Page 19 of Forbidden Love

Dad must have been by the grill. He used every opportunity to fire it up now that he had the outdoor kitchen Sam built him.

“You see who Tyler brought?” Mac asked the room in general, but I was positive it was directed at my mother, who wouldn’t be satisfied until all her sons had settled down with someone.

Mom held Kylie’s hands. “Kylie Wilde. Tyler said you’d be here. I’m so happy you could join us.”

Kylie hugged my mom before looking around at us.

“I wanted Kylie to talk to Mom about fundraising,” I said by way of explanation.

Mom waved a hand at Kylie. “I don’t even see it as fundraising. I make an offer they can’t resist, and they hand me their money.”

“You’re good at it,” Mac said, respect in his voice.

Mom grinned. “I can talk to you about it while the baked potatoes finish cooking.”

When Kylie smiled at me, I nodded and headed outside to see my dad. The kitchen felt a little too heavy with expectation. I hadn’t thought about the fact that my brothers would assume Kylie meant something to me if I brought her to Sunday dinner.

CHAPTER 6

KYLIE

I tried to focus on what Miranda was saying about fundraising, but my mind was on Tyler and his brothers, who followed him outside. When we arrived, Tyler seemed a little uneasy with Mac’s teasing.

Did he not see me as girlfriend material, or was it the girlfriend aspect itself he wanted nothing to do with?

“I think what you’re doing is great. The community will rally around you for sure,” Natalie said from the kitchen table.

“That’s what I’m hoping,” I said, refocusing on the conversation.

“You go into something like this with a pure heart, and people will respond to you,” Miranda said.

“What things do you raise money for?” I asked her.

“Several of the boys’ baseball travel teams. The Lions Club supports the boys’ baseball fields. The money we raise through the group provides money for the fields, and the money I raise goes toward equipment, bags, and uniforms for the teams.”

“Who sponsors the softball teams?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“I’m not sure. The baseball fields have been on the group’s property for years, ever since my boys were young. I was never involved with softball, not having any girls.”

“I want to figure out what they need, raise money, and provide it.”

“That’s not too different from what I do.”

“I just hope people are willing to fork over money to support the girls’ teams.”

“Why are you building dugouts?” Delaney asked.

I moved to sit with them at the table. “It protects the players against the weather—rain, wind, and the sun. Plus, it helps you stay together as a team. Otherwise, they have to sit with the fans, which can be distracting.”

“That makes sense,” Delaney said.

“Do you play?” I asked her.

“I never have before,” Delaney said, her attention on the coloring page in front of her. It wasn’t a typical child’s coloring book. It was one of those ornate patterns that appeared to have a castle hidden in the middle.

“We’re still getting settled at school. We haven’t signed up for any outside activities yet,” Natalie said.

“I loved playing sports.” It was the one time I had someone to play with. I thought if I learned the various sports my brothers played, they’d eventually let me join.

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