I was so nervous! My mother and Bob would be arriving in an hour or so. Christian, being Christian, had sent the GEH jet for them, collecting them from Savannah and flying them directly to Seattle overnight.
"Did they sleep in our bed?" I asked, slightly grossed out about the idea of my mother potentially joining the mile-high club in the same bed that Christian and I had made that milestone.
Christian smirked knowing the direction of my thoughts.
"No, baby. That part of the plane is strictly for us. The flight crew would have made them recliner beds in the front of the plane. There was security present the whole time, so I doubt that happened!"
We sat enjoying Mrs. Jones delectable breakfast. At my insistence, she and Taylor were joining us at Bellevue tomorrow as guests, but Gail had declared other than the Labor Day party, she would be working through until Christian and I left on our honeymoon. Today Christian and I settled on the final wedding guest list, there being a few last-minute additions. After all her help, Christian and I agreed Andrea deserved an invite. Reverend Walsh had dropped several not so subtle hints that he and Mrs. Walsh were usually invited to the wedding reception when he officiated at a wedding, so we obliged. It was still a small guest list by anyone's standards, and we were happy with that.
"Did you want to meet your mother at the plane? You could go shopping with her if you wish?"
I was too embarrassed to tell Christian, but I'd rung Caroline Acton yesterday and had a humiliatingly frank discussion with her. I'd explained my mother's penchant for spending other people's money, and occasional taste for clothing perhaps a little too young for her. To her credit, Caroline was a consummate professional, reassuring me this was far from the first request she'd had of this nature, and that she would ensure my mother had appropriate outfits and did not take undue advantage of Christian's largesse. I'd also taken the opportunity to book her all morning for Wednesday. Between Mom needing a gown for the wedding, and anything I needed for our honeymoon, I figured it would be worth her while.
"No, I think it's best she shops alone. I'll call her once she's settled in the hotel."
Christian was sending Ryan to collect Mom and Bob from the airport and escort them to The Fairmont, then he'd attend my mother as she shopped, so I'd wait for word she'd returned to the hotel.
"I've booked Altura for tonight," Christian offered. "It's Nathan and Rebecca Lockwood's new restaurant in Capitol Hill." We could have eaten at home, but I knew what Christian was trying to do. If my mother wanted to imagine living the high life, then we'd give her a taste of that. "I thought they could come here first for pre-dinner drinks, and then we can take a limo to the restaurant?"
"Won't that attract attention?" I asked.
"I thought that was the point?"
"Anastasia! You should have told me Christian's home is so elegant!" Mom gasped, air kissing my cheeks as she took in the great room at Escala. "This is even nicer than the hotel!"
"Welcome to our home, Carla," Christian said, stressing the word our. "And thank you, we do enjoy it here."
Christian shook Bob's hand, showing him and Carla out to the balcony. The sun was just starting to set, and the view was breathtaking. Gail appeared with a tray of drinks. A Cosmopolitan for Mom, beer for Bob, a glass of Sancerre for Christian and a virgin Cosmopolitan for me. I had to give Gail credit – looking at my glass, you couldn't tell it was a non-alcoholic version of my mother's drink.
Bob and Christian were soon talking about baseball, so I used the opportunity to show Mom around.
"You have staff?" Mom hissed, as Mrs. Jones retreated to the kitchen.
"Mrs. Jones is our housekeeper. She lives in an apartment attached to this one. Then there's Taylor who is Christian's CPO, Sawyer and Prescott look after me, and you've met Ryan who is also part of the security team."
"Is so much security necessary?"
"Christian's a very wealthy man, Mom. Some people like to try and take advantage of that."
"Yes – you've certainly landed yourself quite a catch," she said conspiratorially. "You stick with him, and you'll be able to have anything you want. You'll never have to work again…"
"Mom – it's not like that. I love Christian for who he is not what he has. And I love my job. I've just edited my first novel. It's for a new writer Boyce Fox. I think he's going to be huge."
"Yes, yes – keep your job for now, but once you're married your job will become keeping yourself looking good and making sure your husband's eye doesn't wander. A rich, handsome man like Christian will have women throwing themselves at him. You need to make sure you keep him happy at home, so he's less likely to stray. And don't make my mistake of having children too early – it's hard to keep a man interested when everything is saggy, and your time is taken up dealing with a baby," she advised.
I was too angry to even reply. My biological father had died within hours of my birth, and Ray hadn't looked at another woman the whole time he was married to my mother. Mom was the one whose eyes had wandered, and it had nothing to do with a lack of time to spend on herself. I led my mother back out onto the balcony in stony silence.
"I think it's time to go – shall I order the car around?" Christian said, wrapping an arm around my waist.
"Yes," I said between gritted teeth, still seething about my mother's comments.
The limousine was too big for the underground garage, so we had to exit Escala at the ground floor and climb into the vehicle there. A sole paparazzi was hanging out the front of the building and was thrilled when we stopped to let him take a few photos.
"Mr. Grey, Miss Steele and…?"
"My mother and stepfather, Carla and Bob Adams," I quickly supplied, knowing my mother would love being named in the social pages.
"Off to anywhere exciting this evening?" he probed good-naturedly.
"Dinner at Altura," Christian replied before helping Taylor and Sawyer shepherd us into the limo.
By the time we arrived at the restaurant, several journos were there apparently tipped off by the lone pap, exactly as Christian had no doubt anticipated. Mom complained about the press but was all smiles as she stepped out of the limousine and I could tell she loved every minute of it.
Dinner was delicious, and I was surprised when Nathan Lockwood came out to say hello and take a photo with us before promising us a special not on the menu dessert. The restaurant had only been open a few weeks, so I suppose Seattle's most elite businessman dining there was good publicity for them. Conversation flowed easily enough. Bob mostly spoke about sport and golf while Mom bored us with anecdotes about people from her Country Club that we didn't know. I was relieved that the service was quick because by 9:00 pm I'd had enough.
"Bob? Carla? I think we might call it a night," Christian said, correctly interpreting my mood. Christian had barely lifted his hand, and the check was there, and moments later we were again dodging the paparazzi and getting into the limo. We dropped Mom and Bob off at The Fairmont, making arrangements to collect them at 10:00 am tomorrow.
"How are you feeling?" Christian asked as I stripped off my dress and then took off my bra, relishing the privacy of our room once we arrived home.
"Embarrassed," I admitted. "Seeing Mom here, like this, has shown me another side to her personality. I'm embarrassed how little I know my own mother – and how little she knows me."
"Don't be embarrassed, baby. You grew up with Ray. How many times have you seen your mother in the last ten years?"
I hadn't thought about it in that way before, but Christian was right. It was a handful of times. Ray had paid for me to fly across for a week once a year in high school, and then a couple of times in college, but in many ways, Carla was a stranger to me.
"She was full of advice tonight about giving up my job and my priority being 'looking after myself to keep a man interested.' She has no interest in anything I'm doing," I grumbled.
"Her loss," Christian said decisively. "She's your mother, and I know you love her, but at the end of the week she'll go back to her life, and we'll start ours together."
We climbed into bed, switching off the lights and cuddling despite the relatively early hour.
"This time next week you'll be Mrs. Grey, and we'll be on our honeymoon," Christian crooned into my ear, spooning me from behind.
"And that honeymoon will be where again?" I asked leadingly.
"Never you mind, Miss Steele. You'll find out when we arrive!"
"You're no fun," I grumbled, pouting despite myself.
"Oh? Do you want fun? I'm sure I can find something to amuse you," Christian growled, rolling me on to my back and kissing me passionately.
"Have you got the envelopes with photos of blip?" I asked nervously. We were due to leave any minute, and I was getting uptight.
"Yes. And the wedding invites. Relax – this is going to be the perfect day!"
Going for a more normal feel, Christian was driving to The Fairmont to collect Mom and Bob, with Taylor, Gail, Ryan and Prescott following in the car behind. We picked them up without an issue, then Christian took the floating bridge to Bellevue. You couldn't make out our new home from the bridge, but the way Christian silently squeezed my hand as I gazed off in that direction showed he knew what I was thinking.
Not very long after we were pulling up at Christian's parents' home. I saw my mother's eyes widen as they took in the grand residence that was Christian's childhood home. If only she knew about his first four years, I thought to myself bitterly.
Grace greeted us warmly when we arrived, and I was surprised to see Ray already there. I was nervous he might have felt out of place, but he was chatting amiably with Kate and Elliot, and with a lot more reserve to José who was also there. Ahh, yes. The photos. I'd all but forgotten about that, but it appeared my father had a longer memory and was less forgiving.
It wasn't until I was standing in my future in-laws home that I realized this would be the first time Ray would meet Bob. I knew Daddy was over Mom, so there was no concern from that aspect, but it still had to be awkward meeting your ex-wife's newest husband. Thankfully Mom seemed to appreciate that, and headed over to Ray, greeting him cordially and gracefully introducing Bob. Kate quickly steered the conversation around to the Mariners, and Bob, Ray, and Elliot were soon engaged in conversation.
Taylor and Gail had joined us in the living room, and I was embarrassed to see them each nursing a drink and keeping to themselves. I was wondering who to steer them towards to chat with when help arrived from an unexpected source. Mia came over to us, giving me a quick hug and a kiss before cornering Gail, immediately striking up a conversation about a dessert she had cooked sometime in the past when Mia had visited Christian at Escala. According to the youngest Grey, nothing she'd learned in Paris had come even close to rivaling Gail's pastry, and Mia wanted to know her secrets. Gail was typically self-deprecating but was nonetheless thrilled to have made an impression. She carefully outlined the technique to a spellbound Mia, while Taylor looked on, a beer in his hand and a very proud expression on his face.
Time was ticking, and we were waiting for Grace's parents Theodore and Adele Trevelyan to arrive before Christian made our big announcement. We'd discussed it in advance, and we'd decided Christian would do the talking, and I would stand beside him, revealing the ring at the appropriate time. I was listening to Mia and Gail, fingering the enormous diamond in my pocket, when my mother appeared at my side.
"Anastasia, dear, why don't you show me to the bathroom?" she asked sweetly, taking my elbow and steering me away from Gail, Taylor, and Mia.
"Sure, Mom. Excuse me," I murmured.
"Ray looks good," she said as I showed her across to the powder room. "He didn't want to bring a date?" She was fishing for information, and suddenly I felt protective of my Daddy. As far as I knew, he hadn't dated since Mom left him – but I wasn't going to let her know that.
"He wanted today to be all about meeting Christian's family," I said vaguely, not answering the question she was really asking. I was saved from saying more by the arrival of Christian's grandparents. "Excuse me, Mom. Christian's grandparents are here – I should say hello."
Christian was looking for me, and his face lit up as I approached. I knew this was a big moment for him.
"Grandpa? Grandma? Can I introduce my girlfriend, Anastasia Steele? Baby? These are my mother's parents Adele and Theodore Trevelyan."
"So pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Trevelyan," I said politely.
"None of that, young lady," Mrs. Trevelyan said fondly, immediately pulling me into a tight hug. "Gracie's told us all about the changes in our Christian since he met you. You can call me Grandma Adele and him Grandpa Theo."
"Don't embarrass the young lady," Theo scolded, leaning in to kiss my cheek sweetly. "Gracie said she was a looker," he commented with a cheeky wink to Christian, "and she wasn't wrong!"
Christian gave an indulgent laugh. I could see at a single glance that he adored his grandparents and also why.
With half an hour until the first guests were expected, I saw Christian give the serving staff a nod, and suddenly they were moving around the room refreshing glasses. Carrick and Grace looked up in surprise, but Christian met their eyes, reassuring them with a nod. My mother returned from the bathroom, and Bob passed her a glass of champagne and then we were ready.
Christian took a glass of champagne and passed me the glass of sparking apple-cider he'd requested. Then he called everyone to attention.
"Mom and Dad? I am sorry to hijack your barbecue, but I have an announcement I just can't wait any longer to make!"
