Cathy dropped her hands. She focused on the framed photos lining the hallway, scanning from picture to picture. Kevin, wrapped up like a burrito, only two days old. Kevin pulling himself up on chubby, wobbly legs, beaming his gummy smile. Kevin racing down the beach, screaming with joy. All different; all her son.
The familiar snapshots still brought up bright, warm memories, like they always did. Cathy relaxed a little, panic ebbing. It had just been one bad moment, that’s all. She wasn’t slipping back into that dark, cold place. Everything was fine.
Well, maybe not everything. She definitely had to do something about Kevin’s attitude. Maybe she’d been cutting him too much slack recently. But he’d had such a bad time last year, struggling with the jump to a new, much larger school. Cathy knew all too well how hard it was to have to figure out who you were when your whole world had changed beyond recognition. It was no wonder Kevin was angry and uncertain, and taking it out on her.
Cathy straightened, resolve firming. Kevin’s cruel, hurtful words still stung, but she couldn’t let them get to her. This was just another phase, like the terrible twos or the year he’d been obsessed with Pokémon. They’d pull through this eventually. After all, they’d survived much worse.
A knock on the door derailed her train of thought. With a last regretful glance at the still messy kitchen, Cathy went to answer it.
Tamsin stood on the doorstep—and, as Cathy had suspected would be the case, Cuan loomed behind her. The pair had been inseparable ever since Tamsin had brought Cuan back from the fae realm. Cathy was relieved to see that the fae warrior had at least glamoured himself to look relatively normal. ‘Relatively’ was the right word, because even with the pointed ears and glowing tattoos hidden with magic, Cuan was still ridiculously handsome.
Which was, in Cathy’s opinion, no more than her oldest friend deserved. If anyone should have a smoking hot, magical, shapeshifting elf warrior following her around like an enormous muscled puppy, it was Tamsin.
Still, Cathy felt a slight pang as she saw them standing together. It wasn’t jealousy, exactly, since she really was thrilled for her friend. She just couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have someone look at her the way Cuan looked at Tamsin. Especially if that someone was a tall, gorgeous fae.
She shoved the stupid thought down. There was no point dreaming about the impossible. It wasn’t like she could ever go through a portal and have magical adventures in another world.
“Hey girl!” Tamsin greeted her. Her smile widened as she took in Cathy’s outfit. “Looking good! All ready for the speed dating event?”
Cathy pulled self-consciously at her low neckline again. “You don’t think it’s too much? Daisy insisted that I buy this dress, but I feel silly. Maybe I should change.”
“Absolutely not,” Cuan said firmly. “On behalf of my entire gender, I forbid it. You are radiant, Mistress Cathy. Warriors shall swoon at your feet, heart-struck with longing.”
It was ridiculous, but Cathy felt her cheeks pink at the compliment. According to Tamsin—and Cuan himself—fae couldn’t tell a direct lie. This was, of course, not at all the same as always telling the truth, but if Cuan said she was radiant then she couldn’t be a total mess.
She smoothed the front of her dress, trying not to look flustered. “I don’t think there will be many warriors there. I’d settle for a nice middle-aged accountant.” She sighed, thinking of the grumpy stranger currently parked on her couch. “One who doesn’t mind that I’ve got a kid.”
Cuan’s forehead wrinkled. “Surely your child only makes you even more desirable, to any right-thinking male?”
“You’ve clearly never met my son,” Cathy muttered, and immediately felt guilty. She was supposed to be Kevin’s champion, even when he was being a pain in the ass.
“Speaking of which,” Tamsin interjected. “Is it okay if Cuan sticks around and babysits with me tonight?”
Cathy had been hoping that this would be the case. Still, she hesitated, wondering if Cuan knew exactly what he was getting himself into. “Are you sure you want to, Cuan?”
Cuan bowed. “It would be my very great honor, if you would permit it.”
“You’d be doing me a huge favor, actually. Kevin doesn’t really have many strong male role models in his life.” Cathy sighed. “I do the best that I can, but, well… he’s twelve, going on seventeen, apparently. The last thing he wants these days is a mom. Just a silent live-in housekeeper who dispenses snacks and cash.”
Tamsin gave her a brief, sympathetic hug. “You’re doing a great job, Cathy. It’s just a difficult age. Once his hormones stop running riot, I’m sure he’ll settle down again. He was always such a sweet kid.”
“He was,” Cathy said softly. “Now, though… sometimes I look at him, and I can’t see my baby at all anymore.”
Tamsin gave her a sharp, puzzled look, and Cathy instantly regretted the words. After Tamsin’s traumatic time in the fae realm, the last thing her friend needed was to be worrying about her.
She forced a bright smile. “Guess that’s just what happens when kids grow up. Come on in and make yourselves at home.”
As Cathy stood aside to let them pass, she noticed Cuan glance back at her front garden. The fae warrior’s gaze lingered on the straggly lawn and half-dead shrubs, a slight frown creasing his brow.
She’d won awards for her plants, once. They were up in the attic, along with her wedding photos and a collection of dusty car seats. All the things that she’d never need again.
Cathy quickly shut the door, blocking out the view of her weed-choked flowerbeds. There were only so many hours in a day, and Kevin needed a roof over his head and healthy home-cooked meals a lot more than a pretty garden. It wasn’t like he played outside anymore.
“Kevin?” she called as she led Tamsin and Cuan toward the living room. “Can you turn off the PlayStation for a second, please?”
The cracks and bangs from Kevin’s game did not stop. In fact, they got louder. Cathy noticed Cuan wince at a particularly shrill death shriek. Even with glamour disguising his ears, fae had sharper hearing than humans.
She pressed her lips together. “Kevin,” she said more firmly, entering the living room. “Come say hello to Tamsin and Cuan.”