I woke up early on my birthday. I watched as Rebecca slept soundly. Would her beauty ever cease to steal my breath? She was ethereal, a blessing incarnate, a goddess asleep in my bed. I loved her too deeply, so deeply that sometimes it still caused pain in my chest. When in the world had I done anything to deserve her?

I didn't want to wake her up, moving slowly out of bed to get into the shower. She deserved a few more moments of rest. She hardly moved as my feet touched ...