Page 193 of Modern Romance December 2025 5-8

‘Will you put it up top?’ she asked.

‘As you wish.’

While he worked to get it out of the box, she told him of a memory. ‘When we were younger, the four of us would decorate the tree under my parents’ supervision but there was always a fight for who got to place the tree topper.’

Lukas stopped what he was doing to listen to her.

‘At first we had an angel. It was porcelain and so beautiful. We promised to be careful but when the others fought, it broke. From then on we had a plastic star. Whenever the fight broke out, I’d slink away to the corner, as far as possible from the fray.’

‘What did you do for attention?’ Lukas asked.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, bundling up the fallen tissue paper, but he pulled it from her hands and brought her closer to him.

‘It’s clear to me to that you didn’t get much attention and your siblings’ behaviour would have attracted a lot of it. But you still wanted it, didn’t you? Even though you sat there in the corner away from them, watching. So what did you do to earn it from your parents?’

Katherine stood there dumbstruck. A mouth full of cotton. She couldn’t answer his question, which made her throat burn with emotions she didn’t want to express.

‘I think you chose this job to be seen, Katherine,’ he said so simply, as if he wasn’t about to strip away her armour, leaving her vulnerable.

‘You and your father shared a love of Alpha One and maybe becoming a driver wasn’t an option but given what you’ve told me, you could have chosen other routes. Engineering, perhaps. But you chose journalism. A job that would have you seen and heard by millions.’ He caressed her cheek. ‘Attention.’

She tried to look away but he wouldn’t let her.

‘You spent so long trying to be the good daughter who didn’t need anything that you made yourself nearly invisible. You did what was asked of you when it was asked with no pushback ever, but you wanted to be noticed by your parents and the only time you were was when it came to racing and this career path. And you want to take care of them because you are good and kind but also so that they’ll finally take notice of you. So now, here you are in the public eye demanding attention, standing your ground in your life because you have always been independent. But from your mother’s point of view…she doesn’t understand why you’ve changed. Why you suddenly won’t listen to her advice and won’t be invisible anymore.’

Katherine could feel her throat burning but she didn’t want to cry. Not in front of anyone. Not even Lukas.

‘You wanted to be so good, so easy to deal with that you hid yourself from them, but they should have worked harder to know you.’ His warm hand cupped the back of hers, turning it over and in it, he placed the angel. ‘I see you, Katherine.’

Then he picked her up and took her to the tree where she easily placed the tree topper.

Her heart was going to burst. She wanted to cling onto Lukas and never let go.

‘We still have to make an appearance,’ he started when he set her down.

In an instant she went from floating to falling. This was still a fake relationship. He had been given no way to refuse. She could never forget that.

‘Tomorrow, I will take us out on my boat,’ Lukas went on. ‘We’ll be seen quite easily but we’ll be alone.’ She shivered as he tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. ‘The paps can get their pictures, but we’ll have complete privacy.’

‘Tomorrow is your thirty-fourth birthday,’ she said, feeling foolish for having bought him a gift.

‘You knew that?’

‘The world knows that, Lukas,’ she deadpanned.

‘I meant, you remembered.’

‘Of course, I did.’

‘Why? And don’t tell me for your work.’

Well, there went that excuse. The truth was she didn’t know. Most drivers celebrated their birthday during the season but not Lukas, so the date should have meant nothing to her. And yet she was always aware of it.

‘I can’t answer that.’

‘Can’t or won’t?’ he pushed.

‘I don’t know why.’