Bit was becoming suspicious.

Chay had been planning a surprise for his mate, but unfortunately for him, Keaton was not a stupid man. He had noticed that Chay was spending a couple evenings out of the house per week, and that his excuses were getting flimsier. Finally, the week before Chay was going to spring his surprise, Bit cornered him in the kitchen and demanded an explanation.

"Chay, what's been going on lately?"

Closing the fridge, Chay regarded his mate as he opened the can of beer he was holding. "What do you mean?"

Bit's eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what I mean. You've been going out a lot after work. That isn't like you. Usually if you want to see people, we have them over here, unless it's your parents. Now what's going on?"

Chay tried to sidle around his mate, not making eye contact as he attempted to brush off the situation. He was in serious danger of having his plan exposed. "I'm not really sure what you're talking about. I know I've been working a little more lately, and I've had to go help my dad a few times, but other than that I think things have been pretty normal."

A hand on his arm halted his movement. Keaton said sternly, "Chay, I want you to look me straight in the eyes."

Turning to his mate, Chay gave his most alluring smile. "You can't have me look at those eyes and expect me to be straight." He saw Bit's mouth waver, fighting amusement, and took advantage of his hesitation to seal their lips together. After that Chay was successfully able to distract Keaton with his dick, and the line of questioning was forgotten for the moment. Chay knew that it wasn't a long-term solution, but he only needed his mate to forget about his behavior for a few more days.

Somehow, he managed to avoid any further suspicions, although he saw in Bit's eyes that he hadn't let it go. When he awoke on his chosen day, Chay couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to hide anything from Bit for much longer. All he had to do was see his mate off to work, and then he would be in the clear.

He went through the motions of pretending to get ready for work himself, although he had closed the clinic for the day and made sure that all the animal shifts were covered. When he had explained to Tina and Tommy why he needed this favor, they had been all too happy to help him. He smiled, remembering their enthusiasm. He was lucky to have such support from them, he mused as he drove to the store. He made sure to take a route that was as close to his work route as possible, just in case Bit was suspicious.

His preparations took most of the day, as he had expected them to. What he hadn't expected were the nerves that plagued him as the time of Bit's arrival home drew nearer. He distracted himself by going to get changed, putting on the tux that he had for formal occasions at the Reynolds estate. He struggled with the bowtie, since Keaton usually did it for him, but in the end he thought he had a pretty good approximation of what it was supposed to look like. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time for his mate to get home. He abandoned the idea of trying to fix his bowtie any further and scrambled into the kitchen to set the table and light the candles he had bought earlier in the day. He flicked off the lights and stood, surveying his work. He had even bought a white tablecloth and draped it over the table, and the effect wasn't half bad.

As he was contemplating the place settings, he heard a car pull into the driveway. Nervously, he turned around, straightening his clothes out as he waited for the door to open. Pita's ears pricked up, and he bounded over to the door, tail thumping as he waited for his master to enter.

When the door cracked open, Chay heard a voice call, "I'm home." Keaton's blond head poked through the entrance, preoccupied by the happy dog greeting him. He patted Pita on the head, then looked up. Shock etched itself on his features as he took in the scene before him. His mouth worked convulsively, trying to find some words to say.

Chay took advantage of his confusion. Smiling, he pulled out Bit's chair and said, "Please come sit down. Dinner is ready."

Slowly kicking off his shoes, Keaton stumbled over to the table and sat in the proffered chair. As he looked at the table, he murmured, "Chay, what's going on?"

Fetching the plates of food from the counter, Chay asked innocently, "What, can't a man prepare a ridiculously lavish meal for the love of his life without arousing suspicion?"

He put the plates on the table, and Bit's eyes widened. "Chay, where the hell did you get this? Did a new restaurant open up that I don't know about?"

He laughed. "No, Bit. I've been practicing cooking for you."

The sky blue eyes snapped up to him in astonishment. "Really? You did?"

Chay nodded. "Yep. I've been taking a class a couple times a week. I think I've done pretty well, so the food should be edible." He winked at his mate as Bit shifted his incredulous gaze back to the plate in front of him.

"Chay, I...I don't know what to say. Thank you so much for doing that. I'm sorry I was suspicious of you." He looked up, and Chay was startled to see tears in his eyes.

He cradled Keaton's face in his hands and swiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Hey now, don't start that already. You're going to get me going, too. And this isn't even the main event."

Bit's eyes wavered, and Chay felt like the reaction went straight to his rapidly-hardening cock. "What do you mean, Chay?"

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Chay dropped his hands and reached inside his jacket. "Keaton. I know we've been together for a long time. And I know that you're my mate. But there's a step we still haven't taken together." He dropped down on one knee as Bit's eyes widened. Holding out a small box, Chay flipped the lid open to reveal a ring and looked steadily at his mate. "Keaton, I love you so much, and I'm so grateful that you came into my life. I know that we're bound together forever as mates, but I want the rest of the world to know it too. So will you marry me?"

Bit seemed to have lost the ability to speak. He kept looking from the ring back to Chay, his mouth hanging slightly open. At last his lips moved, and he managed to say, "Chay, are you sure you want to do this?"

"What do you mean? The state just made it so that we're finally able to get legally married, why wouldn't I want to? Don't tell me you're pulling that crap again where you're worried what people will think of me?" Keaton averted his eyes, and Chay knew he had hit the nail on the head. He shifted his body so his mate was forced to look at him and smiled gently. "Babe, you're being ridiculous. At this point, I don't think there's anyone that we interact with who doesn't know that we're together. Besides, if there is anyone who doesn't know, this is the perfect opportunity to fix that!" He saw the corners of Keaton's mouth twitch, and continued, encouraged. "So come on, Little Bit. Forget about all that crap and just tell me what you want to say."

Keaton squirmed in his seat, clearly fighting within himself. Then he looked at his mate, and a slow smile blossomed over his face. He whispered, "Yes, Chay. Yes, I want to marry you."

Although he had expected this outcome, euphoria washed over Chay. Wrapping his arms around Bit, he stood, hauling them both upright as his mate squealed at the sudden motion. He sealed his mouth over Bit's firmly, then drew back and grinned. "I'm glad you finally said yes, you stubborn shit. My knee was starting to hurt from kneeling on the floor."

Bit giggled. "Serves you right for springing this on me with no warning. And for worrying me for the past few weeks! I was starting to worry about what you were up to. You were acting pretty shady."

Chay kissed him firmly. "I only do shady shit for you, babe." He grinned wickedly, and added, "Mr. Winston."

"What?"

Chay ignored him and mused to himself, "Yeah, Keaton Winston, that sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?"

"Hey now, wait just a second!" Bit spluttered. "Who said I would be taking your last name? Why wouldn't you take mine? Chayton Reynolds sounds nice, too. Or we could just leave our names the way they are. Or maybe hyphenate them."

Chay was trying hard to follow the conversation, but his dick was starting to insist on getting some attention. The thought that he was holding his fiancé was extremely titillating. He adjusted Bit's legs so they were wrapped around his hips and kissed him slowly, deeply, grinding himself against his mate. When he finally drew back, he said in a husky whisper, "Why don't we take this discussion to the bedroom?"

"Hnnn." Bit drew in for a kiss, but jerked away at the last second. "But what about dinner? Pita will get it if we leave it here."

Chay growled, "Then let him have it. I want to have you right now." He started walking towards their bedroom, and added, "Besides, I took a whole cooking class. I can make something different for you if you want." That finally seemed to shut Keaton up, and they sealed their mouths together again as Chay happily carried his future husband into their room and kicked the door shut.