It was just one of those days. It was one of those days where the pain was so bad that I wasn’t able to take in a full breath. It was one of those days where the pain was so bad it left me trembling and immobile. I managed to turn my head to view the alarm clock on the bedside table. The dull neon-red digits read 4:59AM. I turned my head the other way to see if Danny was still sleeping, but was unsurprised when I saw his side of the bed already made up. I concentrated on breathing, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. I didn’t have enough strength to sit up, so I settled for rolling over. I managed to swing my legs over the edge of the bed, using the momentum to pull myself upright. The muscles in my back throbbed, a thin layer of sweat already covering my brow.

I clenched my jaw hard as I worked through it, managing to stand. I had my arms outstretched, using the wall to support me. I shuffled along the cold wooden floor, navigating the bedroom in the dim light of sunrise. I felt partially triumphant when I made it to the bedroom door, twisting the frigid metal doorknob and yanking it open. The door creaked on its rust hinges, alerting the house that I was up and awake.

“Baby?” called Danny from the kitchen. He was probably in the middle of breakfast, judging by the smell of bacon and toast. I heard him stand up and make his way quickly down the hall. “Baby, why are you up so–”

He cuts himself off, the smile falling from his face when his eyes finally land on me. I must have looked like shit, given how distressed he suddenly was. He quickly grabbed my hand, supporting me so I didn’t have to lean against the wall.

“Fuck, Jacob, are you okay?” he worried. “Shit. Where are your pills?”

“Medicine cabinet,” I huffed.

“Come here, sit down,” he said quickly. He led me to the kitchen and helped me get comfortable in a chair. “I’ll be right back,” he stated rapidly, his words blurring into one another. He dashed to the bathroom. I could hear the cabinet squeaking open, followed by the rattling of pills in a plastic bottle. Danny returned within seconds, twisting off the prescription bottle’s cap. He handed it to me before hurrying to grab me a glass of water.

I tapped two pills out onto the palm of my hand and swallowed them, taking the glass from Danny’s hands and gulped down the cool liquid. The relief was never immediate, but it would be here soon. Danny still wore a worried expression on his face, so I reached up to stroke the side of his face as he leaned over to press a chaste kiss against my forehead.

“Thanks, honey,” I said.

“You scared me,” he admitted.

“Sorry. It’s usually not this bad. I must have slept funny or something.”

Danny pressed a kiss into my hair. “You sure you’re okay to visit your family today?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just down the road.”

“A bumpy road,” he stressed.

“I’m okay, honey. Honest.”

Danny raised an eyebrow at me. “If you’re sure. We can always reschedule. I’m sure they’d love to have us over for dinner any other day.”

I scratched behind my ear, sheepish. “It has to be today. Otherwise it messes with my plans.”

“What plans?” he inquired, curious.

“Can you do me a quick favor?” I answered his question with a question.

“Sure?”

“Can you go grab something for me from my bedside table? It’s in a little white box.”

Danny straightened his back and nodded. “More pain meds?”

I grinned. “Better than pain meds.”

Danny disappeared down the hall. I heard him flick on the light in the bedroom, followed by the sound of my beside table’s drawer sliding open. My heart was in my throat. I had promised myself that today was going to be the day, back pain be damned. I wouldn’t let my back be a reason to put it off any longer. Danny returned with the aforementioned box in his hand. There was a confused look in his eye. He had opened the lid of the box to reveal its contents.

“Are you serious?” he asked me, voice small and soft.

“Dead serious,” I promised. “I’d get down on one knee, but you’d probably have to lift me back up and that’s just embarrassing.”

Danny pulled the gold band out of the box, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. His confusion quickly melted away, replaced by one of the most brilliant and beautiful smiles I had ever laid eyes on.

“Daniel Stanton,” I cleared my throat as I found the strength to stand up. I carefully walked over to Danny to pluck the ring from his fingers. “I will have you know that I did not ask your father for permission.”

“I sincerely hope you didn’t,” he chuckled.

“Will you marry me?” I asked softly, entranced by his gorgeous blue eyes and hypnotic grin.

“Yes,” he answered immediately. “Yes, I will.”

I took his hand, slipping the ring in place, fighting against the butterflies that were responsible for making my hands shake. Danny pulled me into a tight hug, enveloping me in his warmth. God it felt so good to be in his arms. It felt right. And now he was mine forever, just as I was his. I brought my lips to his, humming into his mouth.

My back pain was completely forgotten.

It was a small community, so I wasn’t surprised that news of our engagement travelled so quickly. What did surprise me, though, was the fact that my mother reached out to me for the first time in years. Her phone call had been brief and hushed, like she was worried about being caught. She had asked to meet me and Jacob for coffee in town. It was honestly so good to hear her voice that I had agreed instantly. But now, sitting there in the diner’s corner booth, I couldn’t stop fidgeting. I could barely remember what my mother looked like, couldn’t remember her last words to me before Jack kicked me out of the house. I didn’t know if this was all some massive setup, some plot to openly berate me for being who I was, for loving Jacob like I did.

Jacob placed his hand on my knee and gave it a gentle, encouraging squeeze.

“Don’t worry, honey,” he said, “everything’s going to be fine.”

Despite Jacob’s reassuring words, I couldn’t bring myself to calm down. Had I not been sitting on the inside of the booth closest to the wall, I would have sprinted out of the diner several times over already.

The little bell over the diner’s front door rang, drawing my attention to the woman who snuck in. Her eyes shifted from left to right, like a sweet little doe on the lookout for predators. Her hair was thinning, traces of silver strands beginning to show her age. Her eyes were a heavy blue, tired from years of hard work and worry. She had a sweet little face, small lips and thin eyebrows. She kept to herself, holding her purse close and walked with tiny, unsure steps. She reminded me of a mouse, jittery and easily startled. When our eyes finally locked, I watched the unease in her shoulders quickly melt away. She gave me a small, polite smile before she followed up with an even smaller wave. The woman made her way over to our booth.

Jacob and I stood up beside the table, greeting her. She came immediately to me, nervously reaching out to take my hand.

“Hi, Momma,” I whispered.

“Oh, my handsome boy,” she cooed. Her eyes glossed over, threatening happy tears. “Look how you’ve grown.” Her voice sounded weak and shaky, but full of overwhelming love. She turned to Jacob and smiled. “And aren’t you just a fine young man.”

“Please,” I said with a smile, gesturing towards the booth. “Have a seat, Momma.”

We all sat down, my mother across from me and Jacob. She took a deep breath and reached over the table for my hands.

“Let me see that ring,” she giggled. I reached for her, placing my hands in her own. Her skin was cold, and her fingers had become calloused and thin from many years of hard work on the farm.

“Does Jack know you’re here?” I asked quietly, afraid that the delight in her eye would drain away.

“He does,” she answered calmly. “He told me not to, but I didn’t listen.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble, Momma.”

She shook her head and smiled. “That man is as stubborn as a mule,” she mumbled. “There’s just no changing some people. I was furious when he kicked you out. I didn’t want you to go.”

“It’s all in the past now,” I said. I wasn’t angry anymore. It was therapeutic, really, to finally be able to see her again.

“So,” she started, shifting tones, “when’s the wedding?”

I glanced over at Jacob.

“We’re not sure yet,” he answered.

“Well, when you do finally get hitched, let me know if I can help out at all,” she offered happily. “I want to make sure your big day is special.”

“Thanks, Momma,” I replied. “That’s very nice of you.”

All of a sudden, the door to the diner burst open, the little bell rattling off loudly. I turned to look at the diner’s latest customer, only to recoil automatically in fear. Jack stood there, glaring. He folded his arms across his chest, his lips were pressed into a thin line, and he refused to look me in the eye. He stomped over, muddying the wood floors with his dirty work boots. He looked like he was about ready for a fight.

But to my surprise, he slapped a white envelope down onto the table.

“Take it,” he said gruffly.

“Darling,” said my mother calmly, “I thought you said you didn’t want to come.”

“Take the envelope, Daniel,” he repeated himself. I hesitantly did as he said.

The envelope felt hefty. I lifted the envelope’s seal to reveal a wad of cash. I looked up at Jack, confused.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Money,” he replied flatly. “For the wedding. Congrats.” He turned on his heel and left just as quickly as he came.

Jacob looked at me and shrugged. “That was nice of him,” he commented.

“He’s happy for you,” explained my mother. “He’s just really bad at showing it.”

“I sincerely doubt he’s happy for me,” I mumbled.

“He doesn’t like the fact that you’re… Well, you know. But you’re still his son. You always will be,” continued my mother. “I’ve been trying to talk some sense in to him, but you know Jack. He has a skull as thick as a bull.”

“Well, tell him I say thanks.”

“I will.”

Jacob took my hand on the table, lacing his fingers between mine. I couldn’t understand this sudden change of heart, but I wasn’t going to question it. Everything in my life was finally starting to fall into place, and Jacob was right where I wanted him –by my side. I felt warm and fuzzy all over, finally content. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be falling in love and marrying my best friend, I would have laughed at them. But now I was laughing for an entirely different reason. We ordered our coffees when the waitress arrived to take our orders and spent the next hour or so discussing wedding plans.