The door closed and suddenly it was if a light had left and the house was noticeably darker because of it. Suddenly I was in the center of a group hug and we just held each other for a very long time.

We lugged two mattresses down from the second floor and placed them in front of the fireplace and found clean sheets in the linen closet and hunkered down for the rest of the night. The girls changed back into their 'pajamas' we had bought at the lingerie store and we snuggled beneath the covers. When I closed my eyes I had a twin on either side of me...