Sadie perched on the stoop of her building, wrapping her robe around her a little tighter. With one hand she was flicking through her phone, looking at all the new photos Mandy had posted. Oh, look they were eating chocolate covered apples. Oh, look they were eating mouse-shaped pretzels. Oh, look Mandy was having a magical time and not one that Sadie could ever provide for her.
Her other hand was resting on the packet of cigarettes she bought on the way home. Sadie had never been a big drinker. Her mom had been a recovering – sometimes not so recovering - alcoholic, and alcohol was not something that was allowed in their house when she was growing up. Then, she ran away with a penniless douche bag, who could barely afford food, and by the time she was legally old enough to drink, she already had a toddler to look after. Alcohol was something that she rarely thought about. The vodka at the speed dating had been the first to pass her lips in months.
Cigarettes though… she had been hooked on them since she first started dating the douche bag. She gave up when she found out she was pregnant with Mandy and had basically been on the straight and narrow since, but every time she was stressed or upset, she bought a pack. Mostly, she managed to throw it away before she smoked them all. Usually, she just had one or two and then came to her senses. Sometimes, she managed to overcome the urge all together and throw the unopened pack away, but it didn’t appear that this would be one of those times.
Wanting to hear Mandy’s voice, she called her. Mandy was sweet as always, chattering about her day. But Mandy made it clear that there was no need for them to talk every day – she would be home in less than three weeks anyway. Mandy urged her mother merely to follow her on her social media accounts. Oh, also, Karen – who was completely cool and virtually her daughter’s best friend – had confided in Mandy that she thought her dad was about to propose to her. Sadie doubted that, but Mandy had been thrilled at the prospect, and apparently Karen asked her how she would feel about having another mother!
Any sympathy Sadie felt for Karen evaporated when she heard that. Sadie was sure Karen was just a pawn in Al’s scheme to make her jealous, but rather than pitying her, all Sadie now felt was red-hot anger.
She tapped her fingers on the cigarette packet as she came across a picture of Karen and Mandy hugging. Humph. She scowled at Karen, but she smiled at her little girl.
Sadie breathed in and out and dropped the cigarettes into her pocket. She was not being replaced. Mandy loved her. Loved her enough to live in their crappy apartment and not mind that Sadie still hadn’t unpacked all their stuff. No, she had nothing to worry about. Though maybe Al should worry if Karen was expecting a proposal. That thought gave her a small amount of evil satisfaction.
She switched off her phone and rose to her feet. The building – as crappy as it was – had a strict no smoking policy, hence the reason she was outside wearing nothing but her nightie and robe. But, as tempted as she was to smoke, she wasn’t going to.
Mandy would be home before she knew it. She was worrying over nothing. Yes, and she had a lot more pressing matters to worry about – like the fact that she may lose custody of Mandy altogether.
The speed dating hadn’t gone well. Biggest bunch of losers she’d ever met. Well, at least she assumed so, after meeting Lorenzo, she hadn’t paid much attention to the others. Her attention was naturally drawn back to Lorenzo over and over. After leaving her, he went straight to the bar and stayed there for the rest of the event. She kind of felt all bubbly inside knowing that he didn’t want to meet any of the other women.
She fully expected him to approach her after the event, to ask her if she wanted to meet up again. Their exchange may have been a little on the awkward side, but she felt a connection to him, felt something she hadn’t for any of the other men, or any man ever.
But when it was over, he was nowhere to be found. A couple of other men approached her, but she couldn’t even remember their names. She was more disappointed than she cared to admit, hence the double need to call Mandy and hear her voice.
Sadie shook her head, trying to loosen up the mounting cobwebs. She turned to move into her building. She couldn’t worry about her own disappointment. She had to remember the only reason she was there was because she was looking for a decent guy to make her look good when she requested full custody of Mandy.
She found one, called Lorenzo who was ‘sure’ he liked kids. Except he wasn’t interested and…
Sadie shivered as warm arms slid around her. Instead of feeling scared – like she definitely should have been – a strong sense of belonging pervaded her senses, and a name escaped her lips before she could stop it.
“Lorenzo?”
Then she was out like a light.
*
Sadie was dozing, leaning on his shoulder as they made the journey back home. Not just dozing, she was pretty much zonked out and snoring her pretty head off.
All the males had found their mates at the speed dating. The van was loaded up with the kidnapped females and their luggage, and they were heading home. Each male had scooped up their female and packed up some clothes for them.
Lorenzo hadn’t known what to pack, so he chose clothes at random, as well as basically pouring all of the bottles and potions she kept in her bathroom into a separate suitcase. He had no idea what they were all for, but he guessed she would probably use them.
They would just take them home for a couple of weeks and in that time try and persuade them to stay. He didn’t think any male in the leap had failed yet to persuade his intended bride to stay. Plus, Sadie appeared to have just moved into her apartment, given all the boxes littering the rooms. Maybe that was a good sign – maybe she wasn’t too attached to the apartment.
Diego smirked at him as Sadie let out a particularly loud snort. “You remember that chainsaw that old Alberto had…”
Lorenzo growled lowly, and Diego stopped that thought in its tracks, merely chuckling under his breath.
He glanced down at Sadie. She really was a beauty. She’ll be pissed no doubt, but maybe she could see past his scars and the whole kidnapping thing. Maybe he could persuade her of what a good mate he could be. Or maybe he would be the first in his leap to fail.