“That’s ridiculous, Your Honor,” Jackie objected. It had been three months since our original meeting with Jackie, and since then, we had met often, discussing the situation until we all knew everything about the case by heart. A month after John’s conference, Brian and I sent Leighanne a court summons, suing her for custody of Baylee. Leighanne filed a counter-suit against us, and six weeks later, we began battling it out. The whole situation had been hard on both Brian and I, and it was beginning to show. Still, we stuck it out because we knew that we had to for Baylee’s sake. It was especially hard on Brian, though, because as soon as the tour ended, we were in court. He didn’t even get a break in between to recharge.

“Mr. McGregor, you will contain yourself,” the judge ordered at Jackie’s objection.

The case was not going well. We had been unable to find anyone who would be willing to testify about her infidelity. We had a couple of people who agreed to discuss Leighanne’s temper, but her lawyer had somehow managed to discredit them. And the people we had gotten to talk about Leighanne’s behavior with Baylee had been coutner-acted by Leighanne’s witnesses who said she was a fantastic mother. We were getting nowhere, and the cases seemed to drag on with no end in sight.

“Your Honor, my clients haven’t seen their families in over four months. Mr. Littrell hasn’t seen his son in months, either. They came straight off tour into court, without complaint, despite the fact that we had a very limited amount of time to get our case together. They have been here on time, every day, to appear before this court. The opposing counsel had adequate time to prepare; we did not because my client was out making a living and trying to support his family. All I am asking for is a one-week recess for us to get our case more completely together and to allow my clients a chance to recharge before returning to court,” Jackie argued for us.

I watched as the judge considered the proposal. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Brian silently praying. I knew he missed his family and Baylee. I also miss Baylee and John. The case had begun wearing us down, and we could barely make it through the day any more. We were exhausted, stressed and alone. “You argue a good case, Mr. McGregor. This court will recess until after the Thanksgiving holiday. I want you all back in this courtroom on November 28,” the judge announced, causing both Brian and I to cheer and hug Jackie. Then Brian turned to me, pulling me into his arms, brushing the hair out of my face, and pulling me into a sweet kiss. When we pulled away, I stayed in his arms with my head on his chest, while he hugged me close to his body. We stayed that way for several minutes, just enjoying our quiet moment together, ignoring everyone else around us.

I looked to my side where Jackie was watching us with a proud smile on his face. “Jackie, I think we have to use what we didn’t want to use,” I sighed. “We have to tell the court the truth about Baylee.”

“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, go home and be with your family for awhile. Meet me back here in Atlanta on November 25, the day after Thanksgiving,” he responded.

“We’ll see you then,” Brian responded for us.

We started walking out the door, hand-in-hand when I suddenly stopped Brian and turned back to Jackie. “Hey Jackie,” I called. When he looked up, I smiled an appreciative smile at him. “Thanks.”

“Anything for you, Mel. Anything for you,” he yelled back before he returned his attention to packing up his suitcase.

That night, Brian and I found ourselves on a flight to Kentucky, not wanting to be away from our son for another second.

I sat at the window, looking down at the clouds whizzing by us. To tell the truth, I was terrified of going back to Kentucky. I hadn’t been back since I had moved away for college. My mother and I had lost touch over the years after I left, and when I found out she had died five years ago, I still had refused to return to my home state. Kentucky held too many memories and too much pain. Besides, I wasn’t really that close with my mom, even after my father had left us. I just didn’t feel the need to come back.

But with Brian, it seemed that I was always doing things I never thought I would do again. I was living again. I was loving again. And most of all, I was smiling again. Brian gave me a strength I never knew I had. He gave me courage and hope, and it was only with him by my side that I was able to do a lot of the things in my life.

Brian’s hand brushing my cheek brought me back from my thoughts. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m scared,” I admitted, turning my head from his gaze to look back out the window. “I haven’t been back to Kentucky since I left for college. It has so many memories that I wish I could forget… and some that used to bring me so much pain to think about.”

“You don’t have to be scared. I’m going to be with you the whole time. Besides, my parents are excited to see you again,” he tried to calm me. I smiled at the thought of his parents. I remembered the first day I had met them.

*flashback*

I was sitting outside, on the curb, waiting for my best friend, Valerie, to come and pick me up. She was a year ahead of me and had gotten a brand new car when she had passed her driver’s test. That day, I had a choir rehearsal after school until 6 that night, and I had asked her to pick me up afterwards because my mom was out of town. It was already 6:30 and she was nowhere in sight.

I sighed, getting up and preparing myself to walk home. Before I could get very far, though, I heard a voice call out to me. “Hey Mel, do you need a ride?” It was my other best friend, Brian, in his jeep.

“I’ll be alright. I’m just going to walk home,” I refused, not wanting to inconvenience him.

“I am not letting you walk home. Look, it’s about to rain… come on Mel,” he begged me.

“I’m alright, Brian, but I appreciate your offer,” I declined again.

Before I knew it, Brian had turned off his car and was walking beside me. “If you’re going to insist on walking, then I am going to walk with you,” he smiled his famous cheeky smile.

“Brian, that’s ridiculous. You have a jeep. You don’t need to walk home. Besides, how will you get to school tomorrow if you leave your jeep here?” I asked.

“I’ll have my brother, Harry, drop me off tonight to get it,” he smiled, not allowing me to change his mind.

I let out a heavy sigh, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “Fine, I’ll let you drive me home,” I told him, giving in.

“GREAT!” he smiled as we walked back to his car. Brian opened the door for me, letting me get in, before heading around to the driver’s side.

“So why were you still waiting? Did your mom forget to pick you up?” Brian asked.

“No, my mom is out of town. Valerie was supposed to come get me, but I guess she forgot or something came up,” I explained. I watched Brian’s face contort at the mention of my best friend. “I know you don’t like her, but she’s my best friend.”

“I’m sure she’s nice and everything, but she only comes to you when she needs something or it’s convenient for her,” Brian explained. “You’re an amazing friend, Mel, and you deserve a lot better than that.”

“Val and I have a history together. She knows all my secrets and all about my past. She’s the only who knows everything about my life. And we always have fun when we hang out,” I defended.

“Still, I think you deserve to be treated better than that,” he argued. “Wait, you said your mom’s out of town?”

“Yeah, she’s gone for the whole week,” I confirmed. “She had some kind of job thing to do.”

“Why don’t you come over to my house for dinner, then? That way you won’t have to be alone as much,” Brian offered.

“It’s a sweet offer, Brian, but I really don’t want to intrude on your family,” I declined.

“Melanie… you are not going to make me kidnap you, are you?” he smirked.

“You wouldn’t!” I exclaimed.

“I am not letting you go home to an empty house when you could have dinner with me and my family,” he argued. “Now, you’re eating dinner at my house, and that’s final!”

The truth was, I was not looking forward to going to my empty house. I hated being alone because it gave me too much time to think. I liked the privacy, but I hated the feeling of complete and total loneliness. When we pulled up to Brian’s house, I suddenly got nervous. I was scared that his parents wouldn’t like me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, when I didn’t get out of the car for several minutes.

“What if your parents don’t like me? What if they think I’m rude coming over at the last minute?” I worried.

“My parents will LOVE you. And they are always asking me to bring my friends over for dinner, so they will love the fact that I listened to them for once,” he soothed. “I promise, everything will be alright. And if it makes you feel better, you can sit next to me.” His cheeky grin was back, making me smile instantly.

“Alright, let’s go in,” I said.

As soon as we entered the house, it was like being in a completely different world. The whole house smelled like cinnamon and apple pies, and it made you feel instantly comfortable. Brian and I took off our shoes before walking to the living room, where we heard the TV on.

When we entered the room, I saw both Brian’s parents and Brian’s brother sitting there, waiting for Brian to get home. “Oh, Brian, you’re home!” his mom exclaimed, greeting him.

“Sorry it took so long. I had to talk to Mr. Turner about something. Mom, I want you to meet one of my best friends and my dance and singing partner in choir, Melanie Davis. Mel, this is my mom, Jackie Littrell,” Brian introduced.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Littrell,” I greeted, holding out my hand for her to shake.

“Oh honey, it’s Jackie. Please. It’s great to finally meet you. Brian has told me so much about you, I feel like I already know you,” she smiled, pulling me in for a hug.

When she released me, I saw Brian’s father and brother standing behind her. “Dad, Harry, this is Melanie Davis. Mel, that’s my dad, Harold Littrell, and my brother, Harry.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I greeted.

“Mom, is it alright if Mel stays for dinner? Her mom is out of town, and I didn’t want her to have to eat alone,” Brian explained.

“Of course! We’d love to have you, Mel!” Jackie enthusiastically agreed. “Come on, take a seat. Brian, get her a plate, glass and silverware.”

I took my seat, scooting over so Harold could put another chair beside me for Brian. I looked around at his family, glad I had agreed to come. It was no wonder Brian was the way he was. His family was so good-hearted and grounded, it only made since that Brian would be the same way. All through dinner that night, I felt like I was watching myself at dinner with this amazing family. I laughed and joked around with them, feeling comfortable and welcome. I wondered why I had been so nervous before.

That whole week while my mother was gone, I would ride home with Brian and spend the time after rehearsal with his family until 9 every night. Then Brian would drive me home. It had been a long time since I had felt like I belonged somewhere, but Brian’s family had always made me feel welcome. I knew that no matter what happened in the future, I always had a place to go and a family to turn to.

*end flashback*

“I’ve missed them a lot,” I smiled, the far-away look in my eyes fading.

“They loved you the first time I brought you home. I remember my brother and my dad harassing me about asking you out and having a crush on you. Harry said that whenever I was around you, I would try my hardest to make you laugh, which is usually what I did when I liked a girl. My dad used to joke with me that any time I walked through the front door for dinner without you, I was going to have to starve,” he laughed. “They all thought you were the sweetest girl I’d ever brought home, and my mom even told me that she thought we’d be perfect together if we ever did start dating. She told me she’d love to have you as a part of the family someday.” I laughed at the thought of Jackie telling 17-year-old Brian that. And I could just see Harry and Harold harassing Brian about bringing a girl home. They were all such a close-knit family, but they liked to pick on each other a lot. As I sat there reminiscing, I realized that as far as Brian’s family went, I had nothing to worry about. As for the rest of the memories and reminders, I would be fine as long as I had Brian by my side.