He glanced away from the night scene in the windshield, to the sleeping woman next to him. “Almost home, babe … I love you,” he whispered, though these words would go unheard to all but him. He thought of reaching out to take her hand, but chose not to; he didn’t want to wake her, as it had been a hard week for her already and she needed the rest.

And so he drove through the night, stealing an occasional glance at the love of his life. If anyone had told him even a year ago that this was where he’d be now, he would have laughed in their face … and yet, here he was. It wasn’t perfect — yet, at least — but it was better than any relationship he’d ever been a part of.

She stirred next to him. “Where are we?” she asked sleepily.

“About twenty minutes from home. Sleep well?”

“As well as I can in a car. Anything interesting happen?”

“Nope.” The landscape grew more familiar as the car rolled closer and closer to home.