“Morning,” James said as Daniel climbed into the passenger seat. His friend’s eyes were knowing, his smile a little too smug. “So it’s true.”
Daniel buckled his seatbelt, avoiding eye contact. “What’s true?”
“Sarah told Michael she thought you had met your mate.” James pulled away from the curb, his gaze flicking to the rearview mirror where Holly and the kids were still visible in the doorway. “And then I heard Holly was helping out at the bakery yesterday. And today, you’ve left her alone with your kids…”
Daniel’s breath caught in his throat. Had it been that obvious to everyone except Holly?
“Yes, Holly is my mate,” he began. “But she doesn’t know yet.”
James whistled low. “That’s going to be an interesting conversation. Believe me.”
“Tell me about it,” Daniel muttered, watching the house—his house, with Holly in it—recede in the side mirror.
“Oh, I will,” James chuckled as he pulled away from the house. James had only recently found his mate and broken the news to her that he was a bear shifter and they were mates. So who better to get advice from?
“Please share your wisdom,” Daniel said.
Because he needed to know exactly how one told a human woman who’d just fled her wedding that she was the destined mate of a bear shifter? And that, by the way, he came with two adopted children and a bakery with staffing issues?
His bear huffed.You’ll figure it out. You have to.
Daniel wished he shared his bear’s certainty. But as the truck turned the corner, taking Holly and the kids out of sight, one thought remained crystal clear: he needed to find a way to make her stay. Forever.
Chapter Sixteen – Holly
“Teddy! We need to go!” Holly called up the stairs, glancing at her watch. If they didn’t leave in exactly seven minutes, they’d be late for school drop-off.
She turned back to the kitchen counter, where she was packing Maisie’s cookies into boxes for safe transportation to school. Maisie would be crushed if, after all her hard work, the cookies didn’t make it to the Christmas party in one piece.
“I can’t find my sock!” Teddy’s voice floated down, edged with the beginning of panic.
Holly abandoned the cookies and took the stairs two at a time, finding Teddy’s room in a state of controlled chaos. He sat on the edge of his bed, one sock on, the other foot bare, his lower lip trembling dangerously.
“Let’s see,” Holly said, dropping to her knees to check under the bed. “If I were a sock, where would I hide?”
Teddy giggled, disaster averted. “Maybe the dinosaurs took it.”
“Ah, sneaky dinosaurs,” Holly agreed, spotting a flash of blue fabric caught between the toy chest and the wall. She extracted it with a flourish. “Found the culprit!”
“You’re the best sock-finder ever,” Teddy declared, grabbing it and pulling it on.
Holly helped him slip on his shoes, the motions already familiar though she’d only been doing this for—what, two days? Three? The days had begun to blur together in the most pleasant way.
“Maisie! Five minutes!” she called, heading back downstairs.
Maisie appeared at the top of the stairs, her school uniform neat but her hair still loose around her shoulders. “Can you braid it? Like yesterday? And tie it with these red ribbons for the party.”
Holly’s heart skipped. She loved helping the kids. There was a satisfaction in it she could not describe. “Of course.”
In the kitchen, Holly worked quickly, one eye on the clock as her fingers wove Maisie’s soft brown hair into a French braid before securing the ribbons.
“There,” Holly said, securing the end with an elastic. “All done.”
“With the little loops at the end?” Maisie asked hopefully.
“With the little loops,” Holly confirmed, gently tugging a few strands loose to create the effect Maisie loved.
Teddy thundered down the stairs, backpack already strapped on. “I’m ready!”
