"Colton, Ben does not need dinner in his hair."

"Yeah, he said so."

"No he didn't and even if he had you know better. You need to stop blaming your brother for things that he didn't actually do. That's lying you know."

"No mama, Ben really say."

"You know what, I don't feel like arguing about this. Please just keep your hands to yourself."

He frowned and sat back in his chair, turning his fork over and over in his food while Lindsay wiped Ben's face.

"I want daddy," he grumped looking up at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, well I wish daddy was here too because you never misbehave when he's home."

"You bein' mean."

"I'm not being mean, you're being naughty."

He crossed his arms and made a face, watching her as she cleaned up the kitchen and hoping she would notice how upset he was.

Ben reached over and babbled at him, dropping a piece of chicken into his lap.

"No Ben! Mama say hands to yourself!" he shouted, pushing Ben's hand away and throwing the chicken on the floor.

"Okay, that's it, you're done," Lindsay said, lifting him out of his chair and clearing his food from the table.
"No, I not done!"

"Yes you are. Go pick out some pajamas."

"Mama you so mean!" he shouted, stomping his foot. "You no like me no more!"

She snapped her finger sharply and pointed to his room, her face set in a no nonsense expression.

"Go into your room for a time out."

"No."

Sighing, she picked him up and took him into his room, setting him on the bed.

"You have three minutes."

He screeched at her in frustration and kept his arms crossed, staring her down, hoping she would relent in the punishment. He was out of luck. She left the room and he sat there, kicking his feet against the side of the bed and wishing for daddy instead. He never got in trouble with daddy. Mama was just mean to him today. Daddy would never be mean.

"Are you ready to talk nicely?"

He nodded.

"Do you know why you got a time out?"

"Because my bad attitude."

"Yes. And I'm sorry I got mad at you right away. I know you did it because you miss daddy right now. I miss him too. But he'll be home soon and we don't want him to come home and find us unhappy do we?"

"No."

"Okay. Can we call a truce and both say sorry?"

"I sorry, mama."

"I'm sorry too Colton. I love you."

"I love you."

She pulled him into her arms and sat back on the floor as Ben crawled over to them. She lifted him up into her lap, despite the food in his hair and on his face and cuddled both boys close, letting a tear slide down her cheek.

"What wrong mama? I say sorry."

"I know you did. I just really miss daddy."

"When he be home?"

"I don't know. Probably really, really late tonight or in the morning."

"That not far," he whispered, his little hand gliding across her face and wiping her tears away. "He come home and give you kisses and hugs and cuddles."

"Yeah, I know."

"It okay, mama."

She smiled and kissed his cheek then gave them both a hug.

"What do you think about a nice bubble bath and then a movie?"

"Okay. Benny, I sorry I push your hand."

Ben gave him a grin and Colton leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"All better now mama. We can go have a bath now."

"Okay, let's go."

He stood up and held his hand out for her and then went into the bathroom, shedding his clothes on the way there. He climbed into the tub before she even had a chance to plug it and start the water, and dumped is basket of toys in too.

"Come on, mama, put Ben in so we can play!"

She smiled and started the bath, and they were soon both happy, splashing in the water and laughing together. She loved watching them interact, the way Colton kept one eye on Ben so he didn't get hurt, and they way Ben tried to copy everything Colton did. Colton may say that Isa was his best friend, but when it came down to it Ben was his first concern every morning and they were together all the time. Ben's first real word had been calling out for his brother and he often shouted out "bo" when Colton was out of his line of sight. They were inseparable.

Pretty soon the water was getting cold and the boys were tired, so she wrapped them in towels and dressed them, taking them out to the couch and putting a blanket over all of them.

"I not want a movie, mama. I want a book."

"Why don't you pick one off the coffee table?"

He grabbed a few then settled against her, yawning as she cracked the first book open. Ben squealed and patted the page as she started to read, making her words softer and softer, hoping they would fall into sleep. Just as she thought they were about to drift off, the door opened and Adam stepped inside.

"Daddy!" Colton shouted, sleeping forgotten as he leapt off the couch and ran towards the door. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!"

Adam dropped his bags and crouched down and gathered his son in his arms, holding him tight and kissing his cheek.

"Oh buddy I missed you so much."

"I miss you too daddy. But you home now. You go kiss and hug and cuddle mama."

"Pretty sure I can do that."

"Da, da, da!" Ben said, reaching his hands out to Adam.

"Hey Ben Ry. Did you miss me too?"

Ben grinned and moved from Lindsay's lap to Adam's, taking a second to snuggle with his dad.

"And what about you, mama? You miss me?"

"Maybe a little," she said with a shrug and a grin. He smiled and leaned over to kiss her. He had been hoping the boys were in bed by the time he got home. Not that he didn't want to see the boys, but sometimes he just wanted his wife to himself, especially after this long.

"What do you think boys, is it bedtime?"

"No, I wanna play with daddy," Colton whined, rubbing his eyes. "He my daddy."

"You're so tired dude. Why don't you take this book into your room and daddy will read to you?"

"Okay. Come on, daddy. Get Ben too."

Adam gathered the boys up and took them into the bedroom, laying them down in Colton's bed and picking up the story where Lindsay had left off. They were both soon asleep and he spent a few minutes just watching them, stroking over their faces gently before kissing them both and leaving the room.

Lindsay was laying on the couch and for a second he feared she had fallen asleep on him too, but then she cracked one eye open and smiled at him.

"Hi."

"Hi. Got room for one more on that couch?"

"Only if that one more is you."

He toed his shoes off and lay down with her, kissing her more fully than he had before.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too. It's kind of pathetic how attached we are."

"Maybe, but I'm okay with that," he said, kissing her forehead. "Your hair is all tousled."

"Yeah."

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"I know you like it."

He grinned and ran his fingers through it, then wrapped his arms around her.

"So what happened while I was gone?"

"Not a whole lot more than what I told you. Ben stood by himself for a second today."

"Really?"

"I think he's going to walk soon."

"He only just started crawling."

"I know, but he's getting frustrated always being the last one somewhere because he has to crawl."

"Competitive?"

"Nah, just doesn't like being left out. Colton likes to throw tantrums when you're gone."

"Oh really?"

"Because he knows that I'll say it's okay because he misses you."

"You're such a softie."

"Not compared to you."

"Okay, you're right."

They smiled and she closed her eyes, nuzzling his chest and sliding her arm around to his back.

"And how about you? Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing more than I told you. Also I discovered that you're a good alarm clock and I cease being capable of getting out of bed on time without you in there griping at me."

"You have cold toes in the morning and they always seem to wander over to me to get warm."

"Sorry, wearing socks to bed freaks me out."

He chuckled and shook his head, even loving her cold morning toes because it was her.

"Are you hungry?" she asked suddenly, sitting halfway up and staring at him. "There's dinner in there."

"Nah, I'll eat later."

"But if you're hungry-"

"Let me just hold you for a bit, okay?"

She nodded and he pulled her back down against him, pressing several soft kisses to her forehead and smiling as she played with the buttons on his shirt.

"Hey, I know what that means."

"I'm too tired for it to mean anything right now," she yawned. "But in the morning it probably will mean something."

"I'm good with that."

"How are your mom and Hannah doing?"

"They have crutch races around the house."

"So basically they're just fine."

"Yeah. Dad was worried though. It was a bad accident, the car is totaled and I could just see it in him, you know? Like he saw himself losing it all. They got better and so did he, but that look in his eyes… I never want to feel that."

She nodded and gave him a little squeeze.

"I am banking on you won't ever have to."

"Things I have learned this morning," Adam started, rolling over and pinching Lindsay's side.

"Hey!"

"First, Ben is capable of climbing out of his crib. Second, our sons are very comfortable being co-conspirators. Third, I even missed your cold morning toes."

"That's a lotta learnin' before seven a.m.," Lindsay mused. "How did you learn these things? The first two I mean. The last one is pretty obvious."

"I figured out the first one because I heard it happening, and the second one because they came in here and Colton boosted Ben onto the bed. It was all without speaking, like they had already drawn a diagram and practiced or something."

"Yikes."

"And of course you didn't wake up. You were dead to the world."

"I wish I still was."

He chuckled and slid his hand under her shirt, his thumb gently caressing her stomach while he kissed her cheek.

"Go back to sleep."

"Didn't you need me for somethin'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow but keeping her eyes closed.

"Later," he answered, pressing a kiss to the wrinkle in her forehead. "You need rest."

"Later's better," she agreed with a yawn. "I'll want you more then."

"You say strange things."

"I forgot to put the filter in between my mind and my mouth. Too early."

"Sassafrass."

"Don Quixote."

"Chandelier."

"Cardboard."

He grinned at their random word game and planted a kiss behind her ear.

"Did you think any more about our anniversary?" she asked, now unable to go back to sleep.

"It's two months away."

"I know."

"And we can't go anywhere."

"I know. But it's number five. It's a big one."

"Yes it is. Have you thought any more about it?"

"I didn't have time to think about it. Besides, you're more romantic than I am."

"Oh so it's my job to plan everything all the time."

"I went through labor and delivery twice, you can plan an anniversary."

He wrinkled his nose at that.

"What if we just have the boys spend the night somewhere else and I'll have you all to myself."

"Besides the sending the boys part we do that a lot. Not that I mind. I just want to do something different."

"Alright, I'll think about it but you have to think about it too, okay?"

"Okay. Speaking of the boys, did you put them back to bed after they came in here?"

"Yeah."

"And when was that?"

"Like three hours ago."

"So they're going to be up soon."

"Probably."

She sighed.

"Later."

"Remember when we never had to wait until later?"

"Yes and that led to us having to always wait for later."

"Worth it?"

"Absolutely."

He smiled and she rolled over to look at him, running her hand over his face. She had missed him fiercely but it wasn't until now that she realized how much that really was. He was her other half, her better half and she was lost without him, even for just a few days.

"Don't leave again, okay? I'm coming with you next time."

"Deal. It's easier when you leave than when you stay home isn't it?"

"A little. Being home is like a constant reminder that you're not here. And I can't just fake myself into believing you're at work."

"I'm still working on that independently wealthy thing."

"You've been saying that for years."

"All things that are worth it take time."

"Look who's all philosophizing."

"That's not a word."

"It is too!"

"I wouldn't accept it in Scrabble."

"Which is why we play with a dictionary right there."

"You didn't accept dawg!"

"That's because you had to look it up on Urban Dictionary! That doesn't count. They have misspellings on there," she grumbled, poking his chest.

"Hey!" he said, retaliating by taking her in his arms and holding on tight enough that she could move but not get away. "Don't poke."

She snorted a laugh and shook her head before he rolled them over and pinned her to the mattress.

"This'll learn ya," he growled running his free hand over her side. She squealed and tried to push him away but he was too fast and she was soon rendered incapable of getting away.

"Stop, stop, I'm sorry!" she laughed. "I'll never do it again."

"Of course you will," he said, stopping for just a moment to look down at her. "You love to bug me."

She grinned and he leaned down, rubbing his nose against hers but keeping the eye contact.

"Keeps you on your toes."

"Something like that."

He ran his hand over her hair then leaned down and kissed her slowly, as if rewinding time and making up for the days he had been gone. She wiggled her arms from underneath him and wrapped them around his neck instead, pulling him closer as he broke this kiss and dropped his lips down to her shoulder, over her throat and to her lips and then down again.

"If you leave a mark you're going to be in trouble."

"I never leave a mark."

"Yes you do! You always say you didn't."

"Shut up," he said, kissing her again, rougher this time but with laughter in it. She sunk back against the pillows and letting him "work his magic" as he called it, once again exquisitely happy he was home.

"Daddy?"

They froze for a second before Lindsay giggled.

"What's up buddy?"

"When you's done kissin' mama, you come and watch 'toons with me?"

"I don't know if I'll ever be done kissin' your mama."

Colton sighed and tipped his head a little, blinking a few times.

"But you can't kiss mama forever. You gotta work someday."

Adam laughed and sat up.

"Alright, I'll be out in a minute. Is your brother awake?"

"Yep, hims playin' with his stuffies," he reported. "We hungry."

"I'll watch cartoons with you and mama can make breakfast."

"Fair trade," Lindsay said with an eyeroll, sliding out of the bed.

"You could make cereal mama," Colton offered, bouncing over to her. "Then you could watch too."

"I think that's a good idea."

Adam grumped in her direction, standing up from the bed and stretching.

"I ate fast food and macaroni and cheese and cereal for the last few days because dad and I can't cook and you don't want to make me a good breakfast?"

"No, I don't."

In one motion he grabbed a pillow and threw it at her, catching her in the hip. She laughed and threw it back, then ran into the other room, scooping Ben out of his crib.

"You wouldn't chuck a pillow at a lady holdin' a baby would you?" she asked as Adam rounded the corner, a pillow in each hand.

"So not fair," he said as Colton grabbed one of the pillows and whacked Lindsay in the leg.

"I do it daddy. I get her."

"Hey, traitor!" Lindsay admonished with a laugh. Colton squealed and thwacked her again and Ben clapped with amusement. "Is this pick on mama day?"

"A slight reprieve from picking on daddy."

Lindsay snickered and stole the extra pillow from Colton then hit Adam in the chest.

"And it's over."

She chuckled and dropped the pillow at his feet, a sign of treaty, then hugged him to seal the deal.

"We're really glad you're home."

"I am too."