I looked at the beautiful horse outside again. “Can you take me to see Ginger?”
Daddy stared at me a touch too long. He knew what I was saying—that I wanted to say my goodbyes.
“Of course,” he said, voice gravelly. Daddy scooped me up in his arms and placed me in my wheelchair. Mama opened the doors, and I let the warm Texas breeze wash over me. It felt like silk being brushed over my cheeks. Daddy pushed me out to the porch, and I glanced at the egg chair that held so many memories. If I closed my eyes, I could feel the back-and-forth sway of Jesse and I wrapped in one another’s arms, sharing our dreams. Sharing our words and drawings…
Sharing our hearts.
Ginger whinnied at the fence, and my daddy pushed me toward him. As I reached the fence, Ginger bent his head over, and I lifted my hands and ran them down his face. “Thank you for being here for me,” I said, and kissed him on the head. “I’ll miss you.”
I patted Ginger until my arm ached and I had no more strength. With a final kiss to the beloved horse, my daddy helped me back into my chair.
“Wait,” I said, and held up my hand. I pointed up at the star that I now felt belonged to me and Jesse.
My parents were quiet for a spell as we watched it sparkle, until my daddy said, “We’ll always look at that star and know it belongs to you and Jesse, darlin’. We’ll search for it every night for the rest of our lives to keep you close to our hearts.”
Imagining my parents doing that, from our beloved home, filled me with happiness. But then, “I’m tired, Daddy,” I said, and heard his quick inhale.
My mama took my hand, and we walked silently back to my bedroom. Daddy lifted me from my chair, and as he placed me down on the bed and tucked me under the covers, I took hold of his hands. “I love you,” I whispered. “Thank you for being my daddy.”
He lowered his head and his shoulders shook.
I turned to my mama, who was lying on the edge of the bed beside me. I pushed a strand of hair from her face. “You’re the best mama I could have wished for. Thank you for loving me so much.”
Mama shook her head. “You have been a dream.” She kissed my head. “Rest easy, sweetheart. You deserve some peace.”
I smiled and let sweet numbness wash through me. My eyes grew heavy, and I began to feel the tempting pull of sleep. But just as my eyes closed, I caught sight of the picture of Jesse and I on the porch, our dream etched out in charcoal. My heart swelled, knowing that I’d given that dream to the Jesse and June in our Happily Ever After.
Out there, in that universe, we were living that dream.
My breathing got slower and my eyes drifted closed. I held out my hand as I sank further and further into painlessness, only to feel a familiar hand wrap around mine.
He squeezed it twice.
And my heart swelled with happiness.
He had kept his promise.
Epilogue
JUNE
Jesse and June’s Happily Ever After
The rush of at least ten pairs of feet padded through the house, and the smell of barbeque sailed into the kitchen from the backyard.
Laughs and screams could be heard as the sun blazed brightly in the sky. I dusted my hands off on my apron and took two glasses of sweet tea out onto the porch.
Jesse was already there, waiting for me. “You beat me to it,” I said, and sat down beside him on our old, cherished porch swing.
As soon as I handed him his drink, he set it beside him and held my hand. He raised our joined hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to mine. I cuddled in beside him as he used his foot to push us back and forth.
I laughed as our youngest grandson sprayed his daddy, our son, with a water gun. Jesse chuckled, then pressed a kiss to myhead. And as I looked out onto the garden, our home full of love and happiness, I then glanced up to my husband.
Our faces were heavily lined with wrinkles, our hair was thinning and gray, and our laughter lines…they were my favorite. They were deep and long and boasted of a life filled with fun and joy.
“You’re still beautiful,” I told Jesse.
He turned to me with a cheeky smirk. “Junebug, are you flirting with me?”
