“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I have changed so much since my family saw me last that I think it’ll be a lot already. Plus Elyse told me over the radio that there are laws on who we can tell.”
“Well, Clayton lays down the laws, and me and my brothers enforce them. You can do whatever the fuck you want, and I’ll back you.” His voice sounded deadly and dangerous, and she believed him. This was the advantage to pairing with the biggest, baddest predator shifter in existence. The fear factor diminished considerably at the top of the food chain.
“Wait there,” he murmured, cutting the engine. Tobias jogged around the front of the Bronco and opened her door for her, then pulled her hand to the crook of his arm as he led her across an icy patch and into the diner.
He wore a navy sweater that clung to his wide shoulders and dark jeans that sat just right on his tapered hips. Her mate cut a striking silhouette, but it was his eyes as he turned and graced her with a smile over his shoulder that held her. He used word “love” sparingly, but his eyes always revealed his feelings. It was enough.
As they waited for a table, Tobias held her hand as she rested her cheek against his arm.
The hunchbacked woman with an easy smile said, “You two make a beautiful couple. How long have you been married?”
“We’re getting married next spring,” Vera said as another wash of excitement zinged through her. Sometimes she forgot how heavy the meaning of Tobias’s ring on her finger was.
“It feels like I’ve always been with her, though,” Tobias said.
Vera looked up at him in surprise. Usually when they came to town for short visits and supply runs, Tobias didn’t talk to anyone. He was a quiet man, and it was usually up to her to carry on conversations. Her mate smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head.
“How long have you been married?” she asked the woman, whose husband was leaning against her shoulder, staring vacantly out the window.
“Fifty-three years,” she said proudly. “I’ve loved every one.”
“Silver,” the host called.
“Oh, that’s us. It was nice talking to you,” Vera said, waving to the woman.
“You too, dear. Good luck with wedding planning.”
“Thanks.” The fact that she could very well be planning this wedding on her own while her mate hibernated suddenly felt like another hundred pounds added to the already substantial weight on her shoulders.
No, tonight was going to be a good night. She wouldn’t think about her failures. Not right now.
The host led them to a booth in the corner and set their menus on opposite sides of the table. With a polite smile, Tobias slid in next to Vera and dragged his menu to him. She understood. She didn’t want to be away from him for even a minute, even if only a table separated them.
And when the waiter showed up and Tobias had ordered enough food to feed a small army, her mate leaned in closer and told the server that he wanted to pay for the meal of the couple sitting at the table across the room. Vera looked over his shoulder and grinned at the older couple they’d talked to who were settling into a small two-seat table near the opposite wall. Sweet Tobias.
After a beer and a glass of cheap red wine were delivered to their table, Tobias sat back, draped his arm around Vera’s shoulders and said, “I ordered a karaoke machine.”
“You did not!”
“I did. It’ll be delivered to the Galena post office in a couple weeks.”
“Oh, my gosh!” she crowed in disbelief. “Well now it’s going to be a party.”
“Hell yeah, it will be. I can’t wait to see you get up there and do your thing.”
“You’ll be singing with me.”
“I will not. My voice is shit.”
“Perfection isn’t the point of karaoke, McBeefcake. Fun is.”
“Mmm, well maybe if I get enough moonshine in me, I’ll consider it. As a wedding present.”
She took a long sip of her wine and shook her head. “Uh-uh, I want sausage for my wedding present.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Werebear sausage.”
Tobias nearly choked on his beer. He cast a quick look around and lowered his voice. “Stop it right now, or you’ll get some of that werebear sausage up against the sink in the bathroom.”
Vera opened her mouth to give him a snarky retort, but the server showed up with the three appetizers Tobias had ordered, so she held her tongue.
Tobias leaned over and nipped her neck, sending her into a peel of giggles, then he began dragging cheese fries to her plate. He always did that, served her before himself. It was one of the million things she adored and respected about him.
“Who do you want me to make invitations for on your side?”
“Well you already invited my asshole father, so I’m good.”
Carefully, she asked, “Do you want me to invite your mom?” He didn’t talk about her. In fact, she knew next to nothing about the woman since Tobias skittered away from any mention of her. Even her inner animal drew up curiously at this conversation.
“No need. She wouldn’t come, and I wouldn’t want her there anyway.”