Page 28 of Forbidden Love

“I’m fundraising for a cause. It’s hardly going to pay my bills.”

His shoulders lowered in defeat like he hadn’t thought of it like that. “You’ll figure it out.”

We leaned on the metal back of the bench, Tyler’s legs outstretched, with one crossed over the other.

“It’s so peaceful. The perfectly manicured fields, the mountains in the distance.”

He kicked my foot with his. “You know it’s only like this in between games. Otherwise, there are people everywhere, the sounds of the bat hitting balls, screaming kids, and the smell of hot dogs in the air.”

“Maybe that’s why I like it so much. We’re enjoying the small amount of peace and quiet this place ever has.” There was something about sharing space with Tyler when no one else was around. It was like I could forget about my brothers and Tyler’s family. Nothing else could penetrate.

He shifted so he leaned on his thighs as he glanced over at me, one brow raised. “Want to throw a ball around?”

“I don’t have my softball stuff.” It was probably still sitting in my childhood bedroom. I had no use for it when I was living in Europe.

“I always have mine in the truck. I’m sure you could throw around a baseball with no problem, but I keep a softball in my truck for Delaney and Maggie.”

“That’s sweet,” I said before I could censor my words.

“You think I’m sweet, huh?” he asked as he headed toward the rear seat of his truck.

“When it comes to your nieces, yes.”

“I love that you refer to Delaney as my niece, because she is.”

“I know,” I said quietly as he pulled a large duffle bag from the back. There was a child seat in the back, probably for Maggie, and a bin of toys. “They spend a lot of time with you.”

“Not as much as I would like, but sometimes, yeah. More now that Mac is busy with Delaney.”

My heart was pitter-pattering in my chest. There was nothing sexier than a man who took care of a child, especially when it wasn’t his. He didn’t need to buy a car seat for Maggie or keep toys in the back to entertain her. He didn’t have to say yes every time she wanted him to pick her up, but he did. Not only that, but I could tell from that night at his parents’ house that he loved it.

The expression on his face, when he was holding a sleeping Maggie in his arms, kick-started my ovaries. I should probably keep my distance from him before I asked for something I wasn’t ready for—a relationship, and maybe even a family in the future. I wasn’t ready for that. Not when I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

“You ready to play some ball?” Tyler asked as he tossed a purple-and-yellow ball at me.

I caught it easily.

“Can you still pitch?” he asked as he pushed his batting helmet over his head, pulling out a bat.

“Do you still play in an adult league with your brothers?” I asked, remembering my brothers mentioning something about the local businesses having a league that played in the spring and summer.

He rolled his eyes and closed the door to his truck before walking over to the field. “When they’re not busy with their families. I don’t blame them, but I miss hanging out with them. We don’t see each other much on the job site either. We work on different projects. It made sense since we’re usually the foreman on any project.”

“But you miss them.”

“I do.”

I loved that he was so into his family. I wondered what he thought of me when I kept my distance from mine.

“Get on the mound. Let’s see what you got.”

“You sure you want me to throw the softball?” I asked when I stood on the pitcher’s mound.

“Let’s start with it. I want to see if you’ve still got the speed.”

He practiced a few swings before stepping into the box.

Tyler got into his batter’s stance, which was a little hotter than I remembered. “There’s no umpire, so let’s keep it honest.”

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