AN: This is still Madison's friend. If you have not read chapter 49. Go back and read it. I posted them at the same time.
Chpt. 50 APOV:
I can't believe the Coping Together Gala is tonight! To some degree, I've been waiting for this day so Christian and I can finally stop hiding our marriage from everyone other than his family. However, I know once the media finds out about our marriage that our quiet life will once again be disrupted. I know that once the news breaks that people will look at me differently and even treat me differently. I can't help but feel nervous wondering what reporters are going to say about me. I know how this looks; a homeless girl marries a very successful, very rich single man. I know people are going to assume I'm only with Christian because he has money when in reality that couldn't be further from the truth. I honestly don't care about his money, his job, his cars or his many expensive toys that he has, all that matters to me is who he is when we are together.
Christian arranged for a beauty team to come to Escala to assist me in getting ready for the gala; I tried telling him it wasn't necessary but he insisted and when he pointed out that we have a photo shoot with the newspaper who helped us get my journal back I knew I couldn't argue with him. After a couple of hours of pampering I am dressed in a beautiful dark red gown, my hair is pinned up with a few curls falling gently around my face and my makeup is just enough to compliment the dress. After the beauty team leaves, I place my engagement ring and wedding band on my finger – a place that I'm pleased to know they will not leave again. Even though I've liked being able to wear the rings around my neck each day, whenever I looked at my hand I couldn't help but feel guilty that I wasn't wearing the rings.
"You look stunning baby," Christian says in awe as he walks into our room.
"You don't look so bad yourself," I blush.
Christian is wearing a black tux but his tie perfectly matches the color of my dress which makes me smile. One thing I've learned with Christian is that he looks amazing in anything he wears; from an Armani suit to a pair of sweatpants after a workout he always looks sexy.
"The reporter and photographer are downstairs in the great room waiting for us," Christian says kissing me on the cheek.
"Okay," I take a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" he asks before we leave the room.
"Yes, I'm ready," I say confidently.
"Kate!" I exclaim as we enter the great room. "What are you doing here?"
"I am covering this story for the paper," Kate smiles at Christian. "Your husband here insisted I was the only reporter he would allow to cover this very special announcement."
Christian just smiles at me and I mouth "thank you" to him; knowing that Kate was going to be the reporter covering the initial story of our marriage just made me feel so at ease. Any nervousness I had about how I would be portrayed at least initially went out the window the moment I saw Kate. An hour later, pictures were taken and we answered a few vague questions about our wedding before Kate and her photographer left. Christian and I both previously agreed that we wanted to keep as many of the details about our wedding private; it was a moment we preferred to only share with those that were there for our wedding. Kate understood our wishes and assured us that the article would be vague with location and details about the wedding, focusing instead on the fact that we have been married and are now residing together.
"Thank you Christian," I kiss him gently on the lips, trying not to mess up my lipstick.
"Anything for you baby," he assures me. "How about a drink before we leave?"
"I think that would help me nerves," I giggle.
"Why are you nervous?" he hands me a glass of pink champagne.
"I know it's silly," I sigh, "but after today everyone will look at me differently. They will all assume just as your dad did, that I'm only with you because of you money. It's not going to take them long to dig up information on me, to find out that I was homeless and living in shelters while working as a waitress to put myself through school. I'm not embarrassed by my situation, but I know the media is going to see it as the only reason why I am with you."
"You and I both know that couldn't be further from the truth," he kisses me deeply on the lips, any concern about my lipstick takes a back seat as he leaves me breathless. "One of the things I admire most about you is how strong you; look at how much you have overcome yet you remain so strong, focused and independent. The fact that you had no idea who I was when we first met, both surprised and scared me."
"Scared you?" I ask confused.
"Yes, you scared me," he continues. "I knew from that moment that you would only see me for who I really was, not for the man that is so often portrayed in the media as the single bachelor or the leading business man for Seattle. Before you, I was at least able to hide behind the image the media had conveyed of me since nearly everyone knew me as that person."
"Except me," I smile.
"Except you," he kisses me deeply once again.
"You keep kissing me like that and I won't have any lipstick left for the gala," I laugh.
"Who cares? We could just skip the gala and go straight upstairs and spend the night in our bed," he smirks.
"As tempting as that sounds, your mother would be mad," I point out.
"She would," he admits.
"Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey, we should leave now," Taylor enters essentially ending our moment.
"Don't worry about what everyone thinks, all that matters is that you and I love each other," he reminds me as we ride to his parent's house.
"You're right," I say, trying to stir up some confidence. I wish I didn't care as much about how the media might portray me or what people might think about me. It would be so much easier if the media didn't care about Christian, but for some reason they are obsessed with him and I imagine it will only get worse once they find out Seattle's most eligible bachelor is no longer a bachelor.
"When does Kate's article come out?" I ask.
"In about 5 minutes," he replies. "If all goes as planned, it will literally come out when we arrive at the gala. Most photographers and reports will be too busy snapping photos to even read the alert they receive from their bosses so they won't have any idea until we tell them."
The rest of the ride is quiet and surprisingly I begin to feel less nervous the closer we get to the gala. Christian's hand never leaves mine, despite him responding to emails on his phone. I vow to not let the media get to me, especially over the next couple of weeks when they begin to dig more about who I am. I am not ashamed that I had a rough childhood and became homeless, I am proud of who I am and that I was strong enough to not give up even though it would have been much easier to.
"Sir, Ma'am we have arrived," Taylor announces as he pulls into the line of cars in the long driveway approaching the gala.
"Wow," I say in awe with the number of cars in line alone. I can't imagine how many people will be here.
"This has always been one of my parents' most successful fundraisers," Christian explains. "There is usually about 300 to 400 people in attendance, but don't worry because the media is only allowed in the front. Once we step through the entrance the only photographers present will be those hired specifically for the event. No pictures taken during the gala will show up in the media, they will be available for purchase at the end of the gala with proceeds going directly to the charity."
"How long have your parents been hosting this fundraiser?" I ask.
"At least the last ten years, probably longer," he replies.
"We are next," Taylor announces.
"You don't have to answer anything you want, we just make a quick appearance and then we can go into the gala," Christian reminds me.
"I'm fine," I assure him.
Moments later, Taylor parks the car and Sawyer opens our door and immediately I am overwhelmed by various reporters calling Christian's name and yelling questions at him. Christian exits the SUV gracefully before turning around and offering me his hand for assistance. Saying a quick prayer that I don't fall flat on my face, I grip Christian's hand and step out of the SUV into the chaos that is before. Sawyer is next to our side the entire time which is comforting to me as reporters continue to yell questions at us and snap pictures. I can't make out much of what they are saying except when they shout Christian's name. Christian's arm is around my waist, anchoring me to him tightly as we slowly walk to the entrance, stopping on occasion for pictures.
"Mr. Grey! Mr. Grey! Who is your guest this evening?" a reporter asks as we are about to enter the gala.
"My wife is my guest this evening," Christian announces proudly before kissing me on the cheek.
"Uh….Oh….your….wife?" the reporter stutters in shock.
"Yes, my wife," Christian repeats. "You really should do your research before an event like this and have up to date information on the guests so you are more prepared."
Christian leads me into the gala, leaving the reporter stunned into silence behind us. Christian laughs as he looks at his phone before showing me the text from Kate informing him that the story is now live and they are getting flooded with phone calls requesting information. The timing of the announcement was perfect, even though it was a false sense of calmness it was nice to be able to walk through the swarm of reporters without being hounded for information about our marriage. I'm sure there will be several reporters waiting for us when we leave tonight, but since the story will have already been published I don't expect the questions to be as intense as they would have been had no one known about the marriage.
"That wasn't nearly as bad as I expected," Christian laughs.
"Me either," I giggle. "Although you were quite harsh to that reporter."
"He has been a thorn in my side for years now," he sighs. "He's constantly trying to dig up dirt on me and would often just happen to be at the same place I am; making him look like an idiot is the least he deserved. Now let's go find out table, I'm sure Mia is dying to see you."
Describing the gala and the transformation of the Grey's backyard is just impossible; there are no words to describe the event. The backyard has been completely transformed, large white tends are set up across the lawn with dozens of tables covered in royal blue linens. A dance floor and stage have even been erected on the lawn; a band plays soothing music as guests chat with each other. There's an entire tent set up for a silent auction; I've never participated in anything like this but Christian encourages me to bid on a few items. A wonderful five course meal is served and the food is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted even if I didn't recognize the name of half the stuff I was eating. Although the gala was filled with people who easily earn more in a year than I will probably ever earn in a lifetime, never once did I feel like I didn't belong. Christian stayed by my side the entire night, introducing me to several business associates or individuals who held political offices in Seattle. Christian and I dance several times throughout the night and each time I can't help but feel like all eyes are on us.
"I've never danced with anyone at these events before," Christian whispers as he notices everyone staring at us as well.
"Never?" I ask surprised.
"I couldn't bear the thought of having someone this close to me before you," he explains. "Having someone this close meant risking that they would touch my chest…"
"That must have been so hard for you," I whisper.
"Not really," he admits. "After the first couple of events, people took the hint and eventually would stop asking me to dance. It was only on occasion that someone would ask and I would simply decline the invitation. It was easier to hide behind that than to risk having someone touch me and then me lashing out at them."
"I'm so glad that we're able to dance like this," I say resting my head on his shoulder as he wraps his arms tightly around my waist.
"Me too," he kisses the top of my head lightly.
The gala ends with fireworks over the water which are absolutely breathtaking and have to be the most amazing fireworks I have ever seen. After the fireworks the MC announces that the gala raised more than 2.3 million dollars for Coping Together which will support children and their parents who are struggling with addiction.
"Taylor let me know there are still reporters outside, likely waiting for us," Christian whispers as we are saying goodbye to his family.
"I assumed they would wait," I admit.
"You ready?" he asks.
"Let's go home Mr. Grey," I smile.
"As you wish Mrs. Grey," his arms wraps tightly around my waist again as we brace for the reporters outside.
"Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey! Why did you get married so quickly?" A reporter asks.
"Mrs. Grey, are you pregnant?" Another yells.
"Mr. Grey, did you have Mrs. Grey sign a prenup?" The reporter from earlier asks causing Christian to glare at him.
We finally make our way to the waiting SUV; Taylor quickly pulls away as reporters continue to take pictures of our car. Christian and I both let out a breath as we clear the Grey's driveway and head back to Escala only to find a group of reporters standing outside waiting for us yet again. Thankfully since Escala has a private parking garage, once Taylor inputs our code we are immediately hidden from the paparazzi and can quietly head up to the apartment.
"Pretty sure we will be on the front page tomorrow," I laugh remembering all the questions moments ago.
"I wish they would focus on something more important," Christian sighs. "There are millions of people in this world who don't have enough food to put on their tables at night, millions of children who are being abused every day, millions of people who can't afford to put a roof over their head yet the media is outside my apartment because I got married…"
"Yes, but remember every time someone searches for our wedding announcement its going to bring attention to the gala that we attended tonight," I remind him. "Our pictures all include the Coping Together banner that was in front of the entrance to the gala tonight; people can't just ignore that."
"You're right," he admits. "I just wish people would get their priorities straight."