Page 69 of Falling for the Enemy

And there was a lot of her presence left in Soren.

All of the Hawthorne brothers probably had traits of their mother embedded in their souls. But Soren was the one who carried her commanding presence. People moved out of his way like the Red Sea parted for Moses, giving him an unobstructed path to take whatever he wanted without friction.

Jocelyn was friction.

She questioned and pushed back. Conflict built character. So when he assumed he could take whatever he wanted, she refused him. Some twisted part of her believed everyone needed a little resistance in life. And no one should move with absolute impunity.

Soren’s entitlement could be unbearable at times. He lived a charmed life of privilege, where he seldom heard the word “no”.

As a child, she’d recognized this character flaw before she could name it. It awakened an urge to needle him, and she spent the next twenty years bursting his pampered little bubble whenever she spotted a vulnerability.

She sighed. “We’ve been lucky.”

“What do you mean?”

“For all the fights, we can still tolerate each other. Wren’s having a baby, Soren. She and Greyson, they’re really doing this. I mean, they’re married. That’s not going away.”

“I don’t follow. What’s that got to do with us?”

“Don’t you see? They all stomach our bickering, but there’s a limit. You’re asking for too much. And when it backfires—which it will—where will we be? He’s your brother, and she’s my best friend.”

“Wren’s my best friend, too.”

She gave him a sardonic look as if to say, don’t even. “We live in a small town, Soren. People will take sides when things go south.”

“Who says they have to go south?”

“History. You and I both know how this will end. You need to think about the cost. Do you know how rare it is to stay as tightly woven as the five of us have?”

“I’ve thought about that⁠—”

“Not enough.”

“You’re wrong, Joce. I thought about it plenty. It consumed me after that first time we slept together. I thought we broke something irreparable, and the others would find out and never forgive us. Then it happened again. And again. And eventually, I realized everything was fine.”

“That’s because it was a secret. Do you remember when Greyson threw that big party at your dad’s during his senior year and someone broke that vase in the hall?”

He chuckled. “The Ming dynasty one? Yeah, I remember.”

“Grey flipped out.”

“For no reason. No one ever realized the vase shattered.”

“That’s because we swept the broken pieces into a drawer. We’ve been living in a drawer, Soren. The consequences haven’t even begun to surface.”

He looked off in the distance as if recalling moments from the past. “It was still one of the best parties. I’d do it all over again.”

“You’re missing the point. A priceless vase was destroyed!”

He laughed at her frustration. “For a priceless experience. I’d say that’s worth it.”

“See, this is what I mean. You’re the most bullheaded man I know.”

“And you’re the most prickly woman I know.”

“Damnit, Soren, try to understand what I’m saying. I won’t change. Every man I’ve dated has tried to convert me into something I’m not. I like my freedom, and I have no interest in making myself quieter or softer or more refined to complement someone else’s life. I’m single by design, not consequence.”

“Have I asked you to change?”