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“We’ll go with you into town. I’m thinking we should hit several clothing stores and then she’ll need shoes and snow boots. Oh, I have an idea where to go,” Jade said.

Axel cleared his throat. “I’m thinking woodworking tools. There’s a shop on the outskirts of town and I’m sure they are still open.”

Kane, Reaper, and Ara opted to go with Axel.

“I’ll get her a gift card to the lumberyard,” Gunnar said.

Ghost, Thomas, and Isaac agreed with that idea.

Everyone had gathered around, throwing out ideas and the excitement on their faces made him smile.

“Okay, Hunter, you need to get the decorations. There is a party store in town. You need to get as many decorations as you can find. We’ll make it special,” Liv added.

With everyone having their sights on a what they needed to do, they disbanded.

Hunter thought about the party store he’d passed several times in and out of town and pictured himself behind the store, knowing there wasn’t any customer parking there. He smiled when he glanced around, noting the sun setting in the west but no sign anyone had seen him.

He cleared out the birthday decorations in both blue and green, getting a strange look from the teenager working at the register. Hunter chuckled at her reaction. He distracted her by asking for the closest baker and she spoke about Cakes on Main as she rang up his purchases. After fifteen minutes, she scanned and gave him his total. He paid cash, grabbing several bags, before he headed out with a wave.

Hunter found the shop and purchased a huge sheet cake with confetti sprinkles baked inside and plain white frosting decorating the top. He grabbed a blue and a green icing tube for Thalia to use, throwing in some candy roses for good measure.

As he stepped outside, a bright glittering sign caught his attention from down the street. For a moment, he debated with himself, knowing marriage was a serious topic for discussion, not when he was trying to set up and execute a birthday party. But something about the store called to him and he always listened to his instincts. Also, he’d known the moment he spotted her in that clearing his heart belonged to her.

Other than Reaper and Ara, the others who had found their mates got married on top of the claiming. In the fleeting moments where he allowed himself to imagine finding his mate, he satisfied himself knowing claiming her would be like marriage, so he didn’t need the ceremony when his mark signified the same to him.

But standing inside the bright store and peering down at the engagement and wedding rings, he wanted more with Neri. He wanted to be her husband.

“Can I help you?”

Hunter jerked his gaze up to find a man in his early twenties staring at him with wide eyes and a secret smile.

“Um, yes. Hi, I’m Hunter. I’m looking for, well, I’m asking my… girlfriend, to marry me, but I have no clue what to get. Can you help me?”

Something flashed in the young man’s gaze, but he shook it off and gave Hunter a dazzling smile. “Sure. I’m Charlie. Are you looking for something flashy or more subdued?”

“She works with her hands, she designs and creates her own wooden furniture, so nothing that would be dangerous around machinery.”

“I see. I’m thinking a wedding band instead of a wedding set. Something like these here.”

Hunter glanced at the tray Charlie removed from the glass display and set in front of him. His eyes moved from one to the next before they landed a strange and beautiful design. It looked perfect for Neri.

“What about this one?”

“Oh, this will hold up. This band is titanium, but they sandblasted the metal, which gives it the rough texture you see. The ring is flat and rounded at the edges, so the ring won’t snag. The ring sleeve is Brazilian tulipwood, coming from the rosewood family. There is a one millimeter insert of tulipwood on the inside edge of the band to give the ring a distinct look,” Charlie said as he held up the ring.

Careful when he reached for the ring, he took it between his finger and thumb for a closer inspection. Similar to his first reaction at seeing the ring, the moment he touched it, it confirmed his assessment.

“I’ll take it.”

Charlie retrieved a ring in Neri’s size from the back of the store. When he boxed it up and accepted cash for the purchase, he smiled at Hunter.

“Congratulations.”

He chuckled. “She hasn’t said yes yet.”

“I can tell she will.”

“How?”