Chapter 2: Part 2

June 19, 2011- The day after Christian's birthday and engagement

I wake up at 6:45 and see that my beautiful fiancé is sound asleep in my old childhood bed next to me. The bed isn't that big, but we slept close to each other all night just holding onto each other. We are both so fucking happy and I have never felt so euphoric in my entire life. I don't want to wake up Ana so I find some old running shorts in a drawer and put them on with an old t-shirt and some very beat up Nikes. Have I grown this much since high school? The shorts are over my knee and my toes hit the ends of my running shoes.

The house is quiet as I go downstairs and make my way to the kitchen to make some coffee. I walk into the family room and see Ethan, Kate's brother asleep on the couch. Strange, he didn't sleep in the other guest room. But I am glad he didn't find his way to Mia's room. I don't want to think about that as it was bad enough to realize what my parents were probably doing last night. I drank a few scotches with Elliott after and we were both pretty hammered. I won't be doing that again. I look out the back window facing the sound and get excited thinking about the property I just purchased and I can't wait to get started on the home Ana and I will share together.

"Great view isn't it Christian," my Dad says from behind me pouring himself a cup of coffee. I nod, knowing that any minute he is going to start in on me about Elena. I am sure my Mom told my Dad what she learned last night from the confrontation with Elena. So I decide to head this conversation off before he can go there.

"I haven't had a chance to tell you. I bought a home yesterday Dad. I am really excited." I tell him all about the home and he listens asking a few questions, making sure I know what I am doing. He sounds impressed. He knows exactly where the house is located and agrees I made a good choice. This is so unlike him. He is rather subdued and when we stop talking about the house, we just stare at each other.

"Christian, was I such a bad father that you didn't think you could tell me what was going on between you and Elena Lincoln? I know we had our moments when you were a teenager, but I would have helped you, son. I understand why you didn't want your mother to know, but why didn't you come to me?"

This was not the reaction I was expecting from my dad. He looks hurt and confused. He just stares at me and doesn't look away. I decide to talk to him like an adult and man to man rather than like a guilty teenager. I need to be honest without getting into the depravity of the situation.

"Dad, I was an angry 15 year old teenage boy. My hormones were going crazy. You know I had issues about being touched and all that baggage. I wasn't like Elliott and able to be with girls my own age, which would have maybe taken the edge out of my normal teenage hormones." My dad nods knowing full well what we are talking about. "Elena as you will recall, was a hot older woman who came on to me and introduced me to sex in all shapes and flavors." I think I can be more honest with my dad than my mom on this issue. I won't tell him details, but I want to give him some context. "She was hard to give up. Her level of sophistication compared to high school girls and later the girls at Harvard was hard to match. In return for what I thought was great sex, I had to toe the line. She wouldn't let me drink, get into fights, insisted on good grades and in return she provided me with sex almost every day until I left for college and then at least several weekends a month while I was at Harvard." This is the most honest I have ever been with my dad and it feels cathartic. He still doesn't say anything.

"Dad, look I know now that she was wrong to come after me. I don't know what was in it for her. We ended that part of our relationship years ago, and we have remained friends until last night because she apparently can't handle the fact that I have Ana in my life. I didn't come to you because frankly you and Mom would have made it stop. I doubt there is a 15 year old boy anywhere in the world that is getting laid everyday who would willingly tell their parents if the result would have meant the sex would end the minute they came forward. It wasn't that I couldn't come to you. I didn't want to." My dad nods slowly.

"As a man, I understand what you're saying Christian." He pauses and then I see him wipe his eyes. He has tears running down his face and I don't know what I should do, so I just look down. "But as a parent, it makes me completely sick to my stomach. This woman was in our home, gathering information about you and then became your predator. What she did, completely violated our friendship and your mom and I are in complete shock and physically ill over this. I don't expect you to understand how we feel on this matter. But we are devastated to know that one of our friends did this to you and we ignorantly sat by letting it happen. My god Christian, how do we grasp this? How do we make this up to you son? How do we recover from this?" My dad is clearly devastated and as I have never seen him show this much emotion, I am at a loss as to what to do or say. But after a few minutes, I go closer to dad and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Dad, this is why I never wanted you or Mom to find out. I let you think I was gay for years rather than have you know I was fucking – sorry – having sex with Elena Lincoln. I know it was wrong, and I would do anything to take your pain away on this. I don't blame you and I don't ever expect you to understand that my experience with Elena made me who I am today. I don't give her credit for my success, but I do give her credit for making me accountable and responsible." He starts to say something. But I interrupt. "Look Dad, I am happier right now than I have ever been in my entire life. I am completely in love with Ana. I was never in love with Elena. It was about a teenage boy getting laid and then getting somewhat addicted to what she had to offer me. I haven't touched her in almost seven years. It is completely over. With Ana, it is about my future and I am so god damn happy it almost scares me. Please can we forget this shit about Elena and can you and Mom please share this time with me. I know I have put you both through hell over the years. I am sorry, but I am in a great place now, and I want you and Mom to part of this incredible joy I am feeling right now. Please Dad, can we move on?"

My dad nods and gets another cup of coffee. Just as I am thinking that this might be the most civil conversation my dad and I have ever had and how good it feels to unload and be so candid with him he manages to piss me off. "Christian, before you and Ana go about building your house together and have the wedding I would like to prepare a prenup for you to review and present to Ana."

"No! There will be no prenup Dad. Absolutely not!" I am so pissed off that my fist are clenched.

"Christian. Be smart about this for god's sake. You are a wealthy man and if something were to happen to your relationship, Ana could destroy you and Grey House. Think about all the people that depend on you."

I am grabbing my hair with both hands. I don't want to fight with my dad but he needs to back the fuck off right now or we will end up in perhaps the biggest fight of our lives. "Dad, I don't want to fight with you, but you need to drop this right now. I will not enter my marriage with Ana asking her to sign a contract that essentially says I don't trust her. She isn't like that. She doesn't care about my money. I know you are a lawyer and trying to give me what you feel is good advice, but so help me god Dad, do not ever bring this up again." With that I walk outside to go for a run. I hear my Dad slam his coffee cup down and yell at me not to walk away from him while we are talking. But I don't give a shit, he has crossed the line and I need a run.

After my run and shower I come downstairs to find Kate, Elliott, Ana and Ethan talking about the merits of sausage over bacon. For fucks sake, talk about something that matters. I sit next to Ana and across from my Dad and read the paper. He seems ok now as he hands me the sports section. My Mom and Greta are busy preparing breakfast and it feels great to be sitting here with Ana and my family. I look over at Ana and wink at her as she smiles at me and whispers that she loves me. I bend down and kiss her on the neck.

"Hey now, none of that." Elliott comments. He looks pretty rough from yesterday's partying and a bit tense, probably knowing Kate was sleeping down the hall from him all night. I saw him tiptoe down the hall last night and knock on her door, but my Dad came out and told him to respect my mom's wishes. I rather enjoyed seeing his misery.

"What's the matter Lelliott? Didn't you sleep well last night? I slept great." He flips me off and I can't help grinning. Suddenly Mia comes storming in with her netbook and sits it on the kitchen table in front of us.

"There's a gossipy item on the Seattle Nooz Web site about you being engaged, Christian."

"Already?" My mom says in surprise. Then her mouth purses as some unpleasant thought crosses her mind. I know what she is thinking and she is probably right. Fucking Elena left here and called someone she knows in the press.

Mia reads the column out loud. "Word has reached us here at the Nooz that Seattle's most eligible bachelor, the Christian Grey, has finally been snapped up and wedding bells are in the air. But who is the lucky, lucky lady? The Nooz is on the hunt. Bet she's reading one helluva prenup."

Mia giggles, and then stops when I glare at her. God damn it. The fucking prenup shit again. No one is saying anything and I can tell Ana is embarrassed. She is looking down and playing with her ring. She looks up at me and I mouth the word "No".

"Christian," my dad says quietly.

God damn it I warned him. If everyone wasn't here I would really go off. "I am not discussing this again. No prenup!" I shout and go back to the newspaper, although I have no idea what I am even reading.

"Christian," Ana whispers. I'll sign anything you and Mr. Grey want." She looks sincere and worried. I am really fucking pissed at my dad but I don't want to upset my mom and Ana.

"No!" I snap. Why won't she drop it?

"It's to protect you." Ana is being a sweetheart about this, but I don't need protection, I just need her. My mom looks at me and I can tell she is upset.

"Christian, Ana- I think you should discuss this in private." She gives my Dad and Mia both a look that tells them not to say another word. I look at my dad just daring him top say one more thing. All of a sudden everyone starts clearing the table and moving around.

"I definitely prefer sausage," exclaims Elliott. Good old Elliott he breaks the tension in the room. I can see Ana is fretting over this prenup shit so I grab her hands and tell her to stop.

"Ignore my dad," I whisper in her ear. "He's really pissed about Elena. That stuff was aimed at me. I wish my mom had kept her mouth shut." This is not really true but I am trying to get her mind off this topic.

"He has a point, Christian. You're very wealthy, and I'm bringing nothing to our marriage but student loans." That reminds me, I want to pay those off for her.

"Anastasia, if you leave me you might as well take everything. You left me once and I know how that feels." I have never said a truer statement.

"That was different, "she whispers. 'But…you might want to leave me."

That makes my chuckle. I will never let her go. Doesn't she understand that?

"Christian, you know I might do something exceptionally stupid—and you …" she glances down at her knotted hands unable to even finish thinking such a horrid thought.

"Stop. Stop now. This subject is closed, Ana. We're not discussing it anymore. No prenup. Not now-not ever." I stare at her, I fucking mean it. I don't want to talk about this again. I need to change the subject and get everyone back to talking about the wedding details. That seems to get everyone excited.

"Mom, can we have the wedding here." I am not asking my dad. First because I am really pissed at him right now, and second, my mom runs the show around here. If she says yes, it's a done deal.

"Of course. Oh that would be just wonderful," my mom says with a huge smile on her face.

As soon as my Mom has said that we could have the wedding at my parents home, Mia, my mom and Kate are all over Ana like flies on rice. They are sitting on our deck in the back yard and Mia has a pen and paper and is writing down notes. I can tell Ana is a bit overwhelmed with the conversation and starts to get nervous when my overzealous sister starts talking nonstop and with rapid speed about a tent, orchestra, flowers, cake and on and on. Ana looks over at me when she sees me watching from the French doors. I need to step in. Wedding planning isn't my thing but I can tell Ana needs help here.

"Mia, chill. We haven't talked about anything other than wanting to have it here and the date."

"You have a date. Oh my god. What is the date?" Mia won't like what I have to say.

"July 30."

Oh, that is fantastic we have just over a year. We can fly to Paris and look at wedding gowns and go to some wedding shows in New York. Oh and….."

I cut her off. "July 30, 2011, Mia. As in next month." Mia looks at Ana to see if I am joking with her. Ana nods to confirm the date. She then looks at my mom who is has a smile on her face.

"We can't possibly do this in 4 weeks. Are you out of your mind?" Mia is seriously freaking out.

"Mia, honey, Ana and Christian want to have the wedding next month and it sounds like they want to keep it intimate. We can make that happen. Relax honey," my Mom states with a calming voice.

I grab Ana's hand and ask her to take a quick walk with me. I tell the wedding planners we will be right back. Kate chastises me for not letting Ana alone for five minutes but I know something is on her mind. We walk to the dock where Dad's boats are anchored.

"What's wrong Ana? Tell me," I ask stroking her cheek. I am hoping she isn't still thinking about the prenup.

"Christian, my parents can't afford all the things that Mia wants to do and I don't have that much saved, other than that money you snuck into my account and I can't use that."

I appreciate how naïve she is when it comes to my money, but I don't want her worrying about this aspect. She needs to start getting use to having money.

"Ana, don't worry about the cost. I will pay for everything. I just want the day to hurry and get here and for you to have everything you want. Please, don't let this wedding planning get to you." You are going to be my wife and be a wealthy woman. We can afford any wedding we want. If you want it small, that is okay, but baby, don't let money be a factor.

"Christian, I am worried that my dad will be upset or hurt if we don't ask him for his help, but I also know he doesn't have that much extra money." Typical Ana, worried about everyone else. I pull out my phone right then and there and call Ray.

"Ray, its Christian."

"Good afternoon Christian. What can I do for you? Is Annie ok?"

"Yes sir, she is fine. I just wanted to run something by you. Ana and I have decided to have our wedding at my parents home here in Bellevue. We want to keep it somewhat small and intimate. The cost will be minimal and as we discussed yesterday, I am in the fortunate position and can more than provide for Ana. I want to pay for the wedding cost but I don't want to insult you sir. My goal is that you are here to give your daughter away and enjoy yourself. So with your permission, I would like to take responsibility for the wedding cost."

"Christian, I am not a wealthy man but I certainly want to contribute something towards my daughter's wedding."

I can tell by his voice he is embarrassed and that was not my intent. Ana is looking at me with that worried look in her eyes. I don't want to ask him how much he plans to spend, and I know from looking in his background check he simply does not have any access cash. Ana grabs the phone from me as I press the speaker button so I can hear their conversation.

'Dad, please don't be upset. I just don't want you to extend yourself paying for my wedding, but it would mean a lot to me if you would pay for my wedding dress." Good thinking baby. Even though I wish she would let me take care of that to.

"Oh Annie, of course I will pay for your wedding dress. I wish I could do more sweet heart. But you pick out yourself a real special dress and I will pay for it."

"Thanks dad. I love you. And by the way we have picked the date. So don't make plans for July 30," Ana tells him.

"Wow, you two kids are in some hurry. Okay, I will be there. Do I have to wear one of those monkey suits to walk my little girl down the aisle?" Ana smiles and wipes away a tear. "Would you mind?"

"Well Annie, it's not on my bucket list, but for my baby girl, I will do it."

We hang up the phone and Ana hugs me.

"Thank you Christian. But please, let's keep this simple. I really don't even have any family to invite other than my mom and Bob, my dad, the Kavanagh's, Jose,his dad and an Aunt and Uncle who live in California."

"It's fine Ana. We will make this be whatever you want it to be. Do you want a best man and maid of honor and all that shit?"

Ana looks at me like I have lost my mind. "Of course I do. I want Kate to be my maid of honor and I thought I would ask Mia to be a bridesmaid. Will you ask Elliott to be your best man? Do you have anyone else you would like to have as a groomsman?"

As I never imagined I would ever get married, I have never given the matter any thought. Elliott of course will be my best man, but I don't really have friends and have no idea who I would ask to be my groomsman. I want Mia included as I know it will mean a lot to her, but I am at a complete loss as to who we would ask to be another groomsmen.

"Do I have to have a groomsman? I mean can't Mia just do whatever bridesmaids do without a groomsman? "

"Well yes, but it won't look balanced at the altar. Surely you have someone you can ask. How about Taylor?" Ana still can't grasp that my staff are not my friends. Although, if I were to be honest, Taylor probably knows me better than anyone. But I can't have him in my wedding for fucks sake. This wedding shit is already getting on my nerves. I don't see why woman like planning this shit. I find the whole process to be annoying. Ana is looking at me waiting for an answer. "Fine I will ask someone, but it won't be Taylor. Let me think about it."