“Don’t you ever think that you don’t contribute to this relationship.  Whether you are pregnant or not, whether you are working or not, you provide me with so much love and support and laughter and tears and everything else that makes me love you more than life itself. I can offer you financial security sure, but you don’t need that, not really. You could do it yourself if you had to. What you offer to me is so much more than that; it’s a life, a life that I never knew that I wanted and that I couldn’t live without. So don’t ever think that you don’t have a purpose. You are the purpose for all things in my life.”

I can feel the warm tears rolling down my cheeks and her soft thumbs brushing them away. God this woman has a way with words. She never broke eye contact with me, driving home the words even more. I know she’s right and I can already hear some of the fears quieting in my head. But we have more stuff to cover before we’re done.

“Thank you Babe. Thank you for loving me like that. It means so much and I love you too.”

She leans down and runs her lips along mine in a soft slow kiss, extending her little speech with a physical affirmation of her love. I rest my forehead against her briefly before she pulls back and resettles herself against the headboard. One of her hands slips into my hair and the other rests lightly on my shoulder.

“But as much as that means to me, I still think I need to define myself as more than just your wife.”

She looks like I just slapped her across the face. Her loving hands quickly retract and my skin feels cool in their absence.

“And just what is wrong with being my wife?” Her voice has a sharp edge to it, and I’m afraid I awakened the ***** that resides inside my lover’s body. I speak quick, trying to calm her and hopefully getting my point across.

“Nothing at all, I love being your wife and I love you being mine. It will always be the most important part my life. But I can’t always be defined by another person. And you shouldn’t either.” As I’m speaking I grab her hands and bring them back to my body. I rest one back on my shoulder, albeit a little more tense than it was before. I hold her other hand in mine, opening it and stoking her palm, trying to relax her.