Broken (Book 1, The Watcher Chronicles, Paranormal Romance) (27 page)

“Ok can we stop talking about babies, please,” I beg, reaching into the box for some sugar courage.  “I admit, I’m interested in Mason but that’s all you two are going to get me
to admit.”

“That’s
all we need to know,” Mama Lynn says, patting my hand and sitting down beside me at the table.

“Well
, he couldn’t be anymore in love with you if he tried,” Faison says.  “Did you see how he looked at her Mama Lynn?”

“I did,” Mama Lynn reach
es into the box for the last croissant.  “It couldn’t have been more obvious.”

“You guys just saw what you want
ed to see,” I say, trying to downplay the same conclusion they both seem to have come to on their own.

Even though I had noticed the difference in how Mason looked at me, I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to believe it was real.  If I did and I was wrong, I feared the heartache would be too much for me to handle
in my current state.

“We only saw what was there,” Mama Lynn says, taking a bite out of the croissant and having about the same reaction I did to the taste of the pastry.

Eventually, I get them off the subject of Mason and on to the subject of Faison’s upcoming nuptials in April.  If there is anything they love talking about more than my ‘maybe’ love life, it’s Faison and John Austin’s wedding.

By the time they le
ave my house it is almost eight in the evening.  After they are gone I am finally able to take a shower and after that I fall into bed feeling completely exhausted.  I call to Michael in my dream world.  This time I choose to meet him inside my father’s study.

Michael
walks around the room studying various things belonging to my father, trying his best to avoid meeting my gaze.

“You knew
, didn’t you?” I accuse.

“It’s not that simple
, Jessica,” he says.

“Why didn’t you tell me my parents hadn’t been taken through the Tear?  Do you know how long I’ve
imagined them stranded on some strange planet?  But they’ve been here the whole time, haven’t they? I could have been looking for them!”

“If you had known,” Michael says, “you would have never joined the Watcher Agency, met Mason, or discovered what your true path really was.”

“That’s beside the point!”

“No,” he says calmly in the face of my ire, “that is the point.  It was the point of everything, Jessica.  Everything you’ve been through has led you to this moment.  You are exactly where you are supposed to be.”

“Where are they?” I ask, point blank.  “You have to know where they are.”

“I don’t know and that’s the truth.”

I can tell he’s holding something back from me.

“What aren’t you saying?” I demand.

“I made a promise to your father.”

“What promise?” I ask, finding myself holding my breath
waiting to hear the answer.

“I promised I would let him explain everything to you.  I’m sorry, Jess, but I can’t tell you anything more without breaking that promise.  I owe him the decency of telling you what happened himself.”

“When is he coming back to talk to me?”

“That I don’t know.  But when the time is right, he will.   I can promise you that.”

“I don’t think I can stand to look at you right now,” I say, feeling an uncontrollable anger towards Michael.  “Leave.”

I wake up in my bed and turn to l
ie on my back.  All this time Michael let me believe my parents were tearers scattered somewhere in the universe and he knew they were still on this planet.  It isn’t something I’m sure I can forgive.

The next morning I am woken up by the sound of my phone buzzing notifying me that I have a text message.  Suddenly wide awake, I grab it and open the text.

Good morning.  I hope you slept well.  Nothing much is going on here.  Just wanted to keep you informed, as promised.  Don’t forget I will be at your house at 4 this afternoon.

I lay in my bed and read the message from Mason at least five times before answering.

Good morning to you too.  I slept very well except during a talk with a certain archangel.  I will have my phone with me all day at the spa if you need me.  I will be promptly ready at 4.

I pause, not sure I want to send the rest of what I’m thinking but decide to take a chance.

I look forward to seeing you in your tuxedo this evening.

I hit send and wait to see if I get a reply.

Two minutes later I do.

Have fun at the spa with Faison.  I hope they pamper you well.  You deserve it after what you have been through the last few days.
  I eagerly await seeing you in the dress Santa left for you Christmas morning….don’t forget the mask, even though I would rather have people see the beauty on my arm. But, it is a masquerade ball after all… 

I can’t help but smile and instantly feel my heart ache in a good way at his sweet sentiment.  I ponder if I should reply or just leave it at that but can’t seem to prevent my self from writing:

I hope you like what you see and only for you will I take the mask off at midnight.

I hit send and bury my head in my pillow, somewhat ashamed and surprised by my own audacity.  Nervously, I wait to see if he makes a reply.  As soon as the phone buzzes in my hand, I peek over my pillow to see what he has written back.

I have no doubt I will love what I see and I sincerely hope I am the only man you allow to remove your mask…

I feel my heart swell with excitement about what might transpire that evening and force myself to put the phone down.  It’s already nine and Faison warned me the night before she would be over to pick me up at nine-thirty.

I
quickly hop in the shower and don’t even bother to put on any make-up or blow dry my hair afterwards.  That’s what the spa is for.

When I grab my phone I notice the little green light is
flashing and discover I have another text message from Mason.

Did you receive my last text message?

I smile and respond.

Yes, I did receive it.  Sorry, I just got out of the shower.  Faison will be here soon to pick me up for our spa day.

I wait impatiently, tapping my finger against the side of the phone to see if he writes back.

Just wanted to make sure you got it.  I meant every word…until tonight…anxiously awaiting our first date…

I feel my heart flutter with excitement and wish I didn’t have to endure over six hours more before I am able to see Mason again.

You don’t happen to have a time machine that can make the day go by faster do you?

No, unfortunately time travel is not within the Watcher arsenal of capabilities or I would be on your front porch to pick you up instead of sitting here with Nick going over some boring paperwork your government makes me sign every year.

So sorry to hear you have to spend time with Nick!  He is my least favorite person on your team.

Nick is an acquired taste.  He is a good man though.  Please don’t think too harshly of him.

If you vouch for him, then he must not be too bad and I will give him the benefit of the doubt from now on.

I am glad to see you think so highly of my opinion of people…

I greatly value what you think…

The front door bell rings and I know I have to end our conversation quickly.

Faison is here.  I am sorry. I will have to go now.  See you at 4

I will be counting the minutes…

The spa Faison takes me to is owned by a girl we used to go to high
school with.  She is actually the person who threw the Christmas party Mason and I were supposed to attend the night I was sick.

“Hey
Shelby,” Faison says, giving the other woman a peck on the cheek as we enter the spa.

Shelby
is waif thin with long flaming red hair and pale white skin.  Her large green eyes immediately captivate you with their brightness and her kind heart is easily seen through them.

“I h
ope you girls are ready to be treated like queens today,” Shelby says, giving me a quick hug.  “I’ve got manicures, pedicures, facials, steam baths and massages planned.  Not to mention a full make-up and hair styling session at the end.”  Shelby turns to me.  “Faison told me you’re going to a ball in London tonight with a Watcher,” I hear the swoon in Shelby’s voice.  “That’s so romantic.  I sure do envy you.”

I have to admit, I would be envious of me too.  It does make my life sound
rather interesting.

“Ok, enough of all this, let’s get the two of you started.”

For the next four hours, I am scrubbed, rubbed, patted down and basted in all of the modern conveniences to make me look presentable for my first official date with Mason.  I suddenly realize it’s actually my first official date with anybody.  In high school the boys were simply too juvenile to go out with.  In college, I was too busy trying to earn a four year degree in three.  At the Watcher academy, fraternizing with your classmates was looked down on, and I didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to stop me from becoming a Watcher agent.  For the first time in my life, I don’t have an excuse to avoid dating.  And, strangely enough, I don’t want one, not considering my first date will be with Mason.

“What are you smiling about?” Faison asks me as we sit in the salon chairs getting our nails p
olished.

“This is my first date,” I whisper to her, not wanting the manicurist
s to overhear us.  Otherwise, I’m sure they would think me strange.

“Why do you think I brought us here?” Faison answers back.  “I figured I
would use some of the small fortune you gave me and treat you to a day of pampering so you don’t have time to get nervous.”

It is only then that I begin to feel
a swarm of butterflies invade my stomach like the Luftwaffe.  A look of instant trepidation must be on my face too because Faison’s eyes widen.

“Oh no you don’t,” she says to me
sternly.  “You are not going to get nervous and find a reason to back out of this date.”

“No,” I assure her.  “I’m not going to back out.  I wouldn’t do that to him… or me for that matter.  I have to see where things lead.  I have to try even if it turns out to be a mistake.”

“It’s not a mistake,” Faison states as a matter of fact.  “You two were meant for each other.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you’re both broken souls,” she says seriously, not trying to romanticize it like she usually does most things.  “Even I can see the two of you fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.  He brings out a side of you I’ve been waiting to see for so long, Jess.  Please don’t get nervous.  He was meant for you, and I think he realizes you were meant for him too.  So don’t jinx anything,” she orders.  “I might not live long enough for you to find someone who fits you so perfectly.”

A beautician named Maribel
is placed in charge of my beautification for the ball.  She ends up being sort of perfect for me.  She keeps the makeup light and airy looking, just the way I like it.  For my hair, she rolls it to curl softly at the ends and sweeps it completely to one side allowing it to hang over my shoulder elegantly.

By the time Faison g
ets me back home, it is almost three in the afternoon.  She stays to help me get into my dress since the bodice is corseted in the back and requires an extra pair of hands to tighten and tie it properly.  At around three forty-five, my door bell rings. 

“Is that him?” Faison ask
s handing me my matching shoes.

“No, he’s never early or late,” I say, dropping the shoes on the floor and slipping them on my feet.

“I’ll go see who it is,” Faison tells me walking out of my bedroom.

I take a moment
for myself and examine my reflection in the antique cherry wood full length mirror by the bay window.  I’ve never been one to over analyze my looks but even I have to admit I look beautiful in the dress Mason bought me.

I hear a commotion
of more than two voices out in the foyer and go to see who exactly is at the door.

When I get there, I feel like making an about face and finding a place to hide
in my bedroom until Mason arrives.

“There she is!” Mama Lynn practically screams at me
excitedly.