Page 75 of Forbidden Flame

“My brothers don’t like to talk about my mother. When I mentioned her, they’d get upset. Said I couldn’t bring her back, so why talk about it?”

I winced, imagining a little girl missing her mother, growing up in a house full of boys, not wanting to discuss their emotions. “I’m sorry you didn’t have anyone you could go to.”

“I talked to the counselor at school. That helped. My dad never would have taken me to a therapist, and she was concerned about me.”

I wondered if Daphne was a bit of a people pleaser as a result. Her mom died; she took over the kitchen and tried to keep things the same even though her mother was gone.

“It felt like our family was fractured after that. Teddy moved closer, but Fiona stayed at school. She didn’t even come home on breaks.”

“It would have been good for you to have a sister to talk to.”

“We were never close. She’s so much older than me. We thought of her like a second mother. Maybe that’s another reason she left. There were too many of us, and she didn’t want the responsibility.”

For Daphne’s sake, I hoped Fiona returned, and Daphne got some closure. “We don’t always know what’s going on in other people’s heads, and I’ve found it’s best not to assume. Especially not to blame ourselves. It wasn’t your fault that she left.”

“Oh, I know that. Whatever happened between her and Aiden probably keeps her away, and now that he’s back permanently, I don’t expect to see her at all.”

I dropped the last cube of potatoes into the bowl. “I think we’re ready to grill.”

Daphne washed her hands. “It’s a good time to check on the girls.”

When we took the food outside, the girls were climbing on rocks.

“We used to do that too.”

“It sounds like you had a great childhood here.”

“We did. If I ever have kids, I’d want them to grow up on a property a lot like this. With room to run and play.”

Daphne gave me a weird look, and I wondered if she thought I was advocating for us. “Are the girls staying for dinner?”

“I didn’t want the playdate to be too long for the first time.”

“That was smart.”

“To be fair, Sarah said that. I can’t take credit for it.”

Daphne laughed. “You shouldn’t have told me the truth. I was impressed.”

I stood straighter and puffed out my chest as I transferred the chicken to the grill. “I’m good with kids.”

“I know you are.” Daphne smiled softly, and I couldn’t help but think about how good this felt, being here with her like this. The kids playing in the yard while we grilled together. It was nice. Domestic. The only problem was she wasn’t mine to have, and this wasn’t my house or even my grill. Every part of this was borrowed.

The pain of that realization stabbed me in the chest.

“Something smells good,” Knox said as he came through the slider to the patio.

I was hoping Sarah would pick up the girls. I wasn’t sure what Knox would think of me orchestrating a playdate with a Calloway.

“Daddy Knox,” Addy cried as she came running into his arms. He lifted her up, swinging her in the air. He treated Addy as if she were his own. Is that how things could be with me and Izzy? It felt too good to be true. If only life got to be that easy. That good.

“You have fun?” Knox asked as he finally set her down.

Addy’s cheeks were flushed as she nodded. “We played cards, and then we climbed on the rocks.”

“They’ve been playing some game in the woods. Some version of king of the hill. Just like we played.”

“It’s queen of the mountain,” Addy said with sass.

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