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He climbed the stairs, each step filling him with a bittersweet ache. How he wished this was his home, that Charlie and Marion were already his family. His bear rumbled in agreement, impatient for what they both knew was inevitable.

“Thanks for answering all my questions,” Charlie said sleepily as Alfie went into his room and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Anytime,” Alfie replied, meaning it completely. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Charlie’s eyes were fighting to stay open. “Will you come back tomorrow?”

“That’s up to your aunt,” Alfie answered.

“She likes you,” Charlie mumbled, his voice thick with approaching sleep. “I can tell.”

Alfie smiled, gently tucking the comforter around Charlie’s shoulders. “I like her, too. And you.”

“Good,” Charlie sighed, his eyes finally closing. “We like you back.”

Alfie sat there for a moment longer, watching as Charlie’s breathing evened out into sleep. Then he quietly stood and made his way back downstairs, each step taking him closer to Marion.

He found her in the kitchen, pouring more wine into their glasses. She looked up as he entered, a question in her eyes.

“He’s already asleep,” Alfie said softly.

Marion nodded, handing him a glass. “Would you like to sit outside for a bit?”

They stepped onto the back porch, where the first stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky. The scent of night-blooming jasmine hung heavy in the air, intoxicating and sweet. Alfie breathed it in as he took a seat next to Marion.

“How are you liking Bear Creek?” Alfie asked, his voice low to match the intimacy of the moment.

“A lot,” Marion replied, her profile illuminated by the soft glow from the kitchen windows. “More than I expected to, actually. It already feels like home.”

“It’s a great place to raise a child,” Alfie said, wishing he could raise a child or two with Marion.

Suddenly, a streak of light blazed across the sky—a shooting star, brilliant and fleeting.

“Make a wish,” Alfie whispered, turning to find Marion already looking at him.

Time seemed to slow as their eyes held. Marion set her glass down on the small table between them, and Alfie did the same. Neither spoke as they leaned toward each other, drawn by a force as ancient and inevitable as the stars above them.

Their lips met, tentative at first, then deepened as Marion’s hand came up to rest against his chest. Alfie cupped her face gently, pouring everything he couldn’t yet say into the kiss. His need for her, his promise to protect her and Charlie, his certainty that they belonged together.

When they finally pulled apart, both slightly breathless, Marion’s eyes were shining in the starlight.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you,” Alfie admitted, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

“Me, too,” Marion whispered back, her voice carrying a note of wonder. “I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

Alfie smiled, leaning his forehead against hers. “Well, I’m glad we got that off our chests,” he murmured.

“You mean you’re glad we finallyrootedout the truth?” she asked and then giggled.

It wasn’t quite the effect his kiss would have on her.

But at least it means we aregrowingon her,his bear said.

Not you as well!Alfie said. It seemed everyone was stealing his puns. But only one woman would ever steal his heart.

Chapter Fourteen – Marion

Marion’s lips still tingled from where Alfie had kissed her last night. Or maybe she had kissed him. It had all happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly, she could not be sure who kissed who. But what a kiss it was. Their first kiss, one of many she hoped, under a shooting star no less.