CHAPTER 28

(ANA)

"I thought that went quite well" I say carefully as Christian and I are heading home after the initial meeting with Christian's biological family.

He turns to look at me and gives me a small smile which fills me with relief as he hasn't said anything since we got into the car.

"It did, they are good people" he says simply.

I don't push him to say more as I know he is processing everything that happened. I was a little taken aback by the fact the only reason Christian wasn't claimed by his biological family was because someone had stupidly and selfishly decided to burn down the post office. It appears Christian's whole life has been shaped by the mistakes, decisions and actions of others.

When we get back home, I watch as Christian gives me a soft sweet kiss and then turns to go into his study.

"Christian" I call as he is walking away from me. He pauses, turns and looks at me questioningly.

"Yes baby?" he asks.

"Don't forget to call your grandparents to invite them to dinner tonight" I say.

"I won't" he replies and with that he disappears into his study and shuts the door.

I take myself off to my own study and decide to distract myself with getting on with some work. I pull out some manuscripts and my laptop but I just can't focus and give it the attention it deserves, so eventually I just give up.

I look at my phone and after a moment's hesitation I pick it up to call Eva.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I place the call and wait. Moments later I hear my sisters voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey" she says affectionately and I smile.

"Hi, I hope you don't mind me calling?" I begin.

I hear a snort which makes my smile get wider, "Don't talk stupid, of course I don't mind" Eva retorts.

There is a brief silence and then she speaks again, "So?" she asks simply and I know she is referring to the lunch with Christian's biological family.

"So, after I hung up from you Christian came into my office and he had the DNA results. Which were as we assumed, a foregone conclusion. I think that was a big moment for him. He actually had the evidence in black and white that he belonged somewhere. That he had people who were related to him. He stood just staring at the paperwork for a few moments without saying anything. Then he simply put it back in the envelope and focussed on meeting his family". I say.

"Who exactly showed up?" Eva asks.

"Alexander Banks, that's his paternal grandfather - Liam's dad, Edwin Hawkins – Ella's father and Arnie's brother Hal came as well. It was strange watching them together as there were so many similarities. I mean, Christian was basically a younger version of Alexander they were so alike in looks so he definitely took after his father. Yet his mannerisms and the way Christian holds himself were mirrored by Edwin so I could see similarities there as well".

"And it went well?" Eva asks.

I think about that and smile as it really did go very well. "It did, very well" I say. "To be honest with you it went better than I thought it would. We had quite a revelation though. It seems that the only reason Christian wasn't claimed by his biological family was because some idiot burnt down the post office in Fremont meaning that the letters which Michigan State Child Services sent never reached their destination. It took the postal service in Fremont a while to get straight again and so it seems that, that was the reason that there appeared there was no family, when there clearly was. Which then cleared the way for Grace and Carrick to adopt him".

"Really?! Jeez that's terrible" she gasps and then she says something which has mirrored my own thoughts on the matter. "Once again someone else's actions had a knock-on effect on Christian's life" she says thoughtfully.

"That's exactly what I thought" I say.

"What happens now?" Eva asks.

"Well, Christian invited them all here for dinner tonight with Carrick, Grace, Elliot and Mia. Theo and Beatrice are also coming now after it was mentioned that his biological grandparents would like to meet them too. I'm assuming that Elliot will bring Ava as well" I say.

There is a brief silence before Eva speaks again and when she does, I'm surprised by her question as the last thing I expected her to do was mention Kate.

"Have you heard anything from Kate since that day?" she asks and I shake my head, quite forgetting she can't see me.

"No, and I don't want to either" I say.

oooOOOooo

All too quickly the afternoon flies past and soon we are preparing for everyone to arrive. I am just getting out of the shower when Christian comes into the bedroom to get ready.

"Hi" he mutters quietly.

I smile at him, "Hi yourself" I reply as I watch him carefully. "How are you? You have been incredibly quiet since lunch" I ask.

Christian looks at me and shakes his head. "I've just been trying to get my head around everything as everything I thought I knew and assumed was fact has been comprehensively proved to be wrong. I spent a good portion of my afternoon talking on the phone to John".

"Did it help?" I ask and he hesitates a moment and then shakes his head.

"No, not really…" he pauses and looks at me closely, "Baby, when we met you called John an expensive charlatan. I assumed at the time that you were joking, but now I wonder…" he trails off and looks at me carefully.

I don't hesitate I walk towards him and grasping his hand I pull him down on the bed beside me. "I saw a few things which made me question his integrity from time to time" I say carefully.

"Such as?" Christian asks and I can see he is genuinely interested and I wonder what he has noticed which is suddenly making him question John.

I take a deep breath, "Well… it seemed to me that he crossed the line of professional into the area of friendship which in my opinion he shouldn't do. The way he behaved at times just didn't strike me as totally professional and I did wonder if he was just stringing you along… if you were his meal ticket so to speak. I can't explain it but some things he did and said just didn't seem… right… you know ethical" I say and inwardly cringe at how lame that sounds.

Christian nods thoughtfully, "If I am honest, I have had the same thoughts recently. I feel as though I have been treading water for a while with him" he says. He pauses and then looks me in the eye and I know he has more to say, so I just wait patiently for him to say what he needs to say.

"Since my talk with my dad yesterday it has got me thinking about other areas of my life. I have been forced to see things differently since I found out the truth about my biological family and finding out everything I took as fact in that respect was wrong. Then looking back, through my life… Elena, lied to me. It took you to show me that. She told me I didn't need my family, that she was all I needed and I believed her. She manipulated me and moulded me, admittedly that helped me focus on being the successful businessman I am today but now I realise the focus was there because I needed my parents approval and I… I wanted them to be proud of me… I didn't want to be a disappointment to them anymore". He pauses and my heart is breaking for him, hearing him say all this. I hold his hand and wait for him to continue.

"Whilst talking to John today… I felt… for the first time I questioned his approach. I felt as if he was just going through the motions and not really doing anything. I know it's not his job to tell me how to think, but to help me come to the correct realisations myself, but… when we talk… it's like he just talks me round and round in circles rather than helps me come to any real breakthrough… do you understand what I am saying?" he looks at me earnestly and I nod.

"What should I do?" he asks me, and I can see he almost wants my permission to stop seeing John. If I am honest I think that would probably be the best thing he could do as I'm certain John has been taking him for a ride for a long while.

I shrug, "If you are not getting anything out of the sessions with him then it is probably time to call it a day with him and find a new therapist" I say.

Christian nods, and I see the relief in his face that I agree with the conclusions he has reached by himself. "I asked John's opinion on a female therapist… for Gideon, as he has decided that it's time to try and overcome some of his issues from his abuse" he says.

I nod, "And?" I ask.

"I have decided to check her out myself, after all I'm not going to blindly recommend someone to my friend without discovering if they are worth recommending" he says.

I smile at him, "That's a brilliant idea" I say and he grins at me.

I see the confidence growing now and my Christian coming back to me and I am glad as I never like it when I see him unsure and concerned.

"I have had Welch check her out and he assures me that she is very good and has an excellent reputation… so I made an appointment with her" he says.

I nod and squeeze his hand, "Good" I reply as I try and offer him my support.

He nods his head once as if he is now settled in his mind that he is doing the right thing. I am surprised this came up now of all times, but I can also see that there have been dramatic changes and revelations that have forced him to re-evaluate everything. They have also made him see other areas of his life that need change.

"How are you feeling about tonight?" I ask as I try and change the subject and bring us back to what is going to happen soon.

I see him consider my question, "I think the only way I can describe it is quietly confident. I have no reason to believe that anything bad is going to happen. Had I not had that talk with my father yesterday I don't think I would be feeling quite so relaxed about it".

"Well that can only be a good thing. I hoped that it would clear the air between you and it seems as though it has," I say simply.

Christian reaches for me and pulls me close to his chest, "I don't know what I'd do without you" he mutters into my hair and I wrap my arms around him and just hold him.

"You'll never have to find out" I reply.

He eventually pulls away and I watch him disappear into the shower and I go downstairs to see if Gail needs a hand with anything.

I eventually find her. She isn't in the kitchen, she is in the laundry room loading the dishwasher and I quickly help her to load it.

"Thank you, Ana" she says gratefully when it is done and the dishwasher is starting.

I smile at her, "No problem" I say and then I follow her back out into the kitchen. I take a deep breath in as there are some glorious smells coming from the oven.

"Something smells delicious" I say and Gail beams at me.

"Mr Grey said he wanted a simple roast dinner tonight, nothing too fancy. Just the basics, meat, potatoes and vegetables. So, I have cooked a joint of pork and a leg of lamb so there is a choice, and there is a selection of vegetables and potatoes".

"That sounds wonderful" I say, as I watch Gail starting to prepare some apples, which I assume is for a desert.

"Do you need a hand with anything?" I ask and Gail looks around as though she is thinking.

"Erm… no thank you Ana, everything is pretty much done now" she says. She looks down at the apples, "Mr Grey has requested Apple Pie for desert" she says.

I smile as apple pie is his favourite desert and now, I know why. The subconscious memories of apples and orchards when he was a young child had a greater influence on his life than even he imagined.

I turn to walk away and I see Christian appear, I run my eyes greedily over his body. As usual he looks amazing. We had decided tonight was going to be a casual affair so that his biological family don't feel uncomfortable. I'm dressed in a pair of casual trousers and a simple t shirt. Christian is wearing a pair of casual trousers and his signature white linen shirt. He has his sleeves rolled up and he looks reasonably relaxed.

"Sawyer has gone to fetch my biological family from the Heathman" he says and I nod but before I can reply Taylor appears.

"Mr and Mrs Grey along with Miss Grey have arrived sir" he says. Then I see him press his finger to his ear and he smiles. "It appears Mr Grey and his daughter have also arrived now" he adds.

Christian nods, "Has someone gone to fetch my grandparents?" he asks and Taylor nods.

"Yes sir, Ryan is on route as we speak" he says.

Moments later I hear Grace's voice and we head out to greet them.

"Christian darling, Ana!" Grace says as she walks towards us her arms wide open.

"Hi mom" Christian says as he accepts the hug and kisses her cheek. I am next to be engulfed in her arms as Christian greets his father.

I see Mia standing with her eyes glued to her phone and Christian clears his throat. She glances up at him and with a slight huff she pushes her phone into her pocket. Then with a bright grin she steps forward and hugs him.

"Hey" she says simply.

"Thank you for coming Mia" Christian replies.

"I hope you realise I have blown off a night out clubbing for this" Mia retorts and I close my eyes and count to ten.

"Mia" Carrick snaps and she immediately looks suitably ashamed.

"Of course, I'm here" she says as she tries to dig herself out of the hole she has just dropped herself into.

A loud shriek fills the room and a massive amused grin fills everyone's faces at the sound.

"UNCLE KISS CHUN!" We all turn towards the voice and there is Elliot struggling to hang on to a wriggling Ava as she tries to get out of his arms. He places her on the ground and she hurtles towards Christian who whips her up and holds her above his head which makes her squeal with delight.

"Hey squirt" he says affectionately and Ava giggles as he pulls her in for a hug. She wraps her small arms around his neck and plants a wet slobbery kiss on his cheek. She spots me and once again is wriggling to get out of Christian's arms. She throws herself at me. I lift her and hug her tightly. Grace and Carrick are the next ones to be bombarded and finally Mia.

I walk over to Elliot and hug him, "How are you?" I ask.

He smiles at me and I immediately see it is not forced or fake and he looks more relaxed than I have seen him for a long while.

"I'm good. Kate got served with the divorce papers and with all the evidence it is more of a formality. She hasn't got a leg to stand on. Did you know her parents won't let her stay with them?"

My eyes widen at that, "No!" I say and Elliot nods.

"Yeah, after Eamon saw exactly what she did and Taylor provided him with a copy, it seems she is not welcome at their home. Eamon said it was her mom's doing as she was so disgusted by what she saw on the footage. He was prepared to let her stay with them as she had nowhere else to go, until she got herself sorted out but momma Kavanagh put her foot down".

"So where is she staying then?" I ask.

Elliot shrugs, "I don't know and quite frankly I don't care. I thought she might go to Ethan but it seems he wants nothing to do with her either, since he found out about what she has done" he says.

"Well, she brought it on herself" I say simply and Elliot nods.

"Too true" he replies.

Everyone is mingling and talking when Taylor appears looking serious. I see Christian immediately on alert and he walks up to him and Taylor whispers something to him. I see Christian close his eyes and rub his hand over his face.

I sidle up to him and slip my hand around his arm. "What's wrong?" I ask.

Taylor looks at me carefully, "It appears Mrs…Miss Kavanagh is at the gate. She is demanding to speak to Mr Grey" Taylor says as he nods towards Elliot.

I think quickly and nod, "EL" I call and Elliot immediately walks towards us with a quizzical look on his face.

"What?" he asks simply.

"Kate is outside demanding to see you" I say and I see the shutters immediately come down and he shakes his head.

"I have nothing to say to her" he says. Then he pauses and I see him realise that if he doesn't do something, she will probably ruin tonight for Christian when his biological family arrive.

"Let her in" I say simply and immediately Christian protests.

"No, I won't have that woman in our home after what she said to you" he says. I squeeze his arm gently.

"Christian, it's fine. Let's hear what she has to say and then we can get rid of her before your biological family arrive. If we don't she will be hanging around all night… you know what she is like".

Christian considers this and eventually nods. "Tell her she has five minutes and that is all" he says stiffly. Taylor nods and disappears from the room.

Moments later I hear Kate's voice. I see Elliot stiffen, Grace and Carrick's eyes widen but most tellingly Ava doesn't even bat an eye. She doesn't even care that her mother is in the vicinity and that is really quite sad. Christian vanishes and moments later he appears with Gail and I know he is going to ask her to watch Ava while we all confront Kate.

As one we all move to his study where Taylor has taken Kate. She is pacing around like a caged lion and stops dead as we all walk in.

"I want to talk to El" she states.

"Well I don't want to talk to you" Elliot responds.

"Can't we put a stop to all this divorce nonsense?" she asks totally ignoring his reply.

I hear him let out a loud mirthless laugh, "Erm… that would be a no. I have more self-respect than to stay with a woman who thinks its ok to refer to me as asswipe and who openly admits that I make her skin crawl".

Kate looks as though she has been slapped and I'm guessing she thought she could simply walk in here; demand and Elliot would fall into line.

"You've turned my parents and my brother against me" she hisses.

I can't keep my mouth shut at that and quickly answer before Elliot can reply. "I think you will find that you managed that all by yourself. Your parents were disgusted by your little performance here the other day" I say coldly.

Kate glares at me but doesn't say anything. "They shouldn't have been involved" she states haughtily and Christian lets out a loud laugh.

"You should've thought about that when you went running to daddy to try and get him to change El's mind" Christian states.

Kate's mouth opens and shuts like a goldfish and I have never seen her rendered so speechless.

"What did you think I would do Kate?" Elliot says, as he steps towards her, "Seriously? I would like to know. What did you think I would do when Eamon came here asking what the hell was going on and all he had to go on was your version of what happened? All he knew was that I had kicked you out and changed the locks, but you failed to tell him why I had done that. So, I enlightened him. I showed him the reason why" he says.

Kate's shoulders slump and she shakes her head. "I'm sorry" she mutters.

Elliot snorts, "What for?" he asks.

Kate stares at him not comprehending what he is saying.

"I said, what for? Are you sorry for what you said and what you did? Are you sorry for marrying me only for my name and my money? Are you sorry for totally disregarding my daughter and are you sorry for treating me like dirt… or… are you just sorry that you have been found out?"

Kate looks stunned and from the look on her face it is clear she is just sorry that everyone now knows what she is like.

"Where is everyone?" we all smile as we hear Grandma Trevelyan call out.

Grace quickly leaves the room to go to her parents. A moment later Christian's grandparents enter the room giving Kate an evil look.

"What are you doing here?" Grandma Trevelyan asks, "Haven't you got the message yet you are not welcome. The way you treated my grandson and my great granddaughter you don't deserve to breathe the same air as decent human beings".

Everyone stares open mouthed and wide eyed at the outburst. Grandma Trevelyan is the sweetest old lady you could wish to meet, so to hear her eviscerate Kate like that is astonishing.

"I…" Kate stammers.

"Going? Good, goodbye then" Grandma Trevelyan says sharply and I see Elliot stifle a snigger.

I turn towards Kate, "Kate, it was a mistake coming here tonight. You should go now; I don't think there is anything you can do or say to make up for what you did. I have forgiven you for what you said to me, but that doesn't mean I want anything to do with you. Our friendship was never an equal one and I realise now that you only used me. I would like you to go now as we are expecting visitors and I don't want you here when they arrive" I say.

Kate glares at me and opens her mouth to say something but Christian quickly steps in, "Careful Kate, be very careful what you say next" he says warningly.

Kate glances around the room at the crowd of hostile faces, and before she can say anything else, Christian turns to Taylor who is silently watching. "Good, right Taylor if you wouldn't mind escorting Miss Kavanagh from the house" he says briskly and with that Taylor nods and moves towards Kate.

She scowls fiercely at us and then turns to Elliot, "You haven't heard the last of this, you will regret doing this to me" she threatens.

"Is that a threat?" I ask mildly and Kate glares at me, "If so, just remember how your mouth got you in this situation, and remember how everyone was made aware of it" I leave that hanging there as I gesture around the room.

Kate closes her mouth and Taylor gestures towards the door, "Miss Kavanagh" he says politely but firmly.

I see Kate sigh and she leaves the room without another word.

Everyone silently watches her go, "What do you think she will do?" I ask looking up at Christian and he shrugs.

"It was an empty threat, as there is nothing she can do" he says dismissively.

I look around, "Right shall we go into the other room and wait for Christian's biological family to arrive?" I say brightly.

There is a murmur of agreement and everyone files out and goes into the sitting room where Ava is playing happily, totally oblivious to what has just happened. Gail looks up and grins at us.

"Thank you Gail" Christian says simply and she waves her hand dismissively before disappearing into the kitchen.

After a few moments it's as if Kate was never here, there is chattering and laughing and Kate is totally forgotten. I look up to see Taylor appear once more and I glance at Christian who immediately looks nervous.

"Your visitors have arrived" Taylor says gently and Christian nods.

I walk to his side and urge him forward to go and greet them. We head out into the hallway and standing there looking around are Arnie, Hal, Alexander and Edwin.

"Hello!" I say brightly and I walk up to Arnie and hug him tightly, I move to Hal and then to Alexander and Edwin and repeat the gesture.

I step aside as Christian walks forward his hand outstretched. "Welcome to our home, please come through" he says as he gestures towards the sitting room.

Everyone looks at us walk in and I feel the nervous awkwardness immediately. Ava pushes her way through and runs up to Christian and wraps her arm around his leg.

"Who are they?" she asks and that is all it takes for the awkwardness to vanish as everyone relaxes and smiles indulgently at her.

Christian picks her up, "These people are family" he says simply.

He turns towards the group of grinning men, "This is my niece Ava" he says and Ava smiles sweetly at them all, and we watch as the four men go completely gaga over her.

Ava has now lost interest and wriggles to be put down, as soon as she is on the floor she returns to her toys in the corner.

Grace and Carrick move forward and Christian quickly introduces them. "Mom, dad this is… this is Edwin Hawkins, Ella's father" he pauses as Grace immediately moves forward and engulfs the man in a warm hug. "This is his son Hal" he says shifting his attention to Hal. "And this is Alexander Banks, he is Liam's father so he is my paternal grandfather".

Grace continues her round of hugs and Carrick steps forward his hand outstretched as Christian addresses the four men.

"This is Carrick and Grace Grey… my mom and dad" he says.

When the hand shaking ritual is complete Christian quickly introduces Elliot and Mia. "Who would like a drink?" he asks and immediately all four men reply they would.

"Shall we sit down; dinner will soon be ready but shall we sit and talk until it is?" I say.