She hadn’t pictured so much tiredness, so much bickering and scrapping, or the many little nicks and insincerities that amount to a normal sort of life. Even so, the truth of what she hoped for remains, lodged safe in the sink of Jude’s shoulders, in the way they kiss her, the easy manner in which they carry her to bed. It is, after all, enough to have this and be happy, if only in the fleeting moments that all other thoughts recede.
