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“You do that?” she asked. “How long does it take?”
“It takes a bit of time, but it’s worth it,” I admitted. “Plus, a bunch of the neighbors get together and send me gifts and gift cards every year. It lets me go check on a couple of the older folks that live halfway down the mountain.”
“It never ceases to amaze me the kind of man you are,” she said, shaking her head. “How did I not know this?”
“It hasn’t come up,” I said. “Now it has. So, knowing that I have a plow of my own and am very familiar with creating a path to town with it, would you be interested in living at the top of the mountain with me?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes I would. But that’s under the condition that you drive that plow all the way into town and take me to work when the weather gets rough like that.”
“Deal,” I said. “I can do that.”
“I guess that means it’s time to sell the old house,” she said. “That should help with the renovations.”
“Renovations?” I asked. “What renovations?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I was thinking maybe Rose might need a little brother or sister someday.”
I smiled. The warmth that filled my heart was something I couldn’t even possibly begin to explain. This woman that I loved wanted to give me a child, one that would grow up beside Rose as a sibling. Our little family would expand, all in due time.
“An expansion,” I said. “Alright. What were you thinking?”
“Well, I loved that little game room under the porch that they had at the reception,” she said.
“That was a nice little room. I have a similar space under my porch leading out back.”
“I know,” she said. “What if we put a room there for the kids to play in? And maybe build a real nursery too?”
“But we already have a nursery,” I said.
“That room was for your sister,” she said. “I don’t want to take that away from you or her. She is still your family, and you created a spot where you can promise she will be safe. We could make a new nursery and turn that into a guest bedroom and let your sister use it if she ever comes back in town.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a lump in my throat. “That means a lot to me.”
“I know,” she said. “You want to take care of her, and that’s the only thing you can do for her right now is be there when or if she comes back. I get it.”
I nodded.
She was right. That was all I had was to be there for Kim if she ever returned. Part of me knew she would, one day, but that she needed to go be her own person for now. At least she knew to trust me with Rose, and she did the right thing by bringing her to me. I was going to love her as my own. And I would always have a room ready for Kim, if she ever found her way back to her family.
We drove on, enjoying being together on the open road with no definite time to return. Malia and Gerry told us before we left on a phone call to take our time and enjoy the trip. Rose had been a perfect angel, and between the two of them, Malia, Dee’s mother, and Wendy, there were plenty of people to watch her and keep an eye on her.
It was late when we pulled into Gerry and Malia’s place. Gerry had a great cabin halfway up the neighboring mountain that had a big rumpus room of his own with a pool table and all kinds of things to spend time with. It was where the boys tended to collect for games on television now, and I had recently attended my first wrestling pay-per-view there, which was an experience of its own.
We collected in that room, which apparently had turned into baby central during our honeymoon. There were three cribs lined up, and I realized that they must have had Wendy and Finn over a few times with Hope and Olly. Hope was still a baby as well and would need a crib, so they were just keeping them all together, and from the looks of things, crashing on the futon that folded out to a bed.
Immediately, I went to Rose and picked her up gently, pulling her into my chest and kissing the top of her head. She was already awake but not being fussy and seemed to giggle when I pulled her tight. I knew it was early, but I hoped she knew who I was.
Gerry yawned as he sat down next to Malia, putting his arm around her and smiling as Dee and I cooed over Rose. I glanced at the clock and saw it was after one in the morning and felt a pang of guilt. But Gerry and Malia didn’t seem upset; in fact, they seemed positively happy to see us be so lovey on Rose.
