Page 94 of Fire in My Heart

Daphne tapped her foot, looking from me to Cole. “Did you know about this?”

Cole cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation. “It was the first I’d heard of it.”

Daphne raised a brow at her husband. “You’re not upset?”

I sensed that Daphne was bothered more by her husband’s lack of response. Maybe I could get out of this unscathed.

“I was caught up in my sister not coming to me when she had a stalker,” Cole said tightly.

“I wanted to handle it on my own.”

“But you didn’t have to.” He gestured between Daphne and himself. “We’re here for you.”

“But I’ve always handled things on my own. And yourrelationship with Daphne was new. You didn’t need to get involved with my drama.”

Cole grimaced.

“I’m not criticizing what happened when we were kids. You were my brother, not my parent. You weren’t supposed to be there for me in the same way they were. I don’t blame you for how I was raised.”

Cole blew out a breath. “I think I’ll always blame myself.”

Daphne moved toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

It felt like an incredibly intimate moment, and I was jealous that I wouldn’t have those with Teddy anymore.

Cole dropped a soft kiss on her lips, and Daphne touched his cheek before turning to face me. “Maybe it’s time for you to realize you have help. You don’t have to do everything on your own.”

“I’m working on that. Aiden and Fiona took me to the courthouse and helped me to get the order. I’m staying with you for a few days until I find a place.”

Daphne moved away from Cole. “Now that’s settled, what’s going on with you and Teddy?”

“I thought what we had was serious, but I didn’t tell him about Rick, and he’s upset.”

Cole whistled. “I can see why.”

“I apologized. I know I screwed up,” I said miserably.

“He’s a man who protects the people he loves, and you took that away from him,” Cole said simply as if he didn’t rock my entire world. Wes had something similar, but it hit differently when my brother said it.

“He’s saying he can never trust me again.”

“He hadn’t had a serious relationship for as long as I can remember. He doesn’t let people in, and if he did with you, that meant he trusted you. But it was an illusion because you nevertrusted him with your secret. That’s a blow,” Daphne said thoughtfully.

“I don’t think he’s going to give me another chance.”

Daphne nodded. “You have to be prepared for that to be the case.”

I let out a breath. “I’ll have to be okay with how things are. I’m going to look for a place this week and drum up a few more marketing jobs.”

Daphne’s eyes sparked with interest. “Speaking of marketing. I’m thinking of selling my pies online. Can you help me determine if that’s an option?”

“Of course,” I said, my brain already circulating with possibilities for her business. I loved a challenge.

We ate breakfast, and then I played with Colson and Izzy. I decided to stay with Cole and Daphne while I searched for a new place. I didn’t work for Fiona and Aiden anymore, so it didn’t make sense to intrude on them. This time, I’d let Cole help me.

Icalled Cole’s real estate agent, Juliana, and she took me to a few apartments. At the end of the day, I was frustrated because nothing was within my price range. And I wasn’t sure I’d be approved for a rental when my income was sketchy at best.

When we left the last option that was in a more rundown part of town, Juliana asked, “Have you considered a house?”

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