Page 82 of Write Me For You
Neenee went inside the chapel, and I began my countdown. When my daddy looked at me and mouthedtwenty, we stepped forward and rounded the corner. The intimate chapel was full ofour friends from the trial and their families who were staying at the residence.
Yellow roses were gathered at the end of each aisle. A white carpet led the way to the altar, and at the very end, I knew Jesse stood with Chris by his side. I hadn’t looked up yet though, not wanting to see Jesse until I’d made it to the end.
I passed Silas, Toby, Kate, and Cherry. All of them were watching with smiles on their faces. Their mamas and daddies and siblings were there too. The nursing staff were there, out of their scrubs and dressed in their finest. Even Dr. Duncan gave me a nod as I passed.
My eyes landed on Cynthia in the front pew, and I fought back my own tears when I saw her cheeks were wet, but her smile was adoring and wide. I hadn’t known her long, but I loved Jesse’s mama so much. She had raised Jesse to be the man he was today. Even if I’d never met her, I would have known she was a good person to have made such a beautiful soul. I would have loved her for giving me the gift of my soulmate.
My mama took my hand as I passed and squeezed it. Suddenly, I stopped walking—on a chair all to herself, Emma’s pretty face smiled up at me from a large photograph. A single yellow rose was laid before her.
Leaning down, I kissed the tips of my fingers and touched her cheek, my chest aching with how much I missed her. I just knew it had been Chris who had placed my best friend front and center at my wedding. Emma would have loved this. She would have been my bridesmaid too. I hoped that, wherever she was, she was looking down and cheering us on.
I stood and gathered myself. Then, I reached the end of the aisle. I closed my eyes and, on the count of five, opened them and looked up.
My heart skipped a beat as I saw that standing before me was the most handsome boy in existence. My daddy turned mearound and pressed a kiss on my cheek. Reaching out to Jesse, he shook his hand and then went to stand beside my mama.
Pastor Noel stood before the altar, patiently waiting. Jesse held out his hand, and the moment I slipped my hand into his, one heart meeting the other, total peace drifted over me, a sense of rightness. I didn’t understand why my life was being cut short, I would never understand how someone with Jesse’s spirit was being deprived of a long life. But in that moment, I knew we were meant to be husband and wife.
I let my gaze rove over every part of him. He wore a black tux that fit him to perfection—I giggled when I saw his head was free of his cap.
Jesse must have seen my amusement, as he leaned in and whispered, “I thought your daddy would kill me if I wore it, so I didn’t dare. I didn’t want to forfeit the few weeks I have left.”
I squeezed his hand, his joke for my ears only. But then Jesse’s humor faded as he stepped to me and said, “Wow…you’re beautiful.” I threw back my head and laughed until I felt giddy with joy.
That was the first thing Jesse had ever said to me. It seemed apt that, as we stepped into our new life as husband and wife, it would start the same way.
“You look real handsome too, baby,” I said, and Jesse leaned in for a kiss.
A throat cleared and we broke apart.
“That doesn’t happen until the end, son. But I’ll let it slide this one time,” Pastor Noel said, and our friends and family chuckled.
“I couldn’t help it,” Jesse said, then cupped my cheek. “Have you seen my girl?” I felt my face blaze, and when Jesse gave me a playful wink.
When the laughter died down, Jesse took both of my hands in his and Pastor Noel began the ceremony. It was a sermon full of joy and hope and about soulmates finding each other.
When the time came for vows, Jesse and I had written our own.
Jesse went first. “Junebug,” he said, and I caught the telling rasp in his voice. “If someone had told me months ago that I would be here right now, marrying the girl of my dreams, I would never have believed them.” He gave me a lopsided smile, and said, “But from the very first day I bumped into you in the hallway, you’ve had my heart.”
I replayed that day so clearly in my head. Because I had felt the same way. One meeting, and butterflies had invaded my chest.
“We didn’t know the outcome of the trial; we didn’t know if we would even have a chance at life.” The room was silent, the topic heavy. “And although it hasn’t gone the way we had hoped, today, you are the fulfillment of a dream I didn’t know I had. And I wouldn’t change our story for anything in the world. If all we have are the next few weeks as husband and wife, then I will call our marriage a triumphant success.”
I held back my emotion as best as I could, but my hands shook and my lips trembled.
“You are the love of my life, and I’ll stand by your side for whatever time we have left on this earth and wherever we go next.” I nodded in agreement. “I love you, Junebug.” Then Jesse lifted his hand and formed it into a fist. I laughed a watery laugh, as he said, “Group two for the win.”
I tapped his fist and then Pastor Noel turned to me. “June, please say your vows.”
Pushing away my nerves, I focused entirely on Jesse until the rest of the room fell away and it was just us two. He brought my hands to his mouth and gave them each a kiss, his forest-greeneyes locked on mine. “Jesse,” I said, making sure I spoke clearly and strongly. “My dream was always to be a writer. I wanted to write a love story—the greatest love story ever known.” I smiled and looked to my mama and daddy. “My parents have the best marriage I’ve ever seen. They have loved each other since their teens, and I wondered if I’d get a love like that.” I swallowed. “When I was told I had terminal cancer and that the treatment wasn’t working, I was sure I never would.”
“June,” Jesse said, whispering my name as he felt my pain.
I stepped closer and put my hand on his cheek. Jesse leaned into the touch. “Then I came here to get a second chance at life. I came here to heal and get better, so I could go into the world and find that love.” I shook my head. “I didn’t know I would find my great love on a ranch just outside Austin. I didn’t know my soulmate would be the cheeky football player who was staying next door.”
Jesse smiled wide at that.
“The truth is that I wanted a great love and I wanted to write about it. And I have. But what I didn’t realize was that the greatest love story I could ever know is the one that I was going to live. Through the ups and downs, through the rough and the…well, rougher.”
