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Heading into the staff room, I walked over to my locker and undid the lock, pulling it open when suddenly an array of snowflakes and twinkling lights dropped out of it. My heart leaped into my throat as I stepped back and stared at the display, heartbreaking memories flooding my mind as my eyes washed over the sign at the back.
“Will you go to winter formal with me? Love, Evan.”
Why would he do this? We’d talked this topic to death, but he knew how much this memory hurt for me, and despite a year of him working his ass off to heal it, the wound was still a bit raw.
“Were you surprised?” I jumped at the sound of Rose’s voice, twisting around to find her, Wren, and Dakota standing there with big grins on their faces.
“Uh, yeah, winter formal?” I laughed uncomfortably, “it’s a joke, right?”
“Nope.” Dakota held a dress up and shook it. “We’re your fairy godmothers here to transform you into a beautiful princess.”
“Oh, uh, is that going to fit?”
“Yup, Evan stole your measurements from when you got fitted for my wedding.” Rose grinned as she walked forward, flanked by her sisters-in-law. The Butler women, my heart pounded in my chest. I was a part of the crew not by name but by love, and that was enough.
It was. Mostly.
“C’mon, let’s get you ready.” Wren held up a bag of makeup and hair supplies, and with a slight nod, they got to work.
Rose washed my hair in the sink, Wren did my makeup, and then they helped me get into a ridiculous—albeit beautiful—gown that would’ve been perfect if winter formals for adults were a real thing. I felt a bit like a snowball princess.
“We’re going to get ready now too, but if you wanna head to reception, they’ll tell you where to go next.”
“Where to go next?” I sounded as leery as I felt before nodding my head absently and began making my way out of the staff room and toward reception.
Forrest and Deacon were standing at the counter, dressed to the nines, one holding a corsage and the other with a bouquet. Red salvias, ivy, heliotrope, and snowdrops created a unique combination as Deacon held it out to me. Forrest slipped the corsage onto my wrist, and when I was set, both of them offered me their arms.
“What is going on?”
“It’s the winter formal, June. Don’t you want to go?”
My heart sped up a little more in wonder as I smiled shyly and nodded. “Of course, I do.”
“Good, let’s go.” Deacon led the way through the reception to the doors leading into the ballroom where my brothers Hayes and Clay were standing. They opened the doors in sync, and a gasp escaped me as I took in the sight of the transformed ballroom.
Twinkling snowflakes hung from the ceiling as wafts of sheer fabric draped the walls. Fake snow littered the ground, lifting in puffs as I walked through it into the room. Evan was standing by the front of the room, waiting in his suit.
My heart had begun a steady symphony in my chest, pounding the beats as I approached him slowly. At some point, Deacon and Forrest had slipped away to let me approach Evan on my own as he stood there smoothing out his lapels nervously.
“June, you look … incredible.” A massive grin split his face as he stepped closer to me, holding out his hand and bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss.
“You did all this?” I looked around again, taking in more of the room, when I realized my parents were seated at a nearby table. Evan’s brothers and their wives and girlfriends crowded the other tables nearby. Then, there was my sous-chef Georgia and the rest of my kitchen staff.
Confusion crossed my face as I turned back to him, the question unspoken but reflected in my eye.
“I’ve spent the last year trying to rewrite your past for you, June, and make you realize how gorgeous and special and perfect you are. But I realized that no matter what I did, I could never truly rewrite what happened unless we redid it, replacing it with a much better memory. So, with the help of your friends and family, I recreated the winter formal. What do you think?”
“It’s amazing, I love it, but Evan, you didn’t have to do this.” My eyes swiveled the room again, feeling a growing sense of nervousness in the pit of my stomach.
My eyes turned back to him, and I gasped as I found him sunk on one knee, a small box open in his hand, the twinkling lights above us reflecting off the diamond.
“Juniper Danvers, I have loved you since I was seventeen years old. Even in the years between that time and when we re-met, my heart never filled the space you left behind. It simply waited, knowing it wouldn't be long until you were back in my life. And it wasn’t wrong. But I don’t want to take the chance that you disappear from my life ever again, so, June, will you make me the happiest man in the world and never leave me?”
I laughed, happy tears brimming my eyes before rushing down my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly and then reached for the ring before pausing. “This is a marriage proposal, right?”
Evan burst out laughing and nodded. “It is. Your dad even said he really liked me.” He flashed a grin behind me before looking at me. “So, will you marry me?”
“Most definitely.”
