Page 92 of Forbidden Flame

I snuggled against his shoulder, hoping that our families surprised us, because I wasn’t sure what I’d do if Cole’s family’s opinion mattered more to him than what we’d built.

I’d never recover, and neither would Izzy. Neither of us would survive her losing another man in her life.

It would be worse than Trent not being here for her because she never had him. With Cole, she could lose someone who’d become a vital part of her everyday life. She had more to lose. I hoped I hadn’t been selfish in pursuing this relationship with Cole.

I’d never forgive myself if she got hurt.

Chapter 20

Cole

The weeks leading up to our joint vacations flew by. I talked to Daphne every night I couldn’t spend with them. Izzy had even taken to calling me when she got home from school. Those conversations were my favorite.

She told me about her tests, her friends, and the teachers she liked. I felt like I got to know her better over those video calls. I was falling deeper for these two each day.

With every day that passed, I was worried more about telling our families. I didn’t want them to ruin the good thing we had going.

I wanted to tell Daphne to wait a little bit longer, but it wouldn’t be fair to her. I’d decided to see how the vacation went. Maybe even broach the subject with my cousins before we told them together. Just to see how they’d feel about it.

I should have been excited about the getaway since Talon had paid for the entire family to go on this trip, but I was filled with a sense of foreboding.

The Monroes and the Calloways in the same place wasn’t a good idea. I had a feeling everything was going to implode.

I was traveling with the Monroes. Talon had gotten everyone tickets on the same flight. Daphne and Izzy’s family was coming a day later.

I hoped that gave me some time to talk to my cousins and see what they thought. I wasn’t sure how to do that without telling them everything. But I hoped the right words would come to me.

Knox already suspected something was going on between me and Daphne. What if he thought it was a problem for the family business? I knew Sebastian and Emmett were more deeply involved in that aspect and wouldn’t take a slight or perceived threat to the farm lightly.

I drove to the main house where we were scheduled to say goodbye to Aunt Lori. She was staying behind with Charlotte.

I think Talon wanted her to come, but she’d been tired lately and said she wasn’t interested in skiing.

I hugged Aunt Lori and accepted her words about being good. She had no idea I wasn’t looking for a hookup on this trip. I’d already found a woman I thought I was in love with. I couldn’t help thinking she wouldn’t like that either.

Charlotte stood on the porch. “I’m going to miss having you at the house. Even though you’re gone most of the time.”

“You’re the one who encouraged me to follow my heart,” I said softly, not wanting anyone to overhear.

She slapped my shoulder. “I’m just giving you a hard time.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” We hadn’t talked about why she was here. Other than her telling our aunt she’d lost her job, I still had no clue what she was going through, and I felt bad about that. I was so wrapped up in Daphne and Izzy, I’d neglected my family yet again.

“I’ll be fine. You enjoy yourself.” She winked at me because she was the only one who knew that Daphne’s family would be there too.

I hugged her, feeling closer to her than I had in a long time. It was nice to reconnect with my sister as an adult. I hoped this meant we’d develop a different relationship than what we’d had in the past. One free of guilt.

I had a feeling if I wanted to release all my shame and guilt, I needed to talk to my parents. But that would have to come after this trip.

We took a van service to the airport, so I got into one with my cousins and their significant others. I put on earbuds and planned to tune everyone out until we got to Colorado. I hadn’t been on vacation in forever. With my dad unreliable, we never went anywhere other than the occasional day trip to the beach.

On the plane, I caught some much-needed sleep, and when we arrived at the airport, I felt groggy. We took the Wilde Ski Resort shuttles to the resort, driving through the small historic town of Telluride on the way.

The light poles were decorated with green lights and even wreaths. There was a tree in the decorated center of town. All of it was getting me in the mood for the holidays. Normally, I saw the season as being busy at the farm, but this year I was looking forward to doing some of the holiday events with Daphne and Izzy.

The town itself was cute, and I hoped I could spend some time with Daphne and Izzy there.

At the resort, we checked in and promised to meet up for dinner and drinks later. I was happy to have my own room away from the rest of the family. Talon said as the lone single guy, I needed my space, and I was grateful for that.

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