Page 16 of Masked

He didn’t respond, so Reva set the phone aside and sank into the tub, enjoying the twinkling Manhattan lights in front of her.

When she stepped out forty-five minutes later, she smiled at his text.

Noah:Hope you enjoyed your bath.

Unsure of what to say, she plugged the phone in and finished drying off before she slipped on some pajamas and crawled into bed.

At five-thirty the next morning, breakfast arrived without her having to order it. There was a note.

I hope you don’t mind, I just ordered a bit of everything. We’ll talk when you get on the plane.

At seven on the dot, she walked out of the hotel and climbed into the back of a limo, which took her to a private airfield.

She paused at the stairs leading onto the plane, a little nervous to get on board and head back to D.C. Going back home meant starting over and figuring out where her life was going without Parker.

With a shaky breath, she gripped the railing and climbed the narrow steps.

When she climbed on board, her heart slammed into her chest, and she gasped.

“Noah. What are you doing here?”

He smiled from his seat and motioned for her to sit across from him.

“I was going to just send the jet to pick you up, but my morning appointments got canceled, so I decided to be your escort. I hope that’s OK.”

She stared bewildered, as she took her seat. “It’s your plane. I just wasn’t expecting it and frankly, I’ve had enough surprises for the next few decades.”

Noah chuckled. “So, you had no clue my son was going to propose?”

Reva shook her head. “Not even one. He just got down on one knee right there in front of everyone. Why do people insist on dramatic public proposals? It’s so fucking awkward.”

She smacked a hand against her forehead. “Oh God. I hope nobody was recording. Being the next viral sensation is not on my bucket list.”

“Someone is always recording, unfortunately. We’ll handle it if they did.”

“We?” Reva eyed him skeptically. “I’m officially your son’s ex-girlfriend now. Shouldn’t you be on his side?”

Noah laughed. “My son is an asshole and we both know it. How you stayed for five years is beyond me.”

Reva grimaced. “It was just easy.”

“And do you always do the easy thing, Reva?”

She frowned. “You make it sound terrible. I think I was so busy doing hard things everywhere else in my life, that it was nice to have a comfortable place to call home. And we had fun when we were together. The best part of our relationship was that we weren’t on top of each other all the time. Even though we lived together, we only spent one or two nights a week together. There was never a chance to get bored or sick of each other. But marriage literally never came up.” Stop rambling, Reva. He doesn’t want to hear about this.

“Do you get bored often, Reva?”

The way he said her name sent a little thrill racing down her spine before she could mentally smack herself. This man was Parker’s stepdad. It was not OK to have inappropriate thoughts about him.

“I wouldn’t say that. But if a boyfriend is constantly in my space I do get tired of the relationship quicker.”

“Did you ever cheat on Parker?”

Her mouth dropped open. “Does it fucking matter at this point?”

He chuckled. “I’m just trying to get a sense for how pissed to be at him. Because if you were both cheating, then I guess you deserved each other.”

She sighed. “No, Dr. Jasper. I never cheated. That’s not my style.”

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