ONE
PAM
January 1st
Look back at the past, marvel at how far you have come.
Winding down for the evening, I sipped my boxed wine, letting out a deep sigh as Harry kissed Sally in what was probably one of the most romantic cinematic kisses of all time. I mean, Billy Crystal definitely didn’t do it for me, but Meg Ryan—that was a totally different story.
The holiday season had come and gone here in Briar Glenn, and I’d spent last night, New Year’s Eve, alone at home watching romance movies with my cat.
Since the loss of my husband, Don, two years ago, a certain hairless gentleman had become my constant companion. My son Reece swore that Remi was some sort of alien, but the cat rescue assured me that he was a Sphynx.
‘You know, Remi,” I said to him, lifting the blanket he was sleeping under so he would have to acknowledge me. “That right there is true love. When you meet someone and you just know.”
My daughter Tegan and her fated mate came to mind. She’d called me raving about the buff wolven the same day he’d helped her scrape wedding cake off the pavement outside my bakery.Well, it was her bakery now.
When Don passed, he left me a sizable pension, more than enough to be comfortable, and I was happy to pass on my business to Tegan. She’d been helping out at the bakery since she was a little girl. Truth be told, she was probably glad I was out of her hair.
I’d been feeling like that a lot lately.
Both of my children had their own lives. They’d been drawn to their fated mates by the goddess. Atlas and Tegan were engaged to be married, and Reece and Cyrus were, well, they were new puppy parents.
Everyone else around me was thriving. Living. But it felt like I was stuck in the same place, watching as life passed me by.
Don’t get me wrong, I had my hobbies: reading, knitting Remi and myself matching sweaters, and volunteering at the library two days a week.
But there was still a void.
Yes, Don was gone, but his passing hadn’t impacted me the way I expected it would. He was my high school sweetheart and we married young, just like lots of folks in small towns do. Before I knew it, I was pregnant with Reece, and Tegan followed soon after.
Don wasn’t the best partner or father, but when you have kids and a life that is so utterly interconnected, especially in a small town, you’re just sort of…stuck.
There were good moments, but they were outweighed by disagreements and nights spent with the kids at my mother's house.
Seeing my children in such healthy, happy relationships made me elated, but every once in a while, jealousy crept in.
This was one of those times.
I grabbed my phone, scrolling my social media feed absentmindedly before pulling up my messages.
I typed out a quick text to Tegan, just like I did anytime I was bored.
Me: Hi, honey. I hope you and Atlas had a great New Year’s. Are you up for a chat?
My phone rang a few moments later.
“Hey, Mom! What’s up?” Tegan sounded awfully upbeat for it being New Year's Day, but then again she didn’t really drink. Neither of my kids did. It made me proud but it also made me question if Don and I were the reason why.
Without thinking too hard about it, I took another sip of my wine before answering. “Just sitting at home with Remi. Did you and Atlas have a good New Year’s?”
She let out a deep sigh. “It was okay, I guess. We went over to Javier’s house. Him and Fallon got drunk and wrestled in the front yard. Atlas had to break it up.”
Javier was so sweet; I had a hard time believing it. “Are you serious? Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah. Atlas managed to calm both of them down and everyone was fine by the time the ball dropped—but it was still a stupid display of masculinity.”
“Were your brother and Cyrus there?” I was positive the answer would be yes. Reece and Tegan had worked to repair their relationship the past few months and more often than not, they could be found hanging out together with their mates.
