Chapter 30: The beginning of an era
AKA: The family grows

You were an unexpected surprise, the defining moment. The collision of stars that slammed into me hard and sent my neat little world plummeting into the ocean. I never expected it to be you, you know? But it is you. It's all you. And now there's no looking back.

A single line didn't take long to appear. What I didn't expect was the second line.

Two lines?

Maybe I was remembering it wrong, and it was two lines that meant not-pregnant instead of one.

"Congratulations, Mrs Grey," spoke my doctor as I stared at the test wide-eyed and incredulous.

"I—What? Am I?" Could it be wrong? How likely were false positives?

"You're pregnant, Ana."

I was shocked. How could I be pregnant?

"But the implant…" I stuttered gesturing towards my arm where the contraceptive implant was.

"No contraceptive method is one hundred per cent effective."

That I did know, but 'ninety-nine per cent' had sounded pretty damn good when my former doctor had suggested it.

She let me stare at the two lines for nearly a minute before she spoke.

"I'd like to perform an ultrasound today. Would you like me to get you a glass of water first?"

I shook my head. I didn't think I could hold a glass, let alone drink from it without making a mess.

"No, thanks. But could you… Could my husband be here for the ultrasound?"

"Of course. Why don't I perform the breast and pelvic exam first?"

"Alright."

Dr Greene instructed me to sit down on the examination chair. I did as asked and remained in my own little word as the doctor did her thing.

Pregnant.

Christian and I were going to have a baby. A tiny baby with tiny hands and feet. Adorable, but dependant. With that indescribably amazing baby smell, but also stinky diapers. Warm and cuddly, but unable to sleep through the night.

Back and forth my mind thought of the good and the bad.

At least we wouldn't have to stress about having enough room or money.

"I'm going to call Mr Grey now if that's alright," spoke the doctor as she stepped away from me.

"Please."

Christian was something else for me to worry about. How would he react? While we had both agreed we wanted children down the line, he had claimed he wasn't ready to share me yet. He had wanted to show me the world and take me on adventures, but now those adventures would have to be baby-proof.

Also, he was as ready to be a father as I was to be a mother, but he was more prone to freak out than me. He liked to control everything, but a baby has its own schedule, and dances to its own beat, its daddy's plans and desires be damned.

Still, I couldn't go through the ultrasound by myself. I needed him to hold my hand as we looked at our child for the first time.

"Baby, what's wrong?" asked my husband as he stormed into the room, a ball of anxiety and worry. I couldn't really blame him; with most doctors, any diagnosis was likely to be bad.

"Nothing's wrong," I tried to assure him, but I didn't sound convincing.

The doctor let me deliver the news as she set up the equipment. Her work only seemed to freak out Christian even more. "Are you sick?" he asked, skin pale and eyes open wide in horror and panic. I had never seen him so frightened before.

"No! No! I didn't mean to scare you." I reached out to touch his face with my hand. His worried eyes met mine. He seemed to brace himself, ready for the worst possible news. "It would seem… I'm pregnant," I stammered.

He exhaled loudly and appeared to deflate as he sat on the chair placed next to me.

"Thank God," he breathed out. "I thought you were ill!"

"She looks perfectly healthy," assured him the doctor. "I'm going to do an ultrasound now to make sure of it, and gather how far along she is. Are you ready, Mrs Grey?"

"Yes."

I'd rather not explain how weird it was to have the doctor perform an intravaginal ultrasound on me while my husband held my hand. The three of us focused our eyes on the black and grey screen, even if only Dr Greene could understand what she was seeing.

"There. That's your baby." She froze the image and pointed at a little blip. I squeezed Christian's hands as tears inundated my eyes. Of course, our baby looked nothing like a baby yet, but it was still there, it existed, and it was ours.

Now, that is love at first sight.

I felt Christian kiss my forehead and looked up at him. He gave me a small, wary smile and I answered with a larger one as a tear slid down my cheek.

In that instant, our old plans didn't matter. I didn't give a fuck about visiting museums in Europe or taking impetus trips to New York or learning to ski in Aspen during the upcoming winter. I couldn't have cared less about dinner dates or moments alone. For that one instant, I let the love I had for my husband and our unborn child inundate me.

The clicking around the doctor had been doing suddenly stopped, the silence rather than the noise being the one to remind me we weren't alone. We both turned to look at Dr Greene.

"Based on the measurements, I estimate you're between four to five weeks pregnant," she informed us. "We don't have your last period to guide us, but an approximate birthdate could be between the eighth and twelfth of June. I'd like for you to get a blood test to confirm it. But first, I need to remove the contraceptive implant."

The damn thing had been easier to put than remove: the latter involved local anaesthesia and a small incision.

"Have you had any possible symptoms?" asked me the doctor afterwards, Christian and I sitting side by side on her desk. "Like cravings, tender breasts…"

"She threw up on Monday," spoke Christian, more like a realization said out loud than an answer.

"And my breasts do feel tender since the weekend."

The doctor handed me a list of foods to evade and to favour, and prescribed me prenatal supplements. She also wrote me an order for a blood draw and asked me to visit her again in a fortnight to check them out.

We eventually exited the clinic roughly half an hour later than planned. Taylor was waiting for us outside. He looked anxious, despite the fact Christian had texted him to let him know we'd be late.

My husband opened the door for me and I got into the car and slid towards the opposite side. Christian didn't sit down by the door, but in the middle seat. After bucking up, he wrapped an arm around me and I cuddled into his side.

"Would you rather go home?" he asked, and I recalled we had reservations at a restaurant.

"Yes."

"Drive us home, Taylor, please." He turned to look at me and asked me softly, "how are you feeling?"

"Scared and happy and excited and nervous…. How about you?"

"The same."

"You can't rob my words, Mr Grey."

He exhaled loudly. "Like we're about to go skydiving, but our instructor's jumped ahead without giving us clear guidelines first."

I snorted. "Good thing your parents live close by and will be happy to help us. I…" I hesitated, not knowing how to put my thoughts into words. "God, there's a human being growing inside me, Christian."

"I know, baby, and I couldn't be more in awe."

Taylor had heard many interesting things from the back seat of Christian's cars,

but finding out I was pregnant like that was extremely shocking and unexpected.

"I like babies. They're cute. And you know how sometimes you're holding someone's baby, and they start crying, and the moment you hand them back to their mum they stop? I do want that; I always have. But I feel so unprepared for everything else… Diapers, and feeding, and I don't even know what else! And turning them into responsible, pleasant, independent adults."

"Wow. Relax. You're thinking way ahead. Maybe we should take this one month at a time. And we're not alone in this, love. They say it takes a village, and we have one huge family that will be so happy to have a baby around. I know the timing isn't perfect, but it's not terrible. We're married, we have a big home with plenty of rooms and a backyard, we have the money…" His speech was steady, even if it seemed he was trying to appease me as much as himself.

"How come you're not freaking out?" I asked. I probably looked like a deranged person, blotchy from crying and eyes wide in panic.

"I gathered one of us had to focus on the good…" I pinched his side. I was thinking about the good parts too! "Honestly, three months ago I would have flipped. I wouldn't have considered myself capable of being a father. And while it still worries me, I know I can do it with you by my side. You found parts of me I didn't know existed, and you nurtured them. You turned me into a man willing to love and to show it."

I kissed him.

"It's mutual, handsome. You taught me it was okay to be myself and to love you in my own way, in my own timing. Just three months ago, I thought I wasn't ready for marriage, and now I'm so happy to be your wife. And I may not be ready to be a mum yet," —a part of me did love the thought of being someone's Mum— "but we've still got eight months to prepare, right? We need to go book shopping."

He chuckled.

"I hope our baby's just like you. But a boy." His eyes widened in panic, and I thought it was hilarious. I knew his comment didn't derive from a stupid patriarch need to have a son, but because of his overprotective nature around his girls, like Mia and myself. "Maybe I should have Elliot build a tower, just in case."

"One month at a time, handsome."

"She's not allowed to date until she's thirty. You did not just roll your eyes at me!" he exclaimed, honestly offended.

"You did not just marry this child's mother at twenty-two, only after having got her pregnant!"

"Fine. I guess you get a free pass." He frowned in thought. "I can't believe I got you pregnant before marrying you. Let's not tell your dad."

I snorted. "If we have a daughter, I wonder if her husband will be as afraid of you as you are of Ray. What were we even doing four and a half weeks ago? I think we were in Aspen."

"We're not naming our kid that," said Christian firmly as Taylor parked the car.

I was acting weird around the girls on Thursday. My world had suddenly changed twenty-four hours earlier, but they didn't know. I wasn't ready to tell them for many reasons: the obvious one was that couples were suggested to wait until the twelfth week, but the underlying motive was that I wasn't prepared to discuss the pregnancy with anyone other than Christian. They were life-changing news, and I only felt comfortable talking about them with the love of my life, my best friend and forever partner, my husband.

Still, I was acting jumpy around Kate and Mia. When the blonde offered me a beer and I asked for Seven-Up instead, I was worried she'd realise I couldn't drink alcohol, which was irrational as I rarely drank beer anyway. When Mia volunteered to cook some new recipe she wanted us to try out, I was worried it'll turn my stomach, although luckily it didn't. And when they asked me how my week had been so far, I felt like a cornered animal.

"It was—it was good," I stammered, and my friends look at me worriedly. I took a deep breath and began again, deciding to just act as though the last twenty-four hours hadn't happened. "Sorry. I'm just a bit tired. The jet-lag isn't quite gone yet." Plus, fatigue was apparently a normal pregnancy symptom. "And I'm still getting used to the night noises of the house. It's like every time I adapt to sleeping somewhere new, I move out." Ever since May, I had lived in three different apartments, and now a house. Plus, it was quite different to live at the last floor of a new tall building—on the top of an ivory tower—than in an old house with creaking wood, by the lake and a road. The neighbourhood was tranquil, but still, some cars could be heard passing by at late hours. In a way, it was similar to being back at my High School home with Ray, but it wasn't quite the same. "At least I'm not waking up disorientated anymore."

"And how's married life treating you?" asked Mia.

"So far, it's been pretty similar to the last couple of months. I mean, I was already living with Christian, and I'm mostly used to the CPOs… Although I may have a conniption the next time I go shopping. And I kind of feel like I'm living in a magazine house. And people call me Mrs Grey."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you and Christian!" exclaimed Mia enthusiastically. "And I can't wait to tour your house on Sunday! I'll see you at ten, right?"

"Please!"

Gail and Taylor had each Sunday and one every two Saturdays free. That meant I'd be the host by myself on Sunday, and while that didn't intimidate me—I hadn't grown up with a Housekeeper, and I knew how to care for my guests just fine—I had never cooked for more than four people before. I wanted to be the one feeding my family for the first time in my new home—wedding notwithstanding—without the help of an employee, but my sister-in-law had volunteered, and I was looking forward to her help. Plus, she'd be teaching me to make her legendary apple pie.

When I got back home, Christian looked relaxed. He was working in his office, but he wasn't glaring at the computer.

"Hi, handsome. How was your night out?" I asked as I walked into the room. He smiled warmly at me and moved his chair back so I could sit on his lap.

"It was nice." First, he had had his session with Flynn, and afterwards, he had gone out to have dinner with Elliot and Ros. "How was your girls' night in?"

"Good. Did you have a good talk with Flynn?"

I was in two minds about his meeting with his shrink that evening: while a part of me was glad Christian would be able to vent about his worries regarding the pregnancy without telling me something stupid that may hurt my feelings, I also felt like whatever he had to say he should be able to share with his wife.

"Yes. But what's worrying you?" he asked as he caressed my tense back.

"I just don't want you to feel like there are things you cannot tell your pregnant wife."

I felt strong emotions coursing through me, heavier in my chest and behind my eyes. It was very similar to my worst period moods: every now and then, I'd get extremely emotional about something. It was like my real but manageable worries suddenly intensified, making me want to cry. The worst part was that I knew the crying or hysterics were irrational, but it was as if my brain couldn't control what was coming out of my eyes or mouth.

"Shh," Christian tried to soothe me, softly rubbing my back. "I didn't tell Flynn anything I haven't already told you or wasn't planning on telling you. I just spoke to him about my worries of being a first-time father, and about not wanting to put pessimist ideas in your head too, I admit. He insisted you probably have your own worries also, and that sharing them with each other will help us both."

I nodded against his shoulder. That sounded reasonable.

"You first," I requested.

"I'm mostly worried about having to take care of a little fragile person that can't talk." I nodded, agreeing completely. "Sometimes people like saying stuff like 'kids just need you to love them,' but that's just stupid. I do think my biological mother loved me, and it was far from enough. Kids need care and discipline… and while I'm not worried I'll spoil them, I do worry I'll be an ogre to them and they'll hate me."

"Did I ever tell you Carrick let me know a little bit about your adoption?" I asked him as my eyes focused on his grey worried ones. He frowned, trying to recall it. "He told me you didn't speak until they adopted Mia… And you must know she thinks you hung the stars in the sky. Whatever crazy thing she asks for, you only grumble before giving in. And you have more money than sense. You spoil me and Mia all the time. Honestly, I'm more worried about you spoiling our kids than scaring them away."

"I'm not talking about gifts or… whims. I can't wait to give our children the world. But I'm worried about how I'll react to temper tantrums or disrespect…"

"We'll figure it out together as we go. Read parenting books. Our baby's still too young for temper tantrums."

"Yes, he is." Christian placed his palm on my lower belly and I placed mine on top of his.

Mia arrived early on Sunday morning and we got to work. As I peeled, cut and boiled the potatoes for the gnocchi I was planning on cooking, she worked on the apples. Once I was done with my task, Mia showed me how to prepare the pie. It was a lot of fun baking with Mia. She was a patient teacher, not that I wasn't skilled in the kitchen myself.

I hadn't had a chance to spend time cooking in the new kitchen throughout the week, so the area was as new to me as it was to my sister-in-law. On the other hand, Gail had put away all the utensils and food similarly to in Escala, so I didn't have a hard time finding what I needed.

Once the pie was in the oven, I took care of making the dough for the gnocchi while Mia got started on her tomato sauce. I knew it to be delicious but spicy, something my doctor had insisted I evade, so I prepared some creamy sauce as an alternative. Half an hour before the guests were to arrive, we began to make the gnocchi. I had never bothered to learn how to shape the pasta with a fork, so I gave Mia free reign while I shaped about a fourth of the gnocchi like sticks. I'd be frying them like my maternal grandmother used to. It was one of the very few recipes my mother had learnt from her mother and had managed not to screw up.

Once the sauces and pie were done, we turned off the stove and covered the uncooked lunch. The gnocchi would cook in less than half an hour, so we'd get started with those once everyone was home.

Mia and I changed clothes into something less covered with flour, my new sister raving about how beautiful our bedroom looked.

Lunch was a success, and so was the tour of our home: the food was deemed delicious and the house, beautiful. The top floor remained off-limits as all of the bathrooms had been emptied during the week and turned into boxes of cement. They'd be ready in a week or two, and after that, we'd be turning three rooms into guest rooms.

I loved welcoming the family into our home: using our formal dining room for the first time—filling it with laugher and excited chatter—, eating pie and drinking coffee in our new living room—finding new ways to tease Elliott and hearing about the politician Kate had interviewed that week—, and finally waving goodbye to our family from our front door. There was a sense of satisfaction that prevailed over the tiredness of having to cook and clean up.

I couldn't wait for future visits, spending an afternoon in the pool, or watching Grace fight Mia and Kate over who'd get to feed our child, or having a bunch of kids playing hide and seek all over the place while us adults relaxed in the living room.

Or having an excuse to play with friction cars on tracing tracks,

or play Marco Polo in the pool,

or partake in any other childish game we could think of.

The following weeks flew by. I suffered from fatigue and nausea. The morning sickness seemed to intensify the weeks after my first visit to Dr Greene, but they diminished halfway through November. The blood test plus a second ultrasound 'confirmed' our child's birthdate for June 10th. Christian was constantly worried about my wellbeing. Our morning runs became power walks, but I couldn't really blame Christian for distressing about his clumsy wife. He was slightly overbearing, but it was worth it if it meant he complied to my cravings. There was always ice-cream in the house, despite the lowering temperatures, and we brought Ben and Jerry's to bed with us a couple of times. Whoever said vanilla is plain?

The weekend immediately after Thanksgiving would bring along the second trimester of my pregnancy, so we decided the holiday would be the perfect time to deliver our good news. Grace would be hosting Thanksgiving as usual, and she had been happy to invite my dad, my mum and Bob. Our guest bedrooms were ready, so they'd be spending the long weekend with us.

The bedroom above the family room, which was also the one closest to the top of the stairs, got assigned as the baby's room. Hopefully, in a month we'd know our child's gender and get started on planning the nursery. I had read that during the second trimester of pregnancy I'd be full of energy and wouldn't be suffering from nausea, so it was the ideal time to do the shopping and decorating.

My father drove to our home Wednesday evening, as Mum and Bob flew to Seattle in Christian's private jet. They arrived in time for dinner. It wasn't as loud of an affair as with the Greys, for Mum was the only chatterbox around us. Still, my parents wanted to hear what we had been up to in the last few weeks. They were glad to see Christian and I were happy, adapting to the married life as a duck takes to water.

My mother was also excited to get a tour of the house. I had, of course, sent her a video showing her every room soon after having moved in, but it wasn't the same as seeing it all in person.

Christian drove us to Bellevue at noon on Thursday. All the CPOs had the day off to visit their families. We were the first to arrive, excepting Mia who had been there since early in the morning to help in the kitchen. We were soon followed by Ethan, Kate and Elliot. The last two had moved in together to Elliot's condo at the beginning of November, and soon afterwards Mia and Ethan had moved together into the apartment Kate and I used to share in downtown. It belonged to Mr Kavanagh, who didn't mind them living there for as long as they pleased. Mia and Ethan felt it was too early to start looking for a house to buy together as a couple, but Kate had mentioned she and Elliot were looking for a house somewhere between our neighbourhood and downtown.

Half a year later, both couples were living less than ten minutes away from Christian and me.

I was starving by the time we sat down to eat. Grace had organized a feast, and the baby and I couldn't wait to start devouring it. First, though, it was time to say what we were thankful for. Carrick and Grace went first, saying they were thankful for their three children finding love and happiness. My parents shared the sentiment.

Elliot followed: "I'm thankful for being a Grey and having great parents and okay siblings." Mia smacked him. "Okay, okay: good siblings. I'm thankful for my job, and both my old and new friends." He gestured towards Ethan and I. "But mostly, I'm thankful for having met this amazing woman, my lovely Kate."

"You're welcome," smirked Christian.

"…Who I wouldn't have met if it weren't for Christian and Ana. And clubbing, of course."

Kate, Mia and Ethan were equally thankful for their jobs, families, friends and new partners. Finally, it was my turn. Much like the others, I expressed my thanks regarding my new dream job, and my parents and friends, as well as their invaluable participation in the wedding planning. "I'm thankful for our new house and Elliot's work on it. But first and foremost, I'm thankful I got to meet and marry the love of my life, and I'm thankful for the home we're starting to build side by side."

Christian followed, his thanks echoing mine. "Lastly," he concluded his short speech, "I'm thankful I met my lovely Anastasia, and that she fell in love with me and agreed to marry me. But most importantly, I'm thankful for the new life we will be bringing to our family next June." He looked at me with a huge smile as he said those last words and I beamed back at him so widely it hurt.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Mum.

"I'm pregnant," I added, looking towards my right, where our parents were seated, staring at us wide-eyed and happy.

"A baby!" exclaimed Grace as she stood up. She walked towards us and we got up too. She hugged us as she cried. "I'm going to be a grandmother."

Next, my mum threw herself at us. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

"Congratulations, son, Ana," said Carrick with a shaky voice as he hugged me with one arm and patted Christian's shoulder with his free hand.

Last but not least, my dad hugged me. After a few seconds, he let go of me and shook Christian's hand firmly. "Congratulations. My baby is going to have a baby!"

Kate, Mia, Elliot and Ethan congratulated us too before we sat down to eat.

"This is delicious," I complimented Mia and Grace.

"Thank you, dear."

Everyone wished to talk about the pregnancy: they wanted to know how far along I was, when I was due, if I had been feeling alright, if we were healthy, if we knew the gender, if we had thought of names… We spoke of little else as we ate. Christian did most of the talking, as I was too busy eating for two.

Afterwards, we broke down into small groups. Mia dragged Kate and me into her old room so we could gossip.

"Pregnant. Wow. What happened with wanting to wait?" asked Kate.

"Well… This wasn't exactly planned. But we're very happy. A bit scared, but mostly excited."

"Congratulations, Ana. I'm happy if you're happy. So… Honeymoon baby?" she continued and Mia ate it all up silently.

"Probably Aspen baby, actually."

"Aspen? During the bachelor/bachelorette trip?" asked my sister-in-law, practically jumping on her bed on which she was seated.

"It's just a guess… I didn't get my period very often with the contraceptive implant I was using, so it's hard to tell for sure."

"So you got pregnant after getting engaged, but before getting married. When did you find out?" asked Kate.

"A few days after we returned from the honeymoon. It was quite a shock. It was supposed to be a routine check with my doctor. Christian and I weren't expecting it."

"How did he take it?" inquired Mia.

"Better than me… I still can hardly believe it, you know? A year ago I was halfway through my second to last semester of college and I didn't even know Christian. Now I'm married to the love of my life, I live in the house of my dreams and I'm about to start a family. I can hardly believe my luck."

We chatted for a bit longer. Afterwards, we congregated in the living room with coffee, tea, and the pies Mia had baked for us. She had opened her own top-of-the-notch bakery, and she and her workers baked not only pastries and pies, but also costume cakes of any kind, from birthdays to weddings.

The following weeks flew by. Christian and I celebrated our first Christmas as a married couple. We hosted the Christmas' Eve dinner, and then spent the 25th in Carrick's and Grace's home. Dad joined us. By then, I was already spotting a slight baby bump, and I had had to buy a few larger trousers and bras. I hadn't had to acquire any maternity clothes yet, but I was dreading having to do it. The press would have a field day, and I didn't appreciate them getting their noses in my business. Plus, there had been a lot of speculations about me being pregnant when Christian and I had got married so soon after meeting each other. I hated how many so-called reporters would pat themselves in their backs, thinking they had been right when they actually weren't.

The gifts exchange was awesome. Dad gifted us a set of matching wood white crib, changing table and chest of drawers made by himself. I got Christian the piano dance mat I had had Sawyer buy in New York, as well as several button-downs in different colours. Christian and Elliot stretched the piano on the floor and plugged it in, and we all took turns playing on it. Then, Mia and Christian played a few carols for us on the floor.

My husband got me some books from new promising authors, diamond stud earrings, a yellow t-shirt that read 'Hello Sunshine', and matching brown leather shoulder bag and wallet with leather appliques of the book spines of classic books.

On December 30th, which was a Friday, we took the private jet to Aspen. We rang the New Year surrounded by white snow and our family and friends: Dad, Mum, Bob, Grace, Carrick, Kate, Elliot, Mia and Ethan. Grace and Carrick had rented a large house to share with my family, while us young adults took over Christian's—our—Aspen house. It was in the latter that we congregated for New Year's Eve. For the first time in my life, I kissed a man when the clock struck midnight, and I welcomed the New Year in my husband's arms.

Several seconds later, we heard Kate gasp. Upon turning to look at her, we saw Elliot kneeling in front of her.

"My lovely, beautiful Kate. I used to think my life had everything I could ever need or want, but then you came into my life and proved me wrong. The moment I first met you I knew you were special. You are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Your grace, your beauty, and your fiery spirit have no equal, and you have captured my heart. Spend your life with me. Marry me."

She looked at him wide-eyed, tears in her eyes. "Yes," she whispered as she nodded. "Yes!" she repeated more firmly, and Elliot stood up with a huge smile.

I turned to look at Christian, one hand covering my mouth in astonishment. My husband didn't look one bit surprised, though, as he smiled at me.

"You knew?!" I asked, slightly offended. How come he hadn't told me?

"Someone had to help the moron pick the ring." He gestured at his brother, who was sliding a diamond ring in Kate's finger.

Nearly a week later, Dr Greene was happy to inform us we were going to have a baby boy. I honestly hadn't had a preference, but Christian exhaled in relief after hearing the news.

We went baby shopping right away, not caring who saw. We chose onesies, pants, shirts, socks, shoes… They were all so adorable and unbelievably tiny!

Christian disappeared for a few minutes as I picked sheets for the baby's small mattress, and returned after a few minutes with a brown cuddly teddy bear.

"The baby's first toy," he said as he handed it to me.

"Oh, Christian!" Tears inundated my eyes and Christian wrapped me in his arms. "I love it, handsome. A teddy bear. Teddy. I like it," I reflected as I took a step back. "Like your grandfather Theodore… Teddy Grey…"

"Theodore Grey Steele?" proposed Christian. I beamed.

"Theodore Christian Grey Steele."

"Christian?" he frowned.

"Why not? We don't have to decide now, handsome. Let's pick the bedding for now."

Back and forth we tried different names during the next several weeks, as my belly grew larger and stretch marks appeared in my skin. No other option contented us, though, and Theodore Christian Grey Steele was born on June 10th, 2012, at 3:27 a.m., after nearly ten hours of labour.

Being a parent was an adventure no book or classes could have prepared us for. It was much more tiring than walking around Europe, but much more satisfying than anything else we had done before. Every sleepless night and dirty diaper was worth watching our baby boy as he slept, breastfed, ate his first solid food, gave his first steps, said his first words…

Teddy was almost two months old when Kate and Elliot got married. The event took place at their own home—which was some five minutes away from ours—, with my husband and I as Best Man and Matron of Honour respectively.

We had been assigned the daunting experience of organizing the bachelor and bachelorette parties, and after much discussion, we left Teddy with Grace and Carrick for the weekend—which was embarrassingly, terribly hard—and took the private jet to Las Vegas. Kate, the bridesmaids and I spent our Saturday separately from the guys, eventually going to a strip club after dinner. The men began their night in the same fashion, and then we all met in a club to finish the party together.

Mia and Ethan got married in February, the weekend after Valentine's day. Christian and I were glad to be merely a groomsman and bridesmaid. They, too, chose to get married in their own home, which was little over five minutes north of our house.

Nearly six weeks before our baby boy turned two years old, Kate gave birth to Evangeline. Two and a half months later, on July 15th, 2014, Christian and I welcomed to the world Regina Anastasia Grey Steele, our little queen. She was followed a year later by Mia's and Ethan's daughter Jaqueline, and a year afterwards by our Rebecca Grace.

It wasn't until three years later that Kate got the ball rolling again, giving birth to Alexander. We got baby fever, and six months later we adopted baby Collin, for whom we chose the second name Frank, after my late father. Not two years later, Mia birthed Jasmine, her second daughter. While Christian and I had briefly considered adopting a fifth child, we opted not to. Even with Gail and our nanny Audrey, it was already hard enough juggling our jobs and four kids. Then, I got cystitis.

I began the course of antibiotics Monday evening, and was feeling as good as new by Thursday morning. The doctor had informed me the antibiotic could interfere with my contraceptive method and that we should use condoms if we had sex through the week. Not used to those 'suckers'—as Christian liked to call them—, that Thursday night we had sex in the bathtub unprotected, completely forgetting about the condoms. To be fair, we hadn't used them ever since we'd met, over eleven years earlier.

One slip could have probably been borderline excusable, and while we remembered the condom Friday night after a romantic dinner, the next day after our routine Saturday morning run, we fucked in the shower sans condom. And then again on Sunday in the bathtub… Honestly, the only surprising thing about our last pregnancy was that it hadn't happened years earlier with how much sex we were having.

To add insult to injury, it wasn't until a whole week later that we realized our mistake. It was Saturday morning again, and we had just had shower sex. "It was nice being able to fuck you in the shower again without having to worry about the condoms," Christian muttered against my collarbone, warm water cascading around us.

I froze.

"We didn't use one last Saturday when we had shower sex. Or on Sunday in the bathtub. Or on Thursday. Fuck!"

I climbed out of the shower and hurriedly threw on my bathrobe. I rushed into the bedroom, looking for my cell phone. After Teddy had been born, roughly a decade ago, I had switched to the pill. I had downloaded an application in which I could enter the dates of my periods, which were once again monthly and regular. The app was kind enough to remind me when my next period was coming. If I wished so, I could also check when I was ovulating, information I hadn't found pertinent ever since we had tried to get pregnant with our third child, Bex.

I opened the app, got into the calendar, and cursed. I had probably ovulated last Friday!

Fuck.

Just when we had thought we wouldn't have to change another diaper until we were grandparents.

Nine months later, we happily welcomed our last daughter Isabelle Carla Grey Steele.

I got my tubes tied right away.

Watching our children grow up in our large home, running in the backyard with our two dogs, and participating in school plays, or recitals, or sport games was… indescribable. It filled my heart with a kind of love I hadn't known was possible.

If twenty-one years old Ana could see me now, married and raising children with the man who used to be my Master… Falling asleep every night next to the man whose rules had once stated I couldn't share his bed, and waking up to grey eyes I had been once forbidden to look at… Compromising every day about how to raise our stubborn, talented children. Bickering and having silly fights whose motive we forgot about after an hour or two.

"Remember the first time we went to Savanah, and you accused me of not being marriage material?" he'd ask now and again through the years.

"You told me you'd be able to make girls stay if you wanted to, and I told you I'd believe it when I saw it."

"I like proving you wrong."

It always made me snicker.

It many ways, he was the opposite of the man of my dreams. He wasn't shy, but self-assured. He wasn't mellow, but bossy. He wasn't average, but extraordinary. He wasn't nerdish, but fascinating. And very kinky.

He was also smart, warm and caring. A perfect gentleman—unless he was actively trying not to be—. A loving husband and father. Plus, his good looks didn't hurt.

In many ways, he was the opposite of the man of my dreams.

Nevertheless, he was the perfect man for me.

And there I was, falling deeper and deeper in love with him every single day.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

*Exhales heavily*

The end was fucking hard to write. I usually don't like endings, not—just—because it means another great story has come to an end, but because I usually find the last several paragraphs boring to read. So I asked myself: which endings didn't I hate? The one from the last book of Harry Potter, Twilight and Hypothetically Married came to my mind, all with good epilogues. But what about books without epilogues? Pride and Prejudice! So I gave you a summary about what happens to the characters in the future and added the sappiest ending I could come up with.

Don't worry though! The epilogue is coming in a few days (maybe next Tuesday?) with another last few paragraphs that were also hard to write.

Thank you all for your constant reviews and kind words! I can't promise a sequel right now, but I do have some ideas going around my head. I'm not ready to say goodbye to nice-Christian and self-assured-Ana.