Christian's POV
I wake around six thirty to darkness. It is still dark outside, a clear sign that we are in October. The second weekend actually. We've been so busy over the past few weeks. It's hard to believe that Ana's birthday was over a month ago.
As my eyes adjust to the darkness in our room, I look over at my wife's sleeping form. She is lying on her side facing me and she is in a deep sleep. She is six months along now in her pregnancy. Her baby bump is growing by the day, and I've had to work overtime to calm her and assure her that she is still my beautiful Ana and that she is sexy as hell when she is pregnant. After all, it's the truth. We still have our kinky fuckery, but I can't spank her at this point. I am not taking any chances with this pregnancy. Dr Greene said that although Ana's numbers are good, we should still be careful since she is over forty and she is carrying twins. I've had to remind Ana a few times to take it easy. I don't allow her to lift Natalie or anything over ten pounds.
Ana is now officially retired from Grey Publishing. She's been quite moody these past few days as a result and she's been taking things out on me, not just verbally but also physically by slapping my chest or my arm. She's petite but she could delivery some pretty painful slaps. If she weren't pregnant I'd take her over my knee to calm her down. Instead I've had to be patient with her, speak with her calmly about whatever is bothering her and then give her space if she's not receptive of my attempts to help her. It takes a lot for me to keep my temper in check and be patient with her mood swings. They seem to be worse this time around, and I think she's noticed it too. She would feel guilty after calming down and then I would hold her until I know she is okay. This is hard for her. She's been working since even before graduating college. I know it's going to take some time for Ana to adjust to being home during the day, but once she does I know that she'll remember that she made this decision because it's what is best for our family right now. Not only will she be home with Natalie and the twins, but it also just happens to coincide with her being home with Phoebe. Since The Sound Prep hasn't reopened yet, the teenagers are on homeschool until further notice. Speaking of Phoebe, she hates being homeschooled.
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Phoebe's POV
Ugh, I hate homeschool. I don't know why but if feels like there's so much more work that we have to do than what would be expected of us in the actual school building. It is so difficult to get myself into the academic mindset when I'm at home. I started out slow, not finishing my assignments in their allotted time. Dad was furious. He made sure to express his disappointment by taking my iPhone and iPad away for a week. When that didn't work he grounded me from seeing Trevor and Ava the following week. I was so upset, not because of the punishments but because I had fallen so far behind in the school work and didn't see how I could catch up. Dad saw that the punishments weren't working and insisted that we have a long talk about it. Once I told him what was going on he offered to help me with my schoolwork. I feel so guilty that he had to take time out of his busy schedule to do that, but I'm also grateful because I am now all caught up. He said that he'll need to keep my iPad for another week just to make sure I stay on track, but then he said that I could have my date night with Trevor tonight and see Ava tomorrow.
I roll over and see that it is still dark outside. I look at the time, six forty five? Too early for me to be awake. I close my eyes and work on finding sleep, hoping to keep the streak going of not having nightmares. I was able to get over my fears of being alone a few weeks ago, so Ava and Trevor have been able to stop sleeping over. I know that made my parents happy, especially Dad. I'm sure he wasn't thrilled with having my boyfriend sleep over in my bed, but with the way I was right after the shooting, it was necessary. I was a complete mess. Looking back on it, I wish I could have handled it better. I can be such a baby sometimes. I'm going to be eighteen next week. Eighteen! Can you believe it? I wonder if that milestone will help me to grow up. I wonder if my parents will treat me any different. Right, keep dreaming Phoebe.
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Ana's POV
I wake around seven thirty to my husband's gorgeous face. He's been watching me sleep. Oh Fifty.
"Good morning, beautiful" he says to me so lovingly. He then leans in and kisses my nose.
"Good morning my beautiful husband." I reach my hand for his and our hands play together.
"How'd you sleep?" he asks me.
I look at our hands as I think about it. "I slept well. I'm still a little tired."
He leans in and kisses the spot between my eyes. The feeling of his lips there is so soothing. "Go back to sleep then. I'll wake you up in an hour."
"Christian, I can't go back to sleep. We have three kids under five to tend to." I start to get out of bed but he stops me. "Christian"
"Ana, calm down okay? I will handle it."
"You will handle it" I repeat his words to me, and the sarcasm isn't lost on him.
"Have faith in me, Sweetheart. You will need to do a lot of that once the twins are here."
I instantly feel guilty for doubting him. He is being so thoughtful and sweet. "I'm sorry, of course you can handle it. The fact of the matter is, you don't need to. We both agreed to take care of Ethan and Mia's kids this weekend and I don't want you to let me off easy."
"Oh, you're not getting off easy" he says teasingly as he leans down and throws one of his legs over mine. He brings his head down and connects his nose with mine for a moment. "While I take the girls to dance class, you get to deal with our very active, very energetic nephew."
I giggle as he plants kisses on my nose and cheek. "Is that right?"
"Yes that's right." He kisses me a few more times. I love my playful Fifty.
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Christian's POV
Ana and I make love before we get out of bed and tend to the kids. A few weeks ago I had promised my sister that we would look after her kids while she and her husband took a weekend trip to Los Angeles to accept a Soap Opera Award. I figured it would be good practice for us since we have the twins coming. We'll be raising three kids that are within three years of age. Mia's kids are seven, five and now three since Sophia had a birthday last weekend.
Elizabeth spent the night at a friend's house, so we only have Christopher and Sophia this morning. We'll be meeting Elizabeth at the soccer field since she and her friend have a game today. Ana and I kiss as we split up to get the kids. She is going to get Christopher up while I get the girls. Christopher seems to behave better around Ana, so she had decided to primarily look out for him this weekend.
I walk into Natalie's room to find Natalie awake in her bed and Sophia asleep on the floor. My niece still sleeps in a crib, and if she is away from home she'll only sleep in a bed with Elizabeth, so Mia and Ethan had decided to tuck her in last night on the floor with a few blankets and pillows. I'm grateful that they came by last night to put the kids to bed because we were able to see how their bedtime routines work. For Natalie, we read to her for a bit with some soft music on and then tuck her in. After a kiss goodnight and ten second back rub, we leave her to sleep. Sophia is another story. She needs to fall asleep while someone is holding her. Christopher often needs to be convinced to stay in his bed. He screams and throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He only did that for a short while last night while Ethan was trying to put him to bed. I'm in awe of his patience with his kids. Christopher and Sophia are a lot to handle sometimes. They kick, they scream, they hit…. my kids would get spanked for doing that after just one warning. But not the Kavanagh kids. Mia and Ethan told us to put them in time out if they need it. Yeah, we'll see how that goes.
I sit on Natalie's bed and she climbs into my lap to cuddle. I love these moments with her. I just want her to stay this age for as long as possible.
"I wove you Daddy" she says to me softly.
"I love you too, Sweet Pea." I lift her enough so that I could kiss her cheek. "Let's get you changed, okay?" I lay her down and change her as Sophia wakes up. She starts to cry for her Mommy. I try to assure my niece with words since I'm in the middle of changing Natalie. As soon as I put the diaper on I lean down and pick up my niece. I hold her and shush her as she cries, but it is a soft tired kind of cry. She's not used to waking up and not having Mia with her. I pat and rub her back softly and continue to shush her, and I'm grateful that it works. I stand and pace around Natalie's room until I can be sure that Sophia is calm. Natalie busies herself with the items in her changing basket. I don't see any harm since the cream and powder have childproof caps on them. As soon as Sophia is calm I ask her if she needs to use the potty. She nods so I put her down and watch as she runs into Natalie's bathroom. Once in there she turns around and looks up at me.
"Do you need help?" I ask her. She nods, so I go into the bathroom, help her remove her pull-up and sit her on the toilet with the potty seat that she brought from home. I turn around and see that Natalie is lying down in bed again and playing with her doll. A whole five minutes go by before Sophia pees into the toilet. It's only a little bit, but she insists that she's done. I clean her up and then help her wash her hands before bringing her back into the bedroom. Next I change her out of her pull-up and put underwear on her. I don't believe she is fully toilet trained, but Mia insisted that we keep her in underwear since she's been doing well. Ana and I just have to keep asking her if she has to go, and put her on the potty seat every so often if she doesn't go on her own.
I gather the girls' dance clothes and get them dressed since I will need to take them to the studio right after we have breakfast. Natalie is always easy to get ready, and Sophia is surprisingly cooperating too. In less than ten minutes I am able to put them in their tights, leotards and dance skirts as well as put their hair in pony tails and wash their faces. Ana walks in holding Christopher's hand and I can tell that she's impressed. Sophia is happy to see her brother. She runs over and gives him a hug while Natalie reaches her hands up to me.
"Uppie" she says to me as she stands on her tippy toes. I lift her up, carry her out of the room and down the steps while Ana and the kids follow. I tell the kids to play in the main room while I help Ana prepare breakfast.
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Ana's POV
I feel so guilty for doubting my husband. He was so good with the girls this morning. Not only did he get them dressed in their dance clothes but he helped Sophia with her potty training. He was great with Teddy and Phoebe's training, but I wasn't so sure about how our niece would take to him. Sophie can be such a sweetheart at times, but she can also be a crabby stubborn three year old when she's unhappy or doesn't get her way.
So far this weekend is going well for us. There has only been one incident so far, which happened while Christian and I were getting breakfast ready. We had the kids play in the main room and Christian peeked in on them every once in a while. Christopher had his trucks and the girls had their dolls. Right before it was time to bring them into the kitchen, we heard Sophie scream which sent Christian running into the room. We thought she was hurt, but luckily she wasn't. Once in the main room we discovered that Christopher had taken one of Sophie's dolls from her and she was chasing him. Christian was able to catch up with Christopher while I was able to calm Sophie. She was so upset and angry with her brother for taking her doll from her. Christian was very stern. I think he scared our nephew because Christopher was subdued from the time Christian scolded him until the time Christian left the house to take the girls to dance class. I stayed with Christopher and we watched a movie while we waited for them to return. I'm not sure why our nephew behaves well with me, but I welcome it. Being six months pregnant, I can't exactly chase him around the house.
Right now we are at the soccer fields. Natalie and I are watching Christopher's practice while Christian and Sophie are a few fields over watching Elizabeth's game. Collins is also with us, while Markson is with Christian. Collins doesn't usually work weekends, but Christian had requested that he swap two week days with this weekend since Collins is really good with helping with kids. I feel most comfortable going somewhere with Natalie when we have Collins with us. It's been that way since the end of my maternity leave when I took Natalie to work for the first time. Collins has been with us since then, and I wouldn't want it any other way. He pays attention to how Christian and I care for her. He and his wife have babysat a few times whenever Christian and I had to attend charity functions. Natalie feels comfortable with him picking her up or watching her while I'm in meetings or using the restroom. For the longest time that person for me was Sawyer since he had guarded me while Teddy and Phoebe were little. But Christian decided that Sawyer was best suited as Phoebe's guard when she started kindergarten. That was a big adjustment for me, not only sending Phoebe off to school but getting used to a new guard. Guards for me came and went for a few years until Collins was hired.
I look over and see Collins rolling the ball to Natalie and having her kick it to him. He is so good with kids. I often wonder why he and his wife haven't had any of their own. Although Collins is a good friend as well as employee, we don't talk about his personal life. From what I can see, he and his wife are very happy. They were at my birthday party and he had his arm around her for most of the evening. I really want to ask him, but I'm afraid of crossing the line into his personal life.
I look at the field and watch the kids practice with the coach. I watch Christopher and I'm impressed that he is paying attention and following the coach's instructions. The kids are taking turns kicking the ball into the net. Christopher is next and he puts his entire body into the kick, so much that he falls over. I worry for a moment that he hurt himself, but a few seconds later he is on his feet and running around again. I'm not used to watching kids play sports. Christian and I didn't put Teddy or Phoebe in sports. Christian was afraid they would get hurt. It was always piano and self-defense classes. But now I feel like we are spreading our wings a bit with having Phoebe and Natalie in dance classes.
I look over to my right again and see Collins carrying Natalie over. He leans down and puts her in my lap.
"Mommy, I'm sleepy" she says to me softly. I wrap my arms around her and hold her the best way I can with sitting in a camping chair and having a beach ball sized stomach.
"You okay Ana?" Collins asks me. Yes, he's been able to cross into personal territory and call me Ana whenever Christian is not around, an insisting request of mine of course.
"I'm fine, Kevin. Have a seat." He sits down in the camping chair next to me and we watch the kids practice as Natalie falls asleep in my lap. I look down at her and stroke her hair." You are really good with her" I tell him.
"Thank you."
I might as well go for it. It's now or never. "So do you think you and your wife will ever have any?" He is quiet, and I immediately feel guilty for asking. "I'm sorry, too personal?"
"No, that's okay." Oh no, he looks bummed. What have I done? "We've been trying, but no luck yet. We're making an appointment to see a doctor."
"I'm so sorry Kevin, I didn't mean to bring it up."
"Ana, it's fine. I don't really get to talk to anyone about this, except my wife of course. She feels so guilty, like it's her fault. I keep telling her it's not."
"You're a really great man, Kevin. She's lucky to have you. Just keep being there for her. You're going to be fine."
"I know, thanks Ana."
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Christian's POV
Sophia and I are watching Elizabeth's soccer game, but Elizabeth hasn't played yet. I'm assuming the coach is going to give each kid a turn to play, so I just stay back and wait. I'm trying to pay attention to what is happening with the game but at the same time I need to keep an eye on my niece to make sure she doesn't wander off. I look down and see that she is pulling at the grass.
"Sophia" I say as I squat down in front of her. I have to grab her wrist since she doesn't acknowledge me. "Sophia, don't do that, Honey. Let's watch the game." I pick her up and hold her to keep her from pulling the grass. She starts to put her fingers in her mouth but I stop her. "Uh uh, no. No mouth. Your fingers are dirty."
"I have to go potty" she says shyly.
Christ! "Now?" She nods her head adamantly. Of course she needs to go now, while we are at the soccer fields and the nearest restroom is in the middle school which is about a thousand yards away. "Alight, I'll take you."
I throw the small backpack over my shoulder and carry her over to where the team is seated on the sidelines so that I can talk to my other niece. "Elizabeth, I'm taking your sister to the restroom. Markson is right over there if you need anything. Okay?" She nods to let me know that she understands and then turns her focus back to the field. She looks unhappy, but I can't address that now. It will need to wait until I come back. I start to walk fast with Sophia in my arms. When a three year old tells you that she needs to go potty, it is like a ticking time bomb. She doesn't mean five, ten minutes from now. She means now! I am about halfway there when I feel it, the warm liquid seeping into my shirt. Shit, she peed on me. Damn it Mia and her toilet training!
I slow my pace and pull Sophia away from me slightly to assess the damage. She knows what has happened and she starts to lean into me and cry. I am beyond pissed, but not with her. This isn't her fault. I hold her properly again and rub her back. "Shhhhh, its okay Sweetheart." I continue to walk until we reach the middle school and then the restroom. I take her in to find that there isn't a changing table. Of course there isn't a changing table. This is a middle school. Sophia is still crying so I need to calm her down. I squat and have her stand in front of me so that I can talk to her.
"Sophia, Baby, everything's going to be fine. You had an accident but it wasn't your fault. Do you understand me?" I wait for her to answer me. She finally does with a nod as she wipes her tears. "I'm going to get you cleaned up, and then you are going to wear a pull-up."
"Nooooo noooo" she whines and starts to tantrum by stomping her feet. I hold her hands and wait for her to calm herself.
"Sophia, do not act like that or I will take you home and put you to bed." This seems to calm her tantrum but she's crying again. "You only have to wear the pull-up until we are back at the house, then we can put you in underwear again." I grab some toilet tissue from the stall and gently wipe her tears. "The restroom is a long way from the fields and we wouldn't want to have another accident, would we?"
"No" she says sullenly.
"No, that's right. So you can wear the pull-up now, and then when we are back at the house, the first thing we will do is have you sit on the potty, we will wash our hands, and then you can wear underwear. Okay?"
"Okay"
I surprise myself with my patience, and the response that I'm getting from my niece as a result. She stops crying and she cooperates with me as I get her cleaned up with wipes and help her into a pull-up. Lucky for her there is a change of clothes for her in the back pack, but not for me. I remove my soiled shirt and call Taylor to see if he and Gail could drop off another shirt for me. Our house is not too far away so it won't take long.
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Ana's POV
"She what?" I ask my husband as I try to suppress my laughter. I can't believe our niece peed on him.
"It's not funny" he says to me. He sounds so childish.
"Yes it is." I walk over to him and put my arms around him, stopping his efforts to remove his clothes so that he can get into the shower. "Oh come on, all of our kids have peed on you at one time or another. You won't melt." I continue to work to suppress my giggle, but still find it difficult.
"Are you laughing at me, Mrs Grey?"
"Yes, what do you intend to do about it?"
"I have some ideas. But first you need to let me shower, and then we need to get the kids fed." He puts his hands on my hips, leans down and kisses me passionately. We are lost in each other for a few seconds until we pull apart. Once we do, we stand with our arms around each other and enjoy the moment, until Christian pulls away and slaps the side of my thigh. "Watch yourself, Mrs Grey."
I watch as he strips completely out of his clothes and climbs into the shower. I want to join him so badly, but Phoebe is watching the kids and I need to relieve her so that she can get ready for her date.
I make my way down the steps and into the main room to find Phoebe and the four kids sitting and watching a movie. Christopher is sitting on her lap and paying attention. Sophie is lying against Elizabeth and sucking her thumb. When Natalie sees me, she runs over to me and hugs my legs. "Hi Mommy"
"Hi Baby. Are you having a good time?"
"Yes!" She runs back and sits on the floor in front of the television. I take a seat on the sofa and just take in the current, most likely temporary, peace of having four kids occupied with a movie.
"Phoebe, why don't you go and get ready for your date?"
"Mom, are you sure you don't want me to stay home tonight and help?"
I reach over and stroke her hair. "No, Baby. Go out with Trevor and have fun. We'll be okay."
With that, she picks Christopher up off of her lap and places him on the sofa next to Elizabeth. The kids are still quiet and engrossed in the movie even after Phoebe leaves the room.
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Christian's POV
We sit down to dinner at the breakfast bar. Natalie and Sophia are in their booster seats while Christopher is sitting on his legs. Elizabeth sits normally as she is able to reach without any assistance. I have Natalie and Sophia sat next to me while Ana has Christopher and Elizabeth next to her. We don't need to worry about Elizabeth. She's not a picky eater and she would choose vegetables over sweets if given the choice. Mia said that Christopher had just started to expand on his menu. He had graduated from chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, and usually eats what they eat for dinner. The four of us are eating lasagna, while the little ones are eating chicken nuggets and carrots.
I have to help Sophia several times with her carrots since she is not used to eating with a fork. Mia and Ethan allow her to eat with her fingers, but I think she's old enough to eat with a fork. She does well after I put the fork in her hand properly, but then she gets frustrated after a few bites and drops it, only for me to put it in her hand again, and again. "Help" she says to me when the fork starts to slide from her fingers again. I help her as many times as she needs because I can see that she is really trying. She's not complaining or throwing a fit. I guess it doesn't hurt for her to see everyone else using a fork.
"Daddy help" Natalie says to me. I look at her and see that she has put her fork down.
"Baby, pick up your fork and eat" I say to her before picking up my own fork. I scoop some lasagna into my mouth and put my fork down as I enjoy the delicious party of Italian spices in my mouth. I look at Natalie again and she looks at me pleadingly. "Natalie, eat your dinner. Pick up your fork, please" I say to her a bit more sternly.
"Can you help me?" she asks me sadly.
I let out a sigh. Normally I would help her eat when she is tired, but right now I know she is doing this to get my attention. It's hard for her to see me give the other kids attention since she is used to being the only small child in my life. Pretty soon she's going to have to share me with her twin siblings, which is not going to be easy for her. I don't know how I am going to handle that. I hate to see her sad, like right now. I decide to give in and help her. "Okay, Daddy will help you." I pick up her fork and feed a few of her carrots to her in between feeding myself a few bites of lasagna. "Okay, I want you to eat the last two nuggets and then you can have more carrots" I tell her. She does as she's told and starts to eat the nuggets. I look over at Christopher and he is almost finished his dinner. I'm relieved that dinner isn't becoming an issue. I thought it would be a nightmare getting the four kids to eat. But surprisingly this is something they do well. Christopher cleans his plate and then picks it up.
"No, Christopher, put it down please" I tell him. I don't want him to drop it or make a mess with the left over sauce on his plate.
"Would you like some more?" Ana asks him. He shakes his head. Ana takes his napkin and helps him clean his hands and face. "Okay, just sit here for a few minutes while we finish."
"No, I wanna go play."
"You can play when we are all finished" I tell him.
"No, No No" he wales as he starts to tantrum. He starts to kick his legs and pound his tiny fists on the table, but it's enough force to make the dishes clank against the table and for Ana's drink to spill. I'm out of my seat instantly and by their sides to help Ana prevent the liquid from spilling onto the floor. We are able to prevent an even bigger mess as we grab towels and push the liquid toward the middle of the table. Without a word, I bring Christopher down from his stool and lead him into the main room for his time out.
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Ana's POV
Well, we almost got through dinner without incident. Our nephew finished first and didn't want to sit and wait for the rest of us to finish. That's always been a rule at the dinner table since it was our opportunity to catch up with our kids, and Christian insists we keep that rule even when we have guests. Christian is with him in the main room for his time out. He has to sit for five straight minutes to match his age.
I take this opportunity to speak with Elizabeth about her soccer game. Christian had talked to her coach to find out why Elizabeth wasn't playing, only to find out that she didn't want to play.
"So, I didn't get to see your game today" I start. "How did it go?"
She shrugs her shoulders. "It was okay."
"You didn't play" I say to her. She was eating her food, but now she's just pushing the last few bites around on her plate. "Your coach said that you didn't want to play. Were you not feeling well?"
She continues to look down at her plate and push the food around. "Liz, Sweetie what's wrong?"
She sighs and looks over at me. "I don't want to play soccer."
"You didn't want to play today? Or you don't want to play at all? Was it because your Mom and Dad weren't there?"
"I don't want to play at all."
"Then why stay on the team?"
"Daddy likes soccer" she says sadly. Oh Dear. "He wants to play soccer all the time, even when it's cold outside."
"Honey, I don't think your Daddy would want you to play soccer if he knew you didn't like it" I try to explain to her. Ethan's a good guy. I know he wouldn't be that kind of parent.
"He'd be mad at me" she says sadly before putting her fork down. "I'm full."
"Okay, you don't have to finish" I say to her as I push her plate away from her slightly. "Sweetie, he won't be mad at you. You're selflessly putting his happiness ahead of yours. And while that's noble, it's not necessary."
"I just want to dance" she says frustratingly. "I wish I could just quit soccer and do more dancing."
"Well, maybe you can. But you need to tell your Mom and Dad how you feel. Tell you what" I say as I take her hand. "I will be there with you when you tell them. That way you are sure to have someone in your corner."
She nods and looks down. "You promise he won't be mad? Or sad?"
I smile sweetly at her. "He won't be mad. And as far as being sad, he'll get over it. He still has Christopher and Sophie in soccer. And we know that Christopher likes soccer."
"He likes that he can run around and kick something without getting in trouble." We both giggle at that, and for the first time today I see my niece's beautiful smile. This has probably been weighing on her all day. I reach over and rub her back.
"Do you feel better now?"
"I do. You're a great listener Aunt Ana." That just melts my heart and I can feel the tears coming. I am able to suppress them when I see my husband and nephew walk calmly back into the room. Christian lifts Christopher back onto his stool and stands next to him for a moment.
"I'm sorry Aunt Ana" he says to me.
"For?" Christian adds, using his soft tone.
"For throwing a tantrum and spilling your drink."
I reach over and run my hand through his blond hair. "It's okay. I forgive you. Will you sit nicely until we are all finished?"
"Yes" he says and turns around in his seat. Christian looks proud and relieved as he takes his seat again between the little ones.
"Daddy, I'm all done" Natalie says. Her plate is empty.
"I done too" Sophie adds as she puts her fingers in her mouth. She has one chicken nugget left on her plate.
"Almost, you need to finish that last nugget and then we will all get cleaned up."
Sophie thinks it over for a moment. I look back and forth between my husband and my niece, hoping that another incident doesn't occur. Christian would make our kids finish the last nugget, so it wouldn't be any different with our niece. I'm grateful when she picks up the nugget, only to be in suspense again when she looks at Christian and holds it near her mouth. Oh, she is testing him. Christian waits patiently to see what she does, and I'm grateful when she decides to eat the nugget. She laughs before she eats it, knowing that she was teasing her Uncle. Christian can't help but let out a chuckle as well. He looks over at Liz's plate.
"Elizabeth, did you have enough to eat?" he asks her and she nods. He doesn't give her a hard time about not finishing. There are only a few bites left and it was her second helping of lasagna.
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Christian's POV
After dinner we allow the kids to play for a bit while we do the dishes. I wash and Ana dries. I've been trying to help Ana as much as possible on the weekends while Gail and Penny are off duty. We've talked about either having Penny work Saturdays or Sundays, or hiring someone to be here the whole weekend to help with the housekeeping. It will definitely come in handy when the twins come. Ana likes doing the housework on the weekends. She feels like she is contributing to our family since we have Gail and Penny do everything for us during the week. Just like Grey Publishing, this will be something she'll have a hard time letting go of. But I think it's necessary, so I won't stop pressing her about it.
"Baby, as much fun as it is to play house with you, I really think we should consider bringing somebody in for the weekends."
"Christian" she says frustratingly.
"Here me out, okay? You can still do the cooking. I know how much you love doing that. But the other stuff is going to become more difficult as we get further into this pregnancy, and when the twins come. You are going to need your rest and we both will be spending a lot of time taking care of the babies."
I can tell Ana is thinking about this. She isn't looking at me. Instead she is looking down at the towel as she slowly dries one of the plates.
"Ana, did you hear me?"
She nods, and I can tell that she's upset. I shut the water off and dry my hands on another towel. I then take the plate out of her hand, dry the plate and then her hands. She still doesn't say anything. I gently take her hands in mine and kiss them before I lead her over to the breakfast bar. I help her sit on the stool and stand in front of her.
"Ana, what's wrong?"
She can no longer hold it in. She starts to cry. She brings her hand up and catches her tears with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"I don't know" she says. "I don't know why I'm crying. I just… I don't know."
"Ana its okay."
"No it's not. What is wrong with me?"
"Anastasia" I say to her as I cup her face with my hands. "There is nothing wrong with you."
"Then why am I crying all the time?"
I lean in and kiss the spot between her eyes. I keep my lips there and feel her closing her eyes. Her body starts to relax. "You are pregnant and it's making you emotional" I say to her softly. "I know we're making more decisions now and making some big changes, but I promise you, these changes are only going to be good for our family."
She nods and brings her hands up to cover mine, which are still cupping her face. She takes my right hand and kisses it. "I know, I know you're right" she says through some more tears. "I'm sorry."
"There's no need to be. I'm here to pick you up anytime you fall" I say to her with a smile, and I get one in return. I lean down and kiss her lips for a moment. "Now, I think I should finish the dishes while you sit here and relax."
"Christian, I'm okay. I can help" she says as she starts to climb off of the stool, but I block her attempts.
"No, sit. You'll need your energy for bath and bed time." With that she leans back in the stool and allows me to finish the dishes on my own.
When I finish I turn to see my daughter walk into the kitchen. She looks so beautiful in her white and light pink sundress. Her hair is down with soft curls at the ends. Her makeup and jewelry are simple and elegant. "You look beautiful Peanut" I say to her as I walk over to her and kiss her cheek.
"Thanks Daddy. And thanks for letting me go out tonight."
"You're welcome. Now, you can ride with Trevor but Dovis is going to follow. You are not to elude him. Promise me."
"I promise. I'll actually feel better with him close by."
The press has calmed down since the school shooting, but Phoebe still feels jittery about going out, especially without Ana and me. Flynn insists that it is best to get her to go out and do the things that she likes to do, so Ana and I encourage it whenever she asks.
"Have a good time tonight, Baby" I say to her as I give her a hug. She returns the hug and pulls away when Dovis announces that Trevor has arrived. I put my arm around Ana as we watch our daughter leave the room.
"She's come a long way" Ana says.
"That she has. I'm proud of her." I smile at my wife, and she manages to smile back.
"I know you are. I am too. And I am especially proud of how you've been with her." She climbs off the stool and wraps her arms around my neck. I put my hands on her hips and look into her gorgeous blue eyes. "This summer was so difficult, seeing you too so far from the close bond that you once had. But you got it back. You two have also come a long way."
I nod. "We have. I'm so grateful for that. I was afraid that I'd lost that forever. And then the shooting….." I pause and I start to become emotional. The shooting was weeks ago, but it still gets to me every time I think about how I could have lost my daughter. Ana knows what I'm thinking and she holds me tighter. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her shoulder.
"You're an amazing husband, and an amazing father. We are so lucky to have you Christian."
I pull out of our embrace and look down at her. "I'm the lucky one." I lean down and kiss her, longer this time. When we pull apart we lean our foreheads against each other.
"Come on, amazing husband. We have four kids to get bathed and put to bed."
I look up and sigh. "We've got our work cut out for us.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Ana's POV
So far the task of getting the baths done hasn't been all that bad. Natalie went first and Christian got her done pretty quickly. She is sitting on the floor in her bedroom playing with her dolls while Elizabeth and Sophie are taking a bath in her bathtub. Sophie behaves better in the bath when Elizabeth is in there with her, so Elizabeth has happily put on her bathing suit bottoms to join her sister. She will take them off and wash herself after we take Sophie out and give her privacy, but she needs help washing her hair. I'm sitting on the toilet watching them play while Christian is bathing Christopher in another bathroom. He insists that I don't help with the baths since it requires me to kneel or lean. I think he's being overprotective, but I choose my battles with him. I like watching him with the kids so I don't mind.
When he comes into the bedroom he leaves Christopher to play with Natalie and comes into the bathroom. He kisses my forehead and then kneels at the tub to bathe Sophie. She cooperates with him and doesn't fuss. I'm sure having toys helps keep her distracted. She lets out a big yawn and suddenly her eyes are heavy. I'm sure she's exhausted. She didn't take a nap today. Mia said not to worry if we can't get her to nap since it's become common for her to skip them.
When Christian finishes with Sophie he washes Liz's hair for her. She has long beautiful blond hair so it takes some time to shampoo and condition it. She's used to it and she doesn't fuss as he scrubs and rinses. After he's done, he lifts Sophie out of the tub, gets her dried off and we leave Liz to finish up.
We decide to read to the kids together in Natalie's room. We have Liz read one of the books as well since she needs to practice. I think it's great that Ethan and Mia have her read to Christopher and Sophie. She does very well with that and they listen to her. When Natalie starts to close her eyes, we decide it's time to get the other kids to their beds. We tuck Natalie in, kiss her good night and leave her to sleep.
Christian carries Sophie since she is practically asleep as well. We tuck her and Liz in the same bed in one of the guest rooms and Sophie has no problem falling asleep. "Can I have some water?" Liz asks in a whisper. Christian leaves the room and comes back with one of the small bottled waters that we keep in the mini fridge in our bedroom. "Thank you" she says sweetly.
"You're welcome. Good night." Christian and I both kiss her goodnight and leave the room.
Next we need to tuck in the little monster that is our nephew. I know he will be the challenge. He often tests Mia and Ethan at bedtime and it takes them time to get him settled. We quietly tuck him into bed in another guest room and keep our voices low and calm. He seems to be tired too. Hopefully that's a good sign. I sit on the bed and rub his tummy, coaxing him to close his eyes.
"When's Mommy coming back?" he asks me sadly.
"She'll be back tomorrow afternoon" I tell him quietly. "Mommy and Daddy love you very much and they can't wait to see you tomorrow. I want to be able to tell them that you've been a good boy, so I'm going to need your help with that." He nods and looks at me to let me know he is listening. "I need you to stay in bed and go to sleep. We'll come and get you in the morning, just like we did this morning. Okay?"
"Okay" he says before he lets out a big yawn."
"Good boy" I say to him as I continue to rub his tummy over the blanket. "Good night, buddy. Sleep well."
"Good night Aunt Ana" he says sleepily before he closes his eyes. I sit with him for a moment and watch him as he drifts off. I feel like I need to know he's asleep before I leave him. I used to sit with Teddy like this, until Christian had to drag me away.
Suddenly I feel like history is repeating itself as I feel my husband's hand on my arm. "Come, Mrs Grey. You need some quality time with your husband."
I smile giddily at him. I love our Christian and Ana time. I allow him to help me up and guide me out of the room. Once we are in the lit hallway he pulls me to him. "Well done, Mrs Grey."
"You didn't do so bad yourself. You were great with them." I see him brush off my complimenting words with his facial expression. "You were. Come on, those kids could have walked all over us, but they didn't. You weren't afraid to be stern with them and you took really good care of them. You really are amazing Christian. When are you ever going to accept that?"
"Aunt Ana" we hear our nephew's voice calling for me.
Christian has me wait in the hall as he tends to our nephew. I stand close to the door so that I can listen. Christian talks to him softly and explains that he needs to go to sleep now. Christopher challenges him with questions and I can't help but giggle at their exchange. Christian is being so patient. 'Why are there stars in the sky? Where does the sun go when it sets? Why does Sophie fart a lot? Does chocolate milk come from chocolate cows? Why does my finger turn red when I wrap a string around it?'
A few minutes later, Christian joins me in the hall and closes the door. "Are you laughing at me, Mrs Grey? Again?"
"Come here" I giggle as I pull him into my arms. "Do you believe me now when I say you are great?"
"I can hold my own" he says as he pulls out of our embrace and kisses me. "Come, we need to set up their monitors, and after we know they are out for the count, we can play while we wait for Phoebe's curfew."
"I see, so we need to schedule our play time" I tease him.
"For at least the next twenty years, Mommy." He takes me in his arms again and rubs his hand over my ever growing belly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Thank you for reading and for all of the support. I apologize that it took me so long for this update. June is dance recital month for me, which means extra rehearsal time and extra work hours to make up for my time away from work. I tried to make this chapter extra long and I hope you liked it. Happy Reading!