Seth
As much as I want to spend another night with Rowan, my sisters will kill me—or ask me a million questions—if I don’t go home tonight. I walk her to the door, where we kiss several times before she pushes me on the chest and tells me to go home.
And I do.
That doesn’t stop my sisters from berating me. Mom is already asleep, but they’re wide awake, sipping hot chocolate in the kitchen as if they’ve been waiting up all night.
I groan as I open the fridge to pour myself a glass of water.
“How’d it go?” Stella asks, lifting her mug to her lips. “We can make you some hot chocolate if you need some comfort after losing a baddie like Ro.”
I lean against the countertop and face them head-on. “No need. I had a good night.”
Natalie narrows her eyes. “With Rowan, right? No one else?”
I can’t say I blame them for the scrutiny.
They love Rowan—love all the Hawthorne sisters—and even though I’d hope they love me as much…
well, my past isn’t a secret to them. Seeing me move on can’t be easy, considering that they looked up to Scarlet like a big sister.
Hopefully, they know it’s different with Rowan. I want it to be different.
“Yes.” I drop into a seat at the table with them. “I was hanging out with Rowan, all right? Can you be quiet about it?”
She doesn’t want our relationship spreading through Starbrook yet—though that feels impossible to avoid in the long run—and I want to respect her wishes. But there’s no hiding it from my sisters, and they don’t live here anymore. Telling them is harmless.
I think.
“It’s about time.” Stella giggles. “She’s been crushing on you since forever—”
“Has not.”
“Has too.”
I shake my head and press my lips together. “You could have given me a heads up sooner.”
“There’s no way you didn’t know.” Natalie scoffs. “You were just too busy dating the rest of the town.”
Leave it to my sisters to be this blunt.
I wince. “That’s not true.”
“So, what changed?” Stella asks. “Why are you giving it a try now? I really thought you were going to be the type to wait until you’re, like, ancient to settle down.”
“He’s already ancient,” Natalie mutters.
I roll my eyes. “So did I.” In fact, I never imagined I would settle down at all. Even when I tried with Scarlet, it didn’t feel quite right. And now… “Well, I guess it started with a hex.”
“A hex,” Natalie deadpans. “Did Rowan hex you? She’s so cool.”
“Not Rowan. Someone else.”
“Scarlet?”
“No.” I lean back in my chair—on two legs, something my mom would lecture me about—and run my fingers through my hair. “Someone else. Rowan was helping me break it, but it wasn’t until I opened up to what we have that we actually got rid of it.”
At least, I think we got rid of it. I hope we did, but those doubts are still nagging, and they won’t stop.
“Huh.” Natalie nods and stands up, rinsing her mug and leaving it in the sink. “Well. Don’t mess this one up.”
I smile tightly. “I’ll try.”
My sisters doubt me, and I can’t blame them. I don’t doubt what I’m feeling for Rowan, or what she feels for me, but there’s a reason no one trusts me with her heart.
I don’t trust myself.