Chapter Twenty
A couple of days have passed since I've been back in Seattle. I gave my statement to the police the day after I returned home and then immediately immersed myself into work. I didn't want any distractions, or down time, I didn't want to think about Jack Hyde again. I was more traumatised than ever, I knew it wouldn't be long until Christian would suggest another session with John, something I wasn't ready for yet.
I didn't want to have to relive those moments yet, I wasn't ready. I just wanted to be busy and stay busy. I was avoiding everyone but Christian, I constantly missed Kate's calls. I couldn't bear to have to answer all her questions, I hoped she would understand why but the journalist in her would push for answers without realising.
I wanted to feel normal again, I wanted to rewind time and do things differently. Mine and Christian's time together had been plagued by disaster, trauma, and constant pain. I wish it could be different, but our impending marriage would allow us to start fresh, and set ourselves on to a new path. A path of happiness.
I drag myself out of bed, and head for the shower. I quickly wash my body and then exit, heading for my closet. I pick out an outfit for my day and quickly put it on. Christian was already up and showered and probably waiting on me. I head into the kitchen, Christian is sat at the table, and Gail is pouring a cup of tea. I sit at the table opposite Christian and he smiles at me. I smile back before taking a sip of my tea that Gail has placed in front of me. Gail had prepared us a breakfast of cream cheese bagels with smoked salmon and some fruit which was delicious.
As soon as I am done eating Christian is dragging me out of the door, with Taylor following close behind us. We take the R8, and Taylor trails us in the SUV. Christian turns out of the parking lot and begins driving, he passes GEH and I look at him, he smirks at me. Christian begins driving out of town and towards the sound. I was confused but I didn't want to ask questions that I knew he wouldn't answer.
Eventually we turn into a drive way, that was very over grown and bumpy. The long drive way stopped and the bumpy ground opened up to more over grown greenery and trees, hidden behind the trees was the house we had seen from the water. Up close it was huge, and beautiful, it had so much character. Christian and I get out of the R8, and we stand looking around the grounds. It definitely needed work.
"What are we doing here, Christian?" I ask
"Surprise, I bought it" Christian announces, I look at him and begin to cry.
"Really? You bought the house?" I sob
"Yes, Baby it's ours. My wedding gift to you, a house we can spend the rest of our lives in" Christian tells me as he pulls me close to him.
I wipe away my tears and he hands me a key, the key to the house. "Can we?" I ask, Christian nods.
Christian takes my hand, and leads me towards the door. It was a dark wood, with black furnishings, I had already decided I wanted to keep the door. I unlock the door with the key, and open the door, we both step inside into the foyer, there were two sets of stairs, both situated on either side of the foyer, the flooring was cracked and worn and would need replacing. Directly opposite the foyer was a room which would work well as a family room, a casual living space for us to grow into. The room was dark, and dull and needed brightening up. I could see myself sitting in this room, the wall torn down and replaced by huge sliding doors that would show off the view of the sound and brighten up the room.
We turn on our heels and to the right is the kitchen area, it was a large space, plenty of room to cook, entertain and socialise. I already had visions of how I wanted this to look, sleek, modern, yet traditional to fit the theme of the house, Christian leads the way to the next room, the casual dining room, it was a smaller room but enough for at least a family of six.
"There is so much house, baby. It's a Seven bedroom, five and a half bathroom, two living areas, two dining areas, plenty of space for an office or two. Each bedroom has it's own walk in closet, four en-suites, and there are living quarters on the ground for Gail, Taylor, everyone. This is a project for us" Christian explains as we walk through the house.
"How will we ever fill all these rooms?" I ask
"We can grow into it, I have big plans for this house, I've asked Elliot on board already to renovate and we have an interior designer, architect, we have everything we need to do it" Christian tells me
"and what are your plans exactly?" I question raising a brow
"Well, I'd like to pull down the house but I think you have other ideas. So I'd like to modernise it a little, create a brighter space, make it secure, develop the grounds" Christian replies
"I can live with that" I tell him, "I'd like to open up that first room though, it's so dark, big folding doors would look beautiful and give us easy access to the grounds"
"I couldn't agree more. Shall we look upstairs?" Christian asks, I nod.
Christian leads me back out into the foyer and together we walk up the stairs, there were two halls, one heading west and the other heading east. There were too many rooms to choose from, but I take a quick glance in each. The master bedroom was dated, and dark, much like the other rooms in the house. Every room in this house would benefit from bigger windows, and a good clean. It had clearly been abandoned for some time, I was truly excited to live here and enjoy life with my soon to be husband.
Once we are downstairs, and in the foyer, there is a knock at the door. Christian opens the door and I am shocked to see a new face, she was tall, blonde and gorgeous. She was dressed impeccably and carrying a briefcase, she smiles at us both and steps inside, shaking Christian's hand and then mine.
"Ana, this is Gia Matteo, our architect. She's going to talk you through some of the plans and show you the blueprints" Christian tells me, we head into the kitchen and Gia immediately unlocks her briefcase and lays out multiple blueprints, all showing different designs.
"I took the liberty of giving you both options, I took all your issues on board and have three proposed blueprints" Gia says, she smooths out the paper and then steps back, I step forward taking a look at the prints she had drawn up.
I take a look at each one carefully, Christian is frowning at all of them, he was clearly unhappy. I didn't completely love any of them, but liked elements of all three. We discuss our thoughts and Gia takes them all on board, Christian and I seemed to be on the same wave length, although I was sure that was all just to please me. I loved this house, and how much character it had, I really wasn't looking to change much of the exterior, just make it look new again.
With the added windows, and transforming the grounds around the house, it would look as if it was brand new. Work was already scheduled to begin to rip up all floors, and replaster every single room that wasn't being changed. The lay out was going to change slightly but only to allow the house to flow better, and feel more open plan but not, which I loved the idea of.
Once Gia had packed away her briefcase, we walk her out. She seemed like a nice enough woman, and very professional, apparently she came very highly recommended by Elliot. This house, and the wedding gave me something to focus on, a reason to not have to think about my... pain.
"Thank you, Gia. I, we both look forward to seeing the new prints" I say, shaking her hand once more
"Yes, I assure you both you won't be disappointed. I'll have them sent over to you in the next week or so, I look forward to seeing the finished product" Gia replies, she shakes Christian's hand and turns to leave.
Christian and I both watch as she drives away, and then head back into the house. I loved it here, it already felt like home for me. We decide to take a walk around the grounds, and the living quarters for Taylor, Gail and Sawyer. The grass was over grown, but I didn't care, the grounds were perfect, I imagined a large patio outside of the folding doors, the grass neatly groomed and an area for pretty flowers or maybe even vegetables to grow. I pictured myself, sitting on the patio on a sun lounger, a book in my hand and a glass of wine beside me, Christian at the BBQ cooking us dinner having let Gail go early, a couple of kids playing happily on the grass they all looked like Christian, I imagined two boys, both copper curly hair and grey eyes, playing together.
I couldn't wait for those times, in years to come it would happen, I was sure of it. First, I wanted to work on myself, finally free myself of all the pain, the trauma, the sorrow. I wanted rid of it all, and I was sure one day it would come. I also wanted to pursue my career, do something I had always wanted to do, I still wanted to be an editor, a reputable one at that. I wanted to help people achieve their dreams.
"Ready to go, Baby?" Christian asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"I think so" I reply
We begin walking back to the drive way where the R8 and SUV were parked, I had explored every inch of the house, living quarters, and the grounds. I was excited, and happy. This house was a welcomed distraction. Once we arrive at the drive way, Taylor is waiting for us. He had been exploring on his own, getting a feel of everything, making notes for weak points in security and how to make them better. This house would be a fortress.
Christian and I slide into the R8, and make the drive home. It wasn't too far out from the city, definitely commutable. We arrive at GEH finally, heading straight up to the office. It was almost lunch time, we had spent almost four hours at the house. The time passed quickly. Once I am set up and logged in, I begin working on emails, and my usual tasks until Christian grabs my attention.
"Anastasia, lunch will be here soon" Christian tells me, I nod trying to return to work. "Ana, stop working for a moment, and come here please" I sigh, and stand up
"Yes, Sir?" I retort, rolling my eyes
"Are you okay?" Christian asks
"I'm fine, I just want to get things done" I tell him
"I understand baby, but I think you should just slow down, relax and actually recover properly" Christian says, he has a look on his face that I really didn't like.
"If I stop, I may never start again Christian" I admit
"Would it help if you spoke to someone?" Christian asks
"I don't want to speak to anyone, Christian" I tell him
"Anastasia, you need to talk about it, even if it's just to me" He replies
I sigh, rolling my eyes once more. I couldn't yet bring myself to talk about anything. The time would come, but it wasn't going to be yet. I wasn't ready. I wish Christian could just understand, there were questions I hadn't asked Christian yet, like what happened to Jack after he hit me, what happened to the guy who helped me break free? But I wasn't ready to ask them. I know one day I would, and I would get the answers I wanted.
Once Christian has finished trying to talk me into talking to John, we have lunch. We both have a simple salad, with chicken and croutons. I eat quickly so that I can get back to work. Christian disappears to attend a meeting and I begin making calls, and answering emails.
Work passes in a blur, Christian is still in a meeting, so I continue on working there was so much to catch up. My absence meant that my work load was handed to Andrea who just wasn't as competent as myself. I really did enjoy my job but sometimes I just felt like I was wasting my degree away, I wanted to use it eventually I needed to build my confidence back up and approach the subject with Christian who now solely relied on me to be his middle man. I am wrapped up in my thoughts when Christian finally enters the office. He has a huge smile on his face, and just looks so happy. His meeting must have gone very well.
"Good meeting, Mr Grey?" I ask
"Very good Anastasia, I finally acquired a company I have been after for two years. Contracts were signed less than two minutes ago. Fancy a celebratory drink?" Christian replies
"Congratulations my husband to be, Where are you thinking?" I ask
"Will the club be okay for you? No lingering press, and lots of privacy" Christian suggests
"I suppose that is okay with me, shall we get going?" I say logging out of the system
"Yes, I'm going to invite Ros along, she has been working on this tirelessly too" Christian replies as dials Ros' extension on the phone.
I gather my belongings and pack my bag, as Christian speaks to Ros who sounded just as happy as Christian did. We all meet at the elevator and Ros follows us to the club. We are shown to a private booth and all take our seats, a few minutes later Ros' partner, Gwen joins us and we all toast to Christian's success. Drinks and conversations are flowing before a waiter arrives, asking if we are thinking of ordering from the menu. We debate for a few moments before agreeing.
Christian and I both order the steak whilst Ros and Gwen both opt for fish dishes. I study Gwen for a moment, she was tall, blonde, gorgeous and had a very bubbly personality. Gwen and Ros were very well suited, and seemed very happy with each other.
"So, when is the wedding?" Gwen asks after some silence
"We are planning for March 15th" I tell her with a smile
"So soon! I bet you're both so excited" Gwen replies
"Of course, so much planning to do but it will all come together" I say
The food arrives and we all tuck in to our dinner. The steak was really well cooked and tasty, I chose to have peppercorn sauce, and vegetables whilst Christian opted for fries, garlic butter and grilled tomatoes. After a little while longer we all part ways, Christian and I head back to the apartment and head straight for a bath. The tub was definitely not made for two people but we made it work.
"Did you like your wedding present?" Christian asks as I rest on his chest
"I did, very much so. I wish we could move in tomorrow" I tell him
"I know but there is a lot of work to be done, I'm hoping it will all be done by the time we return from our honeymoon" Christian replies
"That would be perfect, do you think it will be ready for then?" I ask
"Well, Elliot has already got some of his team ready to go and rip up all the floors and the kitchen, and bathrooms out, and they will dispose of anything left inside the house also. That will take a week I think, which by then Gia will have the prints ready and if they are perfect then it is all good to go" Christian explains
"Will we be able to visit whenever we like?" I ask looking at him
"Of course, although I would rather we left it completely until it was done, I don't want anything to be spoiled for you" Christian replies
"Well, I can try and hold off on visiting but once those grounds are all groomed and ready I think it will be very hard to" I say with a smile
"I think you will have fun picking the furniture and colour themes for all the rooms and will keep you occupied. There are 25 rooms to fill" Christian tells me, I gasp
"I didn't realise it was so many, I forgot just how big the house really is. We won't even use half of those rooms" I say
"Maybe not, but it will be our home to do with what we like, and plenty of rooms for guests if we shall have any" Christian replies
"Of course, oh Christian I really do love you" I say moving my head back and puckering my lips, Christian plants a kiss on my lips and smirks
"I love you too, Anastasia. I was forever be thankful to your best friend for bringing you along to that interview that day. Who knows where we would both be now if you hadn't walked through that door that day" Christian replies
I fall into a silence, wondering where I would be now without Christian Grey. I try to avoid the obvious thoughts, and focus on myself still living with Kate, and probably working a completely different job. I suppose Christian and I would run in to each other one day if Kate and Elliot still met each other and got married.
"I think we would still cross paths" I tell him
"Really? You think so?" Christian asks
"Yes, well think about it. Kate and Elliot met some time before the interview, and were seeing each other. If they both got married I'm sure I would see you at the wedding" I say
"I suppose you're right, maybe it was always meant to be for us" Christian tells me
"I think so, Mr Grey. I'm just glad it happened sooner rather than later" I smirk
"Me too, Anastasia, me too"
Christian and I finally get out of the tub and get ready for bed, today had been such a long but exciting day for us that we were both exhausted. Apart from our talk earlier today about seeing John today had been very positive. I would see him when I was ready, I had things I could focus on like the wedding, and our house. I needed to call Kate and finally speak to her, apologise for ignoring her for so long. I wanted to share our good news, and spend time with my best friend. I wanted to tell Mia too, about wanting her to be my bridesmaid. I wanted them both to accompany me to look for wedding dresses.
It was time to finally regain my life back, I had no worries, no need to look over my shoulder any more. I could finally live my life without Elena Lincoln or Jack Hyde watching me from the shadows. I fall asleep in Christians arms with a smile on my face.
It was the weekend. Christian and I sailed through the remainder of the work week with no issues, everything ran so smoothly and Christian continued to be happy, he had achieved many more of his goals finally and his company was booming more than ever. I finally made plans with Kate, and today we were meeting for lunch before meeting Mia at a wedding dress store called La Belle Bridal. Christian planned to spend his Saturday with Elliot at the house getting some work done. It was unlike Christian to actually get his hands dirty but I adored him for wanting to give it a go.
I drag myself out of our comfy bed, and head for the shower. Christian had already left an hour ago and promised he would be back by dinner. Once I am showered and dressed in an outfit fit for wedding dress shopping I head to the kitchen. Gail had the weekend off which meant I was here alone, I fix myself a breakfast of cereal and a slice of toast, and a cup of tea and sit at the table.
Christian had relaxed security a little which meant I was able to finally go out alone today. Once I am done with breakfast I wash everything up and put it all away and then head to the living room. I had a couple of hours spare before I had to pick Kate up, I decided to relax and read a couple of chapters of my latest book. I set a reminder on my phone so that I don't get too immersed and then pick up my book, finding where I had left off and losing myself.
My phone buzzes, and it is time to go. I pick up my bag and my car keys and head down to the parking lot. My car, that I hadn't driven in a long time was waiting to go. I unlock the car and slide into the drivers seat, throwing my bag on the back seat. I begin the drive to Kate's which was across town and enjoy every moment of it.
Once I arrive at Kate's apartment, I park up the car and exit, deciding to head up to the apartment to collect her. I let myself in to the apartment and find Kate startled to see me. She grins and runs for me, we share a long hug. It felt good to be in Kate's company once again.
"Don't you look good, Ana" Kate says as she pulls back and looks down at me "Like a woman who is about to find her wedding dress"
"Thanks, Kate. You don't look so bad yourself" I reply, who am I kidding? She looked amazing, everything she wore always looked good on her.
"Shall we get going then?" Kate asks
"Yeah, let's go" I say heading back out of the apartment.
We arrive at the small Bistro Kate had booked a reservation at and head inside. We take our seats at our reserved table and quickly order a light lunch. I opt for a Caesar salad whilst Kate orders the same. I stick to water as I am driving whilst Kate opts for a small glass of wine with her lunch.
"I've missed you so much! I wish you'd called sooner" Kate tells me before sipping on her wine
"I've missed you too, I know I'm sorry I just couldn't face talking to anyone after what happened" I reply
"It's okay Steele, you did what you had to to cope, the important thing is that you're getting on with your life and not letting it affect you" Kate says, I smile "So, you're renovating a huge house? I can't wait to see it"
"Christian thinks it'll be ready once we return from our honeymoon, maybe we can go and see it later if you like. Elliot and Christian are both there today" I tell her
"Oh yes please, you know Elliot and I are talking about moving in together next year" Kate replies, my eyes widen and I grin
"Really? Oh Kate I'm so happy for you" I say excitedly
"We split our time between our apartments anyway so we thought we would just find a place of our own in the city so that I can be close to work" Kate tells me with a huge smile on her face.
"That's amazing, I'm so glad Elliot is a good guy, you've had some real questionable ones in the past" I admit, she rolls her eyes
"I know, I know, but I think Elliot is going to stick around for a long while. I have a good feeling about him" Kate says
"As do I, Miss Kavanaugh" I smirk
Our food finally arrives and we quickly tuck in. Our appointment was soon approaching and we needed to be quick. I wanted to be there before Mia arrived. Finally we are done, I pay our bill and we leave. Once we're back in the car, we make our way to the bridal store that I had researched previously, it was appointment only and they had a wide range of dresses in stock plus the option to design your own, I wanted my dress to be special, my taste, and perfect. After a few conversations with the owner I was confident that this store was the perfect choice.
I knock on the door, and I am greeted by a lady who was around the 30 mark, she had shoulder length light brown hair with blonde balayage and the most unusual green eyes I have ever seen. We enter the gorgeous store that has plush white carpet and white walls. Along the walls are railings of dresses, and then one wall dedicated to a mirror, in the centre of the room is a small round carpeted stage, and seating surrounding it.
Violet, the store owner joins us with three flutes of champagne. Mia soon arrives and we begin looking through dresses.
"Oh Ana this one is beautiful" Mia calls out from the other side of the room, I turn behind me and she has pulled out a simple white dress with a plunging neckline.
"Put that one to the side with the others" I tell her and then get back to pick out dresses.
Once we have a choice of 10 dresses, I am led into the dressing room with Violet who assists me with putting on the dresses. Mia and Kate love all of them, but one catches all of our eyes. I feel like I have found the one but there were definitely changes I wanted to make to the dress so that it was truly one of a kind.
We are sitting on the seats when I finally decide to tell Mia about her being a bridesmaid. The store also stocked bridesmaid dresses upstairs which meant we could spend more time browsing.
"Mia, I have something I'd like to ask you" I tell her with a smile, Mia's eyes light up
"Of course, Ana" Mia replies, I giggle. Damn she's good.
"You will? Well shall we head up and look at some dresses for you both?" I ask, Kate and Mia couldn't jump up quick enough.
We walk up the stairs to the pink room which stocked all the bridesmaid dresses they had to offer. Every dress was colour co-ordinated and presented very well. Both Kate and Mia begin looking through the rails whilst I talk to Violet.
"So, the Nicole dress is your choice, yes?" Violet asks with a soft smile
"I think so, although is it possible to make changes to the dress?" I reply
"Of course, what were you thinking?" Violet leads me over to the designers station and pulls up a sketch of my chosen dress
"I'd like to remove the sleeves, and the detail around the waist and replace that with something more... simple, and add more lace to the skirt of the dress" I tell her, she begins sketching over the dress with my idea and it looks sensational.
"Like this?" she asks showing the sketch
"Oh yes, that's perfect, and I'd love to have a veil matching the skirt of the dress, I think it would tie it all in together" I say pointing to the skirt
"We can definitely arrange this, once the deposit is down we can begin making the changes and get you in for fittings. Are you thinking about a second dress for the reception?" Violet asks
"I wasn't, no but is there any way we can transform the dress so that it's more moveable for the reception?" I ask
"I think so, if we make this here detachable, no one will notice and underneath have a shorter skirt I think that would work" Violet explains as she quickly sketches once more transforming the skirt.
"Wow, yes I love that. I didn't think this would be so easy" I tell Violet, she chuckles.
"Well, dear you certainly know what you like which makes my job so much easier. We have had some really fussy customers over the years, but when someone like you walks in it makes it all worth it" I smile at Violet, Kate calls for my attention so I leave Violet to her sketches.
I walk over to Kate and Mia who both have dresses in their hands, they are very similar and two completely different colours. I wasn't sure what colour we wanted yet but Christian had already made it clear that I got to decide. Kate was holding an emerald green dress whilst Mia held a lavender dress. I liked both colours but there was no way we could do both colours.
"What do you think?" Kate asks
"I love them both, if we can get them both one colour and you're happy with them then I am happy" I tell her
"What colour are you thinking?" Kate questions
"I'm not sure if I'm honest, I was thinking something dark, I do quite like the green" I say taking a hold of the material for a closer look
"Whatever colour you choose Ana will be good with both of us, right Kate?" Mia says
"Of course, I like the idea of a dark colour though" Kate replies
After much debate I finally settle on the emerald green colour, after seeing Mia's dress in emerald green I was settled on it. After I pay Violet a hefty deposit on all three dresses the three of us leave. It was getting late and so Mia left in a hurry after telling us she had a night out to get ready for. It was just Kate and I again, we get into the Audi and I dial Christian's number.
"Hey, Baby what are you up to?" Christian says
"Nothing much, was just wondering if you're still at the house. I was going to bring Kate over" I tell him
"We were just about to leave but we can wait, do you remember how to get there?" Christian asks
"Send over the zip code and I'll make my way there now" I reply
"No problem baby, see you in a while" Christian hangs up the phone and immediately sends over the zip code.
I type the zip code into the sat nav in the car and we begin our journey. Kate was enjoying the ride and the view on the way there. It was about a 45 minute drive which now that I'd done it myself definitely seemed doable. Christian and Elliot are waiting for us as we pull up to the house, they both look sweaty and like they had been working hard all day. I was excited to see the progress of the house already. Kate and I get out of the car and I immediately head for Christian and give him a kiss on the lips.
"You both look like you've been working hard" I say with a smirk
"Yes well us men have to get the work done so you ladies can go shopping" Elliot says, Christian rolls his eyes at his brother before we all make our way inside.
The Foyer remained the same whilst the flooring in the family room was all pulled up, and piled on one side of the room. Kate is in love with the house, Elliot and Christian were both talking her through the plans whilst I stayed quiet and observed the changes made. The flooring had also been pulled up in the kitchen, the dining room and second living area. Lots of progress had already been made downstairs, but the upstairs still need to be tackled.
We finish the tour of the inside and Elliot and Kate head off on their own to explore the outdoors, Christian and I stay near the back of the house and watch as they walk alone together.
"Did you have a nice day, baby?" Christian asks
"I did actually, am I supposed to tell you that I found my wedding dress?" I reply
"I'm not sure, but I'm glad you did. Whatever it is you're going to look stunning" Christian tells me, I smile up at him as he pulls me close to him
"Thank you, Christian" I say trying not to cry
"Shall we get take out this evening?" Christian asks
"If you'd like to, I think I'd like to just spend the evening relaxing with you" I tell him
"We can do that as soon as those two are done exploring" Christian says pointing over to Kate and Elliot who are making their way back.
Once Kate and Elliot return we all make small talk before parting ways. Kate leaves with Elliot and I follow Christian home who is driving his R8. Christian keeps a steady pace so that I can keep up, my car is considerably slower than her which he has definitely taken into account.
Finally we arrive home, Christian jumps into the shower whilst I order a Chinese to our door. Once our food has arrived, Christian and I relax on the couch for the remainder of the evening enjoying each others company. We talk, laugh, and then eventually head to bed and fall asleep in each others arms.
Today was the most normal I had felt in so long. I hoped it would stay that way, not having to think about any threats really made me feel good. I feel like I was finally finding my way again and I was excited for it.