Page 110 of Forbidden Flame

I stepped back as he picked up the suitcase and moved it toward the door. He grabbed his jacket from the closet and shrugged it on.

I felt this divide between us. “Why don’t you stay so we can figure this out? Maybe if I talked to your cousins—”

Cole merely shook his head. “We knew this was a mistake from the get-go.”

“Surely, they’ll come around. Once they hear how much we love each other.” My voice trailed off. Had he lied about his feelings?

“I was never part of the family. I’m not a Monroe.”

Tension between my shoulders made them ache. “Is that what matters to you?”

“It’s what’s always mattered to me,” he said as he picked up the suitcase and turned away from me.

Then he left without another word.

I felt like someone had knocked the wind out of me. I couldn’t draw in a deep breath. I couldn’t think.

I sank to the floor and let the tears come. He wasn’t going to fight for us. He didn’t think we were worth it.

Chapter 24

Cole

All I could think about was getting out of Telluride and away from my family. Emmett had reacted how I thought he would. He felt like I betrayed the family by being with a Calloway. That I didn’t have the family’s best interests at heart.

After Daphne walked away, Emmett insinuated it wasn’t a good idea for me to be involved in the farm or Heath’s business. I knew he was angry, but I hadn’t expected him to cut me off from the family. To act like I wasn’t a part of it. It hurt.

There was no point sticking around for a family vacation when I didn’t belong. I’d gotten the first flight back to Baltimore.

The need to escape, the sense of deep shame, overcame any thoughts of Daphne or Izzy.

Only when I was on the flight did I let myself think about Izzy and wondered how her lesson went. If she was proud of her progress.

I wanted to be there like I had been when she learned to ride a bike. But I didn’t belong with the Calloway family any more than I belonged with the Monroes.

I didn’t belong.

How long would it take for it to sink into my brain? It didn’t matter what my last name was or who I was related to. The fact was, my dad was a drunk. My mom an enabler. And I was a crappy big brother. I didn’t deserve happiness. I certainly didn’t deserve the love that Daphne and Izzy so freely gave me. I was unworthy.

I was doing her a favor by giving her space. Her brothers would react the same way. It was better that I pulled away now before we got any deeper.

The only thing was, my entire body ached. I loved Daphne and Izzy. I hated hurting them. But I didn’t see any way around it.

The cold reality was that our families were never going to accept us.

When I got home, I was drained, emotionally and physically. I wanted a beer and my bed. Unfortunately, my sister was watching TV on the couch when I arrived.

Charlotte sat up, her eyes wide. “What are you doing home so early? I thought you were supposed to be in Colorado through Sunday.”

The words got stuck in my throat. I set the suitcase in the foyer and braced my hands on the back of the couch.

Charlotte touched my hand. “Cole? You’re scaring me.”

I lifted my gaze to meet hers. “Emmett saw us.”

“You and Daphne?” Charlotte’s eyes were wide.

I nodded my head and pushed off the couch, letting Charlotte’s hand fall away. “She was in my lap. We were kissing.”

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