Page 74 of Forbidden Love

“Try to see things from my perspective. I was born after four boys. You were fun and adventurous, but I was always left behind. Then, one by one, you took the positions in the lodge and resort until there was nothing left for me. Now you’re creating a new position, one that seems perfect for me, and no one’s even mentioned that I might be the right person for the job.” I stood, my hands shaking as I threw the napkin onto the table. There was pain on my parents’ faces and confusion on my brothers’.

I shouldn’t have brought any of this up. I’d kept it inside for years, and that’s where it should have stayed.

“We never offered you the position because you never once expressed any interest in working for the family business.”

“I didn’t think I needed to. I went to school for hotel management so that I could finally prove to you I was worthy of Wilde Ski Resort.” I felt sick to my stomach. They didn’t get me and never had.

“You didn’t need to prove anything to me,” Dad said.

I held my hands in the air. “I’ve been working hard on the fundraisers because I believe in them, but also so I could finally prove to you I was worthy.”

Oh shit. I hadn’t meant to even voice that vulnerability out loud. I’d never felt worthy of my family’s time and attention. Any time I wanted it, I was scorned. Sometimes, I thought if I’d been a boy, things would have been easier.

My brothers must have sensed this conversation had gotten too personal, and they gathered the dishes and went into the kitchen.

When I was alone with Mom and Dad, I said, “I’m sorry for the outburst. I don’t know why I said all of that.”

I turned to leave, and my dad said, “Wait.”

I slowly faced him.

“I didn’t know you felt this way,” he said quietly.

I stood rigid because I hadn’t ever come out and said any of this.

“I wish you’d told us you wanted to work here.”

“I guess I wanted you to ask. Maybe it was stupid, but my whole life, I felt like an outsider, like I was the girl you didn’t want. Another boy would have been easier for you.”

“I’m sorry for that. We treated you differently, and we shouldn’t have. It’s just that you were special. You were my only girl, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“By keeping me inside the lodge, never letting me go on an adventure of my own?” It had stifled my self-confidence.

“We wanted to keep you safe, and yes, we worried about you in a way that we didn’t with your brothers. And I see now that was a mistake,” Dad said gruffly.

“I only wanted to feel like I was part of this family. That you wanted me here. That you wanted me to work for the lodge. I would have done anything if you’d asked. But you never did.”

Dad held up his hands. “We honestly thought you wanted nothing to do with Telluride and the business. You didn’t come home much on breaks, and then after you studied abroad, it felt like we’d lost you. We wanted to give you space to grow, but then you fell in love with something besides here. And we had to be okay with that.”

I closed my eyes because it felt like we’d crossed wires somewhere. That we’d never cleared the air, and now that we had, I wasn’t sure if anything was better or if I’d made everything worse.

“We’ve asked what your plans are since you came home,” Mom said gently.

“I said I wasn’t sure because I never felt like I fit in here, that I was wanted or needed.”

“We’d love for you to stay and make a life for yourself here. We just want you to be happy, even if that’s living in Paris. Even if we miss you like crazy.”

The tears that had been threatening spilled over. I swiped them away.

“If you want to stay in Telluride, then the position is yours,” Dad said.

I sucked in a shaky breath. “Don’t you need to talk to my brothers?”

“It’s true I’m giving more responsibility to them, but I want all my children to have a stake in the business. And this one is yours if you want it.”

“I’m not sure what I want anymore. I’d just decided to send out résumés to see what opportunities there were.” I wasn’t sure if Tyler wanted me to stay. What if I was the perfect fling because I’d always said I’d be leaving eventually?

“You’re obviously capable of the position. You did an amazing job with the fundraisers, organizing people, and marketing. I don’t know what happened with your job in Paris because you won’t talk about it.”

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