*Christian's POV*
I wake to Anastasia stirring, mumbling something under her breath about her bladder. Climbing out of bed, I watch her naked form make its way toward our bathroom. She must not realize I'm awake because she shuts the bathroom door before turning on the light. Looking out the window, I see that the sun has barely begun to rise, throwing shadows over most of Seattle.
Sitting up, I maneuver my pillows so they're against the headboard and lean back against them. I wonder if she'd let me have her this early.
I listen as the toilet flushes and the sink turns on, finding myself holding my breath.
The door opens, the light still on, and Anastasia appears with the hand towel still in her grasp. Her eyes are staring at her hands before her gaze finds mine. I give her a smile.
Padding over to me gloriously naked, she climbs onto my lap, straddling my hips and her left hand rests on my chest. Her eyes flick between the ring on her hand and my eyes, looking completely shocked, but I don't see any sign of anger or annoyance so I take her silence as a good thing.
"Instead of telling you how I am going to marry you, I figured I'd just show you." I rest my hand on her swollen stomach, rubbing it affectionately.
"Christian. How did you...When did you..."
"After I exhausted you with my sexpertise."
She gives me a soft smile, her eyes bright with tears. Leaning her forehead against mine, she gives me a soft kiss.
"Someday soon?" I give her a hopeful look and feel her stomach move.
Her smile widens. "I think Teddy answered for me."
My breath leaves me. "He kicked? That was him?" Looking down, I rub her stomach, hoping to feel him again. It's the first time I've gotten to feel him and I feel like my heart could just burst.
"Let me feel you, Teddy. Daddy wants to feel you."
Placing her hand over mine, she moves our hands a little and presses our fingers into her stomach and when we release, I feel him push back again.
"I feel you, baby boy. You want Mommy and Daddy to get married, don't you? You're giving your old man knuckles, aren't you?" Making a fist I tap Ana's stomach with a fist bump.
She sniffles and laughs and I realize that we're both in tears.
"You are so damn cute with him, Christian. You are going to be a phenomenal father. I can't wait to see you two together." Her arms wrap around around my neck and rest on my shoulders, nuzzling my nose with hers. Her lips find mine and it isn't long before Poseiden is making himself known by trying to press against her.
"Let me have you, Ana. Let's seal our engagement."
Smiling, she presses another kiss to my mouth and raises up so she can sink back down onto me.
*Ana's POV*
As we lay within the sheets on our backs, the crook of Christian's shoulder pillowing the back of my head, I can't help but hold my hand out in front of us, letting the light from the sunrise hit it and make it sparkle. It's a large pear-shaped solitaire diamond with two small horizontal pear-shaped diamonds flanking it on each side, wrapped in a white gold band.
"What do you think?" Christian asks me, watching the ring sparkle.
"It's perfect." It's been an hour since I first found the ring on my finger as I washed my hands, but I still have butterflies.
"It's my grandmother's."
I still. "Oh. Oh, wow, Christian." My heart swells so much that I think I might bust. Pushing up on my elbow, I turn so I can see his face. "Are you sure? Are you sure you want me to have this? It's too special..."
"I've never been more sure of anything, angel. It belongs on you. You belong to me."
Now I'm in tears. "Oh, Christian. Thank you." I'll treasure this forever. I lean in for a kiss and settle back down against his arm, my right hand running over his chest.
"I'm going to marry you soon." He announces, making me giggle. No longer some day, but soon. I like that. "Before Teddy." He adds. "I want us to be family before he makes his introduction. I want his birth certificate to say Anastasia Grey, so he always knows you are ours. You belong to me and Teddy and the three of us will be a family."
"So possessive, Mr. Grey." I tease lightly. "Yes, I want that, too. I want you to be stuck with me."
He laughs. "Forever, baby."
XxXxXx
Christian is feeling well enough to go to his parents for Sunday dinner, so Taylor arrives to pick us up. I tell him I can drive, but I know it's a waste of breath cause he only trusts himself and our trained security to drive us. He uses my large stomach as an excuse but I know he doesn't want me behind the wheel, pregnant or not. I'll allow it for now, but I won't be giving up my driving privileges forever.
"Congratulations, you two!" Taylor smiles as he opens the back door of the SUV for us.
I hug him before I climb in, my excitement of the engagement still fresh. "Thank you, Taylor!"
When I let him go, I see Christian smiling at Taylor. "No more formalities, is there, Taylor?"
He laughs. "No, Christian, there's not." Reaching into his back pocket, he pulls a fifty dollar bill out of his wallet and hands it to Christian before he climbs in.
"What's that all about?!?"
Taylor climbs in the front and we buckle our seatbelts, Christian in the middle seat so we can be close.
"I bet Taylor that you'd have him wrapped around your finger within a year."
I tut. "Jason Taylor! You bet against me? That's what you get for thinking you couldn't love me." I reach over and take the fifty out of Christian's hand. "That's mine now." I shove it in the front of bra, keeping it safe for later.
Christian watches and gives me a wink. I know he'll go fishing for it later.
Taylor chuckles. "I knew I would love you, Ana, I just didn't expect to be affected by you so much. Not once have I let any of my clients hug me. I'm a professional, Ms. Steele."
"But we're family, Taylor. Save that professional business for when it's needed, but keep a soft spot for us." I smile at him through the mirror. "Face it, you need a little of me in your life." I give him a wink.
Christian laughs. "We all need a little of Ana in our life."
"You better need a lot of Ana in your life, Grey." I wiggle my engagement ring at him. "Once it's on, it doesn't come off."
He wraps his arm around me and presses a kiss to my hairline. "It better not."
Christian's attention returns to Taylor. "Taylor, before we left tonight I sent you a few properties that Ana and I are interested in. I want you and Gail to look them over and let me know what you think. We'll go look at them later this week."
Taylor looks surprised with Christian's request, but gives him a smile and a nod. "Gail will love that."
I nuzzle into Christian's shoulder, ecstatic that he's including them in our property buying process. I want Gail to feel comfortable with wherever we end up and hopefully it'll make them want to stay forever... even when they aren't working for Christian anymore.
When we arrive at his parents, his mother takes my jacket and I thank her.
"Would you like me to take your scarf, too?"
"Uh, no thank you. I'm alright, Grace." I try my best to hide my blush. My neck is covered in bites and bruises and I would die if she saw what her son did to me during our fuckery.
Christian chuckles behind me and places his hand on the small of my back so he can escort me to the dining room.
"Tonight we're celebrating Christian's continued recovery, so we've grilled some nice juicy steaks for everyone."
My stomach rolls and I swallow thickly.
"Don't worry, Ana, I made a chicken breast for you just in case you have a queazy stomach." Grace gives me a smile and I realize I must have made a face.
"Thank you. I really appreciate that."
Christian's hand is over mine below the table, twirling my new ring around my finger, but it stills when his plate gets set in front of him. After a beat, I realize.
"Let me get that for you." I slide his plate over and begin to cut it for him, but as soon as the juice runs out, I gag. Lifting it quickly I shove it across the table for someone else to take. "I'm sorry. I can't."
Thankfully, Kate takes the plate from me and begins to cut his steak for him.
Mr. Grey gives us a worried glance. "Maybe steak was a bad idea." I'm sure he didn't think about the fact that Christian can't cut up his own food and that my pregnant self can't stand the sight of bloody meat.
"No, it was a great idea." Christian tells him. He picks up my hand and presses a kiss to the back of it. "Ana just has a little bit of a sensitive stomach right now. Kate doesn't mind helping, do you Kate?"
Handing Christian back his plate, she smiles. "Of course not."
"Christian." His mother has a look of surprise on her face.
"Mom?"
"Is that my mother's ring?"
My heart thuds hard against my chest, but Christian smiles.
"Yes."
"So that means..."
He nods. "It does."
"You're getting married!" A giant smile appears on her face, causing me to release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Oh my word. I knew it was going well, but..." She's at a loss for words.
"But you're happy?" I ask, needing the reinforcement.
"Oh, sweet girl, yes. Of course I am!" She stands and I follow suit so she can hug me.
My eyes wander to the head of the table where Mr. Grey is seated. When Grace releases me, I make my way to him and stand beside his chair. His green eyes meet mine and I see his lips twitch, but he just sits there.
"Mr. Grey?"
His eyebrow raises. "That's not what you call me."
My eyebrows shoot up and suddenly I'm nervous. He must notice because he hurries to stand and pulls me into a hug. "Carrick or Dad. None of this mister shit. You're my daughter now." He chuckles.
"So you're happy, too?" I ask him as his hands rests on my hips.
"You saved my son. You nursed him back to health, and you're carrying my grandson. Why wouldn't I be?"
I beam up at him, relieved his parents have accepted me. "You're giving me too much credit."
*Christian's POV*
What my father says blows my mind. I figured he would be the one that would try to pump the brakes a little, but it looks like Ana has won him over, too.
I feel so much affection for my family tonight. I watch as they take turns hugging her and patting her stomach to say congratulations to our baby. It was so rocky at first, but Ana fits cohesively around them.
"Kate! Stop crying. You're going to make me cry!"
I laugh at my girl and her best friend as they both blubber on together.
My father reaches to shake my hand from his seat and I clasp his firmly. "Congratulations, Christian. You have a lot to look forward to."
I smile. "I'm blessed beyond belief. Thank you. You accepting Ana means everything. I-" I just shake my head. I don't know what else to say. There's so much to say, but no words form. I hope he understands. I find myself getting emotional and pull my hand away from his. "Damn pregnancy hormones." I murmur. "I swear they're soaking into me."
My angel takes a seat beside me and rolls her eyes. "There is nothing wrong with a little emotion. You'll get over it." She swats playfully at my arm.
As we eat, we make small talk and Mia asks Anastasia how I proposed.
"Well... he didn't." She admits, giggling. Her admission confuses everyone. "Every once in awhile he would tell me he was going to marry me some day... and it turned into an every day occurrence... then this morning, I woke up and the ring was on my finger. It was oddly romantic... in a Christian sort of way. His way of just claiming me as his future wife. No questions about it."
"Damn, Christian. That's all it takes? Here I thought I was going to have to come up with something creative when the time came!" Elliot teases, making Kate swat at him.
"It better be creative and romantic. I'm not a cavewoman! You can't just club me over the head and drag me back to your cave!"
"That's a bit presumptuous, don't you think, Katherine? No one said I was going to ask you." Elliot teases her lightly, wrapping an arm around her neck so he can pull her close.
"That's okay, I'll ask you myself." She gives him a wink.
"Well, we can see who wears the pants in this relationship." I murmur, getting my own jab in.
XxXxXx
"How are you feeling about going back to work, Christian?" Ana and I lay naked in post-coital bliss after returning from my parents house.
"I'm ready to go back. I just hope I have the stamina."
Her hand runs down the center of my body and over to my hip, gripping it. "Well, you had plenty of stamina today, Mr. Grey...insatiable."
I grin at her words. "You like me this way."
She hums in agreement.
"I am looking forward to dressing you in workwear tomorrow." She squeezes my hip again. "I've missed alpha-businessman Christian.
"Oh yea? And what have I been these last couple weeks?"
"Laid-back sexy Christian. The last few days dominant naked Christian."
"Are you complaining?"
"Absolutely not. I love each and every one and I love when you switch it up."
Watching her eyes becoming hazy and hooded, I see her desire start to stir again. "Looks like I need to be dominant naked Christian again tonight."
She closes her eyes and hums. "Yes please."
I grip her backside and give it a slap. "All fours, Ana. I want to fuck you from behind."