“Thanks, Miss Aubrey.”
“You’re welcome. Let me know if you have any issues and I’ll see you in a few hours.”
They rode the elevator to the top floor that had a circular view of the landscape for miles. The space was decorated with tiny white lights that offered several dim corners.
He planned to take advantage of them at every opportunity with the woman on his arm.
Gage and Tiffany met them when they arrived. After the usual effusive greeting from the blonde, she gushed over Aubrey’s gown.
“You are so damn pretty. Y’all look great together.” With a wink, she added, “I’m going to let that hang there while I go check the auction table for you. You haven’t stopped running for two weeks and tonight, I plan to help you.” Then she led Gage away.
Aubrey glanced up at Elliot. “You’ll be bored if you stay with me all evening.”
“Hardly. Tell me what to do.”
For the next hour, they greeted guests as they entered. Each person received a ticket. The children took their gift bags with wide eyes. As the room filled with conversation, laughter, and holiday music, his parents arrived.
Their regal air struck him for the first time. Elliot saw them as an adult man looking at a couple who’d spent many decades with each other.
His mother presented her cheek and he kissed it. When she pulled back, she gave him a knowing smile. “Yes, darling. This can be yours.”
Holding her hand, he whispered, “I hope so.”
Finally, the majority of the guests were in attendance and Aubrey approached the stage to get their attention.
She made several announcements about the bars, the entertainment, and answered a few questions called from the crowd.
“Everyone looks so lovely. How wonderful to see so many familiar faces in one place again.” Aubrey made a point to invite every field worker, road salesman, and even consultants that worked remotely.
“Right now, I’m going to ask Mrs. Octavia McAllister to draw the prizes. You all received a ticket so listen for your number.”
For more than an hour, his mom chose numbers from a large vase and read off the tickets. There was laughter and gasps of surprise as random people throughout the room stepped up to the broad table in front of the stage and chose wrapped gifts without knowing what was inside.
The shocked face of one woman who unwrapped a large box to find an envelope of cash inside resulted in tears. Another received a designer watch. On and on, the gifts slowly disappeared.
So did the tickets.
At the end, the older showed her a single ticket in the bottom of the vase and Aubrey frowned.
“Oh dear. Did I miscount?”
Elliot walked through the crowd and joined her onstage. His parents moved a few feet away.
“I think you’ll find that number belongs to you, Aubrey.”
Confused, she murmured, “No, I never take a number.”
“And yet, I have your gift.”
She stilled and raised her eyes to meet his. “Elliot?”
He took her hand and went to one knee in front of every employee of the company, his family, his friends, and the woman he’d loved long before he understood what love truly meant.
From his pocket, he withdrew a small velvet box. Holding it on the palm of his hand, he watched brown eyes widen in shock and confusion.
“I’ve fallen desperately in love with you and I’m going to ask you a question that I need you to answer.”
“Elliot…”
“Will you marry me, Aubrey Price?”
Stepping close, she cupped his face in her hands and stared into his eyes for a long moment as the entire room seemed to hold its’ breath.
“You’re sure?” The question was soft enough that no one else would hear it.
“I love you madly. Marry me. It’s the only cure.”
Raking her fingers through his hair, she blinked against tears that shimmered against the warm brown.
“Yes.”
Then he was on his feet, kissing her in front of hundreds of witnesses as the room exploded in cheers and applause.
He hugged her so hard that he worried about bruising her but he couldn’t seem to loosen his arms. Her gentle fingers gripped the hair at the base of his neck as he devoured her.
Breaking the kiss, he whispered at her ear, “I can’t let you go. I can never let you go, Aubrey.”
“I hope you never do. I love you, Elliot.”
For the rest of the night, he announced her off duty and demanded Noah fill in with Gage and Tiffany’s help. Since the blonde couldn’t stop crying when she was within three feet of Aubrey, it kept her occupied.
They danced every song and she thanked the people who congratulated her with a smile and a blush.
She held him as if he would slip away and it made him hold her just as tight.
He had the woman of his dreams, who’d always been just outside his peripheral vision, and he was the luckiest man in the world.
Chapter Eighteen
April 2014
Aubrey was surprised to see so many cars in the parking garage. She’d never seen so many people come in as early as she did.
The fourth floor had always been for the company owners and officers. Since she’d been an intern in college, Phillip had insisted that she park there.
During the first week of the New Year, the McAllister’s publicly named Aubrey the Vice President of Public Relations. They’d moved her into a corner office and given her an assistant.
The recognition wasn’t necessary but it brought her to tears. She vowed to make them proud.
Walking to the elevator, she rode to the first floor and frowned at the row of delivery vans lined up along one side of the building. It was a designated zone for visitors only. Crossing the street, she made a mental note to talk to security.
Opening the glass door to the lobby, she gasped in shock.
It seemed all the employees stood there along with many people she knew in town. For a moment, she wracked her brain to remember what event she must have forgotten.
Elliot stepped from behind several people in the crowd. He was wearing a tuxedo and smiled as he took her hands.
He’d been gone when she woke up and she hadn’t had a chance to kiss him goodbye. The man simply killed a tux.
“You look gorgeous. What’s the occasion? Did I miss a memo?” She added the last question softly.
“There better not have been a memo.” His smile floored her. “I went to great lengths to keep this quiet.” Bending, he nuzzled her face with his and whispered at her ear, “You keep stalling about setting a date for our wedding. It’s like you’re waiting for me to change my mind.”
“Elliot…”
He cut her off. “Be mine, Aubrey. Right here, right now. Give me the honor of becoming my wife because I can’t stand the wait anymore.” His green eyes settled on hers. “I love you. My love gets bigger every time I wake up and stare into your beautiful brown eyes. Marry me today.”
Shaking, she reached up to hold his face. “I love you with all of me.”
He placed his large palms over hers and closed his eyes. Whenever he did it, it seemed he was soaking up her touch.
“I know you love me, sweetheart. What you don’t seem to understand is how much I love you. I need you. Put me out of my misery. Marry me right now, Aubrey.”
Choosing her words carefully, she explained the only thing that had held her back every time Elliot, his family, or their friends asked when they were going to tie the knot.
“I’ve never wanted anything more than I want to be your wife, Elliot. I just wanted you to be sure.” Stroking her hand through his hair, she smiled with tears in her eyes. “Let’s get married.”
He exhaled heavily then kissed her breathless in front of every person they knew. “Thank god. Go with Mom and Tiffany.”
Her two favorite women appeared behind her and took her hands. Before they could lead her away, Elliot grabbed her to h
im for another kiss.
Then they walked into the security office behind the lobby and locked the door.
Aubrey was certain she’d never been more nervous in her life. She was zipped into a beautiful white gown with an empire waist and cap sleeves that fit her like a second skin and flowed freely to the floor. The shoes were classic and high, just the way she liked them.
Tiffany twisted her hair into a complicated design Aubrey couldn’t have accomplished herself if she’d had a slide show and three weeks to practice on a fake head.
Octavia presented her with pearl drop earrings and choker. “I can’t take the credit for these. Elliot picked them out himself.” She touched the blue combs in her Aubrey’s hair.
“These were worn by me for my wedding and I lent them to your mother for hers. A few weeks ago, Tiffany wore them for her marriage to Gage. Today, I’d like you to wear them for your marriage to Elliot.”
“Thank you. It means more than you know to be part of that history of strong and wonderful women.” Tears slipped over her cheeks and her closest friend wiped them away.
“No tears yet. Let us get a hundred pictures of you first.” The blonde hugged her tight.
“You look so pretty, Tiffany.” The pale green gown she wore hugged her perfect curves. “Thank you.”
“Girl, we were beginning to wonder if you’d be one of those weird couples who stayed engaged for a decade. When I cornered Elliot, he confessed that you were the holdout and I knew right away why.”
She held her hand. “I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t fit even when you love someone real hard. You fit, Aubrey. You always did. It’s time for you to reach out and take what you want because it belongs to you.”
“I don’t know how you kept all this a secret.”
“I about broke several times. Thank god for your seamstress. Do you recognize the gown?”
She nodded and fought tears. “It’s a replica of my mom’s.”
“You could be her twin, Aubrey,” Octavia said gently.
Elliot’s mother held her shoulders. “Darling, you look positively beautiful.” She gave her a hug. “I’m so glad my boy finally woke up and saw you. You’d been under his nose for so long; I was beginning to think he never would. I was rooting for you all along, my dear.”
Aubrey never realized how lonely she truly was until she’d found herself loved into the McAllister family.
“I was Lilly’s matron of honor, she was mine, and she remains to this day the only woman I ever referred to as my best friend.” She held Aubrey’s hand tightly.
“I am so proud of you. I wish Lilly could be here. She died too young. Live enough for both of you, Aubrey.” The older woman held her for a long time before wiping Aubrey’s cheeks then her own. “Let’s get you married.”
Tiffany pulled herself together and fixed all their makeup.
As they stood at the door to return to the lobby, Aubrey met Octavia’s eyes. “Thank you for everything but especially for bringing the man I love into the world.”
Then she walked out to meet her future husband.
* * *
Elliot watched her cross the marble floor of the lobby and felt as if his heart would beat out of his chest.
When she took his hand, he squeezed it tight. He couldn’t look away from her for even a moment. Staring into her brown eyes, he recited his vows.
Saying, “I do” was the most freeing experience of his life.
As the preacher pronounced them man and wife, she hugged and kissed him the way she did when they were in the privacy of their own homes.
It made him laugh against her lips. Pulling back, she laid her palm along his jaw. “Thank you for Trix, Elliot.”
He blinked against tears and grabbed her for another kiss. Their audience cheered.
As they danced their first dance as a married couple, he told her, “I landed the brown-eyed girl next door. Who would have guessed?”
Aubrey felt as if her smile was too big for her face. “I never believed…but I hoped.”
His body went hot. “When I get you home, I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk, Mrs. McAllister.”
“Dear god, I certainly hope so.”
Their laughter echoed through the high-ceilinged room as they danced. It had taken him years to see her.
He planned to keep his eye on her for the rest of his life.
Epilogue
June 2014
Aubrey was deep in budget planning for the company picnic when her assistant tapped on the door.
“Mrs. McAllister? Your ten o’clock is here.”
“Thank you, Gini. Please send her in.”
She stood as a woman she’d met rarely in public entered the room. Perfectly turned out, Victoria Donaldson gave her a withering glare that made her smile to herself.
Walking around her, she closed her door with a soft click and gestured to the seating area politely. The much older woman sat stiffly with her purse on her lap.
“Thank you for meeting with me. I’ve so looked forward to our little chat.”
Narrowing blue-green eyes that still looked sharp and youthful, she smoothed her silver hair and said snidely, “I’m very busy. What is this about?”
Sitting in the chair opposite, Aubrey inhaled and counted to ten. It was important to choose her words carefully. There could be no doubt about where things stood when this woman left her office.
“I wanted to talk to you about your obsessive attacks on the McAllister family for the last four decades.” Victoria started to interrupt. “Before you deny them, give me the consideration of not being an idiot.”
“You’re nothing but white trash wearing silk. I don’t have to listen to anything you have to say.”
“That’s true. You certainly don’t have to engage in an adult conversation.” With her elbow on her knee, she leaned forward slightly. “However, I promise that I will make it my personal mission to air every scrap of your dirty laundry if you don’t.” She let a slow smile appear on her face. “I know more than you would ever like known.”
“How dare you…”
“How dare you, Victoria? I’ve never seen such hypocritical behavior in my life and the fact that you don’t have the capacity for shame looks as though it was passed on to your daughter.”
Eyes wide, the older woman stilled. “What are you talking about?”
To the public, Victoria was known to have two useless, ignorant male children who took after their overbearing father. Aubrey had friends all over the world and a single call to one led to another that had changed everything where this woman was concerned.
A man who didn’t even have a typical name had couriered a thick file on Victoria to her office the month before and she’d taken her time sorting through the information to find the best way to communicate.
“When you were fourteen, your mother sent you for a visit over the summer to New York City. Your aunt hadn’t seen you in years and was happy to have you.” Sitting back, Aubrey folded her hands in her lap. “Until your time there resulted in a scandal of epic proportions with a young man who lived next door.”
Victoria gripped her purse with white-knuckled hands but didn’t speak.
“The daughter who came from that scandal was left with the father’s family and you returned here. As far as I can tell, no one was the wiser for your little…misstep.” She let the silence draw out. “You named her after you. From what I’ve learned, she is the apple from your tree in many ways.”
“What do you want?”
“More than forty years has passed since you lost Phillip McAllister to Octavia. He had no idea about your past. He simply fell in love with another woman who suited his life and his future. You married, had children, cheat on your husband constantly, and still cannot let go of the wound to your female pride.” Folding her hands calmly in her lap, she said firmly, “It is time for you to let it go.”
They stared at one another over the short distance for more than a minut
e.
“Who else have you told?” The words were deadly quiet.
Aubrey knew people and there was no doubt in her mind that this particular person was mentally unbalanced. Given the right set of circumstances, she could be violent. She’d taken precautions.
“Naturally, the man who sent me the information knows about my inquiry and your…situation.” She held the other woman’s gaze. “The physical result of his research is in Octavia’s safe. The digital copies I made are on my computer as well as the corporate system. They are locked with my personal password but clearly labeled with your name.”
“You little…”
“Victoria.” Standing, Aubrey put her hands on her hips. “You have spent your adult life trying to get back at Phillip and Octavia, as well as their sons, for something you took as a direct attack. Meanwhile, your own actions were and continue to be far more horrible.”
She walked to her door and held it open. “It’s time to stop or I will personally see that your life here changes dramatically.”
With a warm smile, she added a bit louder, “Thanks so much for stopping by. It was lovely to see you.”
Victoria stood and walked to the door. She paused and stared at Aubrey for a long moment. “I didn’t think you had it in you. I’ve clearly underestimated you.” With a nod, she murmured, “It won’t happen again. Good day.”
Watching the woman leave, she saw Elliot walk out of his office in shock. When the elevator doors closed behind her, he practically stormed to her side.
“What happened? Why was she here?” He held her shoulders and looked her up and down. She wondered if he worried that she’d physically scrapped with the bitter old woman. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
After a curt nod, he kissed her stupid. “Why was she here?”
“We needed to come to an understanding.”
“Did you?”
“Perhaps. However, we might need to up security for a little while.” His eyes went wide and she rushed on. “The good news is that her focus is probably firmly off of your parents.”
“Now it’s on you, isn’t it?” His hands tightened on her. “You changed her focus to you.”
Somebody: A Country Romance Page 11