Page 1 of The Sweetest Surrender

Chapter One

Bringing the champagne flute to her plump full lips, Selena Strauss took a sip of the Welch’s sparkling juice cocktail as she watched her friend gloat at the image before her. Selena’s bronze leg bounced as it lay casually across the other, and she sighed with a contented relief. Standing in front of a full-length mirror, Phoebe Alexandria Rose squealed with her sister Eden as they stood in Jenna’s Bridal Boutique.

“This is definitely the one,” Phoebe said as she modeled the wedding dress with a twirl here and there.

“I don’t understand. If you’ve put your wedding off for a year, why are you picking out gowns now?” Selena asked.

“Because it’s going to take me that long to get everything perfect for our big day,” Phoebe answered.

“What if you find another dress that you like six months from now?”

“I won’t because I don’t plan to look for another one after this.”

Phoebe and Eden squealed again.

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Selena said with a soft bat of her curled eyelashes.

“Thank you, that makes two of us,” Phoebe responded.

“Um, you mean five of us,” Samiyah added.

The Rose women all nodded, completely excited for Phoebe’s big day. They hadn’t all come together at once. The Rose women consisted of friends who’d become new in-laws like Samiyah who married Jonas Alexander Rose; multimillionaire former heavyweight champion. Once they’d been married in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the brothers seemed to each get hitched one by one. Each of the men carried his own multimillionaire career full throttle, and the family’s name and wealth reached across the globe.

Now, one of the Rose sisters, Phoebe Alexandria Rose, was newly engaged to Quentin Davidson, fitness expert and multimillionaire tycoon, who’d been a friend of the family for decades. Phoebe gloated as she twirled in the mirror donned in what would be the official wedding gown she’d walk down the aisle in.

This happening for you gives me courage,” Eden said.

Phoebe nodded. “And I’m rooting for you and Derek. My fingers are crossed.”

Phoebe turned to look at herself, and her heart warmed at her appearance. This was happening. Phoebe and Quentin would be man and wife. It was surreal. After accepting his proposal, Phoebe had cried her eyes out, and Quentin had captured her lips with a heartwarming kiss. Quentin brought out all the stops to win Phoebe’s heart back after a huge misunderstanding went terribly wrong. Knowing that The Spice Girls was Phoebe’s favorite girl group of all time, Quentin had arranged for the group to perform their famous hit “Wannabe” along with a marching band that blocked off an entire avenue to gain her attention. Quentin kissed Phoebe through one complete performance before giving her room to breathe.

“I love you,” he’d said, and Phoebe laid her head on his shoulder, comfortable in his embrace.

Since their television announcement, the Rose brothers—Jonathon, Jordan, Jonas, Jaden, Julian, Josiah, and Jacob—had thrown Quentin and Phoebe an engagement party where they danced the night away. It lifted Phoebe’s spirit to see her brothers and Quentin interact again. They’d all cut Quentin off at one point, thinking he would end up breaking Phoebe’s heart. But Quentin quickly showed them the man he truly was. Now, standing here with her sisters and friends, picking out the gown she would be wed in, Phoebe gave thanks inwardly then turned around to face them all.

Selena saw the glow wash over Phoebe’s face and could only imagine what she must be feeling. Everyone in the room could sense her happiness and understand the totality of her big day.

Except for Selena Strauss.

Selena had attended countless weddings within the last few years as all of her co-workers at S & M Financial Advisory had gotten married to a Rose brother; her boss, Samiyah Rose, Claudia Rose, and then her co-worker Octavia Rose. Even though Selena was the odd man out, that didn’t stop Selena from wishing on a star. It was no secret that the Rose men had been deemed the playboys of the century, but Selena witnessed something entirely different. She’d had a front row seat to the happiness her friends shared with the men. And the men treated their wives as if they were the only women on earth.

Selena wanted to feel that kind of love, too… with a Rose man.

From the second she’d been introduced to the family, Selena set her sights on Jordan Alexander Rose. Something about the way he moved, silently with confidence and high authority, caused Selena’s nervous system to go into a frenzy whenever she saw him. As part owner of Rose and Garnett LLC, Jordan was one of Chicago’s most sought-after attorneys, with a client list so prestigious he wouldn’t keep it on a database of any kind to prevent a breach of confidentiality. The list was on paper; locked in a safety deposit box at Rose and Trust Credit Union, the bank his brother Jonas owned. Whenever a new client was added to the roster, that list would be updated, but it never left the vault.

Although he was an attorney, Jordan was not a man of many words. He said only what was necessary. Even at family functions, personal outings, or courtroom appearances, Jordan’s stealthy character was on display. Jordan was a thinker, a reader, a researcher, a writer. Not only did he see the world through his natural lens but also through the thoughts, facts, and arguments of others. While attending one of his high-profile court cases, Selena sat in the back and watched Jordan stroll slowly, with his hands in his pockets in deep thought as if they were all having a moment of silence. And when he spoke, a quote by Roy T. Bennett cruised from his magnificent lips.

“A wise man once said, it is important that we listen with curiosity, speak with honesty, and act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.”

Jordan had gone silent again; giving everyone in the courtroom a chance to do just that, listen for what was behind his words. When he resumed, everyone in the courtroom was tuned into his final deliberation, hanging on every syllable as if he spoke with the sage words from a biblical publication. Selena couldn’t help herself. Her eyes traveled over his chocolate skin, fresh haircut, and neatly trimmed beard. She watched his sexy lips move and found herself taken in by not only his arguments, but the undercut of his tailored Armani suit. She’d outlined his strong muscular frame, his predacious stroll, and his piercing brown eyes as he took in each member of the jury singularly.

It had taken the bench fifteen minutes to come back with a not guilty verdict, sealing Rose and Garnett’s victory. Jordan had smiled slow and reassuring. His client, a man accused of killing his wife due to an eerie 911 call she’d made minutes before her death, thanked him profusely, ecstatic over not being locked away for a lifetime. In a case like this, men were always presumed guilty until proven innocent by way of the media and the public. But one thing Selena loved about Jordan was, he didn’t take a case he didn’t believe in. Jordan didn’t defend the guilty, and his investigations into the matter were committed and thorough.

Leaving the courtroom that day, Jordan was bombarded by reporters, asking questions about not only his win but his personal life.

“How did you know for sure that your client was innocent,” one reporter asked.

Jordan was silent for a moment before he responded, quoting another famous author, Ernest Hemingway. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

---