Chapter Fifteen – Michael
Michael wanted to share his feelings with Sarah, wanted to tell her how much she meant to him…
She means everything, his bear sighed.
Michael stared at Sarah as they walked through the town square, his bear’s declaration echoing in his mind. Everything. She did mean everything, and he wanted to tell her so badly his chest ached with longing.
But the timing wasn’t right. Not now. Not after seeing the tightness around her eyes when Emmy had been on the phone with her father. Emmy’s face had lit up like the Christmas tree in the square, but Sarah’s had dimmed, worry replacing the easy happiness they’d been sharing moments before.
“Are you hungry?” Michael asked, spotting a small booth with a colorful display of cupcakes. “Those look good.”
Sarah followed his gaze and nodded. “Sure.”
“Is this what you wanted to show me?” she asked, her voice quieter than before.
Michael glanced at her, eyebrows drawing together. He’d wanted to show her the path behind the square that led to a small overlook. His favorite spot in town, where the lights of Bear Creek spread out below like fallen stars.
Get your head in the game! his bear chuckled.
“No,” Michael said, shaking his head with a small smile. “But you have to try these. I always get one when Maggie sets up her booth. We could get some for your mom and Emmy, too.”
Sarah studied the display, her expression easing slightly. “They look too beautiful to eat.”
The cupcakes were works of art. Each one was decorated with intricate designs of snowflakes, miniature Christmas trees, and delicate stars dusted with edible glitter. Michael approached the booth, Sarah beside him.
“Michael North!” The older woman behind the counter beamed at him. “I was hoping you’d stop by tonight.”
“Wouldn’t miss your cupcakes, Maggie,” he replied. “This is Sarah.”
“Lovely to meet you, dear,” Maggie said, her eyes twinkling as they darted between Michael and Sarah. “First time at our Cocoa and Carols?”
“Yes,” Sarah smiled. “Everything’s so beautiful.”
“Four cupcakes, please,” Michael said, pulling out his wallet. “Your choice, Sarah.”
They laughed as they debated the merits of each design.
A red velvet cupcake topped with a perfectly crafted fondant cardinal, a chocolate one with mint frosting swirled to look like a pine tree, a vanilla cupcake decorated with a snowman made of white chocolate, and a spice cake crowned with a miniature gingerbread house.
As they walked away with the boxed treats, Michael noticed Sarah seemed lighter, some of the tension leaving her shoulders as she carefully held the package.
The atmosphere was infectious—the rousing carols, the scent of pine and cinnamon, the laughter of children throwing snowballs near the gazebo.
He’d enjoyed this night so many times before, yet never like this. Never in the presence of his mate. Michael wanted to reach for Sarah’s hand, but hesitated, uncertain of her reaction, of pushing things too far too fast.
“Emmy sounds excited about the sleigh ride with her dad,” he said finally.
Why bring that up? his bear grumbled.
Because I want Sarah to know I’m here if she needs to talk, Michael replied.
“She is excited,” Sarah said, her steps slowing. She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully. “But one of the reasons we split up is his lack of awareness of how his actions affect his daughter.”
Michael nodded, hearing the careful neutrality in her voice, the way she avoided criticizing her ex directly.
“Emmy deserves to have people she can count on,” he whispered.
“She does.” Sarah looked up at him, something vulnerable in her eyes. “All children do.”
“If there’s anything I can ever do,” Michael offered, “just ask.”
“Thanks.” Sarah gave him a small smile. “I appreciate that. Although I think you have already done enough by introducing me to these wonderful cupcakes.”
They stood for a moment in silence, but it wasn’t awkward. Michael watched the way the colored lights from the Christmas displays played across Sarah’s face, highlighting the curve of her cheek and her lips...lips he longed to kiss.
“There’s more to see,” he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat and nodded toward the path that led away from the square. “If you don’t need to head back to Emmy yet.”
His bear hummed in anticipation, as if Sarah’s answer would determine the course of the entire evening.
Sarah half-turned and scanned the crowd. “I think they can spare me for a little longer. It looks as if Mom is helping Emmy decorate gingerbread cookies.”
Michael followed her gaze, his shifter senses homing in on the young girl who was now part of his family.
Even if she does not know it yet, his bear said happily.
He spotted Emily at the gingerbread stall, her grandmother helping her pipe a wobbly line of frosting onto a cookie house. The little girl’s face was scrunched in concentration, the tip of her tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth. Something in his chest tightened at the sight.
“She looks like she’s having fun,” he said, nodding toward Emmy.
“She does. Mom’s great with her,” Sarah said wistfully. “It’s one of the reasons I decided to move here after my divorce.” She swallowed hard. “I was scared I might not be able to start over without her support.”
“There’s nothing wrong with needing help from others,” Michael murmured, wishing he could take away her pain.
“I know.” Her eyes misted with tears. “But the breakdown of my marriage left me feeling like I’d failed somehow.”
Michael so wanted to remind her that she’d just told him that her ex’s behavior was the reason she’d left. That he shouldered the blame, but bashing her ex, a man he didn’t know and shouldn’t judge, was not what Sarah needed right now.
Instead, he shook his head gently. “You didn’t fail. Relationships are complicated. And you did what was right for you and Emmy.”
The corners of Sarah’s mouth lifted in a grateful smile that made his heart skip. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.” She gestured toward the path. “So what did you want to tell me?”
“Oh, just that I’m here for you,” Michael murmured. “But it was more that I wanted to show you something.”
“You did?” Sarah asked, glancing at him.
“Yes. It’s just up here,” Michael said, leading her toward the wooded trail that curved behind the square. “Watch your step. The path gets a little uneven.”
The sounds of the festival faded as they walked, replaced by the soft crunch of snow beneath their boots and the whisper of wind through pine boughs.
Michael slowed his pace to match Sarah’s, hyperaware of her presence beside him.
The path narrowed, and her shoulder occasionally brushed against his arm, each contact sending a jolt of warmth through him despite the layers of winter clothing between them.
“Watch your step here,” he warned as they came to a section where tree roots had pushed up through the path. He offered his hand without thinking.
Sarah hesitated for only a moment before taking it. Her fingers tightened around his.
Our mate, his bear rumbled contentedly.
Oh yeah! Michael said, resisting the urge to shout it from the snow-covered rooftops.
The trail curved upward, and Michael could feel Sarah’s slight tug on his hand as the incline grew steeper. He steadied her with his other hand as she navigated a slippery patch, her gloved fingers clutching his forearm.
“Almost there,” he promised.
When they reached the crest of the small hill, the trees parted to reveal the overlook. Michael watched Sarah’s face, wanting to see her reaction more than the view he’d seen a hundred times before.
Her lips parted in surprise as she took in the panorama of Bear Creek below them.
The town sprawled before them with strings of multi-colored lights outlining rooftops, the tall spruce in the town square glowing like a beacon, and beyond that, the scattered lights of farms and cabins dotting the valley floor.
“Michael,” she breathed, “it’s magical.”
Michael grinned widely. “Best view in town.”
Sarah turned to him, her eyes reflecting pinpricks of light from the town below. “I can see why. It’s like looking down on a Christmas card.”
“Shall we sit for a minute?” he asked, gesturing toward the bench.
“Sure.”
They moved to the bench, and Michael brushed away a dusting of snow before they sat. He reluctantly released her hand, immediately missing the connection.
Sarah nodded, still gazing at the vista before them. They settled on the bench, close enough that their shoulders touched. Michael could feel the warmth of her even through their winter coats.
“Bear Creek is full of surprises,” she said, glancing up at him.
“Of the good kind, I hope,” he replied.
“The best.” She cast him a look he could not fathom, but he was certain that she counted him as one of those good surprises.
His bear chuckled. When she finds out about the mating bond, she’ll count us as one of the best.
I hope so, Michael replied. But after a messy divorce, Sarah might not be ready to jump straight into another relationship.
She will when she knows fate has brought us together, his bear said with such confidence Michael found himself believing that it would all work out.
Sarah shivered slightly beside him, and without thinking, Michael shifted closer.
To his surprise, she leaned into him, the cupcake box resting on her lap as she sought his warmth.
The simple gesture sent a wave of protectiveness through him, and he longed to wrap his arm around her shoulders, to hold her close against the December chill.
“Thanks for showing this to me,” Sarah whispered, her gaze still fixed on the twinkling lights below.
“You’re welcome,” Michael replied, his voice low. The weight of her against his side felt right in a way he couldn’t articulate.
“It’s been so hectic since we got here,” Sarah began. “That it’s nice to take a breath, you know, and appreciate the small things.”
And the big things, said his bear.
“Like cupcakes?” Michael said aloud, choosing to keep the mood light despite the intensity of what he was feeling.
She cracked a smile, her face softening. “Like cupcakes.” She glanced down at the box in her hands. “Speaking of which, we should get back and show them to Emmy.”
For a moment, they simply sat side by side, neither making a move to leave, as if stretching the seconds into something longer. Then Michael stood and offered her his hand. She took it without hesitation, her fingers warm against his palm.
They both took one last look at the view before heading down from the lookout, the path slightly trickier in descent.
Michael kept his pace measured, aware of Sarah beside him.
The sounds of the crowds grew louder, the choir was still in full voice.
Michael guided them through the crowd to Emmy and Pat, and made sure he did not let go of Sarah’s hand.
He did not want to lose her in the crowd.
Or ever, his bear added.
They reached Emmy and Pat standing by the cookie decoration table. Emmy’s face lit up when she spotted them, her small mittened hands carefully holding a lopsided gingerbread house covered in a rainbow of frosting and what looked like every sprinkle variety Bear Creek had to offer.
“Look what I made!” she announced, holding it up proudly. “Gran showed me how to make the roof stay on!”
“That’s amazing, Em,” Sarah said, leaning down to examine it. “I love the...is that a gummy bear on the chimney?”
“It’s the house guardian,” Emmy explained seriously. “Gran said every house needs one.”
Michael glanced at Pat, who gave him a wink. He liked the older woman’s practical wisdom, the way she wove small magic into everyday things for her granddaughter.
Emmy’s eyes fixed on the box Sarah was carrying. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing with frosting-sticky fingers.
“We found something special,” Sarah said, holding up the cupcake box.
“Can I see?” Emmy asked as Sarah opened the lid to reveal the festive treats. They each selected one, Emmy immediately claimed the snowman, Pat chose the cardinal, Sarah took the pine tree, leaving the gingerbread house for Michael.
Sarah bit into hers, a small sound of appreciation escaping her. “These are delicious,” she said, licking a bit of frosting from her lip. “It’s like Christmas was baked right into them.”
Michael watched her enjoy the cupcake, warmth spreading through his chest at the simple pleasure on her face. Maybe he hadn’t told her how he felt tonight, but there would be other nights.
But Michael was not sure he would ever find the right words to tell Sarah just how much she meant to him.