It's my favourite time of the day, when I get Catherine all to myself for a few precious minutes. She's still sleeping and I'm beside her just breathing in and out. I'm happy. For the first time in my life, and I mean this, I can simply enjoy the small moments of living. The warmth of her body in the morning, the sensation of her breath on my shoulder, the smile on her face when she awakens and she realises - like I do every morning- that we really are together and it's not just a dream anymore. This is what will sustain me through my hours at work, till I get to come home with her again and come back to our life together. I love my job, I love that I get to be with Catherine there, but not like this - not this perfect peace we have just now.

Six months ago I could have told you, and I would have been speaking quite truly, that I was at my happiest when I was working - when I was doing what I was made to do. Now, well now I know I was living a sort of half life then, it took Catherine to make me realise that. Finally. Six months ago she proved to me what I'd always really known about her - that her bravery knows no limits. She forced the issue - the one we'd been avoiding for years, the one thing we'd almost managed to live without. Us. I can't believe I'm part of an 'us'. With Catherine, a woman so far out of my league that I get afraid sometimes she'll realise I'm not good enough for her. But here's the most amazing thing, she never does. Now I know what I was really made to do. To love this woman.

She loves me, I know this because she tells me when her heart is moved to do so. This morning when we got home from work I drove the car while we took Lindsey to school. Catherine sat in the back with her daughter and they had fun, they gossiped, they laughed. She caught me stealing glances at them in the rear view mirror, and my reward? A smile that started in her beautiful eyes and lit up her entire face. She shone, because she was happy I'd given her some time with her daughter. A priceless gift. When we got home she was making breakfast, I was sitting at the kitchen counter reading the paper and I think she was moving past to get some milk, when she touched me. I can hardly articulate what it meant, the tenderness in her touch as she simply rested her hand on my shoulder. It told me what I already know, what I've known for months, that I belong to her. But she told me with a touch. With her tenderness.

"Hey gorgeous".

"Catherine, if you don't stop speaking to me like that I'm going to have to tell your boyfriend".

"Funny man".

"Anyway, you just stole my line, I've been waiting for you to waken up so I could compliment you on your gorgeousness". She's smiling now, the smile I think I would do anything to see.

"Honey, you are a brilliant man but you don't have the sass to pull off the 'hey gorgeous' line".

"Really, I don't have the sass?" She's laughing now as she wraps her arms around me and pulls me closer to her as she hits the alarm clock to prevent it interupting our quiet time together.

"Catherine I have another line I could try on you".

"Okay".

"I love you". There's that smile again, I feel like the most powerful man in the world when I get her to do that, it's magnificent.

"I love you too."

I'm happy.