Page 34 of The Bear's Blooming Mate

“I can only imagine,” Elsbeth said.

He chuckled, remembering the chaos of dinnertime at the Thornberg house. “It was always chaotic growing up. The noise, the fighting over the last dinner roll, everyone talking over each other.” He shook his head, smiling at the memories. “I used to hide in my room sometimes, dreaming about what it would be like to be an only child.”

Really?” she asked.

“Yeah.” His expression grew serious, his eyes meeting hers across the candlelight. “But honestly? I couldn’t imagine my life being any other way. My brothers drive me crazy sometimes, but they’re also my best friends. They’ve always been there, through everything.”

“I often wonder what that would be like,” Elsbeth said softly, her fork pausing above her plate. “Having siblings. A big family around the table. Someone to share everything with.”

Philip could hear the loneliness in her voice, see it in the slight droop of her shoulders. His heart ached for her.

Wait until she knows she’s part of our big, chaotic family now,his bear said with satisfaction.

Philip chuckled at his bear, only to quickly realize that he had laughed out loud. It wasn’t quite the right moment, given how serious their conversation had been.

“What’s so funny?” Elsbeth asked, tilting her head at him.

“Oh, nothing.” He shook his head, still smiling. “I was just thinking that being part of the Thornberg clan might scare you more than...” He trailed off, realizing what he’d almost said.

More than learning you are a bear shifter and she is our mate,his bear finished.

“More than what?” she prompted.

“More than anything else you might encounter in Bear Creek,” he finished lamely.

“Sounds nice, actually,” Elsbeth said quietly, looking down at her plate. “Having people who care about you.”

Philip studied her face, noticing how the light seemed to have dimmed in her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said automatically, pushing her pasta around her plate.

“You don’t need to be fine,” Philip said gently. “Not here. Not with me.”

Something in his voice must have reached her, because she set down her fork and took a deep breath. When she looked up, her eyes were swimming with unshed tears.

“My mom was my whole world,” she whispered. “We were a team, just the two of us against everything. And then she got sick, and I watched her slip away a little more each day.” A tear slid down her cheek. “The worst part was knowing that when she was gone, I’d be alone. Really alone.”

She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “Sometimes I wonder if it would have hit me so hard if I’d had a sibling. Someone who understood exactly what I was losing, someone to share the grief with.”

Philip reached across the table and took her hand in his. Her fingers were cold, and he wrapped both his hands around hers, warming them.

“She’ll always be with you,” he said softly. “Not just in your memories, but in the way she shaped who you are.” He glanced at her bracelet. “And in the things she left behind.”

Elsbeth lifted her other hand, touching the small rose charm on her bracelet.

“Sometimes I think I can feel her presence,” she admitted. “But it’s just my imagination.”

He wished he could fix things for her, take away her pain, and replace it with joy. But some wounds needed time to heal, and all he could do was be there while they did.

There is nothing you can fix,his bear said gently.All you can do is be there for her. To help her dreams grow.

Philip reached for his wine glass, lifting it in the soft glow of the candle. “To family,” he said solemnly. “May they always be in our hearts.”

“To family,” Elsbeth echoed with a shuddering breath, raising her glass to meet his. “So,” she said, visibly pulling herself together, “tell me more about the vineyard. I’d love to hear about how it all works.”

Philip recognized what she was doing. Steering the conversation toward safer ground, he respected her need to shift away from the raw emotion of the moment. He launched into a description of Thornberg Vineyard, painting a picture of the sprawling property with its neat rows of vines climbing gently sloping hills and the hacienda-style house that sat at the center of it all.

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