Inevitably Yours

QUINN

I spent an hour on the phone being screamed at by an unhappy client. It was painful; I was involved in the security management but not enough to know what was going on. When I could get them off the phone with a promise to call them back, Jacqueline, Andrea, and I went to Michael’s office to look for the daily reports from the employees. What we quickly found was everything in unorganized piles everywhere.

I didn’t want to disturb Michael, but this was a mess we had to handle. I couldn’t start resolving complaints until I had more information. Jacqueline suggested we go to the client, but that would be difficult. My parents were expecting me to come to get the pups after dinner, and this was our farthest client. Michael and Jacqueline had done a great job getting our seedling business set up ad running; we had more billable hours than we could currently fill, but a few of our clients were some distance away.

Andrea offered to accompany Jacqueline but would need to arrange for someone to watch Adi for the evening. I offered for Adi to come to the packhouse so they could try to appease our client temporarily. I would just have to sort the paperwork mess out on my own.

I didn’t see Michael until after dinner. He put Nic in her room and then stayed with her to make sure she was okay. Eventually, he got her to eat something small, and she finally fell asleep. I had carried all the stacks of papers and folders to my office and began sorting everything. I was late to get the pups by the time he found me.

When I tried to explain what was going on, he blanched. “Q, I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was going on. I’ve been trying to get all this organized, but it just keeps piling up,” he admitted.

“Why didn’t you ask for my help?” I questioned him. I sat in the middle of the floor, surrounded by paperwork. This could have been avoided if he had asked for help.

“I didn’t want to add anything else to your plate,” he answered. “You help me with everything.”

“Michael, that’s my job. I am supposed to help you run this pack. Running this business is part of running the pack; it makes us money. If you need help with something, you have to tell me. It is literally my job to make sure you don’t fail,” I insisted.

“I’m sorry, Q. What can I do?” he asked. He looked tired and frustrated and sad. It had been a bad day.

I sighed, looking around. “Go get the kids?” I suggested. It would be easiest for me to finish what I started. “Call and check on Andrea and Jacqueline too? Hopefully, I can get this done, and we can figure out what happened exactly.”

“Alright,” he said. He looked at the ground between us. Almost the entire floor was covered in various piles as I sorted different reports and paperwork by day, client, and shift. “I want to come k**s you, but….”

“Later when I can come to bed,” I smiled tiredly. I couldn’t wait for bed.

“Is this everything from the closet too?” M asked. My mouth dropped open.

“There is more?”

–

It took me days to get everything sorted out, which put me behind on other stuff. Suddenly, I was in this cycle of always trying to catch up on everything. I was stressed out constantly and sleeping less.

Michael wasn’t much better. Suddenly, we saw more activity from rogues around our borders, pulling him away more than he wanted. We barely got to see each other, and when we did, we were discussing business, pack stuff, or passing the kids back and forth.

Nic had become distant. I didn’t expect her to feel better the next day, but I hoped she would rally for Diane. Diane was spending a lot of time with us; I didn’t mind caring for her, but she needed her mom.

I dropped my head into my hands as I leaned over my desk. There was so much to do and just not enough hours in the day. I rubbed my face, trying to wipe away the stress. Michael was lonely; I could feel it. I couldn’t relax until things were caught up. Every time I tried just to take a moment to be with him, this voice was in the back of my head, nagging me. Guilt was starting to eat at me. I was barely keeping up as a mom and Luna; in turn, I was utterly failing as a mate.

I sat back in my chair, trying to clear my head for just a moment. I just needed a break from the vicious cycle. I was drowning.

MICHAEL

Quinn was always busy. She was up before me and crawling into bed after me. She was too busy to go to her appointment to get cleared from pregnancy. I missed her. I still got time with my pups, but I missed my mate.

Nic wasn’t much better than the day of the rejection. She wouldn’t talk to me either. I had no idea what to do or how to help her. I didn’t know how I was supposed to treat her. If I could fix things for one of them, I wouldn’t feel like such a failure. The two people I was closest to were a complete mess, and I wasn’t helping them.

Belle was asleep in her swing while Diane and Junior played together on the floor. Junior just kept bringing Diane new toys that she wasn’t interested in. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Nic leaning against the door frame.

“Hey,” I said softly. Judy had gone to bed, and Quinn was locked up in her office. Nic didn’t respond; she just watched the kids. I watched her for a minute, then asked, “Do you want to sit?”

She pushed herself straight and shuffled over to sit next to me. I waited for her to talk. She’d been a ghost since the rejection. She stared at Diane on the floor, not looking at me.

“Nic, you can’t keep going like this….” I whispered. She shook her head; I felt so guilty. “Nic, just tell me what I can do. I want my best friend back.”

Tears rimmed her already red eyes. “You can’t give me what I need, M. You’re Quinn’s.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, turning to her.

“It’s no secret that I love you, M. We’ve always had a strong bond, just not a mate bond. Right now, I need comfort and love from someone who loves me. I was rejected, M. I’m just not okay,” she whispered.

My throat tightened. I had been feeling rejected by Quinn lately, even if I knew she was just trying to keep her head above water. “He’s a tool. He wasn’t good enough for you. It doesn’t change that we love you,” I assured her.

Nic just shook her head. “I can’t ask you to comfort me. This would be the biggest best friend hug I’ve ever needed, and I feel like I would be pushing a boundary. Quinn is so sweet and understanding as it is. I couldn’t hurt her by taking her mate for my own comfort.”

I frowned at Nic. If I was honest with myself, I could use a best friend hug too. She hadn’t been the same since we visited my mom, and it weighed on me.

“Go ahead,” Quinn’s voice floated into my head. I snapped my head around to see her standing in the doorway. She had a sweater wrapped around her and folders clutched to her chest. She gave me a soft smile, a real one.

“Baby…” I started.

“It’s okay, M. You’re my mate. I trust you,” she assured me. She walked away silently. I turned back to Nic, who was still watching the kids. I snaked my arms around her and pulled her onto my lap. She was light, too light; she hadn’t been eating enough.

“Michael, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Shut up and cuddle with me,” I sighed, relaxing back into the couch. Something tight in my chest eased. Nic was stiff for a moment, then let herself relax some.

“Are you sure? I mean Q…” she whispered.

“Is completely okay with it,” I told her. She blinked up at me, looking for something. Then she closed her eyes and cuddled into me. I hugged her tightly. As she relaxed, I relaxed. I kissed her temple softly.

“Better?” I asked her. She squeezed me tighter.

“Yea,” she answered.

“I’ll always love you no matter what, Nic,” I promised her.

QUINN

A weight was lifting off of me. I was on my way downstairs to try and at least work in the same room with M when I heard him talking to Nic. They didn’t notice me, and I felt a little intrusive listening. I could feel how upset Michael was, how guilty he was feeling. I knew it had to be because of how things had erupted since Nic found her mate.

Nic wasn’t the only one that needed affection and attention. Michael did too. I was too much of a mess to give him what he needed most. When I heard Nic telling M she wouldn’t ask because she wouldn’t want to hurt me, it confirmed everything I already knew. I had nothing to worry about with them. Michael loved her, but it was different than our mate bond. I came first in his heart, I knew that, but there was room for Nic too.

I took the timecards with me to the kitchen and started some cocoa. While it was cooking, I leaned against the counter and felt it. Michael was calming; I breathed out in relief. It was a different sort of calm, a soul-healing one. I was grateful Nic could give him the comfort he needed when I couldn’t. I loved her for loving him and respecting our bond.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

When the cocoa was done, I sank into a chair by the island. Michael’s stress had been amplifying my own. My head felt a little more clear. As I reconciled the time sheets, I rubbed my tired eyes. Everything was blurry on the paper; I had to be too tired. When I finally got through them and finished my drink, I decided to call it a night.

I wasn’t sure what Michael and Nic did, so I checked the living room before heading upstairs. I smiled at what I found. Belle was sleeping peacefully in her baby swing. Junior was lying next to Diane, who was covered in his blanket, both asleep on the floor. Michael held Nic as she used him like a pillow in the corner of the couch. This was our family.

I started with the pups, taking Diane to her room and carefully putting her in her crib first. Then, I took care of Belle and Junior. Grabbing the baby monitor and a blanket, I went back downstairs to the living room. I got the remote, flipped on the TV to something random, and then I settled myself on the couch next to M. Using his leg as a pillow, I laid down with them. As my eyes drooped, I felt his hand come down and settle onto the back of my head.

“I love you, Michael,” I whispered. A blissful feeling poured down our bond; my mate was happier than he had been in a while. He needed Nic and me to be okay because we were two of the people he loved the most. And we needed to give him our love too.

My aching eyes closed, and I drifted into a contented sleep in our little cuddle pile.