Page 85 of Off-Limits Daddy
His eyes locked on mine, unwavering. No hint of doubt.
“I’ve loved you for as long as I remember,” he said, voice low and rough around the edges. “Had this crush when I was sixteen, but didn’t know what to do with it. Thought it would fade.”
He let out a breath. His thumb skimmed along my jaw, absentmindedly, like muscle memory.
“But by eighteen?” His voice thickened. “It didn’t feel like a crush anymore. It felt like breathing. Like I could finally exhale. With you... I was home.”
Something cracked open behind my ribs.
God, this boy.
My hand slid to the back of his neck, warm skin meeting my palm. He leaned into it without hesitation, like he belonged there.
“You really love me, baby?” My voice came out rough—too low, too hoarse—but I didn’t care.
He nodded. “Yeah.” His fingers pressed against the side of my hospital bed like he needed to anchor himself. “All of you. Always.”
Every last inch of me softened at that. The stubborn parts, the cautious ones. The part of me that had been holding back because he was Sage’s brother. The years of silence cracked wide open.
“Then you’re mine.” I brushed my thumb under his eye, catching the shimmer there. “Say it, baby.”
He exhaled, shaky. “Yours.”
“You mean it?”
“I’ve only ever meant it.”
That was it. I pulled him down gently until his forehead rested against mine, noses brushing, breath shared.
“I love you too,” I said, quiet but firm. “More than I thought I could love anyone.”
His smile trembled at the edges. His fingers found my jaw, then the side of my neck, like he was memorizing the shape of me now that he could finally touch without hiding.
We stayed like that. Close. Breathing each other in. My body hurt like hell, but I’d never felt more at peace. I nodded, but my knees didn’t feel like they belonged to me.
My legs felt useless.
His smile trembled at the edges. His fingers found my jaw, then the side of my neck, like he was memorizing the shape of me now that he could finally touch without hiding.
We stayed like that. Close. Breathing each other in. My body hurt like hell, but I’d never felt more at peace.
Then came the knock.
Ari’s eyes darted to the door. He hesitated, his body curved toward mine like leaving even for a second would undo him.
“It’s Sage, isn’t it?”
Ari nodded.
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “I need to talk to him.”
My boy didn’t move right away.
I let my palm rest over his heart. “We’re okay, baby. Promise.”
His gaze searched mine for a beat longer, then he nodded. Bent to kiss my cheek—soft, warm, lingering. His lips brushed close to my ear as he whispered, “I love you.”
And just like that, he slipped away, giving me one last look before he crossed the room.
