My dear little broccolisđź’šđź’šđź’š
đź’šSweetie, Let Me Give You The Daddyđź’š
"The best investment I ever made, was when I lost fifty million dollars and met the love of my life as a result of that."
‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️
‼️Romance/Angst/Drama/Lemons‼️
‼️AS/CG/The Greys/The Steeles/José Rodriguez/Grace Grey‼️
đź’šNow, in case it wasn't clear, this will be a Christian POV story. and I know you will want Ana's PoV, but it will just be Christian.
đź’š READ & REVIEW, DON'T BE A SILENT READER đź’š
Chapter 10: Rough Diamond, Rough Mallow & Rough Rider(8,4K)
So, about this title, we have our first chapter that is really centred on Ana (diamond), Grace (mallow) and Christian (rider). Hence why we have the three of them. Moreover, mallow is a flower that represents love and protection, and that is said to be the guardian of the house
The next morning, Ana and Christian took his jet back to New York, though they mostly worked on their own projects during the journey. Ana did try to argue that she already had her flight home booked, but Christian convinced her to come with him when he reminded her that they would get back to New York much sooner if they took his jet which was just waiting for them to board.
An hour or so before they landed, Christian stopped working in the hope of getting some rest. Which he did, though he remained in his seat, only bothering to use his hand to partially cover his eyes from the light. This was a position he was used in sleeping in whilst travelling. So much so that Ros often joked that he could use this position in a meeting, and no one would know that he was sleeping.
He only woke up when Ana gently shook him up. He shook his head, getting rid of his fatigue for the rest of the day, and as they walked out of his plane, he whispered in her ear as his hand rested on the small of her back, "One day, I'll get you back on this jet."
"Why? Did you get all snobby and can't fly commercial, anymore?" She teased, shaking her head and making her beautiful hair bounce around her face.
His eyes sternly lingered on her hair, and when she caught his gaze, she rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded a lot like 'caveman,' and she tied her hair in a messy bun. In all fairness, except that night when he had shown up unannounced to her place and found Andrew waiting for her out of her bath, he hadn't seen her with her hair loose, and no matter how much it made him look like a caveman, he liked the idea of being one of the rare few to see this side of Ana.
Even before he made the request to her, he had noticed that she never let her hair down. And though at first, he had slightly obsessed over seeing her with her hair down, he would never forget how beautiful she looked in her petite robe noire, barefoot and with her hair cascading around her face. At the time, if he hadn't signed a contract with her, he would have forgone their verbal accord and taken her to his bed.
He had refrained from his impulses but had still asked to be the only man to see her with her hair down. If he could keep part of her beauty to him and him alone, he would selfishly do it.
He snapped back into the present moment, and let her know, "For your information, I flew commercial coming to LA. And the only reason why I want to take you flying on this jet when I won't be tired is because I want us to get into this very exclusive club that only accepts members on aircraft.
"Naughty, naughty. Who said I'm that kind of freak?" She admonished, though her whole face showed that she wouldn't mind joining the Mile-High Club with him.
He leaned and nipped her earlobe, letting her know, "Your devilish smile."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
Because Ana wanted to pick up Grace on her own, Christian asked Sawyer to drop her at Jose's place, before driving him to his place. At first, he had wanted to pick up Grace with Ana, so they could surprise their daughter together, but Ana pointed out that it could be misinterpreted by Grace. Ana explained that the young girl was perceptive and that she could easily think that they had left for the weekend to have a good time without her.
So Christian agreed to drop by later during the day, to give the two girls time to get back home (and get the lasagna ready). He also proposed for them to break the news about Mary's death together, and she gratefully accepted his offer, though she asked for them to wait for the next day, so it wouldn't be too much all at once for Grace. She still wasn't sure how the separation went for Grace.
As Sawyer drove him back to his place in Manhattan, Christian thought of how the separation of the weekend had affected Ana much more than it had affected Grace. Grace mentioned it at the beginning of each of his calls that she missed her mommy, but then she eagerly talked about everything and nothing with Christian. Especially when it came to dishing on Jose's failure at making broccoli.
Ana, on the other hand, questioned her decision to leave Grace behind throughout the weekend. Sure, when they were having a moment, she hadn't brought up the worries (which would have been a very awkward thing to do), but Christian still saw how hard it had been on Ana, and how much it had made her feel like a bad mother. And no matter how much he tried to reassure her that Grace was fine, he could tell that Ana didn't believe him.
Once he was back at his place he went straight to his office and sent an email to Andrea, so she could find him a maid that would come twice a week to clean the place. He could have made it so the Taylors moved in with him in New York for the time being, but things happened so quickly at first that he hadn't thought of it. And now, though he wouldn't have any issue making them come to New York, he knew that Ana wouldn't approve.
Sure, he could have kept going without a maid, given the fact that he only went back to his place to sleep. He worked all day long and ate at Ana's every night. He was sure that Andrea had someone to come and do a quick clean since he always had fresh sheets and a clean bathroom. But the pantry was empty, and the penthouse felt empty, which he wanted to avoid for when Grace would come. He knew Ana would understand, but he didn't want Grace to think he was a terrible grownup for not having food in his place.
After his email to Andrea, he worked for most of the day, only stopping when Ana sent him a text to let him know that Grace and she were home, with Jose and Karl, who she had invited over to have dinner. So, after finishing the file he had been working on, he let Sawyer know he needed a ride to Ana's. He could have driven the SUV he bought for Ana, but he was too tired, and he didn't like driving in New York, to begin with.
When he arrived at Ana's place, it was Jose who opened the door for him, and just by the Hispanic man's smug smile, he could tell that Ana's best friend knew that there had been a development in their relationship. Whether Ana told him or not remained to be determined. He pretended as if hadn't noticed anything, and just went in the apartment, his arms heavy with presents for Grace.
She was nowhere in sight, but neither was Karl or Ana. He assumed that they were in her bedroom. He sat on the sofa, under Jose's observant stare. It seemed that the man couldn't stop smirking.
"So? How was your weekend? Relaxing?"
Christian was saved from answering by the trio coming into the living room, and Grace rushing to him to give him a hug, a big smile plastered on her face. He happily embraced her, and when she sat in his embrace, she let him know with a knowing smile, "Mama said you were coming tonight. She said it's because you missed me, but I know it's because you want to eat the lasagna."
He laughed, pretending to have been discovered as he said, "Darn, you know me too well. But to be fair, I did miss you too. Even more than the lasagna."
"You did?" He nodded, poking her nose with his finger.
"Yes. I thought of you a lot whilst abroad, and I brought you presents."
"But … I thought you were busy?"
Christian quickly swallowed his discomfort, understanding the logic in his little girl's brain. In her mind, he had always been busy and never thought of her. Before her operation, he never came to visit, never called her on a regular basis, and only sent a stuffed animal to mark a milestone. All because he had been 'busy'.
And now, now that he was actually there in her life, doing his best to act like a father, it didn't make any sense to Grace for him to be busy, but still, have time to do all the things he had failed to do before because of his business. So, he gave her a small apologetic smile, and explained, "I know. And I'm sorry I wasn't there before. But I promised you that we would get to spend more time together, didn't I?"
She nodded, and Christian appreciated that Ana had pretended to have a conversation with Jose and Karl, to provide a pretence of privacy for their chat. He cleared his throat and reached for one of the presents to give it to Grace. She grinned, clearly liking the idea of getting a present, unlike her mother who had always made such a big deal out of it. She carefully unwrapped the gift, making sure that she didn't tear it.
Ana came to sit on the floor, so she would be between Grace and Christian, without blocking either from the other, and Christian saw from the corner of his eye that Jose took his phone out to capture the moment, with Karl on his side.
"Oh, it looks a bit like a dragon!" Grace exclaimed at she finally unwrapped her first present, which was a small Merlion figurine.
"It's called a Merlion. It has the body of a fish and the head of a lion. 'Mer' means sea in French. I thought, maybe, you could put it on your shelf with your other figurines."
She smiled brightly as she nodded in agreement, and Christian took pleasure in seeing her open her other gifts, though he had not been very original and stayed on the safe side of the touristic things. He watched her marvel over the golden Risis orchid, the necklace made of beads, the local snacks, the traditional red gown, the books with tales from Singapore, the snow globe from Seattle with the Space Needle in it. And finally, she opened the present he was most excited about because it was the one he was sure she would appreciate the most.
The Chinese dragon glass lamp.
When Grace opened the wrap, her eyes went big, and her mouth formed an 'O' of excitement before she started trembling with frenzy.
"Mira, Mama! Mira! Es una lámpara de dragón! Can I put it in my room? Can I?" (Look, Mommy! Look! It's a dragon lamp!)
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ana pointedly asked, giving her daughter a look that clearly showed Ana was expecting something from the young girl.
Grace turned to Christian, the lamp still safely secured in her arms, and she gave him her best smile as she said sincerely, "Thank you so much, Christian!"
He returned her smile, happy that Grace was clearly not like her mother when it came to accepting gifts. Still, he was quickly forgotten, because Grace turned back to her mother and asked again, "Can I?"
Ana smiled, and just as she was about to get up to help Grace install her lamp, Jose intervened and proposed to do it with her and Karl. He took the lamp from Grace's hand, and she warned him, saying that he should be careful not to break it.
Christian watched the trio leave the room, a satisfied smile on his lips. Even if she liked all her presents, he was sure that this one was the one she would cherish the most. Ana got up from the floor and started gathering the scattered wrappings, but Christian saw that despite her smile, there was a small crease between her brows. He halted the task, taking her arm in his hand, and asked, "What's wrong?"
She started shaking her head to dismiss the thing, but he kept her arm in his hand, and so she conceded, "I know that you're happy to buy her things, and I don't want to come between the two of you but … don't spoil her."
"I'm not spoiling her. I'm just bringing my kid souvenirs from my business trip."
She nodded, but Christian could tell by her smile that she was only humouring him. So, he let her go, trying to understand for a moment why Ana would fuss over their daughter getting presents and being happy about it. It was as if she believed that everyone should brood upon receiving gifts.
He watched her go to the kitchen space, and as she put the lasagna in the oven, he got up to stand behind her. He put his hand on her shoulders, and asked, "Are you not happy that I made our kid happy?"
She spun to face him, looking insulted that he could even think that, "Of course I am happy that she's thrilled. I… I just don't want her to automatically associate you going away with her getting presents."
And though it was only the first time he ever brought Grace presents, he could understand Ana's logic. In fact, this simple statement showed how well she knew him. Because if she hadn't brought that issue up, Christian would have made sure to bring presents from every single business trip he would ever make. Even if it was just to Washington.
He sighed, having a sudden flashback of his parents and how often his mother had won the logic argument over their father, and he kissed her forehead as he promised, "I won't make it a habit. But I will buy her things. You can't rob me of the glee she just displayed."
They were interrupted by Grace running to him and grabbing his hand to drag him out to her room where she proudly showed him the place of her dragon lamp. She had put it on her bedside table. She excitedly showed him what happened when she switched on the light, and how the red scales of the dragon sprinkled the wall with ruby light, and Christian sat on her bed as she told him all about her weekend with Jose and Karl.
She also showed him the globe that Uncle Karl had gotten her and took a flashlight from under her bed to explain why it was day in Singapore when it was night in New York.
"So, Uncle Karl said that our planet is round like this globe and turns like this, and around the sun. So, when the sun is on this side, it is night on this side. And that's why we didn't sleep at the same time. Because look, Singapore is here, and the light touches here. But New York is on the other side. It's quite simple."
He praised her, though he kept for himself that he was quite impressed that she understood so well the concept of time zones. He wasn't even sure if Jason, who was almost nine, could explain it so well. Grace put back the flashlight beneath her bed, all proud of herself, before she put her hands on her hips, accusingly exclaiming, "I was saying Singapore wrong and you never told me! Why?"
"I didn't think it was so bad. In fact, I thought it was cute."
She pouted and let him know with an adorable scowl on her face, "I don't like saying wrong things."
"Next time you'll say something wrong, I'll correct you."
She raised her pinky and held it high, looking expectantly at Christian as she asked for confirmation, "Promise?"
He smiled, locking his own finger with hers as he swore, "Promise."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
Over dinner, Christian got to witness how involved Jose was in his goddaughter's life, and how close Grace was with both men. He did find it odd, given the fact that Grace had spent most of her life in the UK, and had only been in the US for just over nine months. He saw first-hand that Grace even had private jokes with the men, which did give him mixed feelings.
In a way, he was glad he could share this moment with her, even though he was not part of the joke. But in the meantime, he couldn't help but be envious of Grace's relationship with Jose and Karl. They were so close that a couple of times, he felt like an outsider at their dinner table.
Still, everyone included him as much as possible, even if, in the middle of dinner, Grace clearly complained to her mother about having so many people over that night.
"You know, Mama, I think it's funny that everyone is visiting us when it's lasagna night."
Everyone laughed, though Grace clearly didn't think it was a laughing matter. Karl softened the blow of having so many people eating off her lasagna by admitting, "To be honest, Grace, I just didn't want Jose to cook for me tonight. Yesterday's broccoli was a disaster."
"Yes. My mommy makes much better broccoli. It was just yucky."
"What did I say about calling food yucky?" Ana intervened with a tired voice, making Grace pout as she tried to defend herself.
"But Mama, it was yucky."
"Well, you say it was not good. Food is never yucky or disgusting. It's just not to your taste, or not well made."
"Okay, okay. We get it. I don't know how to cook. Can we switch to another topic?" Jose said with defeat, before turning his head to Ana with a devilish smile, "For instance, we can talk about how you're glowing."
Grace squinted her eyes at her mother, trying to see the glow that her godfather was talking about. "Did you put on your green mud when you were away?"
"No. She just got a really nice massage. The same kind of massage your Uncle Karl needs to give me tonight after dishing on my cooking," Jose explained with a wicked grin, making Ana clear her throat and Christian smirk smugly at her.
Grace seemed satisfied with that answer, and Christian had his answer: Jose knew for sure that he had gone to see Ana and that they had done more than just talk. He tried to look at her from an objective point-of-view, see if there was indeed a glow about her, but the only thing that was different was that she seemed more relaxed.
Over dessert, Jose whipped his phone out once again, to take pictures of them, and Christian recognised that Ana and Grace seemed extremely comfortable in front of the camera. Though he remembered that Ana used to love taking pictures and that the photo album she had given him was full of pictures. He was sure that she had even more.
Still, he insisted to have a few pictures taken with Karl and Jose. He knew that Jose was only trying to take family pictures, to fill the gaps of the missing years, but Christian knew that the couple was important to the girls and that they should be in some pictures as well. He didn't want Grace to think that she needed to push people away to accept him in her life.
After dinner, Karl and Jose left, though Jose made a point of reminding everyone that he was getting his massage tonight, and once they were alone, Ana and Christian put Grace to bed. Ana read A Wrinkle In Time, which Jose had started on Friday night, and Christian joined him to do the male voices, to Grace's delight (she had told him several times that he was terrible at making female voices).
When Ana closed the book after reading two chapters and put it down by the dragon lamp, Grace looked at her lamp with glee, before informing her parents, "Tio Jose said that we were going to watch the movie together when I finish the book."
"Oh?" Christian questioned, and before Ana could clarify, Grace explained, "We always watch the movie after finishing the book with Tio Jose. This weekend, we watched Les Misérables, and it was in black and white. But I always like the book better."
Christian nodded, keeping to himself that book or movie, Les Misérables was far too advanced for four-year-old. But then again, Grace was the kind of four-year-old who could explain how time zones worked, just with a flashlight.
Ana kissed her daughter goodnight, making sure she was properly tucked in. When she got up, Christian gave his usual goodnight, but Grace sat up, holding his hand to stop him from leaving. Ana briefly glanced at them, before giving them some privacy, and Christian crouched back down as Grace let him know, "I'm glad you're back, Christian. Even if I know you came back early for the lasagna. I'll have to ask Mama to make more when you come."
"Says the girl who had three servings."
"But Mama always gives such small sizes. You should tell her that I'm a big girl now. I'm not a baby, you know."
"I know," he conceded, keeping for himself that he would never get to experience what it was to be the father to a baby. Sure, he had the pictures Ana had given him, but it wasn't the same as experiencing the real thing.
Still, he smiled at her and poked her nose with his finger. "Goodnight, sweetie."
"Goodnight, Christian," she replied, but this time, she reached for a hug and Christian was just all too happy to comply. The embrace was brief, but still impactful to Christian, and when he left Grace's room, he found Ana in the kitchen, in the middle of doing the dishes, though she pointed at the counter and said,
"She left you a cookie. I guess she forgot with all the commotion of the eve … what's wrong?" She interrupted herself when she met his eyes, and Christian just shook his head, going to the promised cookie that was accompanied by a drawing, and explained, "I just got a hug goodnight."
Ana smiled brightly at him, sharing his glee before she returned her attention to the dishes. Christian took the drawing in his hand, examining it as he mindlessly ate the cookie. It was a childish depiction of Ana, Grace and himself, with a dragon spitting purple fire above them. Grace was between her parents, holding their hands, though only she and Ana smiled, or had hair for that matter.
"So … am I growing bald? Or did the dragon burn my hair off?"
"Haha. Is that what you're focused on? I would be more worried by the fact that we all have big heads or overall disproportionate bodies, but yeah, go for the hair."
"Isn't it the norm with kids? They have no compass, right?"
"Grace usually stays in the right proportions. But she said that she wanted to try something new for you. So, we're stuck with gigantic heads."
Christian smiled, though he folded the drawing and kept it in his pocket, before watching Ana dry the dishes and put them in their rightful place. He was surprised at how comfortable he was with the domesticity of this scene, but even more that he was able to project this very scene in his place in Seattle. Ultimately, he liked Seattle better than New York, and he would do his best to convince Ana to eventually move to Seattle with him.
"By the way, I had my parents on the phone earlier. They're quite excited about next weekend. Though they warned me that Elliott won't be here. Julian has Little League, apparently."
"Do you want to postpone and go cheer him on?"
"No. I already messed up with the boys. Let me try to do it right with my kid."
Ana gently shook her head, though her smile showed that she understood where he was coming from, and as she was putting the final plate in the cupboard, Christian told her, "And just so you're prepared, the gifts I just gave Grace are nothing to what my parents have in store. They're probably going to bring loads of toys and books, and whatever else goes through their mind. Especially my Dad. He's always wanted a girl."
She sighed, shaking her head disheartened, though there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "You Greys are going to turn my child into a rotten spoiled brat."
Christian placed himself behind her, undoing her messy bun as he kissed her neck and said, "I just want to make her happy. Where is the harm in that?"
"But she is happy. She was over the moon to see you. She hugged you before even knowing you had anything for her. She's happy because you're spending time with her, not because you're bringing her gifts from all over the world."
He hummed, agreeing that Grace had been happy to see him, even though she had no idea that he was bringing presents. Still, there was this one thing that Ana wouldn't be able to rationalise,
"And yet, her eyes sparkled with joy when she opened her presents. I have the money, Ana. And you were the one who kept pointing out that there was no point building an empire if I didn't have anyone to spend it on. Well, I have two girls, now. I know you don't like gifts, but I'll be damned if I don't give my kid everything she wants and more."
She let out a heavy sigh, clearly defeated, though she did not try to step away from his embrace. He held her a bit closer, probably to soften the blow of what he was about to say.
"As a matter of fact, I happen to have something for you too …"
"Christian" …
"Nah ah ah," he chastised, tightening his grip on her. He kissed her neck once again and reminded her, "On my birthday, when we were in Hong Kong, you promised not to moan and whine when I gave you something."
"That was ages ago. Things have changed."
"Nope. It was a birthday promise. You can't put an expiration date on it. If you want to moan, you can only do it when I'm on top of you."
Finally, she got out of his arms, rolling her eyes and he grabbed the small bag that was left as she prepared coffee for them. As the pot brewed, she unwrapped her presents the same way Grace did, never tearing the paper, which was extremely infuriating to Christian. It was paper, it was made to be torn.
She appreciatively smiled when she saw that he had gotten her the same traditional gown that Grace had as well as a scarf, and a typical perfume from Singapore. "I meant to ask you earlier … did you pick all these yourself?"
He nodded, and she thanked him with a gentle kiss on the lips. Then, she told him to sit on the sofa and brought them each coffee as Christian thought of how this simple thing could matter so much to Ana.
In the past, he had always asked for personal shoppers to find whatever he had wanted to get to her, even though he always had to trick her into accepting his gifts. And though she was always appreciative, they never seemed to hold any sort of value to her. But now that he had been the one hunting down the presents, he understood why this time was more impactful for her than the ones of the past. It wasn't just that he was the one who spent time looking for them, it was the proof that he had been thinking of her at some point, in his busy schedule.
When she came back with a coffee mug for him, she sat next to him, closing her eyes and appreciating the peaceful moment between them, though Christian interrupted it by mentioning something that had been bugging him since the funeral.
"By the way, at Mary's memorial, you said you had plans with family for Christmas. Is it with Jose?"
She opened her eyes, looking at him questioningly as if he was missing something. "Not really. Your mother invited us for Christmas when your parents came a couple of months ago. And I couldn't really refuse. Beside Grace being her grandchild, it would also be the first time she would celebrate Christmas with other children.
And when your Dad learned that Karl and Jose always flew to London to celebrate with Grace, he invited them as well. So, Grace would have some familiarity still."
"Oh."
"I thought you knew."
He grimaced, because, in all honesty, the only reason he had thought of contacting his parents was because he wanted Grace to have her pumpkin cookies when she came to his place, to make it as nice as possible so she would want to come back.
He knew he was in for a lecture from Ana, who always was the one to push him toward connecting more with his family. So, he closed his eyes, leaning back against the headrest, and confessed, "Aside from last week, I haven't contacted my parents since … I came back from Dubai. We had one ugly conversation that I'd rather not repeat. It's always the same, they try to be supportive, and I just push the whole world away, to prove I can do it on my own.
And… then my Dad came for the surgery and …" He snapped his eyes opened, looking at her seriously, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You seemed preoccupied enough as it was. And you seemed down as well. I thought you were going to cry when you called that night you were back from Dubai." He didn't say anything, because truth was, he had been on the verge of crying.
"I just didn't want to put more on your shoulders and make you feel even worse by saying that I was more comfortable with a backup plan. I know that it's not easy becoming a parent out of nowhere. It wasn't easy for me, and I wanted it. I can't even imagine for you."
She sipped on her coffee, before deeply inhaling and turning her face to Christian with a bright smile. "But here you are, eating away her lasagna, and keeping drawings of you getting bald in your pocket."
"My hair is perfectly fine! She must have not had the right crayon to do my hair."
"Really? Because I think I can see the beginning of baldness, right here," she teased with a mocking smirk as she touched his hairline. He glared at her, glad that genetics gave him more chance than not to still have hair when he would be old and grey.
She laughed and he pecked her lips before getting up and looking for his iPad. When he sat back next to her, he explained, "Since Grace loves learning so much, I have been searching for a tutor to teach her whichever languages she wants to learn. I mean, there is only so much I can teach her. My foreign languages skills are rather limited and mostly business-related. I don't even know how to properly say, 'Where can I find the bathroom' in Chinese."
"She's four, Christian."
"And yet, you read to her Les Misérables as a bedtime story, and Karl taught her how the Earth is round and spins on its own axis, creating night and day in different corners of the world," he retorted, because it seemed to him that it was much less outlandish to teach a kid different languages than to teach her about time zones or about a mostly forgotten French revolution.
He watched her chew on her lip, before she rationalised, "Well, I'm sure that school will teach her all she wants to know. They do have a few elective classes."
"About that… I don't want her to go to a public school."
"And why not?"
"I've been looking around, and the Trinity School seems good for her."
"So, you want her to go to a private school?"
"I'll pay for it."
"That's not the issue," she snapped, rolling her eyes. "I just don't see what's wrong with a public school. I went to a public school, and I ended up alright."
"And I went to a private school, and I ended up alright as well. It's not a matter of… class. it's a matter that nowadays, she's less likely to be shot in a private school."
"Oh … you're right," she conceded, and Christian just stared at her in surprise. He had expected her to argue a bit more, but it seemed he had brought the right argument to the table. So, he decided to push his luck a bit further.
"Now, about the tutor — "
"Not now. I don't want to put too much pressure on her."
"And I just want to reward her curiosity"
She smiled and reached to gently squeeze his hand, though it felt awfully patronising. "And I commend you for that. But she just moved countries at the beginning of the year, underwent a taxing surgery a few months ago, and is starting school in just a few days. Plus, she just discovered that she can build a relationship with her daddy. I don't want to overwhelm her. Let's wait until after Christmas and see how she adapts to school first, okay?"
He agreed, retaking possession of his hand to email Andrea so she could get them an appointment at Trinity School. He was aware that since the year had already started, he would need to make some sort of bribe, but he had never been above bribery.
"Look at us, parenting together. Who would have thought this would ever happen," she joked, as she made a move to get up, but Christian quickly disregarded his phone, his email done and sent, and grabbed her hand so he could snatch her back to the sofa where he laid her down.
As soon as he was on top of her, he kissed her, using his tongue to enter her mouth, but though she responded, Christian knew that this wouldn't go any further. It was something subtle, and he wasn't sure that Ana was even aware of it, but it was still enough to calm his ardour. Her hand went from his hair to his chest, before she flattened her palm against his heart.
The first time this happened, it was on her birthday, in Vegas. It was something so soft, so gentle, that he almost mistook it for a caress. There was no pressure to push him away, no other clear sign that he should stop. Nothing but that simple flat hand on his chest, as if her subconscious was trying to say something that she did not dare say out loud. And in all honesty, he went out on a limb. He had just tested his theory to see if she would insist. But he had been right.
And that was why this time, again, he stopped his assault, though this time he asked as he rested his forehead against hers, "What's wrong?"
"What?"
"You did that thing."
"What thing?"
"That thing that stopped me from going further in Vegas."
"And what is it?" She asked with a smile.
"I'm not telling you. I like the idea of knowing things about you that even you don't know. But what's wrong?" He asked again, hoping that she wasn't finally catching up on them, and regretting this big leap they had made together.
She didn't say a word, although she briefly glanced toward the corridor, and Christian finally understood. Her flat wasn't big enough to hope that Grace wouldn't hear a thing. And since Ana didn't want to tell her about them yet, there was still the risk Grace would wake up and walk in on them making out.
So, he sat up, clearing his throat, and letting her know, "It's better this way anyway. I have to catch up on my sleep."
"Me too. I must get up earlier so I can drop Grace at Elena's. I have an early meeting with Ray, tomorrow morning."
"You never told me why you never picked up the branch of child attorney, by the way. I thought it was your calling."
"I decided otherwise."
"Why? Because of Raymond?" He insisted, sure to rip a new one for Raymond if that had been the case. He had warned the man that it was Ana's decision to go wherever she wanted and that he shouldn't try to influence her to get her to work with him.
"No. Because of Grace."
He frowned. "I don't follow."
"I … Working for Amnesty made me realise that I would never be able to ask money from people who needed help. It just feels dirty. I wanted to be a lawyer to help people, not to rid them of their money, though I have absolutely no scruple doing it to big companies. I'd scrape yours, poor in the blink of an eye," she added with a teasing laugh.
"But the truth is, it doesn't feel right to do it to the little people. But I have Grace to think about. I can't be all sweet and mallow, taking every case coming my way pro bono when I have bills to pay, and a mouth to feed."
"Well … you have me now. I can take care of that," he proposed, though Ana responded exactly as he had anticipated.
She snorted, getting up and shaking her head, standing all independent and self-reliant. "I'm not going to live only off your money. I thought you knew me better, Christian."
He got up as well, putting his hand on her cheek, "I don't want you to give up on your dream."
"I'm not. I just have a bigger dream. Grace is, and always will be, more important than my career."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
When Friday night arrived, Ana and Grace finally visited Christian. He went to see them every night of the week and even spent a couple of nights with Ana. Both nights that he stayed with her, they did nothing more than sleep, but he had missed feeling her in his arms. There was a certain peace sleeping next to her, even though his mattress was much more comfortable, and he had to wake early so Grace wouldn't catch him.
He had tried to reason that Grace wouldn't question it if she saw him over breakfast, but Ana was firm on that point. Their daughter was too perceptive for her own good. So, he had to sneak out of her place like a thief at five in the morning, thankful that it wasn't winter yet.
He asked Sawyer to go pick them up and took a cab himself to join them at Eleven Madison Park, where he had reserved a private dining room for the three of them. Roger almost had a heart attack when Christian told him that he was taking his girls out, even though he still hadn't made any statement about him being a father. But the thing was, he was in no hurry to let the world know about his kid.
When he got to the restaurant, he barely waited a couple of minutes before Ana and Grace arrived and they walked into the room together. As the little girl sat between Ana and him, she looked as shy as the first time he had seen her.
"I don't know how to cook as well as your mom, so I thought we could have a nice meal out together," he justified himself, and she nodded, though he saw her glance around to all the empty tables around them.
Because he wanted this dinner to be as intimate and private as possible, he had asked for them to have the room to himself, even though it could easily hold twenty or so people. But though she had been shy at first, Grace didn't complain at all, as her mother would have in the past.
Throughout dinner, she told Christian of her day, and how she had spent the day with Carla because her mother was working. She proudly told him that she was going to go to a school with uniforms, and that Carla and she had been shopping for said uniform, and that she had even bought the white socks with ruffles for when she would wear a dress or a skirt.
After they finished eating, Sawyer drove them back to Christian's place, and he gave the two brunettes a tour of it. He noticed how Ana had the same polite smile like the one she had when he had given her a tour of his place in Seattle, but Grace seemed much more excited than her mother. Especially when they got to her room.
She had been in Ana's arms all throughout the tour, but as soon as Christian opened the door to her room, she reached for the floor and marvelled, "Is this my room?"
"Yes."
She screeched with joy, running to jump on the Toothless sofa with obvious glee before she rushed to her bed where there was a brand-new teddy bear waiting for her. She hugged it (as well as she could, given the fact that the bear was bigger than her), and said with awe, "You remembered! Mira, Mama, Christian got me a bear for when we come here!"
"I can see that."
"And look, the sofa looks like Toothless. And there are stars on the ceiling. Oh, and mira! There is a rug, by the bed! It's so soft, it tickles, haha. Oh, mira, mira! This lamp is making bubbles inside!"
"It's a lava lamp, honey."
"Do you have one in your room too? Christian, can you show us Mama's room?"
He smiled at her enthusiasm, and his lips spread even wider when she put her hand in his as he led them to the other room where Ana was meant to stay. Though, he deeply hoped that she would sleep with him over this weekend.
Several times, Grace made the journey from her mother's room to her own, her brows furrowed with concentration before she asked, "You're sleeping here, Mama?"
"Yes."
"So, it's 42 steps away." She waited for her mother to nod. "Okay. Why didn't you give Mama a Toothless sofa?" She then accused Christian with big eyes of shock, as if this was the worst thing he could have ever done.
"Well… um… I don't know."
"That's not nice. She should have a cool room too. Do you have a Toothless sofa?"
"No. My room is very boring," he defended himself, doing his best to ignore Ana sniggering behind her hand. Grace narrowed her eyes in his direction, clearly doubting his words, and so he showed her to his room, which was as boring as he had promised.
Grace shook her head, clearly showing that she thought little of his poor decoration skills, and they put her to bed, though she made sure once again that her mother's room was only 42 steps away from hers.
Once they were alone, Ana explained, "She did the same thing when we moved to New York. Don't worry about it."
"Seems like she fears I'll kidnap you."
"No one wants to kidnap me. I'd be a terrible hostage."
"I don't know. You cook, you clean, and I can think of something else you could do for me if I were to kidnap you," he teased before kissing her and showing her exactly what he had in mind.
She returned his kiss, though she pulled away rather quickly, clearing her throat and killing all his plans for the night. "Well, I'm going to stop you right here, I'm on my period. So, you'll have to sleep alone, tonight."
"Why? I thought I had proven that sleeping together doesn't necessarily mean sex."
She looked at him, before shaking her head with a small smile and following him to his room. As they got ready for bed, Ana pointed out, "She is right though. You should try to lighten this room up a bit. It is so… dull."
"You could make it brighter. After all, I do intend on making my room, our room."
Once again, she shook her head and slipped in the bed by his side. As soon as she was under the covers, Christian scooched over so he could take her in his arms, and he whispered in her ear, "You know, you could move here."
"Christian …"
"Why not? She obviously loves the place, and I would get to spend more time with the both of you."
"Let's not put the cart before the horse," she reasoned, but he still insisted.
"I'm already at your place every day, what's wrong with you guys coming here?"
"It would give her that exact hope we said we didn't want to give her yet. I just don't want to disappoint her. Plus, my lease is still in place for another four months."
He gave a resigned sigh, though he was far from giving up on the matter. Ana turned so she could face him, even though she was still caged by his arm and she rested her hand on his cheek as she assured him, "I'm not saying no. Just not now."
"That seems to be your motto lately."
"I just — "
"I know. I'm just not a patient man. Don't get me wrong, I'll wait, but don't think for a second I'll be nice and won't try to speed up the process."
She chuckled, her thumb caressing her cheek as she pointed out, "Well, you did say several times that you weren't going to play fair."
He smirked, not the slightest bit ashamed, and brought his hand up to trace the contour of her face with his fingers. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"
And there it came, even though it was dark and he was sure Ana thought he couldn't see her: that faint blush that was so rare on her face. She always liked to be so composed and in control of how she felt. But there it was. That blush that came ever so rarely and that made his heart beat a tad faster.
"I'm already in your bed, Christian. You don't need to woo me."
"I'm not wooing, I'm stating a fact. And trust me, when I'm going to woo you, you'll end up breathless."
She rolled her eyes, laughing at his boasting, and when she was done, he asked, "I meant to ask you during the week. Why don't you run anymore?"
"When am I supposed to run? I stopped running when I had Grace."
"I understand that. But do you want to get back to it? Or to anything. There is a gym in this building. And a pool."
"And there you are, trying to tempt me to move in," she said, seeing through his game, though she added, "But I might take you up on that pool offer. You and Grace will get a couple of hours on your own every week whilst I pretend I can still swim."
He tensed, sourly remembering that the first time Grace had been alone with him, she had cried her heart out. Ana got closer to him, forcing him to look at her in her blue eyes, dark in the night.
"She won't cry again. If she knows I'm going out, she'll know not to expect me for a while. She was surprised last time. It won't happen again. And I'll just be a few floors down if the worst is to come."
"I don't want her to cry because of me."
"She won't Christian. But the two of you spending time together will be good. You'll be able to form that relationship you want to build with her, and before you know it, she'll call you Daddy."
[…] End of part 1. To be continued in part 2 […]
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💚 So, the fluffiness and the cuteness of this chapter is … over the top haha. I know, right? I must be sick, or something. I said I'd kill someone, and then I overload you with cuteness. And this is just part 1! More is to come. Haha.
💚 So yeah, I had to cut the chapter, because there is so much more to come, and the chapter would have been WAY too long. To give you an idea, the draft version of part 2 has more than 2,5K, and the draft version of this part had 3K …
đź’šNow about the questions, they will be all cute as well and they might not necessarily be in order.
1. Do you feel like Ana about Christian and the Greys spoiling her kid?
2. Do you agree with Christian about the private school and the tutor?
3. Jose is back … any thought about him? And his failed attempt on broccoli! BLASPHEMY!
4. How do you feel about Ana renouncing her dream job?
5. What about Grace's reaction to the room? And what was your favourite Grace moment?
6. And what about Christian trying to get them to move in?
7. As per usual, what was your favourite part? Mine was the drawing, and Christian being so self-conscious about getting bald XD
8. And what do you think will happen in part2?
đź’š E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, Everything else is mine (including the mistakes and grammar errors).
Love, Mina đź’šđź’šđź’š