Off Limits Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Off Limits

  Vivian Ward

  Copyright © 2017 by Vivian Ward

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For those who believe in love.

  Contents

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  Also by Vivian Ward

  One Wild Night

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  About the Author

  Also by Vivian Ward

  Our Dirty Secret

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Also by Vivian Ward

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  About the Author

  One New Message

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

  About the Author

  Also by Vivian Ward

  Vivian Ward Newsletter

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  Chapter 1

  Melanie

  “I’m going to have to get a second job,” I tell my coworker, Jo.

  “Oh, no, honey” she says. “Things are that bad, huh?”

  The diner has been dead and today is no exception. I’m waiting on my third table for the day and my shift is almost over.

  The diner used to be busy during dayshift but not anymore, so I don’t make nearly as much as I used to.

  Breakfast has dwindled to next to nothing and lunch is almost non-existent. Dinner, for some reason, seems to have picked up somewhat but the evening shift is full so the only way I get to work it is if someone needs me to cover.

  “Yeah, they’re really bad,” I say.

  Jo and I lean against the wall, wrapping cheap napkins around silverware as I watch the elderly man cut up his wife’s food because her hands are too deformed from arthritis.

  It makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy to know that real love still exists like that in this world, but sad because I’ll never find it.

  I thought I’d found it when I met Garrett, Cam’s father, but what we had wasn’t real at all. He pulled me into his jealous, hateful world, and then isolated me, belittled me, and made me believe that I needed him to survive.

  When I think back on things between us, it pisses me off that I fell for it. I don’t know how I was dumb enough to believe any of the things he told me. I never needed a man before him but somehow he convinced me that I needed him to live.

  He took away everything that I loved—my friends, my job, my entire life—and kept me to himself. For some reason, I felt safe and protected when I was with him,
until I started to wake up and realize what was going on. Little did I know he was entrapping me to rely on him so that he could do anything that he wanted to me and I’d stay.

  He must have thought I’d stick around and take anything he dished out—and I did for a while—but everyone has limits, and I’m no different. Eventually, I stood up to him and he didn’t like it.

  Of course, most cheating men don’t like getting caught and that’s exactly what happened.

  When I took my vows, I meant them; for better or worse, for sickness and in health, richer or poorer, all that that jazz.

  So, yes, I tried to stick out his constant unhappiness; I tried to find ways to please him and make him happy.

  If he complained about my spending, I’d cut back on our budget. Things would have been better if I worked, but he refused. I wasn’t allowed to have a job. My place was at home, according to him.

  I’d just started cosmetology school when we met. I was only a year out of high school and thought I was in love. It didn’t take long for him to win me over with his handsome looks and his dazzling smile.

  Snakes always seem to have a certain charm, don’t they?

  I thought things were falling right into place. I was earning a degree, having fun, making new friends, and found a great guy to fall in love with—or so I thought. Isn’t that how adult life is supposed to go? That’s what I thought at least.

  But cosmetology school was just the beginning of what I had in store. I’d always wanted to go to school to start my own business one day; a salon to be exact.

  My plan was simple. Go to school for cosmetology, get my license and start working in my field. I figured once I had my student loans paid off from cosmetology school, I could save up some cash for college and take some business courses to open my own salon.

  It’d certainly be better than renting a space from someone or working for an hourly wage for someplace like Super Cuts where I’d be limited to the services that I could offer to clients.

  If I opened my own business, I could do what I wanted to do and offer the services that I wanted to offer. I could also hire some great talent and get my name out there.

  But when I found out that I was pregnant and told him that we were expecting, he really pushed for me to stay home and be a full-time mom.

  I didn’t want to at first, but he pressed the issue so much that I felt obligated. He gave me guilt trips and made me feel selfish. In reality, he was the one being selfish.

  We got married right away so that when we made the pregnancy announcement, nobody could criticize us—or at least not as much. He also talked me into dropping out of cosmetology school.

  He said, “What’s the point? It’s not like you’re going to ever use it. It’ll just be a piece of paper to remind you of what you can’t do since you’ll be a mother and a wife.”

  I’m not sure how he did it but when he talked me into quitting, it made sense. Like I said looking back on things, I know better now.

  All he wanted to do was keep me isolated so that he could have me to himself. He was so jealous and insecure that he hated when I talked to other people—men or women.

  He always accused me of cheating on him and I’d never do any such thing.

  I’d later find out that he was the cheater. He was the one lying about what he was doing and who he was with, and not with just one person. No, he’d cheated throughout our entire relationship.

  By the time I figured it all out and gathered my senses, along with a bit of courage, Cam was a little over a year old. I had no work history for almost two years, and I was a young, single mom.

  I had to take the first job that would hire me so that I could make ends meet, which is why I now have the luxury of wearing this ugly, cheap waitress uniform that’s golden yellow with ugly brown trim.

  “What’s going on? Is there something I can help with?”

  Jo is so sweet. She’s in her 50’s and has worked here for God knows how long. I’m not sure how she makes enough to live on, but I think she gets a small monthly check from her husband’s death that helps cover most of her living expenses.

  “I don’t think so unless you can drum up some more business around this place,” I say, placing the last piece of silverware in the brown wicker basket.

  I stand up tall and sigh as I bend down to pick up a new silverware basket for us to fill.

  “Here you go, sir. You can sit right here,” I hear Amelia, our hostess, say as my head pops back up over the counter. “What can I get you to drink?”

  Oh. My. God.

  It’s Chase Taylor, and he looks even better than he ever did in high school. I haven’t seen him in ages but his gorgeous face doesn’t let me forget the crush that I’ve had on him ever since our 10th grade year of high school.

  It’s been almost six years since I’ve seen him.

  “Amelia!” I walk over to her and whisper scream as she makes his drink. “Why did you put him in my section?” I nod my head toward Chase’s table.

  “Weren’t you just complaining to Jo that you need money? You’re not exactly quiet, you know?”

  I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out so I close it and try again.

  “Yeah, but oh my God.”

  “What?” Amelia asks.

  “Nothing,” I say to her. “It’s just that I went to school with him.”

  My voice trails off, not wanting to reveal much more to her than the fact that we went to school together.

  Chase and I were in the same grade. His older sister, Abby, was two years ahead of us. I never liked her and the feeling was mutual.

  “And you had a big crush on him?” she asks.

  My cheeks heat up and I feel myself getting flustered.

  “What? No,” I lie.

  “Yeah, I think so,” she peers around my shoulder, looking out into the dining room at him. “And I can’t say I blame you. He is fine!”

  “Shh! Shut up! He might here you,” I tell her.

  “Good, I hope he does. I wouldn’t mind giving him a try,” she winks at me. “Or does that bother you? Since you used to like him?”

  I roll my eyes and take the glass from her hand.

  “Like that would ever stop you,” I laugh at her. “I’ll go deliver this to him and get his order.”

  “I bet you will. Check for a ring on his finger before you go offering dessert,” she winks at me.

  Now that I’ve got his glass in my hand and I’m walking to his table, I’m thinking about letting Jo take him and wait on him.

  It’s like she can read my mind as I walk near her and shakes her head no. I frown at her before making my way past the countertop and put on a fake smile as I approach his table.

  I quickly debate whether I should play it off as though I don’t recognize who he is or if I should make light of the situation but I’m not lucky enough to have that opportunity.

  “Here’s your,” I have no clue what type of drink Amelia made him so I have to stop to look at it through the thick red plastic cup. “Water.”

  I place the glass on the table in front of him.

  “Melanie Parker?” he asks me. “How are you doing?”

  I’d be better if I wasn’t working in this hideous greasy spoon joint with this ugly uniform while standing here talking to you.

  I don’t have any other option but to go with the flow.

  “Wow! Chase Taylor? I didn’t even recognize you at first. I’m doing great! How are you?”

  My fake smile brightens into a cheerful grin plastered across my face as I talk to him. Half of it’s real, half of it’s still fake.

  I can’t believe he remembered who I am. He never paid any attention to me in school.

  “Wonderful,” he says smiling at me. He shakes his head and looks into my eyes, making me blush even more than I already am.

  “You look great,” he says.

  “Thanks,” I brush off his compliment. “Are you ready to order?”

  “Oh,” he picks up the
menu and hands it back to me. “Yeah, I don’t need this. I know what I want.”

  I swallow.

  Hard.

  “Wh—what’s that?” I stutter.

  “I’ll take four eggs—over easy—with three pieces of toast and three sausages. Give me a side of hash browns with that, too.”

  Suddenly, I feel stupid for thinking that I could’ve been what he wanted. Of course, he wanted food. Duh.

  “Is that all?” I tease. “That’s enough for a small family.”

  He rubs his gray track suit over his taut abs and grins.

  “Carb day. Gotta refuel, ya know?”

  Right. Carb day.

  Every day is carb day for me. I can’t complain though. After having Cam, my body hasn’t changed much since before my pregnancy with him. My hips filled out a little more, which is a blessing because I used to be straight as a stick. Having him gave my body the little bit of curve that it needed.