Mask - A Stepbrother Romance (18 page)

She’d just have to wait and see…

Chapter 23

Rayna

Four months later

Bzzt, Bzzt. Bzzt.

I groaned at the sound of my alarm going off, and I threw a pillow at it before closing my eyes and trying to settle back in to sleep some more. No such luck. Once I‘d been woken, I was awake for the whole day, so I had no choice but to get up. Groaning again, I reached over to cuddle Jace before I sat up, but my hand only hit the bedsheets and nothing more.

“Jace?” I called out, opening my eyes and finally sitting up.

I couldn’t hear him showering or making breakfast, so I figured he’d simply gone to work already. He was always putting in so much effort at the online publishing agency he’d helped his friend start up, and I was so proud of how hard he worked. It just went to show that he’d been a good person all along, and he’d always been capable of doing great things in life all on his own, unlike the spoiled trust fund fuck-up he’d once thought he was destined to be.

Yawning, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and got out, only to almost trip on an enormous basket that was sitting on the floor. It was filled with pink peonies, and there was also a card. Smiling, I leaned down and picked up the card.

‘
Rayna—you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I love the life we’ve created. I have a special surprise for you today, but in order for you to find out what it is, you’ll need to follow the scavenger hunt clues I’ve created. Look on the back for your first clue. I can’t wait till you reach the end of the hunt, and I hope you won’t be too mad at me for going behind your back so much ;)

I smiled and turned the card over to find my clue.

Put a ‘v’ on room.

The thing you seek can zoom.

Seek not anything higher.

I’m hiding behind the tire.

Easy. There was obviously something hidden behind one of the tires of my car, or at least near there, so I grabbed my keys, raced downstairs and headed into the parking garage before searching under my car. I finally found something taped behind the front right tire, and I pulled it out to see that it was another note.
Check the glove compartment ;)

After unlocking the car, I reached into the glove compartment and found a large velveteen jewelry box. I opened it, and I gasped as I saw a sparkling diamond bracelet, matching earrings, and best of all, a beautiful necklace with inlaid diamonds and a sapphire pendant. God, it was all so beautiful! It wasn’t even my birthday or any other sort of major occasion, and yet he’d given me such a wonderful surprise just because he loved me.

And speaking of love…every day I spent with Jace was even better than the last, and I knew that’d never change. He was perfect, and I wished I could just marry him right this second so I could officially lock him down for good.

I noticed that there was another note taped to the back of the jewelry box, and I pulled it off and chewed my lower lip as I read it.

Stiff is my spine, and my body is pale, but I’m always ready to tell a tale.

Okay, that was obviously a book, but which book?

I suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Of course I knew which book; it had to be the one that had brought us back together and made us start talking again after weeks of silence, back when our parents had still been married. I headed back into the apartment, raced over to the bookshelf and found World’s Over, and as I opened it, a brochure for a local hairdresser and beautician fell out. It had today’s date and a time scrawled on it, with a note saying ‘
Put on your new jewelry and enjoy feeling like a princess for the day
!’

Today was shaping up to be a lovely pampering day, and it was just what I needed after several harrowing months of papers and final exams which had resulted in me finally graduating from my undergraduate degree two weeks ago. Maybe that’s why Jace had done this; as a belated graduation surprise. I showered, dressed and put on the jewelry from the previous clue before heading out to make the appointment on time, and as I walked into the salon, a petite redheaded lady smiled at me as if she recognized me.

“Rayna, right?” she said.

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m meant to give you this to think about while we get your hair and makeup done.”

She handed me a slip of paper, then directed me to a chair, and I read the next clue as she fussed over my hair.

Where you can watch shows and movies too, check near the ticket booth to find your next clue.

I immediately knew what it meant. Jace wanted me to go to the Astor Theater, where we often went to watch plays or movies before taking a walk in the botanic gardens across the street from it. He must’ve booked me a ticket to a daytime show, and I smiled to myself as the hairdresser kept working on me. Half an hour later, she was done, and she called another two women over; one to do my makeup, and the other to do my nails. It was really nice, having a whole luxurious day to be pampered and fawned over, and I could definitely get used to it.

I texted Liana while one of the women buffed my toenails.
OMG, Jace is doing the sweetest thing for me right now! He’s organized this whole day for me, with all these clues. Getting my hair and makeup professionally done at the moment, and then it looks like I’m heading to a show—how cool is that?

By the time my hair and beauty appointment was up, she still hadn’t replied, which I thought was strange. Liana was obsessed with texting, and she almost always messaged back within five minutes. Shrugging, I assumed she was too busy to reply, and I thanked the ladies at the salon and got back in my car before heading to the Astor.

As I stepped up to the ticket booth, I smiled at the man behind it.

“Hi, my name is Rayna Silva,” I said. “I think there’s some tickets for me?”

He shook his head. “No tickets, sorry, but you’re wanted backstage in Theater Room A.”

“Backstage? What do you mean?”

He simply gave me a genial smile. “I’ll have someone show you where to go.”

He motioned to a woman nearby, and she approached me. “This way, Ms. Silva,” she said.

What the hell was going on? Surely Jace hadn’t somehow put me in a play…god, I’d be so embarrassed if he did. I followed the woman to a backstage area behind one of the theater rooms, and she gestured towards a small fitting room with a full-length mirror on one side of it.

“There’s something in there for you to put on before I give you your next clue,” she said. “Leave your bag out here, please.”

“Um…okay,” I said, handing her my bag before heading into the fitting room and closing the door.

Hanging on a hook on the back of the door was a mid-length cream-colored dress with intricate beading on the neckline—not too elaborate, but pretty all the same. Just my kind of style, and the light color would contrast well with my caramel-colored skin and dark hair. There was also a pair of low-heeled shoes in my size; a nice strappy pair in a shade that matched the dress. I could hear the woman who’d led me in here talking in a low voice as I assessed the shoes, and it sounded like she was on the phone to someone, but the only words I could make out were:
she’s here….hit send on message.

Strange.

I slid into the dress and zipped myself up before putting on the shoes, and as I caught a glance of myself in the mirror, my eyes narrowed suspiciously. I was wearing a cream dress, had my hair and makeup properly done, and I had beautiful diamonds hanging from my ears, neck and wrists. There was even something blue on the necklace; the gleaming sapphire. Surely Jace hadn’t actually….no, of course not. What was happening in my head right now was ridiculous.

I shook my head to clear my mind of my silly suspicions, and then I headed out of the dressing room. The woman who’d led me into the backstage area a few minutes ago smiled at me and gave my handbag back. “You look great. Just leave your other clothes here. They’ll be sent back to your place soon.”

With that, she handed me a card, and I thanked her again and read the clue.

What has a ring but no finger?

I furrowed my brows. A ring but no finger….oh, of course, a phone. I pulled my cell phone out of my handbag to see that I had a new text message.

Leave; go across the street,

Someone has something to ask.

Go quickly on your feet,

And find the man in the mask.

I headed out of the theater and crossed the street, heading to the botanic park across from it, and in front of a small gazebo to the left of the main gates, I spotted Jace immediately. It was impossible to miss him; he was wearing a suit and tie along with that same black mask he’d worn so long ago when we’d first met. It made me remember each and every moment we’d had since we met that night; the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Each one was totally worth it, just to be with him today.

I smiled and headed towards him, and he grinned back at me and pulled the mask off and hung it from his left arm by the string. “About time you showed up,” he said, quirking an eyebrow in good humor. “I’ve got a clue for you.”

“Another one?” I said, shaking my head and giggling. “This is the wildest scavenger hunt ever. I‘ve been running all over town, and it just doesn’t end.”

He gave me a good-natured smirk. “Oh, you’ll see about that…”

“So what’s my clue?” I asked.

“Well, you obviously figured out the earlier one:
What has a ring but no finger?
”

“Uh-huh. The phone.”

“So let’s try the opposite…what has a finger, but no ring?”

I wrinkled my brows. “Huh? I don’t know….oh!”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Jace was sinking to one knee, and my lips fell open in an O-shape of surprise as he pulled out a small red jewelry box. He opened the box, displaying a princess-cut diamond ring set in a gold band, and he looked up at me.

“In case, you hadn’t figured it out yet, the answer to that last riddle is ‘you’,” he said as tears of joy filled my eyes. “Rayna, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. I didn’t even believe romantic love was real until I met you, but you showed me how wrong I was. So will you make me the happiest man on earth by agreeing to keep loving me forever?”

“Oh my god, Jace…yes! Yes, yes, yes!” I cried.

He slid the finger onto my left hand, and I wiped a tear from my cheek before throwing my arms around him. He reached down and gently tilted my chin up to kiss him, and he cradled the back of my head in one hand and placed the other at the small of my back, pulling me hard against him as our lips met again and again. For a second I forgot we were outside a public park; nothing else mattered except the electric connection we shared.

Finally, I drew back, and I saw Jace’s eyes shining with emotion as we stared at each other, sharing the magical moment together.

“You know, it’s like our minds are totally in sync or something,” I said, breaking the passion-filled silence. “I was just thinking earlier how I wished I could marry you right this second…and now you’ve actually gone and proposed!”

He arched an eyebrow. “You really wished you could marry me right this second?”

I wiped another tear from my cheek. “Yes.”

“And you still wish that?”

“God yes!”

“Well, it’s lucky I planned all this, then,” he replied with a wide grin.

“Wait….what?”

“Follow me,” he said, taking one of my hands.

I trailed behind him and headed through the park gates, and in the distance, I could hear faint strains of music as we got closer and closer to a small white marquee that had been set up on a grassy area in between two beautiful gardens filled with purple, pink and white flowers.

My ears perked up at the sound of the music as we got closer, and I turned to Jace and gasped. “That sounds like All You Need Is Love!” I said as it finally dawned on me that my earlier suspicions hadn’t been wrong at all. “Oh my god….Jace…you actually…”

He grinned. “Yup, it’s a string quartet playing Beatles songs. I remembered you saying ages ago that you wanted to walk down the aisle to an orchestral version of Octopus’ Garden one day. A string quartet was the closest to an entire symphony orchestra I could get to play at a wedding.
Our
wedding.”

Tears of joy filled my eyes all over again, and my hand flew to my mouth. “A surprise wedding…god, Jace, this is crazy!”

“Yeah, well, I’m crazy about you, and you make me want to do crazy things,” he said, halting and looking deep into my eyes. “So what do you say? Wanna be crazy with me and walk down that aisle together?”

I knew a lot of other women in this situation would be pissed; they’d wish they could’ve planned their own wedding down to the last detail, rather than just having it sprung on them like this. But I
loved
it. It was the best surprise I could’ve ever imagined, and I didn’t even need to hesitate to give Jace my answer.

“Of course!”

We linked arms and headed towards the marquee entrance, and when we appeared at the end of the carpet runner that had been laid down on the ground, all the guests Jace had invited turned to look at us.