Chapter Thirteen – Daniel
The afternoon light was fading, painting long shadows across the snow-covered hill. Daniel watched as Holly kneeled beside Teddy, helping him shake the packed snow from his boot treads.
“If you don’t get all the snow out now, buddy, it’ll melt in the truck and make it all soggy,” she explained, her breath clouding in the winter air.
Teddy nodded seriously, concentrating on the task as if it were the most important mission in the world. Beside them, Maisie stood watching, drawn to Holly in a way Daniel had never seen before.
To anyone looking in, they probably looked like the perfect family.
We are the perfect family, his bear said.
Aren’t we just, Daniel said, his heart filled with love for the three people in front of him.
But were they a forever family?
The roads were clear now. The storm had passed. There was nothing keeping her here anymore.
Although she hadn’t mentioned her car all day. Maybe she’d forgotten about it. Or maybe she hadn’t.
Any minute, he expected her to say something about her next steps, about needing to retrieve her car, about sorting out her life now that the weather had improved. About leaving them.
His bear growled at the thought. She belongs here.
Yes, she might be his mate, but she didn’t know that. She’d stumbled into their lives by accident—a beautiful, perfect accident that had changed everything in just a few days.
But accidents weren’t the same as choices.
“All done!” Teddy declared, stomping his now-clean boots in demonstration.
“Good job,” Holly said, ruffling his hair as she stood. “Race you to the truck!”
Teddy took off like a shot, laughing as Holly pretended to struggle through the snow behind him. Daniel watched them, memorizing the moment, the way her laugh carried in the cold air, the way his son’s face lit up as he glanced back to make sure she was still following.
How would Teddy’s face look when she left? When would that brightness fade from his eyes?
“Dad?” Maisie tugged at his sleeve. “Are you okay?”
Daniel blinked, forcing a smile. “Just tired from all that sledding. You kids wore me out.”
Maisie studied him with that too-perceptive gaze she sometimes had. “Holly had fun too. I could tell.”
“Yeah,” Daniel whispered. “I think she did.”
They reached the truck just as Teddy was claiming victory in his race with Holly, who dramatically collapsed against the passenger door, hand to her forehead.
“You’re too fast for me,” she gasped between exaggerated breaths. “I never stood a chance.”
Teddy beamed with pride. “I’m the fastest in my class.”
Daniel helped the kids climb into the back seat, making sure their seat belts were secure before closing the door. When he turned, Holly was already sliding into the passenger seat, her cheeks flushed from cold and laughter, her hair slightly mussed from their afternoon adventures.
She looked so right there. So perfectly, completely right.
His bear purred at the sight of her buckling in as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if she’d been riding shotgun in his truck for years rather than days.
Daniel climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine, waiting for the words he dreaded. The casual mention of her car, her apartment, or whatever life was waiting for her beyond Bear Creek.
But Holly just smiled at him. “That was the most fun I’ve had in years,” she said, her voice soft enough that the kids couldn’t hear over their own excited chatter.
“Me too,” Daniel admitted, pulling onto the road that would take them home. His home. Their home?
The drive back was filled with the kids’ breathless recounting of their “epic sledding crashes,” each story more elaborate than the last. Holly laughed along, asking questions at just the right moments, gasping appropriately at tales of near-disaster.
Daniel stole glances at her whenever he could, taking in her profile against the darkening window, the way she turned in her seat to better hear Teddy’s latest exaggeration. She smiled—the kind of smile people only gave when they felt safe, when they were exactly where they wanted to be.
His bear rumbled contentedly. She’ll stay.
But Daniel didn’t let himself hope too hard. Not yet. Not until she said something about tomorrow. Or the day after.
They pulled into the driveway just as the last light faded from the sky. Inside, the house welcomed them with its familiar warmth, the entryway soon cluttered with damp boots and snow-crusted coats.
“Hot chocolate?” Daniel suggested, helping Teddy with his zipper.
“Yes!” both children chorused.
Holly hung her new red coat on the hook beside Daniel’s, the sight of it there making his throat tighten. She kneeled to help Maisie take off her boots, her fingers deft as if she had done this a thousand times or more.
“There you go,” she said, setting the boots neatly beside the others. “All done.”
Maisie threw her arms around Holly’s neck in a quick, fierce hug before racing after Teddy toward the living room. Holly remained kneeling for a moment, her expression filled with surprise and something deeper that made Daniel’s chest ache.
He offered his hand, helping her to her feet, reveling in that intimate sense of connection he felt whenever they touched. “Kids get pretty affectionate when you help them with their boots,” he said lightly. “It’s a known fact.”
Holly laughed, but there was a slight tremble in her voice. “Good to know.”
They stood for a moment in the narrow entryway, close enough that Daniel could smell the crisp winter air still clinging to her hair, mingled with the faint scent of cinnamon from the latte they’d shared earlier.
His bear urged him to close the distance, to pull her against his chest and breathe her in properly.
Instead, he stepped back, giving her space. “I’ll get started on that hot chocolate.”
Holly hesitated in the doorway to the kitchen. “If you don’t mind,” she said, biting her lower lip, “I’d like to cook tonight. As a thank you.”
Daniel froze. No one had cooked him dinner in this house—not since he’d adopted the kids, not since before that, not since... honestly, he couldn’t remember. Meals had always been something he handled because someone had to.
“You don’t have to do that,” he managed, his voice rougher than he intended.
“I want to,” Holly said, her eyes meeting his with quiet determination. “Please. Let me do this for you all. As a thank you.”
As a thank you. The words echoed in his head. They had a finality to them. As if she were repaying his hospitality.
Before he could answer, she was moving into the kitchen with confidence, reaching for pans and spices as if she’d always cooked there. Daniel stood in the doorway, watching as she opened the refrigerator, assessing its contents with a thoughtful expression.
“I’m thinking pasta,” she announced. “With that chicken leftover from yesterday, and maybe a cream sauce?”
“Sounds perfect,” Daniel said, his voice barely audible over the sudden pounding of his heart.
Was this their last supper before she left?
If it were, he was going to make sure it was a meal she would never forget.
He moved to the cabinet where he kept the wine, pulling out a bottle of red he’d been saving for... something. Some occasion, he couldn’t quite define until now. He poured two glasses, handing one to Holly as she began chopping garlic.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a sip before setting the glass on the counter. Their fingers brushed in the exchange, and Daniel felt the contact like a current running up his arm.
Deep within him, something melted dangerously. His bear rumbled with something like awe. Our mate. Our home. Our family.
And he knew he had to tell her before she left. Had to tell her everything, no matter the consequences.
“Dad! Come see what we built!” Teddy’s voice called from the living room.
Daniel glanced at Holly, who shooed him away with a smile. “Go. I’ve got this under control.”
He found the kids arranging cushions into what appeared to be a makeshift viewing area in front of the television. Teddy was placing each pillow with unusual care, while Maisie organized a stack of Christmas movies beside the DVD player.
“We’re going to watch movies after dinner,” Maisie informed him. “Holly said she’s never seen ‘The Polar Express,’ and that’s practically illegal at Christmas.”
“Illegal,” Teddy agreed solemnly, placing the final cushion. “We have to fix it.”
Daniel settled onto the sofa, pulling Teddy up beside him. “That’s very thoughtful of you both.”
“Holly’s nice,” Teddy said, snuggling against Daniel’s side. “I like her a lot.”
“Me too,” Maisie added, climbing up on his other side. “She knows how to braid hair the fancy way, and she doesn’t get mad when you spill things.”
Daniel wrapped an arm around each child, their warm weight against him both comforting and bittersweet. They’d accepted Holly so completely, so quickly. What would happen when—if—she left?
“I like her too,” he admitted softly.
“Is she going to stay with us tomorrow?” Teddy asked, looking up at Daniel with wide, hopeful eyes.
The question hit Daniel like a physical blow. “I don’t know, buddy. That’s up to Holly.”
“But you want her to stay, right?” Maisie pressed, her expression serious.
Daniel hesitated, caught between honesty and protecting his children from potential disappointment. “I think Holly needs to figure out what’s best for her,” he said carefully.
“But…” Teddy began.
“Hey, tell me about school today,” Daniel interrupted gently. “Did you finish that art project you were working on?”
The distraction worked, launching both children into animated descriptions of their day.
Daniel listened, asking questions at the right moments, but part of him remained focused on the sounds and scents drifting from the kitchen.
The sizzle of garlic in oil. The rich aroma of herbs and butter.
The soft humming that occasionally reached his ear…
Holly was singing to herself as she cooked.
Daniel swallowed hard, a strange tightness in his chest.
He imagined this scene repeating itself a hundred times, a thousand. Holly cooking while the kids told him about their day. Movie nights with all four of them squeezed onto the sofa. Mornings at the breakfast table, evenings by the fire. Birthdays and Christmases and ordinary Tuesdays.
Not because she owed him anything... but because she chose to stay.
And he’d do everything in his power to make that a reality.