It was late afternoon, and the sky was painted in shades of orange and pink as Jake and Stephanie drove home from work together. The hum of the car engine was the only sound for a moment as they soaked in the calm after a busy day.

Jake was in the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the center console. His tie was slightly loosened, a telltale sign of a long day at his big corporate job. “I swear, if I had to sit through one more meeting today, I would’ve lost it,” he said, glancing over at Stephanie with a tired smile.

Stephanie chuckled softly, leaning her head back against the seat. She was still in her work clothes, a modest blouse and a cardigan she’d thrown on for her day teaching middle schoolers. “You think your meetings are bad? Try handling 20 seventh graders who all decided to forget how to stay in their seats today,” she said, rolling her eyes playfully.

“Touché,” Jake laughed. “So, we’re both heroes in our own way, huh?”

Stephanie smirked. “Exactly. We deserve awards for what we do.”

The car hit a stoplight, and Jake turned to look at her, taking in how tired but beautiful she looked. “You know, we don’t give ourselves enough credit. We work hard, we’ve got three amazing kids, and somehow, we’re still standing,” he said.

Stephanie smiled softly. “Barely. But yeah, I’m proud of us.”

As they got closer to home, the thought of walking into their cozy house filled them with a sense of comfort. Stephanie let out a deep sigh and said, “I hope the girls didn’t give the babysitter too much trouble today.”