I should catch everyone up with what happened since Valentine's Day. Nash and I kept things simple with romance which made it so much better. Nixon and Kat were going strong, as were the twins with Marcy and Macey. As for Nolan, well, he tried to hide what he did until his brothers ratted him out. The best part of it. Not only did he get a blue cake, but he also got razzed by said brothers, and he couldn't leave his room for a long time.

Nate and Pat weren't happy with what he did, along with getting himself and Nixon arrested. He's lucky they took it easy on him.

Everyone hung at the Grays for the evening when the snow started. I love Michigan weather since it can never decide. Mother Nature needs to change her meds. Being that it's still February, it's not only freezing but snowing heavily.

Now, this begs the question of whether we will have a snow day. See, when you live in a Northern State in the Midwest, there have to be exceptional circumstances to get a snow day. Most schools stay open unless you live far north or live out in the boonies, aka the countryside. The rest of us get to suffer trudging through this arctic wasteland we like to call Michigan. Come on. Our state is shaped like a mitten. You can't get any more ironic than that.

We all played Monopoly since we got confined to home. Someone's always a sore loser at this game, and it's Nixon.

"This game blows," he said, getting up and going into the kitchen.

"I take it that Nixon hates to lose," I said.

"Lose? Nixon hates any game he can't win at." He chuckled.

"Which is all of them," Nathan said.

"It can't be that bad," Kat said.

"Oh, it's bad. One time Nixon was playing Candy land with Nolan, and because he lost, he threw the game board out the door," Noah said.

"That's bad," Marcy said.

"Yep," the three of them said.

"So, what happened with Nolan?" Macey asked.

"Nolan needs to think with his head on his shoulders and not between his legs," Nash replied while rolling the dice.

"We thought Ma and Dad would kill him when they found out," Nathan said.

"Did he tell them?" Kat asked them.

"Nope, we ratted his little ass out," Noah answered. "Although I must admit, the cake was delicious."

"Cake?" Marcy asked.

"Don't ask," I answered, shaking my head.

We continued playing with Nixon rejoining us. I had to admit it was a lot of fun. We all talked and laughed when Pat's phone rang with a recorded message.

She came into the living room. "Guess you guys don't have to worry about going to bed early tonight." We all looked at her. "They canceled school for tomorrow."

There was a collective cheer from everyone. But with the accumulation of snow, no one was leaving. Then the power went out.

"Nate!" Pat said.

"I'm already checking Pat!" Nate came up from the basement after a few minutes. "It's not the breaker box. So it has to be from the outside." He checked through the window.

We all stood up. "Nash and Nixon grabbed all the wood from the garage. Nathan and Noah get Nolan and all the blankets and pillows you can gather," Pat told the boys.

Nate gathered candles and flashlights. He also brought in a percolator and coffee so we could have something warm to drink. Nash and Nixon brought in wood and got a fire started while Nate made coffee over the fire.

Nathan and Noah returned with Nolan, along with lots of pillows and blankets. Well, if we were here, we might as well make the best of it.

The girls snuggled with the guys under the blankets. Nolan snuggled next to Pat while she sat next to Nate.

"So, Pat, you told me briefly about you and Nate, but you never told me the whole story," I said.

"Oh, you don't want to hear about us," she answered, trying to brush it off.

"Sure, we do," Marcy said.

"Not even we know the full story. So spill Ma and Dad," Nash said.

"Might as well tell them," Nate said while looking at her.

She sighed. "Well, as most of you know, Nate and I were neighbors that grew up across from each other. His family lived across the street from my family, and my older brother was friends with them. There was Nate, Jonas, and Cayson. Now growing up, I was that little sister they never had, so I was fair game for them to pick on."

"But we did it out of fun. Patricia used to take it to heart and get so mad at us, but that's what siblings do, right?" He asked us. 

We all nodded.

"But I had this huge crush on Nate, and I was always afraid to tell him how I felt. Plus, with the teasing, we didn't quite get along," she said.

"Until one day I saw a boy pick on her. My thought was, no one could pick on her except for us," he added.

"Thanks a lot." She gave him a look.

"Well, it was true. It wasn't until I saw what the boy had done to Patty. She didn't deserve it. So I took matters into my own hands."

"It surprised me. After that, we started talking more. Then the night of my birthday he gave me my first kiss and asked me out." 

"How old were you?" I asked her.

"It was my eighteenth birthday."

"Yeah, she wasn't jailbait." He chuckled, and she gave him a playful smack.

"Anyway, we went out, and I remember his ma handed him a small package. Told him not to forget his raincoat, and she didn't need grandbabies."

"Which was the most embarrassing thing my ma ever did to me in front of a girl." He looked at her, and she looked at him, laughing. "After that, if she could deal with my crazy mother, I would marry her."

"But I didn't know if I wanted to marry him. We dated and danced around the idea, but we got married seven months later. Eighteen months after that, Nash arrived, followed by Nixon two years later. Then the twins, Nathan and Noah, a year after Nixon and finally Nolan. Never in a million years would I have figured I would marry the boy across the street." 

"Well, my mom knew." 

"Heck, yeah, she did. She kept talking about it when I was fifteen." She giggled.

I lay on Nash, listening to them. I loved hearing their story because it was so romantic. To know that two people who grew up around each other ended up together gave me a lot of hope. Nash rubbed my arms with his hands and kissed the top of my head.

Listening to Pat and Nate talk about their courtship made me realize how I felt about Nash as I snuggled into him.

We all talked and laughed. Then everyone fell asleep except for Nash and me.

"You've been quiet." 

"I've been thinking." 

"About?"

"About us." 

"And?"

I looked at him. "And I'm ready."

He gave me a look. "You're messing with me again, aren't you?"

"No, I'm ready." 

"You're serious?"

"Like a heart attack."

"Okay, but I want to do it right and get a room. I want it to be romantic and special." 

"Okay." I reached up and pulled him into a kiss, and he kissed me back. Without a doubt, I was ready, and there wasn't any question that I was ready to take that step with Nash.

When the time was right, it would be a night for both of us to remember. The question was, when?