Читать книгу Expecting His Child: The Pregnancy Plot / Staking His Claim / A Tricky Proposition - Tessa Radley - Страница 21

Fourteen

It was the night of the hospital benefit and AJ was, quite frankly, scared.

Matt’s compliments had briefly warmed her—she’d chosen a red below-the-knee ruffled dress with a tight corset bodice—but trepidation had set in as they drove to the Pullman Quay Grand at Sydney Harbour.

If Matt noticed, he didn’t say anything. They parked, then made their way into the fancy foyer, all massive windows and panoramic views of the harbor. AJ barely had time to take it all in before he was guiding her toward the restaurant where a bunch of perfectly dressed people were milling about.

This was it. She was actually doing this. With a deep breath, she straightened, pulling her shoulders back.

“You okay?”

She glanced up at him, at the concern creasing his brow. “Yes, I just...” She paused then said carefully, “I don’t like crowds.”

“Really?”

“They make me nervous, all those people watching,” she lied. Truth was, she’d been assessed, dissected and judged before and it had stopped worrying her a long time ago. No, it was the parent thing that freaked her out. She didn’t do parents. They made her nervous.

He eyed the packed gathering inside the restaurant, wall-to-wall people in their designer dresses and suits, the loud murmur of voices, clinking glasses and occasional laughter spilling out, then he turned to her with a reassuring smile.

“Honestly, I don’t think they’ll notice us.”

“Matthew! You’re late!”

A woman emerged from the crowd and made her way toward them. She was tall, regal and flawlessly done up in a black shift dress and kitten heels. The family resemblance was obvious.

AJ swallowed as she watched Matt’s mother kiss his cheek, then slowly turn to her.