Chapter Fifteen – Daniel
Daniel woke in a state of contentment. He snuggled down under the covers, wanting to linger, to live a little longer with that feeling before the day started.
Last night’s movie night replayed in his mind.
Holly nestled between the kids on the sofa, Teddy’s sleepy head eventually drooping against her shoulder, the way she’d caught Daniel’s eye over the children’s heads with a smile that was just for him.
It had been the perfect end to the perfect day.
And hopefully today would be perfect too.
So, he’d better get started. He didn’t want to miss a single moment of being with Holly. Maybe he should bake something extra special for breakfast this morning. Something irresistible. So that she might find him irresistible, too.
His bear chuckled and rested his head on his paws. You’ve got it bad.
Oh, I do, Daniel agreed.
But when his phone pinged with a message, he knew it was all about to change. That his perfect day had ended before it had even begun.
With a groan, he reached for his phone on the nightstand and tapped the screen.
There it was…
Carl called in sick. Flu. Delivery truck broke down. Supply order delayed. Need you here NOW.
His phone pinged again.
Sorry!
“Damn,” Daniel muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His bear stirred uneasily, sensing the sudden spike in his stress levels.
The digital clock read 6:17. He needed to get to the bakery as soon as possible, and he hadn’t even woken the kids yet.
With a sigh, he texted his reply.
You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ll be there as soon as I can.
Daniel moved through his morning routine at double speed, his mind racing ahead to the logistics. The kids were his main concern. They couldn’t miss school, and he hated ruining their routine. He knew only too well what their life was like without one.
He pulled on jeans and a clean flannel shirt, trying to calm the growing tightness in his chest. This wasn’t the first time he’d juggled a bakery emergency with parenting. He’d manage. He always did.
Daniel padded down the stairs, his mind whirling with logistics. He needed coffee—desperately needed coffee—to sort through this mess. How was he going to get the kids to school and himself to the bakery in time? His bear paced anxiously, sensing his rising stress.
The kitchen was quiet in the early morning light.
Daniel moved on autopilot, scooping coffee grounds into the filter, filling the reservoir with water.
The familiar ritual usually calmed him, but today his thoughts kept jumping ahead to the bakery.
No, Carl meant they’d be short-staffed during the morning rush and with supplies delayed.
“Morning.”
Daniel nearly dropped the coffeepot. Holly stood in the doorway, her dark hair tousled from sleep, drowning in one of his old t-shirts that she’d adopted as a nightshirt. She looked soft and warm and utterly kissable.
His bear immediately perked up, forgetting all about the bakery crisis.
“Morning,” Daniel managed, setting the coffeepot down carefully.
Holly tilted her head, studying his face. “What’s wrong?”
The question startled him. How had she read him so easily? It was as if she were attuned to his moods already, the way his bear was to hers.
“Bakery drama,” he sighed, holding up his phone to show her the text. “Carl is sick, and the delivery is late.”
“Okay,” Holly said, moving toward him with purpose. “Why don’t you go, and I’ll take care of the kids?”
Daniel opened his mouth, then closed it again. The offer was so unexpected, so perfectly timed, that for a moment he couldn’t find words.
That would solve all of your problems, his bear observed. Except for the one where you want to spend every waking moment with her.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Daniel finally said, his voice rough with emotion.
Holly’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “You’re not asking. I am offering.” She moved past him, her arm brushing his as she reached for the coffeepot. The casual contact sent warmth spreading through his chest.
She poured two mugs and handed one to him. “Drink this first, have something to eat, and then get going.”
Daniel accepted the coffee, wrapping his fingers around the warm ceramic. He looked around the kitchen, suddenly overwhelmed by what was happening. This was such a big deal. He was going to leave Holly in charge of the kids for the first time, on her own.
Don’t worry about it, his bear said, they love her. They’ll be fine.
Daniel snorted softly. I’m more worried about Holly. What if they scare her off?
His bear rolled his eyes. She can handle them. You’ve seen what she’s like with them.
“Are you sure?” Daniel asked.
“Absolutely,” Holly replied, taking a sip of her coffee with such calm confidence that Daniel felt his stress level drop a notch or two.
He nodded, drinking his coffee in grateful silence. Holly moved around the kitchen with easy familiarity, pulling bread from the pantry and setting it in the toaster. The domesticity of the moment hit Daniel with unexpected force.
She was taking care of him.
The sound of small feet on the stairs announced the kids’ arrival. Teddy burst into the kitchen first, pajama top askew, hair sticking up in wild directions.
“Holly! You’re still here!” he exclaimed, as if her presence each morning was a delightful surprise.
Maisie followed more sedately, already dressed for school, her backpack clutched in one hand. “Morning, Dad. Morning, Holly.”
Daniel cleared his throat. “Slight change of plans today, munchkins. I need to head to the bakery early. Holly’s going to take you to school.”
He waited for protests, questions, any sign of distress at the disruption to their routine. But the kids just nodded, accepting the change with remarkable ease.
“How are we going to get there?” Maisie asked practically, climbing onto a stool at the counter.
“Oh, my car...” Holly began, her brow furrowing.
Damn. Daniel had hoped, irrationally, that she would forget she ever had a car and stay in Bear Creek forever.
“Take my truck,” he said quickly, fishing the keys from his pocket and holding them out to her.
“Are you sure?” Holly asked, eyes widening slightly.
“Yes,” Daniel said firmly, pressing the keys into her palm. His fingers lingered against hers for a heartbeat longer than necessary.
“But how are you going to get to the bakery?” Teddy asked as he settled on a stool beside his sister.
“I’ll call James,” Daniel said, already pulling out his phone. James answered on the second ring, agreeing to pick him up in ten minutes with the cheerful efficiency that made him such a good friend.
Daniel ate the toast Holly placed in front of him, washing it down with a second cup of coffee.
As he ate, Holly made breakfast for the children and listened to them as they chatted about their day.
She even managed to stop a potentially heated debate over what was the best thing to spread on toast before it began.
See, his bear said. She’s a natural with them.
All too soon, a horn beeped outside.
“That’s James,” Daniel said, reluctance heavy in his voice. He bent to kiss Teddy’s head, then Maisie’s. “Be good today. Listen to Holly.”
“We will,” they chorused, mouths full of breakfast.
Daniel turned to Holly, suddenly awkward. “Thank you for this.”
“It’s nothing,” she said softly. “Go save your bakery.”
Without thinking, Daniel leaned forward and kissed her cheek, the gesture as natural as breathing. Only when he pulled back did he realize what he’d done. Holly’s eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted in surprise.
The air between them crackled with sudden tension. Daniel’s heart hammered against his ribs as Holly’s gaze dropped to his mouth, then back to his eyes.
The horn beeped again, longer and more insistent.
“I should go,” Daniel said, his voice rougher than he intended.
Holly nodded, a flush spreading across her cheeks. “We’ll be fine.”
Daniel forced himself to move, grabbing his coat from the hook by the door. Every step away from Holly felt wrong, like fighting gravity. At the doorway, he turned for one last look.
Holly stood between Maisie and Teddy, one hand resting on each child’s shoulder. The three of them waved, a perfect tableau of everything Daniel had ever wanted.
His bear rumbled contentedly. This is right. This is how it should be.
Daniel waved back, then hurried down the path to where James’s truck idled at the curb, exhaust creating clouds in the cold morning air.
“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.