First to Fall (Bartholomew, #1)

by Laney Hatcher

So I was continually surprised that she hadn’t yet figured out I was hopelessly in love with her.

Change was a frightening concept. The unknown was equally worrisome. And the combination of the two was unfathomable. If Emery found out I loved her, desperately and hopelessly, that knowledge could potentially wreak havoc on our friendship. I couldn’t allow that. It was another reason why Emery’s proposal and the very idea of marriage had my heart racing inside my chest. There were so many variables and I couldn’t plan for any of them.

If we were to wed, and I’m not saying I’d agree to it, could we still remain friends as we were right now?

Remember that time we found you waltzing in slippers just because Emery wanted a dancing partner and had demanded to lead?” He chuckled good-naturedly. My stone-faced response aimed at Emery clearly said, No one remembers, my ass.

Augie had this ridiculous notion that should we marry, he would be preventing me from finding a love match. Were all men really so naïve? He meant well and I loved him for it. But he just didn’t realize how little autonomy women possessed, how little control we had over our own futures.

And a ton marriage for a woman like me would be a shackle about the leg.

It was the setting of so many Emery and Augie moments … from the mundane joy of reading next to each other to sharing a first kiss because I declared at age eight that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.