Another Eden (34 page)

"No. Can't."

He ground his teeth. "Why?"

She put her hands on his hard chest and pushed back. "Because," she explained, breathless, "I'll never hold out that long. Alex, you've got to marry me in Pittsburgh."

His face stayed blank for the length of a second, and then he shouted out a loud, joyous laugh, hugging her ferociously.

They kissed. Kissed again. When his hands slipped naturally to her breasts she moaned, leaning into him heavily. "Possibly Philadelphia," she got out faintly, clutching his shoulders.

"They 'bout to serve dinner in the dining car, you folks feel like eatin'. The little boy 'lowed as how he was startin' to get hungry."

They jumped apart, pivoting to see the porter behind them—how had he opened the door so soundlessly?—and pointedly looking away at the flying countryside. Sara discovered she was holding her hat in her hand, and busied herself putting it back on. Alex cleared his throat, running his hands over his disheveled hair and combing his damp mustache with his fingers. They gave each other surreptitious once-overs, then discreet nods that said they looked all right, everything considered, and followed Lewis into the lounge car. Michael waved when he saw them; they waved back. Sara turned her head to the side and said through her teeth, "I hope you tipped Lewis generously."

"Why?"

"He saved us."

"From what?"

"A wedding in Newark."

Alex was still chuckling when they sat down, Michael wedged between them on the crack separating their seats. There was an empty seat for him across the aisle, but they weren't ready to be separated yet.

"This is so
neat
," he declared, one hand on Alex's knee, one on his mother's. They nodded in agreement.

All three turned to gaze out the window. Twinkling lights floated by in the snowy distance, but in the foreground all they could see was themselves, smiling at each other in the shining black mirror. They looked like a family.