Page 96 of Forbidden Flame

“I don’t like the sneaking around.”

My stomach sank. I wasn’t sure how much longer Daphne would go along with this. “I don’t either. But it’s necessary if we want to have a good time.”

“You think Izzy will stay overnight with your dad at all?”

“He said he’d take her for a sleepover for one night. He hasn’t said which one yet.”

“Let me know, and I can join you.”

“I’m looking forward to that.” Daphne stepped closer so her body pressed against mine, making every nerve in my system go haywire. I touched her hips, looking up at her and waited for her to make the move.

She touched my jaw with a feather-light caress of her palm then leaned to kiss me. My heart was pounding, and every muscle in my body pulled taut when the bathroom door opened.

Daphne stepped back, but her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright.

“You want to go into town and see the sights?” I asked Izzy.

Izzy nodded. “Did you see the Christmas lights?”

“You like the lights?” At her nod, I said, “My cousin, Talon puts on a light show on the farm. You should come see it. It’s a drive-through.”

“Can we?” Izzy asked her mom.

“I don’t see why not,” Daphne said, but I didn’t like the uncertainty I detected in her tone.

Keeping our relationship a secret wasn’t going to be possible for much longer. Either one of our family members was going to figure it out, or Daphne was going to give me an ultimatum. I had this sense of foreboding I couldn’t shake.

Chapter 21

Daphne

As we walked down the streets of Telluride, I didn’t want to hide how I felt any longer. I wanted to be able to hold Cole’s hand.

I had this overwhelming desire to explain the situation to Izzy, at least the part where I liked Cole and wanted to hold his hand. I think that was enough information for her little mind to understand. She understood girlfriends and boyfriends, marriage, and kissing.

We ducked into a brick-oven pizza restaurant for lunch. Izzy and Cole played the arcade games in the back until the pies were delivered to our table. Then we dug into the steaming pizza.

It hit the spot. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d even eaten out. I visited restaurants for work but rarely ate at them.

“Online it said Santa’s going to be in town later this afternoon,” Cole said, and I loved that he’d checked for kid-friendly things to do.

Izzy paused. “Can we see him?”

“I don’t see why not.” This was supposed to be a vacation. I wanted to relax and enjoy ourselves. My take on Cole was that he was reluctant to tell his family about us. I hoped he hadn’t changed his mind, and decided we weren’t worth the trouble.

After lunch, we went into various shops and purchased hot chocolate to drink. The town itself was adorable, and the view was beautiful. It was tucked into a canyon with breathtaking views of the mountains surrounding us.

At dusk, Cole took Izzy’s hand. “Look. There’s the line for Santa.”

“Let’s go,” Izzy said as she began to drag him down the street. Cole sent me a bewildered look before turning and jogging with her.

I shook my head and laughed. My heart was overflowing with love for these two. I’d found someone who accepted me and my daughter, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted everything. I wanted our families to know about us.

I wanted to be able to be in public as a family. I just hoped that Cole wanted the same things.

“What are you going to ask Santa for?” Cole asked.

“Everyone in school has hover boards.”

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