Chapter six

Ana POV

Christian wanted me to change. For a minute I stared at him like an idiot, feeling self-conscious. Taking my silence as an answer, he stepped out so I could change. Alone in the extravagant closet, I felt overwhelmed by the choices available to me. Again, I thought how back home all my friends would trade places with me in an instant. What would Jenny, my fashionista friend do? What would she suggest I wear?

I ended up selecting a cute pair of black denim and a turquoise crisscross halter top with an under-bust seam. To my astonishment, there was a pair of low-heeled sandals that perfectly matched the color of the halter top. I stared myself in the mirror in awe of how sexy I looked without intending to. Christian's eyes widened appreciatively seeing me dressed like that.

When we got downstairs, breakfast had just been served in silver platters. The housekeeper, Mrs. Jones, had set the table with gold-rimmed china and a vase of daisies in the middle of the time. She seemed friendly and made me feel instantly welcomed. I smiled back in appreciation.

Since Christian and I were sitting directly across from each other, we had to talk around the huge flower arrangement until he removed with a ceremonious chuckle that made me laugh. I found myself enjoying these glimpses of his playful side in spite of everything he was going through.

I tried a little bit of everything; in the end, my stomach was so full I was afraid I couldn't get up from my chair. But I had just had two large meals in a row, one for dinner and one for breakfast, my poor stomach was not used to such indulgences.

"Ana, are you alright?" Christian said as realization dawned on him as I rubbed my belly using the universal hand gesture for 'I'm too full.'

For one awful moment, remembering I was pregnant, I became afraid of throwing up all over the beautiful table, but God must have taken pity on me for the feeling quickly passed.

We stayed seated for a little while enjoying each other's company until I felt better. Christian broke away for a few moments to send a message canceling his meeting this morning, he was going to getting to his office a little later than usual, he said.

Afterward, Christian took me to his father's room. I was quite nervous; sensing that, he held my hand and reassured me that his father was going to love me.

With that thought in mind, we entered the room. I was prepared to be shocked by what I saw but nothing could have prepared me for the look in his father's eyes. I had grown up surrounded by people who viewed death as a taboo, something they were too afraid to discuss or even acknowledge. Seeing someone on their death bed, therefore, was a trying experience in itself, imagine meeting someone for the first time under those circumstances, and you had a recipe for disaster (emotionally speaking, that is).

"So you must be the girl who stole my son's heart," Carrick Grey appraised me with a smile in his voice. His words were laborious but other than that, he seemed in a cheerful mood. His mood was so bright, it became easier to ignore the scary-looking machines surrounding him.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Grey," I smiled, reaching to touch his hand. "I'm Anastasia but people call me Ana."

Beside me, Christian squeezed my hand, it was an emotional moment for him. He looked as if he was about to cry and smile at the same time.

"Ana...you call me Carrick. You're part of the family now. You're a beautiful young lady, nice meeting.." he paused mid-sentence, overcome by a sudden cough attack.

Christian rushed to his father's side, concerned. "Dad. Don't over-exert yourself."

"I just want to get to know your beautiful bride my son," Carrick said his expression pained.

"Dad, there will be plenty of time for that," Christian said and Carrick gave him a dubious look.

"Yes, I will be coming here every day and stay for as long as you like," I said. I didn't know what made me say that except that it was coming from my heart. I liked this man and wanted to give him as much of my time as he wanted.

"That sounds lovely, I get bored here you know," Carrick mumbled, looking suddenly tired.

"You like to read?" I asked and Carrick nodded.

"I can't read much in my condition. It's exhausting."

"I can read to you anytime," I said. Feeling Christian's gaze, I turned to look at him and was rewarded by a look of profound gratitude.

By now, Carrick looked like he could barely keep his eyes open. The nurse stepped over to tend to him and we both told Carrick we will be coming back to see him a little later.

….

I watched Christian close the door behind him, I could tell right away the visit affected him greatly, he was back to feeling torn up.

"I changed my mind...today I'm working from home," he said, taking my hand to guide me into his home office. "Thanks so much for your kindness to my father today."

"It's...it's nothing," I said a little nervously. I wanted to tell him how much my heart went out to him and his father for but I just couldn't find the words.

We stepped into his office and he made a beeline for his desk. He appeared relieved and sank into the chair as though he wanted to become one with it. He motioned for me to sit across from him.

If there anything else you need to help you settle in, you can ask Elena. She will be in a little later this morning."

I took a seat and took in my surroundings. Everything was so exquisitely elegant. "Settle in?"

"That means getting used to the house, it's a big house," he smiled and I smiled back.

I didn't think Elena would be helping me with anything but I said nothing.

"How about your family? Surely, you'll want them to know of your safe arrival."

"Do you want to call your mom? Does she have a number?" He asked, ready to start dialing, and I stared at the phone in his hands like it was a foreign object even though I had used the phone he'd given me earlier. It took me a moment to realize that this meant I would get to hear my mom's and sister's voice in real-time.

"We don't have a phone," I said sadly. No landlines, no cell phones. If only we did. It would be so wonderful to be able to talk to my family every day, that would be a luxury beyond anything I had imagined before I decided to come here.

"Or email her? Video chat?" Christian continued. He seemed eager to find something that would make me happy.

I stared at him wide-eyed. I didn't know what email was. I did have an idea about video-chatting since back home, I had talked to Christian in real-time through the agency.

"You can see her here and talk to her live, just like when you went to the agency."

I gasped. The technology that existed in America was amazing. No one in my town had a computer, only government officials, and a few merchants who owned successful businesses.

"We don't have a computer at home either...nor does anyone I know have a phone like yours," I said feeling even sadder.

"We'll have to do something about that," he said, looking determined. He then grabbed a pad of paper. "Here, next to your mom's address, write the names and addresses of all of your friends."

I looked away, embarrassed. "My family doesn't really have an address."

Christian looked at me with a shocked expression. "What about the address you gave the agency?"

"That is not...we are wanderers. That is, we may be here one day and another day the next. My mom is frequently at the hospital and my little sister, Maria sometimes stays at a convent, sometimes with friends." The longest place they ever lived in was the house they'd occupied while her daddy was still alive, this was the place she still thought of as her home even to this day, even though she hadn't set foot inside the place in years.

Christian's mouth dropped open, and at that moment, I could read his mind like a book. Clearly, he's wishing now that he'd asked me more personal questions about my home life.

"Back up a little. What do you mean your mom is at a hospital? What's wrong with her?"

"One of the reasons she can't hold a job is that she has frequent episodes where she loses control, it's a mental illness," I said, avoiding his gaze.

"What kind of mental illness?" He asked, his eyes still as wide as saucers.

"Anxiety and depression."

Christian visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay," he hesitated. "I wouldn't consider those two serious mental illnesses."

"It can get bad. Sometimes she can't get out of bed when she's in a crisis. I had to quit my job so I could take care of her when she's not in the hospital...I had a job before that but then I was fired when I had to miss a few days staying home with her."

"Sounds like you've had a hard life," he muttered and I nodded, thinking he hadn't even heard half of it.

"But I think there's something we can do about this. I can start looking into bringing your family here to America if you want..."

He stood up and came around his desk. His eyes were smiling kindly at me and before I could help myself, I had flung my arms around his neck, clinging to him in gratitude I could barely express.

"Thank you!" I buried my face in his neck where it met his shoulder. He smelled of divine aftershave. "Thank you, thank you!" I said my lips barely grazing his skin.

He chuckled, surprised and a little winded by me launching myself at him. His strong arms wrapped around me reassuringly. I could feel the happiness coming off him in waves. Clearly, he was quite pleased to have found something that made me happy.

I couldn't believe my luck. I could talk to Maria and mom every day and see their faces and would not have to worry about mom having another episode or whether Maria had enough to eat for breakfast before she went to school. As awful as it was being in a foreign country with a near stranger, this marriage was proving to be a sensible idea. Yes, I was incredibly fortunate to get such a kind, generous husband.

"We can't have you missing your family," he smiled. "I'd like to meet them too...and for them to know that I can take care of you."

I didn't know how I felt about Christian meeting my family. It felt so personal. But then again, he was my husband, wasn't he? I giggled inwardly. I supposed I still need to get used to this new life of mine.

As if to punctuate this point, Christian bent his head and kissed my lips gently. His touch was impossibly gentle. I couldn't help but trust him even though a tiny part of me was still a little wary. I had prepared for a mean husband, a cruel one, a boring one, but I hadn't considered one that was this disarmingly sincere.

Would he always be this gentle and kind to me? It was such a new feeling, I was still trying to wrap my head around everything that was Christian Grey.