We kiss more, and we break apart long enough for her to slip my jacket off her shoulders, for the blanket to be laid on the floor and then for those items to cover us up on the cool night as we resume kissing. We continue to explore until we reach a point where Elle decides if we go much further she’ll explode.
With a happy sigh, Elle curls into me, and I hold her close. I kiss her lips again, and she runs her fingers along my arm in encouragement. She then rests her head on my chest, and I listen to my songs and the symphony of katydids and frogs that is our own private orchestra.
“Are you happy?” she asks.
“Very.”
“So am I.”
Tonight, we don’t know if the Second Chance Program will be saved, we don’t know if her father will win the election, we don’t know if her relationship with her parents will be repaired, and I don’t know if I will truly have a career in music.
But there are things I do know. No matter what happens, no matter what dark moments we face, Elle and I have both learned how to stand on our own two feet, and we’ve also learned that the journey is sweeter when it is shared together.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry.
Playlist
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day
“No” by Meghan Trainor
“Take Your Time” by Sam Hunt
“Praying for Time” by George Michael
“Unsteady” by X Ambassadors
“Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel
“Upside Down” by Jack Johnson
“Immortals (featuring Black Thought)” [Remix] by Fall Out Boy
“California Dreamin’” by Sia
“Hazy Shade of Winter” by The Bangles
“21 Guns” by Green Day
“Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)” by Crowder
“My House” by Flo Rida
“Don’t Let Me Down” (featuring Daya) by The Chainsmokers
“Hallelujah” by Pentatonix
“Freedom” by George Michael
“Love Feels Like” (featuring DC Talk) by tobyMac
“Love Broke Thru” by tobyMac
Acknowledgments
To God
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
For Dave
Your patience and love for me during the writing of this book is one of the greatest gifts you have ever given to me. You believed in me when it felt like nobody else did. You believed in me when I stopped believing in myself. Thank you for holding me when I cried, thank you for listening to me when I needed to talk, thank you for the times you held my hand when I needed silence, and thank you for giving me your own version of a Rocky II speech—the one that made me laugh so hard that I might have woken our neighbors.
I love you, more than any words could ever explain. You are the reason I write love stories.
Thank you to Suzie Townsend, Michael Strother, Margo Lipschultz and KP Simmon. Suzie, your optimism makes me smile and gives me such hope. Thank you for being a shining light. Michael, you’re a genius. There are parts of this book that are here because of your brilliance. Thank you for being a part of Elle and Drix’s story. Margo, you are the brainstormer extraordinaire! Thank you for all your help! KP—you are the best! Your wisdom and friendship has helped me more than you could ever imagine.
Kristen Simmons—thank you for helping me laugh when everything hurt. I wouldn’t have survived this one without you.
Angela Annalaro-Murphy—you have been my biggest cheerleader from the start. I thank God every day for your friendship.
There are people who have consistently encouraged me emotionally and spiritually over the past five years. People who I’m very lucky to call friends. Thank you to Shilo Smaldone, Melissa Steele, Angela Poole, Dana Moon, Colette Ballard, Kelly Creagh, Bethany Griffin, Kurt Hampe, Bill Wolfe, the Mattinglys, my parents, my sister, my Mount Washington family and the entire McGarry “Madness” clan—with a special shout out to Angela, Stephanie and Lisa. It takes a village and I thank you for your love and support.
To my readers: Your continued love, support and faith in me has had more of an impact on me than you could ever imagine. Thank you for reading my books and for being so amazing!
Check out the THUNDER ROAD series from critically acclaimed author Katie McGarry—jam-packed with romance, adventure and danger, you won’t want to miss it!
Read the complete series here!
NOWHERE BUT HERE (Book 1)
WALK THE EDGE (Book 2)
LONG WAY HOME (Book 3)
An unforgettable series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.
***
For even more from Katie McGarry, check out the complete PUSHING THE LIMITS series!
Read them all!
PUSHING THE LIMITS (Book 1)
CROSSING THE LINE (Novella)
DARE YOU TO (Book 2)
CRASH INTO YOU (Book 3)
TAKE ME ON (Book 4)
BREAKING THE RULES (Book 5)
CHASING IMPOSSIBLE (Novella)
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz comes a heart-wrenching and remarkable story of self-love and healing.
SOMEONE TO LOVE
As the daughter of a politician, Olivia “Liv” Blakley knows how important it is to look good. She has an image to uphold—to her maybe boyfriend, to the new friends who suddenly welcome her into their circle and to the public, who love to find fault on social media.
Liv’s sunny, charming facade hides a dark inner voice that will settle for nothing less than perfection. But as the high price of perfection takes a toll, placing her body and soul at risk, Liv herself has to realize what she has to live for, and learn that the struggle to find someone to love starts with oneself.
Read it now!
***
From Melissa de la Cruz, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alex & Eliza.
Dive into this heartfelt, hopeful, must-read romance:
SOMETHING IN BETWEEN
Caught between who she is and who she wants to be.
“Both heartbreaking and bursting with hope, this is the book we all need.”
—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Young Elites and Legend series
“This book will change you. A must-read.”
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“We’re obsessed—and you will be too.”
—The Editors of Seventeen magazine
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Don’t miss the second gripping and heartfelt story from Abigail Johnson
THE FIRST TO KNOW
To tell or not to tell?
A girl’s plan to find her father’s birth family turns potentially devastating when the secret DNA test she has done for him reveals she has a half-brother she never knew about, and her parents’ happy marriage suddenly looks like a lie.
Read it here!
***
An unforgettable debut novel perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Cammie McGovern and Morgan Matson. Fall in love with the addictive, page-turning romance in I
F I FIX YOU.
Some things are easy to fix...but are some meant to stay broken?
Struggling with her mother’s abandonment and a lost friendship, Jill Whitaker becomes consumed with fixing the life of the inappropriate boy next door. Intense, seriously cute, but with scars that he thinks don’t show, Jill finds herself trying to make things better for Daniel.
But over one long, hot Arizona summer, she realizes she can’t fix anyone’s life until she fixes her own. And she knows just where to start...
“Broken boys and broken cars and broken hearts. I loved this combination of things that need fixing. Heartfelt and romantic! Read it!”
—Kasie West, author of The Fill-In Boyfriend
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers an utterly heartbreaking story will grip you from the first page to the last!
IF THERE’S NO TOMORROW
Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything. Now Lena isn’t looking forward. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian might never forgive her for what happened. For what she let happen.
With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when tomorrow isn’t a guarantee?
Read it here!
***
Discover a riveting story of friendship, survival and finding your voice.
Don’t miss THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER.
Growing up, Mallory Dodge learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. Now, four years after her nightmare ended, and after years of homeschooling, Mallory is spending her senior year at a public high school. But she never imagined she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.
As they both deal with lingering scars, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants and the truths that need to be heard.
“Heartbreakingly real...a remarkable novel about the power of first love and the courage it takes to face your fears.”
—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author
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Pushing the Limits
by Katie McGarry
1
Echo
“My father is a control freak, I hate my stepmother, my brother is dead and my mother has...well...issues. How do you think I’m doing?”
That’s how I would have loved to respond to Mrs. Collins’s question, but my father placed too much importance on appearance for me to answer honestly. Instead, I blinked three times and said, “Fine.”
Mrs. Collins, Eastwick High’s new clinical social worker, acted as if I hadn’t spoken. She shoved a stack of files to the side of her already cluttered desk and flipped through various papers. My new therapist hummed when she found my three-inch-thick file and rewarded herself with a sip of coffee, leaving bright red lipstick on the curve of the mug. The stench of cheap coffee and freshly sharpened pencils hung in the air.
My father checked his watch from the chair to my right and, on my left, the Wicked Witch of the West shifted impatiently. I was missing first period calculus, my father was missing some very important meeting, and my stepmother from Oz? I’m sure she was missing her brain.
“Don’t you just love January?” Mrs. Collins asked as she opened my file. “New year, new month, new slate to start over on.” Not even waiting for a reply, she continued, “Do you like the curtains? I made them myself.”
In one synchronized movement, my father, my stepmother and I turned our attention to the pink polka-dotted curtains hanging on the windows overlooking the student parking lot. The curtains were too Little House on the Prairie with the color scheme of a bad rave for my taste. Not a single one of us answered and our silence created a heavy awkwardness.
My father’s BlackBerry vibrated. With exaggerated effort, he pulled it out of his pocket and scrolled down the screen. Ashley drummed her fingers over her bloated belly and I read the various handpainted plaques hanging on the wall so I could focus on anything that wasn’t her.
Failure is your only enemy. The only way up is to never look down. We succeed because we believe. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Okay—so that last one didn’t make the wall of sayings, but I would have found it amusing.
Mrs. Collins reminded me of an overgrown Labrador retriever with her blond hair and much too friendly attitude. “Echo’s ACT and SAT scores are fabulous. You should be very proud of your daughter.” She gave me a sincere smile, exposing all of her teeth.
Start the timer. My therapy session had officially begun. Close to two years ago, after the incident, Child Protective Services had “strongly encouraged” therapy—and Dad quickly learned that it was better to say yes to anything “strongly encouraged.” I used to go to therapy like normal people, at an office separate from school. Thanks to an influx in funding from the state of Kentucky and an overenthusiastic social worker, I’d become part of this pilot program. Mrs. Collins’s sole job was to deal with a few kids from my high school. Lucky me.
My father sat up taller in his seat. “Her math scores were low. I want her to retake the tests.”
“Is there a bathroom nearby?” Ashley interrupted. “The baby loves to sit on my bladder.”
More like Ashley loved to make everything about her. Mrs. Collins gave her a strained smile and pointed to the door. “Go out to the main hallway and take a right.”
The way she maneuvered out of her chair, Ashley acted as if she carried a thousand-pound ball of lead instead of a tiny baby. I shook my head in disgust, which only drew my father’s ice-cold stare.
“Mr. Emerson,” Mrs. Collins continued once Ashley left the room, “Echo’s scores are well above the national average and, according to her file, she’s already applied to the colleges of her choice.”
“There are some business schools with extended deadlines I’d like her to apply to. Besides, this family does not accept ‘above average.’ My daughter will excel.” My father spoke with the air of a deity. He might as well have added the phrase so let it be written, so let it be done. I propped my elbow on the armrest and hid my face in my hands.
“I can see that this really bothers you, Mr. Emerson,” Mrs. Collins said in an annoyingly even tone. “But Echo’s English scores are close to perfect....”
And this was where I tuned them out. My father and the previous guidance counselor had this fight my sophomore year when I took the PSAT. Then again last year when I took the SAT and ACT for the first time. Eventually, the guidance counselor learned my father always won and started giving up after one round.
 
; My test scores were the least of my concerns. Finding the money to fix Aires’ car was the worry that plagued my brain. Since Aires’ death, my father had remained stubborn on the subject, insisting we should sell it.
“Echo, are you happy with your scores?” asked Mrs. Collins.
I peeked at her through the red, curly hair hanging over my face. The last therapist understood the hierarchy of our family and talked to my father, not me. “Excuse me?”
“Are you happy with your ACT and SAT scores? Do you want to retake the tests?” She folded her hands and placed them on top of my file. “Do you want to apply to more schools?”
I met my father’s tired gray eyes. Let’s see. Retaking the tests would mean my father hounding me every second to study, which in turn would mean me getting up early on a Saturday, blowing the whole morning frying my brain and then worrying for weeks over the results. As for applying to more schools? I’d rather retake the tests. “Not really.”
The worry lines forever etched around his eyes and mouth deepened with disapproval. I changed my tune. “My dad is right. I should retake the tests.”
Mrs. Collins scratched away in my file with a pen. My last therapist had been highly aware of my authority issues. No need to rewrite what was already there.
Ashley waddled back into the room and dropped into the seat next to me. “What did I miss?” I’d honestly forgotten she existed. Oh, if only Dad would, too.
“Nothing,” my father replied.
Mrs. Collins finally lifted her pen from the page. “Ask Mrs. Marcos for the next testing dates before you go to class. And while I’m playing the role of guidance counselor, I’d like to discuss your schedule for the winter term. You’ve filled your free periods with multiple business classes. I was wondering why.”
The real answer, because my father told me to, would probably irritate multiple people in the room so I ad-libbed, “They’ll help prepare me for college.” Wow. I’d said that with all the enthusiasm of a six-year-old waiting for a flu shot. Bad choice on my part. My father shifted in his seat again and sighed. I considered giving a different answer, but figured that reply would also come off flat.