Grace (BWWM)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

A smile rests on my face as I stare at my phone-or more so at the photo Grace sent me a few hours ago. I had glimpsed it earlier in my free time and it warmed my heart. I take the time to look at it again now that I'm done with work.

It's a picture of Ty and Nova fast asleep in the living room. It's reminiscent of just a handful of years ago, when Grace came home to find us all fast asleep in the living room. That time feels further away than it really is. And yet, it also doesn't seem all that far away.

Just like then, Nova has her head resting on the center table and Ty, much bigger now, is knocked out on the couch, one of his legs draped on the arm rest. I spot a game board on the table and empty bowls as well. The photo is accompanied by a text: Lk familiar? Look familiar? There's another photo as well and it's Grace's face. A soft smile graces her mouth as she looks into the camera. There's another text after that one as well. We r waiting for u.

I rest my head back, just looking over these things some more. I feel . . . honored. I feel honored to have a wife and kids that eagerly wait for me. I don't even know how else to put it. To know that they are waiting for me gives me a feeling I can't quite describe.

She sent the photo at three in the morning and it's currently seven right now. They must have tried to stay awake,and I'm curious as to when Grace went to bed. I hope the twins didn't stay in the positions they fell asleep in, especially Nova. I chuckle at her odd behavior. Ty is the exact opposite of his sister; the two have always balanced one another out so well.

I send Grace a text, not sure if she'll be awake. It's still pretty early.

Love

I look over the photos again, waiting for a possible response.

"Mr. Fray!" A fellow officer approaches my car and I wind down the window to talk to him, my mind still on Grace and the kids.

"Hey Reed."

"I didn't even remember that you were back today. Congratulations on the wedding."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," I say, giving him a smile.

"Yeah, I was just telling the guys that you got back too soon though; you sure you didn't want more time away?" he jokes, and I laugh a bit.

"I didn't want to take out too much time all at once, I still have some plans I was saving my PTO up for."

"Gotcha, gotcha. How's the missus?"

"She's doing well." I appreciate his catching up and everything, but I have to work a little harder to keep my mind on the conversation and not on the phone.

"And now you're back on the graveyard shift." Over the years I've been switching the times I work, but I prefer this shift.

"Yeah, I like it though; I get to do this and work twelve hours. More time for one shift, but more days off, too."

"That's true. I was hearing that some departments were thinking about making that change to twelve-hour shifts and less eight-hour shifts. So some shifts will have to be changed too so that we overlap correctly so-" In this moment I recall that Reed can talk. The man can truly talk up a storm sometimes. He's also the one with intel, but it comes at a price. The price, of course, is spending more time than you have to hear more than you want. Normally I don't mind all that much, but right now I do.

"-but you might have more of a sway with picking your shifts with having seniority and all. It's me and the other guys that are a lot lower on the totem pole." Reed grins, bright-eyed and bushytailed. He's sometimes on the graveyard shift and he's been on the job for a year now. "I'm surprised that you still like these shifts though, but I guess I can see how. Y'know-" Just then my phone pings, and I give a final smile before making a bit of a show to check who it is.