My dear little broccolis 💚💚💚
‼️ I AM JUST A FAITHFUL BROCCOLI HELPING MINA, TAKING THE STORY FROM HER WEBSITE TO HERE! THIS IS A TEST RUN, ONLY ON THE THIRD PART OF THE DADDY TRILOGY. ‼️
💚 Don't forget to show your love and appreciation through comments and hearts. Especially since we have caught up and this is the only way for me to know if you have appreciated the update or not.
💚 Remember, this story is a trilogy, but I will put everything on the same thread, it will be separated by the title below the picture.
Love, Mina 💚💚💚
💚 Some Honeys Need A Daddy 💚
"She is not only the woman I love, she is the mother of my children."
‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️
‼️Romance/Angst/Drama/Lemons‼️
‼️AS+CG/Grace Grey/The Greys/Original Characters‼️
Chapter 2: (5,5K)
Ana's PoV
Ana woke up wrapped in Christian's arms, and if she was being honest with herself, it was something that she had come to miss. She had always liked spooning and waking up in her man's arms, and this was something that never changed: no matter how absent Christian could be, she always woke up in his arms. Even when she had trouble sleeping over the past few months, Christian always took her in his arms when he came to their bed.
For a moment, she just appreciated the moment, feeling Christian's weight on her and his breath tickling her neck. For a moment, she let herself forget everything but this very precise moment. Maybe she would wake up and realise that the past year had just been a terrible nightmare.
With a shake of her head, Ana let out a sigh and silently got up, perfectly aware that if she stayed in bed, she would let herself fall into a world of disillusions. She knew she shouldn't have given into Christian, but in a way, it gave her some closure. It certainly wasn't the best sex they ever had, but it still left her happy and content.
She looked at Christian still sleeping in her bed, hoping that this month apart did him as much good as it did her. Sure, at first she resented him for taking the easy way out, yet again, and putting the weight of their relationship as well as their family on her shoulders once more, but after Grace's failed attempt to contact him, she had realised that it was the wake-up call she had desperately needed. She never needed him in the past, and she had let her lead fall into the impression that she couldn't have a family without him.
At first, Grace cried a lot, especially when they moved. It was a lot of change for her poor little heart. Her mother went back to work, her father was across the globe, and the place she had called home was no longer her home. But everyone helped them. Of course Christian's family, but also Jamie and Jose.
As she got ready for work, Ana remembered how exactly five years ago, after a whole night writhing in pain on Jose's couch, she was being told that she was pregnant and in labour. In retrospect, she was sure that this had been the scariest moment of her life, and she would always be ever so grateful that Jose had been by her side all along.
After she finished getting ready, she went back to her room where Christian was still sleeping soundly. She picked up their clothes and the condoms and tidied the place, all the while wondering if it was selfish of her to have acted the way she did. Maybe she could have stayed and kept faking for their sake, but in the end, she knew that she was losing herself and her voice, and this was not an example she wanted to give to her daughter.
After making Grace her favourite breakfast, she went to wake her up with a new book wrapped for her sent by Jose. It was a tradition that Jose had started, even though he was living miles away, and that he was set on continuing, no matter what. Usually, there was also a plushie with the book, coming from her 'father', but Grace was quite upset with her father.
When he didn't call back as Roxanne promised he would, Grace threw a tantrum and threw all her plushies in her father's office. If it hadn't been so sad, it would have almost been comical to watch her struggle with the ones that were too big for her. But at that instant was when Ana realised that they both needed to leave the golden cage that Christian had locked them in.
To be fair, Ana wasn't quite sure that the message went through and that Roxanne delivered the message as promised, but that was just her instinct. There was something about that woman, but how do you explain to a child that the nice lady on the phone just wants to get in daddy's pants and is not above destroying a little girl's heart to do so?
Grace smiled brightly when she opened her eyes and saw her mother holding a present, and she undid the wrap before slowly reading the title.
"Charlie and the Cho…colate Factory. Oh, am I going to learn to make chocolate?"
Ana smiled at her enthusiasm, shaking her head as she explained, "I don't think so. But you'll learn about the Oompa Loompas."
"Uh?"
"You'll see when we read it." Grace smiled and put the book on her bedside table, but before she got up, Ana told her, "Your daddy also has a surprise for you, today, honey."
The little girl made a face, clearly not impressed with this news and she crossed her arms, firmly declaring, "I don't want teddies. I am a big girl, now, you know. I am five. I don't need them."
Ana chuckled, and took her daughter in her arms. Grace had been making a big deal out of her turning five for the past couple of weeks and every adult around her found it adorable.
Still, she didn't want the issues between herself and Christian to trickle down between their relationship of father and daughter, and that's why she insisted, "It's a much better surprise than a plushie, this year, I promise you."
"No, it's okay," Grace said pragmatically, "I talked to him on the phone when I was at Uncle Elliott's, and I told him that I didn't want presents and that we don't need him."
Ana noticed how Grace felt relieved to say this out loud, like every time she tried to hide something from her and finally confessed the truth. Still, she didn't want Grace to resent her father so young, especially if it was over something that he had no control over.
"Grace, honey … Your daddy is a very busy man. But he loves you. In fact, he asks about you every day."
It wasn't true per se, Christian never called even once whilst he was abroad. But she did see how the two little blue ticks showed that he read every single message she had sent him about Grace.
Grace shrugged, unimpressed by her mother's words and so Ana told her part of the reason why she had stayed so long with Christian, even though she wasn't happy anymore: "And everyone needs a mommy and a daddy when they can have both."
Grace shook her head, sure of herself as she pointed out, "Vicky's mommy is never here, you know. And … you don't have a daddy. And Tio Jose said he doesn't have one too. And you're normal. So I don't need a daddy to be normal," she added proudly.
Ana kept to herself the hurt to see the reasoning of her little girl, and how she felt that Christian's lack of affection toward Grace forced Grace to be more mature towards her feelings than any five years old should be.
Still, she hugged her daughter close to her heart, and let her know, "I wish I had a daddy who loves me as much as your daddy loves you when I was growing up."
Grace looked inquisitively at her, her eyes squinted as her brain was slowly processing what her mother just said. "You didn't have a daddy when you were little like me?"
Ana shook her head, though she made sure to smile so her daughter wouldn't be too saddened by this piece of news. "Not everyone is so lucky to have parents, honey. And I know that your daddy isn't always around and that he's terrible at showing how much he loves you, but … he doesn't really know how. He's still learning. Even though he's a grown-up, just like when you two made cookies."
"They were very bad cookies," Grace pointed out matter-of-factly, making the two of them laugh.
"I can assure you, daddy loves you to the moon and back. Maybe, next time you see him, you should tell him how you feel, so he knows what not to do in the future."
The little girl nodded bravely and so Ana kissed her cheek and hurried her to the kitchen so they could have their traditional birthday breakfast. There, they found Christian looking alert, and even slightly panicked as soon as his eyes landed on his daughter.
"Happy birthday, sweetie," he said promptly, and Grace immediately turned her head to her mother and accused her,
"You didn't tell me."
"I told you he had a surprise for you," Ana responded with a smile, all the while going to the stove to start on her French toast.
"Happy birthday, too," Grace said, before quickly going back to her room. Christian worriedly looked at Ana who just shook her head as she mixed all her ingredients together, perfectly aware of what Grace was doing.
The little girl came back barely a minute later, with a present in her hands, which she gave to Christian, "This is for you. Uncle Elliott helped me find it."
Ana saw how Christian swallowed with difficulty, probably because at this right instant, he had nothing to give to their daughter for her birthday, but he still managed to smile and open the present, his eyes going briefly to Ana before he smiled at their daughter as he put whatever was in that small package in his pocket.
"Thank you, sweetie. It will never leave my side."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
After their breakfast, they all went on with their lives, though Ana had to kick Christian out of her apartment for he wanted to stay there all day long, waiting for them. He didn't argue much, mostly because Grace had invited him back for her lasagna birthday dinner. But Ana could tell that he was not going to let go easily the fact that she had moved from his apartment.
Of course, she had Carrick to mostly thank for that. If it hadn't been for him and his connection, she would still be struggling to find a place with good security, not far from either Grace's school or her father, and cheap enough so she could only rely on herself.
And the Greys have been wonderful and understanding about her new professional trajectory. They were more than happy to pick Grace up from school and take her to her various lessons, and Grace loved the time she spent with her grandparents. Especially since they let her get away with murder. But Ana had stopped worrying about that; after all, as Christian had told her, grandparents were meant to spoil.
All day long, she did her best to not think of what Christian's return meant for either her or her daughter, but one thing was for sure, she didn't want to go back to that place she had been at the beginning of the year. She had texted Christian an hour after they parted, letting him know that they needed to talk, but deep down, she was afraid that she would not be heard, like the many other times she had tried to talk to him and it just led her to feel like a terrible person never happy and always complaining.
As she was on her way to pick up Grace, she called Jose, mostly to appease her nerves, but also because she knew that this would be something he would kill to know.
"Biscuit, you're doing it wrong. I'm supposed to be the one calling my cutie pie."
"She's with her grandparents. I haven't picked her up yet. I … just wanted to tell you that … Christian has come back."
"Ah … and how did Grace take it?"
"With a grain of salt."
"Yeah, she wasn't really happy with him last time I spoke to her."
"I think that she is happy that he is actually physically here on her birthday this year, and not just sending a toy. She was so happy to give her his gift this morning," Ana added, because, though Grace had been very unhappy with her father, Ana still saw the glee she tried to hide when she saw the unexpected presence of her father in the kitchen.
Jose made an unconvinced noise before asking another question that almost went unanswered by Ana. "And how did you take it?"
For a moment, she said nothing, blankly looking in front of her as the cab drove her to the Grey's. But then she snapped out of it, and said in a low voice, "We spent the night together."
"Talking?" Jose said though the tone of his voice made it clear that he clearly knew it wasn't the case. Ana cleared her throat and let him know, "Well, I told him that we would talk tonight."
"Sure. You'll talk, and he'll nod and he's not going to hear you out. Ana, biscuit … don't let him drag you back there. This time around, it has to be on your terms. He's going to have to do things the way you wanted to, to begin with. Like taking things slow and one step at a time. I am not risking losing you to the likes of him."
"Jose, you know that I would never do that to Grace. Don't be overdramatic," Ana rationalised with a small voice.
Jose had been talking to her daily ever since Christian left, and had been very vocal about his feelings toward the man. In fact, since Dubai, he had been telling Ana to take her daughter and come back to New York, or at the very least leave the man.
"There are worse things than dying, Ana. You were barely a shell, and you know it. I won't let you go back there. It's not good for you, and it's not good for Grace."
"Jose … do you think there is something wrong with me? Maybe not growing up like normal people do really did mess me up, and that's why I always end up in messed up relationships? After all, the common denominator is me."
"Bullshit! How many serial killers had normal homes? What about Christian? He has a normal family, and look at his brother, he's not a cold-blooded megalomaniac asshole. We're all different because of our choices, education isn't everything. And he'll have to choose what's more important to him. His family, or his business."
Ana shook her head, touched that her friend was so vehemently defending her, but in all fairness, one thing remained about Christian that she never forgot. "But I knew from the start that his business means everything to him. And I can't fault him for being who he is."
"You're right, you've always said that he's always been clear with you on that point. But on the other hand, you've been very clear with him concerning Grace. You told him that he could walk out if he wanted and live his life as he wanted. But if he stayed, it was to be a Dad. And he stayed. He has to put in the effort now. He can't have it all, the cake and the baker."
Ana chuckled to herself as Jose unknowingly reminded her of the banter she used to have with Christian. In hindsight, it seemed like those were simpler times when Christian and she were just flirting, not trying to go any further because they knew it would never.
A small part of her wondered what had become of the girl she was. She wasn't sure how the person she was back then, struggling to make ends meet, was so confident, and how she was now doubting every single decision she made.
She let out a small sigh, and shook her head once again, apologising to her friend for being such a downer as of late. "I'm sorry to dump this all on you, Jose. I feel that lately I only call you to whine and complain and it's not fair to you."
"Stop being ridiculous, I know you mostly call to taunt me about the amazing food you make thousands of miles away."
They both laughed, Ana perfectly aware that Jose only turned her statement into a joke to lighten the mood. And just as the cab took the final turn to the Grey house, he solemnly added, "I'm here for you, Biscuit. No matter what. I was there for you five years ago, and I'll be here for you till the end of the line."
"I know. You're probably one of the best things that have ever happened to me. You're more than a true friend, Jose, you're the man of my life."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
As Ana had promised Grace, Vicky and her father had dinner with them. She saw how Christian frowned upon the presence of the Martins, but he didn't say anything, not that any of the girls would have listened to him. Grace loved spending time with Vicky, and Charles always knew how to make their little play dates less dull for adults.
Still, Grace managed to let her father know that she felt that he only came to dinner because he knew it was lasagna for her birthday, but that she didn't mind because it was his birthday as well. Though Christian smiled, Ana still saw how it hurt Christian to hear that in his daughter's eyes, food was more important to him than her.
All throughout dinner, all Grace and Vicky talked about was the upcoming birthday party. But what Grace was mostly excited about, was Jin's arrival. She was promising Vicky over and over that they would get along and that Jin was the best, and when she asked Ana if they could take Jin to Disneyland just like he had taken them when they went to Hong Kong, Christian finally intervened.
"I was planning to take you, sweetie. So we could spend a weekend together for your birthday."
Grace furrowed her brows, Looking at her father whilst Ana got up to clean the table, all the whilst pursing her lips. If she didn't know any better, she would say that Charles's presence had a lot to do with this sudden decision.
"But I have my birthday party this weekend. I can't go to Disneyland and my birthday party. And Jin is coming anyway. I want to stay with Jin," Grace reasoned. Ana watched Christian shake his head, hoping that he wouldn't make Grace choose between two different birthday parties. She knew that Grace would ultimately choose the birthday party she had been planning for weeks, but she also knew that it would devastate Christian to be refused upfront by his daughter.
But then, he did worse than forcing a choice on their daughter, he made yet another promise that Ana knew he wouldn't keep, or that he would in time forget. "No, of course not this weekend. You have this big party already planned. I was thinking of some other weekend soon. So we could meet with Mickey and Donald and all the gang."
"Okay," Grace agreed warily, though Ana was sure that she still had Valentine's Day vividly clear in her mind and heart and that she didn't want to fully believe her father yet. She had never seen her daughter cry as much as when Christian didn't show up for their special dinner, and even with the gift that she had bought in Christian's name, Grace still felt betrayed by her father.
Which was why Ana quickly intervened, saying that it was getting late and that it was still a school night, despite the birthday excitement and celebrations. Vicky and Charles left, promising to pick up Grace the next morning. Charles and Ana had agreed to a schedule where they would alternately rely on one another to drop their daughters off at school so the girls could spend a little bit more time together, and the parents could have an early start at work once in a while.
As soon as Vicky left, Grace took her iPad to call Jin and remind him that they would soon see each other. They had already planned a sleepover at the Grey's, though they were both disappointed that all the snow had melted and that they wouldn't be able to make a snow dragon.
Whilst Grace was on call with her friend from across the globe, Ana cleaned up under Christian's intense stare, though he did not pip a word. In all honesty, she was a little annoyed with him and how he had acted over dinner. Though he did not say anything, she knew that he had been very much bothered by Charles and the couple of jokes he had with her and it annoyed her.
She was getting tired, and even frustrated by Christian's constant and irrational jealousy. It drove Jamie away, and to appease him, she had isolated herself to make sure not to trigger his jealousy. But she never did anything that warranted this mistrust from him. On the contrary.
When Grace was done with Jin, Ana tucked her in, wishing her again a happy birthday and promising her that this new year would definitely be better than the previous one. Christian watched from the doorframe, not saying a word, and when she left Grace's room, he finally entered the room, closing the door behind him so the two birthday wonders could talk together.
A small curious part of Ana wanted to stay by the door and eavesdrop, but it was their special time and their special bond. Christian had always been like the eighth wonder of this world to Grace and she easily forgave him. Maybe part of it was because he indulged in her every whim, or maybe it was something deeper that she would never understand because she never had this kind of relationship with anyone before. All she knew was that the less she intervened, the better it would be for the two of them.
So she went back to the living room and took her phone out to organise the rest of her week when she saw that she had a text from Jamie.
So, in case he didn't bother telling you, Christian is back. ~ Jamie
I know. He's talking with Grace right now. ~ Ana
Don't forget, I'm more than happy to play muscles if you're too nice to do so. ~ Jamie
Ana smiled sadly to herself as she read this text. Jamie clearly hadn't been a fan of Christian since Valentine's night. It was probably due to the fact that, for the first time since she could remember, she willingly cried on someone's shoulder. But Ana mostly suspected that it had more to do with the fact that Christian had gone MIA for a whole month when she and Grace had needed him the most.
She didn't begrudge Christian for that; after all, as he pointed out the night before, she was the one who asked for time and space. In fact, if Christian hadn't left, she wouldn't have been able to find and rebuild herself. But she felt that Jamie still saw Christian's absence as desertion to his family.
Don't worry about me, it won't be necessary. ~ Ana
You've gone soft, Steele. Had he done to me half of what he did to you, you would have killed him long ago. ~ Jamie
He didn't do anything, Jamie. We're just not good at communicating. We need to work on that. ~ Ana
Keep telling yourself that … ~ Jamie
He's not a bad person, really. Don't villain-ise him. We both know I have issues too. Let me deal with them and with Christian my own way. ~ Ana
Okay. I won't do or say anything to him. But what about the skank? She's coming back on Monday. At least they didn't come back together. ~ Jamie
Ana bit the inside of her cheek, trying to see reason more than anything. There was something off about that Roxanne girl, but she couldn't be sure. And she didn't want to accuse a girl of being a homewrecker if it was far from her intention.
Let me deal with that too. So far, it might just be my insecurities talking. ~ Ana
Three dots appeared on the screen, but Ana didn't get the chance to read what Jamie replied for Christian had emerged from Grace's bedroom and was looking at her with his hands in his pockets and a miserable look on his face as he stayed by the frame.
He cleared his throat, and let her know, "So … I have been re-invited to the birthday party."
"I knew you would. Did she tell you about the magician your parents hired?"
Christian shook his head, looking down with his brows slightly furrowed, "No, we … talked about other things. She did say the party was at my parents'."
Ana smiled benevolently before tapping the empty space of the sofa next to her so Christian could come and sit. He looked at her hand before shaking his head and strongly letting her know, "I don't want to have this talk."
She rose her eyebrow at him and he crossed his arms on his chest as he strongly stated, "This is a breakup talk, just like last night was a breakup sex. I felt it in your touch, and I can see it in your eyes!"
"Christian …" she started gently, but he refused to listen to whatever she had to say and just frantically shook his head as he exclaimed,
"No! I fucked up. I know I did. I hurt you and I hurt Grace. I did and said things I never should have done and never thought I'd ever say to you, least of all. But you can't give up on us like that! You can't just leave and not give me a fighting chance!"
Ana got up as Christian warily watched her walk to him, but as soon as she opened her mouth to appease him, he cut her off again.
"Christian …"
"No! Don't use that tone, I gave you time and space. More than you asked for! And I come back to this? To an empty apartment and my family gone? What about us? What about our family?!"
She shook her head, looking down as she muttered, "You're not being fair."
"You're not being fair either! How do you think it felt yesterday night when I got home to this empty place with just a note. You didn't even tell me in person! You didn't even bother to try and call me! Is that what I'm worth to you? Just a note as a goodbye? Do I have so little value in your eyes?"
"Of course not."
"Then come back home. Please. Come back home and let me prove to you that I've heard you and that our family matters to me much more than what you think. If you want to have your own space, you can have your own room. I … I'll do anything, but just come back home."
"Christian …" Once again, he stopped her from saying what she wanted and took her head in his hands, "Please, babe. I know I don't deserve it, but I'm literally begging you. Give me one more chance to make it up to you. To Grace. To us. Let me prove to you that you're my everything."
She looked deep in his golden eyes that screamed hurt, fear and sincerity and sadly shook her head and she put her hands over his to regain possession of her face. Nothing had changed. Their time apart didn't make him have some introspection on himself as it did for her. She knew she was far from being blameless. She knew she should have put her foot down when she felt she wasn't heard by her own partner, she knew that the moment he started making her feel lonely instead of cared for, she should have forced him to see the issue.
This was how she was, she never liked imposing her feelings and her state of mind on others. It always felt to her that she was burdening people with the load she had on her shoulders instead of her being simply human and asking for help. But now that she recognised it, she was working on it. Slowly but surely, and most importantly, she was very much aware now of that flaw of hers.
But Christian was putting their whole relationship on her shoulders. Saying that he screwed up but not acknowledging how it meant nothing. She felt that she was back to nine months ago when he came back into their lives. He said all the right things, but she needed more. It wasn't just her anymore. She couldn't allow Christian to hurt Grace over and over again, even if he never did it intentionally.
So she took a deep breath and gave him back his coat as she softly but firmly told him, "I'd like you to leave now, please."
"Ana … babe …"
"You're not listening to me, Christian. I told you before, we should take it slow. But you wanted it to go your way. And now, you're barging into my home in the middle of the night to say that you're sorry, but you don't even let me talk. And I get it, you're freaked out, change is always scary. But as I told you many times, I'll never keep Grace away from you.
Maybe when you calm down you'll listen to what I have to say and I'll tell you what I want and we'll be able to exchange as normal adults do. But right now … we're following the same path as before and I don't want a repeat of last time."
Christian looked at her, his eyes showing that he still had much to say, but in the end, he only sighed, grabbing his coat as he apologised. "I'm sorry. I just … you're right, I am freaked out. I don't want to lose Grace. But … I am terrified at the idea of losing you."
"I know. And I'm not saying it's over. I just don't want to lose myself either. Not again. I need to rebuild myself, first, and I didn't wait for you to do so."
A flash of hurt crossed his face, but he quickly covered it by clearing his throat and putting his coat on, as he said, "I'd like to take you on a date Tuesday night."
"A date?"
"Yes. You're right, we didn't do it right the first two times around. There was the contract, and then Grace. I need to do what I should have done, to begin with, and it's to take you on a first date. If we're back at square one as you're implying, I'll make sure it fucking works this time. So Tuesday night? I can ask Elliott or my parents to babysit."
"I can't on Tuesday. How about Monday?"
"Why can't …" Christian stopped himself, taking a deep breath though Ana could tell he didn't like not knowing what she was doing and most importantly with who. But still, he didn't question it further and said, "Wednesday then. I have other engagements on Monday."
She smiled, though she made sure to not repeat her mistakes of the past, "Just the two of us, right? No business dinner waving into our date?"
"Just you and I," he assured her.
"And nothing fancy either?"
He chuckled humourlessly and joked, "McDonald's at best."
She cracked a small smile which made him cup her face again and rest his forehead on hers as he confessed in a whisper, "I missed you, babe. A lot. But I missed that smile even more. I haven't seen it in a long time."
They stayed like that for a moment, neither of them moving, afraid to break the fragility of this instant made of promises spoken from their mouths and hearts. But at some point, Ana remembered something and swiftly left the room to go to her bedroom where Christian's gift was. She came back and gave it to him, and for the first time in years, he opened the present in front of her, without her having to ask him so.
He tore the paper and revealed a small homemade wood box that held yet another deck of cards. She had struggled to make this box, cutting her fingers doing so, but the satisfaction to have done it herself was worth it in her eyes.
Christian opened the box and looked at the card, swallowing with difficulty as he read the title of the deck of cards. Then he paid more attention to the box before putting it aside on the table and taking Ana's hands in his, kissing her fingers as he told her, "Thank you. For my birthday gift and for … this." He pointed between the two of them, alluding to this new step they were taking, "Don't give up on us, babe. Because I'll never stop fighting for us."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
💚 Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed 💚
💚 I know it's been a while, but I'm back ^^
‼️ Anyway, EL James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, everything else is mine ‼️
Love, Mina 💚💚💚