his mate. All he had to do now was not screw it up.
Chapter Four
Pearl was having trouble paying attention to her surroundings. It was a good thing Kelly was driving or they would’ve ended up in an accident too. After asking her sister to repeat herself three times, she’d given up even trying to listen. Not that it mattered much. Kelly was happily chattering away about the “hot” guy they’d just met.
“Wonder if he’s a shifter?” Kelly mused. “It’s been, what, three years since you’ve been on a date?”
That snapped her out of her fog. “What? Why do you ask?”
“He is pretty cute. Right? I’m seeing someone so that takes me out of the running, but this guy is far too sexy for neither of us to get a little something-something out of this dinner.”
“Isn’t the something-something the free dinner?” Pearl asked, incredulous. She’d barely managed to get herself out of the house and Kelly thought she’d be able to hook up this weekend? No freaking way! Let alone with Nick of all people. She needed to tell her sister before she got any farther into her fantasy. “I didn’t know you were dating seriously.”
“It just got serious. Like literally before we left. He was like, ‘You mean a lot to me, I love you.’ And I was so shocked I said it back.”
“Do you? Love him I mean?”
Kelly nodded shyly. “I think so.”
Her baby sister was in love and she hadn’t even noticed. Hell, she barely even knew this guy’s name. What was she even doing these last few months? Yes, she’d had a baby, but did that mean she couldn’t even spare time to talk to her sister? To pay attention?
And here she was doing it again, so wrapped up in herself and her own drama she wasn’t even paying attention. Would it really be fair to drag Kelly into her baby-daddy drama on this weekend of all times? No. It wouldn’t. She couldn’t
say anything. She just couldn’t. It would be so selfish to make this weekend all about her and her problems. She would figure out this Nick issue and take care of it by herself.
“We should not mention that you have a kid,” Kelly said suddenly. “I mean, no offense, but I think it might turn him off a one-night thing.”
Well, that solved one of her problems. She would mention George when she was ready. She had no idea when that would be. None of this was supposed to happen. Deep in her heart she was hoping to never run into Nick again. She knew it wasn’t fair, but dammit, she’d been doing this without him all this time. She had no idea how he was going to affect her son’s life.
Their son. Their son’s life.
She was going to have to get used to saying that. In the darkest part of her mind, she also began to prepare herself for the outcome that would crush her the most. What if he wanted nothing to do with George? As much as she was worried about him ruining the perfect little life she’d set up for their son, she was even more afraid of him abandoning their child.
What would she tell George when he got older? How would she be able to explain to him that even though his father knew about him, he wanted nothing to do with him?
That was so much worse to her than being able to say, Well, I tried to find him, but it was impossible. At least then an adult George would be able to decide on his own what he wanted to do. He’d be more prepared for all the possible outcomes. But this? This was a nightmare unfolding slowly.
She knew so little about Nick that it was impossible to even gauge what his reaction was going to be. Though she had to admit, what she did know was good. He was smoking-hot and he seemed kind. Patient too. He hadn’t made a big commotion out of the accident even though he had every right to. He’d been calm the whole time. That said something about his character.
And so handsome. That was worth mentioning twice. She was very glad she hadn’t been mistaken about. One of the best-looking men she had ever seen in her entire life. Going on looks alone, she’d done very well for her son. He had some damn good genes from both his parents.