Page 52 of Forbidden Love

Tyler shrugged. “I’m the builder.”

“This is so fun,” I said as my heart rate increased. I was like a kid in the candy store. “You have a dining room and a formal living room, but what about a study? Do you work from home?”

“I’d like to.”

“Then maybe you should turn this front room into an office. You don’t need a dining room here; it’s so far from the kitchen. Besides, you’ll add that area with the farmhouse table in the kitchen, negating the need for it.”

“My mom hosts the formal holiday dinners anyway.”

I reviewed the changes he’d made. “The first floor is perfect now.”

“What do you think I should do for the outside? Stone or brick?”

“Is money an issue?” I asked him.

“Not at all. I want this to be the only house I ever build.”

I lifted my gaze to meet his. “Stone. It fits with the area. It will feel warmer than brick, and you don’t want siding.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? You’re just agreeing to my suggestions?” I asked, a little surprised. Was he just placating me and would do whatever he wanted, or did he truly like the changes?

“I wasn’t thinking about flow the way you were. I’ve never done that. Usually, the customer will tell us what they want, whether it makes sense or not. I’m not used to making these decisions myself.”

“I’m sure you’ll get better at it as you go.”

He pulled up a chair, his arm resting over the back of mine. “Can you look at the second floor for me?”

“Of course. This is fun.”

He moved even closer, his legs surrounding my chair and his breath skating over my cheek. “I like having five bedrooms.”

“What about the sizes? I hate when there are more bedrooms but one’s the size of a closet.”

“We can make this one bigger and add a Jack and Jill bathroom between rooms four and five. En suite bathrooms for rooms two and three.”

“And a walk-in closet for this one, in case you have a daughter. Or you can use it as the guest room,” I hurried to add.

“I never thought about having kids.”

“Maybe your nieces will want to have a sleepover with you once the house is done. Camp out in the backyard.”

He sucked in a breath. “I would love that.”

“I love that you’re so close to your nieces.” And that he considered Delaney to be the same as Maggie.

I turned my head to see his face, and his lips were so close to mine. “They’re everything to me.”

I don’t think he even realized what his response was doing to my heart. There was a sharp pang telling me that he would be an amazing father. But he didn’t want that. He didn’t even want a serious relationship. Then there was the tiny voice inside my head that asked if I could change him. That was a losing proposition.

I turned back to the sheets in front of us, focusing on the master bedroom. “I think a tub in front of this window would be fabulous.”

“Fabulous, huh?” he asked, his tone amused.

“You know, one of those freestanding ones. I can see the snow falling outside, covering the trees while I was warm in the tub.”

“I like that picture too.” His nose nuzzled my neck, sending a tingle down my spine. “I think I’m done looking at the house.”

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