Page 1 of Forever to Fall
PROLOGUE
15 Years Ago
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Mallory Lawson alwayswondered what her wedding day would look like. She had no idea it would be as rustic and lovely as where she stood now, hands linked with her best friend, the dimple on his cheeks popping as he gazed adoringly back at her. The old oak tree swayed in the breeze, the wind swirling her chocolate hair around her face. The feeling of cool grass tickled her toes and a few insects flitted around her bare legs—but none of that mattered. She was marrying Beckett Fox, and the world could swallow her whole and she wouldn’t notice.
“I do,” Beckett said, sliding a ring onto her left hand. The metal was solid and cool against her flushed skin, and Mallory imprinted the moment to memory. She wanted to remember every detail, every facet of how the sun reflected off the ruby stone, how the diamonds twinkled like daytime stars.
“Kids! It’s time for dinner!” A familiar voice echoed from the farm house down the hill. “I made French bread pizzas.”
“Oh dang,” her brother, Evan, exclaimed as he tucked the Bible he was using for the ceremony under his arm and charged toward dinner, dust skittering off his sneakered heels.
Mallory tried not to let it bother her that she hadn’t gotten to kiss her husband yet, but she tried not to dwell. She was on the cusp of becoming a teenager, there would be time for those logistics later.
Beckett didn’t follow his friend, instead staying close to Mallory. “Um...” he said, voice trailing off. His eyes darted all around them, from their clasped hands to the house in the distance and the leaves rustling overhead. “I guess we should like...” His words faltered, hand lifting to scratch the back of his neck.
Finally, his gaze snagged hers and he smiled. Mallory was familiar with Beckett’s smiles. He had one for Evan, when they were playing baseball and running around in the dirt. He had one for his grandparents, when Gramps would tussle his red hair and tease him; another for his Gram when she made his favorite apple cupcakes. Then there was the smile he flashed her now—slightly crooked and showing the gap in his teeth. Mallory’s own grin reflected from Beckett’s glasses, the frames never sitting quite right on his nose.
“We should?” she asked, her tiny heart hammering in her ribcage. In her dozen years on the planet, she’d never felt so nervous—so alive.
Beckett licked his lips, scuffing his sneakers on the ground. While Mallory didn’t want the confines of shoes on her big day, he’d settled on the new sneakers he got for the upcoming school year.
“Kiss,” he blurted out, his cheeks and ears immediately turning crimson. Even his smudged glasses couldn’t hide his hopeful, yet embarrassed, expression.
Mallory’s eyebrows shot up, hitting her bangs. “Youwantto kiss me?” She was incredulous and giddy at the same time.
“I dunno,” he countered, now staring at a patch of crab grass like it held the secrets to the universe. “To, you know, make it official?” He kicked the spot on the lawn, careful not to get his shoes dirty.
Mallory glanced down to the ring on her hand, her favorite trinket in all the world. It sparkled like an oasis in the desert. “Yes,” she said with more confidence than what she felt. “We should.”
Beckett flashed her that special smile, inching closer until their toes touched. Mallory took a deep breath and leaned in, smacking her lips against his before they sprang apart. Before she could say anything, he grinned and shrugged. “Time for pizza?” He turned tail and bounded toward the house, following the path made by her brother. His red hair gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, turning him into a honing beacon.
Mallory stood frozen, her lips tingling from the contact and the confusion and excitement of the moment. Reaching her hand up to her mouth, she sighed. Despite her young age, she knew that was likely the most romantic moment of her whole life.
But she was also a kid who was ready for food, so she grabbed the hem of her dress and started running. “Hey, save me a slice!”
