Sorry if this is long, but I really need advice.
When I was 15 I got pregnant by my boyfriend. We had been dating since we were 14 & for some reason I thought I was mature enough & ready to have sex. When I became pregnant, I decided I wanted to keep my baby. My boyfriend however wasn't so happy, so he left me. His dad was the one who mainly influenced my boyfriend to leave me, he didn't want his son's life to be ruined. They moved out of state a month before I gave birth & I haven't heard from him since.
My best friend, Ryan, was my age & he was like a brother to me. We were very close & had known each other since we were children. Our families were close too. When my boyfriend left me, Ryan decided he wanted to help me out. He asked me if I would allow him to help support the baby. His family was quite ruch & they gave him money all the time. This was something he had suggested all on his own & he really wanted it, so I agreed.
I didn't drop out of school. My mom really wanted me to get an eduacation, so she said she would take care of my son, Tommy, while I was at school. Ryan was helping me raise my baby all through high school & everyone who knew us knew that he wasn't the real father, but he was still known to everyone as my son's father. He spent most of his time at my house after school & on the weekends playing with the baby & just helping me out. We weren't exactly boyfriend & girlfriend, but neither of us dated anyone else for the rest of high school. We might as well have been though, every where we went, we never left each other's side.
At 20 we decided to get married. We weren't in love with each other, but we loved each other & wanted to be a family. He adopted Tommy as his son. He went to college while I stayed home & watched Tommy. Everything was good. We never fought, we never had any serious problems. All of our friends were so jealous of the relationship we shared. I started working part time while Tommy was at school at age 23. A year after I started working, I met a guy, Jacob, through a co worker. I didn't think much of him at first, but after getting to know him I started developing feelings for him. He liked me a lot too. Of course I never did anything about it, since I was married. Things between me & Ryan started getting stressful though. I realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life without finding real love, but I couldn't tell Ryan this when he had done so much for me.
Thats basically the background information up until last year. Now I am 27 years old. My son is 12. He knows all about what happened, we kept no secrets from him. He thinks of Ryan as his father, he's the only father he's known & I am so thankful to Ryan for being there. Who knows where I would be if it wasn't for him?
About a year ago, Ryan said he needed to talk. We discussed how we loved each other, but weren't in love. He told me that he had met someone at work who he has developed feelings for & wants to know what could happen between them. We talked about how good our lives have been, but we wanted to find real love. We didn't want to live this life anymore. We decided to split up.
I started dating Jacob & Ryan was dating the other girl. I finally learned what real love is. Me & Ryan remained close. I could see that he wasn't as happy as he once was though, but he never admitted to it. Now about 2 weeks ago, Ryan came to me saying that he had broken up with his girlfriend. He said that when he lost me, that was when he realized how much he actually did love me & every time he saw me & Jacob together, it destroyed him. Of course I don't feel the same way. I love Jacob & I couldn't see myself giving Jacob up for the life I once lived. I just don't know what to do anymore. Ryan saved me, & he's my best friend & I don't want to lose him from my life. He's my son's father & it would kill Tommy if he ever wanted out of Tommy's life. But my heart is with Jacob, he's my soulmate & I couldn't live without him. I just don't know what to do. It kills me knowing how much I am hurting Ryan when he was there for me long ago. He thinks we belong together, but I just don't think I can say the same. Can anyone give me any advice at all?