Page 102 of Packed in the Fire house

The house had looked big in photos, but in person, it wasgigantic.

“Walker, this is far too much!” I said as I padded down the hallway to the large open-plan kitchen.

The day had come for us to start the move into the new house, and a few days ago, Walker had educated me about a little firehouse tradition. Whenever a member of the firehouse moved, the station would all chip in to help for the low cost of a few beers and some food.

So, given the beautiful weather, the guys had decided that a move-in-day cookout was the way to go. We had gone to the grocery store and bought an obscene amount of food—we were going to be feeding over twenty firefighters.

It wasn’t just the guys from Station Sixteen who had come; men from Station Seventeen, including Elliot, the arson investigator, and his pack mates, as well as a few guys from one of the inner-city stations they worked with occasionally had come to lend a hand.

Everywhere I looked, there was someone offering to help with moving furniture, cooking, cleaning, and a whole host of other jobs. Storm and his pack were even coming by for a fewhours, and I was looking forward to a little time with my sister-in-law. She had joined my brother’s pack when her daughter was a little younger than Luka, so she would understand what I was going through.

Then again, her baby had been my brother’s. Luka wasn’t related to any member of Pack Landry.

While people started milling around, building and sorting, Walker showed me around the house.

There were several family rooms downstairs, and each of them was decorated beautifully. The house had come with a lot of basic furniture, so moving in was proving pretty easy.

Sooty the bunny’s enclosure had received quite the upgrade. Now in one of the family rooms, she had a large enclosure with plenty of hides and places for her to jump and explore, as well as a litter tray. We were going to bring her to the house as soon as everything was ready because all the moving and loud noises would stress her out.

“This is the bare minimum, sunshine,” Blaze said as he walked past me, carrying a large box of random trinkets. “Do you want to go see Luka's bedroom? I ordered a bed specifically for him that I saw in a store and couldn't resist!”

I sighed, putting down the bag I was carrying. Since I could feel Walker’s and Rune’s excitement through the bond, I didn't want to be a complete downer. They all loved the house, so I didn’t want to be a grump about it. I needed to learn how to let go and accept the help they wanted to give me.

“Sure,” I said, following Blaze.

He had bought Luka a bed that was shaped like a fire truck.

“I couldn’t resist!” he said excitedly as he made his way into the room. “They showed me at the store that you can put railings on it, and it is very safe for a child of his age. This bed can grow with him until he's about eight years old, I think they said.”

It was beautiful, hand painted and clearly high-quality. It was the kind of thing I'd always wanted to get my child.

“I'm seeing a theme in this room.” I chuckled, looking around. There were several firefighter-themed knick knacks and toys dotted around the room.

Blaze nodded. “We picked those out. Luka is from a firefighting family—he’s got to show off the family pride!”

I cocked my head to the side. “What if he decides he wants to be a police officer instead?”

Blaze pouted. “I'll be sad, but I'll accept it. I will then buy him every police-themed decor we can find, and I won’t even make any donut jokes. Now, let’s look around the rest of this place and stop talking about our son being a traitor!”

I spent the next twenty minutes walking through the beautiful monstrosity of a property. The kitchen was large, with a butcher-block island and farmhouse-style cabinets. There was even one of those porcelain sinks that sank into the counter.

“Why is there no oven?” I asked as I noticed the suspicious gap between the counters.

Rune, who was unpacking some plates, smiled at me. “Oh, the oven that came with the house wasn't that nice, so I bought the same one that we have at the firehouse. The guys are all for it, because they love the cookies that you make there, and we know you like that one.”

I bit my lip. That was a very expensive oven, but I didn't want to complain. After all, I was going to enjoy it greatly.

Rune frowned, pausing. “What’s wrong, Cher? Your scent has gone a little sour.”

Running my hand through my hair, I sighed. “It's a little overwhelming, but I'll be okay,” I assured him with a smile.

Rune stood, walking over to me. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s just…”

“A lot,” Rune agreed. “How about we do something to take your mind off it?”

“Like what?”

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