Around Our Heads

The thing about my kitchen is that it was usually never clean. I mean, it wasn't unsanitary or anything. Just that it was typically messy. The dishes piled up quickly. The table seemed to be used for everything but eating. Nothing ever got taken out of the fridge. And the scent of food was always present, which is kind of weird because I was never much of a cook before. Neither was my boyfriend. But at that moment, my kitchen smelled like pine.

I actually liked when my kitchen smelled like pine because it meant my kitchen was clean. And when it was clean, I felt more relaxed and organized than usual. So when I was done cleaning it, I stood back in the entrance and looked it over just to make sure everything was perfect. Then I shut the light off and left.

The living room was clean too. The books had all been stacked up on their appropriate shelves. The toys had been put away. The TV didn't even have fingerprints on it. I felt like some kind of domestic goddess.

But there was still one room left unclean. So I tiptoed down the hallway past the multicolored nightlight that flashed pretty colors along the walls. I plugged in my earphones to get my room cleaned before bed. It was kind of late, and I was tired, but I figured it was less I had to do in the morning.

But I was really into the music for a while, so I couldn't hear much of anything until the light suddenly shut off. I spun around sharply, and my heart jumped into my throat. There was a figure outlined in the doorway. The multicolored lights flashed behind him, but I recognized his silhouette and relaxed. He closed the door behind him. I could barely see him, but I felt him when he took my phone and set it back on the dresser. Then he pulled me into his arms.

He didn't say anything as he lay urgent kisses on my lips and then moved his mouth to my throat. His hand moved to the small of my back, and he pressed me against him. His other hand moved over my arm and pulled the shirt strap down off my shoulder. So he moved his lips there to kiss my skin.

Things like this didn't happen as often anymore. It wasn't like sex was non-existent. It was just that it had become limited to a nighttime-only activity. And only during baseball's off-season. So I didn't complain when he pulled my shirt over my head. I wasn't wearing any underwear, so those steps had been avoided. He tugged at my sweatpants and dropped them to the floor. Then he pulled my glasses off and set them on the dresser beside the phone.

Since my clothes were gone, I reached over and pulled his shirt up. He kicked his shoes off, unbuckled his belt, and I helped him drop his jeans and underwear. Then he pushed me back onto the bed.

My breathing was already ragged, and I was 100% ready to go. My heart pounded as I tangled my fingers in his overgrown blond hair. My other hand scratched his back, but this was a special occasion, so we decided to make the best of it. We were making up for all that on-season time we'd lost. He sat back and took me with him, positioning me on top.

We were so lost in the moment that we didn't even notice the sound of the other bedroom door opening. We didn't hear the little feet on the carpet in the hall. We were completely distracted until a voice spoke through the door.

"Mommy?" we heard. We both froze, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, baby?" I replied.

"I heard a noise." I sighed, and Chris kissed my chest.

"It's alright," he said. "But you owe me."

"Oh, I owe you?" He smiled and dropped his head in defeat.

"Can I come in?" our daughter asked through the door.

"Just a second, babe." I climbed off my boyfriend and put my clothes back on. He went to get PJs from the dresser. When we were dressed and situated again, I opened the door and let her into the room.

"Daddy!" she said excitedly. Then she did a running jump into his arms.

"Hey, kid," he said, lifting her up like an airplane.

"You're home! You're home!"

"I was going to surprise you in the morning!"

"Can I sleep in here? I heard a scary noise."

"It was probably just me coming in. But if your mom says it's okay." I nodded and smiled, so he gently tossed her onto the bed. I went to my side, and Chris took his, leaving Avery to take the middle. Luckily, the bed was big enough for all of us. Once we were settled, I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her head.

"I'm sorry you were scared," I told her. She sighed sleepily.

"It's okay 'cause daddy's home," she said.

I smiled and looked over her at Chris. He was lying on his back but had his eyes on me. He was giving me a look that clearly said we had unfinished business. I smiled at him.

"Tomorrow," I whispered. So he sighed heavily and rolled to face the other side. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep with the scent of baby shampoo in my nose.