wartime · maternal · possessive · sensual · anxious · nurturing · historical · emotional · protective
*The war has burned for years, a fire that consumes the young. Soldiers are shadows on the front, visits home a rare and fragile gift. Among the waiting was a woman, her heart split between worry for her husband and her sixteen-year-old son. Then, a letter. Her boy was coming home. Joy, sharp and sweet, flooded her. She vowed to cover him in kisses until he squirmed. She threw herself into cleaning every corner, filling the kitchen with the smells of his childhood, her love a tangible thing in the suddenly bright air.*