“Oh, baby, I will fight for you no matter what… I will fight for you because I love you, Harper. A love for you that took me by surprise but now lives inside me with such strength that I can’t deny it even if I wanted to, which I don’t. And as much as I tried to show you so you wouldn’t panic, now you need to hear the words. You don’t need to say anything, but you do need to feel it deep down. I’m not going anywhere, and I can wait as long as you need. But Harper, you are it for me, and I just hope that I’m enough to be that person for you too.”

The dam breaks, and I fall into his arms, sobbing on his shoulder. It’s like he can see all the turmoil that I have lived with for so long and in his own way is taking each piece of it and putting me back together. I don’t know how long I cry for, but I try to pull my emotions under control by focusing on his breathing. It’s slow and calm, telling me the words he just expressed have not freaked him out in any way. He truly feels love for me and he is not scared of that.

What more could I ask for in a man?

Matching my breathing to his gives me the ability to talk a little more rationally.

“I have so much I planned on telling you too, but it all seems to pale in comparison to your bombshell, which will take time for me to unpack, that’s for sure.” Sitting up again, I face him because I never want to forget this moment.

“No matter how much I tried to deny this, or run away from the enormity of it, your love for me was so big that it pulled me in too. I was scared of it hurting me or being the reason that I couldn’t do this, yet your love was the opposite. It gave me the strength to take steps I should have taken years ago. All because I wanted to continue to feel more of that love. I wanted to be a woman worthy of that love, and I needed to step back to see if I could be.” The smile creeping up his face is like a ray of sunshine.