Page 86 of Forbidden Flame

She sat back. “You’ve always wished you’d be born into this family. Then you would have a good father and mother.”

I heard the pain in her voice. “I don’t think that’s it.”

“Isn’t it? Our family never lived up to this.” She held her hands up, gesturing around herself. “But what about building something that you’re proud of? Something that’s yours.”

“I never thought about that before. I always thought I’d work here. Heath’s talking about making me a partner in the business.” I just needed to prove myself.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. But I think you’d feel better if you owned your own place. Then you wouldn’t need to worry about what they thought.”

“You’re forgetting that her family doesn’t want her with a Monroe. She has five older brothers, and apparently all of them are overprotective. Plus she lives in a cottage on the property with her daughter. They help her out.”

“I can see why she’d be more hesitant.”

I placed the sliced chicken into a bowl to carry out to the grill. Then rinsed the cutting board and the knife before putting it in the dishwasher. “She cares what her family thinks.”

Charlotte tipped her head to the side. “Don’t they want her to be happy?”

I nodded. “I would think so.”

“If what she wants is you—”

“You’re oversimplifying things. It’s complicated.”

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed on me. “Only if you make it that way.”

I chopped veggies, sprinkled olive oil and seasoning over them before placing them in tin foil. “I’m going to fire up the grill.”

“Do you have enough for Daphne and Izzy to join us? I’d love to meet them.”

“I can invite them.” I sent a quick text to Daphne before placing the meat on the grill.

Outside, Charlotte said, “It’s beautiful here. I can see why you like it.”

I sat on a chair at the table and leaned back. “I never thought about owning something like this for myself. But I can see how that would be nice.”

“If this thing with you and Daphne is serious, you might want to think about moving. It would give you some space from the family dynamics.”

I frowned. “We’re not there yet.”

My phone buzzed.

Charlotte leaned forward. “Is she coming?”

“She said she’s on her way and looking forward to meeting you.” My heart soared.

“I can’t wait to meet the woman who’s brought my brother to his knees.”

“You know it’s not like that.”

Charlotte just smirked. “I call it like I see it.”

I got up to check on the chicken. When I heard the van in the driveway, I closed the grill and went around the house to greet them. Charlotte was already running ahead of me and immediately drew Daphne in with a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

Daphne pulled back and rested her hand on Izzy’s shoulder. “This is my daughter, Izzy.”

Izzy looked up at Charlotte.

“I’m Cole’s sister,” Charlotte said. “It’s so nice to meet you too.”

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