Breaking Benjamin Read online

  “Jillybean!” They greet me in unison.

  “Hey, guys.” I stroll in wearing my robe, a smile on my face.

  Raeva hands me a glass of champagne, smiling like the Cheshire cat.

  “What’s with the face breaking smile?” I ask with a chuckle.

  “I’m just excited about tonight. Whoever came up with the idea for this party is brilliant. Oh, and wait until you see what Mikaela has got for us to wear tonight.”

  I don’t even have to see the outfits to know that they will be spectacular. Everything Mik designs is fabulous. It’s New Year’s Eve, and we’re going to a party being held at the new Sapphire Resort; the very one I met Ben in, which seems like such a good omen to the start of our night and the year ahead.

  Someone came up with the amazing concept of working the party into a charity. Every guest must donate money into a pot in order to attend. The guests then divide into teams for a scavenger hunt, with the winning team getting to choose the charity they want the total funds donated to. Not only does it sound like fun, but we get to help a good cause.

  “Is Ben meeting us here?” Mik asks.

  I shake my head and take a sip of the champagne. “No, he said he had tons to take care of for the event and that it would be easier for him to just meet us there.”

  “Ah. Okay, well, when he sees you, he might not get up.”

  I frown. “I’m sorry… what?”

  Mikaela rolls her eyes. “Because you’ll look so amazing; you’ll knock him out. Duh.”

  Raeva and I burst out laughing. “You’re a nut, Mik.”

  She smirks and holds out a hanger with a gorgeous black sequin dress. The dress has a rounded neckline, with a scooping back and three-quarter sleeves. And, it’s short, falling a good five inches above my knee making it incredibly sexy. Ben loves when I show some leg. Of course, it fits like a glove. Mikaela is a magician when it comes to things like this. She knows exactly what looks good on anyone or anything.

  “You will need a pair of amazing shoes to go with that, of course,” Rae chimes in. “Luckily for you, your person has just acquired these.” She passes me a shoebox, and my brows rise in delight when I read Jimmy Choo on the box and know they are going to be fancy. I lift the lid and gasp. Inside, I find a pair of black and silver, coarse-glitter-covered, pointy toe pumps. They are perfect. I hug my friends and thank them.

  I start to work on my make-up, and watch in the mirror as Rae and Mik begin dressing, all of us continuing to chat about this and that. Mikaela is wearing her signature gold. The color matches her eyes, and she looks stunning. The loose silk of the dress falls around her making her look like a goddess. The matching gold gladiator heels finish the ensemble.

  Raeva is dressed in a gorgeous silk top and pant set. The print on the fabric is made up of pink and orange blossoms, and the contrast of color against the black is magical. The top ties around her back and exposes her shoulders and just the tiniest bit of her belly. The matching pants also have a tie belt, and are wide-legged and flow when she walks, making it appear that she is gliding through the air.

  Yes, we look amazing, and we beam in pride at each other. I do make-up and hair for each of us. Mika must be getting impatient for our company, because he’s already sent three texts in the last twenty minutes. We take the final one as our queue to leave and all rise and take one last look in the mirror.

  We squeeze each other’s hands and look expectantly at each other before I finally speak. “I think we’re ready, girls.” We all nod in agreement and leave the dressing room to head to the party.

  Once downstairs, we climb into a gorgeous white limo and head to the financial district. I pull my phone out of my purse, check the screen, and frown. Still nothing from Ben. It’s a bit strange, as he usually checks in, but I try not to think too much about it, knowing he had so much to do to prepare for the event. I’ll see him very soon and can’t wait for him to see me in Mik’s latest creation.

  I’ve been wondering all day how I am going to tell Mik that I am moving in with Ben. I know she will be happy for me, but I hate the thought of her being alone in that big place. I know I’ve spent almost every night since meeting Ben at his place anyway, but I still can’t help but feel bad. I know she’s lonely, especially in the evenings, when she’s wishing she could be with Eric.

  When we pull up in front of the building, a large smile breaks across my face as my mind drifts back to all those months ago—the night Ben picked me out of the crowd, my knight in shining armor, even if I didn’t know it then, at the opening gala for the hotel. I shake my head when I recall my unwillingness to even have a drink with the man, and whom I now can’t imagine being without.

  We head into the lobby where we are all greeted and directed to the coat check. I scan the room for Ben, but still see no sign of him. We make our way to the large ballroom on the second floor as a group and all marvel at the opulence before us. The room is gorgeously decorated for the occasion with flowers dipped in glitter scattered throughout and candles burning on every surface. After securing drinks at the bar, we find our table and take our seats.

  A staff member gets on the small stage in the center of the room and begins the evening by requesting our donations and then directing us to a list containing the name of our assigned team mates. Of course, because I know some strings must have been pulled, my team consists of Hannah, Mikaela, Raeva, and of course, myself.

  The rules are explained again, and we each listen intently. Each team has until midnight to try to solve the clues provided to them. Each clue will lead to the next and so on until we get to the last one. The first team to get to the last clue will get to pick the charity of their choice to donate the combined money to. We are instructed to assign a team captain, and without hesitation, Raeva gets the job with a unanimous vote.

  “Okay, first things first,” Rae says, holding a little card. “According to this, we have to declare our charity before we start. Any suggestions?”

  “Get Vets Set!” Hannah and I say in unison.

  We look at each other in surprise and then giggle.

  “It’s Ben’s charity.” I explain. “He offers free gym memberships and physical therapy for vets. It is such a great initiative, and I would love it if we would support him.”

  “I second that,” Hannah chimes in.

  “I’m three for three,” Mik says with a grin.

  “Get Vets Set, it is!”

  Raeva fills out the card and hands it in, and we receive our very first clue. It’s a balloon. There are some numbers and letters written on the face of it, but they don’t make sense; P4P M2 T4 S22 WH1T C4M2S N2XT. Attached to the balloon is a little card that says:

  A = 1

  E = 2

  I = 3

  O = 4

  U = 5

  We stare at the balloon and the card for a moment.

  “Ohhh,” Rae exclaims as she pulls a pin from her hair. “Pop me to see what comes next!” She stabs the pin into the balloon.

  A little note falls out, and I pick it up, unfold it, and read it out loud. “In order to find the next clue, you will have to go to the front desk and ask for something. To find out what to ask for, solve this riddle: I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?”

  I’m glad I’ve only had one glass of champagne, because apparently, we are going to need our thinking caps on tonight. I repeat the words and mull them over in my head. Then, I remember a few weeks ago, while Ben and I were visiting Drew, Hannah, and the kids, Gracie made Ben and me watch this cartoon with her. What were the odds?

  “I know what it is!” I exclaim, and motion for them to follow me as I make a beeline for the front desk. The others don’t hesitate and follow. When we make it to the front desk, I approach the young lady behind the counter and give her one of my brightest smiles. “Excuse me, um,” I look at her name tag, “Gloria, would you by any chance have a map?”

  Gloria beams and nods her hea
d in delight. “Certainly, ma’am. Just a moment.”

  She bends behind the counter for just a second, and then pops up, holding a map of the hotel in her hands. She passes it over to us, and we open it, noting there is a route highlighted. We thank Gloria and start to figure out where we are on the map. We follow the highlighted path and end up in a small room with a table set up in the middle of it. The table has a beautiful hand-painted silk table cloth, and on top of the table are twelve different desserts, a pitcher of water, and a dozen water glasses. Next to the pitcher sits a little locked black box, and next to that, tied to a little holder on the table, is another balloon.

  Raeva pulls the pin back out of her hair and pops the balloon. Another note drops, and Mikaela picks it up and unfolds it. “One of these yummy desserts holds the key.”

  The key? To the box?

  “Well, ladies, let’s dig in,” Hannah says as she grabs a fork.

  “I call dibs on the crème brulee!” Rae says as she lunges toward her favorite dessert with gusto.

  “I’ll guess I’ll go for this lava cake,” Mik announces.

  I myself am about to dig into a huge piece of triple chocolate cake when Hannah announces that she has the key. It’s covered in frosting, though, so Mikaela pours some water in a glass and drops the key in it. We fish it back out, clean it off, and then open the box. Inside the box is yet another clue.

  “A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. Next, she hangs him. Right after, they enjoy a lovely dinner. Explain.”

  The four of us look at each other before a giggling fit ensues.

  “Nice lady,” Hannah chuckles.

  “Oh my God, I know what this means!”

  We all look expectantly at Mikaela.

  “Listen, when I was in school and had time for hobbies, I used to love to take pictures. Never digital, though. I was an old-fashioned girl—except when it came to clothes, of course,” she says with a wink. “Anyway,” she continues, “all of it can be explained. We need to find a picture or a darkroom or both. Hannah, does this resort have one?”

  “Honestly? I am not sure. The resorts are Drew’s territory.”

  “Wait,” Rae says. “The map!”

  Sure enough, when we unfold the map, we find that the resort does indeed have a darkroom. We head there immediately. The darkroom is located below ground level, so we take the elevator down and are relieved to find the room unlocked. But the red light outside is on, which means we can’t go in. Fortunately, there is a balloon tied to the doorknob. We pop it, and once more, a note falls to the floor, but also four keys.

  “A picture speaks a thousand words. But only one key works.”

  Each key has a keychain on it that reads a different direction. North, East, South, and West. Hmmm. Cryptic. We knock but get no response.

  “Oh, screw it,” I tell my friends. “I’m going in.”

  My friends reluctantly follow me into the darkroom, which is just that, dark. Besides the red glow that illuminates the room, it is devoid of brightness, but we notice there are several pictures hanging from a line. I step forward and inspect the images. On every picture, there is a terrace, and it looks to be the same terrace. In the middle of the terrace, tied to something is a balloon.

  “I know where this is!” Hannah says excitedly. “It’s the roof top terrace. There are four entrances, and I think one of these keys will open a door. Only thing is, I have no idea which. I say, if we want to win this thing, we need to split up.”

  “Yes, great idea,” Mikaela chimes in. “There are four keys and four of us. We will split up, and whoever opens the door first and finds the balloon will call the others. Sound good?”

  I am totally good with that. I really want to win the donation money for Ben’s charity. Raeva divides the keys. She gives Hannah South, Mik West, me North, and she heads to the East. We all take the elevator to the top floor before splitting up.

  On the top floor, there is a small stairwell that leads to the roof terrace. I head to my particular stairwell and climb up until I reach the door. I insert the key and squeal with glee when I attempt to turn the knob and it actually works.

  I push the door open and step onto the terrace. When I do, I am mesmerized, my mouth falling open at the beauty before me. There are literally an ocean’s worth of white lilies and candles spread on every surface. It is absolutely breathtaking, and I marvel at it a moment in silence.

  Even the chilly December wind that brushes across my skin with its icy touch isn’t a deterrent, and I move forward to investigate. I walk further onto the terrace and spot the balloon. I stride toward it with tunnel vision. I stop, because I realize that I have no pin. I look at the balloon and frown for a moment. A smile tugs at my lips when I realize I have something else I can use; a pen that I stuck in my purse after I wrote the donation check downstairs. I fish it out and pop the balloon, my face lighting up in victory.

  Unlike with the other balloons, this time, there is a loud thud as something drops to the floor. I look down, pick it up, and stare at it. It is a small black heart, made from some type of stone. I’m turning it in my hand when I’m startled by a familiar voice behind me.

  “My Angel, so resourceful.”

  I turn and see my gorgeous man sauntering toward me. He is wearing a three-piece black suit that is so perfect on him that I swear it has been sewed onto him. My man is always hot, but by God, when he wears a suit, he just blows me away. Every. Single. Time.

  “Ben! You’re finally here. You missed all the fun,” I tell him regretfully.

  “I have not missed a thing. Except maybe you,” he tells me as he kisses the tip of my nose. “You look beautiful, Angel, but you must be cold.” He shrugs out of his jacket and places it over my shoulders.

  “What ya got there?” he asks as he nudges the heart clutched tightly in my hand.

  “Oh this is—” I stop talking as the light bulb in my head finally goes on. Of course, a black heart.

  Ben sees the recognition in my eyes because he lights up and cups my face. “Angel, what you’re holding there so tightly in your beautiful hand is everything that I was, everything that I thought I would always be, and everything you changed with your love. For years, my heart has been black and cold as stone.”

  I look at him and shake my head softly because I know his heart is anything but cold, and I take my free hand and grip one of his in mine. I nod as he continues.

  “I didn’t think anyone would be able to love a man like me; broken, angry and cold. But since the very first time I laid eyes on you, I began to feel myself start to thaw. And, as time went on, I realized you had thawed it completely. I no longer prefer the darkness, because you are the light. You brightened my life by being the amazing person you are.”

  He looks down at his legs and then back into my eyes. “I have not felt whole since I lost my leg. But, Angel, you make me feel as if I have a thousand legs. You make me feel like, leg or no leg, the man I am now, with you, is more whole and complete and a better version of what I was even before my accident. I don’t want to wake up another day without you next to me. I don’t want to wake up another day without being able to call you mine—officially and legally. So, I am standing here before you, the man that you have fixed, asking you to please consider being mine forever. Give me a chance to brighten your life as you do mine. If you say yes, I promise that I will spend every waking moment of my life trying to make you happy, trying to make you smile, and most definitely loving you in every way you deserve, every single day for the rest of our lives.”

  Tears are streaming down my face as I watch Ben sink to one knee and present me with a box. “Jillian Baldwin, will you marry me?”

  He opens the box to reveal the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, glittering up at me as it sits on a pillow of white satin. The center stone is a large, rose-cut black diamond with a white diamond halo surrounding it. The band itself is lined with little black diamonds and is stunning. It is so perfect
for us. I am staring at the ring, sobbing and clutching on to the final clue—my little black stone heart. I’m overwhelmed and speechless and just keep looking from the ring back to Ben.

  “Angel, you’re kind of leaving me hanging here,” he mumbles a little nervously.

  I drop to my knees in front of him and cup his face in my free hand.

  “There isn’t anything I want more in this world than to spend the rest of my life with you. You already own me, Ben. We don’t need a ring for that. But, yes, yes! I will marry you! Being your wife, being yours, nothing could make me happier!”

  I lean in and our lips crash together, sealing our promise with a kiss. After a few seconds, he pulls back, grins broadly, and then lets out a roar. “She said yes!”

  All the doors surrounding the terrace fly open, and the place starts to swarm with our friends and loved ones. I have barely made it back onto my feet when I nearly get tackled by Raeva. She is crying her eyes out. “I can’t believe you’re getting married,” she sobs. “I am so happy. Congratulations.”

  “Hey, stop hogging the bride-to-be!” Mik jokes as she puts her arms around us both and squeezes tight.

  “Show us the ring!” Hannah says excitedly as she joins us.

  “Did you guys know about this?” I ask, although, I already know the answer.

  “Guilty,” Raeva admits.

  “Yup, me too,” Mikaela says

  “I guess that makes me three.” Hannah beams.

  “Well, girls, thank you for helping Ben make tonight unforgettable,” I say with a genuine smile.

  We are congratulated by all our family and friends, and I’m completely surprised when I see my mom and dad appear in front of me. Apparently, Ben actually went and asked my dad for my hand in marriage, much to their delight, and he happily said yes. We eat, drink, and celebrate our new engagement. Just a few minutes before midnight, Ben takes me by the arm and leads me to the edge of the roof terrace. His arm snakes around my waist, and he pulls me close as we look upon the New York skyline. The view up here is breathtaking.