Page 91 of Forbidden Flame

Before she could say it was okay, I rushed to turn on her new star lantern and turned off the overhead light. “Sweet dreams.”

“Night, Mommy. Night, Cole.”

I carefully shut the door behind us and tried not to think about how sweet it was that my daughter said goodnight to Cole.

We moved downstairs, and Cole said, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“You have to be ready for anything with kids. Riding bikes, reading books.” None of it was hard unless you weren’t used to children. But Cole seemed like a natural.

He stepped close to me, his expression vulnerable. “I was worried about losing my heart to you, but I should have been more worried about that little girl in there.”

My heart flipped.

He stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair off my forehead. “She’s expecting me to stay overnight, and I don’t want to disappoint her.”

“Are you serious?” I asked, my heart kicking up a bit.

“Only if you’re comfortable with it. We could sleep out here on the couches, or in separate bedrooms.”

“My bedroom is upstairs, and the guest room is down here.”

“I can move down there before she wakes if it makes you more comfortable. But I want to spend more time with you.”

“How can I say no to that?” I asked as he lowered his mouth to mine. The first touch of his lips sent my mind drifting. I felt like I was flying over a field of wildflowers. That nothing could touch me.

He eventually slowed his kisses and said, “Let’s watch a movie. Do the normal couple thing.”

My heart ached for what we couldn’t have.

We got settled on the couch, and I turned on the TV so we could search for a movie we were both interested in.

“I want to take you out on a date,” Cole said, drawing my attention to him. The screen of the TV illuminated his face.

“I want that too.” I wanted so many things. “I love having you here too. We feel like a family.”

Cole reached over and took my hand in his. “I don’t want to hide anymore.”

We both knew that in order to be out in the open with our relationship, we needed to talk to our families. If Izzy was with us, we had the excuse that Cole was helping me with her. But if it was just us, it would be obvious we were on a date.

“I was thinking we could tell them in Telluride. Maybe toward the end of the vacation so we don’t spoil the trip.”

Cole considered that, then finally nodded. “That’s an idea.”

“Both of our families will be in the same place.”

He leaned back on the couch. “Are you saying it will be good that they can’t escape from the conversation.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Not exactly, but that works too.”

His brow furrowed. “If you’re sure. I don’t want to rush you into anything.”

“I’m tired of sneaking around too. I want to declare to everyone that you’re a part of our lives. A big one.”

Cole let out a breath. “I want that too.”

“I can’t imagine everyone will be understanding at first. But they’ll come around once they see how happy we are,” I said with more confidence than I felt.

Cole squeezed my hand but didn’t respond.

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