Off Limits (Secrets Kept, #1)

by Riley Hart

In another life, maybe things would be different.

Maybe it’ll be nothing, and maybe it’ll be everything.

Hutch had told Mads about me. Something about what we were doing was important enough that he told his sister.

I wanted to see your grin so many times over the past few weeks, and now I know I’ve seen it my whole life.

Being an adult is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.

Once the door closed, he tangled our fingers together, interlocking them, brushing his thumb against my palm, before he sighed and pulled away.

I cupped his face, held it, felt his breath against my lips. “I see you, Hutch. You matter. You don’t have to get in trouble to get my attention the way you did with your parents when you were a kid. You don’t have to be a certain kind of doctor, or have any specific career, or do whatever events I wanted to show you off at for you to have my attention. It’s yours, and you deserve even more.”

I feel you, this rightness I didn’t even know I was missing. Like a part of me was waiting for you all along. No matter how hard I try, I can’t make it go away.”

Make it so everyone knows I’m yours? Because I am, Hutch. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but I am.”

“I don’t regret you.” “I don’t regret you either,”

Hutch was what I hadn’t known I was looking for, what I hadn’t known I needed.

this swell of happiness in my chest that was so foreign to me before I had him, but was now becoming part of my normal.

Needing this with him when I’d never needed it with anyone else in my life.

“Well, that’s a damn shame because I’m so fucking in love with you. I’ll spend every day trying to earn you back if I have to.”

I held myself over him, smiling down at this man who’d been in my life since the day I was born and was now so much more. “I love you,”

“And whatever happens, I’m not going anywhere, okay?” I looked at him, hoping Hutch saw the seriousness in my eyes. He nodded. “I’m not going anywhere either.”

“I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to hearing you say that.” “Then I’ll be sure to tell you every day.”

There was no future for Ryder and Maddy, but there is for us. He makes me feel…” Hutch rubbed a hand over his heart. “Right…settled in here. You want me to walk away from that?”

“Just don’t go,” Hutch replied. “Just please, don’t go.”

“I love you, Hutch. You’re mine. I refuse to lose you.”

“I love you.” I wanted to tell him all the time so he didn’t forget it, so he didn’t feel less loveable with everything going on. I wanted to be worth it for him.

“I love you, Hutch. You can’t push me away. I can promise you I’m not going anywhere on my own. You are so goddamned worth loving, even if you don’t see it.”

I’m not leaving you. I’m not walking away from you. I’ll be back, and I’ll keep coming back, because I love you and you’re worth it.”

I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life loving this man.