"I hate my hair!"

Eugene struggled to hold back a smile as he watched Rapunzel run her hands through her short brown locks in front of the mirror. Her swollen belly made it difficult for her to sit comfortably on the stool, which in turn left Eugene's sides aching as he fought to keep his laughter contained as he watched his wife shift this way and that, all the while tutting and fussing over her hair.

"I can't do anything with this!" Rapunzel cried, pushing her fingers up into the brown locks so that they stood up on end around her head, then let them fall to her neck when she dropped her hands. "It's too short." She slumped on the stool, green eyes suddenly filling with tears. "I miss my old hair."

Awe...

If there was one thing that Eugene couldn't stand, it was seeing Rapunzel cry. He stood up from the bed, tossing the book he'd been reading aside, and moved to stand behind his wife. Placing his hands upon her shoulders, he marveled - not for the first time - at how small this beautiful creature was, yet the strength her body contained was incredible. For nigh on eight months she'd carried his child, enduring an aching back and swollen ankles, but what caused Rapunzel to break down was the lack of her hair. Eugene smiled, tracing circles up and down her bare arms. His wife was a paradox, to be sure, but a lovely paradox, no matter how long or short her hair was.

"Blondie," he whispered, using his old nickname for her. Despite the fact that she no longer had blonde hair, the name had stuck, and on most days, it brought a smile to his wife's face. Now, she merely sniffled, refusing to look up. He tried again. "Rapunzel," he whispered. "Look at me."

She did, catching his gaze in the mirror. Her eyes were red and starting to swell, and her tears had traced paths down her cheeks, but Eugene could only focus on the emerald green orbs, felt them take his breath away like they had so many times before. Every word of encouragement he had planned to say abruptly stopped on the tip of his tongue and faded into oblivion. After a moment, he managed to breathe out, "I love you."

And then she smiled, and Eugene felt as though he was looking into the eyes of an angel. "I love you, too," she said in a soft voice, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

He kissed her, and she returned his kiss with reckless abandon, and Eugene's thoughts scattered except for one.

I am a lucky, lucky man.