Page 59 of Forbidden Flame

The night was warm with a cool breeze coming off the pond. I looked up to see an expanse of sky filled with stars. “Do you come out here often?”

“Whenever I can. I wanted you and Izzy to experience this. I love sharing things with her.”

“She would have loved this.”

Cole squeezed our joined hands. “Next time.”

“I don’t want her to get close to you just for you to leave again. She asked about you after the egg hunt. I said you were busy.” And it was only that one day, so eventually she stopped asking about him. But it would only get worse if I let him into our lives.

A pained expression crossed his face. “I get that.”

“What are we doing, Cole?” I loved being here with him like this. But what was the point if we couldn’t take it any further?

“I want to do what feels good, and right now that’s being here with you.” He reached over and placed a finger in front of my mouth to stop me from protesting. “Tonight, let’s look at the stars and not think about our families. It’s just you and me.”

When he settled on his back, he lifted our joined hands and kissed the back of my hand. It sent tingles down my arm and into my chest.

“Do you know the constellations?” I asked him.

“Of course I do. I grew up looking at the stars.” He pointed out various constellations, and when we got stuck, he pulled out his phone to an app that he could point at the stars, and it told him where everything was. I moved closer so that I could see his screen easier. Eventually, I rested my head on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around me, and it felt nice. I forgot that we were in the bed of his truck on his family’s farm.

“Using an app is cheating,” I teased him.

“It works, and I’m a little rusty with my constellation knowledge.” Cole sat up to reach for the basket. “You want something to drink? I brought wine and dessert.”

I moved to a seated position. “That sounds lovely.”

He poured two glasses for us, and then handed me a plate with a slice of cake. “It isn’t your pies, but then I’ve been cut off from my source.”

“You miss my pies?” I asked as I cut a bite of the chocolate cake.

“I’ve been craving them.” Cole ate a bite of cake.

“If I had known that, I would have had them delivered to you,” I said, pleased that he liked my pies.

“I would love that. It would be a good reminder of you.”

I resisted asking what this was or what his intentions were. For once, I’d let go of any worries and enjoy the night. The wine tasted good with the chocolate. “I can’t remember the last time I went out.”

“Have you been busy with work?”

“I’ve been trying to market the pies to local restaurants and to catering events. It’s been slow going.”

“You haven’t been out with Ireland, Marley, or Sarah?”

I shook my head. “They’re busy with your cousins, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d want to hear how you were doing. If you were dating someone else.”

“There hasn’t been anyone. Heath’s contracting business has really taken off. We have more work than we can keep up with. Then there’s the farm. Marley and Ireland are constantly coming up with more marketing ideas. We had a movie night for families. I didn’t see you there.”

“I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

Cole nodded. “I hate staying away from you.”

“I did too.”

“I’d like to see you again.”

Was I willing to be a secret? Especially when there was no hope of a future for us?

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