He put the ring on her finger, and she fell to her knees beside him. “Who says that happily ever after only happens in romance books?”

“Whoever did is downright crazy.” He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her long, hard, and with so much love that it made her go weak.

Brook was alone in the laundry when Johnny arrived from the doorway into the store. He picked up a sheet and together they folded it wrinkle-free and neatly. Then she shoved a basket of towels his way and he started on them.

“You want to go with me to the end-of-school dance?”

“You mean as a date?”

“Yep,” Johnny said. “It’s gettin’ to be more than friends, right? At least with me.”

Well, praise the Lord! You are finally getting to the place where I’ve been since Christmas, she thought. I’ve given you all kinds of hints and clues and I thought you’d never wake up and listen.

“Sure,” she said.

“That mean you kind of like me for more than a friend, too?”

“Yep, it does, but I’ve felt like that for a long time. Boys are slower than girls.” She smiled at him.

“That mean I might even get a good-night kiss after the dance?”

“Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see.”

“Fair enough. Gives me something to look forward to,” Johnny said.

That evening they all gathered on the rock. Harper laid a dozen red roses on the water, and they all watched them float away. Maybe next year there would be another baby to carry to the memorial.

Siblings can double the joy and halve the sorrow. Granny’s voice popped into Harper’s head.

She kissed Clancy on the top of his dark hair and whispered, “We’ve had our ups and downs this year, but we’re doing our best to be more than just sometimes sisters, Granny.”