Chapter 61: Babies and Grandmas (Ana's POV)
"Oh, my God! It's boys!" Mia exclaimed.
"Ana was right all along! Boys!" Kelly cried.
"We're sure there's only two of them in there, right?" Kate quipped. "Two little Christians… my God, they're going to be a handful!"
Elliot said with a huge smile, "I knew it! I already told Ana Banana that I knew she was right. And I've already picked out the tree where I'm going to build the treehouse I've already designed for them. See that one right over there? It's perfect!"
"Bubbles!" Christina cried delightedly. She didn't seem to notice that all the bubbles created by the fancy bubble blower we'd purchased for this occasion were bright blue. We had a blue cake, too, at least the inside of it, but I thought bubbles would be a fun way to reveal the gender of our twins. Christina loved bubbles more than anything.
"That's right, baby girl," I told her. "Blue bubbles for your baby brothers."
Christina was too busy trying to catch the bubbles to care about the purpose for them at the moment, or their color.
"I want to see your treehouse design," Christian told Elliot excitedly, sounding like a little boy himself.
"Elliot, you're already building that amazing outdoor playhouse for Christina," I reminded him. "I mean… it's two rooms, with electricity and running water. Do we really need a treehouse, too, for our boys who haven't even been born yet?"
Elliot and Christian both looked at me like I'd grown an extra head. Christian answered my question. "My sons aren't going to play in some girly pink playhouse with a kitchen with a sink that works and electricity to power a mini refrigerator so they can have juice that they can pretend is tea for a tea party with all their girly little dolls. No way. My sons are going to climb trees and play with cars and nerf guns and dirt bikes and other boy stuff."
I smirked as I asked, "What if OUR sons like drinking pretend tea and playing with dolls? And what if OUR daughter wants to climb that tree with her little brothers and play with cars and dirt bikes and other 'boy stuff'?"
Christian picked up Christina and threw her in the air the way she loves. She giggled excitedly. He continued playing with her as he responded to me. "If she wants to climb trees, I'll be right there making sure she doesn't get hurt. I'll give her the world, Mrs. Grey. But I won't agree to our sons playing with girly toys."
Christian had been referring to me as "Mrs. Grey" every chance he got over the past month since our wedding. I just smiled at him, knowing that he wouldn't win this one. He would see once these boys were born. If they wanted to play with Christina's "girly" toys, they would, and he wouldn't stop them. I knew Christina's sweet temperament well enough to know she'd love nothing more than to share her favorite dolls with her baby brothers, once they were big enough to play with her.
"Wow, Christian, you sound really old fashioned," Kelly told her cousin, making all of the rest of us crack up. She imitated Christian's voice in a funny accent as she repeated, "I'll give her the world, Mrs. Grey."
One thing I could say about Kelly is that she never minced her words. She always said what she thought. I was happy that she'd been able to spend her spring break from high school with us this week so she could be here for the twins' gender reveal party. Derrick was in England, and their grandma would probably never be well enough to travel, which meant Rachel couldn't either, because she didn't want to leave her mother alone. But Kelly was here every chance she got. Isaac, of course, had a lot to do with it, although they both insisted that they weren't dating, just friends. Best friends, they admitted, but not more than that. Hmm… time would tell.
Instead of responding to Kelly's remark, Christian changed the subject. "I think it's time to eat cake, now that we know what color the inside of it is."
"Eat cake!" Christina repeated. "I want cake!"
"You can have the first piece, baby girl," Christian assured Christina as he put her in her high chair. Grace was already cutting the cake, which was white with both pink and blue decorations on top, but the inside was marbly blue. Grace put a slice on the tray of Christina's high chair, and she began to eat it with her fingers.
As we were all watching Christina get cake all over herself, I thought it was a good time to announce her birthday party to the family. "She's going to be eating cake again a month from now, and it'll be pink and lavender, her favorite colors. Her birthday cake, I mean. You all have to come."
"Is she turning two already?" Ray asked. "Time's really flown."
"It has," I agreed. "But yeah, her birthday is April 23rd. It falls on a Sunday this year, and we're going to have an afternoon party, hopefully right here in our back yard, if the weather cooperates."
Elliot warned, "I wouldn't count on the weather cooperating. Today's unseasonably beautiful for March."
Christian replied, "We'll just move it inside if it rains. It's just family we're inviting. Just all of you."
"Well, I won't be able to make it," Kelly said sadly. "That's too close to the end of the semester. I know I'm not going to Harvard, but I still want to do my best."
"You'll be close enough to Harvard," Isaac reminded Kelly.
In the Fall, Isaac would be going to Harvard, but Kelly wouldn't be far away at Boston University. I knew Christian was keeping it a secret from them for now that he was in the process of purchasing a house for them in Cambridge, not far from the Harvard campus. Isaac and Kelly would both be required to live in the dorms for their first year, but Derrick would be able to move in ahead of them. He would be starting his MBA in the fall semester, which would take him two years to complete. I had considered suggesting that he do his MBA here in Seattle, as I did, but it was still too early to be sure that things would work out for him in Seattle. We didn't know yet if he had a future at Ismintis-Grey. We needed to first see how he did with his internship this summer. If it worked out well, we could bring him on after he completed his MBA at Harvard. He might even be able to complete the degree online from Seattle. Time would tell, and it was really up to Derrick and his own career plans. But I liked him and hoped it worked out between him and Ismintis-Grey.
"Hey, have you guys thought about names yet?" Mia asked as we were all eating cake.
Christian and I smiled secretively at each other. We'd agreed that our families wouldn't know their names until they were born.
I answered simply, "Yes."
Kate smirked. "I know that expression. Wild horses wouldn't be able to drag it out of her. We're just going to have to wait until they're ready to tell us."
"Which will be right after they're born," Christian told them all. "And not a moment sooner."
Our gender reveal party was a big hit. Of course, I'd known all along that they were boys, but it was good that everyone knew now. We still had over three months to go before our Teddy and Tommy would enter the world, if they waited that long, and we would guard their names the same way I was guarding them in my womb until they were ready to meet the world.
The gender reveal party had been on March 25, exactly one month after our wedding. Two days later, on Monday morning, Christian got a call that he'd been waiting for, from Mike Gregory, the governor of Michigan. It was still early enough in the morning that Christian hadn't left for work yet. We were having breakfast together at around 7:30, which was 10:30 Detroit time.
Christian put him on speaker, so I heard everything as the governor told Christian, "I know it's taken longer than expected, but it's done. Your grandmother is officially a free woman. She just needs to be processed by the prison, but if I were you, I'd get on a plane and head this way."
We had been expecting this call for the past week, as Carrick had been telling Christian since last Monday, "Any day now." Christian had our pilot on standby, and he'd notified Ros already that he might need to leave town at a moment's notice. Predictably, Ros was prepared to fill in for us in any business meetings that couldn't be postponed. As soon as he was off the phone with the governor, Christian made a few phone calls, first to Ros, then to Carrick, then to our pilot. We'd already made arrangements to take Christina with us to Michigan this time so she could meet Gran Emma and Aunt Rachel, who were unable to travel. Grandma Liz was very much looking forward to meeting Christina as well. And she was elated to be traveling back with us to Seattle.
Over the past month, I had been busy working with Elliot to transform the boat house into a livable one-bedroom apartment for Grandma Liz. It had needed a completely new kitchen and bathroom, with new plumbing, but thankfully, that had been the bulk of the work, and Elliot's crew had been able to get the work done in only a couple of weeks. They had also laid new tile in the bathroom and parquet floors in the open concept kitchen, dining, and living room and the bedroom, By the time they were finished, the furniture that I'd ordered had arrived, so another work crew moved it all in. I'd gone with a nautical design that seemed appropriate for a boathouse, with a soothing blue and cream palette and mahogany bedroom and dining room furniture. There was a lovely cream leather sofa with a mahogany coffee table in the living room, along with a large screen TV. I was really happy with how it all turned out, and I hoped she liked it.
It took us a couple of hours to get everything packed and ready for the trip. Gail was coming to help with Christina, and she helped me pack her stuff. In the end, we landed in Detroit before 3 p.m. due to the time change in spite of the long flight. And then, we waited. The governor had told Christian he believed Grandma Liz would be released before the day was over, but we knew it could be another day. We checked into our hotel and waited. Christina had napped on the airplane, so she was awake now. Gail watched a Disney movie with her while Christian and I both video conferenced with Ros. Everything was going fine at Ismintis-Grey. Ros briefed us on the meetings she'd attended today and was almost through her report when we got the call from the prison that we'd been expecting.
At 5:28 that afternoon, Detroit time, Grandma Liz walked out of the prison a free woman. Christian and I were both there to pick her up, along with all four of our CPOs. We were in a leased limousine, and our security also had a black SUV. Christina's two CPOs were back at the hotel with her and Gail. Christian and I had already discussed the need to hire security for his grandma, but he agreed that he needed to discuss it with her first before hiring anyone. When I pointed out the likelihood that she'd feel that a CPO was like a prison guard, he understood that it might be a problem.
"Hi, Grandma," Christian greeted her with a big smile as she walked to our car.
She looked more surprised than happy to see us, but I understood quickly that it was our mode of transportation rather than our faces that threw her off.
"I have to say… of all the years I imagined what it would be like to finally be released from this place… I never dreamed of leaving in a stretch limo. Is this real? How did you do it?" She didn't hesitate to get in the car and buckle her seatbelt.
"What do you mean?" Christian asked. "It's just a leased car, Grandma."
She smiled. "It's not just a car. It's a freaking limousine. This is my first time riding in a limousine. But that's not what I meant. How did you get me pardoned, and then get here to pick me up so quickly?"
Christian replied, "You knew I'd be here for you. I told you…"
She interrupted, "I knew you were trying to get me out earlier… on parole. And then get my parole transferred to Washington state. That's not what this is. I've been pardoned. Don't get me wrong, OK? I'm… ecstatic. I'm still… processing. I never expected this to happen in a million years. Pardoned. I mean… I admitted to it. I killed him. I deserved the time I got. I didn't deserve to be pardoned. But… I'm grateful. More grateful than I have words to say."
"Well," Christian responded, "The way I see it… and the governor of the great state of Michigan happens to agree with me… you've done your time for killing a bastard who deserved what he got. And now, you're free. So that's the end of it."
"Thank you, Christian," Grandma Liz said sincerely, with tear-filled eyes. "Now… I have to ask you something, sweetheart. No… I shouldn't call you that yet. I want you to be sure… absolutely sure… that you want to do this. You aren't under any obligation to take care of me. In fact, I'm fully capable of taking care of myself. I've got a college degree that I earned in that place that I plan to put to good use, now that I can."
Well, that was news to me, and if Christian knew it, he hadn't said anything.
"Really? I didn't know that, Grandma," I said. "What did you study?"
"I got me a Bachelor's degree in Social Work," she answered proudly. "From Eastern Michigan University. They had a program where professors would come out to the prison and teach courses. It was all voluntary. They didn't get paid for it. I did most of my courses online, though. Finished the degree in 2008, but I've taken courses since then, just to keep learning."
"That's fantastic," Christian told her. I could see from his expression that he already knew. "You accomplished something I never did, Grandma."
"It's not too late for you," she told him. "You're still young."
Christian looked pensive, but he didn't respond. Well, that was interesting. Did he want to finish his degree? If he wanted it, there was no reason he couldn't or shouldn't do it.
"Anyway…" Grandma Liz continued, "My point in telling you is that… Well, now that I can, I want to be independent. I'm incredibly thankful for all you've done, but I don't want to depend on you. And I certainly don't want to get in your way. You've got a new family. You only just got married, and you've already got a baby, and two more on the way. It's a whole lot of changes in a short time. And you're still healing, Anastasia, from what happened to you last fall. I don't want to intrude."
"You won't be intruding," I assured her.
"We want you," Christian told her. "It's not an intrusion. You're already part of our family, and I want you to be more so. But you'll have your independence, and I can help you find a good job, if that's what you want. You'll have your own apartment, where you can come and go as you please. We won't get in each other's way."
She looked hopeful. "Do you really mean that?"
"I never say anything I don't really mean, Grandma," Christian answered her.
She looked at me and asked, "Are you certain, Anastasia? I really don't want to cause more stress for your already stress-filled life."
I told her sincerely, "I am certain, if it's what you want, that we both want you to come live in our boat house. I've spend the past month getting it ready, and I'll be really disappointed if you don't come. Christina is waiting for us at the hotel, and we've been preparing her to meet you. She'll also be disappointed if you don't come."
Liz's eyes were now full of unshed tears. I heard the hope and longing in her voice as she asked, "She's here? You brought her?"
"We did," Christian answered. "We're going to Flint before we return home. I thought… you might want to visit that place again before we go home to Washington. And I also want to visit Gran… I mean Emma Timms, and Aunt Rachel. Rachel Norwood. I want to visit them again. Gran's not able to travel, so she can't come to Seattle."
"Emma's not able to travel?" Liz asked worriedly. "What's wrong with her?"
"She has dementia," Christian answered sadly. "It's still in early enough stages that she knows who we are… At least, I think she does. But it affects her ability to take care of herself, and Rachel worries that traveling and experiencing all unfamiliar things around her would set her back. Besides, she's never been on an airplane, so she's afraid."
Liz smiled fondly. "She always was afraid of her own damn shadow." She sighed and added sadly, "I'm not sure meeting her again is a good idea… for me, I mean. I'm really happy that you've met her and Rachel. After all, they're your family, too, and you should know them. But I'm sure they both still hate me. I don't blame them. I hated myself for many years because of everything that happened."
I knew for a fact from a conversation that Christian had had with Rachel just a few days ago that she didn't hate Liz, she'd forgiven her for the past, she knew we were bringing her to Flint, and she wanted to meet her and talk to her. Rachel couldn't speak with any certainty about Emma's feelings regarding Liz, though. She said it really depended on what kind of day Emma was having. Some days, she remembered the past with sharper detail that Rachel herself did. Other days, Emma was more confused than anything, and Rachel hadn't been able to figure out what was going on in her head.
"Rachel doesn't hate you," Christian assured her. "And she wants to talk to you. It's OK, Grandma. You should talk to her. I think it'll be good for both of you."
Liz frowned thoughtfully, but she didn't respond to Christians words, and instead turned the conversation back to Christina and our unborn boys. She asked about their due date and how we were preparing Christina for their arrival. I told her all about decorating their nursery with Christina and how excited she was to have baby siblings.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel, and Christina was awake and waiting for us. She was her usual sweet and adorable self, going immediately to Liz, who wanted to hold her and kiss her. Christina gave her a big slobbery kiss on the cheek and told her, "I love you, Gan-ma. You gots gway eyes like Daddy. You pitty."
It was true, Liz did have gray eyes, as did Christian's mother Ella. And Liz was beautiful, like Ella had been. Christian had his father's hair and physical build, but he also got a lot of his good looks from his mother's side of the family. And his eyes.
Liz had to wipe tears from her gray eyes, which quickly turned to laughter as Christina asked her, "Why you cwy, Gan-ma? You gots a boo-boo? You need me to kiss it and make it all better?"
It took her a minute to find her voice, but when she was able, Liz told Christina, "Thank you, sweet girl, but no, Grandma doesn't have a boo-boo. I'm just really happy to meet you. You're pretty, too. Very pretty."
"Grandma's going to come live next door to us, in the boat house," I reminded Christina. "Isn't that great?"
"Gweat!" Christina repeated excitedly. "I show you my woom… and the pwayhouse Untle Lelliot's building me. We have a tea party?"
"I'd love to have a tea party with you," Liz assured her, hugging her a little more tightly.
We'd booked a couple of suites at the Westin Hotel near the Detroit airport, completely avoiding downtown Detroit, which still gave Christian the willies after all these years. We would fly to Flint in the morning, spend the night there tomorrow, and return home the next day. Christian and I had agreed that we shouldn't leave Grandma Liz on her own tonight, but that she needed her own room for privacy. Our suite was the best solution, as she was still with us, but she had her own bedroom.
We had breakfast in our suite together the next morning, and then we were on our way to Flint. Liz seemed nervous, and I knew she was thinking about seeing Emma and Rachel again after all these years. She was still convinced that they hated her and that she deserved to be hated for failing to protect her children.
But before going to Rachel's house, we first made a stop at the same cemetery we'd visited last time we were in Flint. It had been twenty-five years since Liz had laid Ella to rest here, and longer than that for all of her other loved ones. We knew she needed this time here, now that she was free.
I felt that Christian needed this time with Grandma Liz, so I stayed in the car with Christina and played a game with her on my phone. They were probably there for about twenty minutes, and they both had wet eyes when they got back in the car.
We didn't speak again until we were almost to Rachel's house. It was Liz who broke the silence.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked Christian. "I can't imagine why she'd want to see an old lady like me, such a sad reminder of her past. All four of them were thick as thieves, but then she lost her three best friends in such a short time. How she recovered from all that, I have no idea. I was… out of my own mind at the time."
"Aunt Rachel is a remarkable person," Christian told Liz. "I'm not sure how she recovered, either, but I know she did. She's done a remarkable job raising her two kids, too, as a single mom. I have a lot of respect for her, and I think meeting her will be good for both of you."
Liz sighed. "Well… OK. If it helps give her closure, I'll do it. Emma, too."
"That's good because we're here," I announced as our car came to a stop in front of Rachel's house. I recognized the green shutters from last time we were here.
Rachel opened the front door and was waiting for us on her front porch as we approached the house. Her eyes moved from Christina to Liz, and she was smiling tearfully. She welcomed Liz with an enormous hug, and then she look Christina from my arms.
"Come in out of the cold," she told us. "Mom's waiting in the living room." She followed us inside and carried Christina into the living room, where Emma had just stood up from the recliner she'd been sitting in.
At first, Emma's eyes didn't leave Liz's. There were tears in Liz's eyes, but Emma just looked confused.
"Mom, look who's come to visit us!" Rachel exclaimed. "This is your great granddaughter, Christina. She's Christian's little girl. Isn't she adorable?"
Christina stared at both Rachel and Emma with wide eyes. I knew she was fine, not afraid of meeting new people, but she still didn't know who they were even though I'd tried to prepare her ahead of time for meeting them. We had video chatted with them a couple of times, but this was her first time to see them in person.
"This is Aunt Rachel," I told Christina. "And that's your other grandmother. Gran Emma. We've talked to them on FaceTime, remember? Can you tell them both hello?"
"He-wo," Christina said sweetly. She wasn't afraid at all, thankfully. In fact, Rachel's colorful beaded necklace distracted her, and she began to play with it. Rachel didn't seem to mind at all.
"Everybody, please sit down. You're all very welcome," Rachel said.
Emma still looked confused. "Liz," she said as if just remembering the name of her old friend. "Liz Carter."
"That's right," Rachel told her. "Remember, I told you she was visiting us today."
Emma nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't know Tommy and Ella were coming, too. And I didn't know Ella had already had the baby. When was she born? And why have they been away so long?"
Well, clearly, Emma thought Christian was his father, Thomas Norwood. And she thought I was Christian's mother, Ella, and that Christina was the baby that Ella had been pregnant with, that they thought she'd lost in the car accident that killed Thomas. This was… awkward.
Rachel didn't miss a beat. "No, Mom, this is Christian and Anastasia. Tom's son. Christian was Ella's baby that we didn't know she had. He's all grown up now and married to Anastasia. Remember, Derrick and Kelly went to their wedding? And they spent Christmas with them?"
Emma nodded and looked embarrassed. "Don't mind me. I'm just a senile old lady."
"It's OK, Gran," Christian assured her. "It's really nice to see you again. How have you been keeping?" Christian already knew how she'd been keeping. She'd had a couple of setbacks since our last visit. But she seemed to know who we were now that Rachel had explained it to her again.
Emma replied, "Better now that you're here. But… Liz. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She didn't seem confident that it had, indeed, been a long time.
"Twenty-five years," Liz answered. "I got thirty to life, but they let me out early. I've missed you, Emma. And… I'm so, so sorry… for everything." Liz was actually crying now, and I looked in Christina's bag for a tissue. I took the whole pack and handed it to Liz. There was another pack in the bag, and I had a feeling we'd all need them before long.
"Well, I'm sorry I didn't try to get in touch with you after… when we found out you'd gone to prison," Emma said. She seemed to be more clear-minded now.
"I don't blame you a bit for that," Liz said. "I could have written you, too, but I didn't figure you'd want to hear from me after all that happened. If I'd been a better mother, they'd all still be alive now."
"No," Rachel said. "You don't know that, and you don't need to do that. It's past, Liz. It happened, and nothing we do now can change what happened. We can't bring them back, no matter how badly we wish we could. I know. I learned something back then, and it's the only thing that made it possible for me to keep living, to keep going. We can never go back and change the past, but we have a choice for how we let it affect our future. That's my mantra, and it has been since way back then. It's how I got through it, and other things that happened later. It's my choice for how I let my hardships affect my future."
"You must hate me…" Liz began.
"No, I don't," Rachel interrupted emphatically. "Yes, it's true, I did blame you when I was a teenager, and I was angry. So was Mom. But… I grew up. And I realized that you had your own struggles. You never got over losing Jim the way you did. And then Evie…" Rachel had to stop, as her voice cracked.
Emma said, "I should have been there for you when you needed me most, and I wasn't because I was a stupid shit. I'm sorry, Liz. Can you forgive me?"
Liz looked shocked. "Can I forgive you? My God, Emma… I'm the one who… Yes! Of course I forgive you! Can YOU forgive ME?"
"There's nothing to forgive," Emma replied. "But yes, if it makes you feel better. Yes. I've missed you, Liz. I got old. Half the time, I don't even know my own name anymore. But I remember you and Jim and the fun we had. We vowed we'd raise our kids together and always be close."
"I remember," Liz told her tearfully. "God, Emma!" The two of them got up at the same time and embraced, crying on each other's shoulders. There wasn't a dry eye in the room, except Christina, who was watching them worriedly, not understanding at all what was wrong.
Once everyone settled down and dried their eyes, we spent a few hours hearing stories from Rachel's childhood. Christian was able to learn a few things about both of his birth parents that I think helped him understand a lot better the kind of people they had been. Both of us were quieter than usual, listening to mostly Emma and Liz reminiscing, with Rachel jumping in here and there. There weren't too many more tears, but a whole lot of laughter. They'd been such a loving family before tragedy hit them too many times. I really was amazed at Rachel's resilience, all things considered.
When Christina started getting restless, I took her with all of our security to a playground around the corner that our security had already vetted, leaving only Taylor to guard Christian, who needed this time with his birth family. It was a safe neighborhood, and we were bundled up nicely. Thankfully, the weather wasn't as cold as I'd feared it would be, and the sun was shining. By the time we returned to the house, Christina was wiped out and needed a nap. We got there just as Kelly was arriving home from school. Christina was so excited to see her, and they went to Kelly's room to watch a Disney movie. About twenty minutes later, when I went to check on Christina, she was sound asleep on Kelly's bed. So, that worked out well. Christian got to spend more time with his family without Christina's nap time being an issue.
When I returned from checking on Christina, the topic had turned to Liz's murder charge, the reason she'd gone to prison.
"We've heard Christian's version, but I'd really like to hear it from you, if it's not too hard to talk about," Rachel told Liz.
Liz nodded. "When Ella left… I was out of my mind. Drunk off my ass. Didn't even know I was in the world. It was several months before I heard from her, that she'd given birth to a boy. She asked for my help, but I couldn't even help myself. I wasn't working, just living off Jimmy's pension, which didn't go very far. And grieving. And hating myself. God, I wish I could go back and smack the shit out of myself and shape the hell up so I could save my baby. I couldn't save either of them."
"Stop blaming yourself," Christian told Liz.
"I'll never stop blaming myself," Liz responded. "I have to live with it, and I've learned to cope without alcohol. Anyway… a few years passed, and I heard from Ella every now and then. She wasn't doing well, and she didn't have the money even to return to Flint. Not that there was anything for her to return to. I didn't know until she was dead that she'd turned to prostitution, but I'm not sure in hindsight… would I have gotten off my ass even then, if I'd known? But I was devastated when I got the call. She couldn't have possibly died from an overdose, not Ella. She hated drugs, after what happened to Evie. But when I saw her… in the morgue…" Liz had to stop and wipe her eyes.
"You saw her body in the morgue?" Rachel asked through her own tears.
Liz nodded. "I identified her. And… they asked me… to take Christian. But I knew I'd never be able to take care of him, being in the shape I was."
"Why didn't you tell us about him?" Rachel asked the question I know she'd been wanting to ask for a long time.
Liz looked ashamed. "I should have. But… I wasn't in any shape to make good decisions. If you'd known, you could have helped Ella and Christian both. I know you would have."
"Of course we would have!" Emma exclaimed.
Liz lamented, "I was a foolish, foolish woman. Sick in the head. I'll never forgive myself for how I failed you all. All it would have taken was a phone call, and you could have saved them even if I couldn't. And even after Ella was gone, you could have raised Christian. But… I'm ashamed to admit… I was bitter. I hadn't heard from you in the longest time, and I just…"
"Well, what's done is done," Emma said. "And we already forgave you, so just… move the hell on. I want to know how you killed the son of a bitch who got Ella hooked on drugs."
"Not just that," Liz said. "He abused Christian. I think he probably physically abused them both. Christian still has scars."
Christian looked awkward, and I knew he didn't want to discuss his scars at the moment, but now he had to.
"I alluded to it when we first met," Christian explained to Emma and Rachel. "The pimp… he used to… he used me as his ashtray. I have cigarette burns on my chest and back."
"Holy hell," Rachel muttered. "If you told us he physically abused you, it didn't register with me. My God!"
Liz continued the story. "As awful as it sounds, I knew Christian would be better off in foster care than with me, the sorry excuse for a human being that I was. And I guess… I guess Ella didn't list Tommy on Christian's birth certificate, so they didn't know anything about his family. It wasn't an option. Again… I should have told them, but I just wasn't mentally…"
"We know," Emma snapped. "Move on, Liz. Let it go."
Liz smiled tearfully at Emma, not the least bit offended by her outburst. I began to realize quickly that the two of them had this sense of camaraderie that they'd picked up with almost immediately after all these years, so they could be sharp and honest with each other without offense. It reminded me of me and Kate.
"Well," Liz continued, "I'd lost everything by that point. Nothing mattered. But I just couldn't stand to let that bastard get away with it. I knew he was solely responsible for getting Ella hooked on meth. She'd never… And prostitution... Not my Ella. He'd forced her into that life, and I knew it. Anyway, it wasn't difficult at all to find out who he was or where to find him. So I got Jimmy's pistol out of the safe, made sure it still worked, and found the son of a bitch. And put a bullet in his brain. And I'm sorry for a lot of shit that I did wrong, but I'm not sorry for killing him."
I was incredibly thankful at that moment that Christina was still sound asleep in Kelly's room. Then again, we probably wouldn't have been having this conversation at all if Christina had been here. It seemed that Rachel and Emma needed to hear it, so there was that. It probably did Christian some good to hear it again, too.
Thankfully, Rachel changed the subject after that. Enough had been said, at least for now. "What are your plans, now that you're free?" she asked Liz.
Liz explained what she'd already told us in the car about earning a degree in social work and wanting to work. I was happy that she told them she was going to live in our boathouse and spoil her great grandchildren.
A little later, we ate dinner that Christian ordered from Emma's favorite restaurant and our security picked up and brought back to Rachel's house. Christina had awakened but was a little fussy, so we didn't stay long after dinner. We'd been there the entire day, but now we were going to the hotel to get some sleep. We would have breakfast together with them tomorrow at a cafe near the airport before returning to Seattle.
"Why don't you get on that airplane tomorrow and go with us to Seattle?" Liz suggested to Emma as we were leaving.
Emma looked afraid, but then she laughed. "Well, I've made it this many years without getting on one of those things. I think I'll keep my feet on the ground."
"Christian's getting a license to fly a helicopter," Kelly announced. "He can take you up in the one Ana got him for Christmas sometime."
Both of Christian's grandmothers looked at him amazedly, but Rachel just smirked at him. "That doesn't surprise me one bit," Rachel said. "I already knew, of course, because Kelly and Derrick haven't stopped talking about it. I want to fly in your helicopter someday."
Christian agreed. "Someday, I'll take you on an air tour of Seattle," he promised her.
"Well, as long as I'm on this earth, I'll keep my feet on this earth," Emma said. "But when I'm dead and gone and Rachel doesn't think she has to fuss over me constantly, she'll go spend some time in Seattle with you all. We're probably not too far off from that day."
"Mom! Don't say such things," Rachel admonished.
"Oh, nonsense," Emma responded. "When it's my time, I'll go. That's just how it is. Nothing to be concerned with."
Liz was the only one of us who laughed at Emma's words. "Leave it to Emma to be afraid of flying, but not afraid of dying. You always were a strange old bird."
"I never said I wasn't afraid of dying," Emma corrected. "But I know I can't escape it. I can say no to an airplane or helicopter ride. But some things I don't have any control over. My mind is going, Liz. My body will be next. And then I'll die. That's just the way it is."
"Well, let's not end our time together with such morbid thoughts," Liz said with a smile. "Hopefully, we'll have you for a while yet. And even if you're not in Seattle, we can talk on the phone everyday. There's that."
"There is that," Emma agreed. "I'm glad to have you back, Liz. I hope to God you stay sober."
Holy crap. Now I knew where Kelly got her bluntness.
Liz didn't miss a beat. "I hope to God I stay sober, too. That's one thing I can say for prison. Twenty-five years sober. I don't crave it anymore, and hopefully I won't start craving it again. But even if I do, I'm never going there again, if I can help it."
The next morning, Liz and Emma acted as if they hadn't been apart for thirty years, or even a year. They were, amazingly, best friends again. And I was happy to see that they both had a great sense of humor. They had us all laughing throughout breakfast.
Then, back to Seattle it was, and getting Liz settled into her new home. She absolutely loved the boathouse. She wasn't, however, thrilled with the idea of a CPO.
"I really don't need a bodyguard, Christian," she insisted when he finally brought it up.
"Grandma," Christian said, "Ana and I are both high profile people. We've made billions. And we've made enemies along the way. And you're important to me. And everyone important to me is at risk. That's why every member of my family has at least one CPO, and most of them have more than one.
She sighed. "Can I at least have a few days to think about it? I'm not planning on going anywhere by myself anytime soon. If I go anywhere, it'll be with you or Ana, and your security will be there, like they always are."
Christian agreed. At least she was thinking about it, which was something.
We had dinner with Grace and Carrick a couple of days after Liz arrived. They were eager to meet the lady they'd been corresponding with all these years, and she was just as eager to finally meet "the lovely couple who had taken Christian in, given him a home, and loved him," as she said. Yes, Grace and Carrick had loved Christian, and Christian was finally realizing just how much, after all these years.
Dinner was subdued, as it seemed they all wanted to avoid any uncomfortable questions. The conversation focused mostly on the present and future. How did Grandma Liz like Seattle, and what did she want to do now? She hadn't seen much of Seattle at that point, but Grace and I made plans to rectify that in the next couple of days. We would take her out for an afternoon of lunch and sightseeing.
When Liz told Grace and Carrick about her degree in Social Work and determination to get a job, Grace mentioned her non-profit, Coping Together. Liz was very interested in the idea of helping families involved in the foster care system. Before the evening was over, Grace had recruited a new volunteer.
We did our sightseeing the following Friday, and a few days after that, Liz tagged along with me when I met with Fiona Zheng, our new CEO for the Christian and Anastasia Grey Foundation, at the Mile High Club. Before meeting Fiona for lunch in the restaurant upstairs, Liz and I stopped on the fifth floor for a tour of Coping Together. I was happy to see the sign on the other door for Nozomi House, but Ken and Raina hadn't yet hired a receptionist, so they weren't open yet. I knew they were busy with the renovations at Escala, but that they had some interviews coming up for their receptionist. Grace was volunteering today at Coping Together, and she was waiting for us, eager to give Liz a tour. We'd brought Nick along with us so that Liz would be able to stay with Grace while I went upstairs for lunch with Fiona. I didn't go anywhere, even within the same building, without Sam and Luke right there with me. It didn't matter that Grace had two CPOs of her own, at Christian's insistence; he still wanted to be sure that Grandma Liz was protected for the day, and Nick was the most obvious choice because he didn't need to be at our house 24/7 to oversee its security.
The Mile High Club looked very different than it had during our wedding, and also very different than it had before our wedding. Christian had had it completely remodeled after Horowitz was killed there. There were no reminders of that day whatsoever. The ambiance was more upscale now than it had been then, and I felt just as safe here now as I had on our wedding day. Nevertheless, when I had to go to the restroom, I got Sam to check inside first to make sure it was empty, and then I insisted that Luke come inside, lock the door, and wait while I did my business. Being around me as much as Luke was, he didn't blink an eye. He and Sam both waited patiently while the pregnant lady took care of business. And I felt completely safe.
I had a very productive meeting with Fiona during our working lunch. I'd hired her a couple of months ago, but she hadn't actually started her job until the first of April. And already, she had some fantastic ideas for fundraising, which would take up the bulk of her time. Christian and I would determine which organizations to support, and Fiona would oversee our fundraising efforts. We already had a dinner scheduled at the Mile High Club for May 25, which was coming soon. Fiona had prepared the invitations, which she wanted me to approve before sending them out this week. She had already spoken with the catering staff about the menu, and she'd arranged for a local band to play at a discounted rate. She'd been busy these past couple of weeks.
I also took the opportunity over lunch to get to know Fiona a little better. I knew her CV well, as she had worked for many years successfully fundraising for other nonprofits. Most recently, she'd worked with Save the Children. I was impressed with her passion for helping children in poverty all over the world. But I learned, during our lunch, more about her personal reasons for wanting to work with our foundation. She was impressed by our mission to rid the world of all forms of abuse. She was a survivor of abuse herself, having been trapped in an abusive marriage for many years, which had ended only when her husband died of a heart attack. Now, she was committed to helping her daughter raise her granddaughter. I learned that Fiona's daughter had been in an unhappy relationship herself, and she'd ended before it had gotten abusive. Fiona's granddaughter was only two, just a couple of months older than Christina. I suggested a play date for them. It would be good to get to know Fiona on a personal level since we were working so closely with her. She seemed eager to also get to know me and Christian better. She'd never even met Christian, as I had conducted the interviews for our foundation via Skype while he was busy with Ismintis-Grey. But I knew he wanted to get to know her, as she would be the one essentially running our foundation.
A few days after our visit to Coping Together, Liz surprised Christian with a request.
"Is there any way I could choose my bodyguard from the staff you already have?" she asked.
Christian looked surprised. "Did you have somebody in mind?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered. "But I'm not sure you want to move him from his current job. It's Nick. He's a good kid. And we have something in common. We've both killed monsters."
That same day, Christian moved Nick to his new position as Liz's CPO. It turned out that Nick could still oversee the security of our house, at least for now, since Liz wasn't going out by herself yet. Until she started working outside her home, he could do both jobs. He would probably be able to continue even once she started working since there were several other security guards who rotated shifts at our front gate and control room. Taylor suggested that we keep him in both roles for the next six months, and then evaluate. Made sense to me.
Meanwhile, Liz also agreed to weekly therapy sessions with Deepa, and she joined a local AA group. We also had a chance a couple of weeks after she arrived to introduce her to Raina and Ken. Surprisingly, Raina lowered her guard and told Liz an abridged version of her history as a trafficked teenager, and their mission to help survivors like herself. When Liz heard about Nozomi House, she was very interested. She had some stories to tell from prison life of girls she'd known who had been trafficked. She'd even been a mentor to some of them. It seemed likely, after that first meeting, that she would join Ken and Raina in their crusade to end modern slavery. It seemed, from how they'd bonded over dinner at our house that night, that Liz might want to work with them, as more than just a volunteer. They still needed to hash things out.
We'd ended March celebrating our twins, as we announced their gender, which I, of course, had already known. The month between that celebration and the birthday celebration of our daughter had been very busy, as we'd gotten Grandma Liz moved in and settled. We'd even taken a weekend trip to visit our vineyard in Napa Valley that Christian had given me as my wedding present. We'd taken Grandma Liz, Christina, and even Mia and Leo, who were considering changing the venue of their wedding to our vineyard. It had been a perfect weekend. I LOVED our house there. The antebellum house was only for public events. I had been surprised to learn that in addition to the restaurant and tasting room, there was even a bed and breakfast. I had the opportunity to talk with the manager of Anastasia's, which Christian had already gotten them to rename the restaurant. Jorge and Ana Maria Gonzalez were a couple who managed the restaurant, the tasting room, and the B&B. They were around our age, and they had two adorable children a little older than Christina. The kids all played together while we talked, and I was impressed with them. When we suggested having Mia and Leo's wedding there, Ana Maria looked a bit intimidated, especially when she found out that they wanted to do it in late September, but Jorge finally got her to admit that they could pull it off. He'd checked their calendar, so he knew that they'd had a recent cancellation for September 30. I knew they could do a good job, because I'd done my research, and they had a fantastic reputation for their catering during weddings. Mia loved everything about the place. It was exactly what she wanted for her wedding, and Leo only wanted Mia to be happy.
The vineyard itself was magnificent. We would have acres upon acres of grapes ripe in a few months, and more acres where the vines were still growing and not yet producing. We also had an orchard with peaches, apples, and pears. Only the strawberries were ripe at the moment, but there were also blueberry and blackberry bushes that would be ripe before long. I loved this place. I could see us spending lots of weekends here, just to get away.
Our house was magnificent, too. Unlike the antebellum house, our private house was very modern. It was surrounded by a security gate, and beyond that, many acres of our vineyards. The house itself had twelve bedrooms and fourteen bathrooms, so there was plenty of room for all of us, and then some. Christian suggested that we add another building to house our security staff, but overall, he was happy with the security system. I was happy with the homey feel that the living area had. The kitchen could very well have functioned as an industrial one if we ever wanted to add a restaurant or catering business. I'd have to bring Veronica next time, as I knew she'd love cooking there. There was an outdoor olympic size swimming pool, which was heated, so we got to enjoy it. I was supposed to avoid hot tubs, being pregnant, but the water in the pool wasn't too warm, so I felt safe enough.
Then, back to Seattle it was, and the following weekend, on April 23rd, our family joined together again in celebrating our adorable daughter as she turned two years old. My whole life, I'd heard people talk about "the terrible two's," and I hoped it didn't apply to our little darling. I wanted her to stay the sweet little angel she was.