Page 23 of Forbidden Love

I forgot to worry about the repercussions, what my brothers would think, or how we’d act the next morning. There was nothing but us.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

I sensed a few others looking over at us, but Tyler only had eyes for me.

“That’s what you bring up?” I asked when she’d recovered.

“It got you out of your head, didn’t it?” Tyler grinned, clearly pleased it had worked so well.

“I miss our talks.”

“I do too.”

“You never looked at me like I was a little kid. You listened like you valued what I had to say. That was a big deal to me then.”

“I didn’t see you as a kid, and maybe that was my mistake.”

I bumped his shoulder, not wanting him to regret anything. “Hey, I was eighteen. Perfectly legal.”

“Why didn’t you call or text?” Then I sucked in a breath that I’d asked what had been on my mind since that day.

Delaney and Maggie were doing some dance in front of the fire that had everyone enraptured.

“It’s not the right time for this conversation, but I owe you an explanation. I’m not proud of how I acted.”

“It was a good memory, but we never would have worked.” I smiled before moving to the outdoor fridge for a drink, letting him off the hook. I needed to steer clear of anything personal with Tyler. I couldn’t let him see how much he’d hurt me back then.

CHAPTER 7

TYLER

We never would have worked.

It was exactly what I’d always thought, even if I questioned how true that statement was over the years. But to hear her say it so nonchalantly, like it was just the way it had to be, felt wrong. Sure, her brothers would never be on board with anything happening between us, but I preferred when there was a possibility of us. She’d effectively shot down any hope with a few hard-hitting and well-placed words.

I felt bereft as she talked to Natalie and Alice.

“Everything okay?” Mac asked as he sat next to me. “It looked like you two were talking about something serious over here.”

I wanted to hear someone else’s take on the situation. “Remember all those times we played hide-and-seek at the lodge?”

“Those were good times. Half the time we’d give up the hunt and play video games in the game room.”

That was what had most likely happened the night Kylie and I hooked up. “Kylie and I used to end up in the same hiding spot on occasion, and we’d talk. She talked to me about her family, her brothers. She trusted me.”

Mac considered me. “I didn’t know you two were close. You seemed annoyed when she was back in town.”

My chest felt tight. I couldn’t explain how it was my guilt for how I’d treated her that had me lashing out. “I carried her down the mountain when she broke her arm.”

“I remember that.”

“We bonded or connected. I’m not sure how to explain it.” We’d understood each other when no one else did.

“I didn’t know.”

“No one did.” If her brothers ever knew about it, they would have shut it down fast.

“You’re scared of her brothers?” Mac teased, and then quickly sobered. “Oh, fuck. You are.”

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