Connor was waiting outside when we drove into his mansion. He opened the car door for us, I didn’t see it coming but Laurel was so happy to see him. She literally ran into his arms squealing with so much excitement.
I alighted from the car, feeling awkward in my dress, waiting for Connor to notice me. He seemed completely taken by Laurel as they both spoke in silent whispers and giggles, totally lost in their own world.
It frightened me a little. Asides from NK and Jody, Laurel had never softened to someone so easily this way. Blood was indeed thicker than water. I didn’t want her to have her heart broken like her mummy, I didn’t want her to feel so attached but at the end of the day watch him leave.
“Even Laurie noticed that you look different today?” Connor commented, snapping me out of my thoughts. He was standing before me and I didn’t even know how he managed to get so close to me unawares.
“What do you mean different?” I argued, trying to conceal my intense blushing.
“I’ll explain later,” he whispered in my ears conspiratorially, then stood erect and turned his face up to Laurel who sat comfortably in his arms.
He looked too good to be true in his stunning suede jacket and white shirt, like he just stepped out from a special edition of Vogue magazine. So stunning with his hair sleeked backwards like the other day, and his smooth skin that seemed to have taken an extra tan. I couldn’t stay mad at someone looking this handsome, this… breathtaking.
“I have a surprise for you, Laurie,” he said, placing his free hands with mine. My nerves was all over the place at that simple touch.
We entered the spacious hall Chris and I came to. We didn’t go the way of the stairs but instead, he led us to an elevator that looked like part of the wall. It was really beautiful.
He held my hand firmly in his, hold Laurel steadily in his right arm as the elevator took us to the fifth floor which he had punctured into the control panel buttons.
I wondered idly what they were doing with all the rooms in such a big house. Connor’s parent obviously didn’t live here. Or does she?
“Your mother lives here?” I asked, noticing how unsteady my voice sounded. “I mean, I can’t imagine you living here all by yourself.”
He simply smiled and turned to face me, “I built this place after the demise of my father. He ran the business at a smaller scale before I took over.”
“Oh,” came the only response I could give.
“Yeah, but my mother and sister both live at the country side of England. Shelby Villa, she says it’s more peaceful there. London is too much of a hassle.”
I chuckled, realizing that I really didn’t know much about him. Actually, I knew next to nothing. “Well, she’s totally right.” I replied, deciding to ask him about his family whenever we both got alone.
“So you don’t like central London?” he asked with a honest, puzzled expression.
“Hell, no.” I interjected wondering why he was so perplexed. “I’m only here because of work and making a living. Buying a house in the country side with my small family and focusing on my writing has always been my dream though. I’m never asking too much from life, maybe that’s why I get so little.”
I regretted my last sentence. I had forgotten I was actually talking to someone and started thinking aloud. “I didn’t want to say that,” I breathed, feeling miserable.
“Its okay, Grace.” Connor squeezed my hands comfortingly.
The elevator finally stopped and opened, feeding us into a hall filled with so much light it looked like day time. Even Laurie gasped at the sight. The walls were like glass tiles, our steps echoed down the hall’s length. This place was like a tourist center, if Connor was going to allow people in. But maybe never.
“This way,” he directed us towards a right bend, discreetly enjoying our awe.
He led us through the hall to a door, took a card out from his pocket and slid it over a card reader to open the door. More surprise than we could ever imagine appeared before our eyes.
It was a child’s room with a blue and white theme. The curtains, the rug which I was sure had replaced tiles, the little four poster bed decorated with pillows with cartoon characters like Cinderella and snow white and so many stuffed dolls I couldn’t count, a large flat screen TV on the wall facing the bed.
“I hope this isn’t too much,” he muttered, looking eye to eye at Laurel.
“Oh my God, whose room is this, Uncle Alpha?” Laurel blurted out, looking visibly bamboozled.
“It’s all yours, Laurie,” he said with a wide grin as he let her down. Laurel looked like she was going to explode with happiness.
“Mummy can I take it?” she asked gazing up at me with puppy-like eyes.
“Sure baby,” I answered her trying to catch my breath. How did Connor do all this…? Oh my God, he was more serious than I actually thought.
“Laurie do you like it?” he asked.
“I love it!” Laurel squealed with so much excitement as she came down from Connor’s arm and ran to hop on the bed, jumping on it, giggling and holding one of the stuffed toys, a puppy, tenderly to her chest.
“Connor…” I started, searching for words. He had no idea, but he had just crumbled all my walls of defenses, walking straight into my heart to have himself a place in it.
“Don’t say thank you, please.” he uttered, his eyes watching Laurel with so much appreciation. “I should be the one saying thank you for raising her alone by yourself all these years. It won’t be that way anymore, I’m not leaving again.”
And my heart melted all over again.
“How did you know she liked blue?” I asked trying to lighten the mood.
“She does? Wow. I simply guessed.” he chuckled exposing a perfect set of teeth. “I think pink is overrated for kids, especially girls.
A tap on the door was heard and then it opened softly. A middle-aged woman who looked more agile than her age with her dark shoulder-length hair brushed to perfection walked in.
“Alpha,” she greeted, bowing to Connor. “Ms. Jones, it a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” she said as she pecked me on both my cheeks.
She smiled heartily at me as her attention went to Laurel who was busy with her stuffed dolls on the bed. “That’s her,” she muttered with a gasp, then turned to stare at Connor. “She’s a mirror image of you, Alpha.”
“Grace, meet Granny Thais, she like my first mother as she was the one who raised me, literally.” he grinned at her comment, introducing us. “Granny, meet Grace, the woman I’m dying to know.”
She took both my hands in hers and squeezed them tenderly, gazing at me with so much affection in her eyeballs. “I hope he finally get to know you,” she whispered, smiling, then dropped my hands and walked to Laurel, and they both kicked off instantly.
“She’s really good with kids, so we can be rest assured while we’re out.” Connor whispered holding my hands in his again.
“I know right. She wouldn’t even notice we’re gone.” I chuckled and we both left Laurel and Granny Thais to have the time of their lives, while we, Connor and I, went out to have ours.