June First

by Jennifer Hartmann

But I’m already on one knee. June’s words fall off, her lips frozen into an O shape. Her hand flies up to grip her chest, right over her heart. “Brant…?” “June Adeline Bailey.” I gaze up at her wide, glistening eyes as I dig the ring box out of my front pocket. I bought it in March and have been carrying it with me every single day, waiting for a rainbow. “Junebug.” “Brant,” she repeats, choking on my name. “Twenty-two years ago, I tossed a toy elephant into your crib, trying to give you comfort in the only way I could. And I knew in that moment as you gazed at me through the crib slats with your big blue eyes… I knew you were destined to become my comfort.” Emotion sweeps through me, stealing my words for a moment. I swallow. “That’s exactly what you became. You were the laughter on the other side of my tears, the solace to quell my nightmares, and the rainbow after every storm. You saved my life, June Bailey.” Both hands cup her mouth as tears collapse onto her fingers. She squeezes her eyes shut. “And I can’t think of anything sweeter than to spend the rest of that life with you.” Rising to my feet, I pluck the ring out of the box, holding it up between my thumb and forefinger. She lets out a gasp when she looks at it. A breathtaking sound of disbelief. “It’s rimmed with tiny sapphires. Blue like the eyes I fell in love with. Blue like the sky that gives us rainbows, and the bluebirds that fly over them.” I quirk a smile. “Blue like the prom dress that brought me to my ...