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“All my linens will go with me. Pictures, well, family photos only. I’ll leave the ones on display of Alaskan scenes for potential buyers, though knowing my mom, she will move my furniture and pictures to a resale shop or auction them, and then set up her own house display to make it appear uncluttered. ”

“So you have a lot of knick-knacks?” Edward asked.

“You know, you never realize how much stuff you have sitting on shelves that are memorable to you, or important to you in some way, stuffed in drawers. Plus, my clothes. I haven’t moved ever, so I have no idea how much your van will accommodate.”

“We’ll bring two of them,” Rob said.

Once lunch was done, everyone congratulated Monica and Andy again for their announcement. When Monica and Andy arrived at his home, Rob, Edward, and their friend and partner, Casey Jones, drove up in their three vans.

Monica didn’t want them to waste their time if they didn’t need them. “It might be overkill.”

“Better to have an empty van or two than your mom moving your stuff out before you can remove your things, and we can do it all in one fell swoop,” Rob said. “We’re beyond eager to get you moved down here permanently.”

“You don’t think I would change my mind, do you?”

All the guys smiled.

“Well, I wouldn’t.” She sighed. “I need to call my mother and tell her we're going to my house to pack, and afterward, they can have dinner with all of us.”

Then she called her mom and said, “I’m going to my house to remove my things.

I’ve got two of Andy’s brawny cousins and their equally brawny partner, who have three vans, and we’ll get all of it packed up and removed.

We’ll stay the night, and you can do whatever you want with my furniture so that you can display your own. ”

“Oh, great. I’ll run over to take pictures of your home, and you know I’ll do it just right.”

“I know you will, Mom.”

“Does that mean you will all have dinner with us?”

“Yep. Put on your best feast. We’re all going to be hungry tonight.”

Three hours later, they arrived at Monica’s one-story, ranch-style home, gray and white siding house. Her mom had already set up many lights to show it off. “Sorry, Mom, lights out when we sleep here tonight.”

“About that,” Rob said.

“You’re staying with us. We’ll have breakfast in the morning and then return to White Bear. We’ll probably leave early before mom kicks us out with a furniture moving, cleaning, painting, and interior decorating crew.” Monica didn’t want them to have to do all that work and then drive home tonight.

They walked into the house and saw flat-packing boxes and tape all over the living room.

Andy smiled at his cousins.

Monica loved her mom. She was always ahead of the game. “I have four bedrooms and a fold-out sofa.” She motioned to the white sofa. “So there’s plenty of room to sleep comfortably in any of the bedrooms, plenty of baths to accommodate everyone?—”

Casey rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t bring any overnight wear.”

“Us either,” Rob said. “We planned to pack up the place and then return to White Bear.”

“It’s too wintry out, and it’ll be too late for you to return. It’ll take us hours to pack everything and then have dinner with my parents. Besides, you’re part of the family, and they need to meet you, too.”

Once they packed everything up, which took a lot less time than she thought it would with four big guys helping out, they drove to her parents' home.

Monica was both apprehensive and excited about her parents meeting Andy. She sure hoped they all hit it off. But Andy was so sweet, she knew he would make the best effort possible. And with a supporting cast of his family members and Casey, it should help ease the tension if any were to arise.

When they arrived at her parents' two-story, gray-and-white home, they welcomed them, hugging her first and then Andy without reservation. He gave them warm bear hugs, and she knew things would go well immediately.

Then, introductions were made as everyone moved into the warm house and removed their cold-weather outer gear.

"Well, we're so excited for you both," her mom said first. "We didn't think Monica would ever stop working her cases long enough so that she could find a mate."

"She didn't." Andy squeezed Monica's hand. "I was her backup on the faux kidnapping mission the whole way, and that's what made us know how good we could be together."

Her mom and dad laughed.

"Now that sounds about right," her dad said.

"We should have known," Mom said.

They served T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, thyme-seasoned green beans, and Cabernet Sauvignon. When they sat down to eat, her dad asked, “How did the two of you meet?”

Monica and Andy laughed. “In an unconventional way. Andy claimed I wanted to run him over to avoid getting a ticket.”

“I would have given her one if the situation hadn’t unraveled into a faux kidnapping case.”

“You mentioned you had met earlier,” Edward said.

“Oh, sure, but she had a boyfriend and was living in Anchorage,” Andy said.

“Neville was not the one for her. Is your place neat?” her mom asked.

“Yes,” Andy said.

Monica explained, “Andy’s place is beautiful. Neville was a hoarder. I couldn’t have lived like that.”

“But now you’re ready to give up your job and home to live in White Bear?” Monica's dad asked.

“Absolutely. After this case is finished, I’m taking a break. Andy is off for one week and on the next, so we will have mini honeymoons every other week.”

Everyone smiled.

Her dad squeezed her mom’s hand. “This is going to work out all right.”

Relieved they had her parents’ approval, Monica mentioned the family gatherings in White Bear.

“We have them often,” Rob said. “We’d love to have you join us anytime.”

“If you would like to take one of our Alaskan wilderness tours, we even have shifter tours,” Casey said.

“Now that sounds remarkable, if I could pry your mother away from selling properties long enough,” Monica’s dad said.

“Of course, I would love to do that. What fun. Do you have mates and children?” her mother asked Andy’s cousins.

“I have a mate and four children.” Rob told them their ages.

“That’s a handful,” Monica’s mother said.

“I’ve got a mate and two kids,” Eward said. “Andy’s brother, Ben, is still unmated, and his brother Craig and his mate Margot are working at it.”

Everyone looked at Andy and Monica. Her cheeks warmed. She shouldn’t have been embarrassed, but she and Andy hadn’t discussed children yet.

“In the works.” Andy grinned.

“But not right away.” Monica was glad she no longer had to take the muscle relaxant for her back because she was ready for lots more loving with Andy. “Everything is delicious, by the way.”

Her parents shared a conspiratorial look. Maybe they worried there was already trouble in paradise.

But Monica didn’t see it that way. If she and Andy had a child or two earlier than she’d planned, she would be delighted.

Everyone agreed that the food was outstanding. After finishing dinner and visiting longer, they all wished each other goodnight. This time, her parents hugged Edward, Rob, and Casey also before they headed out.

When they arrived at Monica’s home, it looked so empty. But she was ready for the move. She would remove the linens from the beds, her last act of packing up in the morning, as everyone headed to the bathrooms for showers, and she and Andy slipped into the master bedroom to shower together.

“Sorry about saying we were working on having babies.” Andy sounded a bit contrite.

She kissed his chest. “If we do, we do. I would be happy just the same. But I’m serious about our mini honeymoons.”

“I’m all for it.”

“And I'll make you feel extra special when you come home from work. I know you’ll be tired after dealing with out-of-sorts, cantankerous motorists and the like, so I want you to feel you can talk about anything and get it off your chest.”

He kissed her mouth. “I usually bend my family’s ears, so that would be welcome.”

They finally fell asleep, but Monica heard pounding on a stake out front before she was ready to wake. “Mom.”

“Putting out a For Sale sign?” Andy asked.

“Yep. Let’s get the bedding packed before my mom starts moving my furniture out from under us.”

The guys were already up when Monica and Andy joined them. They helped strip the beds and pack the bedding in boxes. Then they were on their way, stopping briefly at a pancake house for breakfast.

What amused Monica even more was when they were on the way to Andy’s home, she saw Genevieve and Ned driving toward Anchorage.

The caravan of vehicles honked at them, and they waved in response, honking back.

Ned got on the phone with Andy on Bluetooth.

“Monica, your parents invited us for brunch, so we’re headed up there to visit with them. ”

“Oh, wonderful.” Monica was thrilled that her parents could meet Andy’s and that they had made the gesture. She hoped they would all get along, though. Her dad thought he was the ultimate chef, and since Ned owned a tavern, he probably thought he was.

When they ended the call, she explained that to Andy. He just laughed. “A little rivalry between dads never hurt anyone.”

She wasn’t too sure!