Page 53 of The Bear's Blooming Mate

Chapter Sixteen – Philip

“You know?” Philip arched an eyebrow in question.

This is going to be a whole lot easier if Elsbeth already knows about shifters,his bear said.

But it also confirmed his worst fears, that she hadn’t wanted to hear what he had to say last night because she didn’t want him to confirm they were mates.

“I mean, I know you have something on your mind,” she replied.

“Oh,” Philip said with relief.

She doesn’t know, does she?his bear asked.

No, I don’t think she does,Philip answered, his relief short-lived. This felt a little likeout of the frying pan and into the fire.

Because now he had to find the words to tell her about shifters, about the mating bond, about who she was to him.

“I’ve noticed something’s been on your mind,” Elsbeth said, twisting her hands together. “Like there’s something important you want to tell me.” She looked up at him with those eyes that seemed to see right into his soul. “Last night, on the bench at the vineyard, I could feel it.”

His bear stirred restlessly inside him, eager to finally be acknowledged.This is it. Tellher the truth,his bear urged.

“I did want to tell you something,” Philip admitted. “I still do.”

Elsbeth reached for his hand, her fingers entwined with his, and a shock of recognition threaded through his veins. “I’m sorry I cut you off. I was afraid that...that it might be bad news,” she admitted, her voice small. “And so it was easier not to listen, but that was unfair. Whatever you have to say, you should say it.”

She was scared,his bear’s heart went out to their mate.

He should have guessed. Should have sensed her unease. But he hadn’t, perhaps because he’d been scared, too.

“I never meant to upset you,” Philip said, squeezing her hand. A weight lifted from his shoulders. She hadn’t been rejecting him, she’d been protecting herself.

But will she still be scared when we show her the truth?Philip wondered.

I am not scary,his bear insisted.

Not to me, not to people who know about shifters,Philip reasoned,but to someone who has no idea shifters exist? It is going to be scary.

Not as scary as losing her mom,his bear replied forlornly, wishing he could take that pain from his mate.

No,Philip agreed.For Elsbeth,I doubt there’s anything as scary as losing your mom.

Elsbeth tilted her head, confusion crossing her features. “Philip?” She touched his cheek gently, her eyes searching his. “You seem so far away.”

“No, I’m right here.” Philip leaned into her touch, savoring the connection. “I have something I want to show you,” he said, his voice low and serious.

“Does this involve another trip in your truck?” she asked lightly, trying to ease the tension between them.

“No,” Philip replied with a small smile. “But maybe...” He looked around at the open fields surrounding them. “We could go somewhere a little more private.”

He didn’t want to shift in the open in the middle of the day, even though he couldn’t sense anyone nearby. Being around his mate confused his senses, especially when his emotions were so heightened.

“The house?” she asked, pointing toward the farmhouse.

“No,” he chuckled, imagining Elsbeth’s reaction if he shifted in her living room. “Why don’t we take a walk back to the spring?”

She looked over her shoulder toward the path they’d followed earlier, then nodded. “Okay.”

They walked back up the hill in comfortable silence, their fingers intertwined. Elsbeth didn’t question what he wanted to show her—she trusted him completely, and that meant everything to him.

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