Noah's POVI sat on the edge of my bed and checked my phone, which I had put on silent during dinner with Kathrine. A long sigh left my lips when I saw the notifications, twenty-three unread messages, seven missed calls, and over forty emails. Whoever said being an entrepreneur was easy had never lived a day in my shoes. There was always something demanding my attention, problems to fix, fires to put out, crises to manage, day and night. Work-life balance? That was just a myth.I scrolled through the messages, answering the urgent ones first. Most were simple updates or minor issues that needed a quick response. But one text made me pause. Tom, the manager of one of our stores, had been rushed to the hospital. The assistant manager had called his wife, who said he’d suffered a stroke and was in the critical unit.A stroke? Tom? That couldn’t be right. He was one of the healthiest people I knew. I watched what he ate, exercised regularly. Hell, he even ran a marathon a few months ago.
Kathrine’s POVI slept surprisingly well, my body and mind completely relaxed. When I woke up in the morning, I was still naked under the sheets, but as I rolled over, I was reminded of my mistake from the day before. My shoulders burned, and my face felt stiff. The sun had been merciless, and now I was paying the price. Groaning, I pulled myself out of bed and reached for the bottle of aloe Vera Henry had left on the dresser. I squeezed some onto my palm and gently spread it over my shoulders, wincing at the sting. It didn’t feel nearly as good as when Henry did it. I remembered his hands on my skin, the way he had carefully rubbed the gel in… I shook my head. Focus.The idea of putting on clothes sounded unbearable. If I had a tube top, I would have worn that. But I didn’t, so I carefully pulled on a sports bra, biting my lip as the straps rubbed against my sunburned shoulders. That’s what I get for not using sunscreen properly.At least my legs weren’t too bad. I pulled on some sho
Noah’s povWe drove across town in silence. Kathrine sat stiffly, only speaking when she had to give me directions. I could’ve easily figured it out on my own, but I figured this way, I might get her to talk, at least a little. I knew I’d messed up somehow, but I had no clue what I had done wrong. I thought about asking, What’s wrong? But I already knew the answer, nothing.Her karate school was on the other side of the railroad tracks, deep in a rough part of town. It seemed like an odd place for a school, but then again, the large warehouse space made sense. Maybe it also helped bring discipline to a neighborhood struggling with crime. Still, the idea of Kathrine coming here alone at night didn’t sit well with me.I pulled into the parking lot behind the building. The place had seen better days, parking meters lined up in front of the spaces, most of them cut down by vandals. The few left standing were dented, tagged with spray paint, their screens cracked and poles bent at odd angl
Henry’s povI got home just before seven, a slight headache thKathrineng behind my temples. I'd spent too long staring at a screen, and my eyes felt dry and gritty. I opened the door to find Noah lounging on the couch with the remote in hand. The frown on his face didn’t match the action-comedy playing on the large TV."Hey," I said, loosening my tie."Hey," he grumbled in return."What's wrong?"He checked the time on his watch. "Kathrine's not back."I slipped off my shoes and curled my toes into the carpet. "I didn’t know she had a curfew."His frown deepened. "She went to River Street Park."That caught my attention. I straightened up, still holding my shoes. "Why would she go there?"Noah slouched slightly. "She said she wanted to write.""But... Why is it there? That place is a dump."He shrugged, finally turning off the movie he had clearly not been watching. "I had a feeling she needed space, so I didn’t follow her. Damn it, I should’ve gone with her."I pulled out my phone. I
Henry's POVI don’t know why I ever thought Kathrine was off-limits. The second she pulled back that hood, I was lost. Her eyes locked on mine, and something inside me kept moving. It was like the universe had dropped everything I wanted in a woman right in front of me. Who cares what our parents were doing? I tried to fight it, told myself it was wrong. I even forbade Noah from making a move on her. But a week later, I was waving the white flag. Kathrine wasn’t just an attraction, she was... ours.Her body fit against mine perfectly. It was like we were meant to be close. I could feel her heat, the softness of her chest pressing against me while standing against the car, doing what we haven’t done before. I gave her a moment to pull away, to stop me, but she didn’t. Instead, she placed her hand on my chest, her eyes burning with desire, matching mine.I kissed her. As soon as our lips met, everything else vanished. Her lips were soft, warm, yielding. I was drowning in it, overwhelmed
Kathrine’s POVI barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, the day played over and over in my mind like a movie I couldn’t turn off. Noah showing up in my grappling class. The terrifying men in the park. Henry rescuing me. An amazing dinner and most of all, the kiss. Or should I say… the kisses.Not that I was some kissing expert, but Henry had single-handedly ruined every other kiss I’d ever had. I never saw it coming, and when our lips finally met, it was explosive. Henry always seemed like the type to play by the rules, rigid, reserved. But the moment he grabbed my hair and took my mouth like he owned it, I knew I had misjudged him. It was toe-curling, heart-stopping, breath-stealing kind of hot. He wasn’t rough enough to hurt me, but there was a quiet dominance in the way he kissed me, like he knew I’d surrender. And the truth was… I did.Which scared me. Had I just crossed a line I couldn't take back? By letting Henry kiss me, I’d opened a door to something I wasn’t sure I was r
Kathrine's POVThe drive to Burlington felt like an eternity. Every twist of the road seemed to stretch the distance further, and as I navigated through the winding streets, I couldn’t shake the tight knot in my stomach. The scenery outside was picturesque, quaint towns, miles of farmland, and the occasional glimpse of a small creek running alongside the road, but it did nothing to calm my nerves. My mind raced with thoughts I couldn't control, pulling me back to the last conversation I had with Henry, Noah, and even my mother. All of them felt like unresolved chapters in a book I couldn’t finish.The towns I passed seemed like they belonged to another world. The sort of place where nothing ever changed. All the houses looked the same, with their neat lawns and hedges, the kind of homes you’d expect in a magazine about suburban life. It was a quiet, almost suffocating calmness, and it bore me down. This wasn’t the world I had grown up in, my world was filled with questions and doubts
Noah’s POVSunday mornings were meant for sleeping in, not waking up early to run a store. But with our general manager in the ICU, Henry and I agreed that stepping in would be good for team morale. The assistant manager handled weekdays, Henry took Saturdays, and Sundays were my responsibility.As if getting up early wasn’t bad enough, I noticed Kathrine slipping out before I even got to say good morning. This time, she took her mom’s car. When I asked Clara about it, she vaguely said Kathrine went shopping up north. That didn’t sound like her. She never seemed like the type to shop for fun. But what did I really know? I straightened my tie, grabbed my keys, and left. No matter how much I tried, Kathrine was stuck in my head. That wasn’t new. Since the day I carried her suitcase inside, she’d been on my mind. And last night? I saw her kissing Henry. She didn’t just kiss him—she let him take control, responding to him in a way that made her eyes dark with desire. It was hot. Was I jea
Kathrine’s POVI felt so dizzy I might have collapsed if I hadn’t been sandwiched between Henry and Noah, their strong bodies holding me up. The kitten, tired of being squished, had climbed onto my shoulder, her tiny claws pricking my skin.Was this real? Had I slipped into some alternate reality? Maybe the almond milk my mom gave me had sent me into a coma, and this was all just a dream. Because who in the world gives their girlfriend a house for her nineteenth birthday?But it wasn’t the price tag or the extravagance of the gift that hit me the hardest. It was the understanding.Henry and Noah knew. They knew that for the past three and a half years, my life had been nothing but temporary, unstable, unreliable, and downright terrifying. When I lost my dad, I lost my home, my safety, my security. I’d followed my mom from one boyfriend’s place to another, always feeling like an unwanted third wheel, always at the mercy of strangers. I thought I’d built up a tough shell, that I was str
Kathrine’s POVI wasn’t expecting any more gifts from the Robert brothers. They’d already spoiled me with flowers, a fancy stainless steel water bottle, an incredible dinner on the gazebo, and those stunning rings. I couldn’t stop twisting the rings on my finger, just to remind myself this was real. This wasn’t some scene from one of my romance novels—this was my life.But when they drove me out to the waterfall, I almost melted. It was such a sweet, romantic gesture, taking me back to where it all kind of began. Okay, technically, it started at the Professor’s house, but our first real date was here, at the swimming hole under the man-made waterfall. That was the moment I started to believe I could actually be with both of them.When we arrived, there was a blanket laid out on the grass, scattered with rose petals. A vase of fresh flowers sat beside a white box tied with a big red bow. They sat facing me, their eyes full of anticipation, like they were waiting for something huge. It
Henry’s povI woke up before the sun even started to rise, the sky still dark over the mountains. Kathrine was curled up next to me, our legs tangled together with Noah’s. My brother was on the other side of her, holding her close while she faced me. At some point during the night, we’d kicked off the blankets, but the three of us together kept the bed warm and cozy.When Noah and I planned her late birthday dinner, we never imagined it would end the way it did, with the most incredible, unforgettable night of my life. Maybe even our lives. I reached for her hand in the dark, my fingers brushing over the ring she now wore. She’d accepted it. She’d accepted us.Kathrine stirred, stretching with a soft groan. “Oh my God,” she mumbled, her voice still heavy with sleep. She threw a leg over mine and sighed. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. No, make that two buses.”I smiled, brushing her hair back from her face. Even in the dim light, I could see how beautiful she looked. “I’m sorry,
Kathrine’s POVI should have done this a long time ago. Sliding behind the wheel of my new car, I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary, just to remind myself that it was real, this was real. The scent of pine-tree air freshener mixed with the sharp, chemical tang of whatever they used to polish the interior at the dealership. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it smelled like freedom. Like a fresh start.No more asking for permission. No more borrowing keys. No more waiting for some taxi driver to show up at his own pace. This was my car, and I could go anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted.It should have been a good feeling, liberating, even but there was a dull ache gnawing at the back of my mind.My mother wasn’t speaking to me.Late last night, I’d heard her voice sharp and angry, drifting from the other end of the house. I couldn’t make out every word, but I didn’t have to. I knew exactly what the argument was about.She must have gone to Weah, her voice rising
Noah’s PovEven though Kathrine was trying to hide it, I could see she was upset. When I got to the dojo, she was already there. She had taken off her jacket, put on boxing gloves, and was hitting the heavy bag hard. She wasn’t just practicing, she was putting all her strength into every punch and kick. I could almost feel the force of her hits. Her face was red, her breath was sharp with each strike, and sweat was running down her neck.It was impressive and attractive, but also a little scary.I wouldn’t want to be that bag, but that wasn’t what worried me. It was the way she was fighting, so intense, so focused, so fierce. It was like she was fighting for her life. Or maybe she was punishing herself.After what Henry told me about her meeting with her mom, I thought it might be a mix of both. I wasn’t sure if I should stop her or let her keep going. Since we were in the dojo and she was higher-ranked than me, I felt unsure of what to do.Luckily, Clement noticed something was wrong
Kathrine’s Pov“Time to face the executioner,” I muttered under my breath as I opened the door and headed downstairs to confront my mother. My purse was slung over one shoulder, and I could hear the keys to my new car jingling inside, almost as if they were taunting me. I kept my face calm and composed, but inside, my stomach was churning with nerves. I had no idea how my mother was going to react, and I really didn’t want Henry to witness it if she completely lost it.I found her pacing back and forth between the living room and the kitchen. She had kicked off her heels by the back door and I mean kicked. One of them had flown halfway across the room. Her hair, which had been neatly tied up, was now loose and floating around her flushed face. Her pupils were tiny pinpoints, and she was shaking with anger. She was furious, and it showed in every movement.I took a deep breath, trying to detach myself from her emotional state. It wasn’t easy. Her stress and anxiety felt like invisible
Kathrine's povBuying my own car might have been a little impulsive, but I didn’t regret it. Well, not entirely. The process wasn’t exactly smooth, though. I had to visit three different dealerships before I found a salesman who actually took me seriously. The first one looked me straight in the eye and told me to come back with my parents. Can you believe that? The second one laughed in my face when I said I wasn’t interested in financing and planned to pay in cash. It was frustrating, to say the least. But at the third dealership, I finally found a guy who treated me like an adult. We talked about the pros and cons of different cars within my budget, and after some back-and-forth, I settled on a modest, older Toyota with low mileage. It wasn’t flashy, but it was reliable and affordable.I paid for the car in full and drove it off the lot, feeling a mix of pride and guilt. This was my first car, and it should’ve been a happy moment, but instead, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in
Henry’s POV“How much longer?” I barked into the phone, my patience hanging by a thread.“We’ll wrap up by Tuesday,” said Guy Wilson, the contractor I hired to handle the asbestos cleanup at the old factory. “After that, you’ve got to wait at least 48 hours for the air to clear. Honestly, with a job this big, I’d give it a full week before we run the final tests to make sure it’s safe.”I rubbed my eyes, frustration gnawing at me. A week shouldn’t feel like a lifetime, but with the chaos at home, it felt like an eternity.I always knew Kathrine’s mom wouldn’t be on board with us, but I didn’t expect her to go full attack mode. The way she tore into Kathrine was disgusting, shaming her, calling her awful names. It made me sick.That morning at breakfast, Clara dropped the bomb. “You’re grounded,” she announced, her tone dripping with superiority. “And you’re not touching your car. Got it?”Kathrine didn’t even blink. She just raised an eyebrow, squeezed a lemon into her water bottle li
Kathrine's POVThis wasn’t going to blow over. I could feel it in my bones, like the ache of a storm before it hits. The tension in the house was thick enough to cut with a knife, and I knew it was only a matter of time before everything came crashing down. Unless I walked away from whatever this thing was between the Robert brothers and me, my mom and Weah would keep pushing. And I’d be the one caught in the crossfire.I was the odd one out here. The outsider. The girl who didn’t belong in the Robert’ world. And honestly, I could see why my mom was so uncomfortable. Weah, her professor boyfriend, was all about appearances. He was the kind of guy who ironed his socks and probably had a spreadsheet for his grocery list. I could practically see him breaking things off with her if I caused too much of a scene. The thought made my stomach twist.Even if I ignored my mom and Weah, this thing with the twins was a risk. A huge one. Relationships were messy enough, but with two brothers? It w