CHAPTER 52
"You're awfully quiet, baby. Is anything wrong?" Christian asks while we drive home from his parents. I wanted to put on a brave face while we told everyone we were having a boy, but my thoughts kept going back to our session with Flynn earlier this evening. I'm sure Christian thinks I understood and accepted his explanation of how he chose to stay behind with Ashley, and yes I did say I understood, but this whole ordeal has left a bitter taste in my mouth. This is not a conversation I'm looking forward to.
"Yes, Christian. There is something wrong but I don't want to talk about it while you are driving. I'd like to get home in one piece before we talk about what is bothering me." My tone with him is sarcastic as I continue looking out the window at the passing cars.
"What's with the attitude, Linda? I thought we settled everything at Flynn's. Don't tell me you're still angry about what happened. I thought I explained why I did what I did." He still doesn't think he did anything wrong.
"You thought everything was settled because it was what you wanted. Oh, I heard every word you said and while it may have sounded good and justifiable in your head, what came out of your mouth didn't make one bit of sense at all." Christian suddenly pulls the car off of the road and puts it in park. He has a death grip on the steering wheel and his eyes are closed like he is counting to ten. This is not the place I wanted to have this conversation but there is no backing out of it now.
"What the fuck, Linda! You mean to tell me that this was all an act tonight at my parents? You seemed alright and you were having a good time. You looked happy. What the hell is going on? Please tell me because I sure as fuck don't understand!" I can tell Christian is really trying to keep hold of his temper but he is slowly losing grip.
"I wouldn't say it was an act. I just chose to push our meeting with Flynn out of my mind for a little while to share in the excitement with your family that we're having a boy. I put family first above my own feelings. Nothing is settled in my mind about what happened last night. Like I said to Flynn; I'm angry, confused, sad, and I still feel betrayed. You made Taylor and Luke take care of me. I wanted you; I needed you and you did nothing to comfort me. Can you not understand why I feel the way that I do?"
"But you were in good hands with Taylor and Luke. I trusted them to take care of you until I could get to the hospital," Christian says with pain in his voice.
"That's not the point. What if something would have happened to the baby, Christian? How could Taylor or Luke take care of me and comfort me then if something devastating happened before you decided to show up at the hospital? I needed you and you let me down. You chose your ex whore over me!" I yell. Christian flinches. He turns his head away from me, rubbing his face with his hands, trying to calm himself down. He suddenly puts the car in drive and pulls back out onto the road and speeds towards the highway. Brooding Christian is sexy, but it also gets on my nerves. We continue back to Seattle in total silence.
Thankfully, we made it back to Escala in on piece and luckily we weren't stopped by the police because I'm sure the R8 was at least hitting 90 MPH or more. He gets out and slams his door and comes around to open mine. I was about to do it myself but he yanked the door out of my hands. Even pissed, he still has manners. The ride up to the penthouse is quiet and the elevator is filled with tension and anger and we aren't even looking at each other. When we reach the foyer, Christian storms out of the elevator and throws open the doors. He immediately walks inside and heads to the bar and pours himself a drink and quickly downs it. He pours another and just stands there looking at the amber liquid that is sitting in his glass.
"Gee, thanks for offering to get me anything to drink." Christian glares at me then downs his second glass of bourbon. I walk to the refrigerator and take a bottle of juice out and then sit down on a bar stool to drink it. Christian puts his glass down and walks over to where I'm sitting. He puts his hands on the breakfast bar, trapping me between his arms. He angles his head down and is looking into my eyes. He looks furious but I don't flinch or react to this angry stare. He starts speaking softly.
"Why the fuck would you want to leave Flynn's office if you were still feeling this way? I'm not a mind reader. If I had any idea you still had doubts about why I did what I did, I would have suggested we talk with Flynn longer."
"I told you I was putting my feelings aside so we could get to your parents. They were expecting us and we couldn't cancel on them at the last minute. But you're right: I still have doubts about what you did and why you said you had to do it. Like I said in the car, what if something happened to the baby while you were here with Ashley? Taylor and Luke aren't the ones who give me love, compassion and comfort: you are. Thank God your mother was on duty in the ER last night. At least I had her by my side telling me that everything was going to be ok and to make sure I wasn't left alone. That should have been your job and no one else's. I guess I can add the feeling of abandonment to my list of emotions from earlier." Christian pushes himself away from the breakfast bar and runs his hand through his hair and sighs.
"Do you still feel like I betrayed you or that I abandoned you? Those weren't my intentions at all. I didn't want Ashley to get away or get hurt before Flynn and the nurse got here. I thought if I stayed here, I would be able to convince her to go to the psychiatric hospital to get help if she refused to go. She reacted like I thought she would: she freaked out. When she saw Flynn and the nurse she went into hysterics and started screaming that she wasn't going to go to any hospital. She clung to me in fear and I really did feel sorry for her. It took a while but she finally agreed to go get help. I knew how to handle her and no one else did."
"Do you hear what you're telling me? Why do you think you were the only one that could stay with Ashley? You have a highly skilled and trained security team to take care of situations like this. She isn't your responsibility: I am. You ended your contract with her after she brought you presents for your birthday when that apparently was a violation. By ending that contract, you severed all ties with her and she was no longer your responsibility. Your obligation to care for her and to protect her was over. I'm done talking about this. I'm going to bed and I want to be left alone. You need to think about all that I have said this evening and hopefully you will realize what you did was wrong." I turn and walk towards the bedroom. Christian calls out for me but I just keep walking. When I reach the bedroom, I slam the door. Not long after closing the door, I hear glass breaking. I guess he has shattered yet another crystal tumbler.
I wake up sometime in the night and when I opened my eyes, Christian's side of the bed was cold and empty. I roll over to notice that the chair has been moved yet again. I guess he did come in sometime in the night and watched me sleep. Why can't he see that what he did was wrong on so many levels? Typical male. They never like to admit when they are wrong or make a mistake. He looked so offended and shocked when I mentioned I felt betrayed by his actions. He shouldn't have been surprised by my outburst, but he was. I hope he realizes the error of his ways before our reception on Saturday. That will make for an awkward and uncomfortable day if we don't resolve this. I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep.
When I wake the next morning I'm still alone in our bed and I have one killer headache. It doesn't look like he came to bed at all last night. I really don't want to be around kids today. I'd like to just take the day off, but I drag myself out of bed anyway and head to the bathroom to take a shower. After getting dressed, I exhale and exit the bedroom. I look around and see Gail is in the kitchen as usual. As soon as she sees me, her expression changes to one of sympathy. I look around and I don't see or hear Christian. I can only assume he has already left for the day.
"Good morning, Linda. You don't look like you slept very well." I shake my head. She passes me a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and a glass of orange juice.
"I didn't. I want to apologize if you heard us arguing last night." Gail pats my hand.
"No apology necessary, Linda. Please forgive me for saying this but Mr. Grey is a very stubborn man. He doesn't like to admit he is wrong. Let's hope he comes to his senses today." I laugh and shake my head.
"The odds of that happening, Gail, are slim to none, but stranger things have happened. I take it he has already gone?" She frowns and nods. That means he took Taylor from Gail as well. I finish eating my breakfast and I walk around to wash my plate and put it in the dishwasher. I sit back down at the breakfast bar to finish my juice.
"What can I fix for your lunch today, Linda? I have lots of lunch meat and cheeses, tuna salad, chicken salad. You name it and I will fix it."
"Anything sounds good. You know I'm not too picky what I eat for lunch. Whatever you fix, I will eat. I'm going to go finish getting ready," I tell Gail as I slide off the bar stool and as soon as I take a step, I wobble a bit and have to grab hold of the breakfast bar. My head is throbbing. I sit back down.
"Linda, dear, are you alright?" Gail asks as she comes around to check on me. She calls for Luke to come in. Great. A bigger audience. Luke runs in to see Gail standing next to me with her hand on my shoulder. She tells Luke to stay with me while she runs to get the blood pressure monitor. He sits down on the barstool next to me.
"So what time did Christian and Taylor leave?" I ask Luke.
"About 6:15 am, Linda. If it's any consolation, Mr. Grey didn't look well this morning either. He looked like he didn't get any sleep at all. He made Gail go into the bedroom to get his clothes while he took a shower upstairs in one of the guest rooms." Chicken. I just nod my head. Gail comes in and has me take my blood pressure. I haven't taken my medicine yet today so this will be a true reading. 160/84. Not too bad but not too good.
"I'll take my medicine and that should kick in soon. I'll be alright. I'll finish getting ready, Luke, and I will be ready to go in about 15 minutes." I get up again and I'm more stable on my feet and make my way back to the bedroom. I pick up my cellphone to see if there are any messages or texts. There aren't any and I didn't expect any anyway. I brush my teeth, grab my purse and jacket and head back to the great room. Luke already has my laptop over his shoulder as he waits for me by the door. Gail hands me my lunch and Luke and I walk out. I start to walk around to the driver's door but Luke shakes his head.
"Linda, let me drive and you can sit and relax. I'd like to get to Waldorf without bending the car," Luke says with a small laugh. I roll my eyes and hand him the keys. I guess it is for the best. I am pretty distracted this morning. Looking at my new car, it is exactly like my other one, minus the slashed tires and graffiti scratched into it.
Being around my students today has been a welcome distraction, even though my teacher took the day off and I was left with 20 four olds to look after by myself and thoughts constantly drifted back to Christian every now and then. It's now lunch time and I still haven't heard from him. I don't know if he is really that busy or if he is just avoiding me on purpose. I'm thinking the latter. No short calls, no text messages. Nothing. He can sulk and pout all he wants to as long as he can eventually come to the realization that he made a grave error in judgment, but I might be holding my breath on that one. We'll see.
The end of the school arrives and it couldn't come soon enough. I'm enjoying the peace and quiet after all of the students have gone home for the day when I feel my phone vibrate. Could it be? I look at the Caller ID and my face drops when I see that it is Dr. Anderson's office. I guess he found out what happened to me on Wednesday.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Grey. It's Dr. Anderson. I was calling to check on you and see how you were feeling? I understand you were attacked?"
"Yes, Sir, I was. I was cut on my arm pretty bad."
"I see by the information that was faxed to us from the hospital that it took 20 stitches to close the wound. That is a pretty significant injury. I also see that your blood pressure was through the roof and that is why I'm calling. I see here that they gave you some samples in pill form of the blood pressure medicine that was used in the IV. Have you been taking it?"
"I have. It seems to be helping to a point."
"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you on it for the duration of your pregnancy. You were dangerously close to having a stroke the other night and none of us want that. The other reason I'm calling is I am going to refer you to another OB/GYN, one that is certified in high-risk pregnancies, which yours is classified as now. Here at the Swedish Medical Center, we have a wonderful Maternal and Fetal Specialty Center that specializes in these types of pregnancies. Dr. Tanya Sorenson will be your new OB/GYN. She is excellent in her field and her specialty is hypertension and preeclampsia. I have already given her your file."
"I'm not surprised you are putting me on medicine for my blood pressure. I half expected it but I hate losing you as my doctor."
"I know Mrs. Grey. I hate losing you as a patient but I want you to have the best care possible and to deliver a healthy baby boy. I wanted to put you with the best possible physician and Dr. Sorenson is a perfect match for you. I will call in the prescription for your medicine and please make sure to take it at the same time every day to get the full benefit of it. Dr. Sorenson's office will call you to set up your next appointment. You should hear from them next week. Do you have any questions, Mrs. Grey?"
"No, I can't think of anything to ask you. Thank you for taking such good care of me in the short time you have been my Dr. I really appreciate it."
"Well, I think a lot of Dr. Trevelyan-Grey, or Dr. Grace as we call her. You are lucky to have such a good mother-in-law who happens to be one of the best pediatricians in the state. Take care Linda and I will be keeping track of your progress and I want to know when your son is born. Good bye."
"Good bye, Dr." I say as I hang up. Well crap. I liked him. If he recommends Dr. Sorenson then I'm sure she will be just fine. I've hung around school long enough and there is only so much time you can kill. I guess I'm now avoiding Christian. It's 4:00 pm and I pack up my things to leave. I really don't want to go home to a quiet and empty penthouse. I'm thinking a little retail therapy just might do the trick. Just as I lock the door of my classroom, I hear a voice behind me calling my name. I turn around and it's Jack, or as the kids say, Mr. Jack.
"Mrs. Grey. I just wanted to say how very shocked I was to hear about your accident. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
"I can see that you're ready to leave. I won't keep you. If I also might add, you have a beautiful glow about you lately." Really? I hadn't noticed.
"Um, thank you, I guess. What you see is what you get. Have a good weekend, Jack." Time to get out of here.
"You too, Mrs. Grey. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable and I apologize if I did. You are a very beautiful woman and Christian Grey is lucky to have you. I hope he doesn't take you for granted. You have a good weekend as well. See you Monday," Jack says and turns around to walk back in the direction he came from. That was beyond weird. He seems harmless enough but I better keep my eye on him.
Luke meets me at the back door of the school and takes my laptop from me and puts it into the trunk. He then helps me get in the passenger seat in the front. I hate sitting in the back all by myself.
"Luke, my man. How would you like to go shopping with me? I'm in need of some serious retail therapy and you're just the man to take me," I say as I put on my seatbelt. Luke looks at me and grins.
"I'm your man, huh? Whatever you say, Linda. By the way, I just talked to Taylor. He said Mr. Grey has been, and I quote, "A bigger pain in the ass today then he has been in months. No one has been immune from his tirades." I sigh.
"Figures he would take his anger out on others. Did Taylor say anything about when they might be home?"
"I asked and he said he didn't know but he did say that Mr. Grey has been working non-stop today." Whatever that means.
"That's fine. I'm in no hurry to get home. Let's go spend some money." Luke laughs and starts the car and we start to pull away from the building when I see Jack pushing a trashcan outside. He waves as we go by. I guess these windows aren't tinted enough.
"Has he bothered you at all, Linda?" Luke asks about Jack.
"No. We've talked a few times. I was talking to him before coming out to meet you. He gave me a couple of compliments," I say.
"What kind of compliments? He didn't say anything inappropriate did he?" Luke sounds like he has gone into protective mode.
"Not really. He just thought I had a special glow about me lately and that Christian better appreciate what he has."
"I don't like the sound of that, Linda. I'm half tempted to run a deeper background check on him," Luke insinuates. Another one?
"You already ran one on him? When?"
"After he was transferred here. Mr. Grey, if you remember, told me to run background checks on everyone that comes in contact with you." Oh yes. How could I forget?
"Sorry. Baby brain kicked in. Yes, I remember you ran checks on everyone. I don't think he meant any harm. He was just being nice. Strange, but nice."
"If you say so, but saying you're "glowing" is kind of creepy if you ask me. Even more so since your pregnancy hasn't even been announced."
"True. Maybe he knew someone once that had that "pregnancy glow" about them. Oh well. Enough talk about glowing women. Let's go shopping," I say enthusiastically as Luke points the car back to Seattle. I've never used the black AMEX that Christian gave me after we got married and today I intend on breaking it in. My first stop is Louis Vuitton. I have always wanted to be able to walk into a store like this and buy something. I walk inside and an energetic sales girl bounces from behind the counter headed my way. She has this smile on her face like she knows me. Good grief.
"Welcome to Louis Vuitton. Aren't you Linda Grey, married to Christian Grey?" Married, yes; talking to each other at the moment, no.
"I might be and you are?" I turn it back on her.
"I'm April. Are you looking for anything in particular?" She can smell a sale and she is high with excitement.
"No. I'd like to look around a bit if you don't mind. I'm not sure what I want but I will know it when I see it." Luke is standing by the door watching this clerk stumbling all over herself and is trying not to smile. She knows this shopping trip of mine could bump her commission sky high.
Thirty minutes and over $3,000 later, I walk out of my first shopping experience in Louis Vuitton with two purses that are absolutely gorgeous. One is the Louis Vuitton Alma purse and the other is the Hampstead purse. I'm sure once I return to Escala and look at them again I will have buyer's remorse, but right now I'm excited. I know Christian bought me a complete luggage set, but owning a purse is different. I can carry it everywhere I go. We'll see. Next stop is Barney's. As I'm looking around, a rather nicely dressed older woman approaches me.
"Excuse me for asking, but didn't you play clarinet a couple of weeks ago with the symphony?" Finally someone recognizes me today for, well, ME.
"Yes, ma'am, I am. My name is Linda Grey." I greet her with a handshake. She asks me if my name used to be Morrison. I tell her yes and that she has the right person.
"Oh, it's so nice to meet you in person, Mrs. Grey. My name is Olivia. I so enjoyed hearing you play. My granddaughter plays the clarinet. Hearing you play may actually give me hope that she can sound like that one day." I laugh because I know exactly what she is talking about.
"So what brings you into Barney's today, Mrs. Grey?"
"Please call me Linda. I'm just doing a little shopping to unwind before going home." She asks me if I'm looking for anything specifically and I tell her no and that I'd like to look around for a while.
"Please take your time and if you need anything at all, let me know," Olivia says. She is so sweet and she doesn't hover like most salespeople do.
I have picked up a few dresses to try on. I know that Christian has a number of functions coming up in the few weeks and I want to be prepared. I know my size is going to continuously change in the coming months, but for now, I will try and buy one size larger and go from there. That hurts to even think of, but it will so be worth it in the end when I meet my son.
Forty five minutes later, Luke and I leave Barney's. I found 2 dresses I really liked. One of them might give Christian a heart attack. It is a Rachel Roy dark green lace dress. I had to get a special undergarment to wear under it since you can see through the dress. I also found a dark purple Diane Von Furstenberg dress that hits just above the knees. Olivia took me over to the shoe department and helped me find some dark purple gladiator type shoes, as well as some gold ones, to wear with my dresses.
I'm in the closet back at the penthouse hanging my dresses up and putting away the shoes and the purses. God. I can't believe I spent so much money. I knew I would feel guilty when I got home. I try on the green lace dress again with the gold gladiator shoes I bought and look at myself in the mirror. I can't believe I bought this but I really love it. It is so different from anything I have ever worn before. I noticed my baby bump is a little more pronounced today and you can definitely notice it with this dress. I don't think the average person would notice, but I do. As I'm standing admiring the dress, I feel a strong presence near me, and then I hear him.
"Holy mother of fuck," Christian says deeply and softly. I turn to look at him and he is leaning on the doorframe of the walk-in closet, his hands are in his pockets and his eyes are gazing up and down my body. He walks into the closet slowly and stands right in front of me. This is the closest we have been since we were at his parents early last night. He holds a finger in the air and slowly twirls it. I slowly turn around facing away from him.
"Stop," he says softly. I get a chill running through me as I feel Christian closing the distance between us. He is now right behind me. He is so close that I can feel the heat radiating off of his body. He leans down to whisper something in my ear. His hot breath on my neck is making every hair on my body stand up. He pushes my hair away from my ear. His touch is sending shivers through me.
"You look sensational in this dress, Linda. Absolutely stunning, but I worry that everyone, mainly men, will see what is only supposed to be for my eyes only. What were you thinking buying a dress like this? Fuck. It's driving me insane." Christian asks softly and seductively.
"I wasn't thinking when I bought it. I saw it, tried it on and I liked it so I purchased it." If we keep standing this close to each other, someone is going to lose control and it won't be me. Christian turns me around to look at him. He looks tired, exhausted even. He is looking down at me and I notice his gaze stops at my stomach and sadness appears on his face.
"I can see more of my son today. Damn. When did that happen?" He rests a hand over my stomach.
"This morning, actually. If we can already see him at three months, I'll be a house in six months."
"No you won't. Don't say that. Even if you are, you'll still be the most beautiful woman I know and I will be one lucky son of a bitch showing you off as my wife and the mother of my child," Christian says as he holds my hands. He closes his eyes briefly and sighs. When he opens his eyes, he looks pained. He leads me out of the closet and has me sit on the bed. He pulls up the chair and sits in front of me. He takes my hands again. He clears his throat and begins to speak.
"Words cannot convey how deeply sorry I am for hurting you. For starters, I want to apologize for not being here this morning. Once I got to the office, I felt like the biggest prick that ever walked this earth. I should have stayed and talked with you. I wanted to, but I didn't trust myself to say the right thing. I thought if I poured myself into my work today that it would help, but it didn't. I snapped at any and every one that came within two feet of me today. You were right: I do have a hard time giving up control and letting someone else handle a situation that I normally would. That's what I did with Ashley and I deeply regret it. She isn't my responsibility anymore. I did the wrong thing and I should have let Taylor or Sawyer take care of her and I should have been with you at the hospital. I realize that now. I would have never forgiven myself if something would have happened to you and the baby. I didn't call or text you today because frankly I didn't think you would respond and you would have had every right not to. I have hurt the one person I love more than anything in this world and I am truly, truly sorry. Please forgive me," Christian ends his long speech and is looking at me, waiting for my response. I take the breath that I didn't realize I had been holding.
"I can tell you have given this a great deal of thought and I hope you can now see where I was coming from. It still hurts that you chose her over me and that will take some time to recover from, but I accept your apology. The events of the past couple of days have been really hard to deal with, especially not talking with one another. That isn't healthy. Just please don't ever do anything like that ever again," I say looking right into his eyes. He nods.
"You don't have to worry about that. I've already begun delegating out assignments and acquisitions that I normally work on alone to some of my other executives. I need to trust that the people I have around me will handle things according to my expectations; this also goes for my security team. I already told Taylor that I will not interfere in his decision making again and I will go along with any recommendations he has. I thought he was going to pass out after hearing me say that. I know I have to trust the people around me doing my work and making decisions and it's going to be hard for me, I'll admit it. Speaking of hard, that damn dress is very distracting. I can't take my eyes off of you," Christian says with a wolfish grin on his face as he adjusts his suit pants.
"I bought it on impulse today because I was angry. If you think the dress is too much and doesn't look appropriate, I'll take it back and find something else." Christian shakes his head slowly.
"You will not take this back. I don't want to take my eyes off of you. You are covered up enough, even though just barely. How about we go out to dinner and I can show my gorgeous wife off, although I may have to beat up some poor fucker for staring at you." I giggle.
"Always my knight in shining armor. I'd like to go out with you. I was just planning on eating by myself and then working out in the gym tonight if you weren't coming home until later and that would have made for a boring and sad Friday night. This idea sounds much better."
"I hate it when we argue. I definitely made things worse by not talking to you and just close myself off from everyone, including you. I have done that all of my life and I plan on rectifying that situation. Flynn has always said he would help me with it and I intend to take him up on it."
"Good. I've been miserable since we got home last night, Christian, and I don't want to feel like that again. I've missed you. Let me change my purse then we can go." Christian nods and says he wants to change shirts as well. I chose my new Louis Vuitton Alma bag and head out to dinner with my handsome husband. I'm glad he realizes what he did was wrong and I pray to God that it never happens again. He pulls me into a long sensual kiss that took my breath away when our lips parted.
"I've missed you too, baby. Let's go," Christian says as he takes my hand and we exit the penthouse.
Dinner at the Fairmont was amazing as usual. Christian apologized many more times during our meal. At one point, I threatened to walk out and walk back home if he said he was sorry one more time as it was starting to get on my nerves.
"I'm glad we settled our differences, Christian. I have to tell you I was a half hour away from calling your mother to postpone our reception tomorrow night. I didn't want to spend the entire evening uncomfortable." Christian nods.
"I thought about that today as well. My mother would have skinned me alive if we would have postponed. My mother has talked you up to all of the family and friends that I think she would have gone ahead with the reception without me even being there. People that haven't met you are dying to meet you." I roll my eyes.
"They all probably thought you were gay," I say while taking a bite of my Chocolate Soufflé and trying not to laugh. Christian rolls his eyes and takes a drink of his wine. I keep staring at him while he finishes his glass and puts it back down on the table.
"What are you thinking and why are you looking at me like that?" Christian asks.
"I'm thinking that I would kill for a glass of wine right now. It looks so good." Christian looks apologetic.
"I'm sorry, baby. I won't drink in front of you. I didn't realize it bothered you," he says as he asks the waiter to take the rest of the wine away.
"You didn't have to do that. It really doesn't bother me that much." The waiter brings Christian a cup of coffee to go with his soufflé.
"I don't mind at all. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable. Speaking of uncomfortable, in talking with my mother earlier today, I now have to show up at the house at 11:30 am tomorrow to help set the tent up and put out tables and chairs." I laugh. I have a feeling I know why.
"Doesn't Grace hire a crew to do all of that?"
"She does but I've been recruited to help. It seems it's my punishment for my behavior the other day. That is what we discussed when she pulled me out into the hall at the hospital." Christian Grey doing manual labor. This I have to see.
"Can I come too? I'd like to see that for myself. I think I would rather enjoy mindlessly gawking at my husband getting sweaty while moving furniture and pitching a tent." I'm getting hot and bothered just thinking about it.
"You're incorrigible. Yes, you can come with me if you want to. None of the family that is coming in from out of town will be there until 5:00 pm for pictures and the festivities start at 6:30 pm."
"Sounds good. I can't wait to meet the rest of your family." Christian told me a while back that his mother has a brother that is a couple of years younger than she is and he has three kids of his own, as well as 4 grandkids. There are also a number of cousins on both sides of the family.
"Can I ask you a question? If it's none of my business, please tell me." I say. Christian puts down his coffee and looks at me.
"You can always ask me anything. What is it?"
"What do you know about your biological family?" Christian immediately tenses. DAMN. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. He sighs and rests his elbows on the table and clasps his hands. He rests his chin on them.
"Not much, really. I've never wanted to go digging into my past and I'm really not comfortable talking about it. There weren't any family members that came forward to claim me after my biological mother killed herself. That was fine with me. They were probably just like she was."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open up old wounds. I was just curious. I won't bring it up again." Christian takes my hands.
"Dad said years ago he came across some information about my birth mother's family, as well as my biological father. I told him I didn't want to know anything about them and that I already had two loving parents that took me in as their own and raised me."
"So you've never wanted to learn what your dad found out?" Christian shakes his head. I decide to drop that subject for now. I take his hand in mine and turn it over, making lazy circles in the palm of his hand. This brings back memories. Christian's eyes darken.
"Remember the last time we were here? You locked us in the suite upstairs. That was the best weekend." That brings a slow smile to his face.
"Yes, I do remember that. That was a very satisfying weekend, I must say. In fact," Christian says as he calls a waiter over to discreetly ask him a question. The waiter walks away and after a few minutes returns with a key card in his hand and gives it to Christian. What has he done now?
"What did you just do?" I ask with my mouth hanging open.
"I want to relive some old memories. Let's go check out our favorite suite," he says as he stands and holds out his hand for mine. I take it and he helps me up and we walk out of the dining room and head towards the elevators. Once we step into the elevator, Christian pins me to the wall, holding my hands to my side, kissing me like there is no tomorrow. Once he comes up for air, he pushes my hair away from my face and is inches from my mouth, whispering.
"I can't wait to take you upstairs and be inside you. I wasn't going to be able to make it home without having you here first. You do know what I'm going to do to you, don't you?" If he wasn't holding onto me, I would have melted into a puddle here in the elevator. How can his words almost make me come, even with my clothes still on? I can't help myself. I wiggle out of his grasp, grab his neck and pull him back to my mouth, kissing him hard. Once the elevator opens, we practically fall out. Christian fumbles with the key card and finally gets the door open and practically shoves my inside. I giggle as he slams the door and immediately pushes me against it. While kissing and biting my neck, he turns the lock on the door with a flourish. The sound rings through my ears.
"Now that I have you all to myself, Mrs. Grey, whatever shall we do?" he asks while kissing that place behind my ear that makes me shiver every time.
"Watch television?" Christian looks at me then slightly chuckles. He has removed his jacket, tie and his shoes.
"Wrong answer. Guess again." Christian whispers, kissing the other side of my neck while unbuttoning his shirt, showing off his incredibly muscular chest and his abs.
"Talk?" He shakes his head.
"I would give you one more guess, but I'm impatient and you know how much I hate waiting. Come here," he says as he takes my hands and is pulling me to the bedroom. His hands are running up and down each side of my body. His right hand stops and a slow smile shows on his face.
"Found it," Christian whispers, talking about the hidden zipper on my dress. He slowly lowers the zipper that goes all the way to the bottom on the dress. He gently removes my shoes and then grabs the hem of the dress and proceeds to pull it up and over my head. He gets a good look at the matching olive green body suit with lace sides and a lace panel in the middle. He removes his suit pants and is now standing in front of me in his black Hugo Boss boxer briefs.
"Damn, baby. You're so fucking sexy looking in this, but it's in the way," he says while slowly pulling it down and off of me. I feel a little self-conscious standing in front of him naked along with my bandaged arm. I pull my arm close to me. Christian looks at me with concern.
"Does it hurt?" while taking my hand of the injured arm and placing kisses up and down the exposed skin around the bandage. I shake my head.
"Not really. I hardly notice it," I say breathlessly. Christian walks backwards while holding my hands and stops when his legs hit the bed. Christian pulls back the comforter and the sheet and holds it open for me crawl in. He removes his boxer briefs then climbs in and is on his hands and knees, looming over me, looking into my eyes.
"I love you," Christian says then leans down and kisses me. It starts slowly and sensually but soon the kiss changes to desperation and wanting. We are kissing like we were in the elevator. He slowly parts my legs and positions himself before entering me. I close my eyes briefly and arch my back, adjusting to him as he fills me. For the next couple of hours, we are lost in each other while he makes love to me. I know this is his way of apologizing and making sure we're alright.
I guess I fell asleep after being ravaged by my husband. We went back and forth from making love to having raw, unadulterated sex. I wake up to see Christian with his head propped up on his hand staring down at me, smiling.
"I'm sorry. How long have I been asleep?" I ask while yawning.
"Only about thirty minutes. It's almost 11:00 pm. We can spend the night here if you'd like or we can go home," Christian asks as he leans down and kisses me.
"I guess since we don't have a change of clothes here we should get dressed and go home. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Christian nods and kisses me on the head.
"Alright. Let's get up. We'll shower then leave. I have to say this was an unexpected, but very satisfying outcome to our evening. I have a hard time keeping my hands off of you anyway, but that dress tonight did me in," Christian says while playing with my hair. I smile.
"Yes, it was a very good evening. I knew that dress would get me into trouble with you one way or another," I say laughing. I just had a thought: Taylor.
"Um, does Taylor know where we are? Remember we got into trouble when we went to the mall without telling him." Christian laughs.
"I texted him while you were sleeping. We're not in trouble. Let's go shower and get out of here or I won't be responsible for my actions." He's going to be the death of me someday. I shake my head and get up to go take a shower.
Saturday has arrived and it's the day of our wedding reception. Christian had to be at his parents this morning to help set up the tent, as well as helping to set up the 200 chairs and twenty tables. Grace always has a large crew to set up these events but wanted Christian there anyway. Elliott showed up as well to lend a hand but his mother told him to let his brother do the work and he could supervise. This was obviously his punishment for not being with me at the hospital the other night. I had to laugh when Christian told me what happened with Elliott. Grace is not to be messed with when she is mad.
We got to his parent's house at 5:00 pm to greet family that was coming in for the reception, as well as having pictures taken in our wedding attire with the family and by ourselves. We had to fight our way through the gate as there were so many reporters and photographers present. All of us are ushered outside to the front porch for our first group photo. Christian and I are placed in the middle with family members standing around us. Elliott and Mia are next to Christian and Grace and Carrick are next to me, then everyone else is placed. Several pictures are taken by ourselves looking at each other. I look down at my arm staring at the wrap that is hiding my bandage. I mentioned to Grace earlier that I was worried about how my bandage would stick out like a sore thumb in the pictures.
"Wait right here, dear. I have just the thing in my medical bag to hide it," she says as she walks into a bedroom next to Carrick's office. She comes out with this flesh colored "sock" and puts it over my bandage. It definitely hides the bright white that was showing just a few minutes ago. It blends in really well with my skin color.
"Thank you, Grace. This is perfect. I'll just remember to hide my arm as much as possible next to Christian in the pictures."
"You're most welcome, Linda." I'm brought back to the present when we're asked to go to the rear of the house that faces the Sound for more pictures. Some of my favorite pictures are going to be of Christian and myself standing on the boat dock with our backs to the water as the sun is beginning to set. We are kissing in one of the pictures with the sun behind us. That will be breathtaking to see. Even Maggie gets in the act. She somehow slipped out of an open door and saw us down by the water and came running across the lawn dressed in her little pink dress. Christian rolled his eyes when I showed him what I bought for her to wear tonight. It's a cute little pink dress with ruffles and flowers. She sits down in front of us and the photographers laugh as they snap more pictures. One that will be my favorite is of Christian and his mother together. She has her hand on his cheek.
Once all of the pictures have been taken, we are ushered to the tent and then introduced. We opted for having the family table on the floor with the other guests, this way we can feel a part of the festivities and not feel like we were on display. I look around and see lots of people I don't know, but I soon spot Ros, Andrea, Barney, and Welch from GEH, as well as some of the other executives. A couple of teachers and a few assistants that I have become friends with are here as well.
Christian mentioned earlier today that he had a surprise for me concerning the music. A beautiful looking middle aged black woman walks up to the stage and takes the microphone. I could hear a few gasps from some of the guests. I look towards Christian and he has a small smile on his face.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Janelle Hendrix and I want to welcome everyone to this beautiful wedding reception for Christian and Linda Grey. I am so honored to be able to perform a special song that means so much to the happy couple. Congratulations to the both of you," Miss Hendrix says. It finally dawns on me who she is. She is related to Jimi Hendrix who born here in Seattle. Christian takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor as Janelle begins singing. I look up at Christian and a big smile is on my face. She is singing "A Thousand Years," our song. We begin to dance.
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.
One step closer.
"The first time I saw you at the Fairmont, my heart started beating so fast I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. When I got to know you and learned what brought you to Seattle, I thought you were very brave to make such a drastic change in your life and I'm so glad you did," Christian says as we dance a slow waltz. It's very fitting with this song.
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
"Time stands still for me when you are with me, Linda. You make me whole, complete and so incredibly happy it's almost hard to put into words. I feel like I have loved you for a thousand years and I'll love you for a thousand more." My eyes begin to fill with tears. He wipes away a few that have escaped.
"I feel the same way, Christian. You showed me that I could love again even when I didn't think I could. What's standing in front me is a man that not long ago told me didn't know how to love or be loved. That is so not true, Christian. You have an incredible heart and I'm glad everyone around us can see that now," I say while staring into his big grey eyes.
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
One step closer
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
We finish dancing to our song and everyone claps for Miss Hendrix, who did an outstanding job singing our song. Christian bends down to kiss me before we walked over to thank Janelle for coming and for doing such an amazing job. We walk back to our table where Grace and Carrick hug us before we sit down. Carrick walks up to the stage and takes the microphone.
"Grace and I would both like to thank everyone for coming tonight to help celebrate this joyous occasion of the marriage of our son and his wonderful and amazing bride, Linda. My dear, you have brought such joy to Christian's mother and myself and we can't say enough wonderful things about you." I blush a bit and Christian squeezes my hand under the table.
"Christian, when you called your mother and me when you were in Japan and told us your plans to whisk Linda away to Canada to ask her to marry you, at first we didn't recognize who we were talking to on the phone. You sounded so different. You were a man totally in love and you were bound and determined to make her your wife. This was obviously, son, your biggest acquisition to date and I couldn't be any prouder of you than I am at this moment." Christian raises his glass and nods to his father. Carrick continues.
"We are so happy that these two found each other. Granted, it took Linda moving almost 2,000 miles from Oklahoma to Seattle to meet our son and to make him happy, and we are so glad you did." Everyone laughs. "Please, everyone, hold up your glasses so we can toast the happy couple. Son, we love you with all our hearts and Linda, welcome to the Grey family. Congratulations and best wishes," Carrick says as everyone holds up their glasses and toasts us.
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. Christian danced with his mother and they looked so elegant. I danced with Carrick and while it was a little awkward for me at first, Carrick congratulated us again and told me how beautiful my dress was. The cake was brought out and it was spectacular. It was four tiers and part of it was buttercream and the other half was red velvet. There was even a groom's cake made to look like Charlie Tango and it was made out of Chocolate.
After the cake, Christian stood and went to the stage to get the microphone. He calls me up to stand with him. We talked about announcing to everyone that we were expecting. I'm very nervous about it but he assured me it would be alright.
"Linda and I would like to express our thanks and gratitude to my parents for hosting this amazing reception for us. Mom, you've outdone yourself again. Thank you so much. Dad, thank you for that heartfelt speech. Convincing this woman to marry me was the single biggest acquisition of my life and the best decision I ever made. With having said that, we have some news we would like to share with all of you: we are expecting a baby and it is due in the Spring." You could hear a pin drop for a second or two while the news sunk in, but when it did, people were applauding and some truly had shocked looks on their faces.
"The rest of the news is that we are having a son and his name will be Noah Michael Grey and we can't wait to meet him. On that note, please continue enjoying the celebration and thank you all again for coming to celebrate with us this evening," Christian says as he hands the microphone back to the band leader. He kicks off another song and the guests are dancing again. People come up to Christian and myself, congratulating us on our surprising announcement. Ros comes up to Christian and punches him in the arm.
"I knew you've been hiding something from me, you sneaky bastard," she whispers to him, making him laugh. Andrea, Barney and Welch all shake Christian's hand and hug me. All of this hugging and affection is wearing me out. While Christian is talking to some of the other guests, I sneak out of the tent for just a moment to get some air. The only side of the tent that was open was the side that faced west to show the setting sun earlier. I look out at the lights of Seattle that are in the distance over the water. It's such a beautiful view. I can't wait until we move into our new house along the Sound and I can look at the same thing.
I'm brought out of my thoughts when I jump after someone wraps their arms around me from behind.
"It's a beautiful view, isn't it? I can't wait until we can see the lights bouncing off of the water at our new home," Christian says kissing the back of my head.
"I was thinking the same thing before you came out. I can't wait to move in." Christian turns me towards him and kisses me.
"Well, we will get the keys next week and then we can start the renovations and the building as soon as possible. It seems you were a hit with the rest of the family tonight. They can't stop talking about how I have changed since meeting you. I guess you are a good influence on me, Mrs. Grey." I laugh.
"I came out looking for you to see if you were ready to go. Are you getting tired?"
"I am bit I don't want to leave if you don't want to. I just came out here to get some air and enjoy the peace and quiet for a moment."
"I want you all to myself again. Let's go home. We've already done everything we were supposed to do and I can't wait to get you naked again," Christian says with a smirk on his face. I roll my eyes and shake my head.
"You, Mr. Grey, have a one track mind. Let's go. I want to be alone with you as well." Christian takes my hand and we head back inside the tent to tell his parents that we are going to leave. Grace and Carrick hug us once again, Elliott lifts me up and hugs me, much to the displeasure of Christian, but then Elliott turns and hugs his brother and tells him he is proud of him and that he married well. Mia hugs us once again before we walk out of the tent towards the waiting SUV with Taylor behind the wheel.
Once we get in the SUV and head back to Seattle, Taylor and Sawyer let us know that a small situation arose, but it was quickly taken care of.
"What happened, Taylor and why am I just now finding out about it?" Christian asks, sounding irritated.
"Luke spotted someone who managed to sneak their way onto the grounds and alerted me to their presence. I made the proper phone calls and took care of it without bothering you or Mrs. Grey." We both look at each other.
"Who tried to crash the reception?" we both ask at the same time. We can see Taylor smiling in the rearview mirror and Luke turns around smiling as well. At almost the same time, they say the most magical words I have ever heard:
"Elena Lincoln and she has gone to jail."
A/N - I wanted to put the author's notes at the bottom so you could get to the story quicker. There were a couple of guest reviewers who absolutely hit the nail on the head with their comments about the last chapter. Christian didn't see the error of his ways when he stayed behind with Ashley. I agreed with your comments about that section of Book 2 when Leila confronted Ana and Christian chose Leila over her. I didn't like that part either but thought it was an important part of my last chapter, but Linda didn't forget what went down. She chose to put her feelings aside for the good of the family and to hash it out with Christian later.
I wanted to apologize for not thanking my new followers in the last chapter and some for this one. I really appreciate all of the kind PM's I receive.
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Until next time!
SONG:
"A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
