Page 95 of Forbidden Flame

I hated that we had to hide what we were doing.

Once the door was closed, Daphne stood in front of me, hesitant and uncertain. I reached for her hand and tugged her toward me. “I missed you.”

She melted into me. “I missed you too.”

“This is just like your room,” Izzy said from where she stood on one of the beds.

Daphne pointed to the floor. “Get down. We’re not jumping on beds today.”

“Aw. Why not?” Izzy said as she hopped onto her butt, then the floor.

“You can’t go skiing with a broken leg,” I added.

Izzy rolled her eyes dramatically.

“I think Aunt Lori used that on us way too often, mainly because we were so rough with each other.”

“It must have been fun growing up with so many brothers,” Izzy said.

“The Monroes are my cousins, not my brothers. And don’t forget I have a sister but I didn’t think she was cool. At least not when I was younger.”

“What have you been doing since you got here?” Daphne asked.

“We went skiing this morning. That was about it. Everyone was tired last night and went to bed early.”

“Traveling will do that to you.”

“Where is the rest of your family staying?” I asked her.

“They’re all over the place, and with them being single, I don’t expect they’ll want to hang out with us in the evenings.”

“You think we can go to dinner in town together?” I asked her.

“As long as we avoid the bars.”

Izzy skipped to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. I heard the fan come on.

“You think we’ll have time to spend together? I don’t like being here and not being able to see you,” I said, pulling her into my arms.

Daphne rested her hands on my chest. “I was hoping we’d have time to talk to our families.”

“Remember, we thought telling them at the end of the trip would be better. That way they’re not angry at us all week.”

“Just angry at us when we get home?” Daphne quipped.

“Something like that.” My stomach knotted at the thought of talking to my cousins. My conversation with Knox did not go how I wanted it too.

“What do you want to do today?” Daphne asked as she opened her suitcase and pulled out snow gear.

“We could go into town, eat, and walk around. My family’s on the slopes.” With no signs of slowing down.

“My brothers are going out too. I said we wouldn’t attempt the slopes until Izzy’s had her first lesson which is tomorrow.”

“You think I could watch? The bunny slope is on the other side of the mountain from the main ones.”

“I don’t see why not.”

I was thinking that it would be hard to figure out who was who from afar when everyone was in hats, gloves, and bulky jackets. It would be easier for us to go undetected outside the lodge.

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