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“What does ‘my time’ mean to you?” she asked. “What are you hoping for?”

“I want to learn about magic, obviously,” I started. “But I also want to learn what I like. What interests I have that are not tied to being a mom. I want to travel and try new foods and make up for all that I missed getting married so young.”

I resisted the urge to apologize for wanting something more than just being a mom.

“I know you were married to a man who wasn’t truly a partner, and it’s important for someone making a transition like you are to focus on what they want out of life,” Sage said. “But I also want you to consider that with the right person, you can have your time, your interests, your passions, and not be minimized.”

When I raised a skeptical eyebrow she continued, “Look at me and Edward. We’re not shifters of course, but we are still as passionately in love as we were when we first met.”

She paused, as if remembering something.

“Well, when we met for the second time. We had a one night stand and then lost touch for a while, but once we were together permanently, he never got in my way. And I never got in his. We are very different people and we have very different lives, but we also have a life together. It can be done. But I do agree that you probably need more time to yourself before you finalize anything with Ollie. Otherwise you’ll always wonder about what could have been.”

Sage’s advice was good, but I didn’t know how to convey all that to Ollie without hurting his feelings. Also, I kind of wanted to see him again.

When I told my aunt that she said, “Tell him you want to take things slow. Date for a while. I’m sure he’ll understand. You’re not the first human who needed some time to catch up.”

To my surprise, Ollie didn’t try to see me again. An entire week went by and other than sending me a sweet ‘thinking of you’ text every morning, he didn’t contact me. Didn’t stop by. Didn’t engineer a meeting in town.

When I wasn’t working, I spent the week focusing on myself. I went jogging a few times and joined Jane for a yoga class. My cousin was quickly becoming a good friend. I wrote in my journal, read a book by a new author I’d been wanting to try, and practiced my magic with Sage.

Alone in my bed at night though I thought about Ollie, trying to figure out how to handle things with him. The longer we were apart, the more I craved him. There was no other way to describe it. It was like my body burned for him. My skin felt too tight, and when I fell asleep I’d be taunted by dreams of Ollie – some of them filthy.

Maybe Sage was right. Maybe we didn’t have to figure everything out right away. We could spend time together and have sex and see where things went with us. I’d spent enough time with him to know he wouldn’t push me about the mate thing before I was ready.

I texted him and asked him to meet me for lunch at Murphy’s. Ollie was there when I arrived, seated in a booth at the far end of the bar, his eyes fixed on the door. I saw the exact moment he realized I was there – his eyes lit up and he gave me a smile that took my breath away across the room.

Had anyone ever been that happy to see me before?

He slid out of the booth, waiting for me to come to him, then pulled me into a hug. I relaxed against him, my body and mind settling for the first time since I’d left him in the woods behind the diner. I knew then that I couldn’t stay away from this man. I wasn’t sure how it was all going to work, and I certainly wasn’t ready for a commitment yet, but I’d be foolish to ignore what was happening between us.

When I was a little girl I’d dreamed of finding my prince charming, like a lot of girls. I’d pictured someone handsome and chivalrous, someone who put me ahead of anyone and anything else. Dating real life men had beaten those fantasies out of me – until now. I was under no illusion that Ollie was perfect, but there was something heady about a man who made me feel this way. A man who wore his feelings on his sleeve, but not in a creepy way. A man who knew how to find my clitoris.

Not seeing him for a week had only made my yearning for him stronger. Maybe it was the magic or maybe it was something particular about Ollie, but I knew at that moment that I was in love with him. How that happened after spending so little time together I couldn’t say, I only knew it was true. It wasn’t the heady crazy love I experienced as a young woman. What I felt for Ollie was deeper, calmer, more mature. I’d be a fool not to explore it.

Ollie

My mate had the strangest look on her face, it was almost like a combination of wonder, fear, and resignation. Whatever it was, she only said, “Thanks for meeting me.”

“I’ll always meet you,” I said solemnly.

Her lips twitched. She opened her mouth to speak but just then my cousin Ben came by to take our order. He gave me a searching look, silently asking me how things were going with Nora, and I responded with a small nod.

After we ordered our meals I leaned forward. “How have you been?”

She looked everywhere but at me before she answered softly, “I missed you. I know it’s ridiculous given how we’ve spent so little time together but… it’s true.”

I reached across the table and threaded my fingers with hers. “I missed you too, mate.”

“I can’t make you any promises,” she said. “I meant it when I said I need to spend some time working on myself, figuring out who I am now that I’m not taking care of kids for the first time in over twenty-five years. But I also know that I like being with you and would love to do more of it.”

My heart picked up and my bear made an approving rumble that Nora must have been able to hear because her eyes widened.

“What are you proposing?” I asked, wanting her to take the lead.

“Maybe it sounds ridiculous to someone like you, but can we… date?”

“Date?” I parroted.