Page 39 of The Bear's Reluctant Mate

“What?” Alfie asked, catching her staring.

Marion shook her head, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. “Nothing. Just...thank you for today. Charlie had a wonderful time.”

“So did I,” Alfie murmured. “So did I.”

Their eyes met over the cutting board, and for a moment, Marion allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, fairy tales could come true after all.

Chapter Thirteen – Alfie

“This is one of our best,” Alfie said, as he carefully popped the cork on the wine he’d chosen from the vineyard. It was one of his brother Kris’s finest blends, and sure to impress.

I believe Marion is already impressed by your chopping skills,his bear said.

Are you teasing me?Alfie asked as he carefully poured the ruby liquid into two glasses.

Never, his bear replied with a roll of his eyes.

“Here, try this.” Alfie passed a glass of wine to Marion and for an instant, her fingers brushed against his and that familiar electric current raced up his arm.

He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he was awake, and this was real. That he was here, standing in Marion’s kitchen while Charlie played upstairs, the three of them about to have dinner together like...like a family.

Oh, it’s real,his bear told him, bristling with excitement.Gloriously, wonderfully real.

Alfie raised his glass and locked eyes with Marion as she touched her glass to his. “Let’s make a toast to the future,” Alfie said, his voice rough with emotion. Because his future was right here, right now.

And forever more,his bear added.

“To the future, may it be everything we hope for.” She smiled at him and his heart stuttered in his chest.

If only she knows she is everything we hoped for,and so much more, his bear said, equally moved by the moment.

Marion took a sip of her wine and nodded appreciatively. “Oh, this is good. I mean, I’m not a wine connoisseur or anything. I usually choose the bottle based on the label.” She covered her face with her hand, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “That must sound terrible when such work has gone into the wine...”

Alfie shook his head. “Not at all, the label is important, it’s like a book cover...” He smiled, watching as she took another sip.

Alfie drank his wine, savoring the familiar taste. He could name the grapes Kris used in the blend and the individual flavors...

But you are not going to,his bear told him.

Marion might want to know,Alfie replied.

Or she might think you are trying too hard,his bear said.

“Do you help at the vineyard at all?” Marion asked, watching him over the over the rim of her glass.

I hope your lips aren’t moving when you talk to me,his bear said.

Oh,Alfie said, recalling what Daisy had told him before he met his mate.

“I help out at harvest time. It’s a tradition,” he said, trying to look at ease as he leaned against the counter.

“You help pick the grapes by hand?” Marion asked, setting her wine glass down as she went to check on dinner, lifting the lid of a pot that filled the kitchen with the aroma of simmering herbs and tomatoes.

“Yes, it’s something I have done since I was nine or ten. We pick the grapes when they are at their best, and then they are processed straight away,” he said, admiring the way his mate moved around the kitchen. The sway of her hips, the way she flicked her hair back from her face.

“So, you trample them with bare feet?” she asked lightly, a teasing glint in her eyes.

Alfie chuckled, “No. Although we tried it once when we were kids. It was...squelchy.”

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