Winning Mabel

by Zoe Jane Fox

  Winning Mabel

  ZOE JANE FOX

  Winning Mable By Zoe Jane Fox

  © Zoe Jane Fox 2019

  All Rights Reserved

  By the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for brief quotations used in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as an advertisement. Trademark names are used editorially with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

  This book is intended for adults only. Contains sexual content and language that may offend some. The suggested reading audience is 18 years or older. I consider this book as Erotic Adult Romance.

  ASIN:

  Cover created by Zoe Jane Fox using Adobe photo stock and Adobe Spark.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Also by ZOE JANE FOX

  Chapter One

  Mabel

  I’m behind the front counter refilling sugar containers before my shift at Ted’s Diner ends when the door dings, letting me know a new customer came in. I look up to tell them to pick a seat when I see it’s Penny, my best friend and former coworker. She looks horrible. Her hair is wild as if she didn’t brush it when she woke up. When she rushes to my side, I get a closer glance at her and notice she has blood on her clothes.

  “Penny! What happened? Are you all right?” I ask, not caring that the sugar spills on the counter when I drop it.

  “Better now that I’m here. I was kidnapped, but managed to get away. I need to call Monroe and have him come get me,” she says.

  “Don’t you think you should call the police first?” I ask.

  “No. He owns a security company that’s been handling my case. Plus, his best friend is a cop,” she replies as she goes to the back office in the back to contact her boyfriend. I haven’t had the chance to meet him since it wasn’t safe, but I can tell he makes her happy.

  Checking my watch, I see it’s almost time to clock out. Melissa will be here soon, so I clean up while finishing my duties. I’m rolling the silverware into napkins when Penny passes me and runs outside. I watch as a man steps from a truck and Penny goes right into his arms. I’m guessing that’s Monroe. Another leaves the passenger side and he looks enough like Monroe that they must be brothers. I continue rolling while watching them through the window like a daytime drama. I currently have a lot going on in my life, so I don’t get to watch much television. Just as I stop spying, I feel this strong urge to look up. When I do, I find the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s tall with broad shoulders, sandy brown hair that’s longer on top and short on the sides, and sad brown eyes.

  I’m wondering what could’ve caused it when he walks to Penny, pulling her into a hug. I don’t know why, but I’m hit with so much jealousy I can’t stand to look at him or my best friend anymore. I turn, grabbing the tray of silverware, roughly shoving it under the counter where it belongs. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m never like this!

  I don’t care for men, never even staring at them as I did him, let alone get jealous of my best friend just for hugging someone when she’s clearly in love with Monroe. I watch them again, unable to help myself, happy to see they’re no longer touching. Penny seems to be telling the two men something, then a few others that arrived with them get in the car, taking off quickly. I figure now is my chance to go tell her bye before she leaves, since I’m not sure when I’ll see her again. I take off my apron and hang it on the hook before heading outside, telling myself not to stare at the mystery man that captured my attention.

  “I’m glad you’re safe, Penny. I just wanted to say bye and don’t forget to call me later,” I tell her, reaching out to give her a hug. I hear a growl that I have no idea where it’s coming from and I don't see any dogs.

  “Thanks, Mabel. We’ll talk soon,” Penny vows.

  We pull apart and I give her a smile before walking back inside to clock out. Once there, I notice Melissa has arrived and Ted has her sitting on the counter as he asked how her day went. When she sees me, she lifts her arms, asking him to put her down. She runs to me so fast, slamming into me while wrapping her little arms around me in a hug.

  “Well, hello to you too! Did you miss me, Mel bug?” I ask.

  “Yes, but I had fun at school too!” She says.

  “Are you ready to head to the center before they close?” I clock out and grab my purse from under the counter, causing her to giggle.

  “YES!” She screams in my ear as her answer.

  Laughing with her, I bounce her a few times before saying, “Then let’s go, little miss,” as we walk out the back door.

  Chapter Two

  Damon

  I’m listening to my brother’s mate, Penny, tell us what happened after I was knocked out and she was kidnapped by Eric. My bear starts growling, nudging me to be aware. I feel horrible she was taken on my watch, so I start searching for any signs of danger, but I don’t know how there could be any since she killed him. I’m looking away from everyone when the scent hits my nose and I know immediately my mate is near.

  My bear starts going crazy now and I’m glancing all around to see who it could be when I catch my brother, Rhys, watching me. His eyes widen, understanding what’s happening to me. I see a woman with beautiful brown hair and stunning brown eyes hugging Penny and let out a growl, jealous someone is touching my mate, not caring it’s another woman. One that happens to be my new sister. I discover her name is Mabel, and it suits her. I took Latin in high school and remember it means lovable, and she is definitely that. She’ll have mine even after I take my last breath on this earth.

  “Mine,” I growl quietly. I watch her walk inside the diner, wondering how I’ll get her to fall in love with me. Monroe slaps me on the back in celebration, then grabs Penny and carries her to his truck.

  “You’re lucky to have found your mate. Hopefully, it goes easier than Monroe’s,” Jace says. With that, they all tell me congratulations, informing me to call if I need anything before heading out.

  I take a deep breath, trying to think of the best way to win her over. My bear nudges me towards the diner to see our mate. Maybe I’ll get a cup of coffee while introducing myself, then make small talk before asking her out on a date. I walk inside, making my way to the counter, I see a little girl that looks just like my mate run to her, giving her a hug. My knees feel
so weak I have to take a seat to stop from falling to the ground. It feels like my world is falling apart and I’m frozen in time. She has a child. It’s all I can think about while sitting here staring. My bear is whining like he is sad as well. I hear someone tell them bye and the click of the door as they leave. I know not everyone saves themselves for their one true love, but I had hopes my mate would have. Well, to be honest, I thought she would’ve been born a shifter, not that there’s anything wrong with a human. I don’t know how long I’ve been staring off into space, not realizing the waitress has been trying to get my attention. It’s obviously been longer than she likes because she looks mad.

  “I changed my mind, sorry,” I say, getting up and rushing out. I need to clear my thoughts to decide what I’m going to do. I head to my house, so I can go for a run in my bear form.

  I pull in my driveway, jumping out of my truck, not bothering to go inside. Instead, I head toward my backyard, shifting quicker than I have in a while. I always feel at ease when in my other form, which is most of the time. The rest of my family likes shifting once or twice a week, while I do it almost every day. When I reach the farthest edge of my property, knowing no one else uses it, I lay down in the open field thinking about everything that happened today.

  I’m lucky to have found my mate at the age of twenty-four while Monroe had to suffer until he was twenty-eight and none of our other brothers have met theirs yet. So what if she didn’t wait for me and has a kid, I’m still lucky. I’m stupid for letting something so small keep me from her. I need to make a plan to win Mabel and her daughter. Well, she’ll be mine too, if I play my cards right. Penny! It hits me that as her best friend, she’ll have the answers I need to winning Mabel. I take off for Monroe’s house as fast as I can when I remember I should probably call first. I don’t want to interrupt when they’re reconnecting.

  I slow down and head toward my truck, shifting back to open the door and grab my cell. Once I have it in my hands I see it’s eleven at night, way too late to do anything. I didn’t realize I was laying in the field for so long, lost in my own stupid thoughts. My bear huffs at me, mad I wasted time, but he was right there with me so he can’t blame it all on me. Going inside, I decide to make something to eat, and pull out bread and lunchmeat for a quick sandwich. When I’m finished, I sit on my couch, taking a huge bite. Looking around, I realize how bland my house is. Nothing on the walls but gray paint and a few pieces of furniture. Shit, I don’t even have a kitchen table or bar stools to use while eating. If I’m going to win my mate and her daughter I need to make it feel like a home so they’ll want to stay here. I stand, heading to my room to get some sleep since it’s too late to do anything now. I can wake up early and get a head start.

  Chapter Three

  Mabel

  I wake up to the most annoying sound and reach over to my nightstand, slapping the offensive item that ended an amazing dream of the man I saw yesterday. His beautiful sandy brown hair was wet, drops landing on his bare chest. I imagined he’d just gotten out of the shower, but didn’t get to see anything more before my alarm went off. Instead of staying in bed all day thinking about the sexy man, I get up and make it before heading into the bathroom. Once I’m finished, I leave my room and poke my head in Melissa’s.

  “Good morning, sis,” Melissa says.

  “Morning, Mel bug. Since I don’t have work at the studio and you don’t have school, we can go see mom after breakfast,” I tell her.

  She squeals letting me know she loves that idea. I tell her to keep playing with her toys and I’ll call her when I’m finished cooking. Once I’m in the kitchen, I gather the items I need to make French toast, knowing it’s probably the last time for a while I’ll be able to afford making it.

  Mom worked at a factory, packing stuff before it shipped when she got hurt four months ago. A pallet of boxes fell, landing on her. She was severely injured which caused temporarily paralysis. The doctors say she’ll recover and eventually able to walk again, but, for now, she needs to be in a rehab facility for around the clock care. She didn’t get workers compensation, so we had a choice to make. We could sue the company or pay for the rehab. To us, the latter was the smarter choice as court could take months and we may not win, all the while delaying her healing.

  I moved out of my apartment and back into my mom’s house to take care of my sister. I also got a second job to help pay all the bills, though I’m not sure it’s enough. I may need to sell this place and find a smaller apartment. Placing the food on the table, I call for Melissa.

  She gets so excited when she sees her favorite breakfast, bouncing on the balls of her feet until she can’t stand the wait anymore and runs to the table. We eat in silence, giving me time to think about how to bring up the subject of moving somewhere more affordable. I don’t think she’ll take it well because this is the only home she’s ever known, and the last place she saw our dad before he left for work. Later that evening, he was on call for a fire at an apartment complex and died saving the family.

  “I’m all done! Can we go see mom now?” She asks.

  “First, I need to clean the kitchen. While I’m doing that, you get dressed and brush your teeth,” I say, then head to the sink to wash the dishes.

  “Okay, Mabel,” she agrees as she runs to her room.

  I wish mom was already better and could come home with us, so we could see her every day. There are times we’re not able to make it and that hurts. I’m very close to my mom and tell her everything. When I moved into my own apartment, I still called her each night. Once I’m done, I meet Melissa in the living room.

  We arrive at the rehab center and I check us in at the front desk. Melissa runs to a resident that always greets visitors from his wheelchair and I watch as she gives him a hug. I find it so cute that she always makes friends wherever she goes. I wish I was more like her but I’m shy, preferring to keep to myself. I wouldn’t have any friends at all if it wasn’t for Penny making me get out of my comfort zone.

  “Come on Mel bug!” I say.

  I knock once before pushing it open and my jaw drops, stuck in my spot, unable to move from shock at what I’m seeing.

  “Mommy!! You’re standing!!!” Melissa screams.

  She runs in, careful to not bump our mom, so she doesn’t hurt her. She’s only six but is smart for her age. Snapping out of my stunned state, I walk in, shutting the door before looking at Shawn, her physical therapist. My mouth opens and closes a couple times, still not able to form words.

  “I wasn’t expecting you girls back so soon! I was hoping to surprise you once I was stronger,” mom tells us.

  She nods to Shawn and he helps her sit on the bed while telling her to keep practicing her leg movements until he returns. Then he waves bye before leaving the room.

  “When did you get feeling back, Mom?” I ask while giving her a hug.

  “A few weeks, but I haven’t been able to do much other than move them in bed and stand a few minutes at a time. After seeing how tired you looked last night, I told Shawn I want to work on being upright longer. The quicker I get closer to being back to normal, you can stop working so hard and have some time for yourself,” she says.

  We talk for a few hours until mom seems tired, so we told her we’d be back as soon as we could and to keep up the good work. Melissa cried herself to sleep on the way home, making my heart break. A little girl needs her mom in her life. Hell, I’m twenty-one and still do. Once we get home I carry her to her room, laying her on her bed. By the time I make it out of there, the sitter who lives next door arrives.

  “Hey, Michelle. We just got home from visiting mom, so Melissa is passed out,” I inform her, opening the door for her.

  “How’s Kathy?” She asks, while hanging her coat up.

  “She’s doing great!” I say, smiling so big. I fill her in on what happened.

  “That’s amazing! Why don’t you get ready and I’ll find something to do until Melissa wakes up?” Michelle asks.

 
; I agree before running to the bathroom where I put my hair in a messy bun, debating on if I should actually do something with it in case the handsome man shows up again. I decide not to because he has no reason to, so thinking as if he will is ridiculous. I have no idea why I’m obsessing over someone I only saw for a split second. I switch out my cute flats for tennis shoes as they aren’t for working at the diner. I check on Melissa, who is still sleeping, so I quietly shut the door before leaving, telling Michelle to call if she needs me. It’s been a great day so far and I have this feeling it’ll only get better.

  Chapter Four

  Damon

  I wake up feeling refreshed and get dressed for the day, ready to start on my plans. I need to make my house feel like a home, but I don’t know where to begin, so I call the only woman I know that can help.

  “Hello, dear. How you doing?” Ma asks as soon as she answers.

  “I’m doing great. I found my mate last night, but I was stupid and let her walk away without talking to her. Now I need your help to make my house a home for her and her daughter. I want it to be ready when they come over,” I say while pacing back and forth in my living room.

  “What?” She yells and before I can say anything she adds, “I’ll be right over.” The dial tone lets me know she hung up on me. My front door barges open five minutes later, Ma looking around frantically until she notices I’m on the couch.

  “Damon Marcus Knight, you better explain yourself and don’t leave anything out. How did you let your mate walk away? And don’t you dare forget to tell me about my grand-baby!” She exclaims with her hands on her hips. She sounds and looks mad, but I can tell she’s excited.