Page 61 of Forbidden Love

“That’s exactly it—when it comes to both fundraising and life. Things will change, and you need to be flexible.”

“Are you saying that’s what Tyler represents? A chance to pivot?”

“Only you can determine that,” she said, her lips drawn into a straight line.

“I like him. I like what we’re building. I just don’t know if it’s enough.” Would I be happy living here long-term? Or would I grow to resent Tyler? I had so many questions and not enough answers.

She patted my arm. “You’ll figure it out. I’m sure of it.”

How could she be so confident I’d make the right decision?

“When you fall in love, everything becomes clear. The things that matter and the ones that don’t.”

Had I fallen in love? “I don’t think that’s what’s happening.”

She gave me a look and then said, “You might not have admitted it to yourself, but I saw you with Tyler at the play.”

I wanted to ask if she thought Tyler felt the same way, but it was his mother. I didn’t feel right asking for that insight.

She patted my arm. “I’m confident you’ll figure everything out.”

I wanted to ask when all of this would become clear because, so far, it was muddied in my brain. There was no clear solution or path.

We fell silent as Tyler went up to bat. I hadn’t seen him play except for the one day I’d pitched to him, and we hadn’t exactly spent much time playing baseball. His stance was strong and confident as he waited for the first pitch. He immediately swung, and it went into the outfield.

I jumped up and down, cheering for him. It felt so good to be here. To know that I’d brought everyone to the field today and that it was fun.

Whether we built a lot of dugouts or not, I’d planned a good event. Tyler slid into second base, and when he pulled off his batting gloves, he smiled at me. I gave him a thumbs-up, pleased he’d acknowledged me on the sidelines.

When the count was full, Mac hit a line drive over second base, sending Tyler home. I jumped and cheered with everyone else, moving over to the bench to high-five Tyler when he was finished celebrating with his teammates. He ignored my outstretched hands and lifted me to swing me around. “Did you see that?”

“You know I did,” I said as he lowered me to the ground.

“That was fun. Next time, you should play.”

“I’m kind of busy planning everything,” I teased lightly.

“I don’t see why you can’t partake in the fun.” He kissed me.

Reluctantly, I broke away. “Your mother’s here and probably watching us.”

He grinned. “Let’s give everyone a show.”

“You don’t care if my brothers find out?” I asked and immediately regretted it when he stiffened. I should talk to them, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t any of their business.

Would Tyler feel differently if they found out about us? Would he go back to how he’d always been, worried about what my brothers thought? I didn’t fully trust his new optimism.

He dropped his forehead to mine. “You shouldn’t care what they think. This is your life. Live it according to your rules. Not your brothers’.”

“I’m not the one who ever cared about what they thought. It’s always been the guys I’ve dated here.”

He held his arms up and looked around. “Enjoy this. What we planned today, how well it’s going, how good we feel.”

Mac slapped Tyler’s shoulder with his glove. “You want to play some baseball?”

“We on the field?” Tyler asked, without letting me go.

“Welcome back to the game,” Sam said as the rest of the team took the field.

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