After returning to the farmhouse to relax and thoroughly wash yourselves, it was finally time for you and Shane to take a casual, romantic, and completely unsuspecting walk to the Forest south of your farm. You were thrilled that the idea had come up naturally, so you could find an excuse to make sure that Shane got to his surprise party at the Ranch on time without spilling the secret.
Your husband had a big smile on his face as he walked out of the bathroom, towel loosely draped around his waist as he dried his hair with another. "What's with the smile?" You asked as you casually got dressed.
"Huh... You're wondering why I have this goofy grin on my face?" Shane looked at you with both amusement and surprise on his face. "You really have a short memory span, don't you?"
"Oh, well, you know what I mean." You blushed, realizing what was making him so happy. You quickly returned to getting dressed, ignoring your forgetfulness.
"Yoba, you're adorable." You heard Shane mumble affectionately under his breath. You smiled to yourself as you busied yourself with getting ready.
"Well, what do you think? We clean up pretty nice, huh?" He asked a few minutes later after you were both ready. Your husband just so happened to be wearing your favorite of his outfits. It was nothing special, just a flannel over a t-shirt and jeans, but he looked great in it. The look toyed with the line of being casual but presentable, the layers adding extra sophistication to the outfit. It just felt like him, and you loved it.
"It looks great, babe." You smiled. "Perfect for the par- sorry, the, um," You struggled to think of something to say, realizing you nearly gave away the surprise. "Perfect for the path to the Cindersap Forest." You smiled, playing it off like you misspoke.
"Great." Shane clapped his hands decisively. "Thanks baby." He walked over and quickly gave you a forehead kiss before going to look out the windows. "We should probably head out sooner than later, we don't want it to get dark on us."
Sure enough, you looked out the window to see that the sun was just beginning to set over the horizon. You glanced up to see your husband reaching his hand out, inviting you to depart for your romantic evening together.
Soon, the two of you were making your way across the farm to the edge of the Cindersap Forest. You told Marnie that you would arrive around sunset, so the timing was perfect. "Why don't we stop by Marnie's?" You suggested as you arrived at the fork in the road just south of the farm.
"I was thinking the same thing, especially so we could pick up Pepper, but it's late. I don't want to bother her."
"I'm sure it will be fine." You tried to reassure him. "Why don't we just stop in to pick him up? Plus, I'm sure Marnie and Jas will want to see you on your birthday!"
"Ugh, my birthday. I had almost gotten myself to forget." He rolled his eyes jokingly before looking down at you with a serious yet hopeful gaze. "I guess as much as I hate my birthday, I love seeing you get excited about it even more. But for the record, I really do hate it (Y/N)."
"I know." You laughed at his joke. "But I love getting to celebrate another year with you."
"Well when you look at it that way..." Shane chuckled as the two of you arrived in front of the old Ranch.
You reached out to knock, but Shane opened the door, still used to the Ranch as his home. "Hello?" He called, realizing the interior of the home was completely dark. "Aunt Marnie?"
"SURPRISE!" Dozens of voices shouted as the lights quickly turned on and various townspeople jumped out from behind the furniture.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Marnie yelled from behind the counter as Jas pulled a small confetti popper next to her.
Your husband was shocked, his jaw dropped and eyes wide as he took in the surprise. "Oh my Yoba!"
"Happy birthday, sweetheart." You rubbed his back as he came back to reality. "Surprise!"
"You were part of this?" He looked at you, completely thrilled, before looking back up at everyone else. "Wow, guys. Thank you so much. This is incredible!"
Jas quickly ran up and jumped into Shane's arms as the rest of the town began to mingle and enjoy the party. "Were you really surprised, Uncle Shane?!" Jas asked.
"Very." He agreed. "I had no idea!"
This seemed to appease the little girl, but only for a moment. "Did you see the balloons? I blew them all up! By myself!" She proudly boasted.
"Wow!" Shane matched her enthusiasm. "All by yourself? That's really impressive, Jazzy."
"Well Mayor Lewis and Marnie had to tie them. But I did the real work." She explained. "Go look at the cake! Gus made it and it's HUGE!"
"Alright, alright." Shane replied. You followed the two of them to the kitchen, thanking people for coming and for the birthday wishes as you went. Marnie had really outdone herself with the decorations, there were balloons, confetti, signs, and treats everywhere. None of it, however, compared to the grandeur of the birthday cake waiting on the kitchen table.
"Holy fuck, that's bigger than our wedding cake was." Shane whispered, taken aback.
"Uncle Shane! That's a bad word!" Jas corrected. You wanted to tease him for cursing as well, but you had been thinking the exact same thing.
"Sorry... sorry, princess." Shane responded, slightly absentmindedly. You could tell he was a little overwhelmed, but you knew the emotions of realizing how important he was to his family and friends was what was really getting to him. He peeled his focus from the cake to look at you and mouth the words "Thank you."
The cake was stunning. It was decorated in intricate gold and white piped icing over a blue layer of buttercream frosting for the base. The highest layer was adorned with an illuminated sparkly topper that read "Happy Birthday!"
"Happy birthday, Shane!" Marnie said, echoing the words you had just read as she appeared in the kitchen. "Isn't that an insane cake? Gus really outdid himself."
"You're telling me." Shane laughed agreeing. "Thanks, Aunt Marn. This is crazy."
"Crazy good?" She clarified.
"Crazy good." He agreed.
The party carried on, and quickly the two of you were swarmed by people hoping to wish your husband a happy birthday. It felt like the whole town was there, all bringing gifts and excitement to celebrate Shane's birthday.
You and your husband were going around talking to everyone and thanking them all for showing up to his surprise party. He was so thrilled, it made you so happy to see Shane receiving the love that he had deserved for so long. You felt bad that you hadn't bought a little present to bring to the event, since it seems that everyone else had, but you knew that the coop (and the events in the pond) was a perfect present.
Too soon, Mayor Lewis started pouring champagne while Gus began handing out slices from the beautiful cake. You realized you had been at the party for nearly two hours. Between talking to the townspeople and taking time to celebrate your husband, the time had flown by.
Once slices of cake and glasses were distributed to everyone, Mayor Lewis rang his glass, bringing the room's attention to him. "Thank you all for coming out to the Ranch to celebrate Shane's birthday." He began in his regal-ish, mayor way. "We are thrilled to see so many people here with us. Now, I know my place and don't want to keep you all from eating your cake, so let me just say: Happy Birthday, Shane!"
"Happy Birthday Shane!" The room echoed, everyone cheering and shouting their excitement for the occasion. Not long after, the room was nearly silent as everyone enjoyed the delicious dessert and drink that had been provided, sans the sounds of glasses clinking and Gus serving people seconds of the cake. Not long after, people began to disperse back to their own homes as they realized how late into the night it was.
"This is so great." Shane looked down at you and wrapped his arm around your waist. "Thank you, baby."
Birthdays were often a time of reflection for many, and you knew it was the same for Shane. In one glance, you saw all of his emotions. He was indeed going through the traditional birthday highs and lows of excitement and dread. Everything he was feeling, from sadness for the years he felt he wasted to joy for the past year where it felt like he truly began to live, was reflected in his expression.
"Oh hey, where's Pepper?" Your husband asked, suddenly remembering your motivation for visiting (a few hours too late).
"I put him in your bedroom when guests started to arrive." Marnie explained from a few feet away as she pointed to the door behind her. "I didn't want the little pup to get stressed out with so many new people."
"Want to go check on him?" Your husband asked, setting his plate down and extending a hand to you. As much as you knew there were probably still people waiting to talk to Shane and wish him happy birthday, you wanted to make sure he got a moment to take everything in. His bedroom would be a perfect place to do just that, and checking on Pepper was a great excuse.
"Of course." You smiled, taking his hand and quickly following him into his former bedroom. He shut the door behind the two of you as you were eagerly greeted by your dog. "Hey, Pepper." You bent down to pet him as Shane walked over to his bed and sat down.
You joined him and your dog laid at his feet. "Hey, baby." You rubbed his back as you leaned your head on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's... amazing." He sounded almost dumbfounded, shocked by his own revelation. "Which is weird for me. I'm so used to hating my birthday." He shook his head. "I know I say this a lot, but it's true, (Y/N). I can't believe this is my life." Your husband looked down as his gaze met yours, his eyes softening as soon as he saw you. "I can't believe that my life turned out this amazing. I mean, think about it. I have the most beautiful and considerate wife in the world, I don't have to work at JojaMart anymore, I get to see my god-daughter all the time, I'm not addicted to anything anymore, and the entire town worked together to throw me a surprise birthday party."
"I know. Life is a lot better than it was a year ago." You smiled, reassuring him as you rubbed his arm. "But you deserve this. You worked hard to get to this point. None of this would have happened without you. I know it can be overwhelming to realize, and I'm here for you, Shane. Always."
He mumbled "thankyou" into your hair as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in close to him. Pepper hopped up onto the bed, snuggling himself in between you. "Did you miss us, lil' guy?" Shane hummed, taking the opportunity to break the emotionality of the moment. "Was it so scary being out in the woods alone?"
"Aww, poor thing." You echoed, scratching Pepper on the head. "At least he's back home now."
"Yeah." Shane agreed, looking up at you. "We both are."
✏️ A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! This chapter is part of the "1.6 Update," so the next installment, Chapter 67: Some Things Stay The Same, is out today! xoxo Kira