Kristin collapsed into bed beside Tommy as she sighed with relief.

“I thought she’d never go to sleep!” she said as she turned to face Tommy.

“Me too!” he replied.

“What did you do?” Kristin asked him as she propped herself up with her pillows.

“It’s tiring sitting here listening to her crying,” Tommy teased.

“Yeh, I’m sure it is!” Kristin said giving him a playful punch in the arm.

Kristin sat up and craned her neck to look into Jenilea’s bassinet at the foot of the bed to make sure she was still sleeping soundly.

“You’re such a worry wart,” Tommy teased her. “She’s fine. Relax.”

“Easy to say,” Kristin told him as she lay back against her pillows. “Not so easy to do.”

“I know,” Tommy told her as he gave her a kiss. “You’re a good mommy.”

He made little comments like that all the time and every time he did Kristin couldn’t help the huge smile that crept onto her face. Tommy probably didn’t even realize that his words meant so much to her. They did, though. They really did.

“What are you thinking about, beautiful?” Tommy asked her as he noticed the smile on her face.

“You,” Kristin replied simply.

“Oh really,” Tommy replied as he set the magazine he had been reading down on the nightstand and cuddled up to Kristin. “And what exactly were you thinking about regarding me?”

“One of your massages,” Kristin replied. “If you really want to know.”

“Come on!” Tommy complained.

“I told you a month,” Kristin replied. ‘Give me a month, please?”

“Fine,” Tommy replied. “But if I die, it’s your fault.”

“I’ve never heard of someone dying from that before,” Kristin replied.

“Here lays Tommy Ballantine: accomplished business man, devoted husband, loving father. His wife had a baby, the most exciting thing he did in bed was clip his toenails, now he’s dead.”

“You clip your toenails in here?” Kristin said with a disgusted look on her face. “Gross!”

“I think you missed the point,” Tommy told her trying not to smile.

“Nobody has ever died from lack of...” Kristin let her voice trail off as she stole a glance at Jenilea. “Excitement.”

“You do know that she’s only a baby and she can’t understand what you’re saying,” Tommy reminded her. “And I am known for my ground breaking accomplishments.”

“I don’t really think you’d want to hang a plaque on the wall for that particular accomplishment,” Kristin joked.

“Come here,” Tommy told her as he essentially picked her up and sat her in front of him.

Kristin didn’t care how much her girlfriends liked to go to the spa, she still said nobody was better at giving a massage than Tommy, even Thor. She let her chin fall to her chest and relaxed as the feel of Tommy’s hands against her skin made all the stress of the day disappear.

“Good?” Tommy asked her.

Kristin’s only response was to sigh and nod her head slightly.

“Better than whatever pretty boy massage therapist Santa brought over earlier?” he asked.

“Are you still on about that?” Kristin asked, slightly annoyed at the fact that she couldn’t just sit and enjoy a massage.

“Just answer me,” Tommy told her.

“Yes,” Kristin replied. “You know I think your massages are the best so you can stop whining about it.”

“Just checking,” Tommy said.

“Besides,” Kristin said. “You cost less.”

“I’m keeping a tab,” Tommy informed her. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“You do realize that I’d have to take money out of our bank account to pay you,” Kristin replied.

“Just you wait until Jenilea is a month old,” Tommy said with a note of mischief in his voice. “And we’ll see how much I cost.”

Kristin couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing. As soon as the noise escaped her mouth she knew she should have controlled it.

“Nice going,” Tommy said as Jenilea began to cry and he got up to calm her down.

Kristin loved to watch Tommy comfort their daughter. He picked her up and held her close as he brought his mouth next to her ear and began whispering stories to her. It never failed, she immediately calmed down the minute she heard her father’s voice.

“That’s daddy’s good little girl,” Tommy said softly as Jenilea fell back to sleep in his arms.

“I think rocking her to sleep should be your new job,” Kristin told him as he got back into bed still cradling Jenilea in his arms. “She likes when daddy puts her to bed.”

“No chance,” Tommy informed her. “You feed her before she goes to sleep and I have seen what is involved in that. Not interested.”

“Chicken,” Kristin teased him.

“Go ahead and ask me why I crossed the road,” Tommy told her. “Not happening.”

“Oh I already know the answer to that,” Kristin replied.

“And what is the answer, Miss Smarty Pants?” Tommy asked her.

“You saw a sign in a restaurant window for the world’s largest hamburger,” Kristin told him. “And we both know you can’t resist anything made of meat.”

Tommy and Kristin laughed together being careful to keep it down so as not to wake Jenilea.

“You know me too well,” Tommy replied as he laid Jenilea on the mattress between Kristin and himself.

Kristin held Jenilea’s tiny foot in her hand and ran her finger over ten tiny toes. She still couldn’t get it through her head that this little human being was her daughter, a part of her.

“Why don’t we let her sleep with us tonight?” Tommy asked.

“But you said that you wanted her to learn to sleep alone and you didn’t want me bringing her to bed with us every night,” Kristin replied, still not taking her eyes off Jenilea.

“Well I’ve been thinking about it,” Tommy told her. “And it’s not like she’d ten and still climbing into bed with us. Maybe all she needs is to be close to us and she’ll start sleeping better.”

Kristin leaned over and gave Tommy a kiss which lasted a bit longer than she had intended.

“Thanks,” Kristin replied.

“Uh, yeh.” Tommy replied, still a little bit stunned. “Sure. No problem.”

Kristin grinned at him before sliding her head off the pillows so it was even with Jenilea’s.

“I love you baby girl, “Kristin said as she gently kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Sleep well.”

“If I get kicked,” Tommy said quietly as he came back to his senses and turned out the light. “She’s out of here.”

“Way to ruin a moment,” Kristin said as she laughed softly and pulled a pillow under her head.

“You’ll forgive me,” Tommy told her as he entwined his feet with hers. “You love me.”

“You also have all the money,” Kristin replied. “And I’m taking Jenilea on her first shopping trip tomorrow.”

“Way to ruin a moment,” Tommy mocked her.

“You’ll forgive me,” she said the cutest voice possible. “You love me.”

“Goodnight,” Tommy told her.

“Night,” Kristin replied before they both drifted off to sleep.