Chapter 9 - Christmas
Christian's POV
"C!" Elliot shouted as he got into my car at SEA-TAC after putting his bags in the trunk.
"Hey Ell," I greeted.
"How's life baby, bro," he asked as I merged into traffic.
"Everything's good. Ana's coming to lunch with us," I informed him.
"Damn, C. I still don't know how you snagged a girl like her," he said laughing.
I glanced at him, and he laughed even harder.
"How's college life?" I questioned, trying to get him to stop making fun of me.
"I'm living the life. All these college girls are so hot, and not to mention easy, too," he boasted.
"Please don't get a girl pregnant," I warned him.
"Don't worry, bro," he chuckled, patting my back, "I always wrap it up."
"Hey, do you mind if we make a stop somewhere?" I asked Elliot, "I have to pick up Ana's Christmas present."
"Sure," Elliot agreed, "Where are we going?"
"Cartier," I stated.
"Shit, bro," Elliot's eyes grew wider, "How much money did you spend?"
"Maybe a bit too much," I answered sheepishly, "But it's worth it."
"Damn," Elliot cooed, "I better be getting something good this year too."
"Yeah, right. In your dreams," I teased.
"Hello, Mr. Grey," the doorman at Cartier greeted me.
My father's been coming here for years, buying plenty of jewelry for my mother. Most of the employees knew all the members of my family. The Grey's were big customers here.
"Oh, Mr. Grey and you as well Mr. Grey," the head jeweler, Mr. Conley, greeted Elliot and me, "I have your order ready for you. Would you like to take a look at it first before I box it up?"
"Yes please," I nodded.
Elliot followed me as Mr. Conley led us to a private room in the back.
"You have quite the taste, Mr. Grey," Mr. Conley admired, "I'm sure your girlfriend will love these."
He pulled the pieces from behind the counter and displayed them for me to see.
"Holy shit, dude!" Elliot cried, "That's insane."
"Elliot," I warned, giving him a stern look.
"That's much okay, Mr. Grey," Mr. Conley said, "I had much the same reaction myself. These are gorgeous pieces."
"You think?" Elliot said incredulously.
I rolled my eyes at my brother and picked up the jewelry I bought for Ana. There was a yellow gold love bracelet covered in diamonds and a ring just like it.
I couldn't fucking wait to put a huge ass engagement ring on Ana's finger. But I guess for now, this would have to do.
"Are they to your liking, Mr. Grey," the jeweler asked sweetly.
"They're absolutely perfect," I said smiling, thinking about Ana covered in diamonds.
"Great!" he said, clapping his hands together, "I'll box those up for you."
Elliot's POV
I couldn't believe the change in my brother over the few short months I was away. He seemed happy – like really fucking happy, and it was all because of this girl. Damn it, I was still wrapping my head around it.
I saw a stunning brunette girl walk through the doors and immediately recognized her. She came walking to our table and snuck up behind Christian. She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Wait, what the fuck. Did she just touch him? And did he not freak out? Was I in the Twilight zone?
"You must be Elliot," Ana chirped, holding out her hand for me to shake.
Instead of a handshake, I got out of my seat and greeted her with a hug. I heard Christian groaning in the background. Haha. Jealous fucker!
"It's so good to meet you, Ana," I said.
She took a seat on Christian's side of the booth, and Christian pulled her closer to him. Okay, bro, very possessive…
Ana's POV
"Oh my gosh. You can't be serious," I said uncontrollably laughing at one of Elliot's college stories.
"I'm serious," Elliot declared, "It was fucking crazy. Imagine walking in on a threesome. Not ideal."
"Did he at least have a sock on the door?" I giggled.
"Nope," Elliot quipped, "I want to bleach my eyes. 2 guys and 1 girl is not my cup of tea." "What about you, Christian?" he teased, "You up for a threesome?"
I laughed while Christian gave him a death glare. "I don't share," he stated gruffly, pulling me closer towards him.
"It was only a joke, baby," I said, picking up a piece of sushi and feeding it to Christian.
"Yeah, baby," Elliot mocked, "Learn how to take a joke."
"Hey!" I chastised, "You too, Elliot."
He put his hands up and relented, "Whatever you say, Ana."
"Good," I said authoritatively, "That's what I thought."
The waiter came around to deliver us more plates of sushi. God this stuff was delicious!
I then heard my phone buzz in my purse. Crap, that might be my dad!
"Sorry guys," I apologized, rummaging through my purse to find my phone.
I looked at the caller ID and it wasn't my dad. It was Jerry. Fuck, Christian was going to go ballistic if he knew.
I really shouldn't take the call. I didn't want Christian to cause a scene in front of his brother. But I hadn't heard from Jerry in a while. I did miss talking to him. Ahh!
My hands seemed to decide for me as I realized I'd pressed the answer button.
"I have to take this, guys. Excuse me," I said, getting up from the table and headed outside.
"Hey Jer," I greeted him cheerfully.
"Ana!" he roared at the other end, "I've missed you. Washington is boring without you."
"I know," I cooed, "I miss you too. What's up though?"
"My dad told me you're coming to visit in February. And that you're bringing a boyfriend," he said giddily.
See, there wasn't even a hint of jealousy in his voice. We were like brother and sister. Christian had nothing to worry about.
"Well, your dad was right," I informed him, "I'm coming for ski week. And yes – I am bringing my boyfriend."
"OH MY GOD," Jerry screamed, "I can't believe little Ana has a boyfriend."
"Oh shut up," I said giggling.
"What's his name," Jerry asked eagerly.
"Christian," I replied, smiling at the mention of his name.
I took a peek through the window into the restaurant and saw Christian staring daggers at me. Shit. Did he see the caller ID?
He definitely did. Fuck! He looked really angry.
"I'm happy for you, Ana," Jerry's voice rang in my ear.
"Thanks, Jer. That means a lot coming from you," I said honestly. I looked back at Christian and he still looked upset. "Jer, I'm sorry, but I have to go," I said hastily, "It was so nice talking to you. We need to talk more often."
"Noted, Ana Banana," he laughed, using my old nickname. "I'll call you soon. I promise," he declared.
"Bye Jer," I said, hanging up the phone.
"Bye Ana."
After I ended the call, I walked back into the restaurant and heard Elliot trying to engage Christian in a conversation while he was brooding.
With Elliot being so easygoing, we easily fell back into a casual conversation while we finished our meal.
Christian, on the other hand, was barely saying a word. I grabbed his hand underneath the table, and coyly whispered into his ear, "Can we please talk about this later?"
He stiffly nodded his head and focused his attention back on his food.
After we were done eating, Christian tossed Elliot the keys to his car and asked, "Ell, do you mind getting the car? I need to talk to Ana."
"Sure thing, bro," Elliot responded. Before leaving he gives me another hug and says, "It was so nice to meet you, Ana. I'll see you tomorrow at dinner?"
"You will," I replied, smiling as Elliot left and walked around the corner.
"Why did he call you," Christian spit out, referring to Jerry.
"Are you mad or something," I questioned angrily.
There was an air of silence.
"You have no right to be mad at me Christian," I screamed at him.
"No, no," Christian said, running his hands through his hair, "I'm not mad."
"Then what is it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm fucking jealous," he roared, "Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm so fucking jealous. And I have no idea why."
My poor baby. I knew he was insecure, but I didn't know it ran this deep.
I pulled him towards me and wrapped my small frame around his.
"Christian," I said tenderly, "We've been over this already. I love you. You, baby. No one else."
"I know that baby," he said, nuzzling his head on my shoulder. "I know I'm being completely irrational, but I can't help it."
"What can I do?" I asked.
He grabbed both of my hands and laid a kiss on each one. "It's my problem, baby. Not yours. I'm sorry I got so angry with you today. That was wrong of me. I just have to remind myself that he's been your friend for a long time. And that's it, nothing else."
"I love you, Christian," was all I could say in response.
I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, being mindful that we were still in public.
"I better get going," I stated, knowing my dad wanted to spend as much time with me as he could while he was here.
Christian gave me a pouty face and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, baby."
"Laters, baby," I smiled, and Christian planted a lingering kiss on my lips causing me to blush.
Christian's POV
"What the fuck was that?" Elliot bombarded me with a question when I got into the car.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that thing with Ana. What the hell were you so upset about."
Ugh, why did my brother have to be so nosy! I guess it ran in the family.
"You know how Ana's dad works for the president?" I asked.
"Yeah, Dad mentioned it," Elliot commented.
"Well, Ana's been friends with the President's son since they were babies," I informed him.
"And you're jealous," Elliot cut me off.
"Hell yeah! Of course, I'm jealous," I replied, "Who wouldn't be?"
"Was that who called her in the middle of lunch today?" Elliot inquired.
"Yep," I answered, nodding my head.
"You looked like you wanted to kill someone," Elliot attempted to joke.
"Very funny, Elliot," I said sarcastically.
"A little advice baby bro," Elliot began.
"I don't think I want any advice from you," I quipped, "I don't want to fuck a different girl every weekend."
"Hey!" Elliot pretended to be offended, "It's not a different girl every week. It's more like every other week."
"Oh, like that makes it so much better!" I cried.
"Yes it does," Elliot declared, "But that's irrelevant right now. I did have a girlfriend in high school if you recall."
"Yes, I remember."
"Well, I think I'm pretty qualified to give dating advice."
"Okay, shoot," I relented.
"You have nothing to worry about," he remarked, "Ana looks at you the same way you look at her. You two crazy kids are so in love with each other. Don't let some preppy boy ruin it for you."
"Wow," I said surprised, "That was insightful, Ell."
"It's the Yale education," he joked, and it made me laugh.
Christmas Eve Dinner at the Grey's House
Ana's POV
"Are you ready, Annie?" my dad shouted at me from downstairs.
I was currently checking out my outfit in the mirror. I was wearing the red Alexander McQueen skater dress I bought with Mia. I accessorized the dress with a Gucci belt, matching Gucci block heels, black Gucci tights, and a black and gold Hermes Clic-Clac H bracelet. I paired the outfit with a black Gucci Sylvie bag and put on a Burberry wool coat to finish the look.
I remembered to grab the small gift bag I put Christian's watch in. I had a larger gift box for Christian filled with new clothes, but I wouldn't bother giving that to him today. I also had a more naughty gift to give Christian, but I would have to give that to him when we were alone. I decided to bring it to his house anyway in case we got a moment alone.
I had to remember to pick up Mia's present that I bought for her yesterday after having lunch with Christian and Elliot. I got her a matching Hermes bracelet that I knew she would love.
I didn't know what to get Elliot, but I knew he played football. Christian suggested NFL tickets, so I got Elliot four tickets to go see the Seahawks play the Patriots in Boston.
My dad was supposed to be bringing the Grey's some wine, so I didn't have to worry about getting them a present.
I mentally checked off everything on my list that I needed to take care of, and I took one last look in the mirror before I yelled back at my dad, "I'll be down in a minute."
"Hurry up Annie," he shouted, "We don't want to be late."
I put on bright red lipstick to pull the look together and rushed down the stairs.
"You look great as always, Annie," he complimented, kissing me on the cheek.
"Thanks, daddy," I sweetly replied. "Are you driving?" I asked.
"No," he answered, "Secret Service."
"Seriously?" I commented, rolling my eyes.
"Oh, lighten up Annie," he demanded, "It's the holiday season. Only happy thoughts."
When we arrived at the Grey's estate, my dad and I were both in awe of the stunning Christmas decorations. The house looked absolutely beautiful, decorated with a plethora of lights, wreaths, ribbon, and garland. It looked like a winter wonderland. The only thing that was missing was snow. But at least it wasn't raining!
Dad and I walked up to the large double doors. I had my presents for Christian, Elliot, and Mia in a bag, and my dad had a bottle of Dom Perignon and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for the adults. Christian and I would have to sneak in a glass or two.
Grace immediately opened the door and gave me a big hug.
"Oh, Ana! It's so great to see you again," Grace said.
"You too Grace!" I replied. "This is my dad Ray," I said motioning towards my dad.
"Ray Steele," my dad said, holding out his hand.
"Grace Grey," she countered, shaking his hand.
"Come in guys," she declared. "Ana, Mia is in the kitchen trying to teach Elliot and Christian how to decorate cookies. I think they probably need your help."
I walked towards the kitchen, leaving my dad to talk to Grace.
"Ana!" Mia screamed when I walked in, "I need your help over here. These idiots are ruining the cookies."
Christian and Elliot both looked helpless in the kitchen. It was comical.
"Hey baby," Christian greeted me with icing all over his hands.
"You might want to wash your hands before you touch me," I giggled.
"Ana!" Elliot shouted, "You've got to help us out here."
There were about 4 dozen beautifully baked gingerbread cookies cut out into different shapes – Christmas trees, ornaments, gingerbread men, mistletoe, candy canes, and snowmen.
Mia's cookies looked professionally done, decorated skillfully with different colors of icing.
Christian and Elliot's cookies, on the other hand, looked like a Kindergarten project.
"I don't think Santa would want to eat those cookies," I joked.
"Ana's right," Mia joined, "Throw those away. Those are sooo ugly."
Elliot tossed some of the ruined cookies in the trash. "I'll just leave this job for you two," he said, referring to Mia and me.
"Hey baby," Christian said. He came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and left kisses all over my neck.
"Stop molesting her bro," Elliot chuckled.
I turned my head and saw Christian roll his eyes at his brother.
"Are you going to help me decorate, baby?" I asked as I took a cookie from one of the cooling racks.
"I'll be here for moral support," he smiled.
Christian's POV
Fuck! Ana was wearing this little red dress tonight, and I just wanted to bend her over and fuck her.
She was teasing me too. She kept biting her lip, and she knew what that did to me.
Ana and Mia were still decorating cookies. At this point, Elliot and I were watching, and munching on their creations.
"Stop eating my cookies!" Ana scolded me.
I smirked and retorted, "I love eating your cookies."
She elbowed me in the gut and Elliot and Mia both burst out into laughter.
"Hey mom," Mia chirped as Grace walked into the kitchen.
"Your dad is having drinks with Carrick," Grace said to Ana. "Why don't you kids clean up, and help me get dinner ready and set the table."
"Yes ma'am," we all mumbled.
Ana and I walked to the dining room with Grace's special Christmas china.
"Wait," I stopped her as we reached the end of the corridor.
"What?" she questioned.
"Look," I said, darting my eyes to what was dangling from the ceiling.
She smiled brightly and whispered, "We're under the mistletoe."
"You know what that means," I said, flirtatiously as she bit her lip.
I backed her into the wall and kissed her.
"We have to be careful of the plates," she reminded me when we broke away for air.
"Fuck the plates," I mumbled into her mouth and went back to kissing her.
"Ahem," someone cleared their throat trying to get our attention.
Our heads turned to the source of the sound, and it was Ana's dad giving us a stern look from across the hall.
Shit. Not the best position to be caught in with a man's daughter.
"Hey, daddy," Ana said sheepishly.
"Why don't you go set the table," he declared, "You don't want to break those plates."
"Yes sir," I replied.
Ray chuckled at us and walked away.
I was stunned, but when Ray was out of earshot, Ana burst into laughter.
"Ana!" I exclaimed.
"It's okay, Christian," she reasoned, "My dad won't be upset. He's not naive. I think he knows what goes on between us."
"I'd rather him not have physical evidence."
"Lighten up, baby." She kissed me on the cheek and went to set the table.
Before dinner would be ready, I asked my mom if Ana and I could take a walk for a few minutes, and she obliged. I was going to take her to the boathouse. That's where I had her gift stashed.
Ana grabbed a bag from the foyer, which I assumed was my gift. She definitely had the same idea as me.
As usual, Grace went all out with the Christmas decorations this year. And the boathouse was no exception.
Ana and I settled down in the little nook of the boathouse where Grace so conveniently put up a mini Christmas tree.
"Open my gift first," Ana said excitedly as we sat down.
Ana had two gift bags: a green Rolex bag and a red gift bag with gold tissue paper.
She held out the Rolex bag first.
Ana had the cutest little smile on her face. I reached into the bag expecting to find a hard box, but all I felt was soft fabric.
"Are you trying to trick me?" I joked.
"Just open it," she responded.
In the bag there were two Armani ties. Hmm, odd. Was Ana trying to tell me I needed to dress more professional?
"You can wear them," she said, biting her lip, "Or you could do something else with them. Like tie me up."
Fuck! I felt that go right to my dick. I loved when my baby got freaky.
"Mmmm," I said, kissing her on the lips, "I love how you think."
I cupped one of her breasts in my hand, and she interrupted, "Behave, Grey. Not right now. But I promise you that you can have your wicked way with me later."
"Now for the real gift," she said, handing me the red gift bag.
This time when I reached into the bag I felt a large velvet box. Ahhh, the watch.
When I opened the box, I wasn't not surprised at how stunning the watch was. Ana had impeccable taste.
"Look on the inside," Ana commented.
Engraved on the back of the face of the watch was three words: 'Ana and Christian.'
"I love it baby," I mused, giving her another kiss.
Now I was even more excited to give her my present. Hopefully she would see the meaning behind the ring, and she would see how committed I was to her.
"Now it's my turn," I said, giddily.
I walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out the Cartier bag. I secretly slipped out the small box the ring was in and put it in my pocket.
Ana's eyes lit up when I brought the bag over to her. My baby sure loved her diamonds.
"Merry Christmas, baby," I said, handing her the gift.
She opened the signature red Cartier jewelry box, and her eyes lit up like stars.
"It's a love bracelet," I explained.
"I know what it is," she said smiling. She focused her eyes on mine and continued, "It's beautiful. Will you put it on me?"
"Of course, baby." I took the bracelet out of the box and used the screwdriver to lock it into place on her left wrist.
She held up her arm to the ceiling so the moonlight perfectly hit the diamonds.
"I have something else for you," I said grinning.
"Christian," she exclaimed, "This is already more than enough."
I pulled out the small box from my pocket.
I popped open the box, and Ana's eyes went glassy.
"This is a promise ring," I explained. "I promise that I'll always love you. I promise that I'll always be here for you. I promise I'll always trust you. I promise that one day I'm going to marry you."
A tear rolled down her cheek as she held out her left hand for me to put the ring on her.
I slid the ring on her ring finger, dreaming of the day I'd put a real engagement ring on that finger.
"I'll be expecting a bigger diamond when you propose for real," she joked.
"How about a diamond as big as a golf ball?"
"Okay, maybe a little smaller than that," she giggled.
A knock on the door startled me and Ana.
"You two better not be naked," Elliot's voice rang through the walls.
"We're not, idiot," I screamed back.
"Okay, bro. Mom wants you guys to come back. We're having dinner now."
"Alright, we'll be there."
Ana's POV
Grace worked magic in the kitchen, so naturally, the dinner was sublime. She made a crown roast of lamb, potatoes au gratin, glazed carrots, cheese gnocchi, and roasted vegetables.
There was also an amazing array of desserts – the cookies Mia and I decorated, ice cream, pecan pie, apple pie, and a pumpkin spice cake.
I was positively stuffed.
After dinner, Grace had everyone gather in the living room around the fireplace and the tree. Christian and I were sharing a loveseat and were sipping on our hot chocolate in cute festive mugs.
Grace grabbed four uniform boxes wrapped in red and white striped paper and gave one to me, Christian, Elliot, and Mia.
"Ugh, mom. Again?" Elliot complained.
"Mom! These are not fashion-forward," Mia exclaimed.
I gave Christian a confused look, wondering what was in the box.
"Open it," he whispered to me.
We all opened our boxes and pulled out the same pair of red and white striped pajamas.
Grace clapped her hands and exclaimed, "You have to put them on so you all can take a picture in front of the tree."
The Grey siblings all groaned, and I heard laughs from my dad and Carrick.
I knew the Grey siblings were definitely over wearing the same pajamas, but I thought it was cute. Not coming from a big family, I never had traditions like this in my household.
Despite their grunts, mumbles, and oppositions to the matching pj's, we all went upstairs to change.
"Ugh! My mom makes us do this every year, Ana," Mia said exasperated as we were changing into our pj's, "I'm sorry she dragged you into this one."
I laughed, "I think it's charming, Mia."
She scoffed and replied, "You won't be saying that after a few more years after this. I swear she'll still make us do this when we're adults."
"I'd love to see her try," I giggled.
I already had my pj's on, while Mia seemed to be purposely taking all the time in the world.
"Alright," she said when she finally got the pj's on, "Let's go down."
We all walked downstairs together. Grace's eyes lit up, and again I could hear laughs from both my dad and Carrick.
"You guys look terrific," my dad commented.
"Go stand by the tree. Let me take a picture," Grace commanded.
"You look cute," I teased Christian when we posed in front of the tree.
"Smile, kids," Grace said, cheerfully.
We all listened to her and put on our happy faces for the sake of the photo.
"Perfect," Grace said happily.
"Can we change now, mom?" Mia whined.
"Yeah, I'm really not feeling the costumes this year mom," Elliot remarked.
"Alright, go ahead," Grace relented.
"I think we should keep them on," I whispered to Christian, "You really can pull off anything."
"I look ridiculous, baby," Christian pouted.
Mia and Elliot ran upstairs as quickly as they could to change back into normal clothes.
"Oh!" Grace exclaimed, "Ana and Christian, you have to take a photo by yourselves. You look absolutely darling."
"Annie," my dad joined in, "I have to send a photo to Fitz. He'll probably do the same thing with his kids."
"Come on, baby," I said, dragging Christian over to the tree again.
This time my dad and Grace were both on the other end of us taking photos.
"All you're missing is a Santa hat," I giggled to Christian.
"Only for you, Mrs. Claus," he whispered into my ear.
Christmas Day
Christian's POV
I woke up to a good morning text from Ana along with a very naughty picture of her in a sexy elf costume.
God damn! I haven't been able to fuck her in a week because her dad's been in town. My hand has been hurting from jacking off so much. God, I missed her.
Ana was spending the whole day with her dad, so sadly I wouldn't get to see her today.
As per tradition, we were woken up early by the heavenly smell of Mom's famous cinnamon buns. Mia came crashing down the stairs, excited to open all her presents. Surprisingly, I was grateful that Elliot was able to make it. It gave Mia one more person to annoy.
Ana's POV
I was so grateful that I was able to spend Christmas with my dad. Even though I really missed Christian, I knew I needed to spend some time alone with my dad, especially on Christmas.
When I woke up this morning, I sent a cute little picture to Christian of me in a sexy elf costume. I'd be his sexy worker elf any day. Haha.
"Merry Christmas, Annie," my dad said, kissing me on the cheek.
"Merry Christmas, daddy," I replied.
"That's quite a gift," my dad commented, looking at the diamond love bracelet on my wrist.
"Christian is very thoughtful," I mused.
"Or just rich," he snarked.
"I thought you liked him, daddy?" I asked inquisitively.
"I do, Annie," he admitted, "But you'll always be my baby girl. It's my job to protect you."
"Christian's a good guy."
"That doesn't stop a father from worrying."
My dad was quite extravagant with the gifts this year. It was because he felt guilty that he lived almost 3,000 miles away from me.
My dad practically overfilled the bottom of the tree with gifts for me. But hey, it wasn't like I was complaining.
I got a pair of Louis Vuitton platform boots I was coveting, Burberry sweaters, some new Hermes handbags, a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings, a signed first edition of Breakfast at Tiffany's, the whole Louboutin spring collection in advance, some Chanel makeup I've been meaning to pick up, a Harvard sweatshirt (nice one dad), a limited edition pink Chanel boy bag, and did I forget to mention a new car?!
It was a cherry-red Ferrari. Thank you, dad! Now, I finally had Christian beat in the car department. Maybe he'd race me and let me beat him. But I doubted it though. That man was always competitive.
After opening presents, I made lunch for my dad and me. Even though it wasn't festive, I made my dad's favorite, mac & cheese.
My dad and I were currently sitting on the couch watching dumb Christmas movies.
I admired the ring Christian gave me that was sitting on my ring finger. It truly was beautiful and a work of art. Every time I looked at it, I was reminded of the promise Christian made to me. It warmed my heart and made me so happy.
I couldn't wait to be Mrs. Grey one day. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to getting married right after high school. What was stopping us anyways? Other than people's judgements about two young kids getting married, there was nothing stopping us emotionally or financially. Who cared what other people thought?
I could only pray that Christian didn't wait to propose to me. I really should drop hints that I wanted to get married young. But knowing Christian and how impatient he was, I wouldn't put it past him to propose the second we both turned 18.
I guess we'd just have to see where life took us…