A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
"You and Oliver can still come with me if you want." Christian closes his suitcase and sits in the chair by the dresser, pulling me on to his lap. "It won't take long to pack your things." Christian's leaving this morning for his conference in Connecticut while Oliver and I remain in Seattle. It's the first big trip Christian's going on since Oliver's birth.
"It might take longer than you think.", I laugh. "It's different traveling with a baby. Oliver and I love you very much, but we're going to stay here. It's the best for all of us this go around. Maybe we can go next time."
"It won't stop me from missing you and our sweet boy like crazy.", he says.
"Why don't we go and see our sweet boy?" I hop out of his lap and on to the floor while Christian does the same. Entering the nursery, we see Oliver smiling in his crib. Christian mimics the smile as he takes Oliver in his arms.
"Daddy's going to miss you. I sure am.", Christian whispers. "I've got a photo of you and your mommy that I'm going to set next to my bed in the hotel room. I'm going to look at that photo as often as I can."
"We've got a photo of your daddy that we're going to look at.", I tell Oliver.
"Sir, I'm sorry for interrupting.", Taylor says from the doorway. "But the plane is set to leave in an hour. I've already got my bags in the car and can go ahead and take yours as well."
"No need.", Christian murmurs. "I'll take them on my own. We should be heading out. Just give me a second." Taylor nods and walks away as Christian kisses Oliver's cheeks and forehead. He then gives me several kisses. "Oliver, I'm going to let your mom take you now." He slowly eases the baby into my arms. "Take care of your mommy."
"You've got everything?", I ask.
"I already had everything, but yes, I have all I have to have for the trip." I carry Oliver down the stairs as we follow Christian to the living room. "Maybe you shouldn't watch me leave, and I'm speaking for myself. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle it."
"We'll say goodbye from here." A few more goodbyes and kisses are exchanged before Christian opens the front door. He stands in the doorway for a while before closing the door and disappearing.
"You should wear that emerald one shoulder dress that you bought last year.", Kate says. She stopped by the house after work and is helping pick out an outfit for tonight. "Is it in the closet."
"Technically, it's in a closet although it's not in mine. Someone borrowed it from me and never gave it back." I arch a brow at Kate who quickly realizes she's the someone I'm referring to.
"Oh. I could have sworn I gave that back."
"Nope. It's fine though. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to fit it now." I pull out a deep red sweater from the closet. "I can wear this and a black pencil skirt."
"It would work. Ethan said it's not a dressy event. He wants everyone to be comfortable and have a nice time."
"I'm going to go with the intention of having a good time, but it might be little difficult since Christian won't be there.", I murmur as I grab the skirt I'm going to wear.
"Ana, while I understand Christian not being here is hard, I know he'd want you to have a good time. Can you please try?" Kate's right. Christian wouldn't want me to mope around during this big moment in Ethan's life. I march out of the closet with determination. "I recognize that look. It's the one you get when you've come to your senses."
"You could say that. I'm going to go tonight and enjoy the evening celebrating Ethan's new venture."
"Ana, what do you think?", Ethan asks me as soon as I walk through the door at the studio. Photos he's taken are lining the walls throughout. One particular one pops out me. It's one Ethan took during the maternity photo session he did for Christian and I. In the photo, we're laying on a blanket with Christian behind me and his arms draped over my stomach. When Ethan asked us for permission to display the photo, Christian and I naturally said yes.
"I think this is going to the hottest and most successful photography studio ever."
"No pressure, right?", he laughs. "Who's watching Oliver tonight?"
"He's with Gail." We start walking closer to the maternity photo. "It's hard to believe it wasn't this long ago Oliver was still in my belly." Seeing Christian's smiling face draws me on the verge of tears. "In a way, Christian's is here tonight."
"Speaking of your husband, he called to tell me congratulations and that he's sorry for not being here." Ethan guides us towards the right side of the room where Max is talking with Mr. and Mrs. Kavanagh.
"Ana, dear, it's so nice to see you.", Mrs. Kavanagh says while greeting me with a hug.
"Hi Ana.", Mr. Kavanagh says, hugging me as well. "Where's Christian?"
"He's at a conference but sends his best wishes. Ethan's got the place looking great, huh?"
"It looks spectacular. Ethan's done an incredible job getting the place ready."
"That'll carry on once it's open.", Max adds. "People are going to be lining up." I glance over my shoulder and see Mia placing food on a table at the front of the room.
"Excuse me.", I tell everyone as I go to say hi to Mia. She sets a bowl of dip down and looks up. "Hey you."
"Hi. I was wondering when you were going to arrive. So, I need you to be honest. How does the set up look?" I inspect the table and see an array of foods from spinach dip to turkey pinwheels. The focal point of the table is a chocolate fountain for dipping strawberries and banana slices.
"Mia, it looks great."
"I was a little nervous when I started preparing everything. This is a big night for both Ethan and me. Thankfully I was able to calm down enough to get things ready."
"Is Nicholas going to be here?", I ask.
"I'm already here.", Nicholas replies while walking up with a stack of napkins. "I'm Mia's helper for the evening."
"I've got to say you're doing a good job so far.", she giggles. "It appears Elliot and Kate have arrived." Elliot and Kate have just walked through the door and are talking to Kate's parents. Elliot spins around and spots us watching. He waits until Kate's finished speaking with her parents before escorting her over to us.
"What I wouldn't give to dip my hands in that chocolate fountain.", Elliot sighs. He jokingly inches his hands closer to the fountain, stopping when he sees the death glare being given by Mia. "I take it you wouldn't like that very much."
"Let's just say if you value your hands you won't touch the fountain. I hesitated whether or not I should bring it since I knew you were going to be here."
"I'm wounded you think the worst of me.", Elliot scoffs.
"Everyone, can I have your attention please?", Ethan says loudly. "I'd like to thank all of you for being here tonight. It truly means a lot to me. I started taking photos as a hobby, unsure if I was going to do a decent job. To my shock, they weren't bad. Most of all, I found that I loved doing it. I slowly started realizing I wanted my hobby to become a career. Now here I am openng my own studio which wouldn't be possible without the support of you guys. You've pushed me when I've almost given up, and for that I'm grateful. All I ask of you tonight is to have a wonderful evening. The food has been provided by the very talented Mia Grey. Enjoy." The room erupts in applause once Ethan's done with his speech.
I'm about to grab a plate when my phone rings. Seeing it's Christian, I move to an empty corner to answer the call.
"Hello.", I say.
"Hey baby. I assume you're at the party.", Christian says.
"I am. Ethan's really done a great job with setting the studio up."
"I can't wait to see it which I plan on doing soon."
"How's the conference?"
"It's over for the day. I went to dinner with a few of the other people who are attending the conference. It was nice getting to know them and hearing about their work in the energy conservation field. We also spent the dinner talking about our families. Photos of kids were passed around."
"What about your speech? How did it go?"
"It went well. I stood at the podium and delivered it without even having to look at the note cards I brought just in case."
"Christian, that's wonderful. I'm so proud of you.", I say.
"He was the perfect little angel.", Gail says after I return home from the party. She's already put Oliver down for the evening, but I'll go upstairs in a bit to say goodnight. "Did you have a nice time?"
"I did. Ethan had a large crowd there, and everyone was raving about his talent. At eight tomorrow morning, the studio will be open for the world. Mia's food was delicious of course."
"I'm glad you had fun." She grabs her coat and smiles. "I'm going to head home and try to get some sleep. During my time working with Christian and dating Jason, I've seen them go on several overnight stays, yet I always miss Jason. Goodnight."
"Goodnight.", I say as I get up and follow her out the door, making sure she's in her car before I close and lock the door. I then turn the lights off in the living room and head upstairs to see Oliver. His eyes flutter open the second I get to his crib. "Hey there. Why are you awake?" I pick him up and sway gently to get him back to sleep. "Is it because your dad isn't here to say goodnight?" I pad across the carpet to the dresser where the photo of Christian is resting. "It's not the same, but here's your daddy. He's probably already sleeping but missing you too." The sound of footsteps gets my attention. With the footsteps drawing closer, I hold Oliver close to my chest. "It's ok. Mommy's here."
"And so is Daddy.", Christian whispers from the doorway. "Hi."
"I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. You're in Connecticut, not here."
"You're very much awake. I'm here." He walks over to me and kisses Oliver's cheek. His lips then go to mine. "I'm home."
"I'm confused.", I mutter.
"My speech was this afternoon. After I gave it and mingled with some of the other guests, I got on the plane. I knew I still wouldn't make the party, but I was going to be home tonight."
"When you called earlier, you were lying."
"Fibbing.", he grins. "I needed things to be believable. Taylor also didn't tell Gail who's going to be surprised as well. I'm sorry for not telling you the truth." Oliver giggles while Christian takes him. "I missed you two."
"We missed you."