It began with one meaningless kiss. It ended in a plea bargain. Fast forward five years. Ethan Salvatore Evanson, once the rebellious, heathen son of a powerful preacher with a one-way ticket straight to hell, is now the most respected tech genius of his time, his sordid past wiped clean by the NSA in exchange for his expertise. Noah Evanson is Pastor John Evanson's heavily guarded stepson - the golden child, and Ethan's stepbrother. Noah has just completed his degree in Theology and is on the precipice of full-time ministry, according to his stepfather's wishes. But he has one last thing to do before he turns his back on himself and everything he ever wanted. New York becomes the new playground for one of the most intimidating businessmen in the world and a young minister on sabbatical, who were both once just two boys crushed by their love for each other and the hatred of their father. Stepbrothers. Lovers. A love story that should never have happened. What We Were is a second-chance stepbrother romance with heavy religious themes. It has a HEA. The full list of trigger warnings is available in the Look Inside feature.