Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends

(Wake me up when September ends by Green Day)

Her fingers fumbled through the little scraps of paper, searching frantically for the specific one she sought.

"Where the hell is it?" Regina whispered with a slight tremble to her voice. Her heart began to beat wildly as she continued to freak out. She couldn't loose this one, it was her favorite of all the letters that he'd sent her.

In her haste to find the worn sheets of paper that were so dear to her, she dropped the wooden box, causing it to clatter against the hardwood floor. The contents scattered across the slick surface beside her bed. Her body slumped, as if gravity had increased tenfold, and her muscles could no longer hold her upright.

Sliding down to the floor, she fell to the side of the bed, her butt making contact with a muffled thud. Dropping her head back against the mattress, she couldn't help but feel overwhelming defeat. She had lost the most important possession she owned. She wasn't one to cry, but she couldn't help the tears that began to sting her eyes as she mentally chastised herself for being so careless.

Closing her eyes, she willed the tears away and attempted to remember his words, which were meant for her viewing pleasure only. Even though she could still recall the letter in almost full detail, it still pained her to think she had offhandedly misplaced such an important possession.

It wasn't just the words she adored, but the fact they were written in his less-than-perfect handwriting. She found his messy scrawl to be uniquely comforting. To see her full name written by him seemed so personal, so loving, that she craved the security it always brought her. Yes, she had other letters of his that she also kept close to her heart, but this particular letter was the first communication she'd received since he left her nearly six months ago.

It had to be around here somewhere. No way could it just sprout legs and walked away. Determination suddenly flooded through her veins, she picked her head up and scoured the area around her.

Folded letters littered the floor around her prone body, while the wooden box sat steepled in a rather awkward and open position, the hinges straining against the aged wood. The box had been a gift from her grandparents when they visited the mountains in North Carolina during her childhood. She thought it would be somewhat poetic to store his heartfelt letters in such a beautiful container that meant so much to her.

Picking it up, she smelled the wooden scent of the empty box. The aroma of cedar hitting her nostrils, had the corners of her mouth tilting up in a half smile. The scent had always been a bit relaxing, no matter how worked up she sometimes would get over silly things. Yet, losing this particular letter was anything but silly.

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she started busying herself with picking up after her mess. She couldn't help but draw a parallel between the physical mess that surrounded her and the proverbial mess that was her life without him. She missed him terribly—there was no other way to describe it other than she felt incomplete empty without him.

Empty. Like the cedar box that sat before her.

The best thing she could do was to fill her heart with his memories, just like she could fill her empty box with the words he had written to her.

The memory of when they first officially met sprung to her mind and immediately cheered her up. Her twenty-third birthday was a day she would never forget.

Nearly a year and a half had passed, yet she remembered it like it was yesterday. Volunteering for the local animal shelter, and helping with their holiday fundraisers, was how she chose to spent her birthday that year. The K9 kissing booth was a huge success. All the local pet lovers lined up to pay for smooches with the four-legged fur friends.

When she saw him standing in line, her heart had momentarily stopped. Two years older than her was Robin Locksley, the boy she drooled over during her freshman and sophomore years of high school. Of course, in high school, two years was quite an age gap, and she was a child in his eyes. Other than his occasional visits home, she hadn't seen him since he'd graduated six years ago and enlisted in the Marines.

His round, boyish face was now strong and covered in a dusting of sexy scruff. It was obvious the military kept him in great shape, with his built physique and powerful demeanor. He was no longer the boy she knew in high school. His tall stature and confident stance was nothing short of pure, masculine strength.

Now that she looked back on that day, it was probably a bit petty that she frantically searched for another volunteer to take her post. Her job had been to collect the money for the kissing booth, and she knew that she couldn't just bail. But she was also sure as shit she'd end up making a fool of herself in front of this gorgeous man who probably still didn't even know that she even existed.

Realizing there was no one around to relieve her of this torture, she had blown a stray lock of hair out of her eyes with a puff of breath and attempted to put on her best game face—determined to keep her cool. He was next in line.

Smiling kindly at the old lady in front of him, she stuffed her dollar in the money bag and kept her head down, worried that her words would stumble if she happened to look into his eyes. Call her crazy, but those stupid, teenage fluttery feelings took over her stomach at the mere closeness of him. She probably looked weak and scared—words usually never used to describe her.

"Well hello, Regina," a warm, raspy voice said. The fact he spoke her name actually had given her the strength to be the girl...woman she knew had been hiding inside her somewhere.

Raising her head and meeting his beautiful, blue eyes, she smiled. "Robin. Haven't seen you around in a while. How are you?" She was beyond grateful her voice didn't crack when his name poured from her lips.

"Doing good. Just moved back to town now that I'm stationed at the base nearby." His eyes roamed down her body and back up to meet her eyes. "Looks to me like I've missed a lot while I was gone." The smile he so sinfully wore on his face made her insides melt like a tween at a One Direction concert. The fact this man could make her feel that way was both exciting and embarrassing.

And again, she was speechless. Was he paying her a compliment? Her brain couldn't seem to comprehend what was happening, so she just stood there and grinned like a damn fool.

Leaning toward her, he crooked his finger and signaled for her to come closer. Her heart was nearly leaping from her chest at the thought of him so near. He smelled good too. She had to rein in all the self-control she could muster in order to keep from blatantly sniffing him.

With his warm breath feathering over her ear, he said, "So, I'm a little embarrassed. I got in this line thinking I was lining up for a kiss with—"

"We don't have all day," a crabby woman behind Robin said, cutting off his words. If she hadn't been representing the animal shelter, she would have told the lady to fuck off.

Smiling kindly, she held out her hand for his donation and said, "You ready to get your mac on with a basset hound?"

Shaking his head comically, he let out a light chuckle and held up a twenty between his fingers. His instruction for her to keep the change startled her a bit. They had several people give them an extra dollar or two toward the fundraising efforts, but no one had offered quite so much.

Stepping over to the line of dogs, he looked back in her direction and gave her a wink before allowing Archer to slobber all over his cheek.

I couldn't contain her laughter as she watched him wipe his face on his sleeve.

Gathering money from a few more people, she looked back to find Robin had gone. Her excitement plummeted when she realized he was no longer in sight. She shouldn't have been surprised that he chose not to stick around.

The shelter coordinator Tink startled her from her thoughts and said, "Regina, you better take off if you're going to make it to the parade in time."

"You sure? I could probably stay a little longer if you need me."

"No, we're good. The line is starting to die down anyway. With four adoptions and all the money we've raised, today has been a huge success," she said with a kind pat to her shoulder. "Go have fun."

After saying her goodbyes to the dogs, paying special attention to Henry, her new, favorite basset hound, she began walking away from the park and headed toward Main Street to meet up with her family. It was tradition—every year, they made sure to watch the Independence Day parade together. No matter how busy life was, they always set aside time for each other.

"Can I walk with you?" a voice boomed next to her, nearly scaring her out of her own skin.

"Holy—" Regina gasped. "Damn it. You startled me!" She said, pushing at him.

His laugh was infectious, and soon, they were both chuckling as they continued walking.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. So, where are you headed?"

"Just to watch the parade," she said as she pointed to the next block over. "You?"

"I guess I'm going to watch the parade too then." His admission that he was following her had her grinning from ear to ear. That expression always seemed strange to her until that day.

The grin continued to hurt her cheeks at the memory of how he sat next to her at the parade. She remembered noticing his eyes never really left her face, all the while pretending to watch the floats go by.

Yes, that day was definitely one of the best days of her life.

As she placed the last of the letters back inside the wooden container, the memory started to fade, and she began to fret again about the most important letter she seemed to have misplaced.

"Oh well," she said with a sigh. She made the decision not to dwell on it. It had to be around here somewhere. As soon as she stopped looking for it, it would pop up.

Closing the lid, she ran her fingers over the beautiful mountain etching that adorns the surface. Dearest Regina was scrawled on the front, and she just loved that little detail her grandparents had customized. She was sure they never realized how perfect it would be.

Reaching to the bedside table, she placed the box carefully on the surface and immediately eyeballed the book she had been reading last night. Little bits of paper haphazardly peeked out between the pages and it suddenly dawned on her…

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed as she bolted upright, grabbed the novel, and started rapidly fanning through the pages. In her sleep-filled haze last night, she must've used the letter as a bookmark.

Not caring if she lost her spot, she slid the folded notebook paper from between the pages and smiled. She didn't completely lose it after all.

The sun was now glaring through the bedroom window, and she found its warmth comforting as she unfolded the tattered pages with careful consideration. Peace filled her soul as her gaze landed on his handwriting—the words Dearest Regina scrawled at the top of the page.

Knowing she had plenty of time before she needed to get ready for work, she settled on her bed to read it once more.

Dearest Regina,

Boy, do I miss saying your name. Sometimes, when I'm alone and missing you terribly, I whisper the most beautiful name ever to grace my lips. I can't wait for the day I get to feather it against your skin again. I know it has been a month since my deployment, and I'm not sure how long it will take this letter to find its way to you, but I just need you to know how much I miss you. Your face, your smell, your laugh, your love... Christ, I miss all of you, Regina.

Oh, how I wish I could be next to you when the first of dawn breaks. I hold onto the memory of your soft skin beneath my touch—your warmth wrapped tightly in my arms as I listen to you breathe deeply in sleep. My dreams of you each and every morning are what help me cope... help me rise each day to face this restless existence I lead. Without your love on my mind, I don't know how this life of war could be bearable.

I feel as if this scrap of paper isn't enough to hold the words to describe how deeply I am in love with you. But now, being here without your sweet voice to soothe me, I realize just how important it is for one to hear the words from their lover. I love you, my darling Regina. I long for the day I can hear those same words leave your lips again.

No truer words were ever spoken than that of an author unknown who said, "A soldier doesn't fight because he hates what is in front of him. A soldier fights because he loves what he left behind." So, while I'm missing you, I remind myself of why I'm really here: For You.

With all my love,

Robin

P.S. Tell Archer I miss his kisses too.

His postscript had her chuckling as she recalled the day he brought her favorite basset hound home from the shelter. Her laughter quickly faded at the thought of him feeling sad or alone. Due to the top-secret security of his assignment, she hadn't had a way to reciprocate her love for him or to tell him the good news. With each day that passed, she ached to disclose just how much he meant to her.

Touching her rounded belly and feeling the life growing inside her, she couldn't help the trepidation that seeped into her thoughts. The fact that she had no way to tell the love of her life he would be a father scared her shitless. She couldn't stop herself from getting all teary-eyed knowing he wouldn't be here for the birth of his son.

What would his reaction be when he came home to find a child in her arms? She could only hope he would be filled with even half the amount of joy she felt at the thought of having his baby.