CARRICK POV

I'm in my office, doing some work. My phone rings. I look and see it's Christian.

Finally. He's come to his senses.

I take off my readers, and put the paper I was looking at down. I answer my phone.

"Christian. I was expecting you to call." I assume he's calling about getting a pre-nup. I'm glad he's come to his senses about this.

"Okay." He sounds confused for a moment, then continues. "Well, I was calling to ask you, to get a restraining order for Anastasia and I, against a Paul Clayton."

"Oh." Not a pre-nup? "Is everything alright?" If he needs a restraining order from someone, I hope everything is alright.

"Everything is taken care of. It's just a precaution."

"I see. Who is Paul Clayton? A business associate?"

"Kind of. He was, but he's not any longer. He is also Anastasia's ex."

"Her ex?"

She's already interfering with his business. He's let this business associate go, because he had a connection with her.

There was no mention of an ex on the background check I had done on her. I get out the background check and put my glasses back on to look at what I missed.

"Yes, father. She had a past life before me."

I was right. No, past relationship on her background check. I take my pen and write Paul Clayton next to her previous relationships.

"How long did that last? And why did that relationship end?"

"He beat the fuck out of her, does it really fucking matter, why. I just need a restraining order, so he doesn't go near her again."

I can hear the anger from his tone. That's terrible that happened to her but he needs to understand we need to know of her previous relationships and why they ended. I take my readers off and put the background check down.

"I'm just trying to know of her previous relationships, son. You need to know why they ended. You're planning to marry this girl, without a pre-nup in two weeks."

"I know her past, and she knows mine. It's nobody else's concern or business. You and I have already hashed out this pre-nup bullshit. My answer is still the same as before. NO." He says firmly. I can hear the frustration in his tone. He needs to understand it's not to hurt her. It's to protect him.

"I'm just looking out for you, Christian. You're my son. You need to protect yourself. You have your business and money. You're very wealthy and this is very rushed. Why a month? Seems awfully convenient for her. If this leads to a divorce, without a pre-nup, she could ruin you. It's not just yourself you have to look out for. You have all your employees, as well. Use your head, son." He has to see, a pre-nup is what's best.

"She wouldn't do that. It was my decision to get married in a month, not hers. She wanted to wait longer. I've told you, I'm not going into my marriage with a fucking contract, stating who gets what, when it ends. It's not fucking ending. This conversation, however, is. Do not fucking bring it up again!"

"Christian this is so instantaneous. You have to see, this is risky. I'm not saying your marriage will fail, son. I pray that it doesn't. I want you happy. I can see, Anastasia makes you happy. She's a nice young girl. And I do like her. But it's still so new. Everything is good when you first start out. This is your first relationship and you've only known each other a short while. You don't know much about her, Christian."

He hasn't been in a relationship before. This is his first relationship. Aside from that women, Elena Lincoln, but from what he told us when he was 21, it was just a sexual relationship. Nothing more.

"Carrick." I can hear the warning in his tone. "I love Anastasia. I'm going to marry her in two weeks. She's the only one for me. If she ever leaves me, she might as well take every-fucking-thing I have! I don't give a fuck! I'm not having her sign a pre-fucking-nuptial agreement!"

"Son-" He hangs up on me before I can get a word out.

That boy, needs to listen to reason. He's just admitted he'll give her everything in a divorce. A pre-nup is need now more than ever. He's not thinking straight. Or with the right head. He's pussy-whipped. She can take him to the cleaners and never look back. I'm not the bad guy here. I'm a father looking out for his son.

I pick up her background check again, putting my reading glasses back on.

This is what concerns me. There is no listed previous relationships, but Christian just told me she does have a past. How many more are not listed? Her mother sure has a lot. She's on her fourth marriage. One marriage not lasting more than 6 months. And her bank account. Surely a 21 year old doesn't have that much of a substantial amount in their account. It's obvious, Christian is already funding her. It wouldn't surprise me if she's already quit her job. Why work when you're marrying a wealthy man?

No. I wont let this happen to my son. He's blinded by her youth and beauty. This is going to hurt him if it ends.

I try calling him back but he wont answer. Damn it, Christian! I take off my readers and go in search of his mother. She's always been one to talk sense into that boy. I walk out of my office in search of my wife. Where is that woman?

"That boy has always been too damn stubborn! He's not thinking with the right fucking head!" I still cannot believe him.

I walk into the kitchen to see Grace on the phone. Great! Now, I'll have to wait. I start pacing, waiting for her to finish her conversation with whomever she's speaking with. I run my hand through my hair, frustrated.

"Oh, dear. Carrick's in a mood. I better let you go, dear." I hear her say.

"He wont fucking listen to reason. Maybe, I should just talk to her. One of them will surely listen. And it's not him!" I say to myself. I run my hand through my hair.

"I'll talk to you later, dear." She hangs up. "Carry, what on earth are you going on about?" I sit down at the table with her.

"Your son."

"Well, I have two, and as far as I know they're yours, as well. What did Elliot do now?"

I laugh once. It usually is Elliot. Christian usually has his head on his shoulders since he started his business, not listening to the one in his pants, like his older brother.

"It's Christian."

"What of him?" I can hear the warning in her tone.

"He wont have Anastasia sign a pre-nuptial agreement."

"This again? Carry, that is his choice and you know it."

"Gracie." I try to reason with her. "You know Christian is a very wealthy man. It's nothing against Ana. I like her, I do. But they barely know each other. They've know each other five freaking minutes. They're getting married in two weeks. This is very rushed. Are we sure she's not with child?"

"Carrick Grey!" She scolds me. "Our son and Ana love each other. This may be done with haste, but it is done with love. It is their decision whether they have a pre-nup or not. And it sounds like Christian doesn't want that. You need to respect his decision and you need to leave well enough alone. Ana is a sweet girl. I've come to know her a bit more these past two weeks and it is unbelievable how much work and time she is putting into planning this wedding. You need to let them be and let them learn from their own mistakes, not yours. You can't protect your children all their lives. Christian is a grown man. It's his life. He knows what he's doing. You best leave them alone with this pre-nup mumble jumble. Or else." She gets up and walks out of the kitchen, leaving her warning.

She doesn't understand. He doesn't understand. They both think I'm doing this to hurt Ana, I'm not. It's to protect Christian.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure.

I need to speak to Ana. Maybe she can talk some sense into Christian. If she's against the pre-nup as well, that just proves my worst fear.

It's Monday. Christian will be at the office. This is a good opportunity to speak to Ana. She'll be alone.

I drive to Escala, hopefully she is there and we can discuss this. I go in the main lobby and head to the elevator.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Grey." The receptionist greets me. "Mr. Grey is not in at the moment."

I continue to the elevator. "That's alright. I've come to see Anastasia Steele." I push the elevator button.

"Ms. Steele is not home either, sir." Oh.

"You don't happen to know when she'll return, do you?" I need to speak to her without Christian around.

He frowns slightly, then is impassive. "I suspect when she's finished working. Though, they don't confirm their schedule with me, sir."

Working? Christian brought her to the office with him? This is getting ridiculous. I nod and thank him, walking out of Escala. How am I going to talk to Ana now? I can't talk with her in front of Christian.

I get back in my car to drive back to my office. Perhaps, Grace is right. I should leave well enough alone. He's a grown man, it's his choice. I just hope this doesn't all blow up in his face. I'm driving down the road, when I see a young girl coming out of a store carrying a wedding gown. I notice her walking to an SUV, much like Christian's. I see a man walking behind her. He's wearing a suit much like Taylor's. As I approach them I notice it's Ana. She's on her own, without Christian. Surely this is a sign, I need to speak with her. I quickly pull over and park. I get out and walk up to them. The security, I believe his name is Sawyer, opens the back of the SUV. He turns to look at me, seeing me approach.

"Ana?" She turns around still holding her items. Why is she carrying these items? I look at Sawyer, his hands are empty.

"Hi, Mr. Grey." She says getting my attention. She's very happy and cheerful. Of course, she is. She turns back to the SUV and puts the items inside. She turns back around to me. "How are you?" She asks me.

"I'm as good as I can be. I'm glad I caught you. I've been wanting to speak with you. Do you have a moment?"

"Sure."

"I was hoping I could go over a prenuptial agreement with you and you could talk to Christian about it. It's nothing against you personally, I'm just looking out for my son." I let her know. Hopefully she understands this.

"I don't have time to go over anything right now," I knew it, she's against the pre-nup. Probably told Christian it's a deal breaker. "I'm only on my lunch break." Lunch break? "I completely understand, though." See she understands. "I told Christian I will sign anything he asks. Perhaps you should discuss this with Christian first. I'll sign anything. I love your son and plan on being with him forever. That's why I'm marrying him. I understand the pre-nup is to protect Christian if we were to divorce, but I assure you we will not be getting a divorce. Even if we did, I wouldn't want anything from him. That's all his, not mine. After you talk to Christian, and he agrees, could you have the pre-nup written to were I get nothing. I wouldn't want anything that would remind me of him, if anything were to happen."

Have the pre-nup say she gets nothing? Nothing?

I run my hand through my hair, not understanding. I'm so confused. In a daze I let her know. "I've already spoken to Christian." Twice. He wont listen.

"Oh. Okay. Well, then let me know when you have the pre-nup ready for me to sign." She'll sign? "I should be getting back to work." Work? She's working? "I just wanted to look at this store." She points behind me. I look back at the store. A thrift store? Why is she looking at a thrift store? That doesn't make any sense. What is going on? I look back at her.

"I'll see you later, Mr. Grey." She smiles happily, just as cheerful as when we started this conversation.

Why is she not upset with me, about suggesting the pre-nup? Christian and Grace were. I don't mean to insult her by insisting, and I am glad she's not upset by the suggestion of a pre-nup, but her happiness confuses me.

She gets into the SUV with Sawyer. He drives her away. I'm still in a daze, standing on the sidewalk. I am so confused.

She's shopping at thrift stores? She'll sign a pre-nup stating she gets nothing, should they divorce? Grace said, Ana's planning this wedding and doing everything herself. She was even carrying her own things from the store, not having Sawyer carry them for her. It says a lot about a person, the way they treat their employees. I told Grace and Christian they don't know her well enough. It looks like, I'm the one who doesn't know her well enough. She's not with Christian for his money. I run my hand through my hair. I fucked up!

Grace, can not find out about this. Christian, can not find out about this.

Fuck! They're going to find out!