Thank you all for your well wishes for my son's recovery. He's on the mend and doing well. Thank you for your reviews, kind words, and encouragement. All characters belong to E. L. James and all mistakes are mine.
APOV
I wake hearing my little girl talking through the baby monitor. I cannot believe it's been five months since I had my baby. The time has flown by. She's such a happy little girl. She's the apple of her grandfather, Uncle Elliot, and godfather's eyes. I couldn't ask for better stronger men in her life.
I know if something ever happened to me she'd be well taken care of. Between them, and Gail, never wants for anything. Sophie was so excited to get to meet her and help me feed her. I smile thinking of how blessed I am.
Walking into Bailey's room, I notice she's no longer there. Rolling my eyes, I already know who has her. I swear she'll never learn to walk, at this rate, with the way dad is always carrying her. Mom was the same way last month when she and Bob came for a visit. I swear I thought the three of them would fight it out to see who got to soothe her each time she whimpered.
After showering and dressing, I make my way downstairs to get breakfast started. Just as I suspected, dad and Bailey, or "Rae" as dad so affectionately calls her, are sitting on the porch. I quietly walk to the front door and look at my two hearts. Bailey has a bottle and dad is reading the paper to her.
He stops every now and then to look at her while he's talking to her about what he's read. I love how each time he does it, Bailey takes her bottle out of her mouth to stop and look at her grandpa, then she smiles as if she knows what he's talking about.
I make my way to the kitchen, as my phone buzzes in my pocket. I see it's Gail calling, "Good morning best godmother in the world."
While laughing, Gail says, "That's exactly why I'm calling. It's the weekend and Jason and I are off, today. He's visiting with some old buddies. I wanted to come get Bailey and spend some time with her, if that's ok with you."
"Gail, of course it's fine. I know she's in good hands when she's with you. I am heading to Divinity after breakfast, you can meet me there to get her."
"Great, Ana. One more thing." She hesitantly says. "I'll be here at home, with her. Mr. Grey is out, but I wanted to let you know."
"Gail, it's fine. I'm ok with it. He's knows I've had a baby and I'm sure he knows you and Jason are her godparents." I assure her.
"Ok, I'll see you later." She says hanging up.
As I'm finishing breakfast, I hear dad and Bailey walk back into the house. She's squealing and giggling as they make their way into the kitchen. Looking up, I see dad blowing raspberries on her stomach. "Morning Annie." He says as he sits down at the table.
"Morning dad." I say passing him his plate and kissing Bailey on her chocolate curls. Bailey is the spitting image of me, poor kid. She has my blue eyes and pale skin along with my hair color. I swear I hope she's more graceful, at walking, than I am.
As I sit down to eat, I notice dad feeding Bailey some of his eggs. It's funny to watch because she keeps grabbing his hands to shove more into her mouth. "Thank goodness she's not a picky eater like you, Annie." He says making me roll my eyes.
"I had to nearly strap you down to get you to eat. You still eat like a bird." He says laughing.
Clearing my throat, to let him know I need to talk to him, "Dad, I need to discuss something with you." Never taking his eyes off Bailey, he nods.
"I…uh, dad I think it's time for Bailey and I to find our own place. I need a place closer to the restaurant. I don't want to leave you, I…."
"Annie" He says grabbing my hand, "You are a grown woman with a baby. I know you don't want to stay with your old man forever. Don't worry about me, ok. You worry too much. I know I scared you when I had that mild stroke, but I'm fine."
I smile at him and squeeze his hand, "I'll be fine." He continues. "Annie, it's time you start taking care of you and my favorite girl, here."
"Hey, I thought I was your favorite." I put on a playful pout.
Winking he says, "I traded you in for a younger model."
Laughing, I go over and hug him. "I love you, daddy. More than you'll ever know."
"Love you too, Annie. You know this is home, your home. If ever you need it…." He trails off. Not being one for sentimental talk, he clears his throat and goes to the sink to clean up Bailey.
"I'm going to the restaurant. I know you have plans, today so she'll be with Gail."
"Well, let me go get my little lady dressed." He says to Bailey. Leaving the kitchen, he stops in front of me and hugs me. "I'm so proud of the woman you've become, Annie."
CPOV
Reynolds is my CPO on days that Taylor is off. I decided to come in to the office, but could not concentrate on what I was doing. I should have stayed home, or gone sailing. It's a beautiful sunny day. It's been a while since I've taken the Grace out.
I text Reynolds that I'm done for the day and ready to head back to Escala. He meets me at the elevator as we make our way to the garage. "Reynolds, did you inform Jacobs that the elevator from the garage to the penthouse needs to be looked at?"
Yes, sir. He said he will get someone on it."
As we pull into the garage and I make my way into the elevator, I punch in the code. As I enter the foyer, I hear…. a baby? Either I'm sick, or too tired as I'm hearing things. I walk into the great room and towards the sound of baby gibberish. As I enter the kitchen, I stop in my tracks as I'd know that little cutie anywhere.
Gail walks out of the pantry and freezes, "OH! Mr. Grey, I am so sorry. I thought you would be out. Jason is away and I decided to get a start on the menu for the week. I am so sorry, I can go back to my apartment, or have Ana come pick her up if you do not want her here."
Raising my hand, I silence her, "Gail, it's fine." I reassure her with a rare smile.
Walking closer to the kitchen, I sit down at the bar and look. She is such a beautiful little girl. When she looks at me, my breath hitches. I've seen those eyes a million or more times in my dreams. Those eyes that look into my soul. Those eyes that soothe me. Those eyes are staring at me, now, and I just want to pick her up and hold her.
She offers me a toothless grin, which makes me smile at her. Her tiny hands are picking up little brown circles and placing them in her mouth. She picks up one and holds her tiny hand out to me.
"How sweet, she's sharing with you Mr. Grey. She's offering you a cheerio." Gail says as she looks on.
"I… what do I do, Gail?" I nervously ask.
"Lean forward and let her feed you." She says.
I look at Gail and lean forward. I open my mouth and Bailey places her little hand on my mouth and drops in the cheerio. She claps her hands as I close my mouth, making me laugh. She seems to have Ana's loving personality, too.
She goes back to eating her cheerios while Gail continues to put together the week's menu. I slip away to go change my clothes. As I enter my room, I replay what just happened. Get a grip Grey. Don't lose your shit and fall to pieces like a bitch because a baby, her baby, is here in your apartment.
I change into sweat pants and a shirt and make my way back into the kitchen. Upon walking back into the kitchen, my nose is assaulted by the worst smell that's ever been in the kitchen. Gagging, I round the corner as I see Gail removing Bailey from her chair.
"Ummm…. Gail?"
"She's teething, Mr. Grey. Sometimes babies have diarrhea and fevers when they are teething. Some are super cranky. Little miss stinky pants, here, seems to only have the symptoms of a drooling mouth and diarrhea." Gail says laughing. "I'll go change her."
Gail takes a little plastic mat that she calls a changing pad and lays Bailey on it. Bailey is such a happy child. She's laughing and giggling. I almost gag and pass out as Gail removes the diaper.
"Holy hell!" I say covering my nose. "Is that normal? Is she supposed to smell like that? Should we call someone, surely she's sick." I say panicking. Nothing that small and cute should smell like a garbage heap threw up.
Laughing, Gail says, "Unfortunately, yes."
As she's finishing, the elevator dings and in walks my brother.
"Holy Fuck! What is that smell? Christian, did you rip one? You may want to check yourself you may have shit yourself." He says coming closer and holding his nose.
"It was the baby, dipstick, and watch your language."
Walking closer to the Great Room, Bailey spots Elliot and begins clapping and jumping up and down on Gail's lap.
"There's my girl." Elliot says as he grabs Bailey from Gail. "How's my girl?" He says as he blows raspberries on her neck making her laugh. Her laugh is like music to my ears. It's the sweetest sound I've heard since her mother's giggle.
Excusing herself, Gail disposes of the diaper. "Mr. Grey, I need to run downstairs for a minute to dispose of this."
"That's fine, Gail." I say to her as she heads towards the elevator.
Elliot is having a great time playing with Bailey. Mentally, they are the same age. I think to myself as I chuckle. I watch as Elliot has her on the floor and he's crawling around with her.
I sit on the couch and watch as she crawls over to me. She grabs a hold of my pant leg and she pulls herself up to a standing position. Just then, my cell buzzes. I answer and it's Gail.
"Mr. Grey! I'm stuck on the elevator. It stopped working. It was moving fine, then it stopped."
"Gail, are you ok? Hang on while I get Jacobs on the phone. That elevator was supposed to be fixed." I say while grabbing the wall phone.
"Jacobs, my house keeper is stuck on the elevator. You were made aware of this problem earlier, today. Get it fucking fixed, NOW!" I yell.
"Gail, Jacobs will have someone get right on it."
"Thank you, Mr. Grey. I don't want my battery to die, so I'll hang up and check back later to check progress. I'm so sorry, Mr. Grey especially with Bailey being there."
"Gail, I'll have none of that. This is not your fault. She has her playmate here." I say as I turn to look and see Elliot making funny faces at Bailey. "She's fine. Elliot and I will watch her until they get the elevator moving."
"Thank you, Mr. Grey." She says before hanging up the phone.
"Well, this is a clusterf… flop." I say realizing there are little ears in the room. "Gail is stuck in the elevator."
"We'll be fine. I've seen Ana take care of Bailey before. We should be good." Elliot says.
"Have you ever watched a baby by yourself, numbskull? I haven't. We don't have a clue what to do."
"Play with her, feed her, and change her. Seems pretty easy." He says, "We're doing 1 out of the 3, now."
Bailey soon starts whining. That whine turns into crying. Her crying turns into the scream of death. So far, babies are smelly and loud. Elliot looks panicked and I'm certain if he looks panicked, I look as if I'm ready to jump off the balcony.
"Heyyy" Elliot says bouncing her and rubbing her back, "Tell Uncle Elliot what's bothering you."
"Ummmmm…. Dr. Spock, aren't you supposed to know this, already?" Bailey's screams have gotten so loud, that she's now turning red. Walking towards the kitchen, I open the refrigerator and see a bottle. Bingo!
I walk back out to the Great Room and hand Elliot the bottle. Bailey takes it and immediately calms down. I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"I have to drain the anaconda, or else I'll need one of Bailey's diapers." Elliot says handing her to me. I try to protest as I've never held a baby before. Firmly placed in my arms, Elliot makes his way to the bathroom.
I am as still as a statue. The only sound in the room are the grunts from Bailey sucking her bottle. As I'm staring at her, she raises her hand and touches my cheek. It's like my heart doubles in size as I stare back into the familiar eyes.
Walking towards the couch, I ease down. Bailey is intently staring into my eyes and I wonder if she can see straight into my soul. She drops her bottle and sits up never taking her eyes off me.
"Hi, Bailey. I'm Christian, nice to meet you. You are a very beautiful little girl. You look like your mother." She remains staring as if she knows what I'm saying.
"I hurt your mother a long time ago and I want to rectify that. I love her. I miss her. I want to make things right with her and earn her forgiveness. I betrayed her trust and I'll forever regret that I did that to such a beautiful person. I've never been in love before until I met your mother."
I go on and tell her how Ana and I met. I leave out anything about Elena, BDSM, and the subs.
"All I want is another chance with her. I want to prove to her that she is who I choose. She is the light, and I'm the moth that cannot stay away. Do you think she'll give me a chance to prove myself to her? Would you give me a chance to earn your love and trust?"
Bailey gives me a smile and places her other hand on my cheek. I guess I have her answer I think to myself as I smile at her.
"I'll take that as a yes. I vow that I will never hurt your mom, again. I vow to be the man she can trust to have her back, no matter what. I will never stop loving her. I never stopped loving her. When the world ends and there is nothing more, there will always be my love for your mother." I say as I pull her close and kiss her temple.
I was in my own world and did not hear a thing because at that moment, I'm charged with that familiar electric energy I get when only Ana is around. I see Bailey look over my shoulder and start to clap. As I turn around, I see eight sets of eyes on me: Gail, Taylor, Elliot, and Ana.
Ever the ice breaker, Taylor clears his throat, "Gail called me from the elevator and apprised me of the situation, sir. Jacobs has a crew here working on it. For the time being we will use the service elevator."
I simply nod as I cannot take my eyes off Ana. She's here, in my penthouse and she's even more beautiful after having the baby. She's fuller. Her breasts are rounder, perkier. Her waist is neat and trim guiding you to her round full hips. Holy shit, don't get a hard on while holding this baby, Grey. Remember your Dom training. Think about your parents fucking, think about your grandparents fucking….
Gail gathers Bailey's things and places them in her bag. I'm still holding Bailey as Ana and I stare at each other. Elliot walks over and kisses Bailey's cheek. Taylor grabs the baby bag from Gail and places it on his shoulder.
Finally, willing my feet to move, I walk towards Ana. As I hand her Bailey, our fingers touch and there's that spark that happens every time we touch. I wonder if she felt it too. She looks everywhere but at me and she's blushing. Yep, she felt it too.
Taylor leans in and gives Bailey a kiss making her laugh. "Ana, again, I'm so sorry this happened." Gail starts.
"Gail, you had no control of the elevator. I'm glad you called me. I'm glad you're ok." She says hugging Gail. "I'm sorry your girls' day was ruined, but you know you can have her anytime." She says smiling.
"Well, we better go. Bailey, wave bye bye" Bailey gives us all an adorable backwards wave like she's tell us to 'come here'
Turning around to walk out with Jason, I'm met by the roundest ass I've ever seen. Holy fucking shit. I'm mesmerized as it sways in her jeans that were obviously painted on. My head moves in rhythm like a pendulum as I watch her ass sway.
As I turn to my left, I'm met with Elliot's smirk. "A picture would last longer, dipstick."
"Why are you still here?" I ask him.
"Did you mean all that sappy crap you said a few minutes, ago?" He asks looking at me intently.
Sighing, I nod my head.
"Bro, you got it bad. You know we all heard you, right? Even Ana?"
"I figured as much when I turned around." I mutter.
He grunts as he sits on the couch and puts his feet on the table.
"Why are you still here? Gail hasn't cooked dinner. She's off on the weekends."
"I'm here to tell you that tomorrow night, there will be a get together at the bar across the street from Divinity and Ana will be there." He says while chewing on his nails.
"Why don't we order take out and discuss this further." Elliot says as his stomach starts growling.