It only took me about twenty minutes but I was finally able to get all of the luggage up to the room. Running back and forth had left me winded, so once the door shut behind me I plopped down on the bed staring up at the ceiling.

My eyes felt heavy, laying here any longer would make me fall asleep. I slowly sit up on the bed, looking around the empty room. My chest felt heavy, like it was caving in all around me, the sudden desire to be with my husband was almost crippling.

I didn't know how to explain it. I wasn't sure how to let my friend's know what was happening with me. Sandra was always there for me when I needed her the most, especially in times like this where I took two weeks off of work. She would take over all of my tasks and make sure I didn't fall too far behind. Truly she was a godsend.

The office would always ask so many questions when I would return. They would drive me crazy. Did Logan do anything cool? Did you find out if he cheated on you are not? Are the kids excited to have him home? So many questions that just didn't even make sense. So many things I wasn' sure how to answer.

I grabbed the closest bag to me, pulling out a pack of peanuts before plopping them into my mouth. I wandered around the room, crunching away at the creamy deliciousness. How long could I really stand being here before I needed to go pick up my husband? Would he be mad if I took a little nap?

I glanced at the clock on my phone, it read half past ten. If I wasn't back soon I'm sure Logan would be questioning it. A shallow groan escapes my lips as I grab the keys to the car heading down towards the lobby. I would need to stop at a Starbucks on the way back.

~*~

"Did you guys have a good time at your grandparents house?" I asked, helping Mazie put her purple jacket back on. She nods her head vigorously holding up the sucker her grandma had given her just a few minutes prior. I could feel the nerves coming back. Who gives kids sugar this close to bedtime? Then again, what adult stops and gets coffee this close to bedtime as well.

"Of course you guys did, why wouldn't they? Everyone loves going to grandma and grandpa's house!" Logan's mother intrudes, stealing the conversation away, patting Marcus on the head. "But seriously they were angels like always." She smiles, her gray hair falling in her face, her weathered eyes searching for any sign of acceptance. I nod, forcing the best smile I could muster in the moment.

"Are you ready to head to the hotel?" Logan pipes in, warming my heart at the thought of him coming to my savior. He places his hand on the small of my back, electric sparks dancing wherever he touches. Shivers line my spine, dancing along my skin. I nod once more, mentally reminding myself that I was just doing my best to keep my neck strong, making sure to get in the proper amount of exercise.

The kids rush out the front door, barrelling down the sidewalk until they get to the car. Flinging the doors open they both hop in, giggles and squeals fill the night air. Logan's mother grabs him, pulling him into the tightest hug I'd ever seen. His father stands behind her, his hands in his pockets.

"I really wish you guys would stay here, but I know Ari and the kids need their space sometimes." Logan's mother's soft blue eyes shoot to me, the words slicing through the air like knives. I roll mine, realizing there is nothing I can do at the moment, this was a fight I would never be able to win and frankly I'm not interested in trying anymore. "But we will see you bright and early tomorrow morning for the pool party right?" His mother points her finger in the air like it was a magic wand, swaying it around with her words.

"Yes mah, bright and early, no need to worry about it." Logan pats her on the shoulder, turning his body towards the sidewalk, trying to take the necessary steps to get out of here. "I'll text you the room number when we get there, and the address like always."

I looked between the three of them waiting to see if they were going to ask me what the room number was, but they never acknowledged that I was there. Logan's hand wraps around mine, his other waving goodbye for the night. Finally we were free and heading to the hotel.

The kids were already buckled up in their seats and they were talking about something that grandma had shown them while they were there. As soon as Logan and I took our seats they went quiet.

"What are you guys whispering about back there?" Logan looks between the kids in the rear view mirror, the car idling calmly. Both kids freeze, their faces flood with panic. They obviously don't want to tell us what they were talking about. Logan gives them a look, the kids both know it well, and they know they aren't getting away with their secret.

"We were talking about how fun it would be if we could sleep here tonight. Grandma always talks about how it would be so lovely for us to have a sleepover but mommy won't let us." Mazie whispers, her voice sweet but the words falling out of it were filled with the vengeance of her grandmother that she didn't realize was there.

A lump was beginning to form in my throat. My anger boiling up once again. I hated coming to visit Logan's family. It seemed to be the same old thing every time we came. I was never good enough for them, and his mother always filled the kids head with lies about what I would and wouldn't let them do.

Logan turns to look at me. The light from the garage reflected in his blue eyes. He taps his fingers on the steering wheel obviously thinking something over. I could see exactly where this was going.

He grabs the car handle, popping the door open before jumping out. His parents waited, confused as to what was going on. Before I could say anything, Logan was already standing at the front step talking to his parents about something.

They nod eagerly, his mother pulls away from his father and rushes back into the house.

"Kids..." I start to say, but Logan is already back to the car.

"Guess who's staying with grandma and grandpa!" Logan shouts, yanking the rear door open to free the children. Maize is the first to dive out of her seat, quickly followed by Marcus. Before I can say anything, or even process what had just happened the kids are already inside, and Logan is back in the driver's seat.

His parents wave, and he starts to back out of the driveway. The anger of what had just happened was building in my chest.

"Logan..." I tried, not sure what to say. I focus my eyes on the road, watching the cars pass us as he flies down the highway towards the hotel.

A few moments pass. He keeps glancing in my direction to see if I'm ever going to finish what I had started to say. Truth is, I didn't know where to begin.

"Ari, is everything alright?" He asks, pulling into the hotel parking lot after a silent ten minutes.

Finally, the words I'd been waiting for. I wanted him to notice I was upset. All I wanted was for him to realize what he had done back there at his parents' house.

"Honestly, no, it's not alright." I pause for a moment, taking in the surroundings once more. We were close to the hotel.

"What did they say?" He questions, assuming it was his parents that had done something. In all honesty, normally he wouldn't be too far off. Usually when something happened, and I was upset it was because of his parents. We could never seem to get along.

"It's not what they said, it's what you did." Adding emphasis to 'you' making sure he got the point that it wasn't them this time.

He clicked his tongue, turning to give me a quick look before focusing those crystal blue eyes on the road. Shaking his head, another 'tsk' noise left his lips.

"Okay, what did I do?" Logan said.

I thought carefully for a moment. Did I really want to start a whole big fight tonight? I'd just got my husband back from a long deployment and this was not how I wanted to spend our time together. But he showed no respect for me. He didn't ask my opinion. I've been the sole caretaker for our children for months. Every single decision about their lives goes through me. He missed their doctors' appointments, meetings with the counselor at school about their progress, every bake sale that I had to make cookies for, he missed every single one of them.

Was it really so wrong for me to want him to include me in the decision about our kids having one of their first sleepovers? Sure, they'd slept over at my parents' house from time to time, but I could count how many times on one hand. His parents were a whole different ball game.

There wasn't a time we've had the kids around them that they hadn't insulted me in front of them. Logan never really notices, but all the passive aggressive attacks have built up over the years, threatening to boil over at a moment's notice. He grew up with it, so the way they acted was just normal for him. They seemed to have an understanding that I just couldn't figure out.

"Ari, please tell me what I did wrong." Logan pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Did you ever think that it would be a good idea to include me in the sleepover decision?" I said. Immediately, I wished I could take the sentence back. It was full of venom that I hadn't intended to be there. Sure, I was upset, but I didn't want to insult him.

"I didn't think it would be an issue." He said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Turning the signal on, he pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"That's my point exactly. You didn't think it would be an issue, so you just did it. Every single time our kids are around your parents, they make comments about how horrible of a mother I am. Do you really think our kids should be around that?" The floodgates opened and there was no putting the emotion back in the bottle. When the car was parked, Logan turned to look at me. Confusion covered every inch of his face. A blonde lock of hair fell over his forehead.

"My parents don't make comments like that. I don't think it's an issue for the kids to spend the night there tonight." Logan took a deep breath, holding it in his chest for a moment before finally setting it free. I should probably do the same.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I nearly shout, throwing my hands in the air in an exasperated frenzy. "Your parents have hated me since the day we met, and you know it. There's no convincing me that's not true! They blame me for never seeing the kids and that is complete bullshit! Do you think I really want to be spending this time right now here with them? Logan, I just barely got you back, and yet here we are, making sure they get a chance to spend some time with you. What about me? What happened to the time I wanted to spend with you?"

"Why do you think I told the kids they could spend the night over there?"