Her parents kept on yelling. They obviously hadn’t noticed a thing, but Fen was certain that system would never play again. True love was using your weird curse to get revenge on your girlfriend’s mean parents.
As they opened the front door, her mother shrieked, "Fenella Kim, don't you dare slam that door!"
Poised in the doorway, Fen looked at Carter. Very softly, she said, “I hadn’t planned to, and I know it’s childish, but…”
He grinned at her. Even with his colored contact lenses, she could see the light of mischief in his eyes. “Like frying their sound system was mature. Go for it.”
Fen slammed the door as hard as she could.
They got in the car, but Carter didn’t start it immediately. Instead, he stroked her hair and said, “How are you doing?”
She leaned back in her seat, exhausted. "I should have done this years ago. How embarrassing is it that I waited this long?"
"Not embarrassing at all. Family stuff is hard. Honestly, now that I've met them, it's even more amazing to me how brave and strong and sweet you ended up. They spent years and years crushing your self-esteem. You could have been crushed and never tried to do anything with your life, or you could have ended up just like them. But you didn't. You created yourself, Fen Kim. And what you created is wonderful."
Tears stung at her eyes. It was strange how hearing all those hurtful things didn't make her cry, but hearing positive things from a man who loved her did. Tears trickled down her face. But they felt cleansing, like the water that had washed away the mud of the swamp.
Not caring whether her voice cracked or not, she said, "I love you, Carter."
"I love you, Fen.” He reached out a gentle hand to brush the tears from her cheeks. “You’re my mate.”
“My what?”
“My mate. My one true love.”
“Oh, right. Dali called Merlin her mate too.” Fen had to smile. “Love your office slang. It’s a bit caveman, but…”
“Mate isn’t office slang. It’s a shifter thing.” Carter’s expression was a bittersweet mix of sorrow and love. “People who are born shifters, like me, normally know our true love at first sight. Our inner animals can recognize the person we’re completely compatible with—the person we’ll love our entire life—the person we can never fall out of love with. I don’t have my original animal anymore, so I lost that ability. But I love you so much, I know you have to be my mate. I don’t need my snow leopard to tell me so.”
Fen was both astonished and deeply touched. She wanted to stay with that moment, but her mind couldn’t help leaping to the equally incredible thing he’d told her, that there was an entire society of people for whom love at first sight was a completely real thing.
“So if we’d met earlier, when you had your snow leopard, he’d have said, ‘That woman you think you hate is actually your true love?’”
“Yeah, he would’ve. It has to be first sight in person, though. It doesn’t work over video or telephone.”
“And you’d have walked up to me and said, ‘Hi, I love you?’”
“I would hope I’d have had more sense than that,” he said with dignity. “Given that you’re not a shifter and wouldn’t have felt the same way about me. And also, sorry I didn’t mention this before. I didn’t because… Because my snow leopard should have told me. And he was gone.”
It was always so difficult for him to talk about the snow leopard he’d lost, but he was doing it for her. She leaned into him, pressing their bodies together. Side to side, shoulder to shoulder, cheek to cheek. That was how she always wanted to stay.
“You’re my everything,” she whispered. “I don’t have to be a shifter to know I’ll never fall out of love with you.”
“And I don’t have to have my snow leopard to know I’ll love you forever.” He hesitated. “I know I shouldn’t make any commitments now. I’m still a hot mess.”
“No, you’re not. At least, not any more than I am.” Fen caught his hands in hers. She had a feeling she knew where this was going, and she wanted it. She wanted him, forever. There would never be anyone who was more right for her, and she knew she was right for him. What more did they need? “Commitments aren’t about things being easy. They’re about sticking together whether they are or not. For better or for worse, right? Not ‘for when everything is perfect.’”
He frowned slightly. “This is not how I pictured doing this. I was thinking of a custom-made ring, your favorite restaurant, me going down on my knees, and…”
“You can do all that later.” Her cheeks were still wet, but she no longer felt sad. She felt joyous. “Go on. Sit there in the driver’s seat and ask me to marry you.”
To her amusement, he pushed the seat back and knelt on top of it. “Fen Kim, will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Her smile felt like it might crack her face. “Yes, I will.”
He leaned down and kissed her. She put her arms around him and held him close, shedding all her sadness in the passion and love of their embrace. He held her just as tight, his mouth hot as fire, his hands stroking and gently rubbing her back.
A sharp pain pricked her back. She jumped. “Ow!”
