Josh woke up the next morning with Donna wrapped around him. The sun was beginning to peek through the curtains, and the last logs were crackling on the fire. The storm had passed, but there was still no power to the cabin.

"Go back to sleep ," he told her with a whisper and a quick kiss. "I'm just going to go get another piece of firewood."

The chill caught up with him quickly after he'd exited the warmth of their bed, and Josh made quick work of retrieving the needed supplies and stoking the fire.

She pulled the covers back for him just in time to slide back into his spot.

"They'll probably have the power back on in an hour or two," she mused.

"I don't mind," he told her playfully, "if it's an excuse to stay in bed with my fiancé all day."

Donna beamed at him. "You really want to do this? To get married?"

"More than anything," Josh assured.

She curled in closer to him and her eyes fluttered closed once again as she found herself content in his embrace.

They dozed on and off until the power clicked on at once. The lights inside the cabin came on and the furnace rumbled to life.

Both of them startled awake, their momentary confusion turning quickly into soft laughter.

"Do you need to get up?" Josh asked somewhat timidly.

"No." Donna shook her head. "In fact, I'm going to quit my job this morning. You're right, Josh. I do hate it. And while I know we need the benefits, I'm confident I can find something within the next 30 days before my insurance lapses."

"You're sure?" Josh clarified, not wanting to force her into anything.

"I'm sure." She responded confidently.

"Ahkay." He grinned mischievously, pulling her a bit closer. "But Donna… when you call, ask if you can keep that uniform one more night."

"I thought you didn't like the uniform," she batted back, toying with him.

"I don't like other men seeing you in the uniform," he clarified. "But God, Donna. I didn't mind looking myself."

She laughed, a sound he couldn't resist, and decided the call could wait until later as he wrapped her up and rolled her on top of him, their lips immediately melding together.

When they finally emerged from bed, the cabin was beginning to warm from the heater, and Donna took a quick shower as Josh stoked the fire and started a pot of coffee. He grabbed a file folder from his makeshift office and placed it on the table, staring out the window. They'd had quite a tremendous amount of snow the night before, and he knew by looking that his mother and Audrey would be unable to make it home from Denver that afternoon. As much as he would have preferred Audrey and Edith at home, he'd rather them be safe in Denver than on the roads. And he really had no complaints about some more alone time with Donna.

He heard the door to the bathroom open and pulled two mugs from the cabinet, pouring a hot cup of coffee for both of them.

"Hey there," he grinned broadly at her as she emerged in a polar fleece he'd purchased her as somewhat of a joke, warm leggings and a pair of slippers.

She smiled back at him, completely aware of the effect she was having on him.

"Hey yourself." He kissed her good morning, placing the mugs on the counter to wrap his arms around her. He took his time greeting her even though they'd only been apart for a few minutes, but Donna certainly didn't have any complaints. Eventually he gently pulled away, the oven dinging to indicate a tray of croissants were ready for breakfast.

"What's all of this?" Donna wandered to the kitchen table, which held a folder of paperwork she hadn't seen before.

"It's the banking information," Josh told her, slipping the oven mitt off of his hand and following her over to take a seat. "I thought we could sit down and go through all of it."

"Oh. Okay…" she stared at the folder.

"You sound hesitant?"

"Well, it's just… a tricky subject."

"It's not." He shrugged his shoulders. "What's mine is yours. It's all fairly straight forward."

He sat down and opened the folder, pulling out some information.

"These are my checking and savings accounts," he handed her the statement. "I'll call today and have you added. You already have a credit card, but we can have actual checks mailed to us with this address. Here are my investment and retirement accounts, and my trust."

Donna's eyes widened as the assets began to pile up in front of her. Though she knew Josh was comfortable, she hadn't previously understood how substantial his assets were. He was right in assuring her that they didn't need to lose sleep over financial matters.

"Josh, I… don't know what to say."

"It's not a big deal," he told her. "I don't really touch them much, but they're here incase we need them. And right now, with my salary from the post and our low overhead, we really don't. But if something changes, well, we're okay. You don't have to worry."

"This is Audrey's money," Donna sat down the paperwork. "So she can go to school and not have to worry."

"No, this is ours." Josh explained calmly. He wanted her to understand that they are truly a team, and that she really didn't need to worry about small day to day expenses anymore. "This is Audrey's."

She took a second sheet of paper from him, a ledger with an overview of a trust.

"This is Audrey's college fund?" She clarified.

"Well, and…" he shifted slightly, as though he was feeling rather nervous.

"And what?" She turned to look at him.

"And any other kids we… might have… in the future. Or whatever."

She beamed at him. "You want more kids?"

"Well, yeah. With you, I do." He knew he probably looked a little sheepish when he found the nerve to look at her.

The adoration for him in her eyes was obvious.

"Does that mean you'd maybe want to expand our family?" He asked hopefully.

She nodded repeatedly, leaning in to kiss him.

"Kay." He gave her a full dimpled grin.

"Wanna practice?" She smirked playfully.

Josh let out a low growl. He wouldn't ever be able to say no to that.

OoOoOoO

"The roads are clear," Josh announced, snapping his phone shut.

Audrey and Edith had been in Denver for 3 days, unable to make it back up the mountain due to the snow.

"They're coming home?" Donna asked from where she stood in the kitchen, chopping a head of broccoli.

"Should be here in an hour." Josh moved to stand behind her, encircling her waist with his arms as he buried his face in her neck. "I can't wait to introduce them to my bride."

Donna grinned wildly. Though Josh had proposed two nights ago, they'd kept the news completely to themselves. It wasn't as though they weren't excited; the both wanted to shout it from the rooftops. But they'd agreed wholeheartedly that Audrey should be the first to know, and that they should talk to her in person.

Donna finished dinner while Josh wrapped up a project for work. Just like clockwork, Edith and Audrey walked through the door an hour later.

"Donna!" Audrey ran full speed and crashed into her. "Hi, Daddy. Hi, Lucy."

"Hi, Sweet Pea," Donna wrapped her up in a hug. "Did you have fun on your trip?"

Audrey was talking a mile a minute, enthusiastically describing every detail of her stay in Denver. Josh walker over, smoothing her curls and giving her a kiss on the top of her head before greeting his mother.

"You look tired," Josh chuckled, taking Audrey's bag from Edith.

"Oof." Edith practically dropped into a chair. "She really was a little angel the whole time. But being stuck in that hotel for 3 days without adequate entertainment? No thanks. She gets her attention span from you, son."

"That's what Donna always says too," Josh agreed. "But we have a pot of broccoli cheddar soup and warm bread. How does that sound to the road warriors?"

Audrey cheered and ran over to wash her hands.

"I think I'll just take a small bowl to my room," Edith decided, standing up. "I'm going to call it a night."

Josh ladeled the warm liquid into a bowl for his mother while Donna helped Audrey.

"Daddy?" Audrey questioned as she took a seat in her spot at the dinner table. "Why are there so many candles in our house?"

"Oh… ahh… we had a storm and the power went out." Josh explained. And though that had been the initial reason, they'd both found that they enjoyed the mood during their alone time over the next few days.

"You didn't have any lights or TV?" Audrey's eyes widened in interest at her father's story.

"No," he confirmed, handing Edith her dinner.

"But were you and Donna bored? What did you do to have fun?" She asked earnestly.

Josh's eyebrows shot up and he blushed a bit, unable to prevent the image of Donna in a very precarious position on the kitchen counter from flashing in his mind.

"Ummm… read?" He finally managed to squeak out.

"Oh, I'll bet you did a lot of reading," Edith mumbled with a smile, amused to no end by the conversation taking place in front of her.

"Goodnight, Mother." Josh told her pointedly, as Edith chuckled all the way back to the guest house.

After dinner was eaten and cleaned up, Aidrey opened her box of crayons in the living room as she did every night.

"Come over here, Shortcake," Josh requested as he sat down on the couch next to Donna. "We want to talk to you about something."

Audrey crawled into his lap and made herself comfortable, waiting for her father to begin to speak.

"You know Donna and I love you, right?"

Audrey nodded her head vigorously, reaching out to pat Josh on the shoulder. "I love you too, Daddy. And Donna loves you!"

"That's right. I'm a very lucky guy." Josh couldn't help but to grin at the sentiment. "When two adults love each other very much, Audrey, sometimes they decide that they want to get married."

"Uh huh," Audrey nodded in agreement, and Josh was glad that she was following along so far.

"So two days ago, I asked Donna if she'd marry me." He paused.

"You did?" Audrey's voice was small again, as she looked back and forth between the two adults.

"I did," Josh gently confirmed. "And she said yes."

Audrey stares at her father, clearly taking a moment to process what he was telling her.

"She's going to be my wife, Audrey," Josh reiterated gently.

"What's going to happen to me?" Audrey looked unsure.

"Oh, Audrey, everything will stay pretty much the same for you," Donna jumped in, tucking a stray curl behind Audrey's ear and cupping her chin.

"What will be different?" Audrey wondered out loud.

"Well… we will all have the same last name, now." Donna tried for something her little girl could relate to without being overwhelming. "So when I pick you up from school I'd say to Miss Weaver 'I'm Donna Lyman, and I'm here to pick up Audrey.'"

"You would?" Aidrey beamed.

"You would?" Josh studied her.

"If that's okay with you," Donna suddenly felt nervous.

"You'd want to be a Lyman?" Josh reiterated. Sure he'd thought about it before, but he assumed she'd want to keep Moss. Especially now.

"Well, yes." She nodded.

"You want to share my last name? Even with the stigma that carries?"

"Of course I do," she turned a portion of her affection towards him again. "I'd be proud to be a Lyman. The only thing your name is synonymous with is you, Josh. And I'm proud to stand beside you. I want the world to know we're a team. And a family. And I'd like to share a last name with the two people I love most in the world. Nothing else will ever supersede that."

He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair as he wrapped his free arm around Audrey.

"We're going to be a real family," Audrey announced, leaning forward to move closer to Donna.

"Oh, Sweet Pea," Donna held her close. "We always have been."

Josh couldn't fight his emotions anymore, squeezing his eyes closed tightly. His heart had never been so full.

OoOoOoO

Audrey crawled into bed with Walter under her arm and Lucy curled up on the corner of the rug.

"Can we read a story from my new book," she requested. "Bubbe bought it for me."

Josh sat down next to her on top of the covers and opened the new book as Donna tucked the covers in around Audrey and lay down on her side, propping her head on her bent arm.

Josh read them a story, and then another at Audrey's request.

"Okay, time to sleep," he announced after the second fairytale.

They both kissed Audrey goodnight and Josh clicked off the lamp in her room.

"Donna?" Her little voice rang out.

"Yes?" Donna, who was still making sure Audrey's covers were just right, smoothed their little girl's hair back.

"Can I be a flower girl at your wedding?"

"Of course," Donna smiled. "But it's not just my wedding, it's all of us. Okay?"

"Okay." Audrey grinned, pulling Walter close. "Can I wear a pretty dress?"

"You can pick out whatever you'd like to wear."

Donna made her way to the doorway and Josh wrapped his arm around her, pulling the door closed.

"Donna?" Audrey called again.

"Yes."

"I'm happy you're going to be a Lyman now."

Donna's heart practically melted. "Me too, sweetie. Me too."

"Goodnight, baby girl," Josh called as he gently closed the door.

"Night night," Audrey yawned, barely even awake.

Josh kept his arm around her as they walked down the steps, following Donna into the kitchen where she poured them each a glass of wine.

"You know, we don't have to have a fancy wedding just because Audrey wants to be a flower girl." He was treading carefully, but he did want to have this discussion with her.

Donna laughed softly. "I know. But I'm glad she's excited about it. Tonight went pretty well."

"Of course it did. She loves you." Josh pulled Donna into his arms, leaning against the kitchen island. "Almost as much as I love you."

She rested her head against his chest. "We haven't really talked about it though, I suppose."

"About our wedding?"

"Mmm. Yes. If we're even having one. Maybe we should just elope."

"Do you want to elope?" He gently tilted her chin up so he could see her as they spoke. He wanted to give her what she wanted.

"If you do," Donna told him honestly. "You've never seemed to enjoy overly formal events."

"I dunno…" Josh hedged. "I wouldn't mind dancing with my bride."

Donna grinned. "Really?"

He laughed and squeezed her a little tighter. "The details are entirely up to you. And I'd love to help you plan wherever you want my input- I don't want this to be a burden to you. I just want the kind of wedding where, at the end of the night, we're married."

"You're a sweet man," she looked up at him, giving him a gentle kiss.

"Seriously, Donna. Whatever you want to do is fine with me. But I'd suggest that we have at least a rough plan in place before Eva Gabor comes over for breakfast in the morning and takes out a full page engagement announcement in the Westport News Tribune."

She smiled, imagining for a moment the absolute hysteria that Edith would likely shower them with in the morning. She was also looking forward to calling her own mother, her sister, CJ… the list goes on.

"What if we kept it small?" Donna suggested. "We can celebrate with our friends and family, but we don't need an over the top event."

"I'd like that," Josh agreed. "Where?"

"How about here? The cabin is home now, and we have all of this beautiful outdoor space. I could do a lot of it myself."

"Ahkay." Josh grinned at the thought. It all sounded quite perfect to him.

"Maybe early summer?" She suggested. "The first weekend in June?"

Josh leaned in and kissed her soundly. "The sooner the better."

OoOoOoO

Just as expected, Edith was over the moon the next morning. Her enthusiasm couldn't be contained and soon spread to Audrey. After several rounds of congratulations and tearful hugs, Edith, Audrey and Donna all ended up crowded around the breakfast table on speakerphone with Donna's mother.

"We really are in somewhat of a rush if you're trying for June," Meredith thought out loud from the other end of the line. "What are you thinking about colors, Donna?"

"I don't quite know…" Donna hesitated. "I was thinking of a somewhat neutral palate."

"Hot pink!" Audrey offered her opinion. "And sparkly."

"Hmmm…" Donna considered. "Maybe we can keep that in mind. I'll write it down."

Audrey grinned, glad she could contribute.

"I thought that we could use the natural colors from the surroundings. Everything will be so green that time of year. And we can plant extra hydrangeas this spring."

"Oh that would be just lovely, dear." Edith pat Donna on the hand. "A garden wedding."

"We could do the vows on the far end of the property, with a chuppah overlooking the valley," Donna gushed. "And string some twinkle lights between the cabin and the barn, over a dance floor."

"Like the kind that go on Christmas trees?" Audrey asked.

"Exactly," Donna smiled, pulling Audrey into her lap. "Do you like that idea?"

"Yes," Audrey nodded eagerly. "And I can do my twirls on the dance floor."

"Oh my. Well, that will be lovely, dear." Edith encouraged.

"I'm so happy for you, Donnatella," Meredith's elation was obvious, even through the phone.

Josh moseyed by the table, leaning down to give Donna a quick kiss for no particular reason.

"Maybe you can come out for the weekend, Mom?" Donna suggested. "And the 4 of us can do a little bit of planning?"

Meredith agreed, and the 4 women forming a plan for the next few months and feeding off of each other's ideas.

Josh added his input occasionally, but mostly he enjoyed standing a few feet away, rummaging around the kitchen and watching the women he loved most bond over his impending wedding to Donna. It was a day that he had wished for so many years would come, but for so long he couldn't let himself believe it ever would. And now, they'd set a date.

He couldn't stop smiling.