“You look happy,” Charlie announced as he carried his dinner plate to the sink and set it down.
Marion smiled down at him. “So do you.” She could not believe the difference in him. He was so much more open and relaxed. And she swore he’d grown a couple of inches.
Charlie grinned mischievously, leaning against the counter with a knowing look that seemed too wise for his nine years. “Alfie looked happy, too.”
Marion felt her cheeks flush pink, the heat rising to her face unbidden as she thought back over the morning they’d all spent together making the bug corner. “He did. I think he likes bugs as much as you.”
Charlie looked up at her, his expression suddenly serious. “I don’t think it was just the bugs that made him happy.”
“You don’t?” she asked evasively.
Damn, this was hard. She was scared of moving too fast, too soon. Scared that if she pursued a relationship with Alfie, and it all went wrong, Charlie would end up getting hurt, too.
However, she also wanted Charlie to see what good relationships looked like. After witnessing the toxic dynamic between his mother and Razor, he deserved to know that love could be kind, respectful, and nurturing.
“I was thinking of maybe inviting him over for dinner again sometime soon,” Marion said, holding her breath as she waited for Charlie’s answer, though she already knew he would jump at the idea.
“When?” Charlie asked eagerly. “Tomorrow?”
Marion nodded, unable to contain her smile at his enthusiasm as she went back to washing the dishes. “Maybe tomorrow, if he’s not too busy.”
Charlie considered this for a moment, then shook his head confidently. “ I don’t think he’ll be too busy.”
“Me neither,” Marion agreed, surprised by her own certainty. The way Alfie looked at her, made her believe he would rearrange mountains to spend time with them. “Okay, it’s time for you to have a bath and then bed.”
“Off I buzz!” Charlie spun around and ran from the kitchen, making the sound of a bee buzzing, his arms outstretched at his sides. The sight made Marion chuckle as she turned back to the sink and began washing the dishes, her head filled with images of Alfie.
The feel of his touch lingered in her memory. He had no idea of the effect he’d had on their lives, how he’d helped them both open up again after they’d closed themselves off to protect their wounded hearts.
She wished she had the courage to tell him, to open her heart to him completely. To tell him of her past and how much she wanted him to be a part of their future.
As she finished the dishes, the hair on the back of her neck prickled suddenly. Marion froze, her hands dripping soapy water onto the floor. She turned slowly, going to the window and looking out, afraid there might be someone watching. But she could not see anyone lurking out there.
She must be tired, Marion decided, drying her hands on a dish towel. It had been a long day after her sleepless night. Maybe she should have a soak in the bath and an early night.
Upstairs, she found Charlie already in the tub, creating a foamy landscape of bubbles. She kneeled beside the bathtub, smiling as he fashioned a bubble hat and then a bubble beard.
“Look! I’m Santa Claus!” he proclaimed, his face barely visible beneath the mountain of bubbles.
“Very convincing,” Marion laughed, reaching for the shampoo. “Tilt your head back for me.”
As she washed Charlie’s hair and then checked all the dirt was gone from under his fingernails, Marion found herself grateful for these simple moments.
She was happy to see him getting his hands dirty, playing outside like a normal child.
It was good for children to play in the earth, to connect with nature.
The thought transported her back to a year ago when Charlie had been dirty not from play but from neglect. Heather had gone away for a week with her girlfriends, leaving Razor in charge.
But when Marion called around on a spontaneous visit, she found Charlie shut in his room while Razor was preoccupied with some deal or other. When Heather returned, Marion had confronted her sister, but Heather had taken Razor’s side and called her an interfering old spinster.
The words had stung, and for a few weeks afterward, Marion had withdrawn, doubting herself, wondering if she was overreacting. But then came the incident that changed everything.
“Aunt Marion?” Charlie’s voice pulled her back to the present. “You’re making your worried face again.”
Marion smoothed her expression, reaching for a towel. “Sorry, buddy. Just thinking.”
“About Alfie?” Charlie asked hopefully, standing up as she wrapped the towel around him.
“Among other things,” she replied, helping him step carefully out of the tub.
“I think he’s going to say yes to dinner,” Charlie declared with the absolute certainty only a child could muster. “When you ask him, tell him I have more questions for him.”
“Then I am sure he’ll say yes.” Marion smiled, helping him into his pajamas. “Now, teeth brushed and then story time.”
Later, with Charlie tucked into bed and the house quiet around her, Marion ran her bath, adding a generous pour of the lavender bath salts she’d made.
As she sank into the warm water, she let her thoughts return to Alfie, with his smile that made her insides squirm in a good way.
And she would forgive him for his terrible plant puns because of the way he treated Charlie.
Tomorrow, she would call him and invite him to dinner.
The thought sent a flutter of anticipation through her chest. Perhaps it was time to be brave, to trust that what was growing between them could withstand the shadows of her past. After all, as Alfie had shown her in the garden, even the most delicate seedlings could become strong with proper care and attention.
Marion closed her eyes, letting the lavender-scented steam envelop her. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she allowed herself to imagine a bright, hopeful future—and at the center of that future, standing beside her and Charlie, was Alfie.
Alfie , the word was like a whisper on the wind, and she opened her eyes, as that same sensation she’d felt earlier prickled her neck.
Marion sat up straight in the bath, water sloshing around her as she strained to listen. Was there someone there? She held her breath, waiting, but heard nothing except the quiet dripping of the faucet and Charlie’s soft snores from down the hall.
“You’re being ridiculous,” she murmured to herself, sinking back into the water.
The lavender scent enveloped her once more, but the peaceful feeling had evaporated.
She couldn’t shake the sensation of being watched, though she knew it was impossible.
The bathroom window was frosted glass, and they were alone in the house.
With a sigh, she pulled the plug, got out of the bath, and pulled on her fluffy robe. As the water gurgled down the drain, she wrapped her hair in a towel and then headed along the hall to her bedroom.
But the feeling that something was off intensified. Marion found herself drawn to the window and peered out into the darkness. There was no one there. At least no one she could see.
But what if there was someone out there lurking in the shadows?
Not wanting to face another sleepless night, Marion turned away from the window. She’d get dressed, grab a flashlight, and go out there and check it out.
What if it’s a bear or a wolf?
The temptation to call Alfie and ask him to come over was almost too much.
But would he read more into it? Marion had never been a damsel in distress before.
And she didn’t want to start being one now.
Marion turned away from the window and went to her closet. She had just slipped on a pair of comfortable slacks and a soft sweater when she heard it…a gentle knock at the front door. Marion froze, her heart hammering against her ribs. Who would be calling at this hour?
She crept down the stairs, one hand trailing along the wall for support. The knock came again, slightly louder this time. Despite her racing pulse, something deeper, more instinctive, told her there was no danger waiting on the other side.
Taking a deep breath, Marion unlocked the door and pulled it open.
Alfie stood on her porch, his hair slightly disheveled. “I’m sorry to be calling so late,” he said huskily. “I just... I needed to see you.”
Marion stepped back, making space for him to enter. “Come in.”
Alfie hesitated for a heartbeat, as if he’d been expecting to have to convince her to let him in. But then he stepped over the threshold and into her house.
In the narrow entryway, his presence seemed to fill the space completely. Marion could barely breathe as she closed the door behind him, acutely aware of his presence.
“Charlie’s asleep?” Alfie asked, glancing toward the stairs. But it was more of a statement than a question.
Marion nodded. “Out like a light. All that gardening wore him out.”
She slipped past him, her arm brushing against his chest as she moved toward the kitchen. The brief contact sent electricity racing across her skin. She didn’t need to hear his footsteps to know he was following close behind her. So close all she had to do was reach out and…
She took a steadying breath, reminding herself she had no idea why he was here at this time of night. But her imagination sure could conjure up a few…
In the kitchen, Marion turned to face him, suddenly unsure what to do with her hands. “Do you want a drink?”
“No,” Alfie replied, his voice cracking slightly on the single syllable.
The way he looked at her made her breath catch. His eyes were so dark and intense, filled with unmistakable desire, and the air between them seemed to crackle with tension. With all the things they’d left unsaid.
Marion moved toward him slowly, drawn by an irresistible pull. When she reached him, she placed her hands lightly on his chest, feeling his heart thundering beneath her palms.
“Alfie,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He reached out and placed his hand on her waist. Heat spread through her body. Heat and desire for this man. Desire she saw mirrored in his eyes.
For a moment, they simply stood there, neither of them daring to move. Then Marion rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss started soft and tentative. Then Alfie groaned, his arms tightening around her as he deepened the kiss. Marion melted against him, her hands sliding up to tangle in his hair.
Heat bloomed between them as the kiss grew more urgent, years of loneliness and longing pouring out in each touch. Marion pressed herself against him, feeling the hard evidence of his desire. The knowledge that he wanted her as desperately as she wanted him was intoxicating.
Alfie’s hands roamed her back, pulling her impossibly closer as his tongue entwined with hers. Marion felt dizzy with want, every nerve ending alive, her skin tingling under his touch.
Then suddenly, with what seemed like tremendous effort, Alfie broke the kiss and pulled back slightly. His breathing was ragged, his eyes dark pools of desire as he gazed down at her.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, his voice strained.
Marion’s stomach dropped, ice replacing the warmth that had suffused her moments before. This was it…the moment when everything would fall apart. Just like it always did.