Page 103 of Fragile Heart

Ethan squeezes my hand again, and then we’re sitting at one of the benches, his knee touching mine, my gaze on the darkblue of the lake. Breaking the silence feels impossible. And that nineteen-year-old girl inside me wants to wait until he does it first, wants to hear him say he wants me, the way he never did back then.

“What I said at the Outpost is still true,” he says after a while. “If a label helps, I’m willing to put one on us.”

Were labels helpful? They didn’t matter to Brett. I may have been his wife, but I wasn’t the love of his life. I’d rather have no labels than one that holds no meaning behind closed doors.

Do Caleb and I have a label? We’ve never really talked about it. We just… slowly swam deeper and deeper until there was no sign of land behind us anymore.

Besides, him bringing up the potential of bonding was more revealing of his intention and our dynamic than any label that we may or may not want to use. Bond marks are more sacred than wedding rings, more intimate than any vow we could say in front of a crowd of friends and family.

I shove the idea of bonding with Caleb away and focus on the Alpha next to me.

“Do you want a label?” I ask, my voice surprisingly calm.

He shrugs and pulls his hat off, bending it between his hands.

“We’ve made things official with my family. The town’s already put one on us as a group.” His voice is low but detached, like he’s talking about one of the cattle herds on the ranch and not our relationship status. “It was impossible for your heat to stay secret with Joan having to help watch Cam the whole time.”

“Okay,” I say, even quieter than him. Why is my stomach in knots when he’s agreeing to be serious? “A label is fine, then. It’ll be simpler than trying to correct the gossip mill.”

He nods, puts on his hat, and then looks behind me.

“Hey, kid,” he says, his voice warming. I ignore the stab of jealousy. I’m not jealous of a four-year-old kid. I’mnot.“Whydon’t you and I grab some ice cream for everyone? We can go to your favorite shop.”

Camden squeals and claps his hands before running up to me. “What ice cream for you, Bri?”

His question is so earnest, I can’t help but smile.

“A strawberry shake,” I answer.

The line appears between his eyes as he nods, mouthing the words. He hugs me before running to catch up with Ethan.

Caleb easily takes the empty spot beside me. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against him, kissing my temple and running his nose along my throat, marking me with his scent. Some of those jealous nerves fall away under his touch and attention.

“Ethan already spilled the beans,” I whisper.

He laughs and tucks me into him, resting his chin on my head. “Yeah? That saves me some time, I guess.”

I grab his open hand and trace his palm, letting my gaze drop from the water.

“I don’t want my own room,” I whisper. “I’ll just end up crawling into your bed every night anyway. There’s no reason to waste the space with a bed that won’t ever be used. And your closet is big enough for my things, too.”

Caleb chuckles and kisses my cheek. “I can live with that.”

“And I think I want to ask Emily about keeping the guest house as my nest. At least for right now.”

The idea of nesting in the same house as Kayla is intimidating as hell.

His countenance sobers, and he lifts my face to his with a single finger under my chin. The blue-grey of his eyes is nearly identical to the midday August sky above us. Warmth spreads low in my belly and between my legs. He doesn’t say anything, simply kissing me until I’m a panting mess against him, boneless and wanting.

“All right, sweetheart,” he whispers.

Chapter Forty-Five

ETHAN

“Camden wants to get something for Lynn and Mom,” Caleb says, quiet enough our son won’t be able to hear. He walks a few feet ahead of us toward the lake, his hand firmly clutching one of Brielle’s fingers. “But Brielle’s pretty overwhelmed.”

I nod, shoving my hands into my pockets. I’ve been noticing that, too, over the last half hour or so. Her shoulders have gotten tighter, and her smile isn’t as easy or as wide as it was before lunch. Just like in Creek Falls, it’s only a few weeks after peak tourist season in Coeur d’Alene. I’d bet good money that the large groups of people on the sidewalk and open grass areas leading to the lake are getting to her.

---