As soon as we got back to the hotel, Logan loaded all of our stuff up into the car and we hit the road, heading home. He didn't want to spend anymore time with his parents after the fight they had just had, so there was no reason for us to be in a hotel anymore. We could drive a few hours home and enjoy the rest of his time off after deployment together.

I couldn't say I was complaining, but I definitely wasn't happy with how everything went down.

I felt conflicted about the whole situation. I didn't want to spend any more time with his family than I had to, but I didn't want to be the reason for the strain on their relationship. I was so close to my parents that I couldn't imagine not having them in my life. Logan really showed that he wanted to defend me by not only calling his mother out, but removing us from the situation as well. I couldn't have been more proud of my husband, but that didn't mean my heart didn't heart as the thought of them fighting.

Peter was so shocked that the whole thing had gone down that way. He agreed with Logan's sentiments and also chose to leave when we rushed out. His wife Mandy had dealt with the same harassment from their parents for years. It was time they finally got a taste of their own medicine.

My body ached as I twisted in the bed, pulling the covers away from my body. You'd think that sleeping in our own bed last night would have helped ease the stress of the evening, but I spent the entire night tossing and turning, thinking that this was all my fault.

It wasn't my fault though, and I needed to remind myself that I wasn't to blame for this situation.

I shuffled to the edge of the bed, regretfully dragging myself from the warmth of the sheets with my husband. I needed to get started on the day before the kids woke up. It was Sunday and that meant the house needed to be cleaned; the kids prepped for school the next day, and the meals made for lunch for the week. I was thankful that Logan was home this week to help. After a trip, I always felt like I was behind and having that extra set of hands to help around the house would be nice.

I make my way to the kitchen, getting some coffee started on the coffee pot. Grabbing a small notebook, I began making a list of everything that needed to be cleaned. Logan's deployment laundry was still piling up in our hamper, and the kids had quite a bit from their busy week at grandma's as well. I'd have to start off with laundry before working my way to the bathrooms and then the other rooms would be after that.

I'd need to also make a grocery list for pickup, so we would have food to do the meal prep for the week. Just thinking about all of the chores had my body begging me to head back to bed. Sundays were busy days, as much as they were meant for relaxing, it was the only way I could make it through the week without having a meltdown.

Heading back to the bedroom, I grab the hamper that was overflowing before taking it across the hall to the laundry. Pulling the clothes out that smelled of that terrible amine smell first, making sure those got washed fast so we could finally move on from this deployment. Once that was started, I headed back to the kitchen to gather my cup of coffee. I needed to take just a few more minutes to myself before I was ready to tackle anything.

"Mommy..." I heard a voice come from just down the hallway.

"What, sweetheart?" I ask, turning to look for Marcus.

"Why did dad and grandma get in a fight last night?" His voice was soft. He didn't seem scared to ask the question but knew it was a conversation he probably shouldn't be having. I wasn't sure how to answer the question. Did I tell him the truth that grandma was really mean to mommy and dad didn't want to put up with it anymore? I mean, I could do that, but it wouldn't be right to cut her down in his eyes, just because she cuts me down. She was still his grandmother, and he deserved to keep as good of a view of her as he could. It was his job to figure out who she was when we were older, but now all he needed to do was know that she was his grandmother.

"They just see things differently, and sometimes people fight over differing opinions. It's okay, sweetie." I wrapped my arms around him, trying to comfort his little body.

"Was dad serious about us never seeing her again if she didn't apologize?" I cursed under my breath. This is why you should never fight in front of children. Poor Marcus must have been worried sick about it all night, but was too scared to talk to us about it on the drive home.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe? It all depends on how everyone handles the situation. We have to be mature and realize when we are hurting other people, and if we are in the wrong, we need to apologize to those people. If we don't want to apologize, then we have to understand that they may not want to be in our life. No one wants to hang out with people who they think are mean." My hand rubbed circles on the back of his head, holding him close for as long as I could. I hoped to never be in this position with my kids. I wanted to believe that I would always love them no matter what, and whoever they chose to spend their life with, I would appreciate and cherish them simply because they made my babies so happy.

"So who was being mean? Everyone was yelling and we couldn't really tell what was going on, then suddenly we were leaving so quickly." Marcus pulled away, looking up at me. I could see that this was really weighing heavily on him.

"Honey, this is not something you need to worry about. I promise you that mommy and daddy aren't going anywhere and we both love you very much. You just need to have some fun with your sister and dad. Can you do that for me?" I tried to smile. I tried to help soothe his little soul, but without dragging his grandmother through the dirt, I couldn't really tell him about this situation.

I would have been lying if I said I wasn't thankful when Logan entered the living room with Mazie attached to his leg. She must have woken up and ran straight to our bedroom to find her dad laying in bed. He looked exhausted, the lines under his eyes slightly heavier than they normally were. I could tell the fight from last night was weighing more on him then he wanted to let on. Maybe I should make him an extra special lunch or something.

"Good morning everyone." His voice was rugged, fresh from a slumber. I couldn't get enough of it and wished he would tell me all sorts of stories while his vocal chords warmed up.

Why didn't that happen to women as much?

"Good morning daddy!" Marcus shouts, jumping up from where he was sitting with me at the dining table. He sprints across the room, wrapping his arms around Logan's neck, pulling him into one of those typical hugs.

These were the moments I lived for.

"What's up buddy, did you sleep alright?" Logan asks, throwing his hand high in the air for Marcus to jump for a high five. One that he would never reach, but would attempt for hours if Logan would allow it to go on that long. I couldn't help but smile at myself. These kids loved their dad, and it was so amazing how even after all these months, they were able to just pick up right where they left off. It was like they hadn't missed a beat. Their dad was still in on their jokes, they still wanted to tell him all of their secrets, and by god they wanted to team up with him against me in any game we tried to play. The twins would fight over who had to be on mommy's team. It only hurts a little bit.

"I did! I had this really cool dream that I was also in the military, just like my daddy. One day I'm going to grow up to be just like you!" Marcus dove into one of the chairs at the dining table, waiting for a bowl of cereal to land in front of him for breakfast. My heart skipped a beat in my chest at the thought of my little boy joining the military, just like his father had.

I wonder if he really understood how much sacrifice there was in this job? I always tried my best to make sure they didn't have it harder than they needed to while he was away, but that came at a cost. That cost was my emotional and mental drainage.

"We will have to see how you are thinking when you get older. Maybe you will find something cooler, maybe you'll outdo me and kick more ass in the military than I have?" Logan shrugged his shoulders, opening a few of the cupboards looking for something.

"Cereal?" Logan turns, his shoulders shrugged next to his ears. I point to one of the larger cupboards in the kitchen, located right next to the fridge. Logan pops it open revealing three boxes of cereal all lined up neatly. "Thanks, you forget where some things are when you haven't been around for a while." He sheepishly said. Grabbing a few bowls, which he also had a hard time locating, he placed them on the dining table and poured a few servings for each of the kids.

"I know where the milk is at least..." He chuckles, opening the fridge, taking a peek as if he thought he knew where it would be. "Well, maybe I don't." He chuckled when my hand reached over his shoulder to grab it for him.

"The larger gallons don't fit in the door on this fridge, so I've had to start just sitting it on one of the shelves." Logan leaned forward to give me a kiss.

"What would I ever do without you?" He questions.

"Starve to death," I responded.

Breakfast went fairly smoothly after that. The kids had plenty to tell us about their wild dreams last night, but I hadn't heard a word after they had all sat down. I rarely ate breakfast, and I needed to get a start on the chores that I had hoped to start before the kids had woken up. That's not how today was going to go, apparently.

I grabbed some of the cleaning supplies, popping them into the bathroom the kids shared before heading to the laundry again. The first load was fully washed by this point and I needed to switch it over to the dryer. Once that was done, I was able to start another load and get to work on the bathrooms.

While I cleaned I could hear the kids laughing in the background, and not too long after I had started the bathroom, I heard the bowls clanking in the sink before the tv started right up.

"What game are we going to play?" Mazie asks, her voice echoing through the apartment we lived in.

"I haven't been home in a while, so let's play this on." Logan's voice trailed off.

I couldn't help myself, but I was starting to feel a little frustrated. I was in here working to make sure the house was clean and everyone else seemed to just expect me to get it done for them. It wasn't my job alone to clean everything.

But before I could think about much more, the music from the tv was too loud, and the kids were engulfed in a world of Donkey Kong.