Page 62 of My Big Fat Shifter Wedding

“I bought an insulated bag for this, so it should.”

Be still my heart.

It was such a little thing, just a bag that delivery drivers used to keep food hot and ready, but it was so thoughtful that I was… touched. It was wild having a partner who anticipated every need before I even had it. With him, I was never the one who had to save the day. Never the person who had the responsibility to anticipate every possible variable and prepare for it. We were equals who supported and loved each other as best we could.

It was all too much. My throat constricted. Did it look like I was getting emotional over fried chicken? Perhaps. But I tried to maintain my composure as best I could.

It turned out my best wasn’t quite good enough, because Keith stopped before we left, his expression curious.

“Is everything okay, Olivia? I don’t mind if you want to eat it here.”

So silly. So, so, so silly, and yet that was what made tears begin to well in my eyes. “Everything is perfect,” I blurted, and uh-oh, that was the last vestige I had before the floodgates really opened. “I’m so happy, and I can’t believe my life can be like this. And I’m sad because I spent so much of my life thinking I could never have something like this.

“You make me laugh, you make me feel safe, and even the simplest things with you are so damn wonderful. I love it! I love it, and I love you, and… and… and… thank you for giving me the best birthday I could ever ask for! I want to spend the rest of them with you.” That last word ended up drawn out into something that sounded a bit more like “yoohuhu”, but mi amore seemed to understand every word out my mouth.

“Aw, baby, I wanna treat you good,” Keith said, setting the chicken down to pull me into his big, strong embrace. It never failed to regulate me. From the full body pressure all over, to his scent, to the soft murmurs that always escaped him as he gently rubbed my back, I felt so loved and tended. I had no idea what the employees of the chicken shop thought of me having a breakdown, but I hoped that they took it as their food smelling so amazing.

“You treat me better than good!” I practically wailed. In reality, my voice was only slightly louder than usual, but there was so much going on in my head and my heart.

I truly loved Keith with every fiber of my being and felt so respected and cared for when I was with him.

I was lying to Keith and keeping him separate from a part of my life that was very important to me.

I wanted to spend forever with him.

I couldn’t spend forever with him.

The push and pull of it all and the guilt I felt when he was so perfect in every way made the tears come even harder. I wanted to confess right then and there, but I couldn’t risk the entire existence of my people because my conscience was growing too heavy for my enhanced strength to bear.

“My life is like a fairy tale now, and it’s so amazing. I’m so happy! Thank you, Keith. I love you so much.”

I was repeating myself because I wasn’t a poet, so I didn’t have the words to profess all the emotions swirling inside me, but the look Keith gave me was a mix of caring and intensity that took my breath away.

“Fuck it.”

Now that was just about the last thing I expected to hear, but it knocked me out of the spiral growing in me, and I sputtered for a second.

“W-wha⁠—”

A little squeak left me as Keith got down on one knee in front of me.

Wait, is this happening?

Sure enough, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little blue jewelry box that looked comically tiny in his large palm.

“Olivia...”

Oh my god! This is happening!!!

“You are an incredible woman, and you’ve made the last year of my life better than I could ever hope to verbalize. You fill my days with smiles, my nights with laughter, and every weekend is a new adventure.

“But lately, I’ve realized that these weekend escapes from the world aren’t enough. That the best memories I’ve made and experiences I’ve had over the past year have all been with you. I count down the minutes until I see you again, and when we’re together, it’s never quite long enough before I have to see you go.”

If I was crying before, I was a total sobbing mess now. I pressed my hand over my mouth in an effort not to interrupt any of Keith’s speech. Because every word that fell from his lips was like a balm to my tormented soul. I wished everyone on the face of the earth could feel what it was like to be so cherished, because there was nothing else like it.

“That’s why I’m asking you to take my hand in marriage. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, from the boring moments doing laundry and loading the dishwasher, to yelling at the TV while eating an absurd amount of crab rangoon, to all the hikes, movies, and line dancing adventures.

“I know this might be soon, and it’s okay if it is for you, but I’ve been hiding this ring for six months and carrying it in my pocket for four. So, Olivia, I’m asking you, here in this chicken shop, will you marry me?”