Page 81 of My Big Fat Shifter Wedding

“No... it’s too silly. Ridiculous even.”

I took the cucumber slices off and sat up to look over at her. She must have sensed my eyes on her, because she did the same. “No, I want to know! Really!”

“Well...” she waffled a bit more before her next sentence came out so quickly it was like there wasn’t any space between the words. “I overheard one of the attendants talk about there being a drag show their nephew was doing. It sounds like such fun!”

I knew I was grinning like an absolute cheeseball, but I didn’t care one bit. “Now that sounds way better than afternoon tea!”

The drag show was every bit as fun as I thought it would be, especially when Miss Angela got a little bit tipsy and ended up with a drag queen sitting in her lap while twerking. I’d stopped at an ATM before heading there, so we had plenty of cash to tip, and my goodness, did Keith’s mother know how to make it rain.

I figured she’d be completely wiped out after that, because I usually needed a nap after a good massage, but either alcohol or the thrill of new experiences was keeping Miss Angela’s energy levels up, because once the drag show concluded, we talked to some of the queens afterwards and ended up going with them to an actual drag race when the sun was setting.

And by drag race, I didn’t mean that the one that was televised and featured a dozen or so queens fighting for a crown. No, I meant a literal drag race with cars as well as women waving tiny flags for said cars to go vroom-vroom and peel out.

Maybe one of those women ended up being Miss Angela, and maybe one of those women ended up being me. But much like Vegas, what happened during girls day wasn’t talked about.

I befriended two drag queens, Tess Tickles and Cher Noble, and ended up following them on Instagram. Angela also invited them to provide entertainment at her birthday party being held in her retirement home, which I was delighted to hear. Never thought I’d have to crash a party at an assisted living facility, but there was a first time for everything.

I was already marrying a human, what more drama could drag queens add to the mix?

By the time the two of us ended up in our Uber, we were bone tired and sapped from a day of fun, relaxation, drinks, and far too many hijinks. Really, it had gone far better than I ever hoped it could, and I was feeling closer than ever with the woman who raised the man I loved.

I had been sure she would fall asleep on the nearly forty-five minute ride back to the nursing home, as the sun had long since set and she had mentioned several times that she was early to bed and early to rise, but she surprised me when she spoke after fifteen minutes of quiet.

“I want you to know that I see the changes you’ve brought out in my son, and I really appreciate you for them.”

It was an unexpected moment of vulnerability and sincerity, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to react.

“Oh?” I murmured at first before realizing that wasn’t exactly the most eloquent response. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“Of course, my dear. I always tried to do my best by him, but I think I leaned on him far too much when he was growing up. I didn’t mean to, but it always seemed like he was so wise beyond his years and like he genuinely enjoyed listening. He was an easy confidant, and a good one, but it was too much pressure, you know?”

As someone who had also been a bit accidentally parentified, I understood exactly where she was coming from. “I understand. He is really easy to talk to.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying for decades.” She beamed at me, patting my arms a couple of times before her mood sobered. “But really, I was worried about him for a long time because he didn’t seem to be interested in pursuing any sort of connection outside of what he and I had. And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my son and being close with him, but there’s going to be a time when I’m not around anymore, and he needs to have genuine, healthy relationships with other people.

“I thought that big old head of his might pop right off his shoulders when I told him I was thinking of moving out, but I couldn’t think of any other way to give him the kick in the pants he needed, because talking and dropping hints for the past decade hadn’t worked. Not to mention I was exhausted from all the work that went into keeping that house, even with him doing most of the strenuous chores.”

“I can only imagine,” I agreed. I’d seen Keith vacuum, load the dishwasher, and do laundry plenty of times, but he still hired a housekeeper once a month to go over everything to keep things spic and span.

“I thought my plan had backfired because he seemed more morose than ever while I was having the time of my life here. But then you came along, and it’s like he finally got it. Now he has dreams and aspirations beyond the next amazing furniture piece he’s gonna carve out. He’s working on his hobbies, he’s going to the gym, and most importantly, he’s in love.” Her eyes were wet and shining when she looked at me.

The tears I had managed to dodge the entire day began to fall.

“Finally, after so many years of worrying, I’m getting to see my son do all the things I dreamed for him. And it’s because of you, Olivia. Because of your kindness. Because of your wit and your humor. You bring out the best in my son, and I can’t wait to see all the adventures the two of you go on.”

Now we were both crying. Our Uber driver didn’t say anything from the front, but he offered us a box of tissues.

We went through quite a few of them as we embraced and murmured nice things to each other. I don’t think either of us fully articulated a single word, and yet both of us knew exactly what the other meant.

God, could my life get any more perfect? I still didn’t understand how such lovely people had ended up so alone, but I was so incredibly happy that we had all managed to find each other. And even if I had to pretend not to be a wolf for my entire life, I couldn’t help but think it was worth the price to keep such two amazing humans in my world.

“Thank you, Miss Angela,” I said when I was finally capable of full words and sentences. “That means everything to me. It does. And I know it might be silly, but there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Anything, my dear. Your wish is my command.”

She really was too kind.

“You see, my family is very traditional, and I know Keith and I skipped some steps with them and it wrinkled some feelings, but I don’t want to do that with you. So, Miss Angela, I would like to ask you for your son’s hand in marriage.”