I dump my purse in the chair next to our dresser and place the glass down. I duck into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When I shed my clothes, I stop and stare at my reflection in the mirror, trailing my hands over my bare shoulders and rounded waist, imagining what Jourdan would think of my body.

Darren groans in his sleep, and I smile.

I walk naked back into the bedroom, pull open a dresser drawer, and throw an old t-shirt over my head. I down the rest of my water and pad across the room to my side of the bed. I pull the sheets back and crawl inside.

As soon as I’m under the sheets, I press myself against my husband. Darren turns onto his side and wraps an arm around me, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck.

hooky

I wake up with a hangover because my mid-thirties mom of two ass had no right drinking more than a single glass of wine on a weekday.

I groan once when Darren shifts on his side of the bed, and he laughs, his mouth brushing across my chin. “Go back to sleep,” he tells me.

I’m about to tell him that no, I cannot go back to sleep, the boys have to get ready for school, it’s my turn to drive them, and I’m sure I have at least one important-ish meeting today, but thinking about all that makes my head hurt, and I fall blissfully unconscious again.

I wake up to the sound of Darren’s work voice when I turn around in bed to see him on the phone.

“Thanks so much for handling this, Avery.”

I groan. Darren turns and presses his index finger against his lips. “I’ll call you this afternoon if she’s going to need to take tomorrow off as well.” He nods his head and listens. “Wonderful, thank you.” He hangs up the phone and turns to me. “Go back to sleep. You’re taking the day off.”

I smile gratefully. “Have a good day, babe.”

He smiles, “You too.”

I’m out before he even leaves the bedroom.

I wake up for real just about noon. The house is preternaturally quiet, so quiet it hardly feels like my home. It takes me a bit of time to crawl out of bed and climb into the shower, but when I do, I luxuriate in the spa settings on this expensive ass showerhead I bought but rarely get the chance to use.