What Connor Wants... (BWWM)

CHAPTER TWENTY- NINE : YOUNG

Aubrey stood in her room, staring at the dress that Connor had brought for her in utter amazement. As much as she hated receiving presents from Connor, Aubrey knew that she could not say no to that gift. She ran into the shower and took the quickest shower of her life. When she got out, she put on the dress, and she felt like a princess.

Aubrey stood in front of the mirror, looked at herself, and knew that she was ready for the charity event. Deciding that she was ready, Aubrey quickly walked down the stairs, only to see Connor on the chair mindlessly switching channels. He had not realized that she was there.

"So how do I look?" Aubrey asked him, and Connor stood up from the chair to face her. He was speechless, and it was evident from the way he was staring at Aubrey.

"If you don't like the way I look, I could always change an—"

"No, No! You look just fine. You look way more than fine; you look amazing." Connor told her, and he was not lying; if he had thought that Aubrey had looked beautiful the night of his family dinner, then tonight she surpassed that by a mile.

Just standing there and looking at Aubrey, Connor felt like a complete fool for ever abandoning her eight years ago.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, and with a smile on her face, she nodded her head in agreement.

**

The limo stopped in front of an old Gothic building; the driver unlocked the door for Connor and her, and there before them lay a red carpet and different people wearing different kinds of clothes with cameras flashing at them. This was all strange for Aubrey, as she was not used to the type of lifestyle that she was thrust into.

With her nerves shooting up into the air, Aubrey squeezed Connor's hand, hoping that it would sooth her. She turned her head and looked into Connor's eyes, and he simply smiled at her.

"Don't worry, Aubrey, everything will be okay," Connor whispered in Aubrey's ear, causing her to relax her hands around his. Both Aubrey and Connor walked towards the entrance of the building until Aubrey halted, and this caused Connor to look at her with a questionable expression on his face.

"What if they ask questions? What should I do?" Aubrey asked Connor.

"Answer, but if you do not feel like answering, then do not answer them." Connor informed her, and Aubrey nodded her head in agreement, and as soon as they stepped into the light, the reporters smothered them with questions.

"Mr. Connor, are you and Mrs. Aubrey really going to tie the knot?"

"Is it true that there is a possibility that CJ is not your son?"

Aubrey could not take all the questions coming from those reporters any longer, and Connor sensed it. Like always, Connor took charge of the situation and stepped in.

"CJ is in fact my biological son; thank you for asking, though," Connor answered one of the reporters, and he laughed it off, trying to make light of the situation.

"Connor, is it true that you and Aubrey are going to tie the knot?" The other reporter asked, and this question had Connor thinking about a future with Aubrey.

"No comments," Connor responded. Connor pulled Aubrey into the great, big Gothic building, and inside, the whole atmosphere was different. There was a band over by the corner playing classical music, and waiters were serving the best wines and food. The women and men were dressed to the nines, and even with the beautiful dress that Connor had brought her, she could not help but feel underdressed.

"Wow, everything looks so nice. I think it would be best if we just went home, don't you think?" Aubrey nervously asked Connor, and he stared at her as if he had not registered what Aubrey had just said. He placed his hand around her hip and began walking her forward towards the guests.

"I hope you're not feeling intimidated by these women, are you?" Connor whispered into her ear, and Aubrey swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to play it cool, but Connor knew her too well.

"A little," Aubrey responded to him. Connor smiled at her, although she could tell that he was holding back a laugh.

"What if I tell you that you look the prettiest, and I damn well know for sure that I won't be able to keep my hands or eyes off you?" Connor told her, and as soon as those words escaped his mouth, chills ran down Aubrey's spine. Her feet felt as if they had turned into liquid. A waiter walked past, and Connor grabbed two glasses of champagne for them to drink.

"Thank you, Connor." She thanked him.

"So, my dear Aubrey, what should we toast to?" Connor asked her, and Aubrey stood silent because she was lost for words. She knew that she could not tell him to toast to them because, again, there was no such thing as 'them', so Connor went for the simplest option and just smiled at her.

"Okay. Let's toast to a happy life together.

"A happy life together. I think you're aiming too high, my dear Connor; you're aiming quite high." Aubrey interrupted him before he could continue with his sentence.

"Okay, what do you suggest we toast to Aubrey, dearest?"

"How about a toast to the health of our son?" Aubrey asked him.

"Okay, Aubrey, a toast to the good health of our son."

They both toasted to it and drank their sparkling champagne, and not long after, someone called out to Connor.

"Oh my, is this really who I think it is? Connor darling" A pretty woman appeared from behind them and hugged Connor too close for comfort. Aubrey could not help but stare at her because she was pretty.

She was pale; her hair was jet black; she wore dark red lipstick; and her dress was far from the modest look that any woman with respect for herself would go for.

She was expecting Connor to push her away, but instead he hugged her back, and a pang of jealousy ran through her.

"How are you doing, Connor?" the woman asked him with a smile on her face.

"Well, I'm fine, Amanda, where have you been all this while?" Connor asked her, keeping Aubrey totally out of the discussion.

"Well, I've been busy here and there, sorting out my business," Amanda responded to him.

She heard them talking on and on about business as they ignored her completely. Aubrey could not help but feel that Amanda was ignoring her on purpose, and she tried to keep her from talking to Connor.

Growing up, she was never one to look for attention, but now she does not like being ignored. Aubrey purposely coughed, hoping that they would notice her, and thankfully for her, they did.

"Um, Amanda, this is Aubrey, the mother of my son CJ. Aubrey, this is Amanda, a business partner of mine." Connor introduced the women to each other.

Amanda extended her hand to Aubrey and faked a smile at her, and as bitchy as Aubrey was, she did the same to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, the mother of my very close friend's child," Amanda told her. Anger flared up inside of her just hearing Amanda highlight "a very close friend'. Being the gentle woman that she was, Aubrey hid her anger.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Amanda."

"Aubrey, I hope you could excuse Connor and myself, but I'm afraid we have some business to attend to that will require a little privacy."

"But—"

Before she could say anything further, Amanda grabbed Connor by his arm and pulled him away with her. The pulling him away part did not bother her much; rather, it was the part where he did resist Amanda that bothered her.

Aubrey stood alone in a room full of happy couples, which made her feel lonely.

Damn it, Aubrey; you should not have come here at all. She mentally thought to herself. Aubrey felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she turned around, it was him—the person she dreaded seeing the most.