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“Jon? Can you carry me?” Little Tora asked sweetly as she hurried to keep up with her sister, father, and her father’s boyfriend. Try though she might, her little legs were beginning to fail her. She was only five after all.
“Of course, love.” Jon smiled, stopping for a short moment to lift the girl. She giggled as she was picked up and wrapped her chubby little arms around Jon’s shoulders to hang on, her fiery red curls resting against his cheek.
“I don’t need to be carried.” Eight year old Munda declared, holding onto her father’s much larger hand as they continued down the sidewalk. “I’m not a baby anymore.”
“Your sister is littler than you, sweetling.” Tormund reminded his eldest girl. “It’s not nice to make fun of her.”
“No fighting, now.” Jon reminded both of the children. “Only good little girls get ice cream.”
“I’m gonna get cotton candy with lots an’ lots of sprinkles and chocolate chips and gummy bears...” Tora began to explain to Jon as they neared the ice cream parlor they’d been seeking.
“That’s gross.” Munda said, scrunching up her little nose. “Gummy bears don’t go in cotton candy.”
“Why not?” Her father asked, raising an eyebrow. “Doesn’t sound so bad. Your mother used to take her ice cream with pickles, ye know. Chocolate fudge with kosher dill. That was gross.”
“Ewwww!” The girls both began to laugh then.
“My mother was the same.” Jon admitted. “At least when Gendry was on the way. He liked the regular dills though, and vanilla bean ice cream.”
“No Jon! Stop it!” Tora demanded, covering Jon’s mouth with her little hand. “That’s yucky!”
Jon tried not to laugh but it was nearly impossible with the look Tora was giving him.
Tormund smiled and held the door for them all when they reached the building finally. He loved to see his little crow getting along so well with his girls. It was plain to see how much Jon loved them and how much they loved him in return.
“Daddy? Can you ask Jon the question now?” Tora asked once they’d gotten their ice cream and had picked out a table to sit outside and watch the people and cars go by.
Jon gave the girl a confused look and then turned his head to Tormund. “What question?” He asked his boyfriend.
“Tora! You ruined the surprise!” Munda whined at her sister.
“Wha..?” Jon started to ask again before Tormund intervened.
“Your sister didn’t ruin the surprise, Munda.” He assured his daughter, then looking to Jon as he stood from his seat. “I can still ask him. I’m sure he’s seen this comin’ fer awhile now.”
Tora and Munda began to bounce in her seats and squeal with delight as they watched their father drop down to one knee before Jon and pull the ring they’d helped him choose from his pocket.
Jon felt frozen. His heart was racing, and tears were already rising quickly in his eyes.
“Tormund...” he started to speak but couldn’t find the proper words. Was this truly happening?
“Jon, love, would you do the girls and I the great honor of marrying me?” Tormund asked with a proud smile, presenting Jon with a small but beautiful ring.
Jon didn’t have to think about it for even a second. He nodded and held his hand out for Tormund to place the ring on his finger.
“I will...” He smiled then began to sob as Tormund stood and hauled him up into his arms to kiss him.
The girls both screamed then and began to clap and the people sitting around them whooped and cheered their own congratulations as well.
“I get to be the flower girl!” Tora exclaimed then over the commotion.
“No! I do!” Munda argued.
Jon laughed then and pulled from Tormund’s arms briefly to kiss them both of the cheek.
“You’ll both be our little flower girls.” He promised them, bringing both children into his arms for a hug.
Tormund wrapped his bear like arms around them all, tightly embracing the family that he loved.