The first gift arrived the next day. Caleb found it leaning against the front door when he got home from school. He climbed from the car and scampered up the walk ahead of Melissa. The red envelope was leaning against the door on the welcome mat.

"Mom, what's this?" Caleb asked reaching down, plucking the envelope from the ground.

"What is that?" Melissa asked as she shouldered her purse. She held the keys in her hand ready to unlock the door. She stared at the envelope Caleb was waving in his hand.

Caleb shrugged. "It's an envelope. Feels like a card. Weird the mailman didn't put it in the mailbox though. But there's no address on it. Like someone just dropped it off at the door. It's for you though." He held up the mail showing his mother her name across the front.

"Looks like your mom has a secret admirer," Melissa said with a tight smile.

Caleb started laughing. "Yeah right. A secret admirer."

"Hey," Melissa's lips twitched with a smile. "What's so funny about your mom having a secret admirer?"

"You're my mom!" Caleb said like that explained everything. She supposed in his thirteen year old world it did. "And you know it's from Dad."

"How do you figure?" Melissa's breath caught at the mention of Joey. She hadn't told Caleb what was going on with his parents. Right now he was under the impression that Joey was off filming another episode of My Family Recipe Rocks. She wanted to keep that innocence for awhile longer.

"Because," Caleb rolled his eyes as his mother opened the front door. "It's his hand writing. My teachers still think I forge my notes when Dad writes them."

Melissa laughed because it was true. Joey's hand writing was atrocious. She took the envelope from her son's hand and her name was indeed written in Joey's hand writing. There was an instant weariness that took over her body. Last night had been one of the worst nights in her entire life. She didn't sleep; spent the whole night crying. When she thought the tears were done, they'd start all over again. If she hadn't had to get Caleb from school, there was a great possibility she'd still be in bed.

Now that Caleb was home, she had to make it appear like everything was normal. She had to make her son think that Joey was just on location, she was just as happy as ever and there wasn't a good chance his parents would never live in the same house again. She wasn't that good of an actor.

When Caleb took his book bag to his room she stared at the envelope in her hands. It suddenly weighed a hundred pounds. Slowly she turned the envelope over and slid her thumb beneath the seal. When she pulled cardstock paper from its holder she realized it wasn't a traditionally card. It didn't open.

It was a light purple card with a floral design up the left side; centered in the middle, each line different so it didn't over lap the design, were words that brought tears to her eyes.

I love you.

They're only three words,

but when I say them,

I'm telling you that

you're my comfort...

my laughter...

and my strength

when times are tough.

I love you.

There're only three words

but in my heart

they're everything.

"Mom?" Caleb asked, staring at his mother. "Oh man..." he said seeing the tears. He took a step back and turned around leaving his mother alone and went into the kitchen to root through the refrigerator for a snack. He wondered if he could get away with chips or something equally unhealthy since his mother wasn't pay attention.

"Put the chips away."

"Crap," he muttered released the bag and shutting the cupboard door. "How does she do that?" He wondered and went back to the fridge where he pulled out the bag of grapes. When he turned around he noticed the two vases of flowers sitting on the counter. He raised an eye and walked to them. Sticking out of each bouquet of red roses were two small white envelopes. He shook his head. His father was really laying it on thick. "Mom?"

"There's some grapes in the bottom drawer."

He rolled his eyes at his mother's reply. "It's not that. Did you see these flowers? Man, Dad must really be in the dog house for something. What did he do?" He asked when his mother walked into the kitchen, gasping when she saw the flowers. 'Girls,' he thought.

Melissa reached for one of the small white envelopes. In doing so she lowered her nose and breathed in the fresh fragrance of the flowers. She pulled the single card from the envelope and read the words scrawled in Joey's handwriting.

'I never though there'd be anyone like you out there for me... but here you are. Amazing. I'm glad you happen to me.'

The words blurred in front of her as more tears built. She blinked rapidly but only succeeded in displacing them. They rolled down her cheek. With a shaking hand she reached for the other card in the remaining bouquet.

'You. The person I can't imagine my life without...and I don't even want to try.'

"A card and two bouquets," Caleb mused popping a grape into his mouth. "Dad either did something wrong and he doesn't want to sleep on the couch or he's buttering you up for something."

"Go watch TV," Melissa said as she reread the words again.

"Really?" Caleb's eyes widened. "You nev..." He quickly shut his mouth and left the room. He was never allowed watching television until his homework was finished but who was he to question his mother's order.

Melissa took all three cards into her bedroom. She shut the door and sat down on the bed, reading each one over and over until she had them memorized. What was Joey doing? Why was he doing this? She unlocked her iPhone and tapped Joey's number waiting for him to pick up.

"Why are you doing this?" She answered his hello.

"I'm trying to make this up to you," Joey said as he walked to the guest bedroom of JC's house. His friend had been kind enough to let him crash at his place as long as he needed.

"So you think flowers and fancy words are going to make this up to me?"

"No. But it's a start," Joey sighed. He shut the bedroom door for privacy not that JC was up to eavesdropping. He had caught strep at Chris's wedding and according to JC, was drying. At least that's what JC told him when he stuck his head in his bedroom last. 'What a baby,' Joey had thought with a smile. But he knew he wasn't any better when he was sick.

"It's going to take a lot more than this."

"I know. I know I have a long way to go to get back to where we used to be and I'll do everything, anything to get there. I love you Melissa." He heard the sniffles over the phone and his chest tightened. What he wouldn't give to be able to draw her into his arms and give her comfort. He wanted to dry her tears. "I love you," he said again. He would say it every opportunity he had until Melissa believed it again. "Those words are the only thing I have. My heart belongs to you; no one else. Never anyone else. I made one mistake thirteen years ago and I was never so ashamed of myself. I should have told you immediately but I was scared you would leave me. I didn't want that to happen. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Melissa was quiet on the phone, so he forged on taking advantage of the time she was allowing him to talk. "These past few days Melissa, let me tell you; they've sucked. They have been the absolute worst days of my life. You aren't here. You're mad at me. It's not the first time you've been mad at me but this time... this time I don't know if I can get you to forgive me. I don't know if you'll let me back into your heart and that crushes me. I couldn't sleep at all last night. I lay awake all night thinking of you. Thinking of all the times we've had together. Everything we'd been through. I wouldn't trade any one of those memories for anything in the world.

"If I have to start all over again...I will. If I have to date you again I will. I will win your heart all over again. I will build your trust in me once more and prove without a doubt how much I love you."

The tears flowed. Melissa clutched a pillow to her stomach as she listened to Joey telling her that he loved her; that he'd do anything to win her heart again. It was all for naught though; her heart was already his. When she made him leave he had taken her heart with him. Could she tell him to come home? Could she learn to trust him? Could they get back what they once had?

"Joey?"

"I'm right here Bambina," Joey sat up, apprehensive. What was Melissa going to tell him? Was she going to tell him to pound sand, she was never taking him back?

"You hurt me so much," Melissa began, wiping her tears. "I can't lie and say that I'm not hurt because I am. But I still love you and last night sucked. Being without you, knowing that I was never going to be with you again."

"You can still be with me," Joey said softly, afraid to get his hopes up. "Just tell me what I have to do, Bambina. I'll do anything."

"You hurt me and broke my trust. It's going to take awhile to get that back. I don't want to throw away what we had. We can get it back; I want to get it back."

"Then we will," Joey said strongly. "I love you Melissa and you love me. We can get back to where we used to be."

"Come home Joey."

"What?" Joey questioned, fearing he heard wrong.

"Come home Joey," Melissa said louder.

"I'm at JC's," Joey felt the need to tell Melissa where he was just in case she had doubts. "I'll be there soon. I love you Melissa."

"I love you too, Joey."

Joey tapped the end call button and let out a whoop of excitement. He picked up the duffle bag full of clothes he had packed earlier when he'd stopped by the house when he knew Melissa wouldn't be there. Shouldering the bag, he left the room and was halfway down the steps before he turned back around. He couldn't just leave without telling JC he was leaving. He tapped on the door twice before poking his head in the room. "I'm out."

"Where are you going?"

Joey winced at JC's voice, weakened and broken by the sickness. "Home."

"You're leaving me here to die?" JC questioned as he started coughing.

"Suck it up and go to the doctor, C. My wife is waiting on me."