“I believe you are,” Doreen said, her smile widening, but he wasn’t sure if she was teasing him.
They were close. Closer than he’d expected to be with her this early in the day. And when she smiled like that, it did something to him. Something deep inside.
She fits, his bear murmured.She fits here. In our heart.
James swallowed hard.Yeah. She really does.
After a few more rounds of training—some successful, some spectacularly not—James checked his watch and frowned. Jake’s excited chatter had slowed, his shoulders hunching a little against the cold. Even Bash’s tail had settled into a lazy wag.
“That’s probably enough for this morning,” James said. “I brought something to warm us up.”
Jake’s head snapped up. “You brought treats?”
James slipped off his backpack and held up a thermos in one hand and a small brown-paper box in the other. “Hot chocolate,” he said, shaking the thermos once, “and Christmas cookies from Daniel’s bakery.”
Doreen blinked in surprised delight. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” James said simply. Then, trying for casual but failing, “If you’re up for a short walk, there’s a small clearing by the creek. It’s one of my favorite spots.”
“I’d like that,” Doreen said.
Jake needed no further encouragement. He shot down the narrow path with Bash bounding after him, leaving plumes of snow in their wake. Doreen and James followed at a slower pace, walking side by side through the hush of the forest.
The world felt wrapped in its own quiet magic. Snow-laden pine branches bowed overhead, scattering dappled light across the trail. Their breath formed small clouds in the air, drifting together before disappearing.
Doreen reached out once to steady herself on a snow-slick patch. Her fingers grazed James’s arm. It was barely a touch, but it was enough to wake every nerve in him.
“You weren’t kidding,” she murmured as the creek came into view. “This is beautiful.”
The water ran dark and smooth between banks carved with ice crystals, each one patterned like tiny stars.
“I come here when I’ve had…” James hesitated. “One of those days...”
“Work, you mean?” Doreen asked.
“Yeah, I love my job. But sometimes, it can be demanding, physically and emotionally,” he admitted. Which was not something he did often. He usually puts on a brave face to the world. But with Doreen, he wanted to be himself. Let her see the man inside, warts and all.
No warts here,his bear said.
They stepped into the clearing, where a fallen log offered the perfect makeshift bench. Jake and Bash were already investigating tracks in the snow. James brushed snow off the log for Doreen before uncapping the thermos. The scent of rich chocolate drifted into the cold air.
He poured into two collapsible cups, then handed one to her. Their fingers brushed again, lingering just a heartbeat longer than necessary.
“This is perfect,” she murmured, cradling the warm cup between her hands.
James sat beside her, close, but not too close. Still, the air between them shifted, warm despite the winter chill.
Jake plopped down in front of them and reached eagerly for the pastry box. “These look like the best cookies ever,” he declared, choosing a sugar-dusted snowflake and holding it reverently before taking a huge bite. “They taste it too!”
“Okay, I have to try one.” But as Jake went to hand her the box, he froze. “Jake?”
Jake suddenly stilled. “Aunt D,” he whispered, “look!”
“It’s okay,” James said, resting a hand on her arm.
Their eyes met, and he saw her fear. But then she relaxed and turned around.
She put her trust in us,his bear said happily.
