They had to know for sure: was their son''s girlfriend the real deal, or just some girl he''d hired to get them off his back? After all, Shanley''s marital status had been a constant source of worry for them.


    "Alright, this weekend then," Shanley agreed after a moment''s thought. He then added, "The family estate is too formal, though. My girlfriend wouldn''t befortable there. Let''s meet at Moonlight Peak instead."


    "You arrange it, then," Miranda said, pursing her lips. "Just make sure you treat the youngdy right."


    "Oh, and what does she like?" she asked. "We need to get her a gift for our first meeting."


    "What does she like?" Shanley thought for a moment before slowly uttering a single word: "Food."


    "Food?" Miranda''s eyes lit up instantly. She sat up straight on the sofa, her voice softening. "She sounds like my kind of girl. Perfect. I know exactly what to get her now."


    Jewelry was one thing, but food... on that subject, she was an expert. She wouldn''t disappoint. After all, it wasn''t every day Shanley found a girlfriend. They couldn''t let this one get away.


    Later, over dinner, Shanley brought up the weekend meeting with his parents.


    Juniper paused, a half-eaten rib in her hand, and nced at the man across from her. If she remembered correctly, his parents had flown back specifically to meet her.


    "If you''re notfortable, we don''t have to do it," Shanley said gently, noticing her silence. "We can always-"


    "This weekend?" Juniper cut him off.


    "Yeah," Shanley nodded. "This weekend, at Moonlight Peak. It''s just a simple meal."


    "Just a meal?" Juniper lifted her gaze, her clear eyes locking onto his.


    "Not exactly," he admitted with a wry smile, cing another rib on her te. "My parents suspect I might be gay, and they think I hired you as a cover. So, they want to meet you to see for themselves—and probably to back you up and give me a hard time."


    At that, a small smile touched Juniper''s lips. She kept her expressionposed and said, "Fine. Let''s meet them."


    She already liked his grandparents,


    Kent and Hannah. As for his


    parents... Juniper nced at


    Shanley before quickly looking away. His parents couldn''t be too bad


    then.


    "Great," Shanley said, a smile ying on his Ps as he wiped her fingers


    with a napkin. "I''ll handle everything. Just rx and be yourself


    ---


    That night, Junipery in bed listening to the sound of the shower, messaging


    Lue.


    Lue: [So, the pretty bride-to-be is finally meeting the inws?]


    Juniper: [.]


    Lue: [Binary Oracle can''t dig up any info on Shanley''s parents, which means they must be pretty


    important. Plus they''re the heads of a top-tier family... Juniper, don''t say I didn''t warn you. The matriarchs on TV always want a daughter-inw from an equally wealthy family.]


    She didn''t want some heiress or top socialite bullying her Juniper.


    Lue: [They''ll just throw a check at you and tell you to leave their son.]


    Juniper: [I''ve seen that trope. The girl gets to name her price.]


    Lue: [Exactly! So, what''s your n?]


    Did Juniper need her toe over and flip the table?


    Before Lue could send her next message, Juniper''s reply popped up. [Don''t worry.


    I''ll name a high price.]


    Lue: [Wait, what???]


    Lue burst outughing. That response was pure Juniper. In the grand scheme of things, cash was king!