Samantha’s POVI truly loved Clara and Enzo. When Hebe mentioned to me that she wanted to travel with Edward, I immediately told her to surprise her husband and booked the trip, as Henry and I would take care of the kids. She was more than happy to accept my offer.That's why I pushed the store to deliver the furniture earlier than planned and paid extra for it, but it was worth every penny. I also asked Alexander for a few days off, which he didn't hesitate to give me. We would have lots of fun, I needed this peace and joy, and I wanted to see Henry with his niece and nephew, after all, we were starting a life together.Things only got better when he realized the kids would be staying with us. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I decided to break the news gradually so I could enjoy more of his facial expressions, and I was taking photos of every moment, even without him noticing.I almost had to sit down from laughing so hard at him climbing the stairs in panic because the kids w
Henry’s POVWe were sitting in the living room planning an outing when my sister made a video call to her kids."Hi, Mom! Where are you now?" Clara answered with bright, innocent eyes, but I no longer believed in such innocence."Hi, sweetie! We're in Madrid, waiting for our connection. Are you both behaving?" Hebe had a relaxed, carefree expression."I always behave, Mom. As for Enzo, well, you know, he's a teenage boy, can't expect much from him." Clara spoke with disdain, making me smile."Stop being ridiculous, Clara. I'm a well-mannered young man, Mom. Always behave like a gentleman." Enzo protested."Great, keep it up so Mom can travel more often." My eyes widened - she had barely left and was already planning to go again. "Let me talk to your uncle and Sam."Sam and I took the tablet and chatted a bit with Hebe and Ed, but I felt persistent nudging at my ribs - Clara was getting restless, so I decided to end this little quarrel."Sis, I want to ask you something." I thought it b
Henry’s POVWe arrived at the shelter, and there were many animals. Clara was emotional and even a bit sad, which moved me. She walked between the kennels, playing with the puppies that came close to the bars.In the last kennel, she saw a large dog lying at the back. He had round, sad eyes, droopy ears, short black fur with a white patch running between his eyes down to his snout, and one white paw. He was alone in that kennel.Clara crouched down and asked the caretaker to open the little gate. When it was opened, Clara crawled to the back and petted the dog, who looked at her with his head tilted. She whispered something in his ear, and he sniffed her and stood up. She came out, and he followed her."That's the one, uncle!" She hugged the dog around his neck - he was almost her size, reaching above her waist, and he licked her little face, making her laugh. "What's his name, sir?""This is Truffle. He's an adult dog, but still young, about a year and a half old. He came to the shelt
Samantha’s POVI had three dogs running around the house, a little girl chasing them, a chatty teenager, a handsy boyfriend, and a Sunday lunch to prepare. Managing all of that was quite complicated.We invited our friends over for a Sunday barbecue and pool day, and I told Enzo to invite Luna and her sister. I also took the chance to invite Vince, who was off work. It would be a fun day.Patrick and Virginia arrived soon after, followed by Catherine and Alexander with Peter and the fantastic quartet. The chaos started growing as Peter became enchanted with the dogs and was already rolling in the grass with them and Clara."Sam, three dogs?" Catherine looked at me, impressed."Friend, some have babies, others have dogs." We laughed together. "But only Cinnamon is mine, the others belong to Enzo and Clara.""Does Hebe know about this?" Melissa asked, coming up behind us."She knows about having one small dog, but Clara and Enzo get everything they want from Henry." I explained."I can't
Henry’s POV"Good morning, family!" I entered the kitchen in high spirits on Monday morning and was greeted with a collective, laughter-filled good morning in response."Kids, brush your teeth quickly and get going, so you're not late for school," Samantha hurried Clara and Enzo along."I'll wait outside, children," Alfonso put his cup in the sink and left with a smile, accompanied by Maria."Good morning, Nightingale!" I hugged Samantha and gave her a lingering kiss."Good morning, my handsome!" She responded with her arms wrapped around my neck and then whispered in my ear:"We have the house to ourselves this morning.""I'll get these kids out of here quickly," I got excited, but she pulled me to the table, saying she was waiting for me to have breakfast.The kids rushed out, shouting unintelligible goodbyes. I found all this too good, but I was eager to spend some time alone with my goddess.Samantha and I were sitting in the living room, making plans for the week with the kids whe
I got home after a long day, and my parents were waiting for me in the living room."Catherine, sit down. We need to talk," my father said, looking quite agitated."What's going on, Dad?" I asked tiredly. I had worked all day, gone to college at night, and upon getting home, all I wanted was to take a shower and crash into bed. But that wasn't possible."Catherine, your cousin's wedding invitation has arrived," my mother said."That little tramp is not my cousin!" I snapped, already getting angry."Catherine, she is your cousin," my mother insisted. "You need to stop this childish behavior. Melissa already hit her and caused a scene here at home. Enough! She's my sister's daughter, which makes her your cousin.""I'm sorry, Mom, but she means nothing to me," I tried to stay calm. "She slept with my boyfriend in my bed. That's not something she should do."I had been dating Claude for four years; he was my first boyfriend, and I found him in my bed, in my room, having sex with Kelly, my
There was no way out - my friend dragged me to the ball. As soon as we got in, Mel pulled us to the bar and whispered in my ear:"It's an open bar tonight, so you're going to drink until all that sadness washes away!" Mel handed me two tequila shots while holding two more in her hands. "Let's down these!" We knocked back the tequila, and Fred was already handing each of us a cosmopolitan.Melissa dragged me to the dance floor, and I was actually having fun. When a slow song started playing, Fred and Mel began slow dancing together. I took that as my cue to head to the buffet, but I didn't make it there. I felt someone grab my hand, and when I turned around, there was a man in a black mask smiling at me - and what a smile! He kissed my hand and pulled me close, whispering in my ear with a husky voice:"Surely the most beautiful woman in the room won't deny me a dance, will she?""And why not? Let's dance," I smiled back at him.It was impossible to resist that seductive husky voice and
On Monday during lunch, I met Mel. She handed me a small bag from a fancy store, and I looked at her, confused."My mom asked me to give this to you. She said it's perfect for you and doesn't suit her," Mel said with a big smile.I opened the bag, and inside was the perfume I had worn to the ball. A huge smile spread across my face. I loved that perfume, and it was part of the best night of my life. I just hoped that my best night hadn't left me with an STD as a souvenir. With that thought, I thanked Mel and told her I'd call her mom later, then mentioned I wanted to call the lab to schedule some tests.I called the laboratory and was informed that I needed a doctor's prescription to get the tests covered by health insurance. Thank God the company provided health insurance for employees because otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do. My salary wasn't high, and what little was left after covering college expenses went to helping at home, since my mom didn't work outside the house and my
Henry’s POV"Good morning, family!" I entered the kitchen in high spirits on Monday morning and was greeted with a collective, laughter-filled good morning in response."Kids, brush your teeth quickly and get going, so you're not late for school," Samantha hurried Clara and Enzo along."I'll wait outside, children," Alfonso put his cup in the sink and left with a smile, accompanied by Maria."Good morning, Nightingale!" I hugged Samantha and gave her a lingering kiss."Good morning, my handsome!" She responded with her arms wrapped around my neck and then whispered in my ear:"We have the house to ourselves this morning.""I'll get these kids out of here quickly," I got excited, but she pulled me to the table, saying she was waiting for me to have breakfast.The kids rushed out, shouting unintelligible goodbyes. I found all this too good, but I was eager to spend some time alone with my goddess.Samantha and I were sitting in the living room, making plans for the week with the kids whe
Samantha’s POVI had three dogs running around the house, a little girl chasing them, a chatty teenager, a handsy boyfriend, and a Sunday lunch to prepare. Managing all of that was quite complicated.We invited our friends over for a Sunday barbecue and pool day, and I told Enzo to invite Luna and her sister. I also took the chance to invite Vince, who was off work. It would be a fun day.Patrick and Virginia arrived soon after, followed by Catherine and Alexander with Peter and the fantastic quartet. The chaos started growing as Peter became enchanted with the dogs and was already rolling in the grass with them and Clara."Sam, three dogs?" Catherine looked at me, impressed."Friend, some have babies, others have dogs." We laughed together. "But only Cinnamon is mine, the others belong to Enzo and Clara.""Does Hebe know about this?" Melissa asked, coming up behind us."She knows about having one small dog, but Clara and Enzo get everything they want from Henry." I explained."I can't
Henry’s POVWe arrived at the shelter, and there were many animals. Clara was emotional and even a bit sad, which moved me. She walked between the kennels, playing with the puppies that came close to the bars.In the last kennel, she saw a large dog lying at the back. He had round, sad eyes, droopy ears, short black fur with a white patch running between his eyes down to his snout, and one white paw. He was alone in that kennel.Clara crouched down and asked the caretaker to open the little gate. When it was opened, Clara crawled to the back and petted the dog, who looked at her with his head tilted. She whispered something in his ear, and he sniffed her and stood up. She came out, and he followed her."That's the one, uncle!" She hugged the dog around his neck - he was almost her size, reaching above her waist, and he licked her little face, making her laugh. "What's his name, sir?""This is Truffle. He's an adult dog, but still young, about a year and a half old. He came to the shelt
Henry’s POVWe were sitting in the living room planning an outing when my sister made a video call to her kids."Hi, Mom! Where are you now?" Clara answered with bright, innocent eyes, but I no longer believed in such innocence."Hi, sweetie! We're in Madrid, waiting for our connection. Are you both behaving?" Hebe had a relaxed, carefree expression."I always behave, Mom. As for Enzo, well, you know, he's a teenage boy, can't expect much from him." Clara spoke with disdain, making me smile."Stop being ridiculous, Clara. I'm a well-mannered young man, Mom. Always behave like a gentleman." Enzo protested."Great, keep it up so Mom can travel more often." My eyes widened - she had barely left and was already planning to go again. "Let me talk to your uncle and Sam."Sam and I took the tablet and chatted a bit with Hebe and Ed, but I felt persistent nudging at my ribs - Clara was getting restless, so I decided to end this little quarrel."Sis, I want to ask you something." I thought it b
Samantha’s POVI truly loved Clara and Enzo. When Hebe mentioned to me that she wanted to travel with Edward, I immediately told her to surprise her husband and booked the trip, as Henry and I would take care of the kids. She was more than happy to accept my offer.That's why I pushed the store to deliver the furniture earlier than planned and paid extra for it, but it was worth every penny. I also asked Alexander for a few days off, which he didn't hesitate to give me. We would have lots of fun, I needed this peace and joy, and I wanted to see Henry with his niece and nephew, after all, we were starting a life together.Things only got better when he realized the kids would be staying with us. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I decided to break the news gradually so I could enjoy more of his facial expressions, and I was taking photos of every moment, even without him noticing.I almost had to sit down from laughing so hard at him climbing the stairs in panic because the kids w
Henry’s POVFinally, our family began saying goodbyes to leave. Hebe and Ed were the last ones to say goodbye and leave, but Enzo and Clara remained seated on the couch."Come on, kids, your parents are leaving," I said with a smile, thinking they were sleepy."We've already said goodbye, Uncle!" Clara replied, looking at me with that grown-up air she had about her.I looked outside, and Hebe turned around to wave one last time before going through the gate. I looked at Sam, who was waving back. I looked again at my niece and nephew, comfortably settled on my new couch. Then I looked back at Sam, who closed the door with a big smile and blew me a kiss as she walked past me."Now, my darlings, I want a foot massage!" Samantha said as she sat between them.Enzo quickly sat down on the carpet, gently took her feet, removed her shoes, and started massaging one of them. Clara snuggled against her arm, and they began making plans for the weekend."Come on, Uncle, come here. I'll massage one
Henry’s POVThe conversation was flowing cheerfully, and I could see the smiles spread across my mother's and Hebe's faces. They would occasionally glance at me and give a small nod of approval at how things were going. I knew they were happy that I had found Samantha.It couldn't have been better - my mother and Pearl were getting along wonderfully. They chatted like childhood friends and were already discussing how wonderful it would be when Samantha and I had children.Suddenly, the doorbell rang again, and I looked at Samantha with confusion. The whole family was already here - had she invited someone else?"I'll get it, handsome," Sam passed by me, and I gave her a kiss on the cheek."Ah, the whole family gathered. How lovely!" I looked back to see Reynold walking in as if he owned the place."Henry, I couldn't stop him from coming in, and the security guard wasn't at the entrance," Samantha came in behind him, furious."Don't worry, Sam, I'll throw this creature out myself!" I re
Henry’s POVFriday would finally be the dinner where we'd introduce our mothers. Samantha had organized everything, not even letting me handle the invitations. She was happy and excited about it. She went home early, and when I arrived, she was already looking beautiful, all dressed up and directing the table arrangements."My handsome, you're here!" She happily came to greet me with a kiss."Hmm, I think I should start coming home after you just to get welcomed like this." I hugged her and gave her another kiss that left her breathless."Maybe you should." She said, trying to catch her breath after breaking our kiss. "But now go get ready, our families will be here soon."Very reluctantly, I let go of Samantha and went to take a shower. When I returned to the living room, Samantha was contentedly observing the set table, and I could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen."Wow, everything looks so beautiful!" I said, admiring the perfect job she had done setting the table.
Samantha’s POVI had been restless and anxious since Maria, Henry's housekeeper, called me after lunch today. She called to let me know that the store had delivered the furniture. Maria was a lovely woman who knew how to run a household like no other, and she was so sweet and kind that she was like a mother. We got along very well, and we had agreed that she would call me whenever she needed anything and would let me know as soon as the furniture arrived.I was very excited. I left the company feeling very happy, but when I got into Henry's car, I noticed he was very tense. He gave me a kiss and held me in his arms for a moment."My handsome, what's wrong?" I asked, sensing something was off. He looked tired and stressed."It's been a shitty day, Sam. I just want to spend the night holding you." Henry sighed and let go of me, starting the car."What happened, Henry?" I grew even more worried."Reynold." Henry said simply."What is it now?" I persisted.During the drive home, I listened