TFH: Another Chance

Breakfast

~Nikki~

I bounce in the bed, making me wonder if I’m back on the plane. The journey to the wedding was bumpy at best. “MOM!” I feel an arm around me, and the comfort is wonderful. I pop an eye open and look at my daughter. She’s so beautiful; love and happiness agree with her.

I owe her so much in the way of an apology. I feel I could have done more to stand up for her, but I was scared. Stuart could always be a more than opposing figure and could be abusive if he deemed it necessary. I let my fear take over, and that caused me to not be there for my daughter like I should have been.

I trail my eyes down my daughter’s body until I see the baby bump. My eyes start to mist while I reach out and touch her belly. My baby is having a baby, and I’m beyond excited. I can’t wait to be a grandmother. Tia moves my hand around her belly until I feel movement. I look up at Tia, and she has a massive smile on her face. “Baby missed its grandma.” I laugh and wipe my eyes.

“No….no not grandma. I don’t like that.”

“What do you want to be called?”

“I don’t know. I will think about it and let you know.” I hear a grumble and stop. I know it wasn’t my stomach. Tia is blushing and holding her belly.

“I guess I need to eat.” I laugh and get out of bed.

“Let me just throw some clothes on and I’ll join you.”

Tia and I talk on the way to the dining room. She filled me in on all I missed while I was gone, which wasn’t much. I never really left the pack often over the years, but after everything that happened, I just needed some space.

When we make it to the dining room, the twins are sitting at the head of the table, and Tia’s seat is waiting between them. Lynn is also sitting at the table, and she gives me a big smile when she sees me. I take a seat at the table, and a plate is placed in front of me.

“How was your trip?” Landon is eating with eyes trained on me. Lincoln is busy feeding my daughter. It’s cute and gross at the same time.

“It was really fun. Exactly what I needed. I’m glad I’m back though. I wouldn’t miss the birth of my grandchild for anything.”

“I agree. I had to make sure I got back in time to see my grandbaby come into this world.” I feel my heart start to flutter, and I struggle to keep a smile off my face. I can smell Paul’s musk and just want to rub my face in it. Paul sits across from me and gives me a big smile. “Morning, Nikki.”

“Morning, Paul.” I swear my voice squeaked that out, but no one was looking at me crazy, so maybe I imagined it.

“Will you be going to the clinic today?” It takes me a minute to realize that Paul is speaking to me; my daydreams are taking up precious mental space.

“Uh, I may check in, but I don’t think I’m scheduled.” Paul nods at me, but something in his eye- I need to stop playing myself. There is nothing between us. Hell, our kids are fated to each other, so there’s that.

“How was the wedding, dad?”

“It was actually better than I thought it would be, Lincoln. It was nice connecting with old friends and nice making new ones. I did learn one thing though….”

“What’s that?”

“Doc Nikki here sure can cut a rug.” The fork in my hand falls out and clatters on my plate. I can feel my face heating up, and eyes are turning to me.

“Mom, you were at the same wedding as Paul?” I gulp and nod, knowing it wouldn't go well if I tried to use my voice. “How fun! And here you were, worried that you wouldn’t know anyone.” I turn and give my daughter a weak smile. I can feel butterflies in my stomach because Paul has his eyes trained on me. Goddess, I don’t know what to do right now or when this happened, but I think I have a crush on my former Alpha.

~Paul~

The minute I looked at her, I knew I had made a good decision to eat in the packhouse instead of in my new kitchen. The minute I opened my eyes this morning, my mind was flooded with images of Nikki. I had never noticed her before, but that wasn’t surprising. I have always been loyal and faithful. There was never anyone who could take my eyes off my mate. Now that I’m mateless, I’m noticing people I never would have before, and Nikki is at the top of that list. Hell, let’s be honest; she’s the only one on that list.

I want to spend more time with her, but I have no idea where this is coming from. Nikki is funny and sweet. She's gorgeous, of course. She’s super intelligent, but I hate to admit I’ve never seen her in action on the job. I’ve never actually witnessed her take care of others. “Hey, Nikki?” She looks at me as if she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I swear there is a bit of blush on her cheek, but I can’t be sure. “How about I shadow you at work? I want to find some things to do around here, and I’ve never really spent much time in the clinic.” I watch Nikki; she looks completely flustered, and I find it so cute.

“Uh…..sure. That…..that will be fine. I know I’m on schedule to….tomorrow.” I give her a big smile, knowing I saw her blush this time.

“Good, I can’t wait.” I push my plate away and stand. “I’m going to spend some time getting my new place together. I will see you kids later. If you need me, just holler.” I take a few steps. “I will see you soon, Nikki.”

~Moon Goddess~

I lean back in my chair and can’t help the smile on my face. This is going better than I hoped. “Did you need anything, Goddess?” I keep my eyes on the book I’m using to watch my children in the Emerald Lake Pack. “

“No, Angel. I don’t need anything at the moment. I’m just enjoying watching my children.” Angel leans down and looks at the book.

“Isn’t it risky for them to grow feelings for each other? What happens when they find second chance mates?”

“They already found them, so it won’t be an issue.” Angel looks confused, and I laugh. I close the book and push it to the side. “Sometimes, Angel, I have to help my children in less obvious ways. The mate bond is my usual mode of help, but in this case, I felt it would do more harm than good. They both have been through so much. I wasn’t sure they would accept the bond if it presented itself. This way, they can get to know each other naturally, and the bond can grow from there.”

“So…..they won’t ever feel the bond?” I shake my head. I forget that sometimes everyone doesn’t understand how I go about getting these things worked out.

“They will feel the bond; the sparks and smell the scents. It will happen once they join together….once they choose each other.” Angel sighs and leans against the desk.

“I guess it’s just weird to me. I mean their children are mated to each other. Doesn’t that make things complicated?” I pat Angel on the knee and rise from my chair.

“There are times when things like that don’t matter. Nikki and Paul are meant for each other. I would have put them together sooner, but things have to happen in their own time. Just trust me when I say this match will work, and everyone will accept it.” I make my way out of the library and to the garden for a little stroll.