Page 43 of The Bear's Reluctant Mate

“You look different,” Charlie’s voice from the table where he sat eating his breakfast made her jump. She had been lost in thoughts of Alfie, and how it would feel to be in his arms...

“Do I?” Marion smoothed her hair down as color flushed her cheeks.

“Yes,” Charlie said, tilting his head to one side and studying her for a long moment.

“It’s all this fresh mountain air,” she said as she finished her coffee. “Now, you need to get a wriggle on if we’re not going to be late for school.”

Charlie shoveled the last of his cereals into his mouth and then slid off his chair. “See, I have my wriggle on,” he said as he wriggled his whole body like a wriggly worm as he ran out of the room.

Marion chuckled. She wasn’t the only one who looked different and acted differently. Since meeting Alfie and discovering his love of nature, Charlie had undergone a kind of metamorphosis. He was no longer a shy, withdrawn child; instead, he was bold and animated.

She cleared the breakfast things from the table as she waited for Charlie to come back downstairs. As Alfie left last night afterthatkiss… Marion took a moment to relive it once more. Alfiehad asked her to meet him at the garden center after she’d dropped Charlie off at school. She’d agreed, even though she really needed to start focusing on how she was going to earn an income.

It had been a rash move to leave their old lives behind, and her old job, and move to Bear Creek, but Marion knew without a doubt that they had both needed a completely fresh start. And she was right. But now she needed to make sure their move here was secure.

She glanced at the scented soaps she had made. Could she turn them into a business? Alfie had certainly liked them, but then after that kiss, there was a chance Alfie was biased.

Marion was still dreaming of Alfie’s lips on hers when Charlie ran back into the kitchen. She’d never seen him so eager to go to school as he grabbed his bag and shoved his feet in his shoes.

Then, like a whirlwind, they were heading out of the door, into the car, and driving to school. As Marion drove across town, she glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled to herself. Charlie was humming a tune while he looked out of the window. There was no sign of the game he used to play for hours on end. She’d always known it was a coping mechanism and had expected a battle to wean him off it. But she hadn’t seen him playing on it for days now. Instead, he often had his head buried in books on insects he’d borrowed from the school library.

“Bye,” Charlie called as he unbuckled his seatbelt and raced to meet his friends.

“Bye, have a good day,” Marion replied, even though Charlie was already chatting away to his new friends, using his hands as gestures. Tears pricked her eyes to see him so happy.

Then she thought of her own happiness, and Alfie was at the center of that, which was scary. She’d gotten used to not relying on anyone, especially for her happiness.

As she pulled away from the school, her phone chimed with a text message. She waited until she was safely parked before checking it.

Looking forward to seeing you, Alfie had written, followed by a plant emoji that made her smile despite herself.

Marion’s fingers hovered over the screen. What should she say? That she couldn’t stop thinking about him? That she was terrified by how quickly he’d become important to her? That last night’s kiss had awakened something she’d thought long dead?

In the end, she simply wrote:Me, too. See you soon.

Should she add a kiss? Or an emoji?

This was hard! She added a smiley face emoji. It seemed safe enough. No mistaken meaning.

Then she put her phone on the passenger seat and started the car again, heading toward the garden center. The morning sunlight filtered through the trees lining Bear Creek’s main street, casting dappled patterns across her windshield. Everything looked more vibrant somehow, the colors sharper, the air clearer, the world more alive.

It was as if that kiss had awakened not just her heart, but her senses, too.

Marion parked in front of the garden center, checking her reflection in the rearview mirror. She looked the same as always, same practical ponytail, same minimal makeup, same cautious eyes. Yet Charlie had noticed something different. Was it that obvious? Could everyone see the way Alfie had affected her?

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the car. After seeing Alfie, she needed to make some decisions. If she was going tobuild a life here in Bear Creek, she needed a plan, income, and stability.

Even if what her heart wanted most was the man waiting for her inside.

As she approached the entrance, Marion spotted Alfie standing by the door, his face lighting up the moment he saw her. It was as if he’d sensed her arrival somehow.

Her steps faltered, suddenly unsure how to greet him after last night’s kiss. Should she offer her cheek? Her hand? Act casual?

But Alfie solved the dilemma by stepping forward with a warm smile that set her at ease. “I’m so glad you could make it,” he said. “I was worried you might have second thoughts andleafme waiting.”

The plant pun was so unexpected that Marion burst into giggles, her residual tension dissolving instantly. “That was terrible,” she managed between laughs.

“But effective,” he countered, his eyes twinkling. “You’re laughing.”

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