Nicola Taylor I stood by the front door, my heart fluttering with excitement. It had been so long since I'd seen my sister, and the anticipation was making me giddy. Arabella was just as energetic, bouncing around the foyer like a wind-up toy. Her wide grin and excited squeals made me laugh as I wa
Rose flashed him a tight smile, sipping her coffee. “Yes, it is. I’m really looking forward to it.” Her tone was polite but clipped, and I could sense the tension rising beneath the surface. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever was coming next. But before Rose could say anything more
Cole’s eyes flickered with a mix of frustration and something else—maybe guilt, maybe shame. “You’re right,” he conceded after a beat. “Nicola does deserve better. I’ve been… working through things, but that doesn’t excuse how I’ve treated her. I’m not trying to make excuses. I just—” “Stop ‘workin
Nicola Taylor The week with Rose around had been crazy. Arabella adored her, and we had fun, even though I could feel the tension in the air whenever Cole joined us for breakfast or dinner. He was civil, polite even, but distant—more distant than ever before. He didn’t argue or snap back at Rose,
I raised an eyebrow at his words, a small smile tugging at my lips as I teased, “Hmm, true. You’ve got some catching up to do. Let’s start small.” His hand lingered on my back, and I felt my skin tingling beneath his touch. We reached the classroom, and Ms. Hoffman looked up, offering us a polite
Nicola Taylor After an exhausting day, I stepped inside the house, my body aching from the double class I had been forced to go to. Mrs. Hinkle had been out sick, and she had to cover all of her sessions in a day, making Saturday even more brutal than usual. The moment I walked through the door,
I blinked, snapping myself out of my thoughts. “Yeah, definitely.” Funny enough, the food was so good that none of us spoke much, we just ate in silence, enjoying every bite. Arabella finished her plate in record time and scampered back to her room. She was in a hurry, excited to catch her favourit
Nicola Taylor “Alright, here’s the game,” Cole said as we settled onto the couch, our legs stretched out, feet almost touching. The proximity was impossible to ignore, the air between us thick with unspoken words, “One of us asks a question. You either answer it or take a big chug of your drink.”