"Is everything set?" I asked, nervously for at least the third time.
"It is," Taylor confirmed stoically. I annoyed even myself with my constant questioning – Taylor had the patience of a saint!
"And Anastasia…?"
"Has no idea," he confirmed. "She's at Bellevue settling Master Grey in with your parents for the evening."
"And Gail?"
"Is preparing everything as instructed."
I breathed out a sigh of relief. Today was Sunday the seventeenth of June. The anniversary of Jack Hyde's attack on Ana, or the first time I told her I loved her, as I preferred to remember it. Sitting in my office, when I closed my eyes, I could still picture Ana's terrified face as I came into her room at the Mount Sinai West Hospital, and the way she calmed as soon as she saw me there. Even drugged and disorientated, she knew that I'd protect her. That I'd always protect her. I couldn't believe here, a year later, we were married and had a son together. A young son my wife was currently preparing to leave with his grandparents for the first time this evening.
Anastasia had started expressing, and it thrilled me that after a couple of false starts, I could now play an active role in feeding our son. There was no doubt he preferred his milk straight from his mother, but provided she was not in sight, to my delight he'd settle for a bottle of warm breast milk from me.
Last month Ana and I celebrated the anniversary of our first meeting, the ninth of May, with a quiet dinner at Escala. However both of us considered today and tomorrow our 'real' anniversary. The day we got back together, and the day we promised to be each other's more. I persuaded Ana that Teddy should spend the evening at Bellevue with my parents while we celebrated. I'd pushed for him to spend the night, and God knows my parents were willing, but Anastasia was not sure she was ready for that, although I made sure she'd packed enough milk in case we decided to let him stay over.
Anastasia understood we would dine at Canlis then head back to Escala for some alone time before going to Bellevue to fetch Teddy, but I had something else planned.
Medina was finished. If not quite move-in ready, the main spaces were complete, and the furniture had arrived for our bedroom, the nursery, the family room and our family meals area. Heather and Ana still had work to do deciding how to furnish some other spaces, but for tonight there was enough there for us to enjoy a comfortable evening.
All week I'd been secretly making arrangements. Heather had prioritized finishing our room and Teddy's. In a way these were easiest as Ana had been the most vocal about the way she saw those two spaces. With everything already selected, it had been simple enough to arrange for the furniture and linens to be delivered, Heather styling them as Ana had outlined. While the family room and meals area lacked the finishing touches, they had enough to be functional for an evening. Gail was over there now, preparing a delicious meal, stocking the fridge with some basics and furnishing the bathrooms and Teddy's nursery with all the necessary supplies. Taylor would drop me to Medina, then escort Mrs. Taylor back to Escala where I knew he had a romantic evening of his own planned.
Sawyer was with Anastasia and would drive her to our new home in Medina although she would believe they were headed for Canlis. McIntyre would stay at Bellevue with Teddy, bringing him to us later in the evening if required.
I wouldn't be going into work tomorrow. Instead I planned to go to playgroup with Anastasia and Teddy in the morning before the three of us spent the afternoon at the Seattle Art Fair, looking for art. It should be the perfect way to celebrate our future together – choosing things for our family home.
"I got worried when Sawyer started driving the wrong way," Ana giggled.
I'd met my wife and Sawyer at the front door, sending my wife's CPO on his way before picking Ana up and carrying her over the threshold into our new home. Then I'd explained Elliot, and I had signed the house off and it was now ready for inhabitation. Leading Ana through the admittedly sparse ground floor, we came through to the family room then the meals area where the table was set for a romantic dinner tête-à-tête. Mrs. Taylor's superb Beef Wellington was resting ready to carve, along with delicious sides. The perfect dinner for two.
"You've gone to so much trouble," Ana said, her eyes wandering around the room. "Elliot said it would not be ready for another week…"
"Elliot lied," I announced, passing my wife a glass of chilled champagne. Her first alcoholic drink since she'd discovered she was pregnant, I'd cracked open a bottle of 1990 Louis Roederer Cristal. "Only a few rooms are furnished; I wanted us to celebrate here tonight," I explained, my voice husky. I didn't have the lights on. The later afternoon sunlight over Lake Washington was enough to illuminate the space, and the table also had candles.
"I love it, Christian!" Anastasia exclaimed, looking about her with interest. "I love you and I love our new home. It's perfect."
"Take a seat, baby," I crooned before slicing the Beef Wellington, placing the slices on a platter and taking it across to the table. Two more trips back to the kitchen, and everything was on the table and ready for us to eat.
"To us," I said, raising my champagne flute. "Every day with you is better than the one before it, Mrs. Grey. Thank you for allowing me a second chance. Thank you for agreeing to be mine. Thank you for giving me our son. Thank you for being my more."
"There was never a doubt," Ana said with a shy smile.
"That's not the way I remember it," I said with a small smirk remembering the two weeks when we broke up. Clinking my crystal flute against hers before enjoying a sip of champagne, I reflected that it was a year ago tomorrow when we probably conceived our precious Theodore.
For an hour we chatted and ate, taking our time to enjoy our meal and each other. To my surprise, Ana didn't mention Teddy – instead asking me about work and how things were going with my involvement in Grey Constructions Manufacturing. Things were moving fast there, Elliot blocking out the time he'd put aside for his honeymoon to work on the manufacturing side of the business instead.
"Is he still planning to go to London?"
"He wants to, but it's not going to happen in the next few months. He's got so much on his plate he needs to clone himself," I replied, secretly pleased that Elliot found himself unable to fit in a trip to see Kate. Yes she was the aggrieved party in all this, but her actions and response also needed consideration. They were better off apart, for now, as far as I was concerned.
"Can't his foreman step up? Callum?"
"To an extent. Callum is good for the day-to-day stuff on the work sites for Grey Constructions, but he doesn't have the experience estimating or the eye to detail for managing the manufacturing side of things. Eventually Elliot will hire someone for that side and then supervise, but for now he'll handle both. Oh. I forgot to tell you – he made early settlement on the block. He's planning to demolish the house in the next few days and have the site prepared to build the boathouse. He wanted to get it done ASAP so the noise and dust would be finished by the time we move in."
"Which will be when?" Ana asked, her lips meeting the crystal as she took another sip of champagne.
"I thought maybe a week or two? I'd like to get the landscaping done first. Since we're keeping Escala, we'll order mostly new things for here? And tomorrow we can go to the Seattle Art Fair and see if there's anything we like."
"You're not going into work?" Ana asked in surprise.
"I enjoy playing hooky," I said with a grin, taking my wife's hand on the table top. "Dance with me?"
We still had Gail's chocolate cake for dessert, however I wanted to dance with my wife. The state-of-the-art sound system had been installed in the living room, so I switched it on and led my wife into the middle of the hardwood floor, pulling her against me as the first notes of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' started.
"That's from a different anniversary," Ana tittered, still leaning her head against my chest as we danced in the last rays of the setting sun.
"Every day with you is a day worth celebrating," I crooned, knowing I was the luckiest man in the universe.
"I'm too heavy for you to carry upstairs," Ana giggled as I climbed the stairs to our bedroom, my wife held across my chest.
"Maybe you are," I agreed. "How many slices of Gail's chocolate cake did you eat?!"
"Christian!" Ana squealed. "Only two!"
"Then I think I can manage…" I teased, now on the top landing, walking down the darkened hallway toward the soft lighting in our bedroom. Pushing the door open with my foot I carried my wife into the room we'd share for the rest of our lives. Fully decorated, Neil from Brilliant Bayside Blooms had visited earlier, placing several ambrosial arrangements throughout the space, and Gail had the bed made, the drapes installed and fresh towels in the bathroom. It was perfect.
"What do you think?" I asked, setting Anastasia down beside the bed.
"It's beautiful!" Ana gasped, looking around her with wide eyes. "It's just how I imagined it!"
The French doors at the foot of our bed were open. While the waters of Lake Washington were dark, we could look across the water to the glittering city lights of Seattle in the distance. In its own way it was just as beautiful as the daytime vista.
"Nothing but the best for my wife," I said, standing behind Anastasia and wrapping my arms around her from behind. We gazed across the water for a few minutes, me kissing Ana's neck and nuzzling at her ear.
"I want to make love to you, Mrs. Grey," I whispered in her ear.
"I'd like to do that too, Mr. Grey," Ana retorted playfully.
Relinquishing Ana from my arms, I moved to the doorway and turning off the lights. There was enough light from outside we could see what we were doing. Bringing my lips back to my wife's, I undressed her, starting with the zip at the back of her dress. Ana reciprocated, unbuttoning my shirt and sliding it down over my arms before her hands strayed to my belt.
"Eager as ever, baby," I teased.
"You have no idea, Grey," Ana growled. "I've been thinking about doing this with you all day!"
Finally naked, and standing in front of one another, I marveled at my gorgeous wife. I know she worried about the changes to her body since Teddy, but I found her larger breasts and fuller hips appealing. Anastasia had never looked more beautiful.
"Baby," I murmured, pulling my love against me, my arms sliding around her waist as she draped one arm around my neck, the other sliding up my back. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Christian," she sighed, her lips pressed against my neck.
Walking us back toward our bed, I cradled Ana as together we toppled onto the crisp, fresh sheets. I'd left the music on downstairs, so with our bedroom door open, we could hear the faint strains of music echoing up. Still Elvis, it was Love Me Tender. Unintentional, it was the perfect prelude to our lovemaking. Lying face to face on our bed, our bodies met as we moved closer to one another. Tender kisses becoming more passionate until finally I rolled Ana onto her back, nudging her legs apart.
"Baby?" I moaned.
"Please, Christian!" Anastasia gasped, rocking her hips against mine suggestively. Running my hands from Ana's hair, along her face to her jaw then her décolletage, I let my fingertips skirt her breasts alongside her ribcage, over her abs, stomach and down to her mons. Slipping my tongue inside her lips as my fingers breached those lower, I checked my woman was ready for me before I moved on top of her, penetrating her with a swift, sharp thrust.
"Christian!" Ana squealed, her voice expressing surprise but ultimately satisfaction.
"I'm here, baby," I moaned into my wife's hair, my head resting beside her and my lips pressed against her ear, my words coming in short sharp pants. I'd surged into my woman less than half a dozen times, and already I was forcing myself to hold back to make sure I satisfied her before I allowed my own pleasure. Hell – I felt like a horny teenager, barely able to get his dick wet before blowing his load!
I shifted my hips, changing angle slightly until her loud moan told me I'd found what I was looking for – the spot that drove Ana crazy! Pushing into her again and again, my cock hitting that spot every time, my teeth gritted as I fought off my release. Not that Ana was helping with that. With one hand in my hair she was twisting and pulling until it almost hurt, the other hand was in the middle of my back pulling me hard against her. As if I wanted to escape. Buried balls deep in my wife was my favorite place in the world – feeling her touch and hearing her groans of enjoyment spurred me on.
Opening my eyes, I pulled up onto one elbow, so I could watch Anastasia's pleasure. Her bright blue eyes, glossy with desire, and plump lips swollen from my kisses. I leaned down, bringing my lips to hers and nipping at her lower lip before soothing it with my tongue.
I could feel my wife tightening, and her hands slipped from my hair and back down to my ass where she used them to show me she wanted it even harder. I obliged, then as she teetered on the edge, she smacked my ass. Hard. It was so unexpected and damn if I didn't blow like a fucking cannon then and there! My roar as I unloaded in my wife's pussy matched Ana's gasps as she came long and hard, shuddering beneath me as we shared an explosive conclusion to our lovemaking.
I didn't want to crush Ana, so still inside her I rolled us to the side so we were face to face. With one leg straight, Ana's other was flipped over my hip keeping us tight against one another.
"I love you," I said, peppering Anastasia's face with little kisses. Then I heard the only sound I liked more than my wife's noises of passion; her giggle.
"I love you too, Christian," she said, giggling again.
"What are you laughing about," I asked, thinking I had a pretty good idea.
"You. I had no idea smacking your backside would have that sort of reaction."
I snorted, a little embarrassed. I had no idea either! My sub days were long behind me, and in any case what Ana did didn't fall into that category. Nonetheless Ana slapping my ass had been surprising, and ultimately pleasurable.
"You just startled me."
"Did you like it?" Ana probed.
"What do you think," I mock grumbled, bringing my lips back to hers. "I fucking came like a freight train!"
After more kisses, Ana declared she needed to clean up. "Are there any towels?"
Grasping her hand and pulling her through into our fully stocked bathroom, I turned on the water, waiting for it to warm before pulling Anastasia into the dual walk-in shower beside me.
"You thought of everything," she said with a smile, noticing our preferred jasmine body wash, shampoo and conditioner as well as towels and even bathrobes.
"I had help," I admitted, squirting some body wash into my hand before carefully washing my wife's body.
One thing led to another, and we got dirty again before we got clean. Sated, and lying beside one another in our brand new bed, Ana turned to me apologetically.
"I know you hoped it could be just us tonight, but I miss Teddy. Can we go get him and take him home?"
"No need. Come with me," I said, picking up my phone and leading Ana to Teddy's room. Like our bedroom it was fully furnished and just waiting for its inhabitant. Ana was walking around the room, touching and admiring everything.
"McIntyre," I greeted calling our son's CPO. "Has Teddy had his dream feed yet?"
"Evening Mr. Grey. No. Your mother was about to prepare it now."
"Please tell her not to bother. We'd like Teddy with us tonight. Can you please bring him to the house in Medina? Tell my mother we'll still join them for breakfast tomorrow."
"Just like that?" Ana asked when I'd hung up. "You're not too disappointed? I'm sorry but I'm not ready to leave him overnight yet."
"I'm not disappointed at all," I promised. "He's our son. The product of our love. He belongs here with us."