Page 78 of Forbidden Flame

“How are we gonna count all these stars?” Izzy said as she lifted her gaze to the sky.

A smile spread slowly over Cole’s face. “We’ll have to go real slow and make sure we don’t count any of them twice.”

“It seems like it would take forever.” Izzy drew out the word.

Cole nodded at her stick. “Keep an eye on your marshmallow. You don’t want to catch it on fire. Then it will be burned and won’t taste as good.”

“I’ll just make another.” Izzy nodded toward the bag at his feet.

Cole tipped his head to the side. “Who said these marshmallows are all for you?”

Izzy gave him a look. “Who else would they be for?”

“Maybe they’re for the next time I come with Addy and Ember.”

Izzy pursed her lips.

Cole bumped his arm into hers. “Don’t worry. You can have another if you burn yours.”

I laughed at him. “You’re too easy with her.”

Cole kept his gaze on the fire. “How can you not be? She asks for something, and you want to give her the world.”

My whole body softened at his words. It’s what I always imagined Izzy’s father saying about her. But over the years, it became less likely that he’d ever want to have a part in her life.

“I think it’s done,” Cole said to Izzy.

He helped her pull the toasty brown marshmallow off the skewer onto the sandwich of graham crackers and chocolate.

Izzy sat on a nearby log and ate a small corner of her s’more.

Cole took her skewer and added two marshmallows to it and hovered it over the flames.

It was a little cool, so the fire was a nice touch, and the sky was so clear. It felt like we were part of something so much bigger than us. The family rivalry seemed small in comparison.

“You have fun with Addy and Ember tonight?” Cole asked Izzy.

She nodded with her mouth full.

“You want to do it again?”

“Uh-huh,” she said.

I closed my eyes, listening to the crackle of the fire and the occasional breeze through the leaves. What would it be like if this was our life? If we lived with Cole? We’d have dinner at the end of the night, watch a movie, or come out here and look at the stars.

I didn’t want to replace Izzy’s father. Would she think that’s what I was doing if we got any closer?

Cole made two s’mores with the marshmallows and handed me one.

“Can I have another marshmallow?” Izzy asked me.

I held up a finger. “Just one.”

She pouted but grabbed one from the bag and popped it into her mouth. When she was finished, she stepped onto the log, trying to balance and hopping off when she couldn’t.

“Is it tough saying no to her?” Cole moved to sit on the log next to me.

“Sometimes. You need to do it more often. You don’t want her to think you’re a pushover.”

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