Claiming the White Bear: White Bear Series, Book 2

by Terry Spear

  Robyn couldn't believe after she had left Edward like she did, that his family and their friends would rally together to marry them off, despite all the baggage she now carried with her.

  "After the dinner tonight, we're going to move all your things from storage that we had unloaded from your truck so Joe could begin to work on your vehicle," Rob said.

  "Oh, thanks so much," Robyn said. "We'll have to make room for all the stuff."

  "Easily," Edward said. "When Rob moved out, he took all his belongings and half of the kitchen supplies, so we'll be good. And all the closets in the spare bedrooms are empty."

  She was glad for that.

  When Rob dropped them off at Edward's home, it was a whirlwind of activities. He helped carry the boys' bags into the house, and then said, "We'll see you in a little bit." Rob gave Robyn a big hug first before he left. "Welcome to the family." And then he hugged the boys too. "I'm your Uncle Rob," he said, smiling, then he left.

  "Are you okay with all this?" Edward asked Robyn, carrying her bags into his bedroom. "I didn't realize they would pre-plan everything to such an extent and make it such a big affair."

  "Oh, this will be the easiest wedding ceremony I've ever gone to." She saw the wedding gown laying on the bed, a princess ball-gown type, off-the-shoulder, tulle-lace long-sleeves, tulle lace covering the bodice, and a chapel train. "Oh, this is even more beautiful than the picture you sent me."

  The boys were rolling their bags into their room and she realized it really was her and the boys' home now too.

  "You boys can pick a room for each of you," Edward said.

  "Yes!" Garrett said, and took the room they hadn't used already.

  Edward smiled at her and rubbed her back. "You'll be beautiful. You are beautiful."

  She smiled and hugged him. "I feel this is so right for us. I just wish we didn't have so many issues with the other families still."

  "We'll be okay."

  She wasn't so sure about that. "So what do we wear tonight?"

  "Dress casual."

  "I've got a wool skirt I can wear."

  "That should work. I'll get changed. I suspect someone is going to take you away from me for the night so we're not together the evening before the wedding. But it will be someone who can protect you. I'll keep the boys here with me."

  She smiled. "I think that would be nice for you and the boys to bond."

  He laughed. "No wild bachelor party then."

  She laughed. "That will be even better."

  They had barely gotten dressed when Uncle Ned and Aunt Genevieve arrived, followed by Rob and Alicia and the babies.

  “Andy called and said the Gardner brothers all drove out of White Bear. We had a number of shifters following them to make sure they were really leaving town,” Ned said.

  “Good,” Robyn said, and Edward agreed.

  They did a super quick marriage ceremony at Edward's home to ensure that if anything went wrong and they weren't able to have the fancy wedding tomorrow, they would still be a married couple tonight. Robyn told them she wanted to take the MacMathan name for her own, and the boys would also have the same Celtic name that meant son of the bear. Edward and his family couldn't have been more pleased.

  Then Edward and Robyn kissed. Then they kissed and hugged the boys. Kissing and hugs with the rest of the family followed. Afterward, they headed over to the tavern for the groom's dinner. Ned and Genevieve seemed so thrilled to have her and the boys in the family. Robyn only wished her own family hadn't been so awful about everything. Though she could imagine how angry they might still be that her brother had died in a fight with Edward.

  Robyn was afraid the boys would be upset with all the goings-on's, but they loved all the attention they were getting. And they were excited about being at the all boys' party tonight. The wedding would be at eleven the next day so that everyone could get some sleep in the morning. Edward's cousins were all going to be at the all-boys' party tonight. She thought that would be a fun way for the boys to get to know their uncles—as that’s what all the cousins wanted the boys to call them—a little better too.

  AT THE TAVERN, they all headed in to take their seats in the banquet room, many of the patrons congratulating them on the way past their tables. In the room, Edward's cousins gave Robyn and the boys hugs and kisses, welcoming them to the family. Tamara White was there too, and Robyn gave her a hug for loaning her the wedding gown.

  Tamara smiled at Robyn. "If nobody's told you the story, I've never worn it."

  Robyn's jaw dropped.

  "Uh, yeah. It's one of those cases where the bride shows up for the wedding and the groom is a no-show. Best that we ended it before we actually got married."

  "Does he live here?" Robyn asked, shocked.

  "Lucky for him, no. He was from another sleuth further north and he ran back home with his stubby tail between his legs."

  Robyn chuckled. "Well, he didn't deserve you. And thanks again." Robyn was delighted to have another friend among the bears.

  "Seventy-five of our friends said they were coming to the wedding." Aunt Genevieve sounded delighted that so many had responded to the impromptu invitation and wanted to attend the ceremony to celebrate. "It's truly the miracle of having text and emails, or we would have had to go door-to-door. A lot of our friends are delighted to take part because of how much we've helped others out in a pinch."

  "Not to mention the free food," Uncle Ned said.

  Aunt Genevieve smiled. "Right, but they are also helping to decorate for the wedding. It's just a fun opportunity for everyone who has been friends of ours for all these years."

  "No alcohol, right?" Robyn said. "Tonight, at the groom's dinner is fine, but I'd rather not have it at the wedding reception because of the kids. I've been at enough of them to see a bunch of drunken bears ruin it for everyone else."

  "Uh, yeah, no alcohol," Edward said. "I agree."

  "No problem at all," Uncle Ned said. "We put that on the invites because we felt the same way."

  "I can't believe you went and got married and I didn't have a chance to match the two of you up in the very beginning even," Ben said.

  Edward laughed. "We were already an item before you saw her."

  "Yeah, but when I saw she had two sons this time, I knew she was already mated. Shows what I know. Next time, I won't assume," Ben said.

  "So now you're going to work on your brothers?" Edward asked.

  "I've got to. You and your brother are mated now. Though I'm sure my brothers will be tougher to pin down." Ben ordered a glass of wine. "So what are we going to do for your 'bachelor' party?"

  "Movies, appropriate for five-year-old's, ice cream, popcorn, games we can come up with that the boys would enjoy."

  Ben smiled. "Man, I never thought you'd be having a bachelor party for kids."

  Edward laughed. He hadn't either. His aunt and uncle had offered to watch them tonight, but he was glad to have some quality time with his sons. "It'll be a fun way for them to get to know all of you too."

  "True. Except for helping out some with your brother's little ones, and they're so little that has meant changing diapers or rocking them, I haven't had much experience with kids."

  "Garrett and Bryan are easier to take care of," Edward said. "At least they can tell you want they want or don't want."

  "But they get into more trouble too."

  "Uh, yeah. The ice-floe incident was a real reminder of what little boys could get into."

  "Like us." Ben smiled. "Sounds like something we could have pulled when we were that age."

  "My thoughts exactly."

  "I don't envy you. Yet, I kind of do."

  Robyn smiled at Ben. "Someday, you'll be just as happy as we are."

  "Oh, I'm sure of it. I'm really glad for the four of you. We've all had to do some last-minute Christmas shopping too. We always just share lists, so if there's something you'd like, just let us know, Robyn."

  "Thank you. I need to get lists from all of you t
oo," Robyn said.

  Edward hadn't even thought of Christmas because everything else had been so up in the air. He knew she was strapped for money and he didn't want her to feel she had to go out and buy a bunch of gifts for the family. Though, if she felt the need, his money was hers too.

  "It's covered. Everything is from the two of us," Edward said.

  Robyn squeezed his hand, but he wasn't sure what she was thinking. He suspected she wanted to do something for the rest of the family to show how much she appreciated everyone. "I want to get my marketing business up and running here." She smiled. "Everything else has been a higher priority, but now that we're settling down here, I want to get my business going."

  He suspected it wasn't just that she wanted to work, but that she felt the need to help add to the family income, though she didn't have to.

  "Rob, Casey, and I will be your first customers. We could use a great video showing the fun we have on our tours. If you help us with setting up a better website and anything else you can think of to help showcase our business, we would be grateful. Which means you and the boys will have to come with us on some of the tours to take the videos and pictures and show how much fun the trips can be with kids."

  She smiled so brightly, he knew he'd made her whole day. It would be fun for the kids, not having to stay at home with someone, but to see what their father and their mother did. And even their Uncle Rob and their friend did for a living. "All right. And I can do that for free to use it to showcase the kind of product and services marketing I can provide for businesses."

  "Our business," Edward said, because she and Alicia were every bit as much important in their business as the guys were.

  Rob shook his head. "We'll pitch in money to help pay for the marketing."

  "No way am I going to charge your company when I'm mated to Edward now."

  Alicia shook her head at her. "It's only right. The guys would have to pay someone else to do their marketing otherwise. If they can pay you, it still stays in your family's finances, so it's a win-win for all of us."

  "Oh, and we want you to do a marketing campaign for our tavern. Believe me, with all the special holidays and different kinds of festivities we have here throughout the year, we could really use the help to spread the word. We'll need so many marketing videos, we'll keep you well-paid. You'll have examples of your marketing talent that you can showcase to encourage new business," Uncle Ned said.

  Edward thought Robyn didn't want to charge her own family, but he knew they wouldn't have her do all that work for nothing. And they were eager to help her become profitable on her own. He wanted that for her too, if that was something that she felt she really needed to do.

  “Okay, thanks,” she said.

  “You can do promo for my seaplane excursions. I take people on sightseeing trips and deliver people and supplies to different locations across the state. I do a lot of rescues too, and you could do a feature on that,” Craig said.

  “I’m a video photographer also,” Alicia said. “Though I usually do pieces for magazines and the like. But if you can use some of the pictures or videos that I've taken to help you get started on some of these projects, you’re welcome to them.”

  “Thanks so much, Alicia. And thanks to Tamara for loaning me her beautiful gown.”

  “You’re so welcome. I’m so glad you could use it,” Tamara said.

  “It’s just beautiful. I never had a real wedding, so I’m looking forward to it.”

  “As far as your marketing business goes, it looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Edward said. “And you don’t ever have to worry about the boys. They’ll be well-taken care of.”

  She looked thrilled with the prospect. He was glad for it. Then he wondered if she'd ever had a chance to finish her marketing degree after she'd left White Bear so suddenly.

  “We’ve converted a back room for our grandkids as they get older,” Uncle Ned said. “It has a kid-sized house, table, and chairs, puzzles, building blocks, stuffed animals, cars and trucks, a TV, Play Station, you name it. We set it up for Rob’s kids for when their babies are older and for when our sons have kids of their own. But your sons are the perfect age for it now. So anytime you need a break, they can be in there and Ben and Genevieve and I will check on them periodically,” Uncle Ned said.

  “Oh, how wonderful,” Robyn said.

  “Yeah,” Ben said. “We keep asking why Mom and Dad didn't set up something like that for us when we were that little.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Can we see it?” Garrett asked all ears.

  “After dinner.” Robyn pointed to their chicken and broccoli and french fries.

  They began eating their meal faster.

  “What about a honeymoon?” Genevieve asked. “We’ll take care of the kids while you take a trip somewhere. You really need to have the time alone, just like before.”

  “We haven’t even discussed it. I hate burdening anyone with the boys this soon after we just arrived,” Robyn said, "or making them anxious about me leaving them."

  Edward assumed she was worried about the boys staying with other families this early in their marriage.

  “The boys will have a ball. Between their uncles and us and if you’d like, we’d love for them to think of us as their grandparents. We’ll keep them busy,” Genevieve said. Even so, she glanced at the boys to see what they thought about it.

  Garrett had finished his meal. “It’s okay with me, Mom.”

  Bryan finished his meal too. “Me too. Can we see the playroom?”

  Robyn laughed.

  “I'll take them,” Ben said, and he and the boys left the banquet room to go to another room.

  “We have video cameras in there,” Uncle Ned said. “I’ll send you the app. You can check on your sons at any time.”

  Robyn uploaded the app and saw Ben turning on the PlayStation for the boys. That was it. They took seats on beanbag chairs and began playing a game.

  “Wow, that’s fantastic. They could play that way for hours,” she said.

  “What do you think, Robyn? Do you want to get away for a little bit?” Edward asked.

  “Yeah. Just for three or four days maybe. Somewhere not too far away in case the boys get homesick.”

  “We can do that.” Edward was eager to have a real honeymoon.

  10

  Robyn was thrilled that Edward was really eager to have a honeymoon alone with her. She didn’t blame him. She wanted one too. It would be the perfect way to get to know him again like she knew him before. She really wanted to be with him tonight, but she knew that they needed to do the traditional thing and be apart the night before the wedding because of the boys.

  “We have a school for shifters here,” Genevieve said. “I didn’t know if you homeschooled or not. This is a special, private school for all ages and your sons can attend it, if you’d like for them to. It’s a mix of shifters and no child is allowed to shift at school. If a child does, he is sent home. Since we have Arctic foxes, polar bears, snow leopards, grizzly bears, and Arctic wolves, we have to have strict rules about it.”

  “Oh, that sounds wonderful. We can certainly try it out.” Robyn thought it could be a great experience for the boys to learn how to get along with other shifters and to make friends with them too. She never thought she would become friends with a grizzly shifter herself even. Not that she was averse to it, she'd just never met a grizzly that was a shifter.

  The dinner ended and they went to the hall where they would practice the wedding ceremony. The boys wanted to stay at the restaurant playroom. Robyn could see it was the perfect place for them when they had to stay with their new grandparents. They might even want to go there when she didn't need them to. As long as they weren't underfoot, she could agree to it.

  “Where did you want to go for our honeymoon?” Edward asked Robyn, after they had practiced the ceremony.

  She was searching her phone for a location. “McKinley’s Riverside Chalet Reso
rt? It's only two miles from the entrance to Denali National Park. It's not rugged, which would be fine with me either way. I’m good with not having to shift as polar bears. But they have two restaurants, an espresso bar, fire pits, live entertainment at a saloon, hot tubs, and a view of the mountains. The park has six million acres with only one road in. Bears, moose, wolves, Dall sheep, and caribou live there. We might even be able to move well off the road as polar bears, but we don't have to. Or we could even just stay home, if your parents or cousins take care of the boys.”

  “Denali it is. Sounds like a good plan.”

  “Or we could take a drive where you go on your tours. I could start working on the marketing video.”

  Edward smiled and pulled her into his arms. “No work. All play.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “Good answer.”

  THAT NIGHT ROBYN stayed with Alicia and the babies. It might have seemed unfair that she was staying the night with a nursing mother while the guys had more fun things planned, but Robyn didn’t mind. Her boys hadn’t been this little in a long time and she loved cuddling the babies. And she was their aunt.

  The grizzly bear, Gary, was there to provide them security for the night, just in case they needed it, but he stayed in the living room, while Alicia and Robyn and the babies were in the den. “From everything Edward’s already told me about you, I feel like I already know you,” Alicia said.

  “I was really surprised to hear Rob had mated. He and his cousins had always been confirmed bachelors.”

  “I agree. We really connected because of our psychic abilities. If Edward didn’t tell you about it, Rob can see glimpses of the future, and I can see glimpses of the past. It’s something we haven’t shared with everyone, though I’ve done some police work with my gift.”

  “Oh, that’s great. And it’s amazing.” The baby Robyn was rocking was sound asleep in her arms and she wondered if the babies would have one of their parents’ abilities.