Marry me June

The hum of Xander’s phone on the bedside table pulled him from the stillness of early morning. Sunlight filtered through the white curtains, casting a soft glow across the room. June was still asleep beside him, her body curled toward the window, her breaths steady and slow, like ocean waves lapping against the shore. Her hair was tousled, one hand tucked under the pillow. She looked peaceful, for once.

Xander reached for his phone, expecting a calendar reminder or a work email.

But it was a text.

From an unknown number.

"She doesn’t love you. She’s still in love with Larry. She’ll leave you the moment he calls. Open your eyes, Xander. Don’t be a fool."

There was no name. No emoji. Just the cold weight of accusation.

Xander sat up slowly, rereading the message. His chest tightened. He looked down at June sleeping soundly, unaware of the silent detonation that had just gone off in the room.

His first instinct was disbelief. Who would send something like this? Why now?

His mind raced.

He thought of Audrey. The name had come up a few times, always attached to pain. She was the woman Larry had been involved with—the one June said he left her for. But something about the message… the venom in its tone, the precision of the wound it aimed for… it felt calculated, personal.

Xander rose from the bed quietly, careful not to wake her, and walked into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water, staring out the window but seeing nothing.

He wanted to shrug it off. Brush it away like dust.

But the words had lodged deep.

She doesn’t love you.

He closed his eyes. It wasn’t the message itself that rattled him—it was the echo of thoughts he’d already had. The way June sometimes went quiet when he held her. The tears she’d cried in the dark. The way she whispered "thank you" after moments of intimacy—as if she were still surprised someone was being gentle with her.

He had told himself she was healing. That love takes time. That she needed space to become whole again.

But… was he just a safe harbor until the storm inside her calmed?

He walked back to the bedroom.

June had stirred slightly, one eye open, blinking sleepily. “Hey,” she murmured, voice hoarse from sleep. “What time is it?”

“Almost eight,” Xander replied quietly.

She sat up, brushing hair from her face. “You okay?”

Xander didn’t say anything at first.

He just stood there, motionless beside the bed, watching her blink sleep from her eyes. A strand of hair had fallen across her face. She reached up and tucked it back, then looked at him with that soft, half-drowsy smile that used to disarm him. That used to make him feel chosen.

But now… it just made him feel like a fraud.

The message had changed everything.

Not because it hurt but because it confirmed something he’d long suspected.

She wasn’t fully his.

Not her heart.

Not her thoughts.

Maybe not even her body.

And now, with that message echoing in his head, he no longer had to feel guilty for what he was about to do.

He could stop pretending.

He just had to quicken the engagement. That was all.

Then everything she owned the estate, the trust fund her father left in her name, the locked investments would be legally accessible through the clause her family lawyer had once casually mentioned. Upon legal union, assets may be shared or accessed with spousal permission.

He had studied the paperwork when she left it out one evening. She had no idea what power she held. June had always been too emotional, too distracted by the ghosts of her past to guard her future.

Now, the only thing Xander had to do was play his part.

And he was very good at playing roles.

“I’m fine, dear,” he said smoothly, offering a smile as he climbed back into bed beside her.

June yawned and leaned her head on his chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns over his t-shirt. “You sure? You seem… off.”

“I was just thinking about work,” he lied effortlessly, kissing the top of her head. “Nothing to worry about.”

She looked up at him with wide, sincere eyes. “You know I love you, right?”

Xander paused.

There it was again.

That need she had to reassure, to anchor herself in love like it was the only way she could breathe. It made her easy to console. Easy to calm. Easy to lead.

He kissed her forehead, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Of course, baby,” he said warmly. “And I love you even more. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

June’s eyes glistened with emotion. She smiled, burying her face in his chest.

His arms held her gently. But his thoughts were a thousand miles away, ticking through timelines and decisions like a businessman reviewing contracts.

One month. That’s all he needed.

He’d propose soon. Maybe even this weekend. He’d already picked out the ring weeks ago. He had sensed her vulnerability early on seen the cracks in her foundation where love used to live. She was the perfect blend of broken and hopeful. And Xander knew exactly how to present himself as the salve for both.

But he hadn’t expected to fall into doubt.

That message had reignited the suspicion that June’s heart still pulsed for Larry quietly, secretly. And that would make what came next easier.

He would own her trust, not her trust fund.

But after the ring was on her finger, and the ink on the marriage certificate dried well, then it wouldn’t really matter what she still felt for Larry.

Do you ever think it’s too soon?” June asked suddenly.

Xander turned.

“Too soon for what?”

“For us. For everything,” she said, looking at him through the mirror. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re too good to be true.”

He walked over, setting the phone down, and wrapped his arms around her from behind, meeting her eyes in the reflection.

“Well,” he whispered, “I am too good. But I’m true.”

She laughed softly, leaning back into him. Her trust was disarming.

“You say all the right things,” she murmured.

“Because I mean them,” he replied, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.

Will you marry me, Miss June Williams?”

The words fell like a sudden storm in the quiet room.

June blinked, confused, her breath catching. “What?”

Xander smiled, still holding her from behind. He rested his chin lightly on her shoulder, his voice rich with certainty.

“I’m asking you to marry me, June.”

She turned slightly in her chair, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Wait. Are you serious right now?”

“Dead serious,” he said, stepping back and walking toward the nightstand.

She laughed then an incredulous, nervous laugh. “Xander, don’t joke like that. My heart can’t handle it.”

But he didn’t laugh.

He reached into the inside pocket of his blazer, hanging neatly over the back of the chair, and pulled out a small velvet box.

June’s lips parted, the humor on her face fading fast as her eyes fell on the unmistakable glint of a jewelry box in his hand.

“I’ve had this ring for a while,” he said softly, slowly turning to her. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment. And something about tonight… about seeing you like this, vulnerable and beautiful and completely mine… it just felt right.”

She froze, blinking fast. “Xander…”

But he was already lowering himself onto one knee, holding out the box, the lid open to reveal a delicate, pear-shaped diamond nestled in gold. Elegant. Thoughtful. Custom made. Just like the way he’d studied her.

June felt her hands begin to tremble.

“Marry me, June,” he said gently. “Make me the happiest man in the world. I’m not promising perfection. I can’t erase your past. But I can walk with you through whatever’s ahead. I want to. I choose you.”

The silence in the room deepened.

Her throat went dry. Her heart thudded in her chest.

It was everything she had imagined wanting. A proposal. Love. Stability. A man who chose her, even with the mess of her past trailing behind her like shadows.

And yet…

Everything felt too fast. Like stepping onto a train that was already moving.

“I…” She swallowed, shifting slightly in her seat. “Xander, this is… this is a lot. I’m not sure what to say.”

“Say yes,” he whispered, eyes locked on hers. “That’s all you have to do. Say yes and everything will be sorted out, June. All the fear, the confusion, the ghosts of the past you don’t have to face them alone anymore.”

She looked down at him, stunned by the intensity in his eyes. There was no hesitation in his voice. No fear. No flicker of doubt.

Just bold certainty.

It should’ve comforted her.

But instead, it made her nervous.

“Everything’s just happening so fast,” she murmured, standing slowly, putting a little space between them. “We’ve only been together a few months. I thought we were still figuring things out.”

“We are,” Xander said, rising to his feet with the ring still in hand. “But what’s there to figure out when the truth is already right in front of us? Why wait, June? Why stretch things out when all I want is here with me?”

June looked down at her hands, unsure of what to do with them. She felt her heart tugging in two directions one pulled toward the idea of safety and love… the other, whispering slow down.

“I love you,” he said, taking her hands. “I want a life with you. And if I’m being honest… I don’t want to waste another day just dating when I already know. You’ve been through so much. Let me take care of you. Let me be your peace.”

His words wrapped around her like warm silk.

And yet…

A strange silence pressed at the edge of her thoughts. A small voice, almost too faint to hear.

Why now?

Why not wait, if it’s real?

She glanced down at the ring, glittering in the soft light. It was stunning. Perfect. Just like him.

And yet…

Something about this moment didn’t feel real. It felt orchestrated. Almost as if he had practiced this speech.

As if he'd been waiting… not for love, but for timing.

“Can I… can I think about it?” she asked softly, not meeting his eyes.

The flicker of disappointment in Xander’s gaze was lightning-fast but there.

“Of course,” he said smoothly, pocketing the box. “I didn’t mean to overwhelm you. I just… I’m ready. And I thought you might be too.”

June nodded slowly, retreating to the edge of the bed. “I just need some air. To think.”

“I’ll give you all the time you need,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

But he was furious inside.

You should’ve said yes.

Why hesitate? Why delay?

He poured himself a drink in the kitchen, fingers tightening around the glass. His jaw clenched. Audrey had gotten into her head. That damn message had thrown off his timing.

He would need to adapt.

He always did.

Maybe June needed another nudge. Maybe he needed to create a scenario where the proposal seemed less like a question, and more like a lifeline.

After all, he still had the biggest card to play.

He just needed to find the right way… and the right moment.