Page 125 of The Alpha and the Baker
I felt like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down the great precipice I was perched on. I wanted to freefall. I had been daydreaming about it for over six months, yet it was only natural for some apprehension to linger in my mind.
Apprehension I was planning to ignore entirely.
“Hello, I’ll be your server tonight. I’d love to start you off with our specials.”
Somehow, I managed to order something. I didn’t really know what I’d ordered, but I was sure it would be delicious.
Thankfully, talking with Felicia was always easy, and once the waiter brought us our drinks—sparkling water for her and a lager for me—I got lost in conversation with the woman I loved.
It had been a crazy eighteen months for the both of us, and really all Wild Folk in the city. About a year after the bake-off, a representative of the fairies had shown up at every door over a five-week period, handing out missives that announced a complete change with how fairies ran things. They still had their contracts, of course, but they could only be applied to individual people who wanted to enter a specific deal. No packs. No whole families. And anyone who felt they were under an unfair contract from the previous century or earlier were allowed to file an appeal with a specific spell listed within the missive.
Yet again, Felicia had wildly changed the world for the better. If anyone talked to her, they would think she was just a baker who’d gotten caught up in drama that wasn’t hers. But I knew better. I knew she was a force of nature, a revelation, and the cutest, sweetest, cutie-sweetie pie that I’d ever had the joy of knowing.
Before meeting her, I’d thought I was happy. A bit lonely, sure, but happy. Boy, had I been wrong. Felicia had brought a joy into my life that I’d never known existed.
Our meals arrived much faster than I expected. It turned out that I had ordered a Tomahawk steak with some very fancy sides, and a bone almost the length of my forearm. Not bad. Felicia had ordered a complicated-sounding seafood dish, which I was more than happy to take a taste of. In the time we had been dating, I learned that Malaysian culture and Irish culture shared a strong connection in believing that food shared was food that tasted better for it. Whenever we went out, we always made sure to order different things so each of us could have a few bites of the other’s plate.
It was a little thing, of course, but it was one of the many ways we fit so perfectly together. I really was grateful for her.
“Are you all right?” Felicia asked when we were done with our meal. I’d become a little too caught up with the thoughts inside my head. “Your eyes look a little watery.”
I thought about denying it, but then I saw a wave from the entrance of the bistro as Chris, my mother, and Aunt Beverly walked in.
Perfect timing.
“I’m just so happy,” I said honestly before putting my napkin to the side and getting out of my chair. A moment later, I was down on one knee in front of her, pulling a small box out of my pocket. “Happier than I ever thought was physically possible.
“Oh my god, Cas, are you…”
“Felicia Nga, you truly are an amazing woman, more than my vocabulary could ever express.” I was aware that several of the people around us had stopped eating and were watching us intently, but I didn’t care. The only things in the world was me and my beloved. Just a shifter asking his baker girlfriend to spend the rest of her life with him.
“You’ve changed my life for the better in every way I could possibly ever think of and some that I never did. I have become a better man, and a better alpha because of you.” If anyone thought anything strange of my verbiage, I didn’t care. Let them think I was one of those toxic dude-bros obsessed with being an alpha man. That didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Felicia’s answer.
“You are my heaven. My confidant. You are my best friend, and I could spend the rest of my life laughing with you. In fact, that is what I’m asking of you right now—to spend the rest of your life with me as my wife, and as my mate.”
“Oh, Cas. Yes,yes!”
Felicia practically threw herself at me. I happily caught her, cradling her to my body while she sobbed into the side of my neck. It wasn’t often that I saw her so emotional, but I knew without a doubt that it was a completely genuine reaction. How incredible that she could feel so intensely about me.
Tears pricked my eyes as we finally parted just enough for me to slide the ring on her finger. As soon as it was solidly in place, she was kissing me, and it seemed like the entire restaurant burst into cheers.
“I love you, Felica Nga,” I murmured when we broke the kiss yet again. She laughed through her tears before ever so gently joshing my arm.
“That’s Felicia McCallister to you.”
Hearing that name tumble from her lips made my heart thunder so hard I was sure it would burst. “Felicia McCallister, huh? It has a ring to it.”
“Yeah,” she shot back, never one to miss a beat. “The ring’s right here.” She flashed the jewelry to the room. It wasn’t a big thing, and there were no diamonds on it—Felicia had strong feelings about that industry—but it looked perfect where it sat on her finger.
“I can’t believe it,” she murmured, wiping her eyes before taking a deep breath, and a strange feeling that something else was going on crept up my spine. “But if you’re going to give me this ring, there’s something that you should know.”
Uh-oh.
That creeping feeling turned to outright dread, and suddenly thousands of thoughts flooded my mind. That she had cancer. That she really was a Wild Hunter. That the fairies had cursed her.
If they had, I swear I wouldn’t stop until I ripped each of their throats out. No one, and I meanno one,could hurt my mate and live to talk about it.
But her smile was still so sweet as she reached into her purse and pulled something out. She handed a sandwich baggie to me. It took a blink and a couple seconds to identify the white stick.
