Page 4 of A Breath of Fresh Air

“Come back to my —”

The sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden deck has us springing apart. “Brett, we’ve got an emergency, and we could use your help, mate,” says a booming voice, and I turn to see the shadow of a huge man. He’s an orc, one that I don’t know, with a bald head and tusks decorated with metal tips. “Shit, sorry,” the stranger continues. “Fuck,I didn’t realise I was interrupting something.”

“It’s okay. An emergency?”

“Yeah, Little Pup is puking his guts out in the men’s bathroom. I’m not a wolf…”

“Ah,shit,” Brett swears. “Yeah, give me a sec, I’ll go help him.” Brett looks at me apologetically. “It’s my nephew — he lives with me. He’s the new apprentice on the vines here. He’s eighteen, and Itold himto manage himself responsibly — you have to drink a fucking shit ton to actually get that pissed when you’re a wolf — but…”

“Teenagers.Go. Do you want my help?”

“Nah, it’s your daughter’s wedding, I’m not gonna ask ya to clean up that shit with me. Look, I’ll come find you, okay?”

I nod, but as I watch him disappear inside I’m already doubting myself. It’s been so long, and he’s hot and wonderful, but it’s my daughter’swedding, as he reminded me, and it shouldn’t be the place where I pick up some random guy.I’m the mother of the bride, for fuck’s sake. I should act like one.

Still, I wait outside for a few minutes, catching my breath, not wanting to follow him directly inside. I didn’t feel self conscious dragging Brett out here, but now I’m suddenly shy of people noticing me coming back in straight after him. When I do go inside, I swear the other wolves are looking at me differently as I pass by them. They can probably smell the scent of him on me or something. Thankfully, I spot Ellie — finally alone — on the way to the ladies’ room, and head in after her.

“Oh,Mum,” she says when I step through the door, her shoulders slumping with relief, her hip leaping against the marble counter. “I’m glad it’s you. I’m knackered. I came in here to escape everyone.”

“Hopefully you’re not trying to escape your new husband,” I deadpan.

She rolls her eyes. “Not him. He’ll find me anyway.” A small smile graces her lips, the one I’ve always called hercheeky grin, and her eyes unfocus in a way I’ve seen a thousand times whenever she’s in her own head. “He always does.”

Ah, okay.I don’t want to know what she’s thinking about right now — it’s some sort of sex thing, I can tell. I have no problem with my daughter having a great sex life, and on a purely factual level I’d be shocked if she didn’t with the six-foot-eight pretty-boy wolf she just married, but I don’t need the details.

“Have you had a good day then?” I ask, aiming to distract us both.

She smiles wide, eyes filled with joy. “The best.” She’s barefoot now, and with my heels I’m just that bit taller than her. I open my arms, and she falls into them. “I love you, Mum.”

“I love you too, baby girl. Hey, I might head off, and check onKorobefore I go to bed.”

Ellie nods. “Yeah, definitely. Don’t hang around just because of me. As soon as Van tracks me down I’m going to ask him if we can slip away too… I’m partied out.”

I tuck her blonde hair behind her ears. “I’m so proud of you, Ellie-girl.”

She kisses my cheek, hugging me tight once more. “Thanks, Mama.”

Brett isn’t anywhereto be seen when I step back out of the bathroom. Part of me feels bad just leaving, but I really ought to check in on Dad — it was a big day for him and he’s no spring chicken at eighty-seven — but my guilt at slipping away without a goodbye is short-lived when I step into the foyer on my way out and find Brett sitting there on the tiled floor with his teenage nephew. I eye the bucket next to the slumped figure, and give Brett a grimacing look.

“It ain’t pretty,” he agrees, his expression mirroring my own. “Someonethought it was smart to swipe a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar — at his own fucking workplace — and down over half of it in one go. I have to pay your son-in-law back.”

“No.” I shake my head vehemently. “No, Van won’t have it, I already know that. Besides, this is punishment enough,” I add as the boy hastily grabs the bucket again, dry-heaving over the rim.

“Punishment forme,” Brett laments, rubbing his forehead. “I probably deserve it though. I should have kept a better eye on him. Though to be fair, I was distracted.”

I blush under his appreciative gaze. His nephew pukes again — more violently this time — and I give a small shrug. Clearly this wasn’t meant to be. “I have to head back to my accommodation and check on my dad. He’s eighty-seven.”

“Yeah, I saw him earlier. He did well.”

“He did. I’ll… maybe see you around.”

Brett nods, mouth open as if he’s debating what to say, but I’m already stepping away with a small wave. He’s hot and charming, big and strong and handsome in a far more blunt, beaten up way compared to the wolves in my son-in-law’s family, but I’m only down here for another night anyway, and then it’s a car ferry and a three and a half hour drive back up to Northland. It was never going to be more than a one-night-stand, and all the vomit has well and truly killed the mood for that.

I look back just once. The puppy-dog eyes of a wolf are still watching me, and my heart aches a little more.

APRIL

Ifirst started running after Ellie left home at eighteen, moving from our quiet beachside town to the hustle and bustle of Auckland City to pursue her studies. It had been good for her at the time, but it had been terrible for me. My buddy was gone — the one person I’d poured my heart and soul into since the day I found out I was carrying her, becoming asingle mumin an instant — and the house was far too quiet.

---