You said the way my blue eyes shined,
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said: "That's a lie"
Clark was washing the dishes when the familiar song began to play on the small radio he had going and he smiled to himself. This song always made him think of Chloe, it was in a way their song, he remembered how it came to be…
Just a boy in a Chevy truck,
That had a tendency of gettin' stuck,
On backroads at night
An' I was right there beside him all summer long
"This can be our song." Chloe had said as she sat in his arms in the bed of his truck as they sat star gazing late one night years ago. "We already have a song I thought" Clark hugged her body closer to his taking in the fact that she was actually his after all those years of secretly pining. Quirking her head back to look into his eyes she gave him a mischievous smile, "Yeah, and who sings that song?" He laughed at her, "Tim McGraw." "Exactly, so this can be our song to remind us of our song." She leaned up and kissed quickly before she turned her eyes back to the starry skies. Those were just some of the reasons he loved this girl, she was so full of energy and always thinking outside the box. "Alright, but to clarify things, I drive a Dodge."
The memory made Clark happy to remember what she felt like in his arms. He was lost in a daze of memories that he kept to himself, it was all he had left. But then small cries interrupted his thoughts and he remembered he still had her, their daughter.
Turning to see the almost year old infant playing in her food he chuckled, "Hey you, your supposed to eat that not make art with it."
At the sound of his voice she looked up at him with those big round eyes, that she obviously got from her mother, and beamed that Kent smile at him. She also let out an excited scream, and Clark's heart melted the way it used to when Chloe would squeal when she was extremely happy.
"What was that, you want to dance with your daddy?" Clark set his towel on the counter and walked the short distance to her highchair and lifted her out. Holding her little body close to his, he began to sway with the slow music and sing to his baby girl.
But when you think: Tim McGraw,
I hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long:
The moon like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness,
I hope you think: "That little white dress"
Think of my head on your chest,
An' my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw,
I hope you think of me
It was true, Tim McGraw had sang their song, it was called My Best Friend. To both of them it described the other and what they meant to each other to a tee. It was one of the very few country songs Clark had gotten Chloe to like.
His mind recalled how they had danced to it at their wedding, both keeping their eyes locked on each other. Everyone in the room could have left as far as they were concerned, all they cared about was being in each others arms.
That was two years ago, just after Clark had gotten his job at the Planet working along side her. He couldn't remember ever being happier than he was when he was that day, the day he made Chloe Sullivan his wife.
A fast twirl produced another squeal from the bundle of joy in his arms and he focused back on the present again. So he could remember being that happy again, it was every time he looked at his daughter and saw his wife in her. Lara Jean Kent was the only thing he had left of Chloe and he cherished her more than anything.
September saw a month of tears,
An' thankin' God that you weren't here,
To see me like that
But in a box beneath my bed,
Is a letter that you never read,
From three summers back
It's hard not to find it all a little bitter sweet,
An' lookin' back on all of that, it's nice to believe:
Chloe had become sick not long after they had gotten married. The doctors told her it was the same thing her mother had, it crushed Chloe. Clark had no idea how to make Chloe feel better, because he knew her biggest fear was ending up like her mother. They told her it wasn't as bad, or that they ever thought it would get as bad, so it gave her some comfort to know she could lead a normal life for a while. And when they found out she was pregnant nothing could spoil her joy.
But when Chloe went into early labor in September, a whole two months early, it worried Clark. Thank God she had given birth to Lara quite easily and not too painful, but after was when things turned for the worse. An aneurism had occurred due to her disease and even though she had fought hard, Chloe had passed away just five hours after being the mother she so wanted to be.
She had died right in his arms as he sang their song in her hair and tried to make her sleep. Clark was a wreck for weeks, all he did was cry and look at old photo albums, Martha took Lara for a while but finally told Clark he needed to take care of his daughter, the last part of Chloe he had left. The first song that had played on Lara's little radio as he put her to bed that first night alone with her was, Tim McGraw.
"I guess this will be our song huh? Just mine and yours, sound good?" Clark smiled down as he could she that Lara was fast asleep on his shoulder. "I take that as a yes," he continued to dance around the kitchen and sing the song out loud.
When you think: Tim McGraw,
I hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long:
The moon like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness,
I hope you think: "That little white dress"
Think of my head on your chest,
An' my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw,
I hope you think of me
The song never held much meaning other than the title was the name of the man who sang their song all those years ago, but as the years went on things happened that made the song almost to perfect.
Clark always envisioned Chloe in this little white dress she had bought during the middle of her pregnancy. It was a short, about knee length, spaghetti strapped sundress that showed off her belly just enough. She wore it all the time around the house because she said it was so light and airy. Clark had laughed when she made him promise to make sure the next pregnancy was not during a scorching hot summer in Kansas, but he knew that she actually meant it.
One memory he especially always held close was a night when they had come home to visit Martha. They had went up to the loft for old times sake and laid on the floor with the door wide open. Chloe lay on her side with her head on his chest and he held her close as he could with her belly starting to put slight distance between them
"Can we just stay here forever?" she had whispered into his flannel clad chest and her warm breath sent a tingle down his spine.
Rubbing her back he kissed the top of her head and whispered back, "I wouldn't want to be any where else."
And that is all they said the rest of the night, words weren't always needed for them. Their connection was so deep that they could communicate through actions and vibes. They slept there that night and Clark couldn't recall a more peaceful sleep.
And I'm back for the first time since then:
I'm standin' on your street,
An' there's a letter left on your doorstep,
An' the first thing that you'll read:
Clark ascended the stairs to Lara's small pink palace, for all the hating Chloe did on pink in high school she had gone on a pink spree for their little girl. Afterwards she swore it was the hormones, but Clark knew she loved it. Slowly and gently he lowered Lara down to the soft mattress of her crib and watched her as she adjusted to her new surroundings.
Glancing up the picture of him, Chloe and Lara caught his eye. Martha had insisted on taking their first 'family' photo right after she was allowed in the room to see Chloe and her granddaughter. Chloe sat on the bed, with Lara in her arms and Clark on her side holding them both in his own.
The smiles on all three of their faces were that of a happy family. A tear slid down Clark's cheek as he recalled the event and then looked to the framed letter next to the photo. It was a letter Chloe had written a few months before Lara's birth, she wanted to her daughter before she was born and give it to her later on. It was all about how much Chloe loved her and her father as well, and how Clark and Chloe had come to be her mommy and daddy.
Clark found the letter a few days after getting back home, he decided that it was important that he keep it protected and he framed it. Someday he would give it to Lara and let her read it, to see just what an amazing writer her mother was. But that day was not for a while and he was glad for it, he wanted to enjoy the younger years while he could.
Is: "When you think: Tim McGraw,
"I hope you think my favorite song"
Some day you'll turn your radio on,
I hope it takes you back to that place
When you think happiness,
I hope you think: "That little white dress"
Think of my head on your chest,
An' my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw,
I hope you think of me
Oh, think of me,
Mmmm
He could briefly hear the song ending with his super hearing and he closed his eyes as he remembered that night once again…
"Clark?" her voice was so quite even he almost didn't hear it. "Yeah", he was pretty tired and almost asleep, but he wouldn't be able to sleep till her breathing assured him she was already asleep. She lifted her head off his chest as they were now laying in the bed of the pick up, "When you think happiness…?" Her ability to make him laugh never failed as he was fully awake now because he was laughing. He grabbed her quickly and pinned her underneath him, "I'll think of you"
You said the way my blue eyes shined,
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said: "That's a lie"
The End