Page 82 of Forbidden Love

“Like our sleepovers at the lodge?” Chloe asked.

I laughed. “Except even better, because my brothers won’t interrupt our night if we’re in a cabin.”

“Are all of your brothers still single?” Brynn asked.

“You would have heard if they weren’t,” I teased, used to women inquiring about my brothers. I used to get annoyed with it, but my brothers were single and, apparently, attractive. Not that I ever looked too closely at them to know.

After making tentative plans for a girls’ night, talk turned to high school and softball. I loved playing back then. My teammates were the family I didn’t feel like I had at home.

We spent so much time together it was impossible not to be close. But when I left, I forced myself to create distance, and I hated that. I was ashamed that I’d broken off all contact.

Even if I didn’t stay in Telluride, I’d try to stay in contact with these women.

We drank, ordered appetizers, and traded stories about our softball days, school, and our nights at the lodge. Those were good times, and I hadn’t thought about them in years.

It made me think that there was more to Telluride than just Tyler and my family.

CHAPTER 23

TYLER

I didn’t spend the night at Kylie’s. I’d worked late, and she went out with some friends from high school.

I kind of hated my apartment. It smelled dusty and stale from disuse. I didn’t like the cramped rooms or the fact that it didn’t have an outdoor space. It had a rooftop area, but it was shared with everyone in my building. I was spoiled at Kylie’s place.

I wanted my house to be finished, and I wanted to ask Kylie to move in with me. It might have been too soon, but I was so used to coming home to her at the end of a workday, sharing a meal, and sleeping together. I didn’t want to go back to my solitary existence.

I missed Kylie, and I didn’t want to spend another night apart. This was a test to see if I could do it. I could go back to the way things were if I had to, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to be apart from Kylie.

I didn’t want her to move away for a job. I could follow her, but my heart was here in Telluride with my family. This was my home. But I could see what my mom was saying—it wouldn’t be home if Kylie wasn’t here.

I needed to talk to her brothers. I needed to tell her how I felt, that there wasn’t a future without her in it. I just hoped it wasn’t too late. Hopefully, she hadn’t been offered her dream job in the last few days.

As focused as I’d been on finishing my house, in the back of my mind, I worried that she’d get a call and remember all the reasons why she loved Paris and her old job.

I wanted it all—Telluride, my family, the business, and Kylie.

I sat up in bed and sent a text to Kylie, inviting her to breakfast in town. We needed to talk, and I couldn’t do it at her house. We’d end up naked, and I’d lose all sense of reason.

She agreed to meet me at the new breakfast spot in town, and I jumped in the shower. I waited for her outside the restaurant. When she came down the sidewalk, my unease lifted. She looked gorgeous, and there was no way she was going to tell me she wanted to leave Telluride. She was happy here. She was mending the rift with her family, and she had mine to support her too. She had me, the position she’d always wanted at the lodge, and the start of an amazing fundraising business.

“Hey, beautiful,” I said when she reached me. I cupped her cheeks and kissed her like we hadn’t seen each other in months. When I finally eased up, I breathed her in, loving being in her presence.

She covered my hands with hers. “I missed you.”

A slow smile spread over my face to hear her say that. “I missed you too. I don’t want to sleep apart again.”

“How was last night?” I tried not to think about her going to a bar with friends and men checking her out. We’d never talked about exclusivity, but I’d assumed we were. Maybe that had been a mistake.

“It was great to catch up with old friends.”

I shifted close to her, keeping my hands on her hips and her in the circle of my arms. “I’m glad you had fun.” This was what I wanted for her. For her to find her place here. To have friends and family she could rely on. I wanted her to be happy, not just with me, but with her job, friends, and her family.

Kylie smiled up at me. “It was almost like we hadn’t been apart for ten years. We caught up and then talked about high school.”

“I’m glad you reconnected.”

“I met with the mayor and Scarlett. The town wants to support Kylie’s Kids. They’re going to partner with me at festivals and other events.”

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