Brian pulled himself off his knees and pulled me into his arms. I let myself surrender to the warmth of his embrace, leaning my weight on him as I cried for all we had lost and all we had found.

When we finally parted, Brian wiped my tears with his thumbs and pulled me in for a long, deep kiss. Brian pulled away, suddenly, and looked down at the floor of the Gazebo, a look of guilt crossing his face.

“Brian?” I asked.

“You’re married, Mel,” he pointed out the obvious, but the way he said made me think that he was just realizing it for the first time.

“Yes, I am married, but it’s not what you think,” I sighed.

“What do you mean it’s not what I think? What else can marriage mean?” he asked, turning away from me. “You said he treats you well. He’s probably never hurt you like I did.”

“Brian, you’re right. He has never hurt me. And he treats me very well. He’s my best friend, and he always will be, but our marriage is not what you think it is. It’s a cover for his true lifestyle. That’s all.” I paused, letting my words sink in. When Brian gave me a questioning look, I finally admitted the truth. “John’s gay.”

“Gay?” Brian asked.

“Yeah. He’s gotten very good at hiding it, but he is completely, 100% gay. He has been for as long as I’ve known him. I’m one of maybe a handful of people who actually know the truth. And after… what happened… he asked me to be his cover and I agreed,” I confessed.

He nodded, looking at me before returning his gaze back to the Gazebo floor. “But that still doesn’t change the fact that you are married. And it doesn’t change the fact that so am I,” he guiltily pointed out.

I stood there, unable to believe his nerve. Three years ago, when we had been together, he had been cheating on Leighanne and it didn’t seem to bother him then. Now, all of a sudden, he had a conscience? How dare he. “That never stopped you before,” I spat, my anger getting the best of me.

“That’s not fair, Mel,” he refuted, his head shooting up at the acid tone I was using.

“Not fair!? You know what’s not fair, Brian? What’s not fair is telling me you love me, but, when a true test presents itself, you leave me high and dry because of your guilt. What’s not fair is asking me, who you claim to love, to give up my one and only son because you want to save your marriage to someone you aren’t sure you truly love. And you know what else isn’t fair? It’s not fair coming back into MY life, giving me a false hope and then snatching it back just as I begin to feel like smiling again,” I yelled.

I watched as his face fell with every harsh word out of my mouth, but once I had started, I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I had been holding everything inside for so long, and now that I had started to release all the hurt and anger, I couldn’t just give in again. “You’re right, Mel,” he sighed, a single tear falling from his eye, a sharp contrast to the tears that were now coursing down my cheeks.

“Make your choice right now, Brian, because I don’t think I can live through another broken heart from you. Either you choose me and choose to stand by me until the end or you walk away now. I don’t have the energy to fight for you. I… I can’t go through that pain again. I don’t think I can handle it. So, either you love me and are with me all the way, or you choose to walk away and never come back again.” I knew that I was risking everything, but I had to be certain. I didn’t think I could survive another broken heart from this man. I didn’t want to end up even worse off than I already was. I needed to know if he was serious about being with me or else I had to walk away before I got hurt again.

“I love you, Mel. I choose you,” he professed, not even hesitating for a second. “It’s always been you.”

I couldn’t speak as my voice was silenced by my emotions. I cried tears of happiness because I knew that he was telling the truth. Just one look into his eyes told me all I needed to know. The desperation and fear of loss told me that he would do whatever it took to keep me in his life this time around. The love was undeniable as he looked at me like I was the only woman alive, the only person who mattered. And the determination showed me that he was not going to lose, no matter what. He would battle any force that stood in our way until every ounce of energy was spent… and then he would fight some more. We had both seen what it was like being without the other, and we would NOT go through that again without fighting with every last breath in our bodies.

“Oh Brian,” I cried, as he pulled me into his arms with an intensity that told me he would not be letting go any time soon.

“I’m not letting you go this time, Mel. We will fight whatever comes our way, but we will get through it together. I promise, I am not leaving you again,” he swore, begging me with his eyes to believe him.

“I don’t think I could handle it if you did,” I admitted, showing my weakness.

“I couldn’t either,” he confessed as well, giving me a half-smile. “It has taken everything in me to keep going for Baylee’s sake. It has been hell living each day looking into his face and seeing you. Every smile from him is a reminder of what I lost and what I gave up. But it is also the only thing that gives me hope.”

I smiled at the mention of our son. “How is he?” I asked, afraid of what Brian would say.

“He’s an amazing little boy. He is also extremely bright. I’m pretty sure he knows that Leighanne isn’t his mother. He calls her ‘Mommy,’ but he makes a face every time he does,” Brian explained.

“He’s absolutely beautiful. I have been watching every appearance you Boys have made since he was born just so I could see you and Baylee. He looks so much like you did when you were young,” I smiled.

“He looks like you, too, you know,” he said, softly caressing my face. “He’s got your smile and your nose.”

“Yeah, but he has your hair and your eyes,” I replied back, running my hand through his messy curls.

He smiled at me, a smile full of promise for the future and memories of the past.

“We should head back. John is probably waiting for us,” I suggested.

“He won’t be mad, will he?” Brian questioned.

“No, he won’t be mad at all,” I assured.

We walked back into the house together, Brian holding my hand the entire way. “So, how did it go?” John asked. He was seated in the living room, watching the door and waiting for us to get back.

I smiled a knowing smile at him, shaking my head in disbelief at his crazy methods. I let go of Brian’s hand, walking over to John and sitting beside him on the couch. “Thank you, John,” I smiled, hugging him close.

“I’d do anything for you. You’re my best friend and you’ve sacrificed so much for me already,” he responded, returning the hug.

I looked up at Brian, who was sitting down on the loveseat across from us, smiling at us. “Still, thank you,” I added before getting back up and joining Brian on the loveseat.

“Well, I’m supposed to meet David in 20 minutes, so I will see you guys tomorrow,” John said, getting up.

I smiled at him, giving him a quick wink as he walked across the living room. “Thank you, John,” I said when he passed by me, reaching out my hand to grasp his.

“Anything for you, Mel. You deserve everything you want in this world,” he told me, squeezing my hand before walking out of the room.

A few minutes later, we heard the front door close and John’s car drive away from the house, leaving Brian and I alone together for the first time in years.