“Come in,” he grumbles.
I enter with my nerves rattling but spirit at peace.
“Collins.”
“Sir.” I step forward to his desk. I remove my gun first and place it in front of him. I take my badge second and do the same. It stings a little bit, I won’t lie.
Taylor lifts only his eyes to me behind his round spectacles. “You know you don’t have to do this, son.”
I exhale a deep breath. “Yes, I do.”
Taylor doesn't make a move, or say anything else. So, I just stand there and wait. He finally groans to himself and stands.
I’m half-a-foot taller than him, slimmer and, I'll just say it, better looking, but he has always felt like a giant to me. He was my mentor, a friend, and in some ways, a father figure. I learned so much under his direction. I would probably still just be a beat cop if he didn’t find me in the gym that day. He changed my career and my life.
Taylor reaches out his hand, and I take it.
“If I knew it was going to end like this, I would have put someone less pretty on that case.”
I laugh lightly. He always did say I was too pretty for my own damn good.
“Can’t change the past,” I say.
“Only look forward to the future,” Taylor finishes.
It was our motto. It’s what helped get me over the humps of the job, because a lot of the time it wasn’t easy. Just like right now. Saying goodbye is never easy, and I’ve said it a lot lately.
“As long as I’m here, that door is always open.” Taylor grips my hand a little tighter.
I nod.
With one last goodbye, I leave.
I thought I would feel a heavy weight leaving the job that I loved, but surprisingly, I feel liberated. I feel an unexpected sense of freedom.
Back in my truck, I hit the highway and head north. It’s only an hour drive to Las Cruces, New Mexico, but once you cross the border, it feels like a different world.
The family farm I grew up on wasn’t far from the city, and in many ways, I feel like I’m coming home.
I pull down the drive of a white, territorial-style house with a sweeping courtyard landscaped with agave and yucca plants with pockets of colorful wildflowers.
I unlock the door and enter the quiet house. It’s decorated in earth tones with pops of color in classic Santa Fe style. My boots click over the tiles as I make my way through the living room, past the kitchen, and back toward the sitting room.
The windows boast a stunning view of the sweeping desert and the Oregon mountains, but that’s not what takes my breath away. It’s the woman standing in front of me. Waiting for me.
Dove turns with the most ethereal expression on her face. She’s at peace. Happy.
And now, so am I.
I lift her into my arms, and she wraps her legs around me. Her flowy yellow dress billowing around her hips.
I kiss her fiercely, as if I didn’t just leave her this morning. I was only gone a few hours, but it felt like a lifetime.
Almost losing her only validated the way I felt. What I knew I wanted.
“What are you doing in here all alone?”
“Waiting for you.”
