Chapter Seventeen

Audrey

I was fine until I was sitting on the plane. Rushing around getting ready didn't give me much time to think, but as I settled in for my flight, the seat belt light came on, and the plane rolled down the runway, a part of me that had been pretty quiet began to make itself known. And it was not my cat who curled up inside me purring.

No, it was my sense of self-preservation. Others who had used the Mail-Order Matings app reported such great success, but I'd gotten all those weird and bad matches. Maybe there was a glitch in the computer system or something. I did report one or two of them, but maybe I should have had a long talk with someone before getting on a plane and heading to another state to meet up with three men. Human men.

Panic surged, and I wanted off this tin-can thing. I dug my fingers into the armrest and squeezed my eyes closed, hoping this was all a dream. A nightmare. I couldn't do it. Just could not. It wasn't too late to change my mind, right? All I had to do was hop off at the other end, buy a ticket, and wait for a return flight. I'd send a message to one of the guys and tell them I changed my mind and didn't even go to the airport at all.

I could lie…I could not lie.

Not to Hale and Idris and Lachlan. They had been nothing but kind to me. Never made any icky remarks or any funny cat remarks. Rather, they sounded interested and even intrigued but in a really sweet way. I pictured their faces, all handsome but more important all friendly and open. They were vets. Well, technically Hale was a vet tech, but it worked out the same. They took care of animals, and what could be better than someone with the heart to do that?

"Are you okay, dear?"

I blinked my eyes open to see the lady sitting next to me eyeing me with concern.

"Are you afraid of flying? Because my son is, too, and I always tell him to sit back and close his eyes just like you're doing. Does it help?"

"No, I…" I almost told her the real reason for my behavior, but then decided against it. "I think it did, a little."

"That's good. I am going to visit my son. It's been over a year, can you imagine?" She went on chatting about her son and her trip and things that weren't stressful. The flight attendant brought us coffee while I nodded and smiled and let myself listen to a happy older woman whose family was spread out all over the country. She loved traveling to visit them and see all the grandkids. "The only part that takes some of the sweetness away is that my dear Ernie didn't live long enough to do this with me. He was the best daddy to all nine of our kids, and he was so looking forward to all of the new generation."

As I listened to this woman talk, I felt so bad for her losing her husband, but all those kids! I wanted a family. And if I mated with the three who would be waiting for me at the airport, I would have a chance to start that family. Who would be the father?

All of them, of course. If I mated with all three of them, we would be a family. When I filled out the form, it asked how many mates I wanted. I said up to four, laughing at myself at the time. After all, why would I end up with four when I hadn't had the good fortune to find even one person I was compatible with?

As to fated mates, I hoped it was true, but even if so, not everyone got one.

The pilot's voice came over the sound system. "We're approaching our destination, where the temperature is…" He gave all the usual information about the weather and such before reminding us to remain in our seats until landing.

I turned to my fellow passenger who was gathering her belongings. "Thank you so much. I really was nervous about the trip, and listening to your wonderful stories helped a lot."

"Oh, I was glad to find such a good listener, dear. But you never said why you're making this trip. Visiting family?"

"Meeting my match from an online dating app," I blurted out.

"No wonder you were anxious. But it does sound exciting. My husband and I met in high school, and I've never dated anyone else."

"That sounds very romantic."

"It was, and I wouldn't trade a minute of our time together, but still…" She paused and looked out the window where buildings were starting to appear as we glided in to land. "A woman wonders, you know?"

"What's stopping you from finding out? You've got a lot of years left, and you might meet someone very nice."

But she brushed aside my suggestion, saying she'd been lucky to have one great love, and nobody could be that lucky again.

And then we were all debarking and heading for baggage. My new friend walked along beside me. I was supposed to meet the guys there, and I craned my neck. I was feeling much better about my decision but still a little nervous.

"Audrey!" I heard that voice…Idris. "We're over here."

I followed his voice and soon saw all three standing there waiting for me. They converged and took me into a big hug. I melted into their embrace, feeling a rightness I'd heard of but never thought I'd experience myself. "You'll know when you meet your mate," everyone said. And I did. But it wasn't one mate. It was three.

"Baggage checked?" Hale asked.

"Yes, I have two roller bags. We never said how long I was staying, so I probably brought too much."

"Excuse me." My seatmate paused next to us. "Which of these fellows is your online match?"

I faced her and shrugged. "All of them."

Her jaw dropped and then she held out her phone. "I want the app."