“Vera,” he urged, kneeling down in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m breaking apart. I feel like I’m on a roller coaster I can’t get off of. One minute I feel fine and safe, I can laugh and smile like I used to, and the next, my life feels like it’s drowning me. I think about all I have to work through, and it feels impossible. I’m going to lose you, and I don’t want to. I don’t want to be too heavy for you to carry, Tobias.”
“You aren’t.” He wiped her tear and scooted closer, gripped her upper thighs. Lowering his voice, he repeated, “You aren’t too heavy, Vera. You think you’re the broken one, but you aren’t. I don’t see you like that. I see you as a survivor, as a badass. You were Turned, and you fought to live, woman. You lived. That’s so rare. You are one of the only female shifters on the fucking planet, and you feel like the broken one? Jonathan tried. My dad tried. They didn’t break you, Vera. They made you stronger by giving you the animal. I don’t blame you or her for struggling to figure this out. And you’re right. It’s hard. It’s so fucking hard. You could’ve taken the easy way out. You could’ve suppressed her forever, but look at you. A month off the meds, and don’t pretend that was easy. You went every day off that injection knowing what was coming, and you didn’t chicken out.” Tobias lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “You’re funny, wild, headstrong, vulnerable, and scared, and all of those are important parts of you and nothing to be ashamed of. Those emotions are what give you texture. They make you different. They make you real. You’re still here, Vera, fighting. I’m not going anywhere. I get to be in your life, watching you come into your own. It’s okay to feel fear about what’s happening to you, but you don’t have to be scared of me hurting you.” Tobias pulled something from his back pocket. It was a leather pouch, and gingerly, he lifted the top flap, then upended it. Onto his palm fell a simple diamond ring with a white gold band.
“Oh, my God, Tobias!” she cried, tears falling in earnest now as she clapped her hands over her mouth.
“It’s not a princess cut—”
“I don’t care—”
“And it’s nothing fancy—”
“That’s okay!”
“But it’s a real diamond.” Tobias swallowed hard and lifted his gaze to hers. With a long steadying breath, he whispered, “Vera Masterson, fox or human, it makes no matter to me. I’m in this. And I know we’ve already claimed each other, but I want more. I want you to be Vera Silver. Will you marry me?”
Sobbing, she nodded and threw her arms around his neck. She’d thought he would reject her if she admitted she was scared, but he’d gone and shocked her completely by digging his heels in and committing to her more. “Yes.”
“Yes?” he asked, his voice muffled against her neck.
“Yes, I’ll marry you!”
Tobias stood in one smooth motion with her still clinging to him. Feet dangling off the ground, she laughed as he pressed kisses up her neck. She hugged him tighter than she’d ever embraced anyone in her life.
Stunned, she said, “Tobias, you’re really mine.”
A rumbling chuckle vibrated against her chest. “I bit your tit and fought a wereporcupine for you, woman. You were always mine. Here, stop wiggling around and let me get the ring on you so we can make it official.” Tobias set her on her feet and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a little loose, but a piece of string wrapped around the bottom, and it would fit like a dream.
She let it sparkle in the lantern light as she grinned. “When did you get this?”
“I had to pick up some supplies from Anchorage, and I shopped for it while I was there. I had plans to do this smoother, though. More romantic.”
“Tobias,” she said, sliding her hands around his shoulders, “you couldn’t have proposed any better than you did. That meant the world to me.”
He let off a shaky breath and said, “Good. And you can do whatever you want for the wedding. Bejeweled gown and curly hair or whatever it is you said you wanted.”
“And a karaoke machine.”
“Whatever that is, we’ll get it. And you won’t be living in this shed forever. I’ll get us a place that’s safe and warm.”
“And ours.”
“Yeah.” His lips lifted in a slow, stunning smile. “Ours. I’ve never had a place to come back to after deliveries. It’s something I’ve thought about a lot these last couple of weeks. Coming back to Link’s place where I knew you were was really nice, but it’ll be even better if it is our home.”