2. Prologue

Prologue

Ana Maria

I can't believe I just slapped Justin Hoffer, the guy I've been crushing on for the last five years. It just made me so mad when he told me he'd pay me to get married. Who does he think I am? Okay, I may have overreacted, but those were not the words I expected to come out of his mouth.

His family was not around to see me hit him, thankfully, but they are still inside the library looking for books for little Daisy, Justin's daughter. I open and close my right hand and wonder where that slap came from. I'm not a violent person.

I remember the first time I saw Justin in town. I was just out of college and hoping to get hired by the town's library. I knew the current librarian was close to retiring – we'd kept in touch – and the job was almost a sure thing.

Justin always came into the library with his daughter to look at picture books. They would sit in the kid’s area, and he'd let her explore, always making sure she knew books were precious and to take care with them. He never raised his voice at her, and there was always giggling to be heard from where I was sitting at the front desk.

It tugged at my heartstrings because I've always wanted a family, and through some stroke of bad luck, it wouldn't be easy for me to get pregnant if I was able to at all. I know it's wrong to want what you cannot have, but my heart aches when I see sweet families like this.

The man in question left a few minutes ago and I don't know how to feel about the cupcake he left for me earlier. How do you just blurt out to someone that you want to marry them? He's never asked me out on a single date. He's never even flirted with me.

He's been the quintessential gentleman throughout all the years we've known each other. So that's why I thought it was a joke the first time he said it. Then he said it again with that little addendum. Here's the thing. I would LOVE to marry Justin Hoffer and have a family with him.

The problem is, I'd sort of had all these ideas in my head. He'd finally come to his senses and start flirting with me, and then he'd announce he was going to court me. After the proper amount of time – I thought maybe about a year – he'd propose, and then we'd live happily ever after.

But no. He wants to pay me to become his wife. How romantic. Not. You know what? I'm glad I slapped him. And if he tries to propose again, I'll punch him straight in the nose.

Having figured that out in my head I go back to my duties as the librarian of the Woodland Falls Library.