The Sweetest Surrender (Falling For A Rose Book 8)

by Stephanie Nicole Norris

  Margaret and Walter looked her up and down, half dismissing her as they glanced back at Jordan.

  “We don’t need a counselor. Margaret just needs to come to her senses,” Walter stressed.

  “Again, this is about Selena. Whether you’re willing to go through counseling for the benefit of saving your marriage or not, you will go for the benefit of Selena’s stability.”

  Walter opened his mouth to disregard Jordan when Jordan leveled him with a deadly glare.

  “You seem to be having a difficult time understanding, so let me make it plain and clear, Mr. Strauss.” Jordan kept his gazed pinned on Walter. “Dr. Shelia Bradford comes highly recommended.”

  “From who?” Walter asked.

  “From me,” Jordan responded. “She was my family counselor when my mother’s life was abruptly taken from us so many years ago. Trust me when I tell you Dr. Shelia Bradford is what you need right now.” Jordan glowered at Walter. “Dr. Bradford will help you try to fix what’s broken, AND, if it can’t be fixed, she will help you two pull Selena into a safe environment where you can give her a clear understanding of what is going on and why.”

  “What do you mean by safe environment?” Walter opposed.

  Jordan’s glower intensified. “The last time I saw you, you were seconds away from striking your daughter, do you remember that?”

  “Walter!” Margaret gasped.

  “I wasn’t going to hit her, maybe shake her up a little, but…” Walter sighed. “She slapped me silly. It was just a sudden reaction.”

  “Poor you,” Jordan said, laying the sarcasm on thick.

  Margaret pushed out a resigned sigh. “I didn’t expect for her to take it this hard.”

  “Why?” Dr. Bradford inquired.

  “You know.” Margaret tossed her arms up. “She’s not young. The reality of people separating is not something her mind can’t understand. Happens to people every day.”

  “On the contrary,” Dr. Bradford said. “Adult children are still your children. Finding out their parents are divorcing can cause trauma to stir within them. Your marriage is their life example. You’ve molded ideas about marriage, relationships, and family throughout years. Questions and doubts about their childhood could come into question. It can be just as tough for her as an adult as it is if she was an adolescent and, in many ways, a divorce can feel like a death.”

  Margaret and Walter stared at each other.

  “We should have this conversation in my office. After we’ve had a few sessions, I think it’s a good idea to bring your daughter in.”

  Walter could see the doubt in Margaret’s eyes.

  “We have to do it. If not for us, for Selena,” Walter said.

  Margaret exhaled and nodded.

  “When should we get started?” Dr. Bradford asked.

  “If you’d like, Doctor, you can have a seat and we can make this our first session,” Walter said.

  “That’s a great idea,” Dr. Bradford said. She glanced at Jordan and held her hand out for a shake.

  “Thank you, Mr. Rose.”

  “I’m still Jordan to you, Doctor.”

  Dr. Bradford nodded in agreement then took her seat, and Jordan took his leave. Outside, Madison Santari was waiting, leaning against his Porsche with a prim smile on her face. Paparazzi didn’t miss a thing when it came to Chicago’s elite, and this time was no different. They stepped out of the shadows and snapped pictures as Jordan strolled up to Madison.

  “Why do I get the strange feeling you’re following me?”

  Madison’s smile expanded. “You need a date for the luncheon this Saturday right, and I need a ride home.”

  Jordan shook his head with a mild grin. “Because you just happened to be stranded out here, right?”

  “Exactly.”

  Jordan chuckled and opened the passenger door. “If I were you, I’d make sure to have a way home next time. I’d hate to see you take a taxi.”

  Madison’s nose crinkled, and Jordan shut the door with a whistle on his tongue as he strolled to the driver’s side.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Selena received a different colored rose and note throughout the entire week. It was always the same time of day when the gift arrived. The young man from Maggie’s, who Selena found out was Samuel, was prompt with the gift every evening before Selena left for the day. Last night’s rose caused the extra beat in Selena’s heart to flutter rapidly, and she read the note again and again during the stretch of the night.

  “Duty calls me blind, but our connection is like soil intertwined in a vine. Because you were designed with me in mind.” –Pragma

  Selena had stuffed her nose in the light blue layered rose so many times it was all she smelled for the remainder of the day. The Pragma was the obligation rose. She remembered Samuel saying it was the one that symbolized duty like with arranged marriages. At first being presented with the lovely flower, Selena was slightly taken back. But after reading Jordan’s note, she melted to see he found his own quirky way of semblance between them and the meaning that accompanied the gorgeous rose. Now, she sat at her desk with her legs crossed, staring at the door of her office.

  It was Friday, and in the next hour, she’d be in the mix of Samiyah’s baby shower. Selena could’ve left early, but she didn’t want to miss another rose should one appear. But why don’t you just go to him? Something was holding her back. It was the craziest thing since Selena wanted that forever with Jordan. There had been a number of times when she pondered over their last couple of months. It was the best time of her life. But this thing with her parents stalled her, and Selena was so disoriented she didn’t know how to proceed.

  When the knock on the door came, Selena made no quarrel about who was on the other side. She stood, gathered her briefcase, and then sashayed to the door just in time to catch the fleeting back of Samuel strolling down the hallway. Selena frowned and glanced down at the floor. There, a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses awaited her. Delighted, Selena crouched down and lifted the flowers along with the note that hung out of it.

  “Eros,” Selena whispered. A plethora of eros at that. She closed her eyes and inhaled their fragrance, making her dizzy. Sticking her hand inside, Selena plucked the note from the roses and flipped it open.

  “Images of you replay through my mind

  Soft, warm, divine…

  The absence of your presence has me lost in a rhyme

  Wanting, needing, a lifetime.”

  Selena closed her eyes as an abundance of emotion scurried through her. She strolled from her office, lost in such a daze that she forgot to lock her door. It would probably be best if she didn’t drive. Right now, her thoughts wrecked her mind. At the bank of elevators, Selena absentmindedly went over his words. When the cube arrived to take her down, she stepped on without coaching her legs to move. When her hand hit the button for the first floor, thoughts of Jordan’s top security elevator made her smile softly. She was taken to the first floor and numbly drove over to Samiyah’s three-story luxury estate. When she exited the vehicle, Selena took the note and stuck it in the top pocket of her suit jacket.

  The party was underway when Selena moseyed through the door. Pink and blue decorations streamed throughout, and a table hosted a gargantuan load of different gifts. Snapping out of her reverie, Selena smiled and eased over to the twins’ bassinets while watching the women play the dirty diaper game. Currently, Claudia was holding the diaper, and the girls squealed as she stuck her nose inside to sniff the chocolate candy that pretended to be baby’s poop.

  “Ewww, I can’t believe you guys are enjoying this nasty ass game.”

  Everyone turned to Selena. “Hey!” They all chimed.

  “We tried to wait for you. What took you so long,” Octavia asked.

  “I was waiting for a delivery, and I’m glad you guys started without me because this is just disgusting.”

  They laughed and Selena reached down to grab baby Zoey just as Samiyah appeared at her side
with hand sanitizer.

  “Oh, come on, Selena,” Phoebe said. “It’s not real poop, it’s… it’s…”

  “It’s a Snickers candy bar!” Claudia shouted, excited that she’d figured out the dirty diaper’s secret sauce. They all laughed again, and Selena scrunched her nose, applying the cleanser.

  “Come over here and have some,” Claudia said, passing the diaper over to Selena.

  Selena slipped baby Zoey into her arms. “No thank you, I’ll just have a seat over here.”

  “Aww, where’s that fun, nobody can hold me down Selena I’m used to, hmm?” Jasmine asked.

  “She’s been gone ever since…”

  The ladies turned their attention to Octavia who had spoken, but Octavia didn’t finish her sentence as she stared at Selena’s non-whimsical form.

  “I just had a strange week is all,” Selena said, “no need to call 911.” Selena smiled down at baby Zoey, who was fast asleep.

  “Well, we all have strange weeks, that for sure,” Jasmine retorted. “Just look at me, couldn’t get any stranger than this.”

  Jasmine unraveled the hair wrap that covered her head in a creative twist. When the thin lacey material fell to her shoulders, a sharp gasp cut around the room.

  “Oh. My. God.” Phoebe and Eden said.

  “Girrrrl, what are you going through?” Eden shouted.

  Selena’s eyes bulged, and she strolled up to gain a closer look at Jasmine. Jasmine had cut her hair. It was shaved on one side and cropped to the base of her skull. On the other side, her tresses hung long to her shoulder and a golden stripe outlined the spot that was trimmed down.

  “I like it,” Selena said.

  Jasmine’s eyes widened with euphoric glee. “You do?”

  “Yeah, gives you this good girl gone bad kind of look. Only you could pull this off, by the way.”

  Jasmine squealed. “When I first had it done, I thought Oh my God, what have I done, but inside I was dancing like this.” Jasmine stood and twirled on her four-inch stilettos then bent over and made her ass clap.

  “Heeey!” Selena boasted.

  “Give me my child,” Samiyah said, taking Zoey off her hands. Selena handed her over willingly and pretending to toss dollar bills over Jasmine. “We’re making it rain over here!” The girls guffawed.

  “Well, there’s the Selena we’ve all grown to love,” Phoebe said. Phoebe turned her head side to side as she scrutinized Jasmine’s new look. “It’s something I’ll have to get used to.”

  “Jasmine, you’re so bold and out of control. What am I going to do with you?” Eden asked.

  Jasmine stood and pointed at each of them, singing Jennifer Hudson’s Dream Girls classic song, “And you, and you, and you, you’re gonna love meeee!” Her voice rang out in a howl, and the ladies laughed harder.

  “Please stick to your day job!” Claudia said.

  Jasmine tossed her arm across her stomach and doubled over in laughter. While she was curved over, Jasmine began to move her thighs and make her ass clap again.

  “Heeey!” Selena said, getting in on Jasmine’s dance. They all chortled with utter hysteria just as Martha Jean, Samiyah’s mom, entered the room.

  “What’s all the cackling about in here? And look who I found outside trying to figure out if he wanted to ring the doorbell.”

  The women turned their attention to Martha with jubilation still haunting their faces. When Jasmine glanced up, it was with a flip of her hair as she stood and met Luke Steele’s puncturing gaze. Jasmine’s laugh was caught in her throat, but her eyes grew, reflecting a sensual gaze.

  “Luke!” she said, surprised, as the corner of her mouth curved upward. “What are you doing here?”

  Luke stepped further into the room. He was easily, 6’4 with the build of a cock-strong thoroughbred. His shoulders were a muscular tattoo that inked across his toned flesh, tapering off into his corded biceps that almost ripped the sweater he wore to shreds. Jasmine wondered if any of the other ladies were soaking their panties as she was currently. This must have been the equivalent of getting hard as hell for men.

  “I stopped by to bring Samiyah and the twins this.” Luke held out a box wrapped in blue and pink baby bottle designs.

  “How nice of you, Luke,” Samiyah chimed. “You didn’t have to. I know gifts are not your thing.”

  Luke smiled softly. “Jonas has been telling too much of my business to you,” he joked then took his gaze over to Jasmine. His eyes combed over her, taking in the new hairstyle, chocolate brown skin, soft eyes, and full lips. He moved closer to her, and the women in his way made room, parting like the Red Sea. Standing just over her, Luke committed each element of her design to memory, making sure to house the details in a safe place.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he said.

  Jasmine instantly blushed, and an exuberant smile was forced upon her face.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get back in time for Valentine’s Day, but I still got you a little something.”

  Luke removed a thin silver rectangular box and held it up for Jasmine to take. Jasmine glanced down then back up into his hazel deep eyes, and her mouth popped open. She giggled as a slow simmering warmth poured down her flesh.

  “Oh my goodness, what is it?”

  “Open it and find out.”

  Jasmine covered her mouth with her manicured hand, giddy as a school girl. She reached down, took the box out of Luke’s hand, and opened it quickly. Her eyes shot back up, and a warm glow penetrated Luke’s expression.

  “Oh my God, Luke,” she whispered. “This is, this…”

  “This what, girl, hold up a minute let me see what’s going on if you don’t mind.”

  Everyone laughed as Selena broke through their moment to steal a look at Luke’s present.

  “Oh damn,” Selena said.

  The trinity necklace held a mixture of white, yellow, and pink gold. The 18-carat jewel twinkled through and through, sending a wave of excitement, lust, and all that in-between over Jasmine.

  “Let me put it on you,” his thick voice drummed.

  Jasmine turned her back to him, holding her hair so he could connect the jewelry. She was speechless, hadn’t said so much as a thank you, and all the women in the room were waiting. When the clasp was sealed, Jasmine turned back to Luke and tossed her arms around his neck, almost jumping into his arms. Luke hugged her back, slipping his arms up and down her body in an efficient caress that charred her skin and sent her nerves on a rumpus.

  Watching them from the side, Octavia leaned in to whisper in Selena’s ear, “So, are you going to let that bimbo Madison steal your man or are you going to get him?”

  Octavia must have seen the same article that was splashed all over the daily gossip magazine; pictures of Jordan smiling down at Madison outside of Frank’s Steakhouse. In some frames, Madison’s face was aglow; others were of Jordan’s Porsche speeding down the boulevard with the two inside.

  Selena had definitely seen the pictures earlier that morning when she first arrived at S & M Financial. Initially, she fumed, but knowing the man Jordan was, Selena decided to believe that nothing had come of that interaction. At least that’s what she was hoping. Getting the bouquet of red roses endorsed with Jordan’s language of love only solidified Selena’s assumption.

  When Selena didn’t respond, Octavia added, “I remember when I was dating Jonathon—”

  “Okay, I get it, I’ve got to get my ass in gear!”

  Everyone turned at Selena’s outburst, including Luke and Jasmine.

  “I’ve got to go, you guys, sorry to cut and run!” Selena fled the room, giving no one the opportunity to stop her. First, she wanted to run home so she could transform into a fashionista before she made her way across town to Jordan. She was halfway there when an incoming call redirected her efforts.

  “Mom?” she answered.

  “Hey, baby, your father is here, too.”

  Selena sighed but didn’t say anything. />
  “We wanted to talk to you, sweetheart, together, as a family.”

  “Oh God, you know what, right now is really not a good time. Is there any other day of the week that you guys could possibly ruin my day?”

  The phone became silent, and Selena recognized that she was being a bitch for saying it. She sighed again.

  “Okay, tell me where you are, and I’m on my way.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The evening had turned into night by the time Selena pulled into her driveway. She parked the car and sat back against the seat with a huff, reminiscing about the conversation between her and her parents.

  “Selena, Walter and I have been made aware that the news of our divorce is affecting your sound mind.” Margaret had cleared her throat. “We both want to apologize for tossing this at you as if it wouldn’t affect your life.” Margaret glanced over at Walter who sat, sternly watching his only daughter.

  When Walter spoke, his voice was calm and profound.

  “Selena, I personally want to apologize for the way things happened a few weeks ago.” Walter pushed out a deep breath. “I’m not saying this to point fingers; however, when your mother presented me with divorce papers, I was stunned and angry; angrier then I’ve ever been in my life.” Walter slipped a hand down his face then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs while his fingers intertwined.

  “For a long time, I ignored our situation, but it only made things worse. That didn’t stop me from acting out, and that’s when I started seeing Amelia.”

  At the mention of the woman’s name, Selena noticed her mother’s slight shift on the sofa. Apparently, Walter noticed it, too, because his eyes cut to her before coming quickly back to Selena.

  “For the record, I broke things off with Amelia. Your mother and I have decided to try counseling before signing the papers. We’ve already had a few sessions.”

  This time Selena shifted in her seat, but her glare remained focused.

  “We’re doing this not only for us, but for you as well. We want you to know that you can come to us about anything you want to know, any fears, anger, or grief that you may be experiencing. Neither of us is asking you to pick a side. Neither of us wants you to think there will be some tug of war when it comes to you.”