Page 25 of Forbidden Flame

Emmett opened his mouth, but Lori held up her hand. “I’ve heard your thoughts on this, Emmett, and it doesn’t change my mind. This is Sarah’s wedding, and Daphne’s her friend.”

I exchanged a look with Emmett. I hated having to put on this front when I fully supported Daphne’s pies, but I wasn’t sure what else I could do. The last thing I wanted was anyone asking questions about our date.

When Addy joked about unicorns, I relaxed slightly and shoved potatoes in my mouth. Hopefully, the crisis was averted. I looked like I hated the Calloways and wanted nothing to do with them. The best thing would be to tow the family line, at least for now. Daphne hadn’t given me any reason to hope for more.

“Didn’t you score a date with Daphne at the bachelorette auction? I would have thought that would have softened you toward her,” Knox asked.

“I was supporting the family by participating.” I tried to relieve some of the tension by stretching my neck.

“Let me get this straight.” Knox paused for dramatic effect as he placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, commanding everyone’s attention. “You don’t like Daphne, but you bid on her so you could support the farm?”

“Something like that,” I mumbled.

“Did you enjoy the hot tub?” Heath asked with a gleam in his eyes.

“That’s none of your business. Daphne’s a nice girl. But her brothers don’t want her associating with us any more than we want to associate with them.”

Knox’s brow furrowed. “If you like her—”

“I went out with her because I was curious why she was here, and I wanted to raise money for the farm and the rescue. Nothing more.”

“I hear you. But if you do, she’s a mother. It’s not like dating a single woman.”

“I know that. But I’m not interested.” The lie landed like a rock in my stomach. I’d never been more interested in a woman, and I couldn’t admit it to anyone. The worst part was that she wasn’t interested in me. She hadn’t reached out or done anything to indicate she wanted more than one night.

Thankfully they seemed to accept my explanation.

After dinner, I helped clear the table, then made my excuses to leave. The brothers usually gathered outside on the deck to drink beer and talk. They included me if I was there, but I couldn’t help but feel like I didn’t fit in.

I wondered if Sarah and Knox’s wedding would be my opportunity for another chance with Daphne or if I should leave her alone. Did she have some time to think since our last encounter? Did she want more with me, or was I alone in this?

I couldn’t stop thinking about our date, and the night we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I wanted more. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. It felt like we had a connection. I had a hard time imagining that she didn’t feel it too.

Chapter 6

Daphne

On Valentine’s Day, I was beyond nervous to spend the day at Monroe Christmas Tree Farm for Sarah and Knox’s wedding. Cole wasn’t present for the rehearsal practice last night, but he was supposed to walk me down the aisle after the ceremony.

Was he avoiding me? Did he think I would want something more, and he didn’t want that? Cole didn’t strike me as a one-and-done kind of guy. But what did I really know about him?

He’d shared some of his past and his desires for the future. But I didn’t know much about who he was otherwise.

I tried to put our date out of my head. As a single mother, I didn’t have the luxury to dream about dating or marriage. I needed to be careful. I couldn’t bring every guy I was interested in to meet my family. And in Cole’s case, my family hated his.

Even if I wanted to date Cole, our families would always be an issue. Surely, he would pretend like nothing had happened between us.

I wondered if his family had asked a lot of questions about our date or if they were curious about it. The girls hadn’t brought it up other than to ask if I had fun.

I drove to the main house on the farm and parked. We were getting ready there, then later moving to the ceremony location by the water.

When I arrived, Lori said everyone was getting ready in the upstairs bedrooms. One room was makeup, one was hair, and the last was a dressing room.

I put my things in the dressing room and sat down next to Marley to get my hair done. A stylist named Tasha began brushing my hair.

“Emmett was supposed to be babysitting Knox at his house. The guys are not allowed to roam the property,” Marley said to Ireland.

Ireland tilted the screen of her phone in Marley’s direction. “He just texted to say they’re headed to the pond for a brother get-together.”

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