Mate Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire #3)(31)

“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.”

“Home,” she whispered, feeling so full of happiness she was probably glowing like a bug light.

“But not yet,” he said, pushing a strand of her hair out of her face. “First we have to get you in control of your Changes and in control of your animal when you are shifted. She’s a biter, and you can Turn people. We have work to do while we’re here in the woods your animal is comfortable in, but I know you can do this. And when you do, we’ll go find a place of our own.”

“Okay,” she said, feeling more confident than she had in…well…ever. Now she had motivation. She had incentive to work hard and fix the broken parts of herself because, if she was strong enough, she would be rewarded with a life she never could’ve imagined.

Tobias was a freaking man-genius!

Not only that, but he hadn’t made her pay her side of the bargain before he’d chosen her completely. He had no idea if her medicine would work on him, yet here he was tethering them together forever. For the rest of her life, she would never have to question if he’d only done this for the cure. Tobias Silver, her fiancé, was the best man she’d ever met, and he was hers.

She really wasn’t alone in all this. Twisting her ring, she smiled up at him. “I like you.”

Tobias lifted his chin slowly. “Say what you mean. You’re too bold for half-truths.”

“I think I love you.”

A slow smile took his face, but still, he waited.

“I know love you,” she whispered, heat fanning through her cheeks.

Tobias waited for a long time, eyes on her, looking satisfied. At last, he pulled the thick blankets off the small cot and spread them out on the floor. “Come here,” he said low, holding out his hand, palm up. “I want to feel your skin.”

And she understood because, right now, it felt necessary to her, too. Their time apart could’ve been damaging. It could’ve put cracks in their foundation and shifted them away from each other like tectonic plates. Instead, Tobias had made sure she came back to this world secure and safe. He made sure she knew she was adored and important, despite her brokenness.

Slowly, she pulled off her nightgown and kicked out of her warm socks, then slid her palm against his and allowed him to tug her to the pallet he’d made. Tobias pulled his shirt off, but left his jeans on, then lay beside her and wrapped her up in his strong embrace. He let off a happy-sounding growl when she nestled closer and kissed his chest.

“I imagined this,” he murmured. “Imagined you here, human again, touching me. I hated it when you were away.”

She had to try harder. It wasn’t just her who was hurt by the lost time. Tobias had waited for her every day to turn back into the woman he cared for.

He swallowed audibly and kissed the top of her head, then murmured, “It’s like this for Elyse, and it’ll be like this for Lena this winter. I waited two weeks, feeling like the best part of me was missing, but they will wait six months.”