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Nothing is better than being in these woods, watching snow drifting between the trees and hearing the winter birds sing their beautiful songs. But then, it starts coming back in flashes. Memories of her. I can still see vividly the nights we spent tangled up in between the sheets. I miss her smile, her hair, her eyes, her touch, her kisses. I have to remind myself that she’s where she belongs, probably with Matt.
I haven’t heard from her since she left because we both agreed that we shouldn’t keep in touch. But every now and then, my brain likes to torture me with images of her walking down the aisle to marry another man, and I’m here, still the same, aching for her. I just can’t take it. And I swear, sometimes, as I walk through these woods, I can still hear her voice calling out for me.
“Nick.”
I freeze. What was that? Why did it sound so real? Have I become delusional?
“Nick, it’s me.”
I slowly turn around, afraid that if I did it quickly, she would disappear. But she’s really there in front of me. Her hair is a bit shorter now, but aside from that, she doesn’t seem to havechanged much. She’s wearing the same coat she had the last time she was here.
“What are you doing here?” I ask in shock.
Jess smiles, her cheeks turning pink. “I quit my job, Nick.”
“What?”
“I went back, finished my internship, and got hired as an official member of the Editorial Department. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about this place. I missed you so much, it felt like part of me was missing. Part of me stayed behind when I left, and I want it back, I wantyouback.”
“What about Matt?” I ask.
“What about him?” she responds, looking confused.
“He wanted to get back together with you, he called…”
Jess snorts. “That might have been what he wanted, but it isn’t at all what I wanted. I have no interest in anything Matt has to offer. I want someone who loves the outdoors, who can show me Mother Nature’s best kept secrets, who will keep me warm on cold nights. I want a mountain man.”
“But Jess…” I begin.
She cuts me off. “I want you, forever and always.”
“Won’t you get bored?” I ask, thinking of my mother.
Jess must understand the direction of my thoughts because her eyes soften, and she closes the distance between us and places both hands on my chest. “I’m not her, Nick. I love it here, and I’m choosing to come here to be with you. How could I possibly be bored when I have you?”
I can’t argue with that, and I don’t want to. I don’t know what the future will hold, but I only know that I want Jess. Time won’t change how I feel, and I can only trust that it won’t change anything for her either. I cup her face and lean my forehead against hers. “I love you,” I say and kiss away the past, lonely month.
Epilogue
Jess
Six Years Later
“Mommy, I saw my first bear print today!” my five-year-old, Ben, shouts as he runs into the kitchen.
I pause making dinner and turn to give him a hug. “Wow. I knew you would find one!”
My son puts his short arms around my pregnant belly and gives it a kiss. “I hope baby Max was well-behaved today, Mommy.”
“Oh, he was very well-behaved.” I smile and pinch his cheek. “Now go wash up, then you can feel your brother’s kicks later.”
“Yay! Love you, Mommy!”
“Love you, too, sweetheart.” I kiss his head and watch him bolt out of the kitchen, nearly bumping into my husband in the doorway.
Nick drapes his big coat over a chair, and I immediately point at it, “That doesn’t go there.”
“I’ll put it away later,” he laughs. “Let me kiss my wife, woman.” Then, my husband walks up to me and hugs me from behind. I turn my head to kiss him on the lips.
