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“My favorite.”
Her cinnamon-dusted eyes look lighter in direct sunlight, almost like copper coins. I feel like I need to break our stare, so I dip my gaze, landing on the cleavage poking out from the top of her dress. It’s honestly not a better thing to focus on, but I can’t seem to look away this time. She’s filled out over the past year, growing bustier, looking more like a woman every day.
Making me feel more like a man.
Biting my lip, I force myself to glance back up at her, fidgeting when I notice the little smile creeping onto her lips. She caught me gawking at her chest like an idiot.
“Hey, do you want to meet me at the park later? After the party?” she inquires.
“The park?” Swiping my suddenly sweaty palms along my grass-stained thighs, I wonder if there’s something else laced into her invitation. The only time I’ve been to a playground in the past few years has been to take June. “Why do you want to go there?”
She shrugs. “I guess you’ll have to find out.”
I’m pretty sure she’s flirting with me. I gulp again.
“Cake time!” Mrs. Bailey calls out from the patio, enticing a dozen children to race over to the party table.
June drags behind her friends, looking sluggish and melancholy. Even her tutu looks sad as it hangs off her petite frame. I frown and tell Wendy I’ll be right back, then shoot from the swing and jog over to June. She perks up a little when she spots me coming toward her. “Junebug. Are you having fun?”
“Sure, I guess. Are you having fun?” Her gaze slips around me to where Wendy is languidly swinging on the bench, now joined by Monica.
“I am if you are.”
June’s cheeks stretch into a genuine smile. She takes my hand in hers and guides me to the table where her friends are seated, eagerly awaiting birthday cake. “I’m going to make my birthday wish. Can you sit next to me?”
“Of course I can.”
Aunt Kelly gives my bicep a gentle squeeze when I sweep past her. “Your mama would be proud,” she says to my retreating back.
I wince slightly, then turn around to give her a small nod.
“Okay, everyone,” Mr. Bailey announces, plucking a lighter from his pocket. He runs a hand through his dark, receding hairline, dotted with a line of sweat. “We want June to have a remarkable day, so we’re going to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ as loud as we can. Ready?”
“Ready!” the guests shout.
I pull out a chair beside June, watching her face light up with magic. She has dirt stains on her skin and tangles in her hair, but I’ve never seen her look so radiant.
She’s still holding onto my hand as the off-key singing voices ring out around us, and I give it a little squeeze, causing her smile to burst tenfold.
And when the final note is sung, she closes her eyes, gathers in a giant breath, then bends over the table to blow out the candles, my hand still tucked inside hers.
Everyone claps. She bobs up and down, doing an elegant twirl.
“Happy birthday, Junebug,” I say, matching the joy I see on her face.
June smiles even wider as she leans in to me, then whispers against my ear, “I wished for your mom to come back.”
My heart stalls. A rush of air leaves me.
Before I can put together a string of words, June spins away and starts chanting, ‘Cake!’ over and over, while Mr. Bailey passes out plates to outstretched hands.
I stay rooted to my chair as her wish rockets through me. The next twenty minutes spin by like a blur, my mind preoccupied with a different life, my heart thundering with remorse.
I’m slumped back in the chair, staring blankly, when Aunt Kelly announces her departure. She taps my shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want to come along, Brant? No pressure, of course, but…it would be a blessing if you did.”
Blinking myself back to reality, I glance up at her, then rise from the folding chair. I scratch at the nape of my neck, thinking of the nicest way to get out of this. “I, uh…think I’m going to stick around for June. I’d hate to leave her party.”
She smiles sadly, knowingly. “I understand. If you ever change your mind, I’m only a phone call away.”
