The next morning, I woke up to a soft knock on the door. At first I thought I was imagining it, but a few seconds later, I heard the faint sound again. I looked over at Brian, who was still fast asleep beside me, snoring lightly with a smile on his face. I smiled at the sight before getting out of bed, pulling on a robe to answer the door.

“Hey Alex, what are you doing here so early?” I asked when I opened to door.

“I was actually hoping we could catch an early breakfast before we had to leave for the next venue,” he explained. The Boys had spent 3 nights in the same city, which was very rare, but it also meant that we would be in the bus all day today so that we could reach the next venue in enough time for the concert that night.

“Sure, but I kind of have to get dressed first,” I laughed, looking down at my robe and bare feet.

“I’ll wait,” he told me. Something about his tone told me this was not just a casual, spur-of-the-moment breakfast. He had planned this for awhile now. I quickly got dressed, trying to make as little noise as possible so I didn’t wake Brian or Baylee, who was asleep in the room next door.

I quickly wrote Brian a note, letting him know where I was before setting it silently on my pillow. I leaned down, laying a gentle kiss on his forehead before leaving the room to join Alex for breakfast.

The entire ride to the lobby was filled in silence. The longer he went without saying anything, the more nervous I became. A million thoughts ran through my mind about why he wanted to have breakfast with me.

Finally, after we had gotten our coffee and had ordered our food, he spoke, addressing the reason he had invited me in the first place. “So what happened yesterday with Leighanne?” he asked, getting straight to the point.

I sighed, straightening the napkin on my lap before responding. “Her flight was delayed, so she came back to the hotel to wait. She knocked on the door, and I opened it wearing one of Brian’s shirts and a pair of his boxers. Then she saw him in only his boxers, and she pretty much drew her conclusions from that. We thought it was one of you guys, so we didn’t think anything of it until it was too late. She yelled at us a bit, as you saw, and then she stormed off, leaving threats in her wake,” I briefly explained.

“And how are things between you and Brian now that Leigh knows?” he asked. I smiled softly at how protective he still was of me. I knew that he was trying to protect me from getting hurt by Brian again. He loved Brian, there was no doubt, but he was worried that I would end up hurt again.

“Things are better than they have been in a long time,” I smiled, my gaze automatically drifting to the ring sparkling up at me from my finger. “We’re happy and…”

“Wait a second,” Alex interrupted. “Is that what I think it is?” he asked, gesturing to my ring.

“He proposed to me after Leighanne left, promising to marry me as soon as all this mess was taken care of,” I told him, my face glowing at the prospect of marrying Brian.

“Wow,” Alex gasped, not expecting it.

“Alex, I know what you’re trying to do, but you don’t have to protect me from Brian any more. I know he hurt me in the past, but this time things are different. We’ve both seen what it’s like without one another, and neither one of us wants to go back to that life again. Brian and I are fully prepared to fight for our family and what should have been ours 3 years ago,” I told Alex, trying to ease his worry.

“I just don’t want to see you hurt again. I remember what happened last time, and I just want to make sure that it won’t happen again. I love Brian, but he has made some pretty stupid choices in his life,” Alex told me.

“Gee, thanks Bone,” Brian said, sneaking up behind Alex and hearing the tail end of our conversation. “Hey baby,” he greeted me with a kiss as he slid in beside me. It was the first time we had ever been able to show affection or any sign of our relationship in public. Now that Leighanne knew and the press would know by the end of the day, there was no point in hiding it.

“I’m serious, man. You’ve made some stupid decisions in your life when it comes to Mel, and I just don’t want to see her get hurt again,” Alex justified.

“Alex, man, I know I’ve been stupid when it comes to mine and Mel’s relationship in the past, but I won’t let that happen again. I know it’s going to be a long, hard fight, but as long as I have Mel by my side and in my life, it doesn’t matter. We’ll get through this because we are finally together,” he defended.

“I’m sorry, man. I just don’t want to see Mel get hurt again. You didn’t have to see what she went through the first time,” Alex explained.

“I understand. You’re just looking out. It’s cool. I’m glad that you care enough about her to try to prevent her from getting hurt. It means a lot to me… to both of us… to have such amazing people in our lives,” Brian said, showing his gratitude. He turned to me, giving me a loving smile when he felt me grab his hand a squeeze it in appreciation for what he said.

Alex smiled, knowing what Brian was really saying. “I love you, too, Bro.”

Since all the serious talk was done, the rest of the conversation was light-hearted and we all felt like a burden had been lifted off our shoulders. I looked at the two men with me, and shook my head in amazement that I could be so blessed in my life. To my side, I had a man who loved me completely and was willing to give up everything he had spent his life working for just to be with me and our son. He was willing to sacrifice it all just so that I would be in his life. If that wasn’t true love, I didn’t know what was. I turned my attention to the man sitting across from me. From the moment we had met, he was trying to protect me from the pain of life and trying to console me. He had been there for me when I had no one else to turn to. He knew me better than anyone, except for Brian, and that was why he is my best friend. He‘s the poster-child for what a best friend should be like. He’s always there, willing to listen. He’s never afraid to give me advice I may not necessarily want to hear but need to hear. He’s always trying to protect me and make my life easier. He’s a true friend. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, but I wasn’t going to question it. I was simply going to enjoy it.

*later that day – on the bus*

“Madison, Smith and McGregor. How may I direct your call?” a high-pitched male voice answered the phone.

“I’d like to speak with Jackson McGregor, please?” I requested into the phone, already anticipating what she was going to say. “Tell him it’s Melanie Davis,” I added before she could cut me off.

“One second, please,” she told me, putting me on hold. I turned to Brian, who was sitting beside me as I talked into the phone.

After a few moments, another voice came on the line, this one much deeper than the previous one. “Hello? Melanie?”

I smiled unconsciously, not realizing how much I had missed him until I heard his voice. “Hey, Jackie! I know it’s been awhile. How have you been?” I asked, not wanting to jump into our problems right away.

“It has been awhile. I’ve been great, actually. I just got married this past January, and my wife, Patricia, is expecting our first child,” he told me, the smile easy to hear even through the phone. “How about you? Last I heard, you quit your job at the station and skipped town,” he questioned. It didn’t surprise me that he knew about what had happened in Atlanta. He had been a close friend of my mother’s, and when my father had abandoned us, he had taken over as my surrogate father. He was always looking out for me and trying to protect me any way he knew how.

“Yeah. I actually need to talk to you about that. I need a lawyer, Jackie,” I told him.

“Uh oh. What kind of trouble are you in?” he asked.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, but it doesn’t look good either. Is there any way you can meet me in L.A. tomorrow?” I asked. Brian and I had discussed it and decided we needed to talk to him in person. It was too much to go into over the phone, and we needed to know what kind of a case we had and what our options were.

I heard him sigh into the phone, but I also knew he wouldn’t refuse me. “I’ll see what I can work out. I’ll call you when I know exactly when I can get there,” he told me.

“Thanks, Jackie. I owe you one,” I told him honestly.

“You don’t owe me anything, Mel. I told you a long time ago that no matter what, I would be there for you. I meant it. I’ll give you call back. Can I reach you at this number?” he asked, referring to the phone number I had used to call him.

“Yeah. It’s my boyfriend’s phone, but I usually have it anyway,” I laughed, looking over at Brian who was nodding in agreement.

“Alright.” There was a moment of silence, and I was about to hang up when I heard Jackie say something else. “I missed you, Mel. You’re like a daughter to me… I was worried when I hadn’t heard from you.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch. I wasn’t myself there for awhile. I promise, though, I won’t let it happen again. I missed you too much,” I responded back.

“Good. I’d hate to have to worry about you again,” he laughed into the phone. “I’ll go see what I can work out. Will you be available for the next hour or so?” he asked.

I looked around at the moving bus, laughing at the thought of us going anywhere. “I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon,” I smiled at Brian, who laughed in response.

“I’ll give you a call back soon, then. I love you, Mel, and I’m glad you called,” he said.

“I love you too, Jackie,” I said before hanging up.