Page 56 of Forbidden Love

We finished our food, and Kylie cleared the plates, rinsing them and putting them in the dishwasher. Then she moved around the counter, and I turned so she could stand between my legs. I wrapped my arms around her waist. “We make a good team.”

“We do.”

I didn’t just mean with the dugout project we were working on, but the blueprints and even breakfast. We just fit, and I liked it. I vowed not to overanalyze it but rather go with the flow.

“Will I see you later?” I asked.

“Are we a couple that spends all our free time together?” Kylie teased.

“I want to see you. I don’t know how much time we have.” I felt a pang in my heart admitting that out loud.

She sobered. “I want to see you too.”

She walked me out, and when we reached my truck, I pressed her back against the door so I could kiss her. I felt like a teenager making out with my girlfriend. I couldn’t get enough of her, and I didn’t want to say good-bye.

* * *

After reviewing the plans with Kylie, I was motivated to finish the house we were working on so we could break ground on mine next. I spent the evenings with Kylie at her rental house. Part of it was I was tired of living in an apartment, but the overriding desire was to spend as much time with Kylie as possible.

On Friday, Maggie had a play at school, so I invited Kylie. She said she was running late from a meeting, so she’d meet me there. I slid into the row of Fletchers that consisted of my parents, Sam and Alice, and Mac, Natalie, and Delaney.

Mac leaned over to see me past the girls. “Where’s Kylie?”

“She’s meeting us here.” I was a little surprised my brothers didn’t give me crap for inviting her.

“You’re seeing each other, aren’t you?” Natalie asked when I settled in next to her.

“We haven’t exactly defined it.”

Mac raised a brow. “Are you planning on telling her brothers?”

“We’re not exactly hiding it, but at the same time, we spend most of our time at her cabin. She said her brothers never go there.” And there was no reason for them to be at Maggie’s school.

Mac shook his head. “People in town are going to start talking.”

“We’re working on the fundraiser together, and we’re friends. There’s no story.”

Sam said something to Mac, and his attention was thankfully diverted.

“You like her?” Natalie asked softly.

I was a little hesitant because I knew Natalie was friends with her, but I didn’t care if my family knew. “I do.”

“What are your plans?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed. “Things are up in the air. I don’t know what else to say.”

Natalie tipped her head slightly forward, blocking my view from the others. “Don’t you think you should get some answers?”

I wanted to ask if Natalie knew what Kylie’s long-term plans were, but I wouldn’t come between friends. “We need to talk, but for now, we’re just enjoying our time together.”

“That sounds nice, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I rested a hand on my chest, genuinely surprised. “You think I’m the one who’s going to get hurt in this scenario?”

“I think that when you let yourself fall for someone, you’ll be all in, and I just want to make sure the woman’s heart is in it too.”

“There’s something there. I can’t even explain it. A connection we forged in childhood, and it’s only gotten stronger as we’ve gotten to know each other better.” Whatever it was, it had settled in my chest and refused to budge. My greatest fear was that Kylie was it for me, and she’d leave.

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