"This all starts with a love story. The story of my parents. They met in college; dad was a criminal law major and mom was studying history. One night dad went out to the bar favored by all the college kids. His eye met that of a beautiful girl across the room sitting with her friends. They would secretly glance at each other throughout the night and smile shyly when their eyes would meet. But dad was terrified of talking to her."

I smile at the thought of my tough cop dad being afraid of women.

"What the hell, Mr. Nicole's pops, go get her already." Rachel pipes up. I laugh at her shipping my parents already.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what his friends told him too. But mom was not the only person who had caught his eye that night. There was a dark-haired girl at the booth next to theirs, she had been reading a book. Dad noticed her constantly looking over at the bartender, a pretty blonde girl with sleeve tattoos and various ear piercings. The bartender would stare back at book-girl too, with clear interest. But every time the bartender stared back, book-girl would go red in the face and duck behind the safety of her book."

"Is everyone in this story oblivious?" Joy Farm's newest addition pipes up, only to be met by a glare and a "Hush, will you!" From Waverly. Rachel sticks her tongue out at Waverly, who in turn rolls her eyes. Their little battle finally resolved; I take my chance to continue.

"Eventually mom caught dad watching the book girl, causing her shy smile to turn into a frown. She started avoiding looking at dad, and started glaring at poor book-girl. Dad noticed her shift in behavior and knew he had to somehow make her understand that she had it wrong. So, he wrote her a note."

"A note? Come on. Just walk over to her already." I am surprised to find that this time it was not Rachel, but Waverly interrupting me. It was official, I had both girls gripped on my story. I smile at them both before continuing.

"Yep, dad was terrified of talking to her in person. He pretended to walk to the bathroom and discreetly dropped the note into mom's lap as he passed their table. Mom was very surprised, but immediately read the note."

"Did your dad really ask your mom out with a note like a third grader?"

"Not exactly, Rachel. The note was not a means to ask her out. It was a recruitment letter, to get mom to help him get the bartender and book-girl together."

"Your dad is quite progressive. I like him already." Waverly says softly, smiling at me as she takes a sip of her coffee. I smile back at her somberly.

"He really was one of the best men I knew." At the past tense, Waverly's eyes visibly become sad. I swallow down the sadness threatening to spill from my heart. This was the good part of the story! I couldn't cry now already.

"So, what did your parents do about book-girl and the bartender?" Rachel asks, the eagerness in her voice puts a smile back on my face.

"When dad returned to the table, he found mom smiling at him again. She nodded, signaling that she was onboard with his plan. She then got up and walked in the direction of book-girl with a glass of water, as dad walked over to the bar. Mom pretended to trip as she reached book-girl's table, spilling the water all over the unsuspecting girl's shirt. At the same time, dad pointed out to the bartender that the girl with the book looks like she might need some help."

"Smooth." Rachel snickers and Waverly even releases a giggle.

"Dad said the bartender practically lit up at having an excuse to interact with book-girl, she grabbed one of her spare shirts from underneath the bar. She went over to the table, where mom had been profusely apologizing to book-girl. As soon as the bartender showed up, mom slipped away back to her table. The bartender offered book-girl the dry shirt, who gratefully accepted it and headed to the bathroom to change. Upon the return to the table, bartender was busy wiping up the rest of the spilled water. As she finished with cleaning up the mess, the bartender said something about the book that the other girl had left on the table. Book-girl had smiled and shyly started talking about the book. The bartender practically hung on her every word, commenting every now and then with great interest. Eventually the bartender asked if she could sit, which book-girl shyly accepted. The two of them spend the rest of the night talking, with the bartender getting one of her friends to fill in for her."

"That's ingenious. Your parents were complete strangers and yet they managed to play matchmaker." Rachel comments.

"Yeah, they were quite the pair, even before they even dated." I say with a grin.

"How did they start dating then?" Waverly asks.

"When the bar closed that night, mom bumped into dad as he was about to exit. He had apologized awkwardly, still too shy to actually talk to her. She just smiled at him, and then walked out the door. And dad let her, frozen by his own fear."

"The suspense is going to kill me. They better end up together." Rachel deadpans.

"Safe to say when he got home, dad regretted it and loathed himself for not making a move. He thought it would the last time he would ever see the amazing girl. But when he put his hand into his pocket looking for his dorm room key, he discovered a note written in beautiful handwriting. It was of a phone number and signed 'your cupid partner'."

"Yes! You go Mrs. Nicole's momma!" Rachel practically jumps out of her chair, causing me to laugh and even Waverly to smile.

"Dad started texting mom. Their texts turned into calls and eventually into their first date. They hit it off immediately, realizing how good they were together. They would spend practically every day together throughout college. Their friends even started complaining about their absence at social gatherings. They didn't care, not wishing for the company of anyone else but each other's."

"Did they not fight? Talk about the perfect relationship." Waverly comments.

"Oh, they fought all right. Even the most perfect couples do. Mom tended to have these bouts of anger every time something upset her. She grew up in a poor household where everyone feared her abusive father." My eyes catch the way Waverly's body stiffens, a frown on her beautiful face.

"Wave, are you okay?" I ask gently. She looks up at me with that same frown, seemingly brought back from some distant memory. She shakes her head as if trying to rid herself of something in her head.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. It's nothing. You can continue." She says softly. I do not miss the spark of sadness I find there. Was I ever going to understand the enigma that was Waverly Earp? Would she ever allow me to carry some of the burdens clearly weighing down her heart? With one last look in her direction, I continue my story.

"In college mom was finally free from years of suppressing her emotions, and all that rage started seeping out. Poor dad was usually the one who was at the receiving end of these moments, moments when mom lost herself. Mom would cry afterwards, consumed with guilt for going off on dad. Through her tears she would tell him that he deserved better and that he should just give up on her."

"Woah that's heavy. But something tells me your dad wasn't that easily swayed."

I smile at Rachel. "You got that right, kid. Dad was a very calm and patient man. When mom had a bout, he would hold her in his arms. He latched her into his embrace as she struggled with the demons resulting from her difficult past until she would eventually calm down. He would tell her that, as long as she wanted him, there was no way in hell he was ever going to leave her. No matter what she did."

"That's… beautiful." Waverly breaths out and my heart aches at the memory of the beautifully hearted man my dad had been. The good man he was and the good that he was capable of. I clench my jaw. Before the dark part of my story happened. I release a breath to refocus myself on the present.

"Eventually mom's rage bouts went away completely. Dad's unrelenting love doused years of pain in her heart. It allowed the amazing girl she truly was underneath all the hurt to finally come out. Dad found strength in mom's ability to overcome and rise above her tragic past, to be capable of love regardless of every curveball life threw at her."

"The perfect match." Waverly whispers, awe in her soft tone.

"Dude, your parents make the Notebook look bleak." Rachel's comment has me release a laugh that I didn't know I needed.

"Did someone say the Notebook?" Chrissy says excitedly as she enters the room.

I smile at her and start getting up to stretch my legs.

"Hey where are you going? You can't just leave. I need to know what happens in this version of the Notebook!" Rachel exclaims as I make for the door. When I turn around, I am met with three pairs of curious eyes looking at me expectantly.

"I'd also like to hear it!" Chrissy pipes up as she takes a seat next to Waverly on the couch.

"Relax, I just wanted to get some circulation in my legs."

The three girls all smile at me, their eyes flashing with excitement. The way they are as enthralled by my parents' love story as I was covering my heart in a safety blanket. The safety blanket that covers the very fragile parts that I knew would shatter as the story progresses.

I run my hand through my hair as I sit down once again.

"My parents were inseparable throughout college and soon after they graduated, dad plucked up the courage to ask mom to marry him. He was apparently just as scared of proposing as he was of asking her out the night they met. Of course, he was real stupid for ever thinking mom's answer would be anything other than yes."

I take out my phone and access my gallery, scrolling to the folder where I kept some of the most significant moments of my life and some before my life. Finally finding the picture I was looking for; I hold it up for my audience to see.

"They were both huge nature lovers and had their intimate wedding in a meadow. Only their closest friends were present. Mom wore a simple white silk dress with a lace bodice and Frangipani in her hair, while dad wore a fitted dark blue suit."

What follows is a wolf whistle, a gasp and a sigh.

"Wow your dad looked so dashing!"

"Your mom was so beautiful."

"DILF alert!"

The last comment is followed by the sound something being thrown. The outcry of "Ow!" indicates the item had hit its target. I watch in amusement as Waverly glares at Rachel.

Chrissy snickers behind her hand as the youngest girl in the room rubs her hand at the tender spot where the fourth edition of Chicken Nutrition by Rick Kleyn has hit her on the arm.

"Settle down, ladies. Geez. If I had known you would get so worked up over this story, I would have asked Nedley to have the tranquilizer gun ready."

Rachel shoots an icy glare my way. "Just continue with the story, will ya." I give her a coy smile and a shrug, before complying with her request.

"After my parents married, dad got a job as a sheriff's deputy at Purgatory's police department and mom became a history teacher at the High School. A year after that they had me."

"Ooooh show us some baby Nic pics!" Chrissy pipes up enthusiastically.

"Yes! I need some baby carrot action." Rachel says, fully in agreement.

"Not happening. But if you are that desperate, go checkout the veggie section of Walmart." They both visibly deflate at my reply. I take delight in the subtle laugh sprouting from Waverly's mouth before once again moving on with my tale.

"I had a really great childhood. My parents loved me very much. We were like the most cliché happy family you see in movies, the ones that would live in huge wooden houses with white picket fences. We used to go camping as a family all the time, mom would pack us picnics and dad would teach me all about surviving in the outdoors."

"Was your dad secretly Bear Grylls? Now that would be a plot twist!" Rachel jokes.

"Sadly, no. But he was very adventurous. One of his favorite hobbies was rock climbing. I used to watch him scale the rockfaces near our campsites. He picked up on my interest and started showing me how to climb. The moment my fingers gripped the stone I was hooked. I started going climbing with him every chance I could. I got better at it every time, eventually graduating from junior ledges and bouldering to tween rock jumper to the Ghost River's Teen Climber of the year when I was just thirteen."

"So that's where you got those muscles!" Chrissy says as she eyes my bicep. I notice Waverly shooting my semi-sibling a look of… was that jealously? I immediately shake off the stupid thought. Waverly had said it herself, there was no sexual tension.

I ignore the disappointment poisoning my veins. When I look up again, I catch Waverly staring at me with a slight frown. I feel like I am being scrutinized for some reason. I pull my eyes from the brunette and continue the story as a means to distract myself from the brunette's gaze.

"So yeah, my dad and I went rock climbing a lot. When I was fifteen, I came out to him on one of those trips. We were sitting upon a ledge after another successful climb. The sunset was especially beautiful that day." The vivid memory gives me pause as I remember one of the very last happy days of my life.

"Dad noticed me fidgeting and he could immediately tell something was bothering me. He asked me about it. I was so scared of telling him, afraid of disappointing him. I told him as much and he just smiled at me, saying that nothing I did could ever disappoint him. Not even the fact that I was gay."

"Your dad knew?!" Rachel's asks in awe of my unicorn of a father.

I laugh. "He was intuitive like that. But looking back now, the flannels and flat caps had to be a dead giveaway."

Rachel nods her head slowly in agreement that it should have been pretty obvious, her lips curling into a smile. "And your mom?" She asks.

"Remember how they met? The two of them were one and the same when it came to that stuff. When I told her, mom just smiled and hugged me as she shouted" Finally! I am so proud of you sweetheart."

"It's official. I want your parents to adopt me, please."

I give Rachel a sad smile. "Unfortunately, that is not possible anymore." I took at everyone in the room with a somber expression. "This is the point where the story gets dark."

I feel all eyes focusing on me intently, regardless of the drastic change in my tone. I release a shaky breath to prepare myself. I was about to start picking at the scab on my heart. A scab that took years to finally form.

"When I was sixteen mom got really sick. She had been complaining about pain in her gut for a while, but being the stubborn woman she was, she refused to see a doctor. Dad had begged her to go, but every time she would shrug it off, saying that it was nothing to worry about. Eventually the pain got so bad that she had no choice but to go." I clench my jaw at the nausea of the memories flooding my brain.

"She was diagnosed with abdominal cancer. It had spread significantly because she left it too long. It was too late for treatment because she was already terminal." The sound of sniffles distracts me from the moist droplets running down my own cheeks. I look up to meet three pairs of eyes shimmering with tears.

"My dad and I got to watch the most vibrant woman in our lives waste a way until she was only skin and bones. She died two weeks before I turned seventeen."

"Oh Nicole."

"Fuck."

Someone gets up and moves over to me. It's Chrissy. She wraps her arms around me. And suddenly I am back in the very moment that my dad told me that mom was gone, that I would never get to see her again.

I hear the agony in his voice, the sound of his bleeding heart overpowering the sounds of Karate Kid 3 playing on the TV. The sound of every piece of my heart-breaking mixes with my father's painful cacophony. My soul finally shatters when the reality of the tragedy that had befallen me finally sinks in.

I remember breaking from my father's embrace and just running, running as fast and as far as I could in an attempt to escape reality. I eventually found myself at one of my dad and I's favourite climbing spots. I rushed the rock face, and started climbing without any gear. My fingers had bled profusely when I finally reached the top, but it was nothing in comparison to the brutal wound from the hole in my chest — right where my heart had once been.

I had sat there numbly for a few seconds before I started to scream into the universe. I screamed until my throat felt raw and I collapsed into a pile of heartbreak.

It suddenly feels like there is no oxygen in the room, like I am dying inside all over again. Needing to get away from the unbearable feeling, I break free from Chrissy's embrace and hurriedly exit the room. My back burns with the feeling of two pairs of sympathetic eyes and one of understanding as I make my way outside into the raging thunderstorm. The torrent falling from the heavens mirror the renewed feeling of devastation flooding my heart.