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“Do I really have to take it off,” Shelby questioned as she stared at her engagement ring. The white gold ring with a 3 carat princess cut diamond that had multiple smaller diamonds circling the band was simply…beautiful. She did not know any other way to describe it.
Toni had finally proposed to her last weekend. After being together almost seven years. Although she was ready to be married years ago, she understood Toni’s need to wait. They were only 17 when they first met. Now at the age of 24, they both felt ready to make the final commitment to each other.
Toni had went all out and planned a long romantic weekend away in Dripping Springs, Texas. A small town with a lot of history and fun things to do just outside of Austin. The little time they were not in the hotel room was spent touring wineries and distilleries, and going on nature tours. The weekend culminated in Toni proposing to Shelby at the Westcave Discovery Center.
Toni used a portion of the settlement money they received from the Dawn of Eve fiasco to rent out the whole center for a few hours. After seeing various attractions, they ended up at the Grotto. This place was the closest Toni could get to mimicking the setting of the island where they first fell in love. Specifically, it looked like Fatin’s Waterfall. Once there, Toni dropped to her knee and verbalized all the love she had for the woman who was her best friend and her true love.
At the end of her impromptu speech, Toni asked Shelby to her her wife and Shelby happily and instantly accepted. The newly engaged couple sealed the deal with a searing kiss that left them both breathless. Shelby blushed at the memory of what happened later on in the hotel room to cap off the celebration. After taking a second to remember exactly what happened, Shelby shook off the memory and focused on her fiancée in front of her.
“Yes, Babe. Just for a few hours. I’ll give it back to you right after I talk with your father,” Toni said as she gently grasped her fiancee’s hand.
Shelby gave a roll of her eyes. But secretly thought that it was sweet of Toni to ask for her dad’s approval. She definitely appreciated that Toni asked her first and she knew that they would get married no matter what her father said. It was just hard for her to leave some of the traditional southern values she grew up with.
“Oh, okay,” Shelby said as she reluctantly dropped Toni’s hand before sliding the ring off and handing it over. Toni took the ring and placed it inside the Tiffany Blue jewelry box.
“Have you decided what you’re going to say to him,” Shelby questioned as she walked over to pick up the white purse that matched her outfit.
“Not really. I think I’ll just know once, we start talking. Kinda like when I proposed…I didn’t really have what I wanted to say planned out. Seemed to work out okay,” Toni smiled.
“I’d say so,” Shelby smiled back. “What do you think?” Shelby placed her hand on her hip and struck a pose.
Toni took a second to admire her fiancée. Shelby wore a slightly baggy white sweatshirt and matching white shorts. Her light pink shoes matched the small Nike logo on the sweatshirt and shorts. Toni loved the recent sporty looks Shelby had been wearing.
“You look great, Babe. Like my angelic opposite,” Toni said with a smirk.
Shelby then took the chance to give Toni a once over. Toni wore a Nike outfit, too. Except hers was all black. She wore a sleeveless tank with wide legged sweatpants and matching black sneakers. Their outfits did seem to be perfect opposites. But, so were Shelby and Toni.
“Aww. You’re so right. My little devil,” Shelby teased as she walked towards Toni, wrapping her arms around her. After all these years, she still loved the feel of having Toni in her arms. After a brief squeeze, the women pulled a part. But, Shelby could not resist leaning in to give Toni a couple quick pecks to the lips.
“Ready for another Goodkind Game Night,” Toni questioned with only a hint of sarcasm. Toni always joked about the game night being too Leave it to Beaver. But, Shelby could tell that she secretly liked it. For so long the former foster kid had only been able to rely on Martha and the Blackburns for any kind of support. She knew It felt good to Toni to have a larger circle to depend on.
Over the years, the Goodkinds, especially Shelby’s parents, had made an effort to accept their relationship and worked hard to educate themselves in the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. They still had slip ups but Shelby and Toni appreciated the efforts they put forth. The bi-weekly game night for the family was one way they liked to check in with each other.
“Yep. Let’s go,” Shelby grabbed Toni’s hand and pulled her towards the front door.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“So we’re going to do something a little different tonight. We’re going to do karaoke,” Jobeth Goodkind said in a singsong voice. The last game night had gotten a little heated. Her husband and all of her children were very competitive and Toni fit right in. At least with karaoke, everybody could have fun and not have to worry about winning.
“Yaaayyy,” Shelby cheered as she clapped and bounced on the couch next to Toni. Toni gave the hardest eye roll she could muster. She did not think that Game Night could get any more corny. But, she was willing to do whatever she could to make Shelby happy. Shelby, of course, loved to sing but, everyone in her family was able to carry a tune. Shelby had a feeling that even karaoke would get a little competitive.
“No fair. Shelby literally sang as her talent for the dozens of pageants she won,” Melody, Shelby’s little sister, complained.
“Right,” Spencer, her brother, co-signed.
“It’s not a competition. Right, Dave,” Jobeth questioned her husband.
“Well, I mean…” Dave trailed off as his wife gave him a look when she realized he was about to agree with his younger children. “Right. It’s not a competition. We’re just trying to have a little fun,” he finished. The words seemed to hurt a little coming out of his mouth.
“So,” Jobeth continued. “Let’s draw names from a hat to decide the order.” Jobeth passed out pens and paper scraps for everyone to write their names. Once completed, she collected all scraps and mixed them together in the baseball cap she borrowed from Dave. Giving the papers a good stir, she reached in and drew out the names.
“Okay… First up Melody. Then Spencer, me, Shelby, Dave, and Toni.” Jobeth detailed as she pulled each name.
Once the order was decided the festivities began. The Goodkinds had a great setup in their basement with a state of the art karaoke machine that they had only used a couple of times.
Toni sat listening to the first three Goodkinds perform. They were all really good singers but not as good as her fiancée, she thought. She looked over at Shelby who was laughing with her family as her mother gave a pretty good rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun. By the end of the song, Shelby and Melody were working as Jobeth’s backup dancers and everyone was having a great time.
Since Shelby was next, she decided to slow things down and chose to sing She Keeps Me Warm by Mary Lambert. Toni remembered that they had come across the song years ago after liking the Macklemore song called Same Love which used the same chorus. Toni had always thought that the Mary Lambert song was better than Macklemore’s version. Hearing Shelby sing the words confirmed it for Toni.
Shelby stood at the front of the room singing the words with feeling while looking at the love of her life.
“I can't change, even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change, even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm.”
Toni felt the warmth of their love spread through her chest. She took a look around the room to clear her head. She noticed that Spencer was coolly nodding his head to the beat and Jobeth was swaying in her seat. Melody was singing along under her breath, she had heard the song countless times while with her sister. When she got to Dave, she noticed his cheeks were slightly pink.
Although the song was clearly about sapphic love, the words were fairly innocent. Toni gave a little shake of her head. At least he’s trying, Toni thought. In the beginning of their relationship, Shelby would not have dared to sing this song and Dave definitely would not have sat through it. At the end of the song, Toni thought Dave clapped a littler louder than necessary. Maybe to ensure everyone knew he was okay with the song.
Shelby, ever the pageant queen, gave a quick curtsy before taking her seat next to Toni.
“That was very nice, Babe,” Toni complimented with a peck on the cheek. Toni grabbed her hands and laced their fingers together. After a another second of thought, Toni had the perfect choice of song for her performance. First, it was Mr. Goodkind’s turn.
“Since Shelby got all sentimental,” he gave a smirk, “let’s get the party started again.”
Then the next thing they heard was the opening strings to Bill Ray Cyrus’ Achy Breaky Heart.
“Oh my gosh,” Toni heard all the Goodkind siblings say almost simultaneously. Shelby had introduced her to country music throughout the years but, she had never heard this one before. Based on the reaction from the Goodkind children, Toni was sure it would be a great performance.
She was not disappointed. The usually stoic man gave the performance of a lifetime while dancing around and entertaining his family. At one point he even got on his knees and sung the words whole heartedly to his clearly surprised wife.
At the end of his song, Dave spoke into the mic. “And that’s how you win Karaoke,” he said before dropping the mic and walking back to his seat. Everyone jumped up and cheered for him. Clearly surprised at the song choice and his dedication to the performance. To his family, this was a clear indication that Dave was a changed man. The staunch Christian health nut would not have been able to do this just a few years ago.
“How am I supposed to follow that,” Toni questioned Shelby.
“Babe, it’s not a competition. It’s for fun. Go ‘head,” Shelby said as she slightly pushed Toni to the front of the room.
“That was pretty good Mr. Goodkind,” Toni complimented as she was looking through the machine to bring up the song she was going to sing. Before pressing play, she looked over to Dave and said “I want you to know that I picked this song specifically for you. I hope that you listen to the words and take them to heart.”
Toni was very nervous. She had never really sung in front of anyone except Shelby and Martha. But this was an opportunity that she could not pass up. She hit play and the song immediately started. Toni’s raspy speaking voice easily translated into a great singing voice the enraptured everyone in the room.
“Sir, I'm a bit nervous 'bout being here today.
Still not real sure what I'm going to say.
So bear with me please.
If I take up too much of your time.”
Shelby immediately recognized the song and tears sprang to her eyes. She watched as Toni reached into her pants pocket and pulled out the familiar ring box.
“See in this box is a ring for your oldest.
She's my everything, and all that I know is
It would be such a relief
If I knew that we were on the same side.
'Cause very soon I'm hoping that I…”
Toni made a point to look Dave Goodkind in the eyes as she sang the next part. She wanted to make sure he realized what she was asking with this song. She wanted to ensure he understood the love she had for Shelby.
“Could marry your daughter.
And make her my wife.
I want her to be the only girl
That I love for the rest of my life.
And give her the best of me 'til the day that I die, yeah.”
As Toni continued the song, she realized that Dave was even more red than he was during Shelby’s performance and his eyes were alit with something she could not identify. Slightly off put by what she was seeing, she quickly looked to Shelby to finish the end of the chorus. Knowing that Shelby would always be a supportive face in a crowd.
“I'm gonna marry your princess
And make her my queen.
She'll be the most beautiful bride that I've ever seen.
I can't wait to smile
As she walks down the aisle.
On the arm of her father.
On the day that I marry your daughter.”
At onset of the musical interlude, Dave could not take it any longer and had to get up and leave. Toni saw both Jobeth and Shelby stand as if they were going to go after him, but she put her hand up to stop them before following the clearly emotional man out of the room. Toni heard the music turn off as she followed Dave up the steps of the basement. She knew he had probably headed to his study; it seemed to be his favorite place in the house.
Her assumption was correct. When she walked into the room she saw that he was sitting behind his desk, wiping tears from his eyes. Toni ever direct said, “ I thought you were cool with me and Shelby. I mean it’s been seven years.” Only the years of anger management and therapy helped to keep her tone even.
“It’s not that,” Dave said as he motioned for Toni to take the seat on the other side of the desk. Toni begrudgingly took the seat, crossing her arms.
”You know I suspected that Shelby was gay for a while before you. I had caught on to little things between her and her friend Becca. I kinda thought that after Becca had died, things would go back to normal. But, it didn’t.” He wiped his eyes again before sitting back in his chair.
“When she was not depressed about Becca, I would catch her every now and again looking at some girl. Usually a shorter brunette,” he said with a chuckle and a once over of Toni. She clearly has a type, Toni thought to herself. “At that time I couldn’t accept that. That’s when I decided, against my wife’s wishes, she needed help to get rid of the gay thoughts in her head. That’s when I came across Dawn of Eve.”
Toni eyebrows jumped up. They had never really gotten a straight answer on how and why Shelby had been included in the seemingly random group of girls that were included in the Dawn of Eve experiment.
“Had I known that she and the rest of you girls were going to be put through such horrible things, I never would have signed her up for it. I am the sole reason my little girl went through that nightmare. What kind of father does that,” he questioned with a pained look towards Toni.
Toni did not have an answer for the man. “Not a good one,” Dave answered his own question. “When we realized that ya’ll were not dead and we rescued all of you from the bunker, I made it my mission to be a better father and a better Christian.”
“It was a struggle at first trying to rid myself of hateful teachings that I had known since I was a little boy. Just the knowledge that God molded Shelby in His perfect image, exactly as she is.” Dave chuckled, “only God could make something as perfect as my little girl. The fact that she loves another woman does not diminish that,” he sent a smile to Toni. Toni was not sure about God’s part in it but, she had to agree; Shelby was perfectly made for her.
“I know that I should have been able to recognize that gay people are perfectly created in His image before Shelby and the whole experiment but, I didn’t. I just have to continue to strive to be and do better, and I will,” he said with a resolute nod of his head.
“That’s great Mr. Goodkind,” Toni finally spoke as she finally uncrossed her arms. “But, if that’s the case, why did you leave out the room.” Toni’s eyebrows crinkled down in concern.
“She’s my baby. Always will be. I’m not sure if I’m ready to permanently send her off to be someone else’s responsibility. No matter if it was you, Andrew, or anyone else,” he said with a self deprecating chuckle.
Toni gave off a relieved sigh. At least she knew that he was not against her specifically. “Look Mr. Goodkind. I can’t promise much but, I can promise that no one can love, honor, and cherish Shelby the way that I do. She is the love of my life and it’s my mission to make sure that all her needs, wants, and desires are met. Rest assured that she will always be my first priority.” She finished with feeling her eyes bubbling up with love for the girl she fell for so long ago.
Dave really looked into Toni’s eyes. In that second he realized that what she spoke was God’s honest truth. With that thought the little hesitation he had about Shelby being gay seemed to melt away. His heart was able to split open and welcome the woman who loved his daughter so dearly.
He stood up from his chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of Toni. He extended his hand to Toni who quickly took it. “Welcome to the family. Call me Dave,” he said with s grin that looked exactly like Shelby’s. He pulled Toni up from her seat and into his welcoming arms.
Shelby had just walked to the entryway of the office in time to see the hug. Seems like everything was worked out, she thought as she wrapped her arms around herself with a smile.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
After being together for seven years, neither Shelby or Toni wanted a long engagement. That August, within four months of the infamous game night, the couple was being married at the Goodkind family church. Shelby never thought her childhood dream church wedding would happen once she realized the person she wanted to marry was Toni.
Membership at the church was finally starting to rise after a slight decline years ago when Dave Goodkind had made it known that LGBTQ+ and their allies would be welcomed. With the newly welcoming church, Toni gladly made the concession to have a church wedding for her bride.
Today the happy couple stood at the alter, ready to make a lifelong commitment to each other. The couple looked resplendent in their corresponding white ensembles. Toni wore an all white slim fitting suit with matching white dress shoes. Her brunette hair with the signature middle part flowing long and wavy over her shoulders.
Toni could not take her eyes of Shelby in her beautiful white lace embroidered gown. Her long blonde hair was pinned up in an elaborate style that perfectly fit her dress. I’m the luckiest woman in the world, they each thought as they sealed their vows with a kiss.
Later on at the reception, Toni watched on as Shelby and Dave had the father daughter dance. They had talked about it prior to the wedding. Shelby did not want to do the dance because she did not want to highlight the fact that Toni’s father would not be present. Toni was adamant that Shelby get to dance with her father, they both knew Shelby was a Daddy’s Girl and Toni would not deprive her of the experience.
At the conclusion of the song, she was surprised when Dave walked directly to her.
“May I have this dance,” Dave questioned. Toni hesitated for a split second before grasping her father-in-law’s hand. She was slightly embarrassed about being the center of attention but she could not lie, it felt good knowing the Dave really did accept her into his family.
After swaying a couple seconds, she realized that Marry Your Daughter by BRKN RBTZ was playing and gave a quick gasp. Dave gave a quick chuckle at hearing the sound.
“I thought it was an appropriate song choice.”
“Totally, Dave,” Toni said. Her raspy voice slightly deeper with emotions. She gave her eyes a quick wipe before continuing to dance feeling like everything was finally right in her world.