He flicks his lopsided suspenders with his thumbs. “You can’t get married! If you break the engagement, Abby can turn back into a regular person.”

“Jonah, no!” I say. “I told you not to tell them!”

“Sorry, Abby. But they can’t get married. And that’s that.” He swipes his hands together.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Jonah!” I cry. “You don’t know how fairy tales work. Mom and Dad will be waking up soon! We have to leave! And Mike and Beauty need to have a happy ending!”

“I know they do,” Jonah says. “But this isn’t it. They shouldn’t be getting married. Our plan didn’t work.”

“What are you talking about?” I say. “Of course it did! They’re engaged!”

Jonah shakes his head. “But they’re not in love.”

Mike hangs his head. “He’s right. The little man is right. Beauty …” His voice chokes up. “We shouldn’t go through with this.”

“We shouldn’t?” she asks.

“No,” he says. “I’m not in love with you. And I don’t think you’re in love with me. I think you felt sorry for me. Am I wrong?”

She hesitates.

Mike takes both her hands in his. “Agreeing to marry me was very kind of you. And I will always be grateful. But we don’t have much in common. I like cards. You like books. I like cheese. Cheese makes you sick and dizzy. I want to live in the middle of nowhere. You want to live in Town. We’re not a good match.”

“But sometimes opposites attract,” I squeak.

“Not always,” Jonah says.

Beauty exhales. “So we’re not getting married.” She looks completely … relieved.

I’ll admit it. I feel completely relieved, too. “But wait. Mike, if you break off the engagement, you’re going to turn back into a beast!” I tell him.

He nods. “I assumed so.”

“But this time, it will be forever. You won’t be able to switch back. There won’t be a way out.”

He nods again. “Abby, I spent years comparing myself to normal people. Years. And what I didn’t realize until now was that it’s not so bad being a beast. I always stayed warm. I had a great sense of smell. I could cook more because I ate more. You want to know the truth? I miss my fangs.”

“But —”

“No buts. It’s what I want. And I want to help you.”

My cheeks burn. “But you can’t break your engagement because of me. I don’t deserve it.”

“It’s not just because of you. I really do miss being a beast. But, Abby, you do deserve it. You were willing to stay a beast for me! You have a heart of gold.”

My eyes fill with tears. “Not always. Sometimes I can be pretty beastly. I’ve done some terrible things.”