TEASE ( A Stepbrother Romance ) By Caitlin Daire

10

Chapter 10

Rayna

"Rayna, have you seen my hairpin? The one with the turquoise stones set on it."

I turned to my Mom with a smile, holding up her hairpin. "Don't worry, Mom, I've got your 'something blue'."

Her face sagged with relief, and she took the pin from me and gave it to the hairdresser, who'd just arrived at the manor. The wedding day had finally arrived, and we were getting ready in a large guest bedroom on the second floor.

The ceremony was being held here on the manor estate, and the subsequent reception was to be held at a ritzy hotel in downtown London. Even though it was Gerald's fourth wedding-or was it his fifth? I couldn't remember-he'd still gone all out and made sure my Mom had her dream day, which was really sweet of him. A lot of money had been spent, a lot of people had been invited, and it was going to be featured in the wedding section of the country's biggest paper.

Two hours later, we headed out into the extensive gardens, where two hundred guests were gathered. They were sitting in French-style white chairs on either side of a cream runner carpet that had been set up on the perfectly manicured lawn, and beautiful pink floral arrangements adorned each row. For a place like England, which probably often had grey skies this time of year, it was actually a beautiful day for a wedding-not a cloud in the sky, and the horizon had never seemed brighter.

Too bad I couldn't say the same for my mood.

I knew I should be happy for my Mom and Gerald on their special day, and I was, but still, knowing that Jace would officially be my stepbrother soon had made a dark cloud descend on my mood, and I couldn't shake it, no matter how hard I tried.

A string quartet began to play a classical song, and everyone stood and turned to watch as I headed up the carpet, smiling and holding my little bouquet of pink peonies. I was Mom's only bridesmaid, and Jace was Gerald's only groomsman, so when I arrived at the wreathed arch at the end of the runner, he was standing directly opposite me, staring at me. I looked back at him, and he gave me a half-smile; a smile which made me die a little on the inside. He was so close, only a few feet away, and those eyes of his...the way he looked at me...

Determined, I looked away. I would not like him like that anymore.

What the hell was wrong with me, anyway? How was I not over our two failed hookups after this long? Not only that, I was being incredibly selfish. This was my Mom's day, and I was making it all about me and Jace. With that guilty thought, I turned and watched my mother walk down the aisle. Her face was radiant, and I really was happy to see her like this; glowing with joy and anticipation. I hadn't been sure about Gerald at first, seeing as he'd just been some internet stranger when I'd first heard of him, but the two of them seemed very happy together, and by now I was sure they'd be happy for a long time. While Gerald could be gruff sometimes and had been through previous relationships like a box of tissues during flu season, he seemed to have his heart in the right place when it came to Mom.

When Mom finally reached the altar, the priest smiled and looked at us. "Friends, family...welcome. Today we are gathered here to celebrate the wonderful union of..."

He started the whole spiel, and in what felt like just a few seconds, it was done, and my Mom was kissing her brand new husband. I finally dared another glance at Jace, and I saw that the half-smile was gone from his face now. His expression was stony, and I wondered what he was thinking. Was he angry at his father for putting him through yet another wedding ceremony? Or was he thinking about me and wishing we hadn't just become legally bound as siblings?

Either way, it didn't matter. Our parents were officially married now, so whatever Jace and I had shared during those brief encounters of ours...it was really over.