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APOV:
It's been a little over a month since Christian and I started looking for a house. I have found several I like, but Christian it's pleased with any of the 4 the realtor has shown us. At this point, I fear that he will never find a house that is up to his standards. That is one picky man! After the last failed attempt, I over heard him grumbling to himself something about 'fuck it all. I should have just called Elliot.'
We also learned a few weeks back that Mike is being charged with attempting kidnapping. Hopefully he'll be behind bars for years to come. Good riddance, asshole!
Mia seems to be doing great with her pregnancy. She has called and came over several times just to talk with me. I love that I can be there for her. She's only 9 weeks so she is still feeling the effects of the lovely first trimester. Last Sunday, poor thing got sick from the smell of the pork that Grace had prepared for dinner. I do not miss those day at all!
She still hasn't heard anything out of Shawn, but I suspect her brothers have something to do with that. When his name was brought up Sunday, I caught the looked that passed between Christian and Elliot.
It's Saturday morning and I have just finished cleaning the kitchen where we ate breakfast. I walk to Brooklyn's room expecting to find her there, but to my surprise she isn't. I set out on my quest to locate my mini me and her Daddy. After searching everywhere and I'm starting to get a little worried until I hear voices coming from Christian's study. The door is slightly ajar, so I stand there like a creeper and listen to the two of them talk.
"I wikes that ones daddy!" Brooklyn says.
"Nah, that one is way too small. I want a big one" He says. What in the world are they talking about?
"Hows bouts a wainbow colowed one?" She questions.
He chuckles, "I have never seen a rainbow colored dog before." He replies. Dogs... They are looking at dogs online.
I decide to make my presence known., "What are you two up to?"
"We's are picking outs a dog, Mama!" she squeals in a high pitched voice while clapping her hands together.
"We are just online looking to see what type of dog would be best for the family. We would love your input." He pats his knee that is not currently occupied by Brooklyn.
Taking a seat, we browse different types of dogs but still can't decide on what we want.
"You know, I heard about a house the other day that the realtor hasn't mentioned. I would mind looking at it. It's near your parents and it's on the Sound." I tell Christian. It really is a lovely house from the online pictures I've seen, even if my initial reaction was that it was too big for us. But I got to thinking about Gail, Taylor and the rest of the people that would be staying there. Plus, one of Christian's main complaints when we look at a house is that it isn't big enough. Fingers crossed, he'll like this one.
"Anything you want, Baby." Christian tells me.
When Christian Grey says anything you want, he actually means it. With in a few hours of me telling Christian about the house, we are on our way to look at it. When I asked him how he got us a viewing so fast, his only reply with a sly grin and the words, "money talks, baby."
Pulling up to the gate, Christian punches in the code. As the gates open, we are greeted with a very long, tree lined drive. We can't even see the house yet, but from what we see of the yard, it has been well maintained. The driveway ends up being a little over a half of a mile long and when the house comes into view, I gasp. It is gorgeous! The online pictures didn't do it justice.
Our realtor is waiting for us on the front steps when we get out of the SUV. "Good afternoon Mr. Grey, Miss Steele." She greets us.
"Mrs. Matthews" Christian greets her with a nod. "Thank you for meeting us here. Miss Steele heard about the home and thought it may be a good fit for our family." He says to her, but I hear the underlying statement.. Why did Miss Steele have to find a home for us when that's the job you are being paid to do?
"Of course", She says with at tight smile. Apparently she heard the underlying statement as well. "Why don't I show you three around?"
"If it's all the same to you, Miss Steele, Brooklyn and myself will just look around the house on our own." Christian says to her. I don't think he's too please with her at the moment.
"Sure, I'll be waiting at the front entryway if you were to need anything."
It's taken us about 30 minutes to walk through the house because Christian looks at every little detail. Brooklyn has claimed every room in the house as her bedroom, making Christian and I laugh.
"So what do you think?" I ask Christian. He hasn't really said anything, but I don't hear any grumbling either. This could go either way...
"I think you deserve Mrs. Matthews' fee for finding this house. I can see us living here. I will get Elliot to have a crew come in and spruce up things a little, but if you like the house, I'm ready to make an offer." He smiles at me.
"Really?!" I can't believe he actually liked it enough to make an offer.
"Yes, it's a beautiful home, plenty of room, 15 acres of land, and a guest house in the back that we could turn into a home for Gail and Taylor. What's not to love?" He muses as he looks around again. "How did you hear about this?" He questions.
"Actually your mom mentioned it to me. She said that she heard a neighbor talking about it going up for sale and wanted us to jump on it before anyone else had the chance. I believe her words were, "You and Christian should really look into it before it's snatched up. It would be perfect for your family, and my granddaughter would be basically just around the corner from us"."
Christian laughs, "My mother and her meddling."
"Last time she meddled, it worked out pretty well. Now that I think about it, I'm not so sure those files were that urgent that day." Gah, I love Grace!
"You are on to something, Miss Steele!" He kisses me on my nose.
We have been standing on the back patio, watching Brooklyn play in the yard. "What do you think of this house, Brooklyn?" Christian asks her.
"I woves it! It's wike a pwincess castle!" She excitedly exclaims.
"I love it, too. But, Mama and Nana get all the credit for finding it." He tells her as he scoops her up in his arms, making his way back to Mrs. Matthews.
"So, what do you guys think?" Mrs. Matthews asks as we meet her at the entryway.
"I would like to make an offer. My accountant will send you all of the information by this evening."
"Wonderful! As soon as I hear from him, I will start putting the paper work through." She says.
"Good. I'll pay extra to put a rush on closing. I want my brother's crew to be able to get in here as soon as possible to start the minor remolding."
"Noted. I'll email you when I have more information." She happily tells him.
On the drive home, Christian is excitedly talking about the house and what he wants done to it. We decided to stop for a bite of lunch since it's well after 1 and Christian and I haven't ate since breakfast.
As we are seated at a small bistro, the waitress makes her way over to us. And of course, like usual, she zones in on Christian even though he is clearly here with his family. She is batting her fake eyelashes so fast if I'm surprised we can't feel the wind from it. Brooklyn notices as well because the next words out of her mouth have me red as a tomato and Christian laughing.
"Do yous hab something in yous eye?" Brooklyn asks.
"Umm, no." The waitress answers, not understanding what Brooklyn is getting at.
"Yous suwe? I bwinks my eyes reawwy fasts when I gots sand in thems at the pawk." Brooklyn says clearly concerned with the waitress' problem.
"I'm fine. I'll put your orders in and be right back with your drinks." The waitress says before quickly turning and walking away. I'm sure she was hoping to hide her embarrassment by retreating for the table quickly, but I caught her red tinged cheeks before she could get away.
I hang my head as Christian tries to rein in his laughter. After he is finished, he quickly switches gears.
"So" Christian says, before nervously clearing his throat. "My mom called this morning and wants me to go with her to help pick out my dad a birthday gift. I told her we would go this evening if you didn't have plans for us." He's running his fingers through his hair. Why is he so nervous?
"That's fine, baby. That will give me a chance for a little one on one time with Brooklyn. She's become such a daddies girl lately. I need to steal her back for a few hours." I give him a wink. Maybe he is nervous about making plans with his mother at the last minute.
"Okay, I'll drop you and Brooklyn off at Escala and head on over that way so I can get back before it's bedtime." He says. He tries to never miss out on bedtime stories with Brooklyn. I think he enjoys it more than she does.
After Christian drops us off at home, Brooklyn and I spend the rest of the day playing, painting nails, watching movies, and once again browsing online for the perfect breed of dog. I think I finally have the breed I want figured out, I just hope Christian agrees with me. Boxers are way too cute, plus they have every quality Christian and I are looking for in a dog. I pull Brooklyn in my lap to show her a picture of a boxer puppy.
"You like that puppy?" I ask her, pointing to the screen.
'Awww, he's so cute, Mama! Wets get hims. We can names him Chocowate!"
"Chocolate? Why Chocolate?" I ask. I'm sure this answer will be good.
She rolls her eyes and looks at me like it should be obvious, "Cause he's bwown!" Well, I guess it should have been that obvious...
"One, don't roll your eyes at me, it's rude. Understand?" I asks
"Yes, Mama. I'ms sowwy" She says
"Thank you for apologizing. Now,two, we'll have to see if Daddy even likes this type of dog before we make a decision." I tell her.
It's a little after 6 when Christian returns home and Brooklyn is on him time he walks in the door.
"Daddy! We founds a dog! He's Chocowate!" She is clinging to his leg like a spider monkey.
I see the confusion on his face. "Chocolate , huh? As in a Chocolate lab?" He asks.
"No silly daddy! A boxes puppy!"
Now Christian looks even more confused. "She means a boxer." I tell him "I've done my research and that breed has every quality we are looking for."
"Ands they are sooo cutes, Daddy!" Brooklyn adds.
"Okay, I'll take a look at them, but lets sit down and have dinner first." He says, and it's only then that I see he's holding a bag of Mexican food from my favorite Mexican restaurant. YUM!
As we are eating dinner, I ask Christian about his time with his mother. "Did you find anything good for your dad?"
"Um, yeah. She got him a lot of new fishing equipment. I'm sure he's going to love it." He tells me. Something's off though. I can tell in his slight hesitation to answer my question.
"When is your Dad's birthday? Your mom hasn't mentioned it to me." I need to know so I'll have enough time to look for him a present from me.
"September 18th. A little over 2 weeks away. She just wanted to get his present now so he wouldn't suspect anything." Geez, I wish I could read him better. He has one hell of a poker face. Probably one of the reasons he's been so successful in the cut throat business world.
"Oh well, that's understandable." I tell him. If he wants me to know what's going on he'll tell me. I completely trust him so I'm just going to put this conversation to rest.
After we have finished eating, Christian helps me clean up the dishes. We spend the rest of the evening looking at information on the puppy that Brooklyn and I want and Christian agreed that it would be a perfect choice for us.
"Why don't you go relax in a nice, hot bath and I'll read to Brooklyn and put her to bed." Christian says when I finish dressing Brooklyn after her bath.
"Thank you. " I say, leaning up on my tippy toes to kiss his soft lips.
CPOV:
It has taken me an hour to read Brooklyn 2 stories and get her to sleep because she kept interrupting the story to ask questions about Chocolate the dog. She seems pretty stuck on that name so that may be the name the poor pup is stuck with.
As I walk in our bedroom, I can hear music softly playing from the bathroom. Hopeful that the music drowns out the sound on me coming into the bedroom, I rush to the closet to hide the ring I picked up for Ana today. I was a fucking nervous wreck at the table when she kept questioning me about my dad's gift and birthday. But that doesn't compare to the nerves I felt when I went to see Ray today to ask for his blessing.
He and I sat out on his back porch talking for a few hours before I grew the balls to ask. When I stuttered out my reasoning for being there, he eased my nerves by chuckling. I think his words were, "What took you so long to ask? You've been here for hours. It's not like I didn't know the reason you were coming over when you called this morning.."
He gave me his blessing and I invited him to my parents house tomorrow where I plan to propose in front of our loved ones. I called Mom and Dad this morning as well and told them of my plans. Dad didn't say much except that he was happy for me, but Mom started crying immediately. She went on and on about how I should propose, where I should propose... until Dad stopped her. I couldn't help but laugh at my moms excitement. I just asked that they not tell Mia because I'm afraid that she will accidently let it slip before I can pop the question.
Before hiding the ring in a pocket of one of my suits I have hanging in the closet, I open the box to have another look. It's an absolutely stunning ring. It's not over the top huge because I know that's not something Ana would want. However it is big enough that everyone with in a 500 feet radius will be able to clearly see that she's taken. It's a beautiful cushion cut diamond surrounds by smaller diamonds. I can't wait to see Ana's face tomorrow when I propose. Even though I know she'll say yes, I know I still be nervous.
I hear the water in the tub starts to slosh around, so I know that Ana is probably getting out. I hurry to hide the ring and rush back into the room before Ana comes out of the bathroom.
"Hey, I thought you would join me." She says when she sees me standing by the bed.
"I would have, but it took Brooklyn a while to fall asleep. She couldn't stop talking about Chocolate the dog. You do realize that name is probably going to stick, right?" I ask with a chuckle.
She sighs, smiling, "Yes, she was pretty proud of herself today for thinking of the name."
"Let me grab a quick shower and I will meet you in the bed. Be naked when I get back." I swat her on the ass as I walk to the shower.
I take the fastest shower on record, eager to get back to Ana. When I crawl in to bed, I notice that she is indeed naked and ready for me. It hits me that this is the last night that I will make love to my girlfriend. Tomorrow night, I will be making love to my fiancé. My fiancé!
The next morning Ana and I wake up to Brooklyn bouncing on the bed. Good thing I pulled my pajama pants back on after Ana and I finished round 4 at about 1am this morning.
"It's times to gets up!" She shouts while jumping right in the middle of my stomach.
"Whoa there little jumping bean. It's not safe to jump on the bed." I tell her. I roll over to see that the clock only reads 7:00.
"Come ons! Gets up! I wants pantakes, pwease." She says with her tiny little hands drawn together in a pleading manner.
"We'll have to get Mama to make those. Daddy hasn't mastered that park of culinary school just yet." It tap her on the tip of the nose.
"I'm on it!" Ana happily says while rolling out of bed.
I watch her walk to the door and can't help the over whelming feeling of happiness. Today's the day!
Brooklyn snuggles up beside me and we talk about what we are going to do today. I do hold back the little detail about asking Ana to marry me. Brooklyn will let the cat out of the bag before we finish breakfast.
After Ana agrees to marry me, I want to talk to her about officially adopting Brooklyn. I want her to carry the Grey name just as Ana and I will. If Ana has no problem with it, I'll get my lawyer on it as soon as possible.
After we have eaten breakfast, Ana takes Brooklyn to her room to get her dressed for today while I slip into my study to check a few emails. The first one I open is from Mrs. Matthews letting me know that the offer on the house was accepted and for an additional 20 grand, Elliot's crew will be able to begin work as soon as one week. Like I said: Money talks.
After shutting down my computer, I rush back to the room to get dressed and grab the ring. Just as I'm finishing up, Ana walks in. Not a moment too soon.
"You look as handsome as always." She says when she sees me.
'And you still outshine me in nothing but a robe." I wink at her before I go to join Brooklyn in her room giving Ana the times she needs to get ready.
30 minutes later, Ana meets us in the great room and I notice that she and Brooklyn are wearing almost the same dresses. Same pattern, different color. Where Brooklyn's is pink, Ana's is a light green, and I've heard Mia talk about fashion enough to know that the pattern is chevron print. The mindless shit I learn from listening to Mia ramble.
On our way to my parents, I tell Ana about the email I received from the realtor this morning. We decided to talk to Elliot today to see when he can do a walk through with us. I want to have the house finished and us moved in by Thanksgiving, that way we could host it at our home this year.
When we pull up in the driveway, I notice Ana looking puzzled. "My dad's here. I didn't mention anything to him about coming to dinner today."
"Mom called me last week and asked that I invite him. It's supposed to be a pleasant day and she wanted to grill out with all of the family over. Ray's family." I lie. Good thing I'm good at keeping a straight face.
Ana shrugs her shoulders, "Oh okay. I love having my dad around." She says giving me that smile I love so much.
A few hours have passed and we have talked to Elliot about the house. We'll go next weekend and do a walk through with him. Everyone was happy for us when we told them about the house. Mom most of all because she will have us so close.
We are all on the back patio enjoying each other company. Everyone is here, but only mom, dad and Ray know what's about to happen. My mom has been giving me subtly glances all day. I know it's about to kill her not knowing when I'll pop the question.
Ray walks up behind me and whispers, "relax, you look like you are about to pass out."
I blows out a puff of air, "Not going to lie to you, I'm nervous as hell. I know she'll say yes... but what if she doesn't?"
"You have no worries. I know Ana. She loves you and she is ready for the next step." Ray assures me.
We've finished eating and I decide that it's now or never. I have went back in forth on if I should prepare a speech for her or just talk from my heart. After much debating, I decide to just talk from the heart. Standing up, I clear my throat. Taking Ana's hand I pull her up to stand beside me. She looks at me, trying to understand what I'm doing. I smile and kiss her before I start talking:
"Ana, I didn't go shopping with my mom yesterday, I went and spent the afternoon with Ray." I tell her and she starts to look even more confused so I just decide to jump right in.
Taking a deep breath, I begin, "The morning I spotted you in the coffee shop, I was captivated by your beauty. That very same day fate happen to intervene one more when I saw you again at my mother's office. You once said that it was fate that we met. I didn't believe in fate before I met you, but I have to agree that you and I were always meant to be.
"The Friday afternoon that you came over here to bring my mother a file was the first day you introduced me to the little girl that I now couldn't love more if she were my own flesh and blood. " I can tell that Ana has caught on to what's happening because she is smiling from ear to ear with a steady stream of tears flowing down her face.
"I have searched my whole life looking for something, not sure of what it was. The day we met, I discovered what it was I have been searching for.. It's you. You, Ana, are the love of my life. I want to walk through the rest of my days with you by my side; wake up to your beautiful face and go to bed at night with you in my arms.
"For the rest of my life, be mine.." I pull the ring out of the box and get down on one knee, "Say you'll marry me, Anastasia."
She is crying so hard she can't speak. She nods her head vigorously and pulls me up crashing her lips with mine.
Pulling back, I tease her, "Is that a yes?"
"Oh my god, YES! A million times YES, YES, YES!" She shouts hugging me tight.
After she pulls away to wipe the tears from her eyes, only then does she even notice the ring. "That is the most beautiful ring I have even seen!" She exclaims
"Can I put it on your finger now?" I ask and she nods her head while holding out her shaking left hand.
After I slip it on her finger we turn to our audience. All of the women are crying and are now fighting over Ana's hand so they can see the ring. Brooklyn makes her way over to us to share in the excitement even if she really doesn't understand what's really going on.
We stay a few more hours celebrating with our family before heading home and having our very own celebration for just the two of us.
Thank you for all of the reviews I received last chapter! Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as well. I know it has taken me a few extra days to post it, but real life got in the way. My oldest started middle school band practice, my middle child started tumble cheer lessons and my youngest started football. On top of all of that, I was up to my neck in baby shower preparations for my sister. My little niece will be here in 3 short weeks! I'm so excited... A baby I can spoil and then send her home to her parents! ;)