AN1: Hi Everyone, thank you so very much for the prayers & positive thoughts. You will never know how much we appreciate the concern & care you showed us & Sassy. We are still snowed in. But Sassy is doing amazingly well! It turned out to just be an upset Stomach & NOT a recurrence of Pancreatitis.
Chpt. 38 APOV:
The room before me is completely transformed; it looks nothing like the room we woke up in only hours before. There are vases of flowers everywhere; not a single surface isn't covered with flowers. The floor and bed are covered with rose petals; there are candles lit throughout the room as well. I look at Christian in complete shock but he doesn't say anything. He leads me into the room, closing the door behind us and sits me on the bed.
"Anastasia" He takes a deep breath before getting on one knee in front of me and immediately the tears fall from my eyes. "I love you with all my heart and I can't imagine my life without you. From the day we first bumped into each other I knew that you were going to change my life. I don't know if it was fate that kept bringing us together, but whatever it was I will forever be grateful for the Saturday morning conference call that was my only reason for being in the cafe the morning you spilled coffee on me. I will forever be grateful to Elliot for dragging my reluctant ass out to the club that night where I first held you in my arms. You have changed my life in so many ways, more than you will ever know. I am a better man because of you. I will give up everything I own, all of my money, my company just to see you happy. I love you and want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Anastasia, will you marry me?"
I'm speechless. The tears are literally pouring from my eyes as I sit in disbelief that this wonderful man on one knee in front of me wants to marry me.
"Baby? Say something" he says after a few minutes.
"I….Yes….I will marry you" I sob, dropping to the floor in front of him.
"You were scaring me" He smiles before handing me a small box.
I open the box to find a gorgeous ring; there are three large round diamonds set on a band of smaller diamonds. I'm pleased that the stones are not too big; I don't think I could handle something very large.
"Each diamond has a meaning" he says putting the ring on my finger. "Our past, our present and our future."
"It's perfect Christian, absolutely perfect" I say in awe.
"If you don't like it-" he begins.
"Shhhhhh…I love it" I kiss him deeply. "I love you; I can't imagine not spending every day with you. Never did I think I would ever be able to have a relationship with someone, to know the love that you have shown me or to feel so comfortable with someone that I can bare myself to them. My life was meaningless until I bumped into you, from that day on you brightened my life in every way possible."
"I love you Ana" he pulls me onto his lap kissing me deeply.
"I love you with all my heart Christian" I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me.
Christian's arms are tight around my waist, anchoring me to him and I barely notice that he is touching my scars. I never thought I would ever be able to be this close to someone, to trust someone this much but I know that with Christian everything is different. I know deep down he would never hurt me and knowing that now I can't imagine his hands anywhere but around me. Our kiss quickly becomes passionate as we both convey our love and happiness to each other. Our clothes somehow come off, my thoughts are too focused on Christian to understand how it all happened but he enters me gently right there on the floor in front of the bed in the exact position we were in when I said yes. Christian's eyes are on me the entire time and I can see how much he loves me. I begin to increase the pace in which I'm moving against Christian when I begin to feel the orgasm building. Our eyes never leave one another as we find our release quickly together.
"Did I hurt you like this?" Christian asks, his eyes full of worry.
"No, I'm surprised but it didn't hurt at all" I realize.
"I love you so much I couldn't bear the thought of hurting you when we make love" he whispers holding me tight against him.
"I'm fine, I promise" I kiss him deeply.
Christian lifts me onto the bed wrapping my legs around his waist, lying me beneath him so we are both more comfortable. Somehow he manages to move us without breaking our connection; I feel closer to him right now than I think I ever have. Christian rolls us onto our sides, so we are face to face and I immediately wrap my leg around his waist not ready for him to pull away from me yet. He holds me close to him; I listen to his breathing become slow and steady before I realize that he has fallen asleep. I chuckle realizing he fell asleep while still inside of me but don't give it much more thought before closing my eyes and falling asleep with my head on Christian's arm.
The bright sun finds my eyes the next morning and I realize Christian and I haven't moved all night. I am still wrapped in his arms, my leg is still around his waist holding him close to me and blushing I realize he is still inside of me. I try to move but Christian's grip tightens on me even more, pulling me tighter against him and in the process pushing me sex down against him more. I gasp in surprise when Christian's lips find mine as I feel him become hard while still inside of me. I've never felt anything like this but feeling him move and grow inside of me is very arousing.
"Good Morning my beautiful fiancé" Christian pulls away slightly.
"Hmmmmmmm Good Morning" I moan as he becomes fully erect.
"I love waking up with you" he kisses me deeply.
"I can tell" I giggle.
"Now this I could get used to" he says thrusting gently inside of me.
Christian's fingers find my nipple, gently pinching and pulling on it until I'm moaning in desire. My hips begin moving to their own accord, slowly moving against him as the desire continues to build. As the need increases so do my thrusts, I boldly grab his ass pulling him into me further as I try to get him to find that spot I've learned to love so much. In this position, or at this angle it doesn't seem to happen and I find myself on the brink of an orgasm desperately needing a release. Christian must sense my need as he quickly pulls me on top of him gently urging me to sit upright and instantly I feel him find that wonderful spot. He wraps his hands around mine, clutching me tightly as I begin to move against him.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh" I moan, increasing the pace and the force of the thrusts.
"You look so beautiful" Christian reaches up kissing me passionately.
"Oh God!" I scream as the orgasm takes over.
"ANA!" Christian screams my name moments later finding his own release deep inside of me.
I collapse on top of his chest, listening to his heart beating as we both try to come down from our intense orgasms. To say that my life has changed since I met Christian is probably the biggest understatement. When we first met never did I think that we would be lying here, his arms wrapped around me planning our future together. In all honestly, never in my life did I think I would ever find someone I could be trust so completely that I would come to crave their touch.
"What are you thinking about?" Christian asks a few minutes later.
"How much everything has changed since I met you" I smile up at him, kissing his soft lips.
"For both of us" he hugs me tighter.
We lay like this for some time, comfortable in each other's arms before finally deciding to get up and start our day. We make our way down to the kitchen where Gail greets both of us with a hug, surprising Christian I think. Taylor also congratulates us but opts to shake our hands before we sit down for breakfast.
"I know this is all sudden, but what kind of wedding do you want?" Christian asks. "Big, small? Indoor, outdoor?"
"I haven't really thought about it" I admit. "I think something small and intimate would be perfect. I love the idea of it being outside, maybe as the sun sets?"
"That sounds perfect" he smiles. "When?"
"Hmmmm…I graduate next month, then I hope to find a job so it might be sometime before I can take time off of work" I think aloud.
"You know you don't need to work right?" Christian asks.
"I know, but I'm going to" I say firmly.
"I think you should look into Grey Publishing" He replies quietly.
"The publishing company you own? I'm not going to be handed a job, I want to earn it" I say.
"I barely have anything to do with the company directly and certainly have nothing to do with their hiring practices. I am more involved in the financial aspects of the company, trust me when I say I will insure that I am not involved in any part of the application process should you chose to apply" he vows.
"Wouldn't it be weird though?" I ask. "When we get married and my last name is the same as the name of the company?"
"Mrs. Grey….that has a very nice ring to it" he smiles before kissing me.
"I'll think about it…there are a few other publishing houses in Seattle" I smile.
"Back to the wedding…what about a fall wedding?" Christian suggests.
"That would be nice" I agree. "It wouldn't be too hot for an outdoor wedding; I've always loved when the leaves begin to change colors."
"So either late September or early October then" he confirms.
"Yes," I say happily.
"Location?" he asks.
"I don't know….what are your thoughts?" I ask.
"Well…we could fly somewhere and get married on a beach? We could ask my parents if we could have it at their house…the ceremony could be by the water?" Christian suggests.
"Ohhhhhhh I like that idea" I admit. "It's still at the water but without the beach. I don't want all of our guests to walk through sand and have it in their shoes and clothes."
"We can talk to my parents when we get back, I'm sure they will agree to it" Christian says. "It's a few months after the Coping Together gala so it my mother will be looking for something else to start planning."
"Wait! You want to get married this fall? As in a few months from now?" I ask surprised.
"Of course! I'm not going to wait until next year to make you my wife" Christian says firmly. "It's taking everything in me not to jump in the jet right now and fly to Vegas."
"Definitely no Elvis weddings" I laugh. "Do you think we can plan an entire wedding in a few months?"
"Of course baby, don't you worry about that. I will have the best planners on it; my mother uses several that she is very happy with for all of her events" he says confidently.
"How many guests?" I ask.
"You said small….so what were you thinking? 300, 400 or under 100?" he asks.
"Under 100" I answer. "I just want the people who care the most about us to be there; I don't want it to be some event where we don't know anyone."
"That sounds perfect, under one hundred guests it is" he smiles.
"Christian?" I ask.
"Yes?" he answers.
"Did anyone know you were planning on proposing this weekend?" I ask curiously.
"Well, Gail and Taylor of course knew since they helped pull it all off" he blushes. "And Kate."
"Kate?" I ask surprised.
"Yes, I asked for her blessing or approval I guess you would say" he looks away.
"That's so sweet" I gush hugging him.
"I know you two have been close for so many years and I know how important she is to you so I felt it was important to have her give approval. Although I have to admit if she said no I would have asked you anyway" he laughs.
"Your family didn't know?" I ask surprised.
"No, I wanted to keep it a secret and if Mia knew…well it would probably be on the front page before we even landed in Aspen" he laughs.
"Very true" I smile.
"We're going to need to announce something formally speaking of the media" Christian complains. "They're going to hound us nonstop when we get back I'm sure….I'm actually surprised they haven't found us out here yet."
"Why do they care so much?" I ask.
"America's richest bachelor gets engaged? Are you kidding?! They've been waiting to link me with someone" he jokes.
"I guess I never thought of it like that. They really haven't been around very much" I admit.
"Not yet, but I'm sure once we go to the gala word will get out since you will be pictured wearing this lovely ring" he gently places a kiss on my new ring.
"So what if that's the announcement? It would give us an opportunity to bring attention to Coping Together which might raise additional contributions" I suggest.
"I like that idea" he admits. "That way the attention is not all about us; we can turn the attention to a wonderful cause."
"We just have to keep Mia quiet until then" I laugh.
"I'll offer to buy her a new car if she keeps her mouth shut until then" he says seriously.
"A new car?! Are you crazy?" I ask.
"Yes…but it will work, trust me" he answers.
"You're too much" I laugh.
The rest of the day is spent lounging in the house, enjoying the peaceful setting and the calmness of the surroundings. We watch the sunset from the hot tub on the balcony before falling asleep in each other's arms once again. I wake the next morning to find the bed empty; I don't remember Christian getting up during the night but he must have at some point because his side of the bed is cool. I check the bathroom only to find it empty. I quickly get dressed, before slowly heading downstairs to find Christian and Taylor sitting in the living room talking very quietly.
"Is everything okay Christian?" I can sense tension in the room as soon I hit the stairs.
"Baby! Let me help you!" Christian rushes towards me, scooping me up and bringing me to the couch. "You should have called me to help you with the stairs."
"I'm fine" I assure him. "What's going on?"
"Someone broke into Kate's apartment last night" Christian says quietly.
"Was she hurt? Was she there?" I ask immediately regretting leaving my phone upstairs.
"No, thankfully she was with Elliot when it happened. They arrived home pretty late but discovered it this morning" he says.
"Wait…I'm confused" I pause. "If they came home last night how did they not realize that someone broke into her apartment?"
"Well" Christian takes a deep breath. "It was your room that was broken into…nothing in the rest of the house was touched."
"Someone broke into my room? For what?" I ask shocked.
"We don't know" he admits. "Kate went into your room this morning to look for a pair of shoes she had given you; apparently they were the perfect shoes to go with her outfit today. She found your room literally turned upside down."
"Why would someone break into my room? I don't own anything of real value" I sigh.
"We're trying to figure that out now" Taylor speaks up.
"How is Kate?" I ask.
"Angry of course" Christian laughs. "She was screaming in the background threatening all sorts of bodily harm to the person who did this when Elliot called me earlier."
"Ana, I hate to ask….was there anything that you can think of that someone would want from you?" Taylor asks.
"Taylor, I swear there is nothing. I barely own anything…It's always been just the stuff I could carry between places I stayed. Christian started a book collection for me at Christmas and had given me a phone but other than I really didn't have anything of value. Did Kate say if it looked like anything was missing?"
"Nothing that stood out to her" Christian says.
"There's no cameras in her apartment building" I sigh.
"No and the street is so busy that we can't get a good view of anyone entering the building from nearby businesses" Taylor admits.
"I'd like to go see my room when we get back" I say a few minutes later.
"Ana, I don't –" Christian begins.
"Christian, I'm going to be the only person who knows if something is missing" I interrupt.
"Mr. Grey, I hate to admit it but she is right" Taylor agrees. "We can take extra security with us and the apartment will already be secured when we get there by Mike."
"Mike?" I ask.
"Kate's new security" Taylor answers.
"Oh, I'm sure she is loving that" I laugh.
"She reluctantly agreed to it" Christian says.
"We have also assigned security to all members of the Grey family" Taylor reports.
"Could this have been Elena?" I ask cautiously.
"It's possible" Christian sighs.
"We don't have any proof yet" Taylor admits.
"She seems to know how to cover her tracks" I say in frustration.
"We will get her" Christian vows.
"I thought you had someone following her?" I ask.
"We do" Taylor says angrily. "Apparently she slipped out a back door last night and he only saw her returning around two in the morning."
"He has been fired and replaced" Christian says firmly.
"Okay….when do we head back to Seattle?" I ask.
"We're scheduled to take off at noon" Christian's voice is full of disappointment.
"Ana….may I speak with you for a moment privately?" Taylor asks after we finish breakfast some time later.
"Taylor?" Christian asks concerned.
"Mr. Grey, it's nothing to be concerned about" Taylor assures him.
Christian sighs and reluctantly heads back to the living room before Taylor sits down next to me.
"Is everything okay?" I ask concerned that he wants to speak with me.
"Oh yes" Taylor smiles. "I still have that bag you asked me to insure arrived with us."
"Oh!" I exclaim. "I completely forgot, would you mind taking it upstairs to our bedroom?"
"Yes ma'am" Taylor agrees before leaving the dining room.
I walk back into the living room and curl on the couch next to Christian. He protectively wraps an arm around me bringing me closer to him.
"I'm sorry this happened" Christian says quietly.
"Christian, it's not your fault" I assure him.
"It's not how I wanted this trip to end" Christian whines.
"I know, but I still had a wonderful time" I smile.
"So did I" Christian kisses me deeply.
"Can you take me upstairs so I can start packing?" I ask a few minutes later.
"Gail can pack your bag for you" Christian says.
"No, that's okay. I want to do it" I reply.
"You know you're going to have to get used to having people to help you" Christian carries me up the steps.
"I know, but I there's something about her packing my panties that I need to get used to" I giggle.
"You know she is the one who washes your panties right?" Christian laughs.
"Yes" I blush. "But I can pack my own things at least."
"What's this?" Christian asks seeing the gift bag on our bed.
"It's your Valentine's Day present – well it was supposed to be for Valentine's Day" I smile.
"How….when….but…." Christian stutters.
"Kate brought it to your parents' house the other night when we were there for dinner. Elliot gave it to Taylor, who packed it with his stuff to bring it with us here" I explain.
"That's what Taylor wanted to talk to you about?" Christian asks.
"Yes, in all the excitement the other night" I smirk. "I completely forgot I had asked him to bring it."
"Can I open it?" He smiles like a kid at Christmas.
"Yes" I laugh.
Christian slowly unwraps the first gift which is a framed picture of us that the sky diving instructor took of us before we jumped from the plane. We both looked so happy in that picture, it's a day I will always remember. He smiles looking at the picture, clearly remembering the day fondly. He unwraps the second gift, the solar powered airplane and screams as he jumps from the bed.
"Ana! This is perfect!" He hugs me tight.
"It's solar powered so once it's charged it will light up and fly around the room" I show him the package.
"I love it!" he kisses me. "Thank you."
"You're not exactly the easiest person to shop for" I giggle.
"So I've been told" he laughs as he begins to open the package.
"You might want to wait until we get home for that" I point out.
"Party pooper" Christian smacks my ass playfully.
As soon as we arrive back in Seattle a few hours later we head directly to Kate's apartment much to Christian's disappointment. He does not like the idea of going there but Taylor assures him that it will be fine. Mike is at the apartment with Kate and Elliot, Sawyer is meeting us there and Taylor is already with us therefore Taylor feels the risk is minimal. Christian carries me up the small flight of steps into Kate's building but from there we are able to take the elevator to her floor.
"Ana!" Kate screams as we walk into the apartment.
"Kate! I've missed you!" I exclaim hugging her.
"So?" she asks happily.
She screams loudly seeing my ring and hugs me again. Elliot shakes Christian's hand congratulating him as the other guys just stand around the room awkwardly. Kate and I sit on the couch gushing over the proposal while the guys discuss the break in. I tune them out, not wanting to think about it right now but know that in a few minutes I'm going to have to go into the room.
"Baby?" Christian asks.
"I'm coming" I make my way down the hallway to my room.
I open the door and barely recognize the room I haven't stepped foot into in almost three months and it's not from my memory loss. The room has literally been torn upside down; books are thrown everywhere, the mattress is flipped over, the mirror on the closet door is shattered, clothes are thrown everywhere. I gasp as I look around, taking everything in.
"You don't have to do this" Christian whispers pulling me against him.
"Yes I do" I say with confidence.
"How can we help Ana?" Kate asks.
"I think if we can manage to get everything back maybe I can see if anything is missing" I answer.
We spend the next hour cleaning up the room which is not as easy as you would think since I'm the only one who really knows where everything went. Kate is able to figure most out as she has been in here several times but Christian was not as familiar with my room except when he helped me unpack. Slowly the room is put back together and looks more like the room I remembered. I find my bookbag under my bed and immediately open the front pocket sighing in relief when I take out the picture.
"Who is that?" Christian asks looking over my shoulder.
"My dad" I sigh. "I keep his picture in my schoolbag so he would always be with me. I'm so relieved it is still here."
"Does it look like anything is missing?" Kate asks.
"I don't see anything obvious" I admit.
"Maybe the person just meant to scare you?" Kate suggests.
"Maybe" I sigh.
"Ana, Taylor will arrange to have everything packed up and brought to Escala later this week" Christian says as we return to the living.
"No!" I blush at the thought of Taylor packing my underwear and bras.
"Ana, I will pack up your personal stuff and Taylor can handle the rest" Kate giggles.
"Thank you Kate" Christian laughs.
"The alarm company will be here within the hour and the locksmith was already here this morning to change the locks on the door" Mike explains. "Additionally, all windows have had extra locks installed to reinforce them."
"I doubt anyone is coming through the window since we live on the fifth floor" Kate laughs.
"Probably not, but better to be safe" Taylor points out.
"How about we all go out to dinner?" Elliot suggests.
"Baby? Do you feel up to it?" Christian asks me.
"I'm starving! Let's go" I answer.
"Great, just let me change my outfit" Kate runs off to her room.
"It's going to be awhile" Elliot laughs. "It takes her hours to find something to wear."
"I heard that Elliot!" Kate says as she emerges from her room moments later.
The four of us enjoy a wonderful dinner at a local steakhouse that Christian recommends; it felt nice to hang out with Kate again we haven't been able to see each other much since the accident. Now that I'm becoming more mobile we vow to spend more time together; Christian even suggests that Kate and Elliot come to Escala for dinner and a movie one weekend. Elliot seems really taken back by this explaining that Christian rarely invites his family over. Christian blows him off by saying that Elliot just shows up anyway so an invitation is not needed.