Julie Olivia

I am currently in love with, have always been in love with, and will continue to be in love with, my best friend, Bennett Walker Shaw.
In five minutes, my best friend’s bride will greet him in a gorgeous white gown with forever on her lips. Except that bride won’t be me.
Moments like these force you to look at your life a little closer.
At twelve-years-old, he and I promised to always be there for each other. But in our childlike optimism we didn’t understand the frail, tattered string of time. How people change. How families fall apart. 
How sometimes we fall apart too.
I could try to pinpoint where our mess started, but I’m not sure where I’d land in our patchwork timeline.
Maybe it’s best to go back to the beginning. Back to when the meaning of love was simply defined by a small town theme park and that beautiful, messy-haired boy.

Their Freefall At Last is a slow burn romance spanning two decades, featuring two childhood best friends and their many years of pining. Enjoy the comforts of a small town theme park, filled with lots of love and steamy tension.

Honeywood Fun Park Series, Book #4

Their Freefall At Last

nanafark

I’ve seen this boy at the lunch line in my school. He’s the boy with the crooked teeth, who’s always laughing.

When he looks back to me, I instantly look away. Mama and Daddy tell me it’s rude to stare, and here I am, being the rudest person ever. […] He reminds me of Captain Hook in 

He twists his mouth to the side, and the little flapping bird wings in my heart barrel through me.

“I like your hair too,” I blurt out because I miss his talking. “You look like a pirate.”

My mouth falls open, and the energy inside me bubbles up into another giggle.

“You can be a pirate with me if you want.”

“Oh.” He squints into the sun. “Well, you can be my parrot then. They’re not bad, like, ever.”

 “Parrots don’t talk as much.” […] “And you don’t talk much either.” His head jerks to me. “Is that okay?” His eyebrows are pulled in again. “I don’t mean that you’re my sidekick or anything. Mom says girls should never be sidekicks.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “I like parrots.”

And, slow as a wave brushing onto the beach, he smiles back to me with his crooked little teeth.

“Good,” he says. “I like parrots too.”

Even though everyone else yells it, the boy next to me whispers, “Happy birthday.” 

I feel giddy, like I’ve emptied a bottle of glitter into my stomach, and I can’t shake it off.

“Thanks for not yelling,” I say, smiling.

“You’re welcome, Parrot. Why didn’t you tell her where you were?”

“She couldn’t hear me. Nobody can.”

His bottom teeth poke out between his lips before they pull into a wider grin.

We play pirates until lunch when Mom brings out two cakes —one for each of us. She tells us to make a wish before we blow out our candles. I never know what to wish for, so I just hope for Ruby’s wish to come true instead.

because it’s Ruby’s favorite movie to see, and I hold her hand because it’s my favorite thing to do.

His hand is on my lower back, steadying me closer to him so he can hear my words when I speak. I like how he smells today. He has some unique blend of his mom’s coffee and pancake syrup and sweat, but under all of that, Bennett’s hair always smells like strawberries.

I roll my eyes even though I know he can’t see it. Maybe he’ll be able to feel it.

Bennett snorts. “You’re rolling your eyes, aren’t you?”

“Come over.” His voice is even. I don’t hear his smile anymore. “Don’t take no for an answer.”

“If it’s getting bad, Mom can take care of you,” he says. And then I think I hear him swallow before he adds, “

The familiar glitter —the kind that only appears when Bennett says things like that— slides over my chest and into my stomach. I never know what to say when he gets all boy-like and serious, so I sit on the line in silence.

angry. And you know what? I don’t think I want to get married. Ever.”

“It’s not worth it,” I say. “Marriage ruins love.”

“Definitely. I wouldn’t marry anyone.”

After a few moments, Bennett says, “Well, I’d marry you.”

My head whips up, almost as fast as the way my heart is racing.

A slow smile rises on his face, revealing the green braces beneath his lips.

“Exactly,” he says. “Maybe that’s the secret. Marrying your best friend or something. Do you wanna get married to me, Ruby?”

That sentence makes my heart, which beat with anger seconds ago, now feel different. Like those little, familiar pieces of sparkling glitter.

“Well, what if we break up?” I ask. “I could never 

He leans forward, placing a palm on the bedsheets between us. My heart jumps.

“Rubes, I would never break up with you once we’re married.”

The promise hits me in the chest, leaving my nerves sizzling afterward, like fireworks slowly crackling out and disappearing.

Their Freefall At Last quotes

Join the club