I was mooning over my night with Maddox before I even cracked my eyes open the next morning. Now it was shortly after the lunch rush at The Peach and I was still grinning to myself. The whole dinner had been such a production that it made me worry a little at first.

Well, okay, I had already been biting my nails with worry before he even got to The Peach to pick me up. But I thought he was most definitely going to tell me he had some bad news last night. I had this sneaking suspicion that the evening was going to be our last hurrah. However, all my worries disappeared the moment I was in his arms. Everything was right.

My smile faltered at the thought that someday I wouldn't be in his arms, but I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind. I knew I was playing with fire, but Maddox was home for now. I had him to myself. We already knew that none of the shifters in town were his mate, so we had at least another week together. And, judging by his luck so far, it might end up being much longer. I could let myself get lost in him for a little while longer.

I was shocked and a little ashamed of my thoughts. I shouldn't wish for continued failure on his search. I sighed.

"I'm not liking this blue version of you, Rose," Rhonda said as she came up beside me at the ticket window and clipped up an order.

"You've been like one of those tragedy and comedy masks lately," she continued. "I never know what I'm going to get."

"Tragedy? C'mon, I haven't been that bad," I insisted. "I'm just a little distracted, that's all."

"You're always a little distracted, hon." Rhonda's voice took on the kind of tone that signaled she was about to give me some unsolicited advice. "I think you need to start reconsidering that choice you've been making. For many years. Repeatedly."

"I don’t know what you mean," I shook my head and forced out a laugh.

She turned and gave me a serious look. "I don’t know how to break this to you. And now probably isn’t the best time and place, but Maddox is looking for his mate."

My stomach sank. "What are you talking about? Where did you hear that?"

"I have my sources, but that's not important." She gave me a hard look. "This isn't good for you."

"Rhonda, order up," Sam said firmly. He gave Rhonda a look I couldn’t interpret.

Rhonda rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "You're lucky that my section is still busy." She pointed at me, then shook her finger. "I've got more words for you."

I faked a smile, but inside, I was confused and upset. Sure, I knew I was acting a little weirder than usual lately, but I was allowed to let the sunny disposition go sometimes, right? Although, it was admittedly a little odd for me too.

I was used to being happy. I loved taking care of The Peach with my grandmother. I had good friends, and I got to meet a lot of tourists from all over the world. I wasn't completely lost on Maddox like Rhonda thought I was. I knew he was looking for a mate, obviously, and I was too.

I tried dating here and there, but nothing came of it. They couldn't compare to Maddox. Is it really so bad to have standards? And, honestly, being picky was made easier because he was all mine when he came home every couple of months. My life was good. I was content. The problem, I thought, was that things felt different now. They had taken on an uncomfortable edge that I didn’t like.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and looked toward the door as it swung open. I had a smile ready for our next customer, and that smile only got bigger when I saw my best friend, Meghan. Maddox’s younger sister practically waddled inside, her huge belly slowing her down.

"You look like you could use some help," I said with a laugh as I darted out from behind the counter.

"Did you really have to flaunt your mobility by jogging over here?" She batted my hand away, then paused before motioning for me to help her again. "Sorry. I'm just so cranky."

"It's okay, I get it." I held back another laugh as I helped her into a seat. I didn’t want to offend her. "You're almost to the finish line, though."

"Ugh, speaking of, yesterday I really thought the baby was going to come early." Meghan groaned and let her head roll back. "I really need some of Sam's pancakes. They're the only thing keeping me sane."

"I'll get you your pancakes, but you can't just gloss over the 'baby coming early' thing." I could tell that she was okay, of course, but I still had to know. "What happened?"

"Some mind-shattering levels of cramping." She shook her head, then snorted. "Maddox just about lost it. I told him it wasn't that bad, so obviously he almost called an ambulance."

I smiled. That sounded like Maddox. He would've carried her to the hospital if needed.

"Everything's good though, right?" I asked.

She gave me a small smile. "You know it is, you living spoiler machine."

I poked my tongue out. "And you know I'm still going to ask. It's called being polite."

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she said with a sigh, as if she were pointing out the obvious. "Maddox called Sophie over and she gave me the okay."

Maddox called Sophie? I hadn't even realized they had met. She was new in town. And a shifter, I remembered, as my stomach dropped. A shifter he hadn't met. Sophie. My heart slammed against my chest as that name echoed through my thoughts.

A vision suddenly jerked and pulled at my mind. The fog didn't roll in this time; instead, it slammed into my mind all at once. I was sucked into the same vision I had seen the other night. Maddox in the car. Meghan. Conversation. Laughing and smiling. A woman's voice. I followed it. The third person finally snapped into view like a camera zoomed in on her face. Sophie.

Dread formed a dense ball inside me and dropped into the depths of my stomach with the weight of a brick. My hands shook. I knew it. He had met his mate. It was Sophie. But he had been with me the last night after meeting her.

I knew Maddox, he was loyal to the bone—there was no way he’d cheat. Family, friends, they would all vouch for the same. He had spent ten years looking for his mate. He wouldn't screw that up by sleeping with me. Did this mean I could be wrong about Sophie being his mate? Or had he simply not realized it yet?

I had this feeling since he arrived yesterday, like he was going to meet his mate, or that he already had. I wasn't sure. It was murky. I couldn't tell if it was my emotions or my clairvoyance at work. I did know that Sophie would be completely perfect for him.

I had only met her a few times here and there, but she was grace personified. When she walked into a room, you felt like you were in the presence of royalty. I had even entertained the thought of making a curtsy once or twice when I first met her.

Maddox was successful and driven. She was the exact sort of woman that could keep pace with him. And she was always so calm, like nothing upset her.

He’d always said he figured he’d know his mate at first sight. What was I missing? My feelings said the end of his search for his mate was near. Maybe there was something I didn’t understand. I needed to talk to a shifter about this, and I knew just the person to prod for information.

"Meghan," I asked as I tried to be causal. "When you met Joseph, was it, like . . . love at first sight? Sort of like, 'Whoa, you're my mate, dude!'"

Meghan threw her head back and laughed. "Oh no, absolutely not. I was more like, 'Why’re you such a stick in the mud, dude?'"

I wanted to laugh with her, but the ball of dread grew tighter in my stomach. That meant there was a chance Maddox really had met his mate, he simply didn't know it yet.

I gnawed on my lower lip for a moment before I asked, "How long did it take for you to realize he was your mate?"

She narrowed her eyes as an amused smile curved her lips. "Why the sudden interest in my marriage?"

"Oh, well, I just . . ." I puffed out my cheeks as I thought of an excuse. "I've known you guys for so long and never really thought to ask. Curiosity and whatnot."

Megan’s expression clearly said she wasn’t buying it.

"So, yeah, I mean, I thought it was an instant connection or something." I popped a hand on my hip in an attempt to appear aloof and casual.

"Uh, sometimes." She gave me a funny look. "But not always. It’s different for every couple. But there’s always an attraction. For some, it takes a bit for folks to realize who their mate is, even if they're right in front of them."

I knew it. I was supposed to be more prepared for this, but it didn't feel any less like a punch to the gut. I knew something was wrong. The way he had been acting made so much more sense now. Maybe he knew it subconsciously but it hadn't really hit him yet, so he felt conflicted being with me, or something.

"Rose?" Meghan's voice cut through the haze clouding my thoughts.

I snapped back to the moment at hand to see her look up at me with concern. I forced myself to smile, even though I knew she was going to be able to tell I wasn’t okay.

"I'm fine," I said with a shrug as I jotted down her order. She hadn't told me what it was, but I already knew everything she wanted, down to the extra sides of syrup and butter.

She frowned at me. "I didn't ask if you were okay. What's the deal?"

"Just being silly ol' me." I smiled even wider and waved a hand through the air. "Getting lost in my thoughts and all."

Before she could call my bluff, I made a cartoonishly fast retreat from her table. My head was a mess as I made my way behind the counter to put her order in. I had to fight to keep a smile on my face.

"Ticket for you, Sam," I said in my most cheerful voice.

"I've got you," he replied.

"Rose, what's going on?" Rhonda asked me from the register.

I shook my head. I couldn't handle her questions. Not right now. My thoughts circled. I knew what I had to do. It wasn't going to be easy, sure, but I had to let him go. This all used to be something I could accept so easily, but now that it was possibly real, I nearly lost my breakfast.

The thoughts wouldn't stop rushing through my mind. I wasn't even sure what I would say to Maddox. How I would approach him. It all felt like too much.

The door to the back swung open and my grandmother appeared. She looked over at me and I saw surprise on her face. "Roselani, why are you still on the floor?"

I looked at the clock and winced. I wasn't used to leaving early and got distracted when Meghan arrived.

"It’s time for you to head home," my grandmother said. "Go get ready for the barbecue, and remember to grab the sides I put in the refrigerator."

She knew I was upset, I could see it in her eyes. No matter how hard I tried to hide it, she would know. I didn't even understand why I was such a mess at this hint of trouble. I supposed that part of it was I never expected to be so blindsided by all of this.

One part of me thought it was going to be like ripping off a band-aid, the other thought I would somehow have time to process it all before it happened. I guess you couldn't have it both ways. Regardless, I didn't expect it to hurt me this much. It wasn't like I lost my friend, he would still be a part of my life. I had prepared for this moment for years, or at least I thought I had.

In a daze, I made my way to the back, got changed, gathered up my things, and headed for the exit. I passed Rhonda along the way. She looked at me with such concern that it made my heart squeeze tightly in my chest.

"Rose, hon," I heard her say as I passed by.

I kept my head down, the food clutched close to my chest. I couldn't even look at her right now. I felt like such a fool. I was hurt and embarrassed and didn't think I could stomach her sympathy.

"I have to go," I replied softly. "Could you take Meghan's table for me?"

"Of course." The tenderness in her voice somehow made me feel even worse. I think it was because it made me feel like I was a victim somehow. I was the wounded one. I hadn't ever really imagined it would be this way. I expected to find my 'mate' too. I didn't think Maddox would be leaving me all alone.

As I pushed through the doors of The Peach, I felt a little bad for not saying goodbye to Meghan, but she was one of the last people I wanted to face right now. She didn't know about Maddox and me, and she didn't need to find out this way.