Page 22 of Her Shifter Babe

I nodded and followed her, loving the feel of her peaceful and happy space.

“The boys went out,” Nancy explained. “So, for now, it’s just us.” She moved to the cupboard, pulled down a mug and some more tea bags, then started making me a soothing beverage.

I sat on a stool and waited patiently, just basking in the tranquility of the moment despite some of my niggling worries.

When Nancy finally turned back around, she handed me a cup, pulled out a packet of cookies and smiled. “All right, spill! What’s going on in your head? I can tell something’s up.”

I wrapped my hands around the mug, reveling in the welcome heat against my skin. “I don’t think I quite get this whole perfect pairs thing.”

Nancy grinned at me as if that was precisely what she had been expecting me to say. “Yeah, it’s pretty weird in the beginning, isn’t it?”

I nodded my head and took a sip of the tea to try and calm my doubts, but when I put the mug back down, the anxiety in my head and my heart was still there.

“I was freaked out by it in the beginning too, trust me,” Nancy admitted. “I mean, two men and me? Oh my God. At the time I couldn’t even fathom it. But life with them is amazing. They’re the best team, and the most incredible husbands anyone could ever wish for. I have never been happier. No matter what, I know that they’re both here for me and that’s beyond comforting. You can’t buy that kind of peace.”

I sighed. “The thing is, I don’t know if David wants me, or even if I want to become part of this poly... three... deal.”

Nancy laughed but it was a happy sound, not a derogatory one. “You sound like you just need some more information, hon. What have they told you so far? Maybe I can help clear things up for you. I do have firsthand experience in this department, after all.”

I took a sip of my tea and sighed, willing to let her at least try and help out. “Well, David’s barely spoken to me, but Tommy seems to think I’m his mate... or something.”

Mate. What a weird word to use.

Soulmate seemed okay, I supposed. You heard that term bandied about in romantic contexts, in books, movies, and greeting cards. But there was something else, like a hidden meaning behind his words, I could tell.

“And David’s mate too?’ Nancy asked, her smile growing larger by the second.

I shrugged. “Well, Tommy thinks so. When I put my hand on David’s, he kind of fell down.” Which had been the strangest thing to witness, but also sort of funny. It had reminded me of those childhood cartoons where someone got hit on the head with a frying pan, making their head spin and their eyes go all googly.

Nancy clapped and practically did a little jump of joy, almost spilling her tea. “Oh my God, Stacey! That’s so great! Okay. So, you’re both of their mates, and we just have to work out the whole baby being Tommy’s and not David’s thing.”

I stared at her.

Sorry... what? Hold up!

“Um, I don’t even know if I want David for sure. We haven’t even had the chance to get to speak to each other properly, so why does everyone assume that I’ll jump into this weird—no offense—poly relationship?”

Nancy waved her hand, not in the least perturbed. “No offense taken. And the honest answer is because you won’t find more amazing men on the planet. A perfect pair’s devotion to their mate is the stuff dreams are literally made of. You won’t find men who will love you more or love your baby more. I don’t want to push you one way or another, but there’s no way you’ll be able to refuse them once they start seducing you.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Well, obviously, I already succumbed. Just look at me.”

Tommy had seduced me with a single damn look. A single word! He was still the most handsome man I’d ever seen, though David wasn’t far behind. Each of them had their own unique appeal, so it was tough to compare them that way, really. They were sort of, well, complimentary when I thought about it.

Nancy put her hand out and tapped the marble counted with her fingernails. “I know you’re worried and a bit freaked out, but please, give them the chance. If you ever dreamed of a happily ever after with a husband, a house, babies... this is it. If you’ve got the courage to take it—and I think you do.”

I gulped down the emotions that rose within me. “What makes you say that? How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re here!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide. “You found Tommy against all odds, pregnant and alone. And I know you’ve got more of a story than you’re admitting to, but you can share it all with me whenever you’re ready. But my point is, you could have made so many other choices, and yet with a nudge from Fate, you came here.”

I rolled my eyes again and sighed as I took another sip of my tea. “Yeah. Fate. She hasn’t been so kind to me in the past.”

My first husband... my old family, finances... and my career.

“Well, if you stick around, I’m pretty sure you’re going to see that you’re in the right place.” Nancy’s smile was cheeky, satisfied, and smug as she grabbed a cookie to chomp down on.

Nancy had said “if,” but I knew full well I wasn’t going anywhere. Even if Tommy came to his senses and realized that I wasn’t good enough for him, I would be staying in town. My baby—my daughter—deserved a family, and I knew I couldn’t give her everything she deserved on my own. I believed in the age-old adage “it takes a village”. Life was always better when you had a community of those you could trust behind you.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I think I’m going to go lie down for a while,” I said, pushing off the chair and wincing at the pain that shot through my butt. My back was ridiculously sore. I really needed to rest and stretch out.

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