Page 88 of Dr. Off Limits

“Then if Sutton’s worth it, you can figure out another way of getting what you want. But more than that, maybe Sutton is part of your ultimate goal and you just haven’t let yourself see it yet.”

We continued walking as I thought about the reality of taking myself out of the running to head up the foundation program. I wouldn’t know what direction I was headed if I did that, but maybe Zach was right and I was missing other opportunities because I was so set in one direction.

“Say for argument’s sake that I dropped the idea of the promotion. And maybe Sutton is part of my ultimate goal...” I paused. There was no doubt being with her made me happy. I could see us together, whacking each other with tea towels like Mum and Dad did, laughing about nothing, sticking by each other. I could see that future and it made me happy. “I think being with Sutton would make me happy. But none of that matters because Sutton has her own reasons why she can’t be with me.”

Zach sighed. “Maybe she’s questioning those reasons too.”

Sutton was at the very start of her career. She had almost two years of the foundation program left. I knew how important it was for her to prove herself during those two years. She wasn’t going to give that up—not for me, and not for anything. “I doubt it.”

“Maybe she just needs to understand how you feel.”

She knew how I felt. She knew I didn’t want to end things, even though we were forced to. “I don’t want to put any pressure on her.”

“You know her best,” he said.

I knew her better than Zach did. But I wanted to know more. And I wanted to know her forever.

---