Jeanie frowned, lifting her purse onto her shoulder as Sara hopped off the exam table and smiled at me. She held out her hand and wagged her eyebrows. I pulled a sucker from my pocket and plopped it into her hand, eliciting a giggle. When Jeanie Douglas opened her mouth to say something, I quickly cut her off at the pass.
“No need for a follow up unless she suddenly develops pain or a fever. That’s doubtful, though. Dr. Dean took good care of you.” I had already scooted past them and was headed to my office. “I’ll see you next year, young lady, for your annual checkup.”
A few minutes later, Polly popped her head in my office door. “Another break, huh? The life of leisure sure must be nice.”
“Polly, don’t start. I’m in no mood.” I shook my head and groaned. “I am your boss, you know. You could pretend to be at least mildly intimidated by me. I do have the authority to fire you.”
“Hmph!” she scoffed, haughtily. “Just try and run this place without me, boss.”
I bit my lip to hide a grin. “I wouldn’t dare.”
5
Fern
I sat as still as possible, hoping I wasn’t giving away the thoughts and feelings that were creating swirls of turmoil on my insides. My cheeks were on fire. I silently hoped everyone around me assumed it was because my daughter was out of control. It wasn’t.
I leaned forward so I could see down the hallway where the doctor had just disappeared. A quick glance, that was all, then eyes back on my feet. Parker had not done him justice. Hot was not nearly descriptive enough for the man who’d come out of the back of the clinic and startled me stupid. I’d never once considered that love at first sight was actually a thing. I still didn’t. I was a realist. Lust at first sight, however…
Dr. Daniels probably had a line of mothers wrapped around the block. Glancing around the room, I noticed that the other moms were dressed to the nines. No one was in anything less than their Sunday best, fully made up, not a hair out of place. When my gaze scanned to a busty woman in the corner, I did a double-take. Who the heck dressed in stilettos and a teensy black cocktail dress to take their kid to the doctor’s office? I looked down at my own attire. I’d taken the morning off work, so my hair was piled haphazardly atop my head in a messy bun and, like most days, I hadn’t bothered applying makeup. I was wearing old jeans, Converse, and a T-shirt that said, “I got it all together—but I forgot where I put it.”
Shit, maybe Kinsley was right. I was an embarrassment. I glanced over at my daughter and felt a pang of grief. I wanted to be able to ask her how I looked, or even if I had body odor, because I wasn’t sure whether I’d remembered deodorant this morning. Asking my daughter those questions, though, would result in my self-esteem being ripped to shreds. I’d learned the hard way that exposing my vulnerabilities to my teenage daughter was a bad idea. Kinsley could be brutal when given the opportunity.
I ran my hand down my T-shirt and tugged at the hem to smooth it.
“Kinsley? Come on back.” The sweet older nurse motioned for us to follow her, her wary gaze pinned to my problem child. “I’ll get you set up in exam room one, and Dr. Daniels will be with you shortly.”
I swallowed down the inappropriate attraction I was feeling toward the handsome doctor and met Kinsley’s angry gaze. When I stood, Kinsley growled at me. “You do not need to come.”
“Well, I am anyway.” I sent an apologetic look to the nurse. “Thank you for being patient with us. I’m really sorry.”
“Oh, honey, you’re fine.” She led us to a room in the back, a strategic move, I was sure, and patted my shoulder after Kinsley went in. “Hang in there, Momma.”
I laughed and nodded. “I’m hanging. And the noose is tightening.”
“Well, my name is Polly. Y’all call me if you need anything.” She squeezed my arm and left us in the closed room together.
The room was way too small to hold both me and my raging daughter. Normally, an entire house wasn’t big enough. Kinsley sat in the only chair in the room, wearing an angry scowl and staring through me.
Deciding that for me to sit on an exam table in a pediatrician’s office was strange, I stood bracing myself against the wall. I was worn out. As usual, instead of my morning off being peaceful and restorative, I was wound tighter than a two-dollar watch. On top of that, I was weirdly attracted to a doctor I’d only seen for all of two minutes while he scolded my child. I thought about the way the mothers out in the waiting room were dressed, quite obviously attempting to catch the eye of the handsome, single doctor, and said a silent prayer. Lord, don’t let me sink that low. Or at least don’t let me be so obvious about it.
Leaning against the wall by the window, I stared out at the partial view of the gulf. I hadn’t been swimming yet. We’d been on the island for six months and I still hadn’t sunk a single toe in sand or saltwater. My life was too hectic to find any me-time or to indulge in enjoyable pastimes. Lately, my daughter was so full of defiance and what seemed to be outright anger that I spent a lot of time diffusing her potential detonations or cleaning up post explosion. When I wasn’t fighting with her, enforcing her punishment, or walking on eggshells, I was working a job to keep our little family of two afloat. It was a vicious cycle and I needed a break.
I wasn’t under any delusions that Dr. Daniels was going to be the answer to my prayers. How was a pediatrician supposed to solve our problems? But, since I had no other avenues to turn to, there I was, wringing my hands while waiting for the doctor. I wasn’t hopeful, but I was desperate. I didn’t know how much longer I could battle with Kinsley without having some sort of breakdown myself.
A quick tap on the door made me jump, then the doctor stepped into the room. If it’d felt small and cramped before, it became suffocating and minuscule once he stepped in. He was huge, probably about six and a half feet tall with broad shoulders. Imposing as hell, especially when those dark eyes fell on me.
I straightened. My heart instantly went into overdrive, pumping too hard and too fast. My stomach tightened, and I could feel a blush creep up my cheeks. I stroked a palm over my hair as though that might magically transform my sloppy up-do into a sleek, sophisticated style.
“Um… Hello. I’m Fern Day. This is my daughter, Kinsley.” I sounded strange and had an urge to crawl under the exam table. “I want to thank you for fitting us in today.”
Kinsley groaned. “He knows who we are, Mom. He has the file.”
Dr. Daniels looked over at Kinsley and frowned. “Is there something wrong with your legs?”
“No.”
“Then you should hop up on the exam table and give your mother the chair.” There was a raspy growl to his deep voice, grit and gravel that made it sound like he didn’t use it much although, given his profession, that couldn’t be true.
Kinsley paused a beat and I held my breath not knowing what her reaction was going to be. Then, she sighed and did as he’d suggested. She crossed her arms over her chest and sent a scathing look my way. “I don’t even know why I’m here. There is nothing wrong with me.”
Still standing, I found myself wrapping my arms around my stomach, suddenly more self-conscious about my failures as a parent than my appearance. “One of my coworkers is a shifter and she mentioned you might be able to help. My daughter and I… We’re having a lot of issues lately.”
Dr. Daniels motioned toward the chair and waited until I perched on the edge—significantly closer to him than when I was standing—before he spoke. “Kinsley’s a wolf shifter. Since you’re not, she obviously inherited it from her father. Has he discussed with you what it’s like for a wolf shifter to go through puberty?”
“Oh gawd, kill me now. Puberty? I’m fifteen, not twelve.” Kinsley snarled. “Plus, my dad didn’t stick around. He couldn’t handle her shit, either.”
My jaw dropped and my back stiffened as pain lanced through me. I was so hurt by her words, I wanted to toss my child out the window. I’d open it first, of course. And although we were on the ground floor,
it still might feel really good to give her a good toss.
Dr. Daniels growled deep in his chest and spoke before I could figure out how to respond to Kinsley’s rudeness. “Okay, Kinsley. I get it. You’re angry. There are a lot of changes and transformations happening in your body right now, and your emotions are all over the place, which makes everything worse. Being a teenager and a shifter is hard, but that’s no excuse for taking it out on your mom. That won’t make anything better for you. I suggest you drop the attitude and talk about it. As a shifter who went through some teenage angst myself, I think I can offer you some helpful advice or at least be a sounding board. Let’s talk.”
Kinsley sat forward. “You’re a shifter?”
“I am. And if you turn your focus from honing that ill temper of yours to something productive like honing your shifter senses, you’d know that.” He turned to me. “Are you alright?”
I sat back in the chair and nodded. My eyes burned and there was a lump in my throat. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the kindness and concern in Dr. Daniel’s eyes when he looked at me or because of the way my daughter responded to his openness and honesty. I bit my lip and turned my face to the window. I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t. But I was starting to hope—for the first time in a long time. Maybe he could help Kinsley. Maybe Dr. Harrison Daniels was exactly what we needed.
6
Harrison
I had a strong urge to order the young wolf shifter to a time-out corner until she learned to show some respect for her mother. My bear was fuming, yet it was a controlled fury. The little wolf’s scent left no doubt she was our mate’s progeny. Hidden beneath the raging adolescent hormones and lupine fur, she carried the subtle and slightly altered scent of her mother. Already, my sworn-to-singlehood bear fully accepted the inevitable changes about to take place in our life. He liked being in a small exam room with his mate and her child as much as I did. The girl was the offspring of our mate, therefore ours by default. Her bad attitude and all.
I wasn’t feeling as compassionate toward the smart-mouthed hellraiser as my bear. Not when she was snapping vicious retorts at her mom every chance she got. Each breath seemed to be another blatant insult, another pointed jab meant to inflict pain. It was all I could do to keep myself from snapping at her in defense. Especially after witnessing the tears pool in my mate’s eyes.
“I see you’re on birth control pills, so I imagine your mother gave you the talk about the changes taking place with your body.” Without waiting for one of her snarky comebacks, I pushed forward. “But with shifters, the changes are a little different and a lot more intense. Do you have any shifter friends?”
Kinsley shrugged. “I never asked.”
I smiled at Kinsley and was thrilled to watch some of her anger melt away. “Once you sharpen your sense of smell, you won’t need to ask. You’ll be able to tell instantly. As soon as I entered the reception area out front, I knew you were a wolf shifter and your mother was fully human.
“So, the short and not-as-awkward version of the talk for shifters is that you’re going to have twice as many hormones going twice as crazy. Your emotions are going to be doubly difficult to deal with. There will be frustration, unexplained anger, and other…more embarrassing feelings that we won’t discuss here unless you want to, and so much hunger. You can expect to be ‘hangry’ pretty much nonstop.”
“I’m always starving, but I try not to eat because I don’t want to get fat.”
“You won’t. Your metabolism is soaring. You need to eat a lot of food. Especially when you shift.”
“I had no idea…” Fern covered her mouth with her hand and leaned forward in the chair. “I’m so sorry, Kinsley. I… I should’ve asked someone, or researched it somehow, someway. I never dreamed adolescence was different for a shifter.”
I shook my head and turned to face her. It was hard being so close to her, wanting to offer comfort, yet not daring to touch her. Not yet. “There was no way you could’ve known. And while there is a valid explanation for her mood swings as well as her frustration and anger, none of that is an excuse for her rude attitude to you.”
Kinsley grunted. “I’m not rude.”
“I seem to remember a fifteen-year-old screaming at her mother in the reception area not twenty minutes ago.”
“It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but I can handle it. Right now, I just want to learn. What else don’t I know about my daughter that I should? Tell me everything. What should I be doing? How can I help her?” Leaning forward again, Fern cast pleading eyes to mine. “And shifting? How does she shift? I can’t believe I’ve never thought to search out someone to ask about it. I feel like such an idiot.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying all along.”
Growling at the girl, I narrowed my eyes at her. “What did I say, Miss Rude ‘Tude?”
“Ugh! Mom, are you going to do anything about him calling me lame names?”
Fern rolled her eyes. “Honestly, it’s less name-calling and more fact, Kinsley. Your attitude is incredibly rude.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, okay. I won’t call you Miss Rude ‘Tude if you start treating your mom more kindly and with more respect. I’d say, despite your complaints, that she’s a pretty great mom. Not everyone has a mother who’s willing to take the verbal abuse you dole out and still make a herculean effort to do whatever she can to help her daughter.”
“What. Ever. She’s nothing like me and she doesn’t know the first thing about me. She’s so great, but she doesn’t even know I’ve already shifted.”
The sharp intake of breath was the only telltale sign of the hurt I sensed from my mate. Her face was carefully neutral, but I sensed that composed veneer was so brittle, a gentle breeze could’ve shattered it.
“Did you tell her you’ve shifted?” When the girl shook her head no, I nodded. “So, you think being a great mom means being a mind reader?”
“What. Ever. Can you just teach me about using my senses, or whatever the other shifters know, and let me go home?”
I glanced over at Fern and quickly decided that I had to get her to return to the clinic. It was clear that this wasn’t the appropriate time for me to lay the big news on her that we were mates. She was in no shape emotionally for me to drop that bomb right here and now, but she’d be ready eventually. She needed time—I needed her to come back. “We can go over some stuff today, sure. It won’t be hard, especially if you’re already shifting without any problems. You aren’t having any problems shifting, are you?”
Kinsley shook her head. “I’m great at it.”
“I’m sure you are. So, let’s work on a few things today, and then we’ll set up an appointment for you and your mom to return. We’ll do more work then.”
As Fern met my eyes, I studied her reaction closely. Did she know that having them return was as much about me wanting to see her again as it was about her daughter? If so, she showed no signs. She seemed entirely focused on her daughter and getting her the aid she needed. “We’ll come back as often it takes.”
“Ugh. Come on, can’t you just show me everything? I don’t want my friends to see me coming out of the Children’s Clinic.”
“Nope.” I winked at Fern and loved the fact that her intriguing blush returned, traveling down her neck and chest. Grinning like a clown from her response, I turned back to my patient and began the first lesson. It was simple stuff that I went over with all of my shifter patients. Usually, their parents had already informed them of everything, but Kinsley was a unique case. Still, she was a bright kid and caught on quickly.
All the while, her mother sat on the edge of her seat, literally, watching and listening intently. There were moments when I was fairly certain she was feeling a strong attraction to me, but those moments were few and far between. When she wasn’t reacting to the fact that we were caught in the midst of a strong, primal mating desire, she barely registered I was even there. That was because she was watching her daughter so intent
ly. She was clearly a good mother who was just in over her head. She was eager to learn, though. She hung on every word I said, and I caught her lips moving every so often, repeating the words I said back to herself.
After going over some basics, I decided to end the day’s session. Kinsley seemed ready to run out, maybe hoping to practice what she learned, probably wanting to find a back door to avoid any of her friends seeing her. I smiled down at Fern, willing her to say something, give me a sign that she wanted to see me again—as a man, not as her daughter’s doctor. It was incredibly obvious to me that we were mates, but I wasn’t sure what that felt like for a human. Did she have any clue that this wasn’t a normal attraction? That it was something far more profound?
When she dodged my gaze and hurried out after her child, I got the impression that she didn’t. I followed them, watching as she stopped to talk to Polly.
“I guess Kinsley will need another appointment. Whenever is good for Dr. Daniels is okay with me.”
“Anytime. Anytime is good for me. Anytime at all.”
Fern looked back at me with her bottom lip held between her teeth. Then the most mesmerizing smile played across her face, freeing that lip. I inhaled sharply and she quickly looked away. Maybe she did have a clue.
The irony of the situation was not lost on me. I’d just made it clear to Parker that I didn’t want a mate. And I hadn’t. I’d held tightly to my convictions that I wasn’t looking for a mate and that I was happy with bachelorhood. A day later, Fern walked into my clinic and effortlessly annihilated every bit of those convictions. Now I was hoping I wouldn’t have to live alone in my house for much longer.
Even my sworn-to-singlehood bear was embracing the idea of mating with open arms. How could he not? Fern was stunning, she was selfless, and she was a wonderful mother. No matter what her daughter said, Fern Day loved every inch of that bratty little hellion. I rubbed my face and swore under my breath. That bratty little hellion, I realized, was about to become a full-time part of my life, too.
Charmed Mate (Cybermates Series Book 2) Page 3