Face Your Fears

Chapter 1

* (05/16/2021)

Hi there, lovely readers!

What you're about to read is a story I began writing all the way back in 2012, shortly after I finished In 27 Days. Recently I've had the time to take a trip down memory lane and revisit these chapters, which has been a very fun yet equally cringe inducing experience.

That being said, some of you readers have (rightfully so) pointed out that some of Archer's behavior in this work is problematic, and yes, I agree - it is. Some of his thoughts and actions I don't agree with at all and shouldn't be brushed aside. But, as I'm sure you readers have heard before, hindsight is 20/20, and all I can say is that my writing process and everything that goes with it has improved a great deal over the years. It's inevitable that I will make mistakes and mess up. That doesn't mean I won't learn from it and strive to do better.

In the near ten years it's been since I started this wild journey with Hadley and Archer, I've come along way and grown not only as a writer, but also as a person. I went from being an introverted and socially awkward teenager in high school to a married adult who now spends most of her time with her mischievous one-year-old trying to work from home during a pandemic.

So please enjoy this work of fiction for what it is, but remember it was written from the perspective of a seventeen-year-old who'd never had a boyfriend before and didn't have the faintest idea how marriage actually works. (Seriously, I didn't meet my now-husband until I was a junior in college. Some of the things Hadley and Archer get up to is ridiculous. If my husband pulled half the crap Archer does in this story, we'd be taking a long, hard look at our marriage).

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading, and for sticking with these crazy kids after all this time. It still means the world to me and always will. I never would've made it to where I am now if it weren't for everyone here on this platform.

Happy reading, everyone!

Much love,
Ally ❤️

PS - For those who are wondering, yes, the TV series for In 27 Days is still happening! I hope to have some news to share very soon, but sadly, the pandemic has delayed the whole process A LOT. Please stay tuned for updates!

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"Archer. Wake up."

I let out a groan and rolled over, shoving my head underneath my pillow. I just wanted ten more minutes of sleep. Ten more minutes. Was that too much to ask for?

"Come on, Archer! You have to get up!"

"No."

My beautiful, witty, sometimes brazen and completely annoying wife tossed herself down on the bed beside me and ripped my pillow away.

"Get up, Archer Morales."

I cracked open an eyelid and glared up at Hadley, my mouth turning down in a childish pout.

Hadley was already up and ready for the day, of course, which was downright annoying – I was so not a morning person.

Her long brown hair was in perfect waves, she was wearing one of those classy outfits her best friend Taelor had helped her pick out, and she looked as if she'd already had three cups of coffee. Then again, I really wasn't sure if she was that wired on a daily basis as it was.