My dear little broccolis💚💚💚
💚Sweetie, Let Me Give You The Daddy💚
"The best investment I ever made, was when I lost fifty million dollars and met the love of my life as a result of that."
‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️
‼️Romance/Angst/Drama/Lemons‼️
‼️AS/CG/The Greys/The Steeles/José Rodriguez/Grace Grey‼️
💚Now, in case it wasn't clear, this will be a Christian POV story. and I know you will want Ana's PoV, but it will just be Christian.
💚 READ & REVIEW, DON'T BE A SILENT READER 💚
Chapter 21: Turquoise, 15 Red Roses, Glendalough(9,6K)
So this title is cheeky. What is the meaning of 15 roses? Tell me guys, without checking google. Turquoise is said to attract money, success and love and we have our usual Whiskey here. ^^
When Christian got back home the next day, he had missed Grace's bedtime once again, though she had called him and told him that she made pumpkin cookies with her Nana and that he could have some. His family was staying over for the weekend, and from what he gathered, Grace was loving it, especially since she had Jason wrapped around her finger.
Ana had sent him pictures of Jason and Grace dressed in princess dresses and debating who was the better princess. He was slightly annoyed to miss spending time with her, but he still had to deal with several of his dealings abroad.
He did, however, spend an hour with Ana at a shelter for lunchtime, as per Roger's request. Ana had found an association that would be happy to take their Thanksgiving leftovers off their hands. Christian didn't even think it was possible to give perishable food, but Ana had taken care of everything.
And Roger felt that it would be good for Christian's public image to be seen helping the less fortunate, rather than him just sending a check. Ana didn't object, and it allowed them to spend a little time together, even though it was under the scrutiny of a couple of photographers.
She had promised him a peanut butter cheesecake for when he would get back home, but he still wanted to go by the gym, to ease his conscience due to all the food he had on the previous day. So, after greeting his family and kissing his girlfriend, Christian let them know that he would exercise for a bit. Elliott proposed to join him, and even if he had thought of denying his brother, he would have accepted under Ana's very pointed look.
They each started on a treadmill, Elliott making fun of him for working when the rest of the US was busy shopping. Christian rolled his eyes, but was surprised when Elliott told him,
"You know, Ana lets Mom and Dad spoil Grace. We went shopping, and she did not pip a word. This is quite frustrating. It's called discrimination against awesome uncles, you know. Talk to your woman!"
Christian smirked, reminiscing that he had told Ana that being a grandparent meant spoiling kids. Ana had listened and took it upon herself to stop nagging.
"Well, Christmas is coming. She can't nag Santa."
"Grace doesn't believe in Santa. Why do you have to have such a bright kid? I was so looking forward to dressing as Santa again," Elliott whined, and Christian whipped his head around, unaware of that fact.
"What?"
"Yeah, Julian and Jason were asking her if she got her letter to Santa. And she got all red. It was so cute. She said she didn't want to talk about it, and then Ana told her it was okay. She thought my kids still believed in Santa and she didn't want to ruin their fun." He chuckled, but Christian frowned. It was one thing for Ana to read their daughter French stories about ex-cons and failed revolutions, it was another to crush the idea of Santa. Elliott must have caught up on his mood because he added,
"Grace was terrified at the idea that a grown man could come into her house, uninvited. And apparently, she also said that it didn't make sense for Santa to come to give presents to all the kids in the world on the same night, because her Godparents needed to take the plane to come and see her, so the man in red needs a plane as well, and plane rides are long.
I think Ana is a bit disappointed that she never really got to do the whole Christmas thing with her daughter."
Christian nodded, refocusing on his treadmill, wondering if being so clever was going to rob Grace of all the enjoyable things of childhood. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny. But then he recalled that Grace still believed in dragons and magic.
So, he simply focused on the conversation, asking what they did during the day. The morning had been dedicated to Christian's presents from Grace and Ana. And no matter how much he tried to get his brother to spill, Elliott remained silent as a tomb.
They had spent the afternoon playing games in the penthouse, and Grace showed more interest in chess than card games, so she spent most of her afternoon with her grandfather whilst the rest of the family played card games, though Julian mostly stayed on his phone, or in the kitchen with Ana.
"Julian is in this phase where he thinks I'm a total loser, and I get it, Dad was pretty lame at one time," Elliott reminded them, and they both laughed at the recollection of Carrick trying to be cool to Elliott's friends whenever he had someone over.
"Yeah, you remember that one time he tried to start his sentence with 'yo' … God, I hope I never do that," Christian snickered, getting off the treadmill, and Elliott approved. They moved to the boxing bag, and Christian held it steady as his brother put on the gloves.
"Argh, if I ever do that to the kids, you are allowed to kill me. The shame, the embarrassment, the lack of self-awareness," Elliott shivered, and they both laughed again before he started hitting the bag and said,
"The thing is … Julian had his first date a few days ago, and I barely knew about it. He called Ana and asked her for all the advice he could get -which I don't get. I mean, I get not wanting your Dad in the ordeal, but Ana is dating you, so she is clearly lacking good sense in that department."
Even though Elliott's tone was teasing, Christian did not stop himself from pushing the bag in the direction of his brother's face, who just grinned. But he could still tell that Elliott was bothered by this wedge forming between him and his first son.
"Stop being such a stick. I was just teasing. I mean, it's all I can do since I am officially an uncool dad now. Which is rather annoying, I was the best dad at birthday parties."
"Well … did he tell you how the date went?"
"Nope. Not a word. But I'm guessing there is going to be a part two since no one was allowed in the kitchen today whilst they were making dinner with Ana, talking about God knows what for a whole hour. You know, it's going to be so much better when you guys live in Seattle. I'll send my kid to you for all the unpleasantness that teenagers bring, and I'll take yours for tea parties and dragon tales."
"I'm not switching kids."
"Aww, but Jason would love you forever if he could have a little sister, instead of a big brother."
Christian rolled his eyes, though he agreed with Elliott. If anyone was even happier than his parents about Grace being in his life, it was Jason. Throughout Thanksgiving, he was at Grace's beck and call, and she loved the attention. He helped her with her food, he praised the littlest things she did, he proudly showed her tricks he had learned from his brother, like how to make a flower (of sorts) from a napkin.
"Yeah, your kid is like Dad junior."
They both laughed, and Elliott kept punching the bag as Christian felt that he should say something about his other nephew. Julian might not be Elliott's biological son, but he loved him just the same. In Elliott's heart, Julian was his firstborn, and Christian was sure that Ana would chastise him if he didn't find a way to make his brother feel a bit better.
"Maybe … you should try to share with Julian how you used to make all the girls fall for you. You know, a few tips and pointers."
Elliott rolled his eyes, "You know, this high school bullshit, you're going to have to get over it. It's not like I asked for it."
"Just trying to help with your kid," Christian mumbled under his breath. Whilst growing up, Elliott had always been popular, and the girls all fawned over him. So much so that a couple of girls only talked to Christian in the hopes of getting closer to Elliott.
"Yeah, well, I'm sure I'll get an 'Eww, Dad, gross,' anyway. So, don't sweat it."
"Why don't you propose to have the girl over for lunch, then?"
"Girl? I don't even know if he's interested in girls," Elliott said with a shrug, and Christian stared at his brother, dumbfounded.
"Julian's gay?"
"How the hell should I know?"
"Well, didn't you ask him?"
"No, of course not. Kids already have enough on their plates, without the pressure of fitting in this category, or the other. I don't care, honestly. He should just follow his heart … well, at his age, his pants are more accurate.
We had the talk about STDs, pregnancies, and all that, and Ana told me that she covered that all over again, so I'm good. Well, I'd rather he'd wait a bit to dip it anywhere, but I don't think he's there yet, anyway. It was just the first date."
"But how can you not know if he's gay?" Christian mused. "I mean there are some signs. You don't watch big boobs porn if you're gay. And I don't know, what's his favourite TV show, or what kind of posters are in his room?"
Elliott rolled his eyes, removing his gloves as he said, "Sometimes, I wonder what world you live in. My kid knows his way around a computer, Christian. He knows how to delete his browser history, and I don't snoop in his laptop. I trust him. And honestly, shows and posters? Have you seen the shows that come up nowadays? Have you heard of inclusivity? It doesn't just affect the business world, it also affects Hollywood.
I'm good really, I just wanted to rant. He's my first kid, and … it's the first time I'm feeling he's not my little boy anymore. It will be easier with Jason. I'm sure Dad has had the same conversation with Mom."
"Oh, so now, I'm Mom?" Christian said with a mocking smile, putting the gloves on. Elliott playfully nudged him, before taking the bag in his hand to keep it steady for his brother, just like Christian had done for him.
For a while, neither of them said a word, the room only echoing with Christian's jabs, when Elliott finally spoke, "So … shall we talk about it?"
"About what?"
"The elephant in the room?"
Christian stopped boxing for a second, staring at his brother with incomprehension. Elliott rolled his eyes, and clarified, "That Jamie guy."
Christian scowled, and resumed his punches, though he hit harder this time. He didn't want to speak or even think about Jamie.
"You don't like him," Elliott said, not asking a question but stating a fact. Christian didn't respond, hoping that he wasn't that obvious. He didn't want to go back on his word to Ana. But then again, she did say something about his attitude toward Hyde (what a stupid name), so she would have mentioned something if she felt that he had ill feelings toward Jamie. Unless … unless she too felt something for the man from her past.
"I'm just wondering why you don't like him. I mean, is he bad at his job, and you're only keeping him because of —"
"He's perfect for the job," Christian gritted between his teeth.
"Then, why?"
Christian briefly glanced at his brother, not comfortable sharing things Ana only shared with him. "Did Ana tell you about him?"
Elliott pointedly looked at his brother, as if he was stupid. "Ana? Do you even know your girlfriend? Ana never willingly speaks about herself. On what planet do you live?"
"I know. Well … they just … have a common past. They grew up together," Christian said, trying to stay as vague as possible and focussing on his jabs.
"Oh … that explains a lot." Christian stopped and threw a look at his brother. Elliott shrugged and said, "It's just something in the way they interact."
"Yeah, like the way he can't keep his eyes off of her!"
Elliott rolled his eyes, but Christian finally let it all out. After all, he didn't promise anything to his brother. "Ana might see him only as a brother, but he clearly wants more. And he's always in the way, always around because he works for me. But even outside of work, he's here.
I had no intention of inviting him for Thanksgiving, but of course, Ana did. And every morning, he jogs with her, and of course, Grace has to like him as well, because he's so nice to her. He's always around. So much so that my PR got more pictures of him and Ana than me and my girlfriend. How is that even logical?
He's easing his way into my family, and all he wants is to snatch it away."
After his rant, he felt out of breath, and Elliott simply looked at him before quietly saying something that sounded like a stupid absurdity.
"I don't think so." Christian gave him a pointed look and Elliott continued, "Did you try to pay attention to anyone else yesterday?"
"Hyde was there," Christian gritted between his teeth. Why did he have to suffer in his own home all the men lurking around his girlfriend who was too oblivious to understand?
"Jose also had his eyes on her all the time."
"Jose is gay and married."
"Jose is a brother. Look at Julian yesterday. Or this morning. His first concern was about Grace and to know if she slept well. Sure, he didn't play with her and all, but just like he does for Jason, he always had an eye on Grace as well."
"You don't look at me all the time," Christian retorted, rolling his eyes.
"I do. How do you think I've noticed you grinding your teeth like some idiot? I always know what you're doing when we're together. You know, in some way, being the older sibling is a bit like being a parent."
"It's not. Stop making jokes, I'm serious about this, Elliott."
"And so am I. You can't understand, you're the youngest. But as an older brother … I don't know, you naturally feel protective of your younger siblings, and you want them to be happy. You—"
"It doesn't fit your theory, Ana is older than Jamie," Christian cut him off, even though he knew he was pushing it. Jamie was only six months younger than Ana.
"Is he? The guy is freakishly tall, though. I thought he was older. But I also think that he's old fashioned. He's the guy, he's bigger and stronger than Ana. Of course, he'd want to protect her."
"Who cares what he wants? It's not his job. It's my job. She's my girl. They're not even blood-related. They haven't seen each other in more than fifteen years. Whatever they had before as kids, it died a long time ago. Only Ana still believes in her romanticised notion that they're still a family. She's deluded, and he uses that against her."
"I hope you didn't say that to her."
"Of course not, I'm not stupid," Christian snarled before taking a deep calming breath. Ana always had that beautiful ideal of what a family was, and sometimes, Christian felt she wanted so much for this fantasy to be real that she forgot her reality.
"Well … I think you're wrong. I don't know, Christian. There is this saying about blood being thicker than water, but … the three of them, Jose, Jamie and Mia, I could tell they had a strong bond with Ana. As sad as it is to say, it feels like their bond is stronger than ours. Maybe it's because they grew up with crappy families. Maybe when you create your own family, you also create much stronger ties."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
The Tuesday that followed the Thanksgiving weekend was the day Andrea had found some time for Christian to take Ana on a date. He had Andrea book them The Leopard and Ana seemed to be quite excited to spend this evening with him. That was until a business associate from Washington came to New York and wrecked all his plans with Ana.
He had Andrea call Ana to let her know and cancel, annoyed by this bump in their schedule. Since Ana barely had a month left to work with Raymond, she stopped taking new cases, and she started having more time during the day, but it was the opposite for Christian.
He spent the whole day delving into how much he didn't like these kinds of unplanned bumps. He could blow his associate off, but he didn't want to be rude to someone with whom he had invested so much of his time and money. It was only when Jamie brought up the matter again that he thought of a good solution.
"So …" Jamie started, looking up from his phone. "Do you want me to come, tonight?"
"It's a business dinner, and last time I checked, you are required to be present at that sort of meeting. Plus, it will be good for you to meet Jefferson, he has more than one business with GEH."
"Yes, I get that. I just … He's coming with his wife, isn't he? I doubt he'll talk shop all night. I thought you'd rather make it cosy and intimate, like a double date."
Christian stared at Jamie, wondering why he didn't think of that himself earlier. This would be perfect. He would get to give Ana the date she wanted and meet his partner at the same time. And, the cherry on top, it would be some time with Ana, without Jamie around.
He must have stared longer than he thought because Jamie cleared his throat and reminded him, "That's why you hired me, remember, to make your life easier. I would take the dinner on myself, but you don't seem ready to relinquish that kind of control yet."
"No. Take your evening off. Find yourself a date, I'll get Andrea to call Ana," Christian said, before thinking about it. Andrea already cancelled on Ana, so it would be best if he called her and told her himself, in case she needed some convincing.
He took his phone out, ready to kick Jamie out for a couple of minutes, but then he saw he had a missed text from Ana. He frowned, not having felt the buzz in his pocket, and then thinking that he should tell Ana to contact him on his professional phone that he always had out, rather than his personal.
So, I just had news from Andrea about our date night … It's okay. But next time, I would rather you tell me yourself. And I wouldn't say no to nice flowers for consolation, either ^^. ~ Ana
I'm sorry, babe. I just saw your text. How about I still take you out, and get you the flowers as well? ~ Christian
It's okay, Christian. I understand that you have to work. I just want to make it clear that I'm with you, not your PA. It doesn't feel nice when she's the one cancelling our date night for you. ~ Ana
Christian frowned, surprised that Ana would take something so simple so personally. She said that Andrea was a security blanket to her, so she shouldn't feel so self-conscious about Andrea being in charge of events in his life.
I won't cancel again. That was not very smart. As I said, I'm still taking you out. Let me show Jefferson the beautiful woman who shares my life. ~ Christian
You want me to come to your business dinner? ~ Ana
I promise I'll keep the work talk to a minimum. And he's coming with his wife. It will be a double date. ~ Christian
Okay. ~ Ana
I'll still get you the flowers though. Roses, or sunflowers? ~ Christian
15 red roses ^^ ~ Ana
That's specific. ~ Christian
It has a special meaning. Look it up. And you're not allowed to ask Andrea to do the job for you, I will know. I'll see you tonight, with my flowers. xoxo ~ Ana
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
After their date with the Jeffersons, Christian had Taylor drive them back to their apartment, his hand clasped around Ana's. He closed the partition, having had invested in a car that could have separation since he knew that Ana wasn't comfortable talking in front of either Taylor or Sawyer.
"Babe, can I ask you something?"
Ana turned away from the window where she had her gaze lost in traffic and looked in his eyes with a curious smile, and so he said, "It's just … I don't … It felt like you were playing a role."
She raised a surprised eyebrow, and said matter-of-factly, "I have a role to play, Christian. As your girlfriend, I can't—"
"No you don't," he cut her off. "I don't give a flying shit about what any of them think. It can be Jefferson, the Chos, Windsor, the President himself. I don't care about them. You're my w… girlfriend, and all I care about is that you're comfortable. Just you. Who cares about the world when I have you?"
She gave him a bright smile, and she brought his hand to her lips, squeezing it gently as she looked back through the window. He felt a pinch at how it should have been the other way around. He should have been the one to kiss her hand, but he kept that to himself, not wanting to give Ana yet another reason to call him a caveman.
They lightly talked about Grace as well as the meaning of Ana's bouquet on their way home and once in the elevator, Ana kissed him without a care in the world, which didn't surprise Christian much. He had noticed that Ana was always a bit bolder after drinking. And he was pretty sure that her tolerance for alcohol drastically lowered after giving birth to Grace.
Still, he was not going to waste the opportunity to enjoy the feel of Ana against him, even if it was momentary, and he tackled her against the mirror, one hand cupping her face whilst the second went to her leg, appreciating the feel of her skin beneath her dress, despite the coldness of it.
When they got to their penthouse, Ana detangled herself from him, though she took the time to bite his lower lip while squeezing his ass, and Christian wished that this wasn't a school night. Jose and Karl had come to look after Grace, but now that they were back, the pair would go back to their own home.
"So, I would appreciate it if you told Carrick that he's no longer allowed to teach Grace any games. It's always depressing when a four-year-old beats you at chess. Grandpas are supposed to give sweets to their grandkids, not chess games," Jose whined, and both Ana and Karl laughed at him.
The couple didn't stay long, only catching up with Ana for a few moments, and Christian barely paid attention, answering a couple of emails on his phone, his left hand caressing Ana's skin on her back where her dress allowed it.
Still, his ears perked when he heard Jose joke again about his daughter, on a matter much more serious than her abilities at chess. "She was so cute with her boyfriend. They spent almost an hour on the phone until Jin's mother told him he would be late for school. They'll make such a cute couple."
Christian looked up, glaring at Jose for bringing that up, even as a joke. Grace was four, just a little girl who only cared about having a friend and sharing her passion for dragons and languages. He already had a Cantonese tutor lined up in Seattle so she could learn to speak and write it faster. Grace had been devastated to learn that there was this whole different language on the other part of the world, though she chastised herself for not realising that the symbols in Mulan were words.
Ana must have sensed him tense because she gently squeezed his knee, without even looking at him, and so he got up, kissing her cheek and telling them that he would work in his office. A couple of hours later, Ana came to him, still wearing the white dress she wore at the restaurant, a glass of wine in each hand.
"Are you still mad?"
"I'm not mad. Just …" He looked for his words, and she smiled, walking to him and leaning against the desk as she gave him his glass.
"You're just being a caveman. Grace is four. You have ten good years before she starts thinking of boys that way. Or girls."
"How about thirty?" He grumbled under his breath, before drinking the wine.
"Hey! We're supposed to toast!" She exclaimed.
"About what?" He asked, confused.
"Us? I think that's a good reason to toast. Little us time," She shrugged, drinking her wine just like he did.
He frowned, slowly putting the glass down and looking at the woman he loved. With a sigh, he closed his laptop and took her hand in his so they could go to bed together. She tried to protest, telling him to keep working, but he was tired anyway. And for once, he would like to fall asleep at the same time as Ana.
Once they got to their bedroom, Ana stopped for a second, before she smiled at Christian and tiptoed to kiss him. He smiled back, closing his eyes and taking Ana to bed, but when she strode him and started undoing his shirt, he got what she had in mind.
"Ana … babe …" He stopped their kiss and took her by the shoulders. Her eyes were full of lust, and her fingers tracing the lines of his chest as she said in a heated whisper,
"I've been thinking … she's quite far you know. If we're quiet and you don't make me scream …"
Christian pondered for a moment. On one hand, he would love to take her right then and there. On the other, he still had this vivid memory of hearing things he was not supposed to hear during summer vacation by the beach. And he didn't want to scar Grace like that.
"What changed your mind?" He asked as she leaned back to kiss his neck, grinding against him.
"Something Andrew said, last night," she mindlessly explained.
Andrew paid a visit to the girls every Monday, and Christian never cared, because he knew the man's story. But hearing another man's name in his girlfriend's mouth at this exact moment set something wild in him.
He brusquely brought her lips to his and gave her a bruising kiss as he rolled them over so he would be on top of her. In no time, the clothes had flown off, and he was ready to plunge into her and claim her as his. But Ana stopped him last second and reclaimed her position on top of him, before reaching for his nightstand to grab the condoms.
Once he was covered, she impaled herself on him, and they shared an intense and passionate moment, Christian sitting up to incessantly kiss Ana to keep their lovemaking as silent as possible, his fingers digging in her skin much deeper than he ever did.
They finished together, in a final silent exhale before Christian let himself fall backwards, taking Ana with him, the two of them out of breath. He felt sleep come to him quickly, but before he could even fathom the idea of rolling on the side and spooning with Ana, she was up and on her way to the bathroom. Christian groaned, doing his best to keep his ego in check. He knew that Ana always had a boost of energy after sex, but he still had that hope that one day, he would fuck her to oblivion.
He sighed and removed the condom, cursing at the object and finding yet another thing to dislike about it. They would never be able to simply roll over and fall asleep with him still buried inside of her. He discarded the rubber on his nightstand, but when he heard the water of the shower running, he decided to get up and go to the bathroom.
Though his nice sentiments quickly flew out the window when he felt the icy water Ana was using. He went to the sink and quickly rinsed off before brushing his teeth and feeling Ana's cold skin quickly embrace him from behind. She stood by his side to brush her teeth as well, only wearing her towel.
Christian admired her, seeing with a frown the red marks he had left on her shoulders. He placed himself behind her, kissing each one of them before undoing her towel, making her chastise him with her mouth full of toothpaste. He traced the clear print of his fingers that were bound to leave bruises on the skin of her waist and lower back.
He looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I'm sorry, babe." She rolled her eyes and bent over to rinse her mouth. And though it was a perfectly erotic view, he did not get aroused in the slightest.
"It doesn't hurt. At all. It was quite pleasant to have you so … passionate. I wish I could have screamed."
He wrapped her back in her towel and she folded it so it would stand on its own. "And there I thought you were a caveman and you liked the idea of marking me. I bruise easily, Christian. Stop being such a sensitive soul."
She playfully nudged him, and he snapped out of it. She didn't seem to be the slightest bit in pain during their lovemaking. But he had never marked a woman that way before, and for a moment, he felt that his jealousy had pushed him too far.
But Ana didn't care and was laughing about it, though there was one thing she should not joke about. "No man better see those marks. Or I'll kill him myself."
"Caveman," Ana let out, rolling her eyes, and he grinned. Then, as she took care of her face, he grabbed a brush and did her hair. Ana looked at his reflection in the mirror, puzzled for a moment, but she did not oppose.
"So … what did Andrew say that made you think of our sex life?" He questioned, doing his best to detangle her hair without pulling it too much. Ana looked for a special jar, and shrugged, not looking at his reflection.
"Something about Grace never hearing us when we were in London. Or even when we were in our flat in New York. And obviously, those places were smaller."
Christian froze for a moment, reminding himself that nothing happened between Ana and the Brit. Ana must have felt him freeze because she tried to turn, but he just cleared his throat and focused on his task.
"What did you talk about?"
"His loss, mainly."
This ought to stop Christian in this train of thought. Andrew still didn't pip a word about his loss, and Christian respected it. He had heard Ana insist that Andrew come to visit them in Seattle on a particular weekend of January, but Andrew had turned her down. Christian assumed it was the death anniversary of his late family and Ana didn't want him to be alone then.
When Christian put down the brush, Ana thanked him by gently pecking his lips, and they went back to their room where she slipped in her pyjamas. "You know, you could just sleep in the nude. I promise I won't mind."
She chuckled, still putting on the clothes and let him know, "I'm going to check on Grace."
He went to bed, not bothering with any pyjamas and feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. They wouldn't need to schedule their lovemaking from now on. Between the meetings with CF Holdings and their silent nights, everything would be perfect. He tried to look at his agenda to see when he would be able to book Ana next, but without Andrea to make it look all fluid, he gave up on the idea and postponed that to the morning.
When Ana came back, she picked up their clothes and folded them before slipping in bed next to him, raising an eyebrow at his nakedness. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, holding her against him and kissing her neck, and she reminded him, "Shall I remind you that Grace rushes to our room when she's scared in the middle of the night."
Christian didn't need her to tell him twice. He put his pyjama trousers on and spooned with Ana, kissing her shoulder as he said, "I enjoyed having you by my side tonight, babe. I hope you did too."
She gently squeezed his arm to let him know that she did, and Christian was pretty sure that she would fall asleep within minutes. This was something he envied of Ana, her ability to fall asleep so easily.
He lovingly held her a bit tighter and asked, "Did you think of your Christmas present, babe?"
"Another date."
He rolled his eyes. "That's not a Christmas present. I can give you that any time."
"… A date with just you and I …"
Christian swallowed, kissing her shoulder with love and understanding the meaning behind the words. She didn't mind the evening, but she would have liked it better if it had been something more intimate.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
During the first week of December, Grace was over the moon. It wasn't hard for Christian to understand that, though she knew the Santa secret, she still loved Christmas just like any other kid. She marvelled at the first flake of snow, letting Christian know that she had never seen snow before. She had her mother take a lot of pictures to send them to Jin as well.
She was slightly disappointed that they wouldn't decorate their flat since they would be moving shortly before Christmas, and so Christian had Andrea find a home decorator to give the Christmas spirit to his place in Seattle, to surprise his daughter. But he knew that his parents were FaceTiming Grace almost daily as they decorated their own house for Christmas and that together, they decided on a golden Christmas.
Ana had already started packing, even though Christian told her over and over again that he could get movers to do it for them. But being the stubborn thing that she was, Ana didn't listen, saying that she knew what she wanted to leave, and what she wanted to bring. Christian didn't care much. If he missed something, he would just buy it in Seattle, just like he would do for the girls, even if he knew he would get a lot of complaints from a certain redhead.
Still, there was one thing he would not let Ana reign him in about: the Christmas presents. One morning, when he came in earlier than usual, he had found Andrea looking at a website, and every day, he found himself ordering something to be delivered straight to his parents, so Ana couldn't nag about it. It went from simple teddy bears in cute different outfits, to a whole treehouse for the cats.
His mother called him on the third day, making fun of him, but promising not to sell him out to Ana. Sure, he knew he couldn't use the Santa excuse, but he would be damned if he wasn't going to treat his daughter the day she was supposed to be spoiled rotten.
However, he still had no idea what to buy for Ana. The idea of just giving her a date was ridiculous. There was nothing special about it. He asked Andrea to find him what husbands usually gave their wives for Christmas, and nothing seemed to fit Ana. She was too simple for her own good.
He tried to remember what his father had offered his mother over the years, but unlike Ana, his mother liked jewellery and being treated with gifts. He never heard his mother complain when his father surprised her out of nowhere with something, and he knew that more than once, it had been his mom who dragged his dad to go shopping. So, when he woke up on Sunday morning, he still didn't know what to get Ana.
He checked the time, seeing that it was almost ten and that he had slept more than usual, not that he was surprised. He had spent most of the night making love to Ana, just because he wanted to do it. Nothing triggered his advances, nothing but the fact that he loved her, and that they were going to bed together.
For a moment, he just laid in bed, slightly grimacing at the empty side and Ana's habits of waking up with the sun. And he found his mind wandering to the previous night when Grace came to his office for her goodnight kiss.
He was working from home, and he had video-conference after video-conference the whole day. People usually loved the Christmas season for its festive spirit, but it was the end of the year, and he always had more work then. December and January were always his busiest months, not that he ever minded. He liked keeping busy, and he liked going to bed knowing he had accomplished something.
It was only when Grace came to his office, already in her pyjamas that he realised that he had spent the whole day working and didn't spend any time with the little girl. One of her cats followed her in and jumped on his desk to sit on his laptop.
"Haha, Peanut wants to say goodnight as well," Grace laughed and Christian ignored the kitten, picking up Grace so he could spend five minutes with his daughter. He hugged her, kissing her cheek and she asked,
"What were you doing?"
"Just some boring work, sweetie. Sorry I didn't spend any time with you."
"No, it's okay. Mama said that you would be busy so you can spend Christmas with us. Is your work boring?"
"Yes."
"So why do you do it?" Her blue eyes were looking at him intensely, trying to make sense out of him, and he chuckled, kissing her temple as he corrected himself. "It's boring for kids. It's interesting for adults."
Grace frowned, not convinced in the slightest. "But you're not a kid. Maybe I won't find it boring. I think I should work with you and tell you if it's boring."
Christian laughed, picturing his little girl coming to the board and calling the shots. That would be something to see. But Grace looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to agree with her plan.
"I'll take you to work one day," he promised, already knowing that Ana would chastise him for that. But Grace seemed so sure of herself, he couldn't find it in his heart to refuse her that simple thing.
"Good," she grinned, sitting up straight and feeling so important. Christian smiled and Grace carefully studied his office before she asked,
"What are the five things you will put in the box?"
"What?"
"Your five things. When we came to New York, Mama made a special box with the five things that are the most important. Like if we lose the rest, we still have the important things."
"Oh, I see," Christian said, though he had no idea what he would put in said box. Anything he would lose, he could replace. "What are your five things?"
"Well, it was hard, but with Mama, we thought about it and I will put my dragon lamp. I wanted to put my teddy, but it doesn't fit. I'll have my bracelet from the hospital because it was when I was brave. The book Jin gave me. And the chessboard Pops gave me. Oh, and Grams, of course. We can't lose Grams Mary."
Christian smiled at the seriousness of her tone; she had put a lot of thought into it, it was obvious. He played with her braid, and nonchalantly noted, "Interesting. But, what about Gus and Peanut?"
Grace gaped at him, her blue eyes horrified, "Mama said they were coming with us to Seattle!"
"They are, I am just surprised that they're not in your box."
"But … daddy. They're not things. They're animals."
Christian chuckled once more, nodding and she looked at him as if he was the worst person in the world. "You did know they are animals, right, Daddy?"
"Of course I know that. Didn't you?"
She pouts. "Did you know that turkey is an animal too?"
Christian nodded, remembering Grace's confused expression when she saw the bird on Thanksgiving. She had asked her mother, and Ana had said that she would explain later. And since Grace never forgot a later, Christian assumed Ana had already burst that bubble.
"Well, I didn't. And I told Mama I don't want to eat turkey anymore," Grace said, crossing her arms, her pout intensifying and making her even cuter.
"What are you going to eat on Christmas? Nana and Pops make the best Christmas dinners."
"Well … I don't know. But I'm not eating an animal. Maybe I'll ask Nana to make me a steak."
Christian rolled his eyes, and said without thinking, "Steak comes from the cow."
Grace gasped in horror, her blue eyes wide and teary, and Christian immediately regretted his words. Especially when Grace declared, "Nooooo! I am not eating steak either!"
"Sweetie … that's the circle of life. Animals are meant to be eaten," he reasoned because, after all, they were at the top of the food chain. Grace got down from his lap and put her fists on her hips, and Christian couldn't help the small smile as she reminded him so much of her mother at that right instant.
"Are you going to eat Peanut and Gus?"
"No. They're cats. We don't eat cats," he promised, but Grace was already in activist mode,
"But we eat poor little turkeys and poor little cows. Well, that's not fair. I saw a cow in London and … and … and it stunk. But … it's not nice to eat them because they stink!"
"So what are you going to eat?"
She was at a loss of words for a moment, clearly not having thought so far in the future, but then, she had an illumination and said, "What the stinking cows and poor little turkey eat."
Christian repressed a sigh. He had expected this coming from Ana, not Grace. But he knew he had it coming sooner or later. He was about to try and argue that some animals eat others, but Ana popped her head in, scowling at Grace.
"Honey, you said a quick kiss. It's been half an hour. Time for bed."
Grace stood on her tiptoes to kiss her father, and she walked to the door to take her mother's hand. Ana smiled at him, but when she was about to close the door, Grace shrieked and rushed inside, struggling to take Peanut from Christian's desk, and throwing daggers with her eyes at her father. She didn't trust her cat to be alone with the animal-eating-monster that he was.
Christian laughed when she closed the door and went back to his work. An hour later, Ana knocked, coming in with a hot plate of food, making him realise that he wouldn't have eaten if it hadn't been for Ana bringing him food and water throughout the day. She put the plate down, but when she made a move to leave, Christian spun her around to sit her on his lap.
He glanced at the plate and saw mashed potatoes with broccoli and lean chicken, and he smiled to himself, moving so he could kiss Ana's neck as he asked, "Is this the last time I'm eating chicken?"
Ana chuckled, "Probably."
"I may have spilt the beans about the whole cow thing."
"Well, to be fair, I've been thinking about it for a while, now. I just didn't want to impose that on Grace. But it is more eco-friendly, and we have to leave a healthy planet to our daughter."
He repressed an eye-roll, doubting that the actions of their little family would impact the grand scheme of things.
"What about our health? I'm no doctor, but last time I checked, we need protein to survive."
She pointed at the broccoli on his plate. "And last time I checked, veggies and legumes have tons of proteins. That's why we give it to the animals, so they can give it to us. We're just cutting the middleman."
Christian "hmphed", not fully convinced, but not caring in the end. He was sure Grace would get bored quickly and change her mind once her food would not be as good as it used to be. So, he changed the topic, moving Ana a little so he could eat but keep her by his side.
"So, do I get to know what your five things are?" He asked with a smile.
"What are yours?"
"I only have two, and I've been made aware that I can't put people or animals into boxes."
She laughed, playing with his hair before she told him, "I'm pretty simple. It didn't take me hours like Grace. I have a few photo albums. A few letters. Grace's first outfit. The book I bought with my first paycheck. And …"
She touched her necklace, and Christian put down his fork to do the same. It was a simple amber on a simple silver string and there was rarely a time when he hadn't seen it on her. Unless it was a fashion faux pas with what she was wearing, Ana always had it around her neck.
And yet, every time Christian had given her jewellery, Ana only wore it on some occasions. She never wore a bracelet or a necklace he gave her, just for the sake of it. And … it wounded his ego. The fact that she would constantly wear something someone else had given her, probably another man, but would always be difficult when it came from him.
He let it go before he did something rash and stupid like ripping it away from her, and he refocused on his food. Once again, he was cursing at the five years they lost. If he had played his cards better then, she never would have been wearing someone else's jewellery.
"It's from the guys and Grace," she said, making him look back up. "They gave it to me this year for my birthday. I usually don't like celebrating the whole thing, and this year was even worse. But Jose tricked me by getting Grace involved. I couldn't refuse and upset her. Not when …"
Christian nodded, understanding that given Grace's fragile health at the time, Ana feared that upsetting their daughter might cause her harm. But it was not on this topic that he commented.
"I thought you loved celebrating your birthday."
She shrugged, uncomfortable, and he heard what she wouldn't say. Her last birthday with him was tainted with the memory of what happened between them. And it was something she had never been able to forget because she had a living reminder.
It was only at that moment that Christian realised how special Grace was. She had been conceived on her mother's birthday, and she was born on his.
With a shake of his head, Christian came back to the present and got out of bed. After passing by the bathroom, he went straight to the kitchen, his stomach growling for food, but what he wasn't expecting was to find Raymond sitting in his kitchen and speaking with Ana as if it were nothing.
Ana smiled at him, whilst Christian sat next to her and scowled at the extra lawyer in the room. "Haven't you heard of office hours, Wilks? It's Sunday!"
Ana squeezed his arm and he looked at her before kissing her. He poured himself some coffee, still glaring at Raymond, who had the indecency to smirk and eat another cinnamon roll as he lightly said,
"I'm just trying to convince a certain missy to let me help her with her move. But some people are born stubborn."
Christian frowned, turning to Ana for more explanation, but she just shook her head, her eyes on the clock with a worried expression on her face. "Grace should be up, by now. I'm going to check on her."
Christian stopped her from moving. It was barely half-past ten. "Let her sleep. It's normal for kids to sleep in."
"But … she usually wakes up around nine. I just want to make sure she's okay."
"Let her sleep. If she's sleeping in, it's because she needs it. Now, what's that about the move? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Raymond is just finding a lame excuse to enjoy some baked goods off the clock."
Raymond rolled his eyes, though Christian noticed that he was halfway finished with the cinnamon roll, and he wouldn't put it past the lawyer to come just for the food.
"I'm just saying, Ana, if you're going to be pro bono, it would be good for you to be affiliated with something. Whether it's a firm, an association, a politician. You need someone to back you up."
Christian grimaced, never having been fond of politicians. He always made sure to never endorse any one of them during electoral campaigns because he truly despised that species.
Raymond caught his look, and explained, "I know how you feel about politics, Christian. But think about it. The best way to protect kids is to change laws, and contrary to popular beliefs, lawyers don't do that. Politicians do." Then he turned to Ana, "I know someone who thinks quite like you, and —"
Christian interrupted him, turning to Ana with a small grin as the full meaning of Raymond's words registered to his mind. "You're taking up my offer? All of it?"
Ana shrugged, still looking at the clock as she said, "I'm thinking about it. I've also contacted a couple of firms specialised in business. But Raymond keeps pushing."
"Oh, push away," Christian said to his lawyer with a smile. Anything to get Ana to follow her dreams. He was about to ask what category of children she wanted to help, when Grace came in, whining in a sleepy crying voice,
"I'm itchy, Mama."
Ana jumped out of her seat, glaring at Christian for not letting her go to their daughter when she felt like it was necessary and she gathered Grace in her arms, repressing a gasp when she saw the little girl. She was covered with red spots from head to toe, scratching her arm, and her eyes heavy with sleep.
Ana sat Grace on the counter, keeping her face smiling as she asked the little girl if she slept well. Grace nodded, still scratching her arm, and Ana asked Christian to stand by Grace so she could grab the thermometer and check her temperature.
Once he was in front of his daughter, he put his palm on her forehead and knew that she was running a fever. Grace was still scratching her arm, and Raymond leaned over the counter to take it in his hand, examining the spots warily.
"It looks like chickenpox," he mumbled, but loud enough for Ana to hear as she was back with the thermometer. Christian immediately prevented Grace from scratching any further, remembering his mother doing the same for Elliott and him to prevent scars. But he didn't like the way Raymond was now looking at Ana.
"Have you had chickenpox, Ana?" Raymond asked, and Christian had this nagging feeling. He remembered his parents being happy that the brothers got the chickenpox at the same time, but he couldn't remember why.
Ana dismissed Raymond, walking to Christian and Grace as she said, "I don't know. Who cares?!"
Christian immediately took Grace in his arms, and took a step back from Ana, preventing Grace from scratching herself. He knew there was a reason why it was a good thing to have chickenpox whilst you were young, but he couldn't recall what it was.
Raymond glanced at Christian, obviously looking for his words, though Christian wasn't sure if it was to reassure Ana, or not scare Grace. "Maybe … you know, chickenpox is harmless to children. Just a few bad days when they have to learn to not scratch. And Christian is immune … you …"
Ana glared at Raymond, taking another step toward Christian, but once again, he backed away, not caring about her shocked expression. "My child needs me. Give her to me, Christian."
"Ana … chickenpox for adults can be …" He glanced at Grace. "lethal."
"That's ridiculous. I've never heard of that," Ana dismissed, going to Christian and trying to take Grace.
Christian kept his daughter secure in his arms and put a much bigger distance between Ana and him. She looked at him with betrayal, but he didn't care. All he could focus on at that moment was the fact that Ana could die.
Raymond looked at Christian, and benevolently said, "Maybe a warm bath with oats will do some good." This was enough to tear Christian's gaze away from Ana, so he could glare at the lawyer
"I'm not putting my daughter in porridge," he said, once again stopping Grace from scratching. He could tell she was tired because she did not ask a single question, which was very unlike her.
"It helps stop the itching," Raymond countered, and Christian had to concede that anything to help his daughter was good. So, he grabbed a pack of oats, and went to the bathroom, hearing Raymond and Ana argue in the kitchen as soon as he left it.
Once Grace was in the tub of water with oats all around her, she seemed to regain some life, and giggled, "I'm a raspberry now."
Christian chuckled, keeping to himself that given the fact that she was covered with red spots all over, she did look like a raspberry lost in porridge.
"Can you be good for ten minutes?"
"Yes."
Christian smiled at her and kissed her forehead before thoroughly washing his hands and arms in the sink. Then, he went to his bedroom, calling Taylor as he packed a suitcase for Ana, grabbing her laptop and her purse before getting back to the kitchen where she was still arguing with Raymond.
"Out."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, I want you out," he said, as Taylor arrived just in time.
Ana took a deep breath, and glared at both Raymond and Christian, putting her hands on her hips as she said, "The two of you are being ridiculous. No one dies from chickenpox, or we wouldn't be more than seven billion on this planet! I'll take my chances, but I'm not leaving my baby alone, especially when she's sick! You two are insane if you think that —"
"I don't care what you think. I want you out of here, now!"
"What if she had gotten sick three months ago? Or at the beginning of the year? I was all alone to take care of her. Do you think I would have —"
Once again, he cut her off, "I don't care. You have two minutes to get out of here, or I'll ask Taylor to drag you out of here himself."
"Don't be ridiculous. Where am I going to stay? Who's going to take care of her? You? What about the rest of the week?"
Christian pushed the suitcase in Taylor's hand, as well as Ana's bag, and he took a menacing step toward her, not that she cowered away. She stood her ground. "I still have the room in Esclava, and I will take care of Grace for the week. You need to be out of the way. You are of no use to us, right now."
Ana looked at Christian as if he had slapped her, but this barely lasted a second. She cleared her throat and walked into the kitchen to take out a pen and paper. Then, after leaving the note on the fridge, she walked out of the apartment with her head high, and Christian let out a sigh of relief.
❌PLEASE DO NOT COPY, DOWNLOAD OR SHARE THIS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE❌
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚
💚 So, something happened at the end of this chapter. Something quite hard for Ana that made her back away. It has to do with her insecurities that have been mentioned several times … can you guess?
💚 And something has been shown in this chapter, but Christian didn't even notice. So … have you?
💚Now question time,
1. Okay, finally, they got over having sex in their own home. Hihi.
2. What do you think Christian will get Ana for Christmas? And what will Ana get him?
3. And what did you think of the moment between Christian and his brother? And Elliott's feelings about parenthood and brotherhood?
4. And what about Jamie? How do you feel about him? Still bad news?
5. And Grace is sick. How do you think Christian will manage that?
6. As per usual, what was your favourite part? Mine was Grace taking her cat away from her Dad.
7. And what do you think will happen next?
💚 E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, Everything else is mine (including the mistakes and grammar errors).
Love, Mina 💚💚💚