Page 52 of Forbidden Flame

There was something about this little girl saying my name that got to me. She was a mini replica of Daphne with her dark hair, but her blue eyes were different. I wondered if she got those from her father.

“If it’s okay with your mother.” I looked to Daphne for her response. I didn’t want to make things harder for her if her dad or brothers didn’t want me here.

“One more ride. Then Cole needs to go home. I feel bad we made you miss the rest of the Easter egg hunt.”

“Marley and the others have it under control.” I would have received a text if they needed me for something. I was almost always available, so I could slip out once in a while and not be noticed.

There was a paved portion of the driveway and even a basketball hoop. I wondered if her brothers put that in for her or them when they came to spend time with Izzy. “You can practice by riding in circles here. Then when you feel more confident, we could go to a parking lot. Maybe at your school.”

“Really?” Izzy asked, and I said, “If it’s okay with your mother.”

“Let’s practice here for now, and then we’ll see.”

I wasn’t sure why I was so interested in helping Izzy, especially when she had several uncles who I was positive would be willing to step in.

I held the handlebars while Izzy climbed on. Then she pursed her lips in concentration before pushing the pedals. It took a few tries for her to get the hang of it again. Then she was moving.

“I’m doing it,” Izzy cried. “Do you see me?”

“We see you,” Daphne cried out to her.

I wanted to ask her if it bothered her that Izzy’s dad wasn’t in the picture. That he wasn’t here for this moment. But after how upset she was when Izzy brought him up at lunch, I didn’t want to mention him.

When it seemed like Izzy was doing good on her own and wasn’t going to fall, we stepped back so she had more room to maneuver in the small space.

“She’s going to outgrow this quickly,” Daphne said.

“Let me know when she’s ready to take off the training wheels. I’d like to be here when she does it for the first time.”

“You don’t have to do this. Even though her dad isn’t around, she has her grandfather and her uncles.”

“I want to,” I said quietly, feeling her gaze on the side of my face. “Will it be a problem that she won the bike from a Monroe?”

“If they find out, I’m sure my brothers will grumble about it. But that’s just who they are.”

“My cousins are hardheaded about this kind of stuff.”

Daphne moved closer and lowered her voice. “I don’t understand what happened the last few weeks. You kind of disappeared. I know we didn’t promise anything to each other, but I thought we were going to talk.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “The morning after you left, Heath came over. He said some things.”

Daphne nodded. “You thought it would be easier if we weren’t involved.”

I nodded even as my throat tightened.

“I can understand that.”

Izzy did a few more rounds. Then Daphne told her they needed to go inside for a break. I took that as my cue to leave.

“Thanks for everything,” Daphne said as I moved toward my truck.

“Cole, Cole,” Izzy cried as she ran in my direction, and instinctively I lifted her into my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Thank you for my bike. I love it.”

What would it be like if she said, “I love you”? A tingle ran down my arms.

“You won the bike, remember? You found the golden egg.”

“You helped me.” She wiggled, and I set her down. She ran into the house, leaving me and Daphne alone.

---