Dark Masterpiece (Serendipity Series 3) (32 page)

Evie tried not to grin, but it was
practically impossible.

“Show us the painting!” someone shouted.

Professor Roth chuckled and went to the
canvas on an easel toward the far wall. He pulled the cover off to
reveal the painting Traevyn had done before the gallery opening in
Sedona.

Evie’s heart stopped and the entire room went
silent. She fought a groan and put her head in her hand.

“Is that… Is that
you
, Evie?” a girl
sitting next to her asked.

“Is that
him
?” someone else
asked. “Is that what he looks like? Holy crap, he’s
gorgeous!”

Evie covered her face with both of her hands
and sank lower into her chair, trying to disappear. Wasn’t there a
hole somewhere that she could crawl into?

“Professor Roth, there’s something on the
back of the letter,” someone pointed out.

Professor Roth frowned and turned the paper
over. “Oh, there’s a p.s.” He cleared his throat. “‘And to all the
men in the room who never bothered to glance Evie’s direction, what
is the matter with you? She is gorgeous! You are the ones who miss
out. She is a fantastic kisser.’”

Evie’s face burned and she squeezed her eyes
shut. She could see him in her mind. She could see him writing that
horrible letter, grinning like a devil. Ohhhh, she was going to
kill him. She was going to kill him twice.

Whistles and laughter sounded around the
room, along with several crude remarks. Even Professor Roth looked
flushed.

Evie shook her head. Yeah, he was dead.
Definitely. He was evil. Evil with a capital E. However, in the
deepest part of her, under the layers of extreme humiliation she
was currently feeling, her heart smiled.

Chapter Twenty-Five

May

All was chaos at Jeff
deBoer’s as Evie and Meg walked in decked out in cap and gown.
Somebody cued
Pomp and Circumstance
to play as they walked in the door, and everyone
cheered. Evie’s family was there right along with everyone else and
she laughed joyfully.

She hadn’t been given a choice as to how to
spend her graduation. Jeff had taken over and had informed both
Evie and her family that they would be present at the gigantic
party that he was throwing for Meg and Evie at his house. Evie felt
good to be included like she was part of the family. It meant more
to her than she could express.

She could hardly believe
that she was a college graduate. She was more than positive that
the only reason she had survived the year was because of Traevyn.
They had talked every night for hours and she had read his
beautiful lyrics and poems every week, as instructed. They had
really gotten her through all the stress. He’d given her the lyrics
to many love songs that he thought applied to them or how he felt
for her. But he had figured perfectly when her mid-terms and finals
would be and had given her poems of encouragement, or something
humorous to lighten her mood. There were excerpts from
Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, The
Phantom of the Opera
,
Shakespeare, all of their favorites. There were poems from
contemporary poets as well as the greats and some more of his own
thrown in the mix.

Evie hadn’t cheated, hadn’t read ahead. She’d
kept true to her word, but she had almost worn the cover off by
going back and re-reading all of the passages she had gone through
already.

The original plan had been for Traevyn to
come and see her on winter break, but by that time, Evie had been
so sick of school and life that she’d needed a vacation. So she had
gone to see him and they’d visited Talis in Sedona again. They
spent some time in Phoenix as well, touring some of the better art
museums and experiencing the culture. It had been a wonderful trip
full of love, laughter, and heated kissing sessions. If possible,
it had left Evie feeling even closer to Traevyn than she already
did.

He had come to visit her for several days on
her spring break, but her family had been out of town. Meg had
been, as well, so he remained a mystery to everyone but Seth. Her
parents constantly teased and nagged her about the strange artist
who had managed to steal their daughter’s heart. She knew they
didn’t completely understand why she couldn’t go for someone
“normal,” but Evie didn’t need to explain herself to them.

They’d never really understood her
creativity so she didn’t expect them to understand Traevyn’s
either. Only Seth understood. Which was one of the biggest
surprises.

Seth… He had been accepted to Cal Poly, much
to everyone’s surprise since he hadn’t even told anyone that he’d
taken the SAT’s. He would graduate high school in a few weeks and
Evie was planning a huge party. They had remained close after their
summer of bonding in Traevyn’s Gothic mansion, and they hung out at
least three days out of the week. Evie was happy that they had
grown to be such good friends. She no longer viewed him as her
delinquent little brother. She cherished his friendship and had
come to realize that he was a lot smarter than she had ever given
him credit for.

As she made her way around to everyone,
giving out hugs and thanks, she marveled over how her life seemed
to have come full circle. One year ago she had been here, at
Maxim’s party, aching and lonely. Now here she was, back at Jeff’s
with the same people, and she had everything she’d ever wanted. A
beautiful man to love her, a close group of family and friends, and
now a degree in art. She could think of nothing that would dampen
her spirits.

“Congratulations, Evelina.”

Except maybe that. Her elation came to a
screeching halt and she came down off of her high very quickly.
Barrett. She grimaced. Fantastic. She turned to see him standing
behind her, smirking.

“Barrett, so help me!” Alyx deBoer’s voice
came. “If you piss her off again I will not think twice about
kicking you in the balls!”

Maxim nodded at his brother in warning.
“She’ll do it too.”

Evie grinned, touched at the fact that they
were sticking up for her.

Barrett ignored them and took Evie’s elbow,
guiding her away from a group of Meg’s friends who were all
laughing loudly. “So, where’s your famous boyfriend?” he
mocked.

“He’s coming tomorrow. He had a show he had
to be at.”

He folded his arms, looking unconvinced.
“Right. Kind of strange how I’ve never seen him.”

She frowned. “That’s not my problem. Last
time I checked I didn’t need you to give me clearance before I
dated someone.”

He tapped his finger
against his chin. “Come to think of it, has
anybody
seen him? Meg
hasn’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “Meg’s seen pictures.
Besides, Seth’s seen him.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Evie, please. You
expect me to believe that some famous artist would go after you
when you couldn’t even get a boyfriend in your own town?”

She stared at him for a moment, wondering if
being a jerk was just in his DNA. “Barrett, what are you
suggesting?”

He smirked, as if he had a secret he
desperately wanted to tell. “I don’t think he exists.”

She shook her head. “Barrett, get over
yourself. You need to back off right now.”

“Yes, I agree,” a silky voice came from
behind her.

All the color drained from Evie’s face and
she whirled. Her heart stopped for a few beats as her eyes fell
upon Traevyn’s radiant visage. He smiled down at her.

Throwing any kind of refinement she may have
possessed to the wind, she squealed and jumped into his arms,
wrapping her legs around his waist. She heard the fabric of her
gown tear, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t like she was ever going
to wear it again.

Traevyn chuckled and held her up as he kissed
her. “How I have missed that perfect mouth,” he whispered.

Her face grew warm and she grinned. “You said
you weren’t coming till tomorrow!”

“I lied,” he laughed. “I wanted to surprise
you.”

She tangled her fingers in his hair and
studied his gorgeous face with a contented sigh. She leaned in to
claim his lips again, and he made a slow, deliberate exploration of
her mouth, both of them not caring about the snickers and stares
they were receiving.

“Dude! Get a room!” Seth finally shouted.

Evie blushed and climbed down off of
Traevyn, remembering that her parents were watching. She glanced at
them to see them both shaking their heads, but smiling. Seth was
grinning. Meg, her friends, and even Alyx seemed to be staring at
Traevyn in a dazed awe. Barrett just looked unamused.

Evie grinned and took Traevyn’s hand.
“Barrett, meet Traevyn.”

Traevyn fixed Barrett with a piercing
stare.

Barrett lowered his eyes and walked away,
saying nothing.

Traevyn grinned and wrapped his arm around
Evie’s shoulders. “So, where is this famous Maxim?” he queried.

Evie giggled and pointed to where Maxim and
Jeff were laughing in the kitchen.

“That guy?” He snorted arrogantly. “I’m much
better looking than him.”

Evie rolled her eyes and elbowed him
playfully in the side. “Come on, I want you to meet everyone,” she
said. “That way no one else thinks I made you up.”

He smiled and followed her as they made the
ceremonial trip around the room.

Traevyn was more than willing to meet all of
the people Evie had spoken so much about, but after awhile he began
to hate the fact that there were so many people he had to make
small talk with when all he wanted was Evie. He had missed her so
much. His home seemed so cold and empty without her, as did his
heart.

Before Evie, he had relished his dismal,
empty house. It had resembled his dismal, empty heart. He had
enjoyed the solitude, the quiet sounds of the sea, and the wind in
the trees. But Evie and Seth had changed all that. They’d brought
life and light back into his home and he swore that his house had
seemed more like a tomb without them there.

“Evie?”

She looked up at him just as they’d finished
talking to Alyx and her brother.

“Can we go outside for a moment?” he asked.
“I want to give you your present now.”

She smiled shyly and nodded, leading him out
to Jeff’s backyard.

Traevyn took a deep breath and sighed as she
closed the sliding glass door, shutting out the festivities inside.
Peace and quiet filled the air, and the late afternoon sun made
everything seem tranquil in the spacious, lush yard. “Oh yes, this
is much better,” he said.

She grinned as they both sat down on the
porch swing located on the deck. “You can take the man out of his
reclusiveness, but you can’t take the recluse out of the man.” She
giggled and leaned her head against his shoulder. He slipped his
arm around her and she snuggled close, relishing the warmth of his
body.

“So how does it feel to be a college
graduate?” he asked.

She smiled. “Liberating.”

“What are your plans now?”

“I have no idea. Just try and sell my work, I
guess.”

“Well, I have a theory.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

He nodded. “I think all artists, upon their
graduation, should go on a trip to the place that inspires them the
most.”

She giggled. “Sounds good to me.”

He grinned and reached inside the folds of
the jacket he was wearing, pulling out an envelope. “In that case,”
he handed it to her, “your present.”

She frowned and peeked inside the envelope.
“Is this a gift certificate?” she asked. “This had so better be a
gift certificate.”

Traevyn smiled and waited.

Evie pulled the paper out and blinked at it
for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. Her eyes widened as
recognition dawned on her. It was a plane ticket… With her name on
it…To Italy. She couldn’t breathe. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered.
“Traevyn…” She couldn’t speak. She just stared at it. Her eyes
roamed over the date. The reservations were six months away and…
Her eyes bulged. “A month!” she cried. “Traevyn, I can’t be out of
the country for a month! I don’t have the money! I’d have to quit
my job! I’d lose my apartment! The only reason I was able to stay
the summer with you was because of my parents.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Evie.
Although, you do have a decision to make.”

She looked up at him in confusion.

“I have another ticket,” he stated. “You may
take whoever you choose. Remember when you said you had no man to
take on a romantic adventure with you? Well, I want you to have
that. Maybe take that charming Barrett fellow.”

She all but gagged.

He chuckled. “Or, if you’d like, you could
take me. I may not be a deBoer, but I think I might be a decent
Plan B. Besides, I’ve always wanted to go to Italy for a
honeymoon.”

She grinned as her mind filled with
fantastic images of being in Italy with Traevyn. Wine tasting and
the gorgeous countryside and— She frowned suddenly. “Wait, what?
Honeymoon?” She pulled her eyes away from the ticket and looked up
at him only to find herself staring straight at a black box with
the most beautiful hunk of diamond she had ever seen. She screamed.
She couldn’t help it.

Traevyn retreated slightly at the volume of
her scream and chuckled.

Evie started to shake and she put her face
in her hands. The tears were coming. She could feel them already.
“Traevyn,” she murmured. “Oh my gosh.”

“You are my soul mate, Evie,” he whispered.
“I was deceived once, but I know better now. I was supposed to wait
for you. This last year has been torture. I can’t be without you.
You are everything to me. You are my greatest inspiration and my
greatest gift. I want to give you everything. A nighttime wedding
with candles and Japanese lanterns, a tour of Italy, a home, a
life… My heart, body and soul. Please, spend your life with me,
Evie. Be my wife.”