Chapter Five – Michael
So this is what it’s like to have a family, Michael’s bear said with a happy sigh as they carried the chosen tree to Sarah’s car.
Oh yeah, Michael could not keep the smile from his face. How lucky can one man…
And a bear, his bear added quickly.
How lucky can one man and a bear be? Michael said.
The luckiest, his bear replied.
The thought carried Michael across the snowy yard toward Pat’s car, the wrapped tree balanced over his shoulder.
His father fell into step beside him, steadying the base with practiced hands.
They had repeated this scene so many times before, loading a tree onto a car.
But this was different. This was for his mate.
His mate!
With a happy sigh, he hoisted the tree higher, ready to slide it onto the car roof.
“A little to the left,” Emmy called from a safe distance, her pink mittens framing her face like a megaphone. “No, your other left!”
Michael bit back a grin as he adjusted his stance. Emmy’s self-appointed role as tree director was adorable, her serious expression making it clear she considered this a major responsibility.
“How’s this?” he asked, shifting the weight.
“Perfect!” Emmy bounced on her toes. “Now we just have to make it fit!”
Pat surveyed the roof rack with a critical eye as Michael laid the tree down temporarily while he measured the rack with his arms, mentally calculating dimensions.
“Let me grab something,” he said, jogging to his truck and returning with a folded rug. “This will protect the car.”
He padded the metal bars carefully, aware of Sarah watching him with those expressive eyes that made his heart skip. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, a strand of dark hair escaping from beneath her beanie. The urge to tuck it back nearly overwhelmed him.
Focus on the tree, he reminded himself.
“Ready?” Michael asked, gripping the netted trunk. “We’ll need to angle it about thirty degrees.”
Noel positioned himself at the base, and together they attempted to maneuver the spruce onto the roof rack. The crown brushed against the car’s aerial, while the trunk end extended well beyond the bumper.
“A little more this way,” Michael suggested, shifting his grip. They tried again, tilting and adjusting, but no matter how they positioned it, the tree simply wouldn’t cooperate.
It’s too big, his bear observed with poorly concealed delight. We’ll have to deliver it. Personally.
Don’t sound too pleased about it, Michael thought back.
His bear chuckled inside him. I am very pleased. And so are you.
Michael couldn’t argue with that. The prospect of seeing more of Sarah, of having a legitimate reason to visit her home, sent a warm thrill through him.
Pat stepped back, hands planted on her hips as she studied the situation. “It’s not going to fit,” she concluded with a shake of her head.
Emmy’s shoulders drooped instantly, her expression crumbling. “Oh no! Our tree!” The disappointment in her small voice tugged at Michael’s heart.
“I’ll deliver it to your house…before dark,” he said without hesitation. “It’s what we do for the big ones.” He kept his voice steady and professional, though his bear practically purred with satisfaction.
His eyes found Sarah’s, checking her reaction. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable. “Does that work for you?”
“Are you sure?” she asked, but her body language told a different story. A slight lean toward him and a hopeful tilt of her head told him everything he needed to know. She wanted him to say yes.
“Absolutely,” he replied, careful not to show just how eager he was. “It’s no trouble.”
Relief and gratitude softened her features. “Thank you, that would be wonderful.”
His bear did a mental victory dance. Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!
Michael pulled out his phone, making a show of logging the address Pat provided, though he’d already committed it to memory. 212 Maple Lane. The two-story blue house with the wide porch and the swing. He’d driven past it countless times, never knowing his future mate would one day live there.
“I’ll follow right behind once we finish up here,” he promised Emmy, who had brightened considerably at the solution.
“You’ll bring it soon?” she asked, eyes wide with hope.
“Scout’s honor,” he replied, making the sign that made her giggle.
Pat and Sarah began the process of wrangling Emmy into the car, which involved negotiations about whether her mittens needed to stay on (they did) and whether she could sit in the front (she could not). Michael watched them, a family unit that somehow already felt like it could be his, too.
His mother approached Sarah before she could get in, pulling her into a warm hug. “Don’t be a stranger,” Holly said, the words carrying more weight than a casual goodbye.
Sarah returned the hug with a soft smile. “I won’t,” she promised, and caught Michael’s gaze over Holly’s shoulder.
He stood back slightly, not wanting to crowd her. “See you soon,” he said simply.
Emmy’s voice piped up from inside the car. “See you soon, Michael! See you soon, tree!” Then she fogged the window with a puff and drew a lopsided star.
As Sarah slid into the passenger seat and closed the door, Daniel appeared at Michael’s side, watching the car pull away. He tilted his head toward the retreating vehicle, his expression knowing.
“That’s her?” Daniel asked quietly.
For once, Michael didn’t deflect or change the subject. He nodded, his voice soft but certain. “That’s her.”
Our mate, his bear rumbled with satisfaction.
If she chooses us, Michael added.
We’ll make choosing easy, his bear countered confidently.
As Pat’s car disappeared down the snowy lane, Michael had to physically restrain himself from following immediately. His feet actually shifted forward before he caught himself, earning a knowing smirk from Daniel.
Then his mother was beside him, practically vibrating with excitement as she clutched his arm. “You finally met her,” Holly said, her eyes shining.
“I did,” Michael replied, keeping his tone deliberately even.
Holly did a double-take at his restraint, then burst into laughter when Michael’s serious expression cracked into a wide grin. He swept his mother into a bear hug, lifting her slightly off the ground.
Daniel joined in, wrapping his arms around them both, and suddenly Maisie and Teddy were there, too, piling onto the group hug.
“Why are we hugging?” Teddy asked, his voice muffled against Michael’s coat.
Daniel laughed, squeezing his son’s shoulder. “Do we need a reason?”
“I guess not,” Teddy decided, snuggling deeper into the huddle.
Michael closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the warmth of his friends and family around him. When he opened them again, he was already calculating how quickly he could finish his tasks and load Sarah’s tree onto his truck.
“Come on, Dad. Let’s get our tree loaded.” Teddy grabbed Daniel’s hand and tugged him away with Maisie skipping along beside them.
“I should get this tree stowed away, ready to go out on the next delivery,” he said, reluctantly breaking away from the group hug.
“My advice?” Holly’s eyes twinkled with ill-concealed amusement.
“You’re going to tell me anyway,” Michael said affectionately.
“Get the other trees dropped off first,” Holly said. “That way you won’t have to rush off when you deliver Sarah’s tree.”
“Now, that is good advice,” Michael said as he carried Sarah’s family tree to his truck.
His father chuckled, falling into step beside him. “Don’t worry, we can take care of things here.”
“Are you sure?” Michael asked, not wanting his dad to overdo it.
“You know how your father always loves to help people choose the perfect tree,” Holly said. “He always finds an excuse to come on over.”
“And our son finding his mate is the best excuse ever,” Noel said.
“I can’t argue with that,” Michael replied as he placed the tree on the back of the truck.
“And so here is my advice,” Noel said.
“I’m listening.” Michael turned to face his dad.
“I’m just going to say,” Noel began, “some things are worth taking your time with. Getting to know someone special...that’s one of those things.”
Michael nodded, absorbing his father’s wisdom as he grabbed the rope and they worked together to secure the tree.
“I know. I don’t want to rush her. She’s been through enough.
” He secured the tree with careful attention, making sure it was perfect.
“But I also don’t want to waste a single moment of a single day now that I’ve found her. ”
Noel clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Then don’t waste today. But remember, trees that grow too fast don’t put down deep roots.”
“I remember,” Michael said, smiling at the familiar advice. His grandfather had taught him the same thing when he was a child. That same advice had helped him plenty of times in the past.
Now he would use it to help him create a perfect future.
As he secured Sarah’s tree with extra care, Michael felt a profound sense of rightness settle over him. The path ahead might not be straight or simple, but for the first time in years, he could see it clearly.
And it led directly to 212 Maple Lane.