Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
June sighed. “I’m sick of all the bad days, Jesse,” she said. “I want to write about love and laughter and surviving. Thriving.”
She turned to me and her brown eyes were glistening, shining like the garnet crystals my sisters had on their bedside tables.
June took hold of my hand and brought it to her lips. “This book I’ve begun writing…it’s our happily ever after.”
My heart began to race so fast, it took my breath away for a moment.
“I believe we will make it through this trial,” she hastened to add, her open expression imploring me to understand. “I do. But just in case we don’t…” She trailed off, a flicker of fear in her beautiful stare as she let that sentence land.
“You wanted to give us our happily ever after anyway,” I said, understanding why she had been so nervous to tell me. June’s smile was watery as she nodded, and a tear escaped out of the corner of her eye.
“When I’d finished what had actually been our start, I began thinking of us in the near future,” she said, “out in the world, cancer free and able to live out our dreams—”
“But together,” I interrupted, and she laid her head on my shoulder.
“Together,” she repeated. We were silent a few moments before she said, “It’s been helping me, writing this book. Helping me keep going—just like you do.”
June opened the notebook, and her handwritten story came into view. I smiled and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Your handwriting is just as pretty as you are,” I said. “How’s that possible? My handwriting looks like chicken scratch.”
“Well, I can’t throw a football, so I’d say we both have our own strengths.”
“Touché.”
“Read,” she instructed. So I did. I smirked, feeling pretty damn proud about how she felt for me in the beginning. But my favorite part…
“I love the chapters from my point of view,” I said.
June worried her lip. “Really? I wasn’t sure if I should have done that. Put myself in your brain. It’s just all my favorite books have the male perspective too. I didn’t want to presume how you felt for me or how your inner narrative sounded or—”
“Junebug,” I said, stopping her with a kiss. June sucked in a breath just as my lips met hers. I had only meant to stop her spiraling, but once I kissed her, it was like we didn’t want to ever stop. When I finally pulled away, I said, “You have my full permission to write my chapters.” I tapped the notebook. “You could never get how I feel about you wrong.” June exhaled a relieved breath. “In fact, I would say you could kick it up a notch.”
“Trouble,” she joked, tapping my chest, and I kissed her again. Just reading how she felt—still felt—about me blew me away. “You okay?” she asked, clearly noticing my floored reaction.
I swallowed a lump in my throat and said, “I’m just stunned at how you feel for me…”
June waited patiently for me to continue.
I shrugged. “I just never thought anyone could feel that way about me.”
“Why not?” she said, voice strong, like she was offended I could ever believe that.
My mind quickly took me back to my dad, the man who taught me how to throw a football. The man who would take me to all my Pee Wee games, my practices, the one who told me I was his best friend. All these memories came barreling in. I was unable to stop them, as well as the barrage of emotions that quickly followed. “My dad…” I said, voice breaking. “He told me he loved me, but then one day…” I trailed off, trying to not let the pain of that day pierce my heart even more. I was pretty sure there was a gaping hole still there, scarred and tough and unable to close. I’d always struggled with rejection since then.
“You don’t have to continue if you can’t,” June said gently.
I met her eyes. There wasn’t sympathy or pity there, but there was understanding…and affection. Such raw affection, it made me want to share this—this deep, pained part of me that I hid from the world. “He left, Junebug. One day he left and just never came home. My sisters were tiny. My mom was shattered, heartbroken. Her childhood sweetheart just up and leaving her.” I blew out a long breath. “He told me he loved me, yet he still left. No word, just…gone. We haven’t heard from him since.” I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment and the pain I knew was etched on my face, but June’s hands cupped my cheeks, tilting my head.
She looked me square in my eyes, more serious than I had ever seen her before. “You are so loveable, Jesse Taylor.” Heat raced through my veins. “You are kind, you are beautiful…” She searched my gaze more. “And I’m not sure if you have guessed it yet, but you have wrapped yourself so tightly around my heart that you are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about before I close my eyes at night.”