My Forever June

by Deanna Kinney

  My laughter slowed before hers, and I gazed at her as I took her braid into my hand and gently played with it. “I really like you, you know.”

  Her laughing came to an abrupt stop. She peered up at me, her big, chocolate eyes sincere. “I like you too.”

  “No, I mean I really, really like you. Maybe more than I should.”

  Her soft, pink lips parted as if to say something in response, and I couldn’t resist any longer. In one swift move, I scooted close, placed my left hand around the back of her neck, and pressed my lips against hers. You know how they say that with a powerful kiss you can sometimes hear music? Well, an entire symphony was playing in my ears. I slowly pulled back and gazed down at her. Her warm dark eyes peered back, giving me permission. My lips came down on hers again, this time with slightly more force, as if the floodgates of heaven had been released. She responded with the same force. Could it be she wanted this kiss as much as I wanted it? Not possible.

  I cleared my mind then, only thinking of the way her delicate form felt in my arms and the way her warm moist lips felt against mine. I was lost.

  Headlights flashed through the windows, overwhelming us with light as June’s neighbor pulled into his driveway. We blinked against the brightness and pulled apart, waiting for him to kill his headlights, but it didn’t happen.

  At that very moment, I wanted to punch my hand through his windshield and grab his neck.

  “I guess I better get inside. Thank you for a lovely evening, Tucker. It was nice.” She glanced across at her neighbor, still in his car with his headlights blaring in the truck, and then she opened the door and stepped out.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I blurted before the door was shut.

  She smiled sheepishly. “You better.” And then she quickly disappeared around the house.

  I smiled victoriously as I pulled out of her driveway. It was then that her neighbor shut off his headlights.

  Oh man! I suddenly realized I forgot to walk June to her front door. The kiss was more powerful than I ever dreamed. It even made me forget my manners. Some gentleman I am.

  I could barely concentrate on work the next day, and I was a fool if I thought my dad didn’t notice. For the first time, I didn’t care and counted the minutes until time to leave. Forget calling her, I was going to go see her again. And my truck couldn’t drive there fast enough.

  Her car was in her driveway, but she didn’t answer the door when I knocked. I peered through her window and it looked as if she wasn’t at home.

  I stepped out onto the beach and climbed the nearest dune. It was an amazing day and the temperature was perfect. The sun was high in the sky and the breeze was moderate. My eyes scanned the shoreline and that’s when I spotted her. She was walking this way in the surf and was a ways off yet. Her long dark hair was down and blowing in the breeze. She was wearing a yellow sundress that came to her ankles and the bottom was wet and clung to her legs. She was holding a straw hat in her hand and was swaying it back and forth as she walked. As she got closer, the look on her face was so peaceful it took my breath away. I would’ve given anything to know what she was thinking in that very moment. I wished that I had a camera. I would’ve snapped off picture after picture, trying to capture the moment and the way she was looking up into the sky. Though I knew the image was burned into my memory for life.

  As she approached, she finally spotted me and waved sweetly, but said nothing as she then walked past me and went into the house. I turned and watched her go, mesmerized again by her beauty. I stared at the house for a few minutes and then smiled in relief when she finally opened the door and waved me inside.

  Chapter Fifteen

  June

  I woke that morning with the oddest sense of completeness. I couldn’t quite explain it. I had never experienced it before, and it scared me.

  After breakfast, I had tried to go upstairs and work, but the inspiration wasn’t there. I then went back downstairs and paced for a while, trying to come to some kind of understanding of what was happening to me. I felt a little sick and unfocused.

  I stopped in front of my painting of the butterfly. It usually held the power to focus me, or at least give me strength, but not today, today I was a mess. After a few more failed attempts at painting, I decided to take a walk on the beach to clear my head. I didn’t have anything clean to wear, so I pulled a yellow sundress from my closet and grabbed my straw beach hat as I exited the house, pulling the door shut behind me.

  The beach was always a soothing place for me. The warm sun on my skin, the wind in my hair, and the smell of salt mixed with coconut-scented suntan lotion was therapy of the greatest kind. And it didn’t disappoint. I walked the pier and stopped at the end and leaned against the rail to look into the ocean. A couple came alongside me and were giggling and snuggling. They were giddy as they shared intimate secrets. Then it hit me like a boulder to the head. “That’s it!” I yelled. The couple turned toward me, their eyes growing wide in concern. “That’s it! I’m falling in love with Tucker Mitchell!!”

  “Congratulations,” they both said, patting me on the back.

  I could feel my mouth still agape as the words finally penetrated my brain, along with the realization that I had declared that out loud! How had I let this happen? This was not part of my new life plan! I was instantly agitated by this revelation. But as I stood there secretly watching the young lovers kissing and laughing, I settled into a peaceful acceptance. Maybe this wouldn’t be a bad thing. Maybe, just maybe, this could be amazing. I decided right then and there, that it was worth a try, and that falling in love didn’t have to be painful, and so I let all my reservations slip over the railing and into the ocean water below me.

  I grinned as I strolled back down the beach toward home, my face tipped up toward the bright sky. I was in love with Tucker, and an unexplainable peace had settled into my spirit that overwhelmed me…in a good way.

  I glanced across the beach and spotted Tucker standing on a dune, watching me. I pretended not to be fazed by his sudden presence and strolled past him and into my home.

  When the minutes passed and he didn’t follow, I opened my door and ushered him inside.

  He stepped into the room, his face beaming.

  Had he come to the same revelation today that I had?

  “Hey there,” I said, grinning at his adorable and disheveled appearance. “Are you okay?”

  “Never better. And you?” he asked.

  “Oh, I’m doing pretty good too. You want something to drink?”

  “Sure,” he simply replied, but he still had that ridiculous grin on his face.

  What was he not telling me?

  I poured him a glass of sweet tea and we sat down on the sofa. “So, how ‘bout you tell me more about your childhood?” I asked, genuinely curious.

  He shrugged. “Oh, okay. Well, I bet you couldn’t guess that when I was young I had seizures?”

  My eyes widened in concern. “Really? Did you have epilepsy?”

  “Yes. And when I was ten I had brain surgery to fix the problem in my brain that was causing the seizures. They shaved my head, and I had a huge scar around the top of my head.” He drew an imaginary circle around his head, showing me just where. “I don’t remember much about the surgery, but after that the seizures stopped. That’s one reason my parents are so protective. They just never learned to stop, even after I was better.”

  I nodded my understanding. “Wow. That’s really something I never expected to hear. Now, I understand completely why they are that way. I probably would be too.”

  “Yeah, I try to go easy on them, but sometimes it can be pretty annoying.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it can. Thanks for sharing that with me.” I took hold of his hand and squeezed.

  He squeezed back, and for a moment, we sat still and quiet, just holding hands.

  I heated us up two microwave dinners, and we sat on the sofa, eating and talking. We laughed and shared things about our pasts, and this went
on for hours until we were both spent. I had learned more about him in that one night than I had in all the previous nights put together, and I was awestruck. He was an interesting man, and I sensed a genuine goodness in him. There was no way for me to deny any longer that I was in love with Tucker Mitchell…and my heart made a good choice. If nothing else, his goodnight kiss was proof enough.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tucker

  My father made a last minute announcement that he had a job out of town and needed me with him. This was not good news for me. It meant I wouldn’t get to see June for at least five days. I called her to tell her and was thrilled, on the one hand, that she seemed really bummed about it. I told her I would call her as soon as I arrived back in town and we would go do something together—her pick.

  The five days were painful for me. I missed June’s dazzling smile, the smell of her hair, and yes, even the clutter that surrounded her. I would go so far as to say that I would even put up with Felix if I could just see her beautiful face again.

  When we finally arrived back in town, one day later than expected, I called June first thing, not even caring that my father was listening in on the conversation. Her voice was music to my ears, and she seemed really happy that I was back.

  We made arrangements to meet at Kennedy Park in Wilmington. She wanted us to rent bikes and take a ride through the park. She said she always wanted to do that but never had anyone willing to go with her. I knew it would be fun. I was quickly learning that anything with June was fun.

  The moment I saw her, I ran to her and pulled her into my arms in greeting. She squealed and hugged me tight as I spun her around and around.

  “Tucker Mitchell, if you don’t stop spinning me around I’m gonna puke all over you!”

  I chuckled at that but put her gently on her feet. It was the first time I had ever seen her wearing tennis shoes. She was usually barefooted or wearing flip-flops.

  “Nice converse. I like the red. They go really well with your shorts…and your legs.”

  She giggled and smacked my arm. “Hush it and just get on your bike.”

  I grinned back at her and grabbed the bike. “Yes, ma’am,” I responded playfully, taking one more quick peek at her lovely long golden legs.

  The park was beautiful this time of year. The lake was filled with mother ducks and their babies, people were walking their dogs, children were playing on the playground, and it was warm but not too warm. I was riding behind June and enjoying watching her hair flow behind her and around her helmet. Occasionally, she would glance back at me to make sure I was keeping up. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, and I loved it. To show off, I took off past her, leaving her in my dust, not literally, of course. I glanced back at her, enjoying her expression until suddenly alarm broke out on her lovely face and I heard, “Tucker! Look out!”

  I quickly turned and spotted a group of children darting out in front of me. I jerked my bike sharply to the right to avoid them and hit a park bench, sending me and the bike flying into the air. I don’t remember landing.

  Chapter Seventeen

  June

  I screamed as I spotted the children running toward our path—and Tucker. “Tucker! Look out!” I yelled, but it was too late for him to avoid them. He jerked his bike hard and the next thing I saw was Tucker and his bike sailing into the air. My heart stopped at the sound of his crashing to the ground. I jumped off of my bike and ran to him.

  “Tucker!” I knelt by him and grabbed his hand. He had hit his head on the huge rock behind the park bench he had flipped over, and he was unconscious. I gently took off his helmet to check him out. There was no blood, thank God.

  Someone approached me and handed me a wet towel, which I then carefully rubbed against his face and forehead.

  “Tucker, honey, can you hear me?” I was getting more worried by the minute. He wasn’t waking up.

  Finally, after a few more minutes of torture, he began to stir.

  I let out a deep sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God you’re awake. Tucker, can you hear me?” I asked as he appeared groggy and unfocused.

  “I-I think so,” he responded, but he was still groggy.

  “Just sit still a minute.” I helped him to a sitting position and he took a minute to adjust. “What happened?”

  “You jerked your bike to avoid hitting those kids and flipped your bike over that bench. You hit your head on this rock. Thank God you had on a helmet.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed as he tried to stand.

  I grabbed hold of his waist and helped him to his feet. “I think I better take you to the hospital to have you checked out. He didn’t argue.

  I sat in the waiting room and had a strange sense of déjà vu as I waited for Tucker to be examined. The longer I waited, the more anxious I became. I stood and paced, feeling a slight sweat begin to form on my lip and the back of my neck. He just had to be okay. I didn’t know what I would’ve done if something serious had happened to him. Not now. We had just found each other.

  Before my thoughts could get too carried away, Tucker exited the door and approached. He shrugged. “I’m fine. I have a concussion, that’s it.”

  “That’s it! That can be serious, Tucker.”

  He smiled and rubbed his hand gently along my cheek. “It’s sweet that you’re worried about me.”

  “I’m serious, Tucker. What did the doctor say?”

  “He told me to take it easy for a few days and to let him know if I had any symptoms like persistent headache, nausea, or vomiting.”

  “Do you feel okay now?” I asked, taking his hand in mine.

  He studied our hands looped together and said, “I do now. Oh, and he said I needed lots and lots of kisses.”

  I rolled my eyes and playfully bumped his shoulder with mine as I tugged him toward the exit doors.

  The next day, I sent a text to Tucker, checking in on him to see how he was doing. He responded with ‘I’m fine, but missing you’. This brought a smile to my face. He was such a special man. I suddenly wondered why I had been so reluctant to fall in love in the first place. It was such an amazing sensation. I felt like I could climb Mount Everest without any oxygen at all.

  Later that morning, I went upstairs to work on my latest painting. I was branching off from my usual scenes and was working on another scene that had been holding my mind captive for over twenty-four hours. It was the scene of Tucker on his bike as he sped past me. He glanced back at me and smiled his amazingly adorable smile, with that nose scrunched. It had freeze-framed in my thoughts and I was able to paint it the way my mind recalled it.

  I was interrupted by a knock at the door. I peered out the window and Tucker backed off the porch and waved up at me. “Tucker!” I said to myself as I practically dropped my paintbrush and bolted from the room and down the stairs to the door.

  I calmed myself as I squeezed the doorknob and gently opened the door. “Tucker. What are you doing here? It’s in the middle of the day. Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  He stepped inside, pulled me into his arms, and pressed his hot lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, slipping my hands into his hair, as he lifted me off my feet. He pulled back and grinned down at me.

  “Well, hello to you too.” He sat me on my feet, and I took a hold of his hand and tugged him with me. “I have something I want to show you.” I led him up the stairs and over to my painting. “Look what I’ve been doing today.”

  I studied him as his mouth fell open and his eyes grew wide. “Oh, wow, June. This is great. I thought you only painted beach scenes.”

  I covered my mouth and chuckled as I gazed back to the painting in awe. “Yeah, me too. I guess you inspire me.”

  “Can I watch you finish?”

  I shrugged. “Sure, if you want.” And that’s how we spent the rest of the afternoon…mostly.

  Chapter Eighteen

  June

  Tucker and I had been dating intensely for over a month and neither one of us had yet to
tell the other we loved them yet. For some reason I was nervous about the idea. The only person I had ever told I loved them was Blake and look how that turned out. And yet I knew in my heart that Tucker was different. He would never hurt me like Blake did. They were completely opposite.

  We were meeting at the ice cream shop for a treat and then Tucker was cooking me dinner. This was the perfect night to tell him how I felt. I was nervous but also determined. I knew he already knew that I loved him, but he deserved to hear the words. I was also prepared to not be disappointed if he didn’t say the words back to me. I knew how he felt too, but he may not be ready to tell me.

  We had our ice cream cones in hand as we strolled down the city street toward Tucker’s truck. We were giggling about the brain freeze he just had as we walked.

  Suddenly, I realized that he had stopped. I turned to him. “Tucker, come on.”

  His expression was frozen, his eyes staring off into the distance as if he was lost in a daydream.

  “Tucker? Is everything okay?” I laughed. “Okay, the joke is over.” But he didn’t move. I began to get alarmed the longer he just stood there, unmoving. What do I do? I thought. My gut told me something was terribly wrong. I took his ice cream from his hand and dropped them both into the nearby trash and took his hand and pulled. His feet stepped forward so I knew he could still walk. I then led him slowly to his truck, helped him inside, and got into the driver’s seat.

  “Hang on, baby. Hang on. Everything is gonna be okay,” I repeated, as much for myself as him as I punched the gas and headed for the hospital.

  * * * * * *

  I helped Tucker out of the truck and guided him slowly into the hospital, yelling for help as I walked. “Someone, help me! I need some help!”

  A nurse ran to me and took Tucker’s arm to help me guide him inside. “What’s the problem, ma’am?” the male nurse asked me.