Page 107 of My Big Fat Shifter Wedding

“Maybe some alpha would laugh at their daughter for such a thing. But from a very young age, my Olivia has proven that she’s fine on her own. I could always depend on her to be good and help. If push came to shove, she would be the one to prosper without us.”

That had to have been a painful revelation, and I felt for him, but I also knew in my heart that it was true. Olivia was one hell of a woman, and when she set her mind to something, it always got done. I admired that about her. It was one of the many things that had pushed me to be better about so much in my own life. There was no shame in trying something and failing, but by God, I wasn’t going to be the reason that failure took place.

“At first I thought, how could she do this to us? Didn’t she love us? Hadn’t we done everything for her? Raised her well, bought her whatever she wanted? But then I realized I never once asked her what she wanted. I assumed it was the same as everybody else.

“So now, for the first time in her life, she is asking for something. And my baby girl has always been smart, too smart, so I am not so arrogant to think that I must always know better than her. Sometimes, yes. But not always.”

Finally, his eyes met mine, and there I saw the same warm amber that was in Olivia’s gaze, although his were heavy with time, wisdom, and so much experience that I could only hope he’d share it with me one day. It was still a bit strange to hear a father monologue about how part of him was so sure that I was dangerous and a threat, but I didn’t let that distract me. He was a man figuring it out the same way the rest of us were: one step at a time.

“So, if my Olivia sees a future of happiness with you after never once seeing the same in any of the young suitors her mama and aunties tried to set her up with, then I see it too.”

He stood, and although he was quite a bit shorter than me, the way he squared his shoulders and strode forward, he might as well have been seven feet tall. Maybe it was a man thing (wolf thing?). But I recognized the steely strength that came from truly caring and protecting so many people.

It took him only a moment to reach me, and while there was a flicker of apprehension up my spine, I held still, waiting to see what the patriarch would do.

He offered me his hand, his voice steady as he spoke. “I give you my blessing for my daughter’s hand in marriage.”

I…

I had never even thought about what it would feel like to hear those words, and I wasn’t prepared for the rush that hit me. It wasn’t like Olivia was property and Enzo was giving me permission to steal her away. Not at all. No, I saw it for exactly what it was: acceptance. He had acknowledged that I was different, that I was scary, that I was a sign of a change in the world that he wasn’t entirely sure how to navigate, but despite all that, he still wanted me to be a part of his daughter’s life.

I couldn’t have asked for a kinder compliment.

I took his hand, and our palms squeezed together. We stayed in that stance only for a breath before he pulled me into an embrace.

“Please, be patient with us. We are all learning. But I have never seen mio tesoro beam like she does with you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Rizoli. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

We parted, and he gave me a hearty slap on the arm that reminded me so much of Riccardo. Now I knew where Olivia’s brother got that habit from.

“Think nothing of it!” Suddenly, his tone dropped. “But, should you ever hurt her...”

Despite the inherent threat, I grinned. “Don’t worry. If I ever make Olivia unhappy, I’ll supply you with the shovel to do the deed.”

Another clap on my arm along with a hearty laugh, but when his mirth ebbed, I was treated to some very sharp teeth in his grin.

“Don’t worry, I will not need a shovel.”

Like father, like daughter.

“Good to know.”

24

OLIVIA

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN! (THE REMIX)

“To the last week of being a fiancée and to being a bride!” Ginna cried, lifting her glass of wine high into the air. “My baby sister is getting maaarrrrriiiiiied!”

Cheers erupted all around me, and I found myself flushing happily as I raised my own drink. We weren’t drinking shifter alcohol because I didn’t need to be getting drunk a few days before my wedding when I’d made so much progress on my skin. Plus, Amanda would kill me.

“To the bride-to-be!” Amanda echoed tipsily, because she was human and I was willing to put money on the fact that she’d been too excited about the bachelorette party to eat.

Where did the chicken wing platter go? If there was anything that would remind her to eat, it was hot buffalo flats with cold blue cheese. The chunkier the better.

“To me!” I chorused, joining in while still looking for those wings.