Enjoy

Sins of the Father

Chapter 23

Part One: Meeting the Greys

Ana's POV

"Will you relax," Kate says, looking over the sample rack of bridesmaid's dresses that were just wheeled out. She's hoping to get some idea of what she wants us all to wear. "I'm the one that's going to be as bloated as a whale waddling down the aisle. How embarrassing is this going to be? Its going to scream shotgun wedding. What will people think?"

"Who cares what idiots think," I tell her, thumbing through the rack of samples.

"I usually don't, but in this case, it's going to be the truth."

"It is not the truth. No one is holding a gun to his head. Elliot loves you. I thought we already settled this."

"Why are you so nervous anyway," she says, attempting to change the subject. She can't ignore my obvious discomfort in being at this particular shop.

I have to think of an answer. I don't want to tell her that its because helping her with her wedding is making me remember how excited I was about my own.

Especially, being in this shop where my dress was to be made. My mind flashes to how involved Christian was with the whole process. He didn't mind me endlessly talking about every little wedding detail with him. Nothing about it bored him.

"Baby, don't let Mia convince you to wrap yourself in all that vintage Victorian lace she's going on about," he warned me.

"But I thought you'd be all for me being completely covered in front of all those 'gawk-eyed fuckers' as you call them."

"Covered, yes. Being up to your neck in a sea of old-lady lace, no. I may have to rescue you from drowning in that damn dress she picked out before I even get a chance to marry you."

"Ana," Kate calls, getting my attention. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"No reason," I tell her, shrugging as she eyes me. "I don't know. I guess I just love weddings."

"Right. Well, you're not the only one," she says nodding her head in the direction of the door. I turn to see Grace and Mia entering the shop.

"Wow," I say at the sight of them.

"Picture perfect, aren't they?"

I nod with a laugh.

Grace is just as poised as ever in her soft lilac skirt with blouse, heels, and purse to match. No outfit is complete to Grace without gloves. She won't be caught dead going out of the house without them. Her dark brown hair is tied up intricately behind her.

While Mia, as everyday as she is, in a powder blue and white sweat suit with earbuds still in her ears like she just came out of the gym still looks like she would kill, especially with not a hair on her head out of place and her makeup untouched.

She approaches first.

"Sill pretending to workout I see," I tell her. In response, she strikes a check me out pose.

"Nothing's changed," she laughs, taking the earbuds out of her ears and giving me a crushing hug.

"Ana, how are you," Grace says, kissing my cheek before hugging me. "I've missed you so."

"I miss you too," I tell her.

"You've been away far too long," she says, taking me by both hands. "I hope you will stay a while. I hope its long after the wedding. We have lots to catch up on."

"That's what I told her," Kate says. I inwardly roll my eyes at her using this chance to get me to stay longer. "But she's running off soon to countries uncharted."

"Uncharted," Mia says, her curiosity piqued. "What countries?"

"Singapore for one," Kate boasts. "Our little Ana is going all the way to Singapore."

"Singapore," Grace says, looking from me to Kate. "Now that is very exciting news."

Her smile is bright, but the tone in her voice is one more of disappointed surprise.

"Why Singapore," Mia asks. "I thought you had a thing for London."

I look at Kate who is smiling away waiting for me to answer. I shoot her a look that lets her know just how dead she is when I get her alone before clearing my throat and moving the conversation away from me back to the wedding.

It only takes the suggestion of the bridesmaids wearing gray to get Mia in a tizzy and before long we are wrapped up in wedding planning.

Soon enough, I'm cornered by Grace while Mia and Kate are trying on dresses.

"It is so wonderful having you here with us right now," she says sitting down next to me, sipping on an orange blossom mimosa.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now," I tell her, honestly. I would have hated to miss helping Kate pick out her wedding dress, especially since her mother is away visiting Ethan in Dubai. I'm not even altogether sure if Kate's told any of her family about the wedding yet. Or if there is truly going to be one the way she's refusing to believe in Elliot's love for her.

"Ana, I truly hate how things ended with you and Christian. I feel responsible."

"You shouldn't, Grace, really. There was just too much for he and I to overcome. Looking back on it now, I don't think there was any other way for us."

"Its because of what you told me. He couldn't get past it, could he?"

I shake my head in answer.

"He sees it as an unforgivable betrayal and I don't know if he's wrong in his thinking anymore. I was just so angry at the time. But I truly thought I was doing the right thing. I still do, but now I don't know if it was worth it."

"Of course, you did the right thing. Ana, if it wasn't for you, his father and I would never have known. Its clear he had no intention of ever saying a word to us. I don't know how I didn't see it before. I've been over it so many times in my head looking for signs I may have missed. There must have been so many times I should have realized something wasn't right, but I didn't. My son is paying a terrible price for it."

We're interrupted by Mia coming out to show off her vibrant red off the shoulder mini dress, saying how hot she looks in it. Only to be told by Kate there is no way she is going to let her wear it.

For Kate, its her not wanting the bridesmaids to upstage her, but Mia refuses to see her point.

She argues how Kate should go against the norm and have what she calls "sexy bridesmaids" before Kate drags her back to the fitting room to try on the more modest teal colored dress she picked out.

"She doesn't know," Grace says of Mia. "Neither does Elliot."

"I'm not surprised. Christian is a very private man."

"And mule headed," she jokes lightly.

"I can't argue with that," I tell her.

"He's still not over you. You know that, don't you?"

I shake my head.

"I think that ship has long sailed, Grace."

I smile fondly, thinking about Christian's boat.

"Like the Grace," I tell her.

"There is much too much irony in that," she says.

I nod in agreement.

….

Christian's POV

"It all smells wonderful, Gail," I tell her of the meal she is just about done preparing. My family should be arriving for dinner soon

"Thank you, Mr. Grey," she says. "I prepared some mac and cheese for Little Christian, just in case he doesn't like the steamed vegetables."

I nod in approval. I may just eat a helping of it myself.

"I'm sure everything will go well," she continues on.

"I'm that obvious," I ask her about my nervousness showing.

"Well, its rare that you come in here while I'm cooking," she laughs. "Its only natural to be nervous. Your family will love him and he them. I am sure of it."

"Thanks, Gail. I'm going to go check on him."

I go in the media room to find him drawing at the coffee table. His legs are tucked underneath him and his crayons are laid out of the box in a heap so he can choose the colors more easily.

"What are you drawing," I ask, sitting behind him on one of the movie chairs.

"A picture of my new room so Mommy can see it," he says to me. "Can I take it to her?"

"Of course, you can," I assure him.

"It's the only room she never told me about," he says.

"She talked to you about the rooms here?"

He nods.

"Mommy said it was a big place with lots of room. She told me all the places she liked to hide when she was playing hide and seek with you. She was going to show me them when we got to Seattle."

"Did she ever tell you when she was coming?"

He shakes his head.

"Did she ever say why she didn't just call me to come and get you both?"

"One time I ask her if we can call you. She said no cuz you told her not to call ever again."

Fucking Leila. She picked that one time to do as she was told. I know its because I threatened her so severely. I was so pissed at her for what she did to Ana. She must have thought I would have truly done her harm if she would have tried to contact me again.

"If I would have known about you. I would have come for you. Do you understand?"

He nods.

"I would have come for you and your mother," I assure him that I wouldn't have left her behind in whatever hell they were in.

"Kay."

"I'm sure she's happy you're here now and that you get to show her your room," I tell him.

He nods his head.

"Sir," Taylor interrupts us. "The Greys are on their way up."

At the mention of his family, Christian gets up and takes off running out of the room.

"I'll take it from here, Taylor," I tell him heading towards the great room.

Elliot is the first one off the elevator. His eyes land right on the fort and lights up with silent amusement at it.

"Oh my," mom says as she looks around at the place.

"Hello, mom," I kiss her cheeks.

"Well, you were right. We certainly had to see it to believe it," she says. "Are we going camping? Its been so long since we've done that together."

"Right you are, My Dear," dad agrees. "I think the boys were still in middle school."

"Well, count me out," Mia says, looking at the makeshift fort that's about to collapse.

"Oh come on, Mia. Live a little," Elliot teases. "Where is your sense of adventure?"

"My idea of adventure is not braving the elements with nothing but a thin veil of nylon to keep me safe, that's for sure. I'm all for camping, but a cabin with beds and running water needs to be in use at some point."

"No one is going camping," I tell them. "This is actually a fort for someone who is staying with me now."

"Staying with you," mom says, looking around again. "They are staying in a fort?"

"No, mom," I tell her, looking up the stairs to make sure my son is out of earshot before I explain. Elliot follows my stare.

"Why don't we move this party to your office," he suggests.

"Great idea," I tell him.

Mom's jaw just about hits the floor. This must be serious in her mind if Elliot is being anything but a foil to my plan. Mia and Dad must be perplexed as well because they follow without so much as a word.

"What's this all about, son," dad asks, once we take our seats at the small conference table in my office.

"It's a very involved story, so just hear me out," I warn them and they all nod. "The trip I took recently was to New York. Ana called and asked to speak with me."

"Ana," mom says and I nod. Dad touches her hand to subdue her.

"The reason for the call was because of a case she had been given. There was a little boy who…well to come right out and say it… he's mine. I now have a son."

"A son? You mean to say you're in the process of adopting a child," dad says.

"I don't believe it," Mia says.

"Hear him out, guys," Elliot tells them.

"Elliot, you already know about this," Mom asks and he nods.

"I found out yesterday," he tells her. "Now, just hear him out."

"Go on, Christian," dad tells me.

"To answer your question, Dad, I'm not adopting him. He is my son. Flesh and blood. He's five and he can't wait to meet you all."

"Five," mom says. I've never seen her so pale. "Who is his mother?"

"He name is Leila Williams."

"Is she one of your…you know-" dad tries to ask if Leila is one of my submissives without giving it away to Mia and Elliot.

"Yes, Dad, she was. She died a little while ago of a drug overdose. My son was left alone with her for god only knows how long before he was discovered."

"Oh, sweet Lord," Dad says, pouring mom and himself a glass of water. I'm sure his head is spinning.

"Ana was given the case and she informed me."

"His mother named him Christian," Mia asks. "After you?"

"Christian Williams," I tell her.

"Its the same as with you what he went through, isn't it," mom says as a matter of fact.

"Yes, mom. it is exactly the same."

"What do you mean, exactly the same," Mia says. I can hear the anger in her voice. The thin protective layer of an Aunt Cougar coming out on her nephew's behalf. "Did she hurt him?"

"No, Mia," I tell her. "She didn't, but someone did."

"How is he? Where is he? I need to see him," mom says, getting up.

"Hold on a minute, Grace," Dad stops her. "Let's just all hold our horses for a moment. How can we be sure about any of this? Clearly this woman wasn't one of any kind of virtue. Are we to take her at simply naming him after you?"

"I said the same thing, Dad, but just wait until you see him," Elliot says.

"His resemblance to me is undeniable, but of course a paternity test proved without a doubt that he's mine."

I get my copy of the test and slide it over to dad. I wait as he looks it over. He nods his head, giving it his seal of approval.

"May we see him now," Mom asks.

"He's shy," I warn them. "It might take him a while to warm up to all of you."

"We understand," she says.

I have them wait in the great room while I go upstairs to get him.

I call to him when I don't find him anywhere in his room or under his bed. I go to the playroom and he's still nowhere to be found.

I nearly panic until I remember him talking of Leila's hiding places and I go to her favorite one. It's a little closet space tucked away in a long-forgotten corner on the far side of the hallway.

"There you are," I tell him, opening the tiny closet. Only Leila was small enough to fit in it until now. "Are you alright?"

He shakes his head no.

"Its only your family down there. They just want to say to hello to you. You won't have to do or say anything if you don't want to."

I hold out my hand and he takes it, walking with me downstairs.

A gasp was heard at the sight of him approaching. I'm not sure if it was mom or Mia.

He quickly ducks behind me as we stand before them.

"Mom, Dad, Mia, Elliot," I start the introduction. "This is Christian, my son."

I gently pull him out from behind me as mom bends to look at him.

"Christian," she says. "I'm your Grace, your grandmother. You can call me grandma if you like."

She slips off one of her gloves and tries to take his hand but he shrinks away, pressing himself into my side.

Her eyes shoot up at me in understanding of him not trusting her touch.

A moment passes between she and I. It pulls us back to the first moment we met all those years ago. I thought she was an angel dressed in all that white and she was. She was my angel. She still is.

Her eyes roam over Christian as if looking at the boy that was to be her son for the first time all over again.

"You needn't be afraid of us," she whispers to him softly. "We are your family. We all love you so."

She extends her hand again and slowly he takes it.

"Hi," he whispers to her, shaking it.

"Hi," she smiles brightly at him. "And this is your grandpa, Carrick."

"Hello, Christian," dad says, bending down next to mom. "What a fine young man you are. You look so much like your father did at your age. Oh the stories I'm going to tell you about him."

I roll my eyes as Elliot and Mia laugh.

"I'm Mia," she says, not able to wait her turn.

"Jeez, really, Mia," Elliot scolds her.

"I'm your aunt," she tells him before lightly slugging Elliot's arm. "And this big goofball is your uncle, Elliot."

She catches her mistake of hitting him, thinking it might scare Christian, but its too late to cover.

Elliot saves her by making a big show of her hitting like a girl which makes Christian laugh.

"Nice to meet you, little nephew," Elliot tells him.

"Hi," Christian says still laughing at him.

Elliot leans in to whisper to him but he's purposely loud enough so we all can hear what he says.

"We are going to get into a whole lot of fun trouble together," Elliot tells him. "But don't worry. I know how to get us out of it too. Just leave it to your Uncle Elliot."

"Kay," Christian laughs and Elliot winks the secret at him.

"It starts," I tease, shaking my head.

"You know, having two Christians will be awful confusing," Mia makes note, looking down at her nephew. "You need a nickname."

Christian looks up at me.

"I've taken to calling him Teddy."

"Teddy," Mia says confused.

"Cuz I'm his Teddy Bear," Christian explains, proudly. He's still holding on to my hand. I don't think he knows quite what to make of them all yet.

"That's so cute," Mia gushes. "I like it."

"It reminds me of my dad, your great grandpa, Theodore," mom tells him. "Teddy is a wonderful name. Do you like it?" He nods his head. "Well then, its settled. Teddy it is."

"Teddy Grey," Dad says, making it a point that his name will be Grey and not Williams.

But there is something about the way he says it. Perhaps its too much conviction in it. I want to brush it aside. To be proud that he is so excepting of my son as a Grey. But something about it gnaws in the back of my head and I know I won't be able to let it go.

"Ana," Teddy says, running for her as she is being escorted in by Taylor. "I thought you went to be a MOH."

Ana laughs at him using the term.

"Well, I'm all done with that. So I thought I would see how things were going over here. How are you doing?"

"Good," he says. "Come and meet my family."

He takes her by the hand and walks her over to us.

They are amazed at how alive he has suddenly become as he takes it upon himself to introduce them to her.

"Dinner is ready, Mr. Grey," Gail informs me, nodding a hello to everyone.

Ana tries to make her excuses, not realizing she had intruded on dinner, but Teddy won't hear of it.

"Stay," he insists, leaving no room for her to refuse.

Mom watches him with hawk eyes as he takes hold of Ana's hand and then mine to walk with us to the dinning room.

I can feel the wheels spinning in her head as the three of us pass by. I know exactly what she's thinking seeing the three of us being together so easily.

"Let it go, mom," I warn her.

She puts her hand on her chest, feigning innocent.

"I didn't say a word."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing.