Chapter eight

Christian looked down at Ana and Elsa as he pulled them forward so they were face to face with his mother. He tried to contain his laughter at the befuddled look on his mother's face as she continued to look back and forth between all three of them.

"Mom, you remember Anastasia, don't you?" Christian asked.

Grace silently nodded her head, her face growing paler by the minute as understanding and clarity passed rapidly through her eyes.

"Well, it turns out fifteen years ago, when she left for England, she was carrying our child. Mom, this is Elsa," Christian said, motioning to his daughter. "Elsa, this is my mother, your grandmother, Grace Trevelyan Grey."

Elsa gave Grace a small wave and smiled at her politely, silently waiting to see how she would react to finding out that she had a grandchild she never knew about. Christian watched his mother try to get her bearings straight. He was going to wait a few more minutes to let her digest the new and unexpected information, but all three of them were taken by surprise when Grace moved forward with speed Christian didn't realize she possessed and scooped Elsa into her arms and held her tight.

"Oh, my darling girl! Look at you!" Grace pulled back and held Elsa by the arms to get a good look at her. "Such a beautiful face. And look at that, you have Christian's eyes, but Ana's pretty face shape." At the mention of Ana's name, Grace turned to her with tears in her eyes and pulled her into a hug too. "It's been so long, dear. Aside from the obvious, how have you been? We've waited for years to hear news about what happened to you guys but nothing ever surfaced. How are your parents doing?"

Ana hugged Grace back after letting out a breath of relief. She was a little anxious to know whether or not Christian's mother would blame her for missing so much of Elsa's life, but she was grateful for the warm welcome.

"I've been doing well, you know, all things considered. And Ray and Carla are doing fine. They moved back a few years ago and are living not too far from here, actually."

"And what about you? Are you just visiting?" Grace asked, shooting a subtle glance in Elsa's direction. Christian noticed how Grace's eyes shimmered with tears every time she looked down at her granddaughter.

"We've just moved back here. And I think we're here to stay this time," Ana said, running her hand over Elsa's head when she looked up at her.

Grace grinned brightly at her. "I'm glad to hear it." She took a moment to just a gaze at Ana and Elsa, then turned to Christian before she started talking again. "Forgive me, where are my manners? Come, come join the festivities." Grace took Elsa hand and led her down the rest of the steps toward the back of the yard where a majority of people were.

Ana nodded her head at Elsa as she looked back at her as Grace pulled her along. Christian and Ana stood side by side as they watched Grace introduce Elsa to practically everyone within a ten meter distance from them.

"I hope you know my mother is going to spoil her rotten," Christian murmured.

Ana looked up at him with a smirk. "I can't say I'm surprised by that information, Mr. Grey."

Christian smiled down at her, watching the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she looked up at him. "Before you leave, Ana, I'd really like to talk to you."

She nodded her head. "Okay. I think we should probably do it after the excitement of Elsa's arrival simmers down."

Christian chuckled. "I think her arrival is going to take some time to adjust to. My mother is over the moon and I can tell she's just going to draw this out as long as she can."

Ana chuckled this time. "I can't say I really blame her."

"Bro!" Elliot yelled, sprinting toward him and Ana. "Mom is introducing this chick to everyone that looks like Ana. She's saying it's you daughter. Is she desperate for a kid or what?" Elliot laughed as he stood next to Christian, not even realizing Ana was there.

She stepped forward into his line of sight and waved at him. "Hey, Ellie Belly, long time no see, yeah?" Ana said.

Elliot did a double take and then promptly let his mouth fall open for a good minute before he closed it again and blinked several times. He shifted his gaze to Christian and then back to Ana. "So it is true then? That girl with Mom is really your daughter?"

"Yes," Christian answered.

Elliot looked at Ana with scrutinizing eyes. "It's a long story, Elliot," Christian said before Elliot could start firing questions at Ana. "One that I actually need to get straight with Mom and Dad." He grabbed Ana's hand as he turned to Elliot. "I guess after everyone leaves it'll be a good idea to have a family meeting and we can talk about all of this. For now, I just want to enjoy my time without interruption. So if you'll excuse us."

Christian pulled Ana along down the steps and toward the buffet table. "Don't worry about what people are going to say, Ana. I can see it's bothering you already."

She looked up at him with skeptical eyes and then looked back down. "My family is obviously going to have questions, and they may be a little irritated at first that they're just now meeting Elsa, but I promise you with time they'll get over it and just be happy they've met her now."

"I know, I know. It's just . . . I don't want them to think that I kept her away because I didn't want you guys in her life or because I didn't think you wouldn't have made a good father."

Christian took the plate Ana was holding in her hands and set it down on the table so he could take both of her hands in his. "They'd never think that, Ana, not once we explain the misunderstanding to them and we can get to the bottom of where those letters went."

Ana silently nodded her head as she stared up at her first love. "You haven't changed much," Ana commented.

"You think?" Christian asked.

She shook her head. "Well, I mean you have, in obvious ways. But you're still just Christian. The nice, understanding boy I fell in love with fifteen years ago."

Christian stepped closer to her and tucked a soft strand of honey blond hair the wind blew into her face behind her ear. "You've changed," he said. "But all in good ways. You've matured. And your body is definitely different."

Ana looked down her body with pursed lips. "I know. Fifteen years later and I'm still trying to get off my pregnancy fat." She rolled her eyes and laughed at herself.

"I think your body looks better than it did when we met. It's fuller, and you have these amazing curves." He ran his hand along the side of her body, making Ana's body come alive at the touch. "I've missed holding your body in my arms. Missed kissing you."

He leaned down closer as Ana stared up at him, her eyes slowly closing and her body leaning toward his as she waited for his skin to make contact with hers.

"Christian?"

Ana and Christian jumped apart when a woman's voice sounded behind them. Christian took a step back and turned to look down at his sister.

"Mia, what's wrong?" he asked when he noticed how pale she looked.

She blinked a few times as she stared blankly at Ana. Christian glanced back at Ana and gestured toward his sister. "You remember Mia, right, Ana?"

Ana nodded and smiled, trying to get her breathing back under control. "Of course." She smiled genuinely at Mia then as she stepped forward. "It's good to see you again, Mia. Last time I saw you, you had a Barbie backpack and lunch box." Ana laughed softly at the memory but her face fell slowly when Mia just continued to stare at her with a deer in headlights expression. "Are you okay?" Ana softly asked, reaching out to touch her arm.

Mia immediately stepped back and turned around and stiffly walked back into the house. Ana looked to Christian with a worried expression. Christian just shrugged his shoulders but looked down at the food on his plate with a frown. He figured he'd find out what was wrong with his little sister later, though he was starting to get a sense of déjà vu.

Christian led Ana to an empty table so they could eat their food while they intermittently watched as Grace made her rounds with Elsa and introduced her to everyone that paid attention to her.

"My mom is in her element right now," Christian snorted as he watched his mother pinch Elsa's cheeks and then smile as an older woman laughed at something Elsa said to her.

Ana looked over at her daughter and Grace with a smile. Feeling grateful and happy that the Grey's seem to be taking to Elsa very well, even though she didn't know how Carrick and Mia were feeling about the new revelation.

"Elsa has the tendency to bring out the good in others and make them laugh," Ana said as she took a sip of her lemonade.

"I assume she got that trait from you," Christian said.

Ana looked at him with a frown. "Really? Because I was sure she got that from you. You always had the ability to make me smile and cheer me up when I was feeling down."

Christian shook his head. "No. That was always your gift."

Ana just shook her head at Christian and smiled, figuring it would be pointless to argue with him.

"Miss Steele, it's a pleasure to see you again, albeit under the circumstances I'm quite confused why we're just seeing you now," Carrick asked as he approached the table with a heavy frown on his lips.

Christian glared up at his father. "Dad, we've already decided to go over the details with you guys after everyone leaves. Please don't give Ana a hard time until then. Just wait a few more hours and we'll tell you everything you want to know."

Carrick looked between the two of them and nodded. He laid a hand on Ana's shoulders and gently squeezed. "Despite this new discovery, I am glad to see you again, Anastasia. It's been too long and I must admit I have missed fishing with your father in Astoria."

Ana looked up at him with a wary smile. "Ray and my mother actually moved back a few years ago. I could give you their contact information to get in touch with them if you'd like," Ana offered.

Carrick smiled at her. "That would be nice."

Ana wrote down her parents number and address on a napkin and handed it to Carrick. "Great," he said looking at Ana's fast scribbles. "I've been trying to look for a good fishing partner since Ray left, and I tell ya, you wouldn't think they'd be hard to come by." Carrick smiled at them before he left and walked over toward his wife and granddaughter.

"Well, that was interesting," Ana mumbled.

Christian sighed and ran his hand through his hair, knowing that the night was far from over before things continued to get any more interesting.

Christian was leaving the bathroom in the hallway when he got glimpse of Mia staring out of the window, watching someone intently. Christian came up behind her and said, "Mia."

Mia jumped and gasped, putting her hand on her chest as she looked up at Christian with wide eyes and a reddening face. "Christian. You—you scared the crap out of me!"

Christian narrowed his eyes at her as he leaned to the side to see exactly what it was she was looking at. He looked out through the glass and saw Ana and Elsa chatting with Grace and a few of Grace's friends. He looked back down at Mia with a frown.

"You haven't said hello to your niece yet," Christian commented, his voice low as he gazed at his little sister.

Mia avoided his gaze as she shifted from foot to foot as if she was suddenly uncomfortable talking with her brother. "Mom is monopolizing her. It's kind of hard to get a word in."

Christian scowled down at her, immediately recognizing her lie the moment it passed her lips. "I get you aren't fond of Ana—you never really were now that I think about it, but the least you could do is welcome them without the cold shoulder. Elsa is my daughter and she's not going anywhere. The faster you get used to her the easier it will be."

And without a backward glance Christian walked around Mia and joined Ana and his daughter. Mia chewed on her lip nervously as she watched her brother walk away from her. She wrung her hands together anxiously as she wondered now how important those letters really were. She knew a long time ago that she should have given Christian those letters, but she didn't know how she would explain why she had all of them for so long. Now she was wondering if she would have to answer that very question in front of her entire family and be subjected to their anger and disapproval.

She wondered if she could just ask Christian to talk in private and explain to him everything she should have said years ago. She urged herself to move forward and ask Christian for a moment of privacy, but her feet were glued to the ground. She was terrified. She knew exactly what he would say to her once she handed over the letters and she wasn't ready for Christian to look at her with betrayal and hurt that she had kept such an important secret from him. She didn't know what was in those letters when she had taken them, but she didn't think that would matter to Christian. With one glance at the one person who changed her life, she turned and walked further into the house and out the front door.

She couldn't stand to face the truth, and deep down she knew that she couldn't keep running away forever. But for the moment she was more than content to live like she was still that eight year old girl that didn't know how big of a mistake she made.

I know it's been a while, my job isn't giving me much time to myself, so if you guys could be patient as I try to get through this busy time right now I'd really appreciate it. Once I have more time I promise I'll try to write more detailed, lengthy chapters, but for now I hope you guys are happy with this until I can update again.

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