Connor felt his legs tremble. Kevin felt him shake and helped to sit down on a nearby couch.

"I can't believe this… They kicked me out of my own house because I'm gay and now they're here! I mean, what the hell?" Connor buried his face in his hands.

Kevin started rubbing circles on his fiancé's back. "Do you want me to ask them to leave?" he whispered in his ear.

Connor looked up, tears welling up in his eyes. "No. I just… I guess I want to talk to them."

Kevin nodded. "I'll go get them." He got up and walked out of the room, leaving Connor alone with Arnold and Nabalungi.

"It will be okay, Connor. I mean, maybe they are happy for you!" Nabalungi smiled, but Connor could see that it was extremely strained. He smiled back, trying to at least make her feel better.

Arnold took that as encouragement. He grinned wildly and almost yelled, "Yeah man! I mean, this could be just like that time when-"

"Arnold? As much as I could use the confidence right now, please don't compare this to Star Wars or Lord of the Rings." Connor smiled even though he felt like crap.

"Oh, okay. Well, hopefully it'll work it out, somehow."

Nabalungi went over and sat next to him, putting her hand on his back. "It will work out."

Connor squeezed her hand and smiled at her, loving her positivity. "I know. Today will be amazing because I'm surrounded by my best friends and nothing could ever ruin my wedding day."

With that, Kevin poked his head back into the room. "Hey Con? Your parents are here."

The door opened wider and Kevin stepped inside, with the McKinley family trailing behind. Connor stood up to greet the family that had disowned him a year ago. He hadn't talked to or seen any of them since then, except his sister, Amy. She alone had supported him and helped him through that difficult time.

Kevin walked over to Connor and tentatively took his hand. Connor grasped it tightly, hoping to find some courage in it. They shared a meaningful look and Kevin leaned down and whispered, "You can do this. I know you can." Connor nodded and let go of his hand. He turned to face his parents and sister.

"Umm, hi. Glad you could make it," Connor said, feeling awkward. But he didn't have to. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his mother ran to him and hugged him tightly. He could feel her tears pressing onto his face and he held her for a minute. They both pulled away and smiled at each other.

"My baby…" she murmured. "I've missed you." She put her hands on his face and smiled. She then backed away so that Connor's father could greet him.

Connor wasn't sure what to expect from his father. His father had been the one to kick him out of the house, the one to tell him that he was a disgrace to the McKinley family. His father had even slapped him across the face, telling him that he was infected with a disease, that he would never be welcome back to their home again. He had made Connor cry into Kevin's shirt for hours, saying that he wasn't worthy of being with him. To which Kevin said that Connor's face was a dick and he wasn't worthy of having such an awesome son.

Connor braced himself for whatever was coming to him. He was tempted to grab Kevin's hand or hide behind him, but he stood tall and met his father's eyes for the first time in a year. His father loomed over his face for a moment with a stern look on his face. Connor braced himself again and prayed that his punishment or whatever was coming wouldn't be too bad. But he definitely wasn't expected what did happen.

His father grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. Connor stood there in shock for a moment then returned the hug, feeling tears cascading down his cheeks. Even though he wasn't Mormon anymore, he sent a silent prayer to Heavenly Father, thanking him for everything. He no longer felt like a mistake. His father had proved that. "Son?" his father whispered.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I'm… I'm proud of you."

Connor choked back a sob inaudibly. "Thanks Dad. That means a lot."