Page 113 of Forbidden Flame

Aiden nodded. “I think so too. It’s hard to believe this is my family’s legacy.”

What I remembered about Marley and Aiden was that he’d lived with his parents on a trailer on this property. Their grandmother owned and ran the inn. I heard my cousins mentioning something about their parents not being the best. “You ever feel like you didn’t belong?”

With one hand on his beer, Aiden nodded. “Still do sometimes.”

“Me too.” I tipped the bottle, letting the beer slide down my throat. It felt good to connect with someone on this level. I’d never met anyone in a similar situation.

Aiden’s brow furrowed as he tipped his beer back toward his mouth. “Why would you feel like that? Haven’t you always been with the Monroes?”

“Not exactly. I just helped in the summers, and now.”

Aiden lowered his bottle and shifted so he could see my face. “You don’t feel like you’re a Monroe?”

“In last name only. The farm isn’t my legacy. It’s theirs.” The admission sent a sharp pain through my chest. Why hadn’t I seen that before?

“Is that what your cousins would say?” Aiden asked.

I wondered if he was close to Heath because his sister was dating him. “They already did.”

Aiden shifted on the stool. “What are you talking about?”

I picked at the label on the bottle. “Emmett said as much in Telluride.”

“You two have a disagreement?”

“You could say that. I’m seeing—or I should say—was seeing Daphne Calloway.”

Aiden whistled through his teeth. “No shit.”

“He caught us together. He wasn’t happy.”

“Emmett wasn’t happy,” Aiden said matter-of-factly.

I nodded.

“From what I’ve seen from him, he’s generally unhappy. Unless Ireland’s in his vicinity.”

“You don’t think his brothers feel the same way? He’s the oldest. They’ve always bowed to him.”

“I’ve been friends with Heath since we were in school.”

I’d heard there was some issue between him and Heath because Aiden asked him to protect his sister, Marley, and Heath ended up dating her secretly in high school, and they’d recently reconnected.

“I think things have changed. Everyone’s paired off. They have their own wants and desires, and my impression is that they want to leave some of the old ways behind.”

“Emmett doesn’t,” I said as I lifted my beer and took a long pull.

Aiden sighed. “You love this woman?”

My heart skipped a beat. “I do.”

“And you’re going to let your grumpy cousin tell you who you can see?” Aiden asked, his tone incredulous.

“It’s not like that. I wasn’t loyal to the family.”

“Is that what he said, or what you felt?”

I waved him off. “It’s all kind of a blur.”

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