A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
A POV
"I told Ethan we'd have dinner at seven at Bella Rouche.", Kate says. She sits back down at the table after preparing both of us another cup of tea. "Here you go."
"Thanks." I take my cup from her and blow onto the steaming beverage. "I'll text Christian and let him know the details. How was dinner at your parents' last night?"
"It was great. My mom cooked all of Ethan and Caroline's favorite foods which of course included brussel sprouts, the one vegetable I can't stand."
"I remember.", I giggle. "Have you ever given them a chance though?"
"Nope, but they don't look like they're good. Elliot likes them though.", she shrugs as she takes a drink of her tea.
"Speaking of Elliot, how did he do with meeting Caroline and mainly Ethan?"
"He was still nervous when we arrived, but those nerves went away the second Ethan asked if Elliot likes baseball. Elliot answered with how much he loves the Mariners. He then asked Ethan if he's a fan of the Mets or the Yankees now that he's living in New York. Ethan laughed and said he's still very much a Mariners fan. That seemed to seal the deal on the new friendship between the two of them. How was your night with Christian?" I could tell her my night was eventful with the confrontation Christian and I had with Leila about her lies, but I chose to be positive.
"It was good. We had a nice dinner and snuggled.", I reply. "We're going to London next month."
"London? Oh Ana, you've always wanted to go there."
"I have, and next month I'll be there. I'm excited about it. I'll get to see the places I've read and dreamed about. What makes it even better is I'll be there with the man I love."
"I'll thrilled for you. Have you told Mr. Nelson yet?", she asks.
"I have, and he told me to have a great time."
"She might still be asleep." Kate and I have just stepped off the elevator and on to third floor where Julia's apartment is located. We get to the apartment, and I knock.
"It's after noon, and Julia never sleeps late.", I say as Julia answers the door. "Kate thought you might still be asleep."
"I've been awake since about seven. Come on in." Julia waves us inside the apartment where we see Becca who's putting on her running shoes. "Make sure you take some water."
"I will.", Becca mutters. She runs to the kitchen and returns with a bottle of water. "I'm meeting Mia, and we're going for a run. Afterwards we're going to chow down on some pizza. Bye guys."
"Bye.", Kate, Julia, and I say in unison.
"I would ask what brings the two of you here, but I already know. You might as well have a seat, and I'll tell you about my date with Will." Kate and I settle on the beige sofa while Julia sits down in the matching arm chair. "I met him at Pelican where we ate lobster and got to know each other better. We spent over an hour there, and when it was over, he asked if I wanted to go for a stroll down the street. I wasn't sure, yet I didn't want the night to end so soon so I agreed. We then spent another hour doing nothing but talking. He walked me back to my car and said he wanted to see me again."
"And you said yes, right?", I ask.
"I said yes although we've got to go over details about when and where."
"You know much it pleases me to hear you had a nice time.", Kate says.
"But as I said I'm not going to rush into it. I want us to take things slow. Give me details about your nights. Kate, how are Ethan and Caroline?"
"They're great. They've officially started the baby making progress. It won't happen overnight, but it's still an exciting thing to look forward to." Kate's beaming with every word. "There's so much love between Ethan and Caroline, and that love will extend to their son or daughter."
"Plus there's going to be an abundance of love from those around them.", I add.
"Yes." Kate looks in my direction. "Julia, guess where Ana's going?" Julia also shifts her eyes on to me. Before she can respond, Kate answers her own question. "London. She's going there with Christian."
"Ana, that's fantastic!", Julia squeals. "When are you going?"
"Next month. Christian mentioned it the other night, and even though I really wanted to say yes I couldn't until I got the ok from Mr. Nelson."
"How long are you going to be gone?"
"A week. I've got to start planning what I want to take with me."
"Well, we're going to miss you, but we want you to have the best time.", Kate says.
C POV
"I'm sorry I had to do some work today.", I tell Ana as she watches me get dressed for our dinner.
"It's fine. Were you working on the deal you've got with Gil Hanson?"
"No. I was working on a deal that GEH has with the Wilson Organization which helps battered women get back on their feet after leaving their spouses. Sandra Wilson, the chairwoman, asked me not long ago to be a corporate sponsor for a fundraiser. I agreed and donated ten million dollars. After some thinking, I decided I wanted to help more so GEH is teaming up with the Wilson Organization. Not only are we going to supply clothes and basic necessities, but we're also going to set up training courses that'll allow the women a chance to get jobs."
"I like that idea."
"I wanted to go ahead and get as much work done as possible. The sooner we get things rolling the sooner the women can move forward with their lives." I step into the closet and grab a blue, long sleeve button up shirt. "How about this?"
"Good choice.", she grins, motioning at the one shoulder blue dress she bought the other day. "We match." I set my shirt down and stride over to her, kissing her.
"That we do. We're a very good match."
"No word today from Leila?", Ana asks.
"No, and that's a good thing although I'm not a hundred percent sure she's out of our lives.", I sigh. "We were so busy yesterday dealing with Leila that I didn't tell Rawlings Motors secured the police department deal."
"That's wonderful. I bet Tom Rawlings was excited when he found out." I sit down next to Ana and nod.
"He was and is excited. The deal is only the beginning of the great things to come. The one negative issue is Samual Donovan. He had been the supplier of the vehicles."
"Until now.", Ana murmurs. "Do you think he's going to retaliate?"
"I don't have the answer to that question, but I'm not going to take any chances. Sawyer's been given orders to be even more cautious, and I'll have your secondary CPO in place next week. I realize I said the secondary one would only be around when you were with Mia, but I've changed my mind. Both Sawyer and the new CPO will be with you at all times."
"Ok. I'm not going to fight you on it. I do have one thing to ask. Are you going to have a secondary CPO?" She raises a brow.
"It's in consideration." I glance at the clock on the nightstand. "Let's table this discussion for now." I stand and kiss her forehead before going back to getting dressed.
"Ethan, Caroline, it really is great to see you.", Ana says. She and I are seated at our table along Elliot, Kate, Ethan, and Caroline.
"It's great to see you too.", Caroline replies. "And Christian, I may have only met you tonight, but I already know you're a nice guy just from the smile on Ana's face."
"Thank you. Ana's very special to me." Ana blushes as I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it. "Kate tells me you and Ethan work for the New York Times. That must be exciting."
"It is.", Ethan answers. "Writing has always been a passion of mine. I used to have my own newsletter when I was growing up." He glances over at Kate. "Ring a bell?"
"Yep.", Kate giggles. "Ethan would give reviews of what we had for dinner the night before. He'd also make sure to leave enough space in his newsletter to write about how much I annoyed him." She rolls her eyes and takes a drink of her wine.
"You only annoyed me when you took too much time in the bathroom.", Ethan laughs.
"I think sisters annoying their older brothers is routine.", Elliot adds. "But it's all in good spirit."
"Christian, I had already heard your name when Kate told me you and Ana were dating. You've done well for yourself in the business world.", Caroline says as she swipes Ethan's roll from his plate. He scowls briefly and breaks into a wide grin. "It's impressive."
"I'm fortunate to be doing a career which I love. The fact that it allows me to give back to people and the community makes it even better.", I reply.
"How long is your visit?", Ana asks Ethan and Caroline.
"We're going to be here until next Friday. Ethan and I have so many friends and family to catch up with."
"Maybe we can all get together again before you leave.", I suggest.
"We'd like that."
"Dinner was nice.", Ana says as we're leaving the restaurant after dinner.
"It was. What's the plan for tonight? Are we staying at your place or mine?", I ask, starting the car.
"It's up to you.", she shrugs.
"No, it's up to you.", I smirk. Ana's phone beeps from her purse. She reaches inside and glances at the screen.
"Kate's staying at Elliot's so how about we go to my place?" I nod and drive to Ana's building. "Do you want to go and get some clothes first?"
"I don't have to have clothes to sleep.", I laugh.
"You're in luck because I bought eggs the other day, and that means I can make us omelettes in the morning.", Ana says. We're sitting at her kitchen table where we're sharing a large bowl of ice cream.
"Sounds good." I clear my throat. "You know how we initially couldn't decide whose place to stay at?"
"Sure. It was only about an hour ago, silly." She rolls her eyes and takes a bite of the ice cream.
"Those kinds of debates could be avoided if you moved in with me, but it's only an idea." I help myself to some of the ice cream while I feel her eyes on me. Waking up next to Ana is the best thing in the world, and I want to do that every morning.
"Christian, I love you very much, but I'm not sure I'm ready to move in with you.", she murmurs. "I like my apartment. I'm sorry."
"It's ok. It was only an idea.", I say as I put on my best poker face.