ONE

Freedom.

I stepped into the shower and inhaled deeply, allowing the heat to penetrate my aching muscles and soothe my nerves.  Being a stay at home mom to two kids was a lot harder than I'd expected.  Thankfully they'd both gone down fairly easily tonight, and I reveled in the knowledge that for the next few hours I was free.

I heard Mark as he entered the bathroom, and I could tell he was trying really hard not to disturb me.  He knew how sacred my nightly shower ritual was – the only time ...