Page 18 of Forbidden Love

“Then what’s the deal with you buying property and building a house? That’s a pretty big commitment.”

“I love Telluride. I love working for my family and living near them. There’s no reason to rent anymore. Besides, I love Mac’s house, his property, and the view. I want that for myself.”

“I can see that. I just never felt like I belonged here, you know?”

“Maybe it’s not so much a location as the people you surround yourself with.”

Kylie sighed. “My brothers pushed me away with their overprotectiveness and opinions about how I live my life. I guess I just wanted space.”

“And now you’re back.”

Her lips turned downward. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You were thinking, I’m going to start this amazing nonprofit that’s going to give athletes what I didn’t have.”

“You make it sound great, but we’re not feeding the hungry or giving coats to the poor.”

“But you could do that. You start with the thing you’re most passionate about, and then you expand.”

“Are you saying that fundraising is my passion?”

“Maybe it’s helping others.” I huffed out a laugh. “You worked in the hospitality field. What is that except for helping other people? Now you get to do it on a different scale. You choose the beneficiaries, and you get what they need.”

Kylie reached over to touch my forearm, the warmth seeping through the thin long-sleeve shirt I wore. “I love your idea so much, Tyler. I can’t even tell you.”

I parked in the driveway in front of my parents’ home. “You can say, Tyler, you’re brilliant.”

Kylie groaned. “You’re impossible.”

“But you love me anyway.” I kept my tone light because she obviously didn’t, but she liked me. She’d felt enough for me to confide in me at one point. She apparently said more to me than to her brothers. There was something between us.

“I don’t know why I talk to you.”

“Because we’re friends.”

She met my gaze, her eyes considering me before she finally agreed. “I suppose we are.”

Had I said something wrong? Had I misread something? “We’re going to be working together, so it only makes sense.”

“No, you’re right.” She climbed out of my SUV before she smiled at me. “Friends it is.”

Her smile and her words fell flat to me, but I didn’t have a chance to analyze them because Mac was already opening the door as we stepped onto the porch.

A smile spread over his face. “Well, what do we have here? Is Tyler bringing home a girl for the first time?”

“First of all,” I said as I shouldered past him and inside the house, “be respectful. Kylie’s a woman, not a girl.”

Mac closed the door as I turned to face him. “Which you’ve obviously noticed.”

“We’re working together on the dugout project, remember?”

Mac waved a hand at me before placing it on my shoulder like we were the best of friends and he wasn’t razzing me right now. “This is the first time you’ve ever brought a woman home.”

“You know it’s not like that.” I pulled away from him as we entered the kitchen, used to his ribbing. Even though we were adults, in this house, we acted like teenagers again.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Mom said.

Natalie sat at the table with Delaney and Maggie, who were coloring next to each other. Alice and Sam stood by the counter, drinks in front of them. The slider was open slightly.

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