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Marion nodded as tears pricked her eyes. “Charlie’s been talking about this bug corner all week. We should probably help him get started.”

“Absolutely,” Alfie agreed, his smile widening. “But first...”

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “No more running away,” he whispered against her skin. “Talk to me next time. Please.”

“I will,” Marion murmured.

As they walked toward Charlie, Alfie’s hand found hers, their fingers intertwining naturally. Marion felt like a fool.

But a fool in love, and somehow, that made all the difference.

Charlie looked up as they approached, his face lighting up at the sight of their joined hands. “Are we going to build the bug corner now?”

“We sure are,” Alfie replied, squeezing Marion’s hand gently. “And I brought something special for it.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden sign with “Charlie’s Bug Hotel” burned into the surface. “I thought every good hotel needs a sign.”

Charlie’s eyes widened as he took the gift, running his fingers over the carved letters. “You made this for me?”

“I did,” Alfie nodded. “Do you like it?”

Instead of answering, Charlie threw his arms around Alfie’s waist, hugging him tightly. Over the boy’s head, Alfie’s eyes met Marion’s, filled with such tenderness that she felt tears spring to her own.

This was what healing looked like, Marion realized. Not a straight line, but a series of steps forward and back, moments of trust and fear, courage and retreat. And somehow, incredibly, she had found someone willing to walk that winding path with her.

With them.

Chapter Seventeen – Alfie

Now it was all starting to make sense. Marion had seen him with Elsbeth and jumped to the wrong conclusion. Alfie could see Marion was embarrassed, so he decided to simply move on, not dwelling on the misunderstanding that had nearly derailed their blooming relationship.

Dougray was right,his bear said, satisfaction rumbling through their shared consciousness.We just needed to give our mate space.

Alfie snorted as he walked hand in hand with his mate.No, all we needed was dumb luck. If Elsbeth hadn’t come along today to help plant a cut flower garden, then Marion would never have found out the truth.

His bear chuckled.Dumb luck, or fate?

You do have a point,Alfie agreed. Had fate stepped in once more, just as it had when Finn sent the message to the wrong person? The message that brought Marion into his life?

It gave him hope for the future. Hope that everything would turn out all right.

It will,his bear said with renewed confidence.

“So, where do we start?” Charlie asked as they reached the spot Alfie had earmarked as the perfect place for their bug corner.

Before Alfie could answer, Charlie sprinted forward and jumped on the stump.

“Whoa there, little explorer,” Alfie laughed, watching as Charlie balanced on the weathered oak stump. “That’s actuallygoing to be part of our bug hotel. Old wood like this is already home to all sorts of critters.”

Marion squeezed his hand before letting go to set down her tote bag. “Charlie, careful with your jumping. We don’t want to disturb any bugs that might already be living there.”

Charlie immediately froze mid-bounce, his expression turning serious. “Are there bugs in there right now?” he whispered, crouching down to examine the stump’s rough surface.

“Most likely,” Alfie said, kneeling beside the stump. He ran his fingers along the grooved bark, feeling the texture beneath his fingertips. “See these tiny holes? Those could be beetle tunnels. And these cracks here make perfect hiding spots for all sorts of insects.”

Charlie’s eyes widened as he leaned in closer. “Can I use your magnifying glass to look?”

“No.” Alfie’s refusal caused Charlie to jerk his head around.