Shane X Female Reader - Stardew Valley

Chapter 66: A Barnyard Birthday Bash

 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.