Page 21 of Secrets on the Mountain

"Are you going to get married now?"

Donner is suddenly very serious, glancing from his mother to me and back again.

"I like that idea a lot, but it's up to your mom," I answer Don, but my eyes are on June.

"Is that an official proposal?" She asks, laughter underlying the sarcasm in her voice.

"It's an official unofficial proposal." I reach for her hand and draw her closer.

I have every intention of asking her properly, with a ring to slide onto her finger when she tells me yes, but for now it seems like the right place to start.

"Then I guess my official unofficial answer is yes."

It's hard not to kiss her but even with all this talk, I'm not sure if Donner is ready to see that yet.

* * *

It's late when we get back to my place and even though I'm keeping my urge to kiss Junie under control, I haven't been able to let go of her since she said she'd marry me.

Donner lets me give him a hug before Junie puts him to bed, but only a few minutes after they disappear into the guest bedroom, I hear what sounds like an argument. Then Junie is being pushed out of the room, with what looks like her pajamas in her hands.

"No, you have to go sleep with Hurricane now," Donner is saying insistently as he shoves his mother toward my end of the house. "Mommies and daddies have to share a room, it's the rules."

Junie lets herself be pushed closer to me, hiding her face from Donner so he doesn't see the grin she's giving me.

I do my best to do the same.

"He's right, Junie-bee, the rules say mommies and daddies have to share a room." I try to make it sound as apologetic as possible.

"Will you be okay sleeping alone?" I ask Donner, who seems satisfied that we're accepting the downside of the mom and dad rules.

"Uh huh," he assures me, "I had my own room at our old house."

Donner goes back to his room and Junie looks at me and mouths the words "our old house" at me. Obviously, he's also expecting the new arrangement to mean that he and June will be staying.

This is going to be so much easier than I thought.

"You heard him," I say, pulling Junie through the door of our bedroom, "it's the rules."

EPILOGUE 1

Four Months Later

June

There's a snowman family outside the kitchen window. Cane and Donner built them last weekend, after the first trio of snowstorms for the year had blown over and the sun came out for a day.

There's clearly a daddy and a mommy and little boy, but there's also another small child in the family of oversized snow balls lined up by the plowed driveway.

Donner says it's his little sister. He tells us that now that Cane and I are married and we're a family, he's going to get a little sister and a little brother just like Hurricane has.

Of course, our son has also explained-- quite impatiently-- that we simply need to order these siblings from the internet and they will get delivered when the delivery van can make it up the mountain.

Cane and I know we'll have to explain things a little more clearly soon enough.

"You thinking up names?"

Strong arms wrap around my middle, and I feel Cane's solid frame mold to my back. His chin rests lightly on my shoulder and he asks his question in that deep purr that has me glad that Donner is up at May's place for the rest of the day.

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