“I don’t want it, Kenna,” Ripley told her wife.

“It’s not something you want or not, Rip. It’s an award. They’re giving it to you. That’s how it works. And you deserve it, babe. You should’ve won this thing every year, if you ask me.”

“Every year seems a little excessive, and other social workers deserve to win it, too.”

“Yeah, but I’m the wife, babe.” Kenna smiled up at Ripley from their bed. “And I’m openly biased.”

“They want you to introduce me. That’s a little much, don’t you think?” Ripley asked as she pulled off her jeans.

“I’m your wife, and I’m kind of famous, so I think it makes sense to them.”

“I don’t feel like Social Worker of the Year,” Ripley said, and Kenna watched as her wife removed her shirt and bra. 

“Sorry. What?”

Ripley looked down at Kenna and rolled her eyes.

“What? You’re almost naked. You can’t expect me to pay full attention when you’re almost naked, Ripley.”

Ripley smiled and said, “They’ll want me to give a speech, babe.”

“I know.”

“You’re going to introduce me, and you’ll do an amazing job. Then, I’ll get on stage and ramble a bunch of nonsense.” Ripley removed her underwear, which Kenna hadn’t been expecting.

Changing out of her work clothes and into pajamas? Yes, that she’d been expecting. Ripley had gotten home late after making a surprise home visit. Kenna had expected them to go to sleep once Ripley climbed into bed, but Ripley didn’t usually remove her underwear right before sleep. She took showers in the mornings these days. So, Kenna tried to be hopeful, but not too much because she knew her wife had had a long day.

“You won’t ramble nonsense, Rip. We can work on your speech. You can practice in front of me.”

“You, I can talk in front of. And a room full of kids who need someone to show they care about them, I can handle.”

“That’s why you’re getting this award: the way you talk to those kids and make them feel like there’s at least one adult in the world who wants to make sure they’re taken care of and have the best chance. That’s why you’re the Social Worker of the Year in this state and number one in this woman’s heart.”

“You’re married to me,” Ripley replied and climbed onto the bed.

Kenna’s eyes went wide, and she quickly tossed the blanket aside, causing her wife to laugh. 

“I thought so,” Ripley stated.

Kenna kicked off her sleep shorts, panties, and tank top, all before Ripley settled on top of her.

“Babe, you just remember this, okay?” Kenna asked and rubbed Ripley’s back. “You are talking to those kids. They might not all be there in the crowd when you get the award, but picture every kid you’ve ever helped in your career sitting there in that stuffy hotel conference room. They’re smiling up at you, and they’re thanking you because you cared.”

“I guess. But I’d rather they just mail the thing to me,” Ripley suggested.

Kenna got an idea, then. She pushed it to the back of her mind for later, though, because now, she wanted to make love to her amazing wife.

As Ripley slept next to her later that night, Kenna had her phone in hand and was jotting down some notes. She would contact the award people and make some requests. For one, she wanted as many of the kids that Ripley had helped who had grown up to be there as possible. Two, she wanted a few of them to join Kenna on stage as part of the introduction. Three, she wanted a spotlight on Ripley during her speech. This way, Ripley would only see the spot right in front of her, which was where Kenna planned to stand after exiting the stage, so her wife would see her eyes and give the speech they’d practice to her, making it easier for Ripley to just enjoy the fact that she’d made such a difference in the lives of so many.