Chapter 8

Viv pulled a batch of snickerdoodles out of the oven. She’d only had a few hours of work this morning and had stopped on the way home to pick up some last-minute items. She swore her watching shadows followed her to the store, but they were gone when she pulled into the apartment’s parking lot. There was a surprise party for Thomas at the nearby park in a little bit. D wanted to propose. He asked for her help with ring ideas a few weeks ago and they had finally decided on the perfect ring. She was so excited to see her friend’s reaction. They were gathering a few different people to meet at the park; D’s parents, Thomas’ family, some of his coworkers and their other friends. Her part was to get Thomas to the park. She was using the cookies as a bribe.

“Cookies! You do love me,” Thomas said happily as he tried to sneak a cookie.

“Leave those alone. They’re for later,” she said.

“What’s later?”

“I thought we could do a picnic at the park today. It’s supposed to be a gorgeous day.”

“We haven’t done that in a while. That sounds fun,” Thomas replied. “What can I do to help?”

“I have almost everything ready, just waiting on the last of the cookies to cool down so I can pack them up.”

“Alright. I’m going to go put on sunscreen and I’ll be ready to go. This is going to be a great day,” he said.

Viv grinned, knowing it was going to get better. She drove them to the park, carrying the basket. She didn’t want him to feel how light it was, as the cookies were the only thing in there. D was getting food brought in, along with a cake. But it was hard to ask someone to go on a picnic without bringing food along.

“Are we going to one of the shelters?” Thomas asked as they headed away from their usual spot.

“I thought we’d give it a try. Gives us some shade from the sun if it gets too hot,” she replied.

They turned the corner and Thomas jumped as everyone shouted “Surprise!”

He turned to look at her, shock on his face. “What is this? It’s not my birthday.”

Viv tilted her head toward D, who was walking toward them. He was wearing a pair of leather pants and a tight black t-shirt. Viv had pointed out it was going to be hot, but he said he wanted to wear Thomas’ favorite outfit.

Stopping in front of them, D took one of Thomas’ hands. Viv scooted off to the side, not wanting to be in the way. She had done her part. She pulled out her phone so she could get a picture of the proposal.

“Thomas. You entered my life, bringing joy and laughter, and brightness. I love you, now and always. Forever. Would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?” D asked, sinking to one knee, holding the ring in his other hand.

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes.” Thomas knelt down in front of him, holding his face in his hands, pulling him in for a kiss. D slid the ring on Thomas’ hand. Viv couldn’t stop grinning. She looked around the crowd, seeing lots of smiles and a few teary eyes. Her gaze stopped on one grumpy face in the background. Mac was here.

Six foot seven, dark pitch-black hair, eyes so dark they looked black. If you went outside on a night without stars or moonlight, those were his eyes. They were vast and deep, and she would love to get lost in them. He was staring at her, but abruptly cut off eye contact. When she moved to walk over to him, he walked into the woods. She knew he wouldn’t be there if she followed. Maybe it was just her he didn’t like, although how he could dislike her so much when he never talked to her was beyond her. Why she had a crush on him was another mystery. She had hoped dating would bring someone she could become close to, but so far they had all been duds. Roland still sent her a few messages, all very friendly, but clearly not interested in more. He could become a good friend at least, she thought.

“I can’t believe you knew and didn’t say anything!” Thomas exclaimed as he wrapped her in a hug.

“It’s not a surprise if I said anything,” she pointed out, laughing.

“True. You did good. I love the ring,” he said smiling, looking down at his hand. It looked like the perfect fit, so she was pleased. “Where’s my cookies?”

Viv laughed. “You don’t want cake?”

“I can have cake too! It’s my engagement day and I want my cookies.”

Viv shook her head, but pulled the cookies out of the basket, letting him grab a couple before placing the rest on the table. She grabbed a piece of cake and a sandwich. There were cute little tea sandwiches, with a few of the roll-up kind as well. It was quite the spread with fruit salad, a veggie tray, drinks, and the cake. D had done well.

She looked into the woods, sensing the shadows watching her. At this point she had gotten used to the sensation. It made her feel safe now instead of just being stared at. It didn’t feel threatening, so she hadn’t said anything to D or Thomas. Plus, D was there, along with his parents. If there was danger, one of them would have said something. She settled back, watching contently as her friend enjoyed his day.

The party wound down and Viv started to help clean up. It was nice to meet D’s parents. They seemed like really nice people. They would make great in-laws for Thomas. It was nice to see that they had even gotten along with Thomas’ parents. She wasn’t sure if they would ever tell them about nonhumans though. That might be hard for them to come to terms with. Thomas was a very late in life baby and his parents were older. They were like another set of parents to her, so when Thomas had to move because he wasn’t aging, she would be there to help take care of them. They were in their seventies now, so he might be able to stay here through the rest of their lives.

She shook off the morose thoughts, putting a smile on her face. This was a happy day.

“Thank you for my party,” Thomas said, coming up to hug her.

“I didn’t do much,” she protested. “D did most of it.”

“Well thank you for what you did. I had an amazing day. I even saw Mac was here for a hot minute.”

“Hmhm,” she agreed. She didn’t want to talk and have him hear her tone.

“Did you finally get a chance to talk to him?” Thomas asked.

Looked like she wasn’t getting out of this one.

“No. I started walking over to him and he ported out. I should have known better than to move in his direction. He never stays long when I’m there and I can never get close to him. Do I smell weird or something?” she asked sadly.

Thomas wrapped her in a hug. “Nope. I think you smell nice. D would have said something by now if you smelled bad. I don’t know Mac’s story; he doesn’t even talk to me much and D is his best friend. I think he might not be comfortable around humans?” he said, hesitantly.

“Or he doesn’t like humans,” she pointed out. Or just me, she added silently.

“I don’t know. Mac is the one thing D doesn’t talk about with me very much,” Thomas admitted. “He was mad at Mac after your date with Roland over something, but he said he was trying to stay out of it. Not sure if it’s work or what.”

“It’s fine. Not everyone has to like me, right?”

“Viv,” Thomas started.

“Hey! Did you get pictures of you and D with your ring? We should get some before the light starts to go,” she said, pulling him to stand next to his fiancé. She took a lot of pictures, the parents taking some with her in them.

Her friend smiled happily up at his mate, and she snapped the picture. That one was perfect to go on their wall.