Robert and Donna stared at each other quietly until there was a soft knock at the door. Donna nodded towards the door and Robert went to answer it.

                          He opened the door to find Beau standing there, by himself, wearing a different suit from yesterday's. What was it about the men around here that they were always dressed like they had somewhere to be?

                          "Beau, hi, Donna's still cooking if you want to come in. Are your parents here?" He asked, looking over Beau's shoulder at his car that was parked on the street.

                         "Uh, they are not, actually. I came to see Donna, if I may." said Beau. Robert looked back towards the kitchen and then back at him. He wondered what it was he'd come to say. Not that he could complain, he'd violated their engagement several times by making late night visits at Jean's house.

                        "I'll go get her. Do you want to come in?" He offered.

                         Beau thought for a moment. "That's not necessary, thank you though."

                         Robert nodded and went to the kitchen. "Beau's here for you." He said, pointing toward the door.

                         "Is Reverend Tom here? And Cathy?" She questioned, taking the pan off the stove and scraping the last pieces of bacon onto the plates beside the stove with a spatula.

                       "No, just him. He wants to see you." He replied.

                        Donna looked at him, confused, and exited the kitchen. Sure enough, Beau had been standing before the door, hands in his pockets.

                        "Beau, you're here early." She greeted with a smile.

                        "Yeah, um, can we talk? Ou-outside?" He said, scratching his upper lip.

                        "Of course." said Donna, grabbing her shoes from beside the pile of Todd's and stepping into them. Donna stepped out and closed the door, following Beau out to his car.

                        "Listen, I have to come clean, Donna." He began.

                        "About what?" Asked Donna, concern written on her face.

                        "When I came back, I had every intention of finding you again. There was something I could never say to you back then, but I had feelings for you. And I thought maybe they'd go away someday, but they didn't." He explained.

                        "Beau-" Donna began, shaking her head. She'd already entered a complex marriage, she couldn't handle something else right now.

                        "Please let me finish." He interjected. "Seeing you at the diner, it brought everything I was feeling back up. I wanted to tell you then, but then you said you were engaged. I'll tell you, I went back home, and I thought about the one time, when you were seventeen, and you tried to stop me from leaving. You said that you liked me and you begged me not to go, but I did. I did, Donna. And I regret that."

                       "Beau, I am married now." She said, holding up her hand to flash her ring at him. She remembered the day in question crystal clear. It was the first time she'd had her heart broken, and she never said a word to anyone else about it.

                       "I know. I know. But I wanted to tell you before it was too late." He explained.

                       "Well it is too late. Way too late." She replied. "I am Robert's wife now. I am a guardian to two beautiful children. You had your chance back then." said Donna, resting her head against her hand.

                       "I know. And I couldn't be happier for you. But I just, every time I see you, I think about us, growing up together in the church, and on the farm, and I miss that. I miss you." said Beau, tears threatening to spill.

                       "Then don't look at me anymore." She whispered, her own tears rising. It took alot of time and strength to get over Beau, and she'd finally done it. She was gonna go back inside and be the wife and mother she needed to be, and that was it.

                       Beau wiped his eye with his knuckle. "So, is this it? There's really nothing in there for me anymore?"

                       "Not since you looked right at me, and got in that car anyway." She informed. Beau looked off to the trees, not bothering to wipe away the tears streaming down his face. Donna stood there, arms crossed, both of them silent.

                      "Okay," Whispered Beau sadly, getting in his car. Donna watched as he pulled away, and then went back to the house. She walked to the kitchen to where Robert had been arranging the fuchsia roses he brought to her previously in a vase in the center of the table. He caught sight of her and smiled.

                     "Hey. I figured they'd look good here."

                      Donna nodded. "They do."

                     "So what'd he need?"

                     "Nothing important." She lied. This was her family now, her future. She'd come too far to just give it up now.