Page 116 of Forbidden Flame

He’d asked for space, but I knew what that meant. It was putting off breaking up with me and walking away from Izzy. I didn’t have any illusions about us getting back together. We’d move on without him.

I had no intention of reaching out to him outside of ensuring he made it home okay. Not when he’d been the one to request space.

On our last night, Izzy fell asleep early, exhausted from the week. Dad had managed to secure adjoining rooms for the end of our visit, so we were all piled into his suite to relax and watch TV, my brothers included.

I took a deep breath. “I have something I want to tell you.”

“Are you sick?” Jameson’s attention swung from the TV to me.

“Nothing like that. I was seeing someone, and I kept it a secret because I knew you wouldn’t approve. I’m telling you now because we broke up, and I don’t want to lie to you.”

“Who was it?” Teddy asked, his voice carefully measured.

“Cole Monroe.”

Weston leaned forward on the bed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Isn’t he the one who won you at that stupid auction last year?” Teddy asked.

“Didn’t you bid on someone at that auction too?” I asked him, remembering the girls saying something about him bidding on Holly. The good thing was, it prompted her ex and high school sweetheart, Talon, to bid the most, and they were now engaged.

“We’re talking about you,” Teddy said.

“Your sister has something important to tell you. You can listen for once before you react?” Dad admonished them.

I sighed. “We met at his family’s farm when we were teens.”

“That time we went to check out the business,” Teddy said to Dad.

I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. “The next time we ran into each other was the auction. We had a connection. But we both agreed it wouldn’t work with our families and how busy I am. You know I don’t like to bring guys around Izzy.”

“So why did you?” Jameson asked, irritation lacing his tone.

“I went to the Easter egg hunt, and Cole bonded with her. We spent time together, but again, he was worried because of our families’ issues with one another. It was important to him that his cousins respect his role in the business. Months later, we reconnected and decided we couldn’t ignore the connection between us. We planned to tell you we were together at the end of this trip.”

Jameson held his hands out to his sides. “Where is he then?”

“His cousin Emmett saw us and was angry. Cole asked for space and went home.”

“I told you he’s not strong enough to date a woman like you,” Dad said.

“Can you blame him for putting his family first?” I looked around the room at my brothers, who would have done the same.

“I would think that when I find the right person, she’ll come first,” Teddy said gruffly, and Jameson punched him in the arm. “Like you’re going to settle down any time soon.”

Teddy shot him a look. “I didn’t say it would be soon.”

“Family’s important,” Dad said.

“Fiona, Axel, and Ryder may never come home, and now you’re betraying us by dating a Monroe,” Teddy said.

I shook my head. “Cole didn’t have the best upbringing. He preferred his aunt and uncle’s place, so this is hitting him hard. He has issues he obviously needs to deal with, and we all know him asking for space is the precursor to the breakup.”

Jameson crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s right.”

“I’m not going to wait around for him to realize the mistake he’s made, and I won’t let him hurt Izzy. She adores him.”

“Why are you telling us now?” Dad asked from where he sat on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest.

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