Back to December

Part 2

I slumped back down into my chair and stared at the door she had taken the time to close softly before speeding off my jobsite. The tears in her eyes had been real, just like the ones I watched her fight. December. My eyes slid shut to bring back the memory, it was waiting, just as it always was to take over my senses. I embraced it every time because it meant that just for a few seconds I got my Reagan back before she broke my heart all over again.

            "I love you," I whispered as she played with the roses in her lap, plucking petals and throwing them at me.

            "Uh huh," she nodded; only acknowledging that she had heard me, I smiled all the same. I knew she loved me; I didn't need her to say the words.

            "Rea," I nuzzled her neck and she let out a sigh, turning her head to capture my lips. Those soft lips never failed to get my heart racing, thumping wildly in my chest as she turned to get closer to me. My hands went to her back pressing her into me harder as she explored my mouth, but it was different this time. She kissed me hard. Her hands roamed my up my back until her they were curling into my hair to pull me ever closer. She tasted like sweet vanilla mixed with spicy hazel nut; I could literally kiss this girl all day, but she had other ideas.

            She suddenly jerked back from me, looking straight into my eyes and I did not like what I saw in her deep green eyes.

            "What?" I asked, stroking her cheek with my thumb my heart still pounding away in my chest.

            "We need to talk," she whispered crawling off my lap to face me in the cab of the truck.

            "What's up?" I turned to situate myself against the drive door like I did most nights when she wanted to have conversations in the truck. I couldn't think let alone speak while I was holding onto that girl.

            "I'm leaving," she said simply, her eyes searching my face for understanding.

            "Where are we going?" I asked smiling at the thought of going on another one of her impromptu trips just so she could take pictures somewhere new.

            "We are not going anywhere," she emphasized the word we. "I am leaving town."

            "Oh okay," I nodded and then realized what she had said, "Wait, what?"

            She mumbled something under her breath and then opened the door to slide out.

            "Where are you going? And more importantly," I smiled following her out of the truck, "when will you be back?"

            "Never," she answered with a completely straight face, my heart started pounding at the thought of her leaving me. "What?"

            "Huck, Greg is on line two for you," Margo's voice cut through the memory.

            I grabbed the phone with a silent groan, "What now Greg?" I asked tiredly. This day had not exactly gone as planned. From the broken water main to the surprise OSHA inspection, I'd forgotten all about Reagan's visit. Didn't even have time to prepare myself for seeing her face again, even though preparation should not have been needed, I look at the girl everyday.

The only picture in my office sat on my desk, not a foot from where Greg was describing my latest problem; our smiling faces mocked me. She had taken it a few weeks after the accident as we helped my mother plant her garden. Reagan had dirt smeared on her face from a wrestling match that she had declared herself the winner of; her dark hair was coming out of her pony tail from every which way. Nose scrunched up as I kissed her cheek with my wet lips, but she was smiling. It was my favorite of the hundreds I had from our time together; it never failed to make me smile, even when thinking back to December. I could see the love shining in her dark eyes as she stared up into the camera in this picture, no matter how many times I had told myself that she didn't love me all I had to do was look at this picture and I knew the truth.