A/N: Thank you all for reading! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 9: Easton Again

Ana felt a bit strange overseeing the construction site all by herself on Monday. She honestly wasn't sure if the men would take her seriously without Christian there with her, but she and the foreman Andy got along just fine, and the construction continued on with no interference. They had begun pouring the cement into the foundation they had dug out the day before, and had even began constructing a rough frame of the building itself. It was all finally starting to come together, and Ana hoped Christian would be pleasantly surprised once he came back to Easton on Tuesday.

Ana found herself thinking about Christian quite a bit as she worked all day Monday - it was strange, since she didn't really consider him a close friend or anything. She supposed she liked how good he was at his job, and his insight on certain matters regarding the construction was usually pretty intelligent. She remembered that conversation she had had with him yesterday morning though, and she blushed to herself - she didn't know what had prompted her to lay herself bare like that to him, but it was oddly cathartic nonetheless. She never really talked about Hannah much anymore, so bringing her up for the first time in such a long time felt like a relief in a way.

Tuesday morning rolled around, and Ana woke up bright and early to head over to the construction site once again. She knew Christian was supposed to be back sometime today, though she wasn't sure what time he was coming - despite that, she made the decision to bring Ted along with her to the construction site today. He seemed to really enjoy looking at all the big trucks the first time he came here here, and now there were even more trucks, bulldozers, and cranes for him to look at.

"Ready to see all the cool trucks and stuff again, Teddy?" Ana asked him, kneeling down in front of him as she fastened his small hard hat onto his head.

"Yeah!" Ted bounced up and down excitedly, his exuberance accidentally knocking Ana's hands away. She chuckled at him.

"Settle down, cutie pie," she grinned, getting to her feet and holding out her hand for him. "Let's get going."

Ana and Ted walked out of the house and toward the pickup truck together. Ray was finishing up a project in the carpentry shop right now, and Ana could hear the electric saw buzzing loudly from inside. He likely wouldn't be done until around noon, so it was a perfect opportunity for Ana to take Ted with her to the construction site and keep an eye on him for the next few hours.

Ana started up the truck and began the short drive down to the valley. As soon as they arrived, she immediately noticed some cars and trucks were already parked near the jobsite, and a familiar shiny black SUV was amongst them. Christian must have come back in Easton already, and Ana couldn't help but smile as she parked nearby.

Ana and Ted walked toward Christian's SUV, and she noticed the trunk was popped open while several construction guys were gathered around it. Christian stood nearby, and he glanced up and smiled widely when he saw Ana and Ted.

"Hi guys," he said brightly, striding toward them. "Good to see you."

Ana couldn't help but smile as well, blushing slightly. "It's good to see you too, but I thought you weren't going to be back until later today?"

"Yeah, I had a change in plans, so we ended up driving back here late last night," Christian explained. He looked a bit embarrassed as he said that, and Ana couldn't help wondering what had happened that made him come back early. She didn't say anything though.

"Hey Ted," Christian crouched down so he was eye-level with Ted, and smiled at him. "You excited to see the trucks again today?"

"Yeah!" Ted exclaimed happily, bouncing on his little feet.

"We won't stay for too long," Ana promised Christian. "We're just going to walk around the jobsite and look around for a bit. I'm hesitant to have Ted be around so much machinery."

"That makes sense, but we'll make sure both of you are completely safe," Christian smiled, standing up again. "By the way, Taylor and I picked up some donuts and coffee for the whole crew, so if you want anything it's right over there."

Ana glanced over toward the open trunk of Christian's SUV, and noticed the small card table set up with six or seven boxes of assorted donuts and multiple trays of to-go coffees. The crew was gathered around grabbing the food, and a pretty blonde woman was standing nearby and orchestrating everything, handing out plates and napkins to everybody who needed them.

"Ana, Ted - I'd like you to meet Gail Jones," Christian led Ana and Ted toward the blonde woman, who glanced over at them and smiled. "She's my housekeeper and Taylor's girlfriend - she's going to be staying here in Easton with us for the next few weeks. Gail, this is Ana and her son Ted."

"Hi Ana, it's a pleasure to meet you," Gail reached out and shook Ana's hand, smiling sweetly. Ana smiled back, immediately liking this woman.

"It's nice to meet you too," Ana said kindly, turning toward Ted who was holding her hand. "Ted, can you say hello?"

Ted smiled bashfully, stepping closer to his mom so he was practically clinging to her leg. "Hi."

The adults all chuckled at how cute he was being. "Hi Ted - it's very nice to meet you," Gail said sweetly to him.

Christian looked like he was about to say something when a green truck suddenly pulled up to the jobsite and parked near Ana's red pickup. Everyone watched the driver door open to reveal Greg Clayton, and a moment later the passenger side door opened revealing his son Paul.

Ana, while initially pleased to see Greg step out of the truck, felt her heart sink slightly upon seeing Paul with him. Paul was a nice enough guy, but whenever he was around her he would start relentlessly flirting with her, no matter if Ted was there or not. Several times it had gotten to the point where she would have to ask him to stop, but his response was always to just brush it off as a joke.

Ana chanced a glance in Christian's direction, and noticed his jaw was clenched tightly as he glared at Paul. Ana hadn't realized Christian knew Paul, but from the look on his face he apparently didn't like him very much.

"Ana - Christian," Greg greeted the two of them jovially as he and Paul approached. "Sorry to drop by so unexpectedly, but I just wanted to see how the construction was going out here."

"Hi Greg - everything's going great," Christian smiled, shaking the older man's hand. "All of it's right on schedule. The rest of the building's frame should be up by the end of the day today."

"Fantastic," Greg smiled widely. "Glad to hear everything's going well. I believe you've already met my son, Paul?"

"I have," Christian nodded tightly, and he held out his hand for Paul to shake. "Good to see you again, Paul."

"You too Christian," Paul nodded, shaking his hand. "I thought you were heading back to Seattle a couple days ago?"

"I had just gone for the day," Christian explained, voice noticeably clipped. "I came back to Easton last night, and I'm going to be back here for awhile."

"Oh," Paul nodded, and he then turned away from Christian to smile charmingly at Ana. "Hey Ana - hey Ted."

"Hi Paul," Ana said simply. Paul looked as if he wanted to give her a hug hello, but she instead knelt down by Ted and picked him up in her arms, perching him on her hip.

Christian cleared his throat. "If you guys wanted something to eat while you're here, we brought donuts and coffee," he said, gesturing toward the card table near the SUV. "Or if you guys prefer, you can have a look around the jobsite and see what's been going on…"

"That sounds like a great idea," Greg turned to look at his son. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," Paul nodded.

"Ana?" Christian turned to Ana, who looked over at her son in her arms.

"Ready to see all the cool trucks, Ted?"

"Yeah!" Ted exclaimed happily, smiling brightly. The adults all laughed.

"Alright then - let's go."

Christian

Paul Motherfucking Clayton. It wasn't enough that Christian had to interact with this douchebag at the Angler's Head the other day, but this asshole hadn't stopped staring at Ana since he arrived at the jobsite as if she were a fucking piece of meat. Could he not see that she was with her son? Ana understandably looked a bit uncomfortable by Paul's blatant staring, and Christian made sure to position himself right beside her and Ted as they began to walk around the construction site.

Greg asked Christian many questions as they walked along, mostly about which workers did what jobs, and the logistics of how everything worked on a day-to-day basis. Christian explained everything as well as he could, and Ana spoke up when necessary, exhibiting her thorough knowledge of everything that went on at the jobsite. Paul didn't say anything the whole time, lagging behind the others as they walked and talked. Christian glanced back at Paul every once in awhile, trying to keep the hard expression on his face from being too obvious.

"…Looks like you two have gotten quite a bit done over the past week - I'm very glad to see it," Greg complimented him and Ana once they had finishing making their way around the entire jobsite. He smiled. "When I first suggested Ana be the one to oversee the construction, I got the impression neither of you were very enthusiastic about working together. Is that still the case?"

"Absolutely not - Ana is a fantastic person to work with," Christian said sincerely, smiling over at her. She smiled shyly back. "Trust me, I would know - I've worked alongside all sorts of clueless idiots who think they know everything when in fact they know absolutely nothing. But Ana's a person who definitely knows what she's doing and is capable of anything she puts her mind to."

"You're going to make me blush," Ana giggled, her cheeks tinged pink as she smiled. "Christian is great to work with too, you know. He clearly understands the importance of being a good boss and how to motivate his workers so that they do a good job. If anyone had to build a new business in our town, I'm glad that it's him."

Christian couldn't help but smile at that surprisingly flattering compliment. He hadn't realized Ana thought so highly of his managing skills, but he was pleased nonetheless - the two of them smiled at each other.

"Well, I'm glad to see the two of you are getting along so well," Greg glanced between them with a smile. "Makes my job easier, at least."

The others chuckled, but Christian noticed that Paul hadn't joined in, the sour expression on his face apparent.

"Hey Dad, do you mind if we head back soon? I gotta open the bar," Paul said to his father, not looking at either Christian or Ana.

"Sure thing, Paul. It was great seeing you two again," Greg said to Ana and Christian, smiling at them. "Good luck with the rest of the construction. If any issues arise, please feel free to let me know."

Ana and Christian both agreed, and they shook hands with the two of them before they headed back to their truck. Christian watched them leave.

"Greg Clayton is pretty hands-on as a mayor," he noted, turning toward Ana. "You don't see that very often."

"I think he gets a little bored running such a small town," Ana giggled, hoisting Ted up higher on her hip. He had actually fallen asleep during their walk around the construction, and his head was now resting on his mother's shoulder, hard hat askew. "I didn't realize you knew his son Paul, though."

"He was tending the bar your dad took me to a couple nights ago," Christian explained. "He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he gave me the impression that you two were… well…" he trailed off, looking awkward.

"No, we're not together," Ana said firmly. "I've told him many times that I'm not interested in him in that way, but that doesn't stop him from trying to flirt with me every chance he gets. It gets pretty annoying, to be honest."

"That's not okay - does he harass you?" Christian looked appalled.

"No he doesn't, but only because he knows if he ever tried anything physical with me, I'd beat the crap out of him," Ana said, her tone of voice conveying her seriousness. Christian couldn't help but smile slightly. "He knows I can hold my own, and everyone in town knows the reason why I don't date, so Paul would do best to keep his distance."

This piqued Christian's curiosity. "You don't date? At all?"

Ana shook her head. "No I don't, mostly because of Ted. He's my first priority, and I don't want to bring any new men into my life who could potentially have a significant impact on his life too. If I did bring a man into my life someday, I'd want to be completely sure he was in for the long haul with both me and Ted, and I know that Paul is not that guy."

For some reason, Ana blushed as she spoke, but Christian couldn't help but smile at her. So it wasn't that she didn't want a man in her life, she just wanted to make sure her son was the priority if she did date someone. Considering how Christian's birth mother constantly brought strange men into their apartment when he was a little boy, Christian could honestly admire Ana's strength and love when it came to raising Ted.

It made him want to be the man she trusted enough to bring into her and Ted's lives for the long haul.

"Well, who knows? Maybe you'll find the right guy someday," Christian said to her sincerely, and Ana blushed before smiling back at him.

"Maybe," she agreed, glancing down at a sleeping Ted in her arms. She kissed him sweetly on the forehead.

"You can take him home right now if you'd like," Christian offered her. "There isn't much else to do on the construction site anymore, and you shouldn't have to carry him around like that for the rest of the morning."

"Thank you," Ana said gratefully, hoisting Ted up a bit higher on her hip. "I think I will do that. I'm starting to get a bit tired carrying him around everywhere like this."

Christian escorted Ana and Ted back to the truck, and he helped Ana strap a napping Ted into his carseat. Once he was secure, Ana turned to Christian and thanked him for his help. There was a certain look in her eye that Christian couldn't quite place, but after a moment she simply smiled at him before saying goodbye.

She got in her truck and drove off, and Christian watched her leave, already thinking about something special he wanted to do for both her and Ted at the end of the week.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Next time, Christian, Ana, and Ted will get a chance to spend some more time together :)

Please review and tell me what you think!