by Sable Sylvan
“That’s an awfully forward question to ask a gal, isn’t it?” asked Ann.
“Not when mate madness is on the line,” said Nick.
“Mate…madness?” asked Ann. “What’s that?”
Liam rubbed his temples. “We’re supposed to bring her back here to take things slow,” said Liam. “And of course, you frikkin’ bring up mate madness at the most inopportune time…”
“Hey, at least I’m taking it seriously,” said Nick.
“What’s going on?” asked Ann. “Will someone fill me in?”
“Nick, may I?” asked Liam.
Nick gestured for Liam to continue.
“Mate madness is a condition that affects some shifters,” said Liam. “Some describe it as a passionate urge to find their fated mate…others describe it as potentially dangerous obsession.”
“Potentially dangerous? More than potentially,” said Nick. “If we don’t find our mate by the time we turn thirty…we’re gonna go crazy. Literally. And what that means is we won’t be able to control our bears.”
Liam read the expression of shock on Ann’s face. “That’s right. And you saw our bears on that stage. The only reason you and the dozens of ladies in that dance hall weren’t running out of fear is because we had our shifts under control. But with mate madness? Anything can happen, and there are tales of those that, upon being driven to the brink…have been unable to shift into their bear form.”
“Or worse…have been unable to shift back into their human forms,” said Nick. “That’s why time is of the essence for us.”
“And so what you’re trying to do is fast track this whole mating thing, right?” said Ann, crossing her arms. “Well, Nick, you should obviously listen to Liam because he’s the coolheaded one, which I should’ve realized sooner given, y’know, the icy blue hair.”
“What do you mean?” asked Liam.
“I mean that you’re right. That you two? You need to take it slow if you wanna woo a woman…especially if that woman’s me,” said Ann. “I’m more than just sass and curves. I’m a woman who needs to be romanced…when the time is right.”
“When the time is right?” asked Nick. “We’re both twenty-eight…we don’t have much time left.”
“You have enough time right now to cool your jets, sit your bear buns down, and listen to what I’ve got to say,” said Ann.
Nick knew better than to argue with the sassy woman in front of him. His bear roared and told him to shut up, sit down, and listen, just like Ann said…given that the bear could tell Ann was really something special. Liam sat down too, without having to be told.
“Those things on your chest, the mate marks. Do you know what they mean?” asked Ann.
“Not really,” said Nick. “I know mine’s got a picture of hemlock on it…”
“…And mine? Weirdly, it’s the state of Idaho…and there’s a hibiscus flower on it,” said Liam.
“Liam, again, you’re right, and Nick, color me surprised, you’re wrong about yours,” said Ann.
“I know what’s on my chest,” said Nick. “Small clusters of white flowers? It’s hemlock, baby.”
“I took wilderness survival,” said Ann. “And I know that’s not hemlock…it’s something often mistaken for hemlock. It’s Queen Ann’s Lace. Let me repeat that for you, in case it didn’t sink in. Queen Ann’s Lace.”
“Like…like your name,” said Nick softly. He touched his chest. “How can you be sure?”
“How can I be sure?” asked Ann, crossing her arms. “I know what flower my mom frikkin’ named me after. That’s not hemlock. It’s not even frikkin’ baby’s breath. It’s Queen Ann’s Lace. The radial symmetry? It’s not hemlock, which has a more random pattern. It’s not baby’s breath, which isn’t as densely clustered. And finally…that red flower in the center? That’s only seen on one white lacy plant, and it’s Queen frikkin’ Ann’s Lace. Don’t make me repeat myself, you goon.”
“You just got told,” said Liam. “But Ann…what does mine mean?”
“That’s what I came back here to talk to you two about…” started Ann. “Liam…neither part of that mate mark is a tattoo, is it?”
“Nope, this is what showed up when I turned eighteen,” said Liam. “The hibiscus showed up, overlaid over the state of Idaho. Why?”
“Because…I’m not the only child my mom named after a flower,” said Ann. “I had a sister, named Siomara, but everyone called her Hibiscus, which was her middle name.”
“Was?” asked Nick. “What happened to her?”
“That’s the thing,” said Ann. “Nobody knows. But she went missing when she was driving through Idaho on the way to see a friend of hers in Texas. The body was never found. It happened almost five years ago. Seeing that mark on you? It must be about me. But I don’t know if it’s a good omen, or a bad one. My point is…you two? You’re obviously meant for me. My friend Chastity, the bachelorette? She’s about to get hitched to a frikkin’ werewolf. Trust me, she’s filled me in on how shifters and fated mates work. But I’m not about to fast track my life just because the two of you are head over heels for me. I need things to happen at my pace…and right now? I’ve got a lot on my plate, and I’m not ready to date.”
“Not ready to date?” asked Nick, shocked. “But you just said you know that we’re…”
Liam put an arm around Ann but not to get close to her. He did it so he could grip Nick’s shoulder.
“Dude. Not here, not now,” said Liam. “Ann. Here’s what I’m gonna do to show you we’re serious.”
Liam got up and walked over to a mirrored end table which had a drawer. He rifled through the drawer and pulled out a business card. He passed it to Ann. The card had Nick and Liam’s first names and numbers, as well as their emails.
“These are our personal cards,” said Liam. “Not the club ones. So, if you want to contact us without having to come back to Bear Buns, you can. You can call us if you need anything.”
“And I mean…anything,” said Nick, rubbing Ann’s thigh.
Liam batted Nick’s hand away. “No, seriously, you need anything, from heavy lifting to repairs to shoulders to cry on, you can contact us,” said Liam. “You want space? I can handle that.”
Liam looked to Nick. Nick nodded.
“We can handle that,” said Nick.
“Really?” said Ann. “Well…that was quite the one-eighty. I didn’t see that coming. Tell you what. Liam, that’s really mature of you. Nick, you’re getting your act together already, I can really tell. If I have free time…I’ll contact you two and set something up. Remember, even though you two are shifters…I’m a human woman, and to make me your mate, you gotta make me feel like a woman.”
Ann headed out the door and once the door had shut, Nick pulled Liam back down to the sofa.
“Dude, what was that about?” said Nick. “You just let her leave?”
“Trust me, I have a feeling our Cinderella will be back,” said Liam.
“Why?” said Nick. “She was just here and you…you let her slip out of your fingers.” Nick’s eyes flashed. The bear inside was telling him to rip Liam to shreds for letting Ann and her curves out that cocktail room door.
“Because she’s obviously our fated mate,” said Liam.
“That’s why I’m so frikkin’ pissed!” said Nick.
“Ah, but I’m confident she’s our fated mate,” said Liam. “Which means I trust fate to bring us back together. I know that can happen sooner…or it can happen later. And trust me, Ann’s the kind of woman who, if you try to force her to get close to you, she’ll just pull away harder. You need to make her run to us…and trust me. She’s gonna be the one chasing us like a black bear chasing honey.”
“Let’s see…three kids, ten bucks an hour, for six hours…Fifty, a hundred, hundred fifty, hundred seventy, hundred eighty,” said Ann, rationing out the crumpled bills. She went through her wallet. “And…and extra sixty for doing this last minute.”
“Oh, really,
you don’t have to do all that,” said the gangly teen girl.
Ann looked over the babysitter. “Trust me. You earned it, Jennifer,” said Ann. “I know those three can be a handful. Plus, this is all going to a good cause, right? Your nursing school fund?”
“Aww, gee whiz, thanks Ann!” said Jennifer. A car rolled into Ann’s driveway, a forest green SUV that was a bit dinged up. Out of the car came Jennifer’s mom. They shared the same forest fire red hair.
“Thanks so much for letting Jennifer babysit,” said Ann. “Glenda, you know your daughter’s a gem.”
“Oh, honey, I’d have her do it for free, if you’d let me,” whispered Glenda. “Especially given, you know…the circumstances.”
“Trust me, I’m just glad she was available on such short notice,” said Ann, ignoring what Glenda had said ‘circumstances’. That was the last things she wanted to have to think about.
Ann waved as Jennifer and Glenda pulled out of the driveway before turning off the porch light and heading inside. The house was a bit of a mess, but she’d expected that. After all, Jennifer was the babysitter, not the maid. It could all be dealt with in the morning…or, given her schedule, the next night. It wasn’t like she had roommates, and it wasn’t like she expected company.
Ann put her purse down and made sure everything else, other than the messes, were in order, before heading upstairs. The house had a large living room, kitchen, and dining room, as well as a play room. All the bedrooms were upstairs. Before Ann went to her bedroom, she went into the room that had three little beds for three little five year olds.
Ann peeked inside. There were three little lumps in three little beds, their little heads peeking out above the sheets, but the three little heads were shaking…and Ann listened carefully and heard giggles.
“You kids are still up, aren’t you?” said Ann, and her question was met with giggles.
Redheaded Paige was the first to answer. “Ann, we missed you!”
Then, blonde Jeremiah answered. “Can we have cookies?”
“Yeah, can we have cookies?” asked brown-haired Brendan.
Ann flicked on the switch. “No cookies, because you already brushed your teeth,” said Ann, walking into the children’s room that her sister had helped decorate. “But, how about a bed time story?”
“A bed time story?” asked Brendan. ‘That’s no fun! I want cookies!”
“Cookies! Cookies!” said Jeremiah.
“I’m okay with a book,” said Paige.
“Okay, how about…this one?” asked Ann, picking a book out of the shelves. “The Bear And The Cookie?”
“That’s perfect!” said Jeremiah. “I did get a cookie after all!”
Ann sat down on the ground and the three kids sat around her and listened to her read the story of a bear who wanted to eat a cookie. They laughed when the campers wouldn’t give the bear a cookie, and in the end, when the bear baked his own cookie, the kids cheered, and finally, they were ready for bed. Ann tucked them all in and gave them kisses on their cheeks and foreheads before turning their night light on again and heading to her room to get some much-deserved sleep. After all, raising three kids wasn’t easy, even with the help of a babysitter, and Bear Buns had really worn her out…but just as the glitter that had got on her jeans would never really get out of the denim fibers, she couldn’t get the thoughts of Liam and Nick out of her head. That night, all four members of Ann’s household had dreams of bears, but Ann’s dream was very, very different…
Chapter Four
Ann, true to her word, thought about contacting Nick and Liam, but she had no frikkin’ clue what she was gonna tell them. Of course, somebody close to her knew exactly what she should say.
“Tell them the truth,” said Chastity to Ann over the phone that Tuesday, after Ann managed to wrangle the kids into bed by eight at night. “Tell them you couldn’t go further because, y’know…”
“Because what?” asked Ann. “Because I’m a frikkin’ virgin who’s raising three kids?”
“Exactly, tell them that,” said Chastity. “It’s really not that complicated.”
“Isn’t that the kind of conversation one has in person?” asked Ann.
“Hey, any excuse to see those bear buns again, right?” asked Chastity. “I’m gonna hang up now. Text them. Seriously. Set something up. You need to feed my drama llamas, girl. Bye bitch.”
Chastity hung up.
Ann looked at her phone. She’d programmed in the guy’s numbers. Who should she text about this?
The answer hit her. She’d seen their reactions to what she did with the cocktails. She had to contact both of them.
Ann was succinct with her words, and two hours later, she had something set up with the guys at her house, Friday afternoon.
As Ann helped the kids clean up after they had their after-school snacks and was getting them ready to start their weekend homework, the doorbell rang. The kids all ran to the door to see who it was, with Jeremiah peeking through a window, Paige holding onto Ann’s hand, and Brendan peeping through the mail slot.
“Kids, go to the table and start your homework,” said Ann. “I’ve got some friends coming over today.”
“But they’re boy friends!” said Paige.
“Boyfriend, boyfriends!” said Jeremiah.
“Ann has boyfriends!” said Brendan.
Ann felt her cheeks turn bright pink. “Kids! Table. Now. Or no dessert,” said Ann. “And you know there’s a brand-new tub of cookie dough ice cream in the freezer I’d love to make you wait another day to eat.”
The kids, under the dire threat of having ice cream privileges restricted, headed to the dining room to start on their ‘homework’, mostly coloring pages meant to test their reading comprehension and things of that ilk. Ann opened the door.
“Hey Ann,” said Liam. “I saw the kids and for a second thought we had the wrong house.”
“You babysitting or something?” asked Nick.
“You could say that…” started Ann. “Come on. You two want something to drink? Juice? Milk? Water?”
“Water’s fine,” said Nick.
Nick and Liam entered the house and followed Ann to the kitchen. Ann looked to the dining room area, which was towards the back of the house. There was no wall between the kitchen and the dining area. The kids were ‘working’ but every few seconds would look up to see Ann with her ‘boyfriends’ and giggle.
Ann poured two glasses of water and led the boys to the living room. The house had an open floor plan so she could keep an eye on the kids from her armchair while Nick and Liam sat on the couch.
“So what is the deal with the kids?” asked Nick. “Are they yours?”
“They are,” said Ann. “But at the same time? They’re not.”
“What do you mean?” asked Liam.
“I’m more than their babysitter. I’m their mom…but I’m not their biological mother,” said Ann. “You see, my sister, the one who disappeared? She’d just given birth to triplets before she went missing.”
“So these are your sister’s kids?” asked Nick. “And you’re the only one taking care of them?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m the only one,” said Ann. “My parents retired and live in California now, but they left my sister this house before she disappeared, so she could raise a family in it, and when she went missing, they gave it to me. They’re paying the bills on it and everything, and they send as much as they can for the kids, which is good, given I have a full-time job.”
“You’re the one raising three kids, and you have a full-time job to boot?” said Liam. “I think that means you are, for all intents and purposes, the one raising them. You’re their parent.”
“Which has me wondering…where the frikkin’ Hell is their dad?” asked Nick. “Nothing I hate more than a deadbeat dad.”
“My sister’s husband died on the way to the hospital to see the birth of the triplets,” said Ann. “He was hit by a drunk driver. The only merciful thing is he
was out in an instant and didn’t feel much pain. He was a good man. His family sends money when they can, as this is his flesh and blood, but in terms of day to day help, well…they live in New York City, so it’s not like they can just mosey on down to help me with grocery shopping. The kids are in kindergarten during the weekdays and have after school programs, it’s really no fuss…”
“Bullshizz. It’s a big frikkin’ deal to be raising kids at, what, twenty-seven?” asked Nick.
“Twenty-eight,” said Ann. “The silver lining is I was done with college by the time the…tragedies occurred, so I was able to get a good job with benefits and everything. Social services help, I get a check given they’re technically orphans, and it helps with some expenses, but three kids…well, it’s more than three times as difficult, but we make do. They’re never hungry. They always have shoes on their feet, a sturdy roof over their head and clean sheets on their beds, and if I can help it? Smiles on their faces.”
“But what about you?” asked Liam. “Who’s taking care of you?”
“Well, it’s not like I have a husband to help me out,” said Ann.
“I spot three kids…and three adults,” said Nick.
“What are you saying?” asked Ann.
“I’m saying you need extra arms to help you with your luggage, and baby, you can just call us the TSA,” said Nick. “Because if there’s one thing we’re good at? It’s dealing with baggage.”
“You’re saying this doesn’t scare you off?” asked Ann.
“Ann, nothing could scare us away from our fated mate,” said Liam. “You want us to help you wipe crayon marks off a wall, or help the kids blow their noses, or toss a ball around with them in the yard, we’ll do that. We’ll scrub toilets, make beds, fold laundry. You’re our fated mate…and you need to take a load off and let us help you.”
“If we spend all our time here, with the kids, how are we gonna get to know each other?” asked Ann.
Liam and Nick looked at each other. “It’s easy,” said Liam.
“Yeah,” said Nick. “Somebody needs to stay here with the kids…so while you go on a date with me, Liam can hang back.”