Chapter 19: Romantic Weekend Getaway
AKA: Welcome to New York

In a room full of art

I'd still stare at you

Friday afternoon, Taylor drove us to pick up Anastasia at her office, and then to SeaTac. We arrived soon after Ros and Gwen, who were being helped off the car by Reynolds and Ryan while Taylor parked our car.

That morning, upon overhearing Andrea, Taylor and I discuss my upcoming trip to New York, Ros had decided to invite herself and Gwen to my romantic getaway. My COO's parents lived in New York, so the redhead didn't see them often. She'd probably been planning on dropping by a few weeks ago, during the business trip I'd gone to instead of her so I could fly with Anastasia to Savanah. Furthermore, Ros' parents didn't approve of her being gay, so I was willing to bet travelling with friends, rather than only Gwen, would give her an excuse to cut short the visit with her parents if the need arose.

Enthusiastic, Anastasia got out of the car without waiting for me or Sawyer—who'd been tailing our car—to open the door for her. She'd been vibrating with excitement the whole car ride.

Once Reynolds and Taylor were done with the customary check on my private jet, Anastasia, Ros, Gwen and I climbed into the plane. Ryan and Sawyer got in behind us, carrying our bags. Inside, we were welcomed by our pilot, Stephan, his First Officer and a flight attendant.

I guided Anastasia towards my favourite seats by the back of the jet, while Gwen and Ros picked seats a couple of rows in front of us, and Sawyer, Reynolds and Ryan settled in the front. I'd given Taylor the weekend off so he could visit his daughter Sophie.

Much like the last occasions, Anastasia held onto my hand tightly during the take-off, but she relaxed once we levelled off. As soon as we were allowed to unfasten our seatbelts, Ros and Gwen invited us to join them to watch a movie on the plane's large TV, which was set up against a wall towards the middle of the place, where a large couch sat perpendicularly to the rest of the seats. I refused, as I had work to do if I wanted to relax that weekend with Anastasia, but my girl joined them. Much like my Goddess, Ros seemed unable to stay silent during the movie and added her own two cents every two minutes. Not being one to stay behind, I made my own commentaries every chance I could, jibbing her for her laziness while I worked.

Soon after the movie was over, we were served dinner. Then, Anastasia convinced me to join them in front of the TV and we watched Tom Hanks' 'Big.'

"We're so going to that toy store," muttered Anastasia during the famous scene with the big floor piano, and I made a mental note to google the address. I knew the store actually existed, but I'd never been interested in visiting it before.

It was just past midnight when we landed. Friday night didn't have the same traffic as rush hour, but it still took Sawyer and Reynolds forty minutes to drive the rental cars to my apartment in Manhattan.

Anastasia had looked on the verge of falling asleep the whole car trip, but her eyes widened when Sawyer parked the Audi in front of Central Park. She seemed excited we'd be staying so close to the most beautiful and famous part of the city.

I hurried Anastasia out of the car and we followed Ryan into the building, trailed by the rest of our travel companions. The building in which I owned my New York apartment was old but well-kept and clean. The single elevator wasn't nearly as large as the ones in Escala and Grey House, so even if we had packed light for the weekend, we had to take separate trips upstairs. Anastasia, in her second wind, vibrated as the elevator took us to the eleventh storey, where mine and another two apartments held their front doors.

As if she'd been waiting for us by the entrance, the door of my apartment opened to reveal Mrs Boyd. The elderly woman, white-haired and short, and as motherly and well-dressed as Mrs Jones, kept the apartment clean while I was in Seattle, but took care of the cooking and cleaning when I travelled to New York.

"Mr Grey!" she exclaimed happily when she saw me approaching.

"Hello, Mrs Boyd. Allow me to introduce you to my girlfriend, Anastasia Steele. Baby, this is Mrs Ashley Boyd, my housekeeper."

"Call me Ana, please," she said as they shook hands.

"Come on in, come on in. You must be exhausted."

I gave Anastasia a small tour of the apartment. I didn't have to wonder what she thought of it, as her appreciation was clear in her eyes. This place was warmer than Escala or The Grace, and I knew instantly this kind of decoration would be better suited for the new house I was planning on purchasing for us, rather than the white, grey and back I had favoured in my penthouse.

While the walls were white, the old refurbished wooden floor was dark chocolate brown. In the middle of the room, there was a large rectangular grey patterned rug. On top of it sat an L-shaped cream-coloured sofa decorated with cushions coloured blue, grey, white and brown, that dominated the room. In front of it, there was a black faux-leather coffee table that contrasted nicely with the light-coloured sofa and walls.

To our right, there was a dining table and the kitchen, the latter large enough for my occasional trips, but way too small for any home in which I would expect Anastasia to live happily, or Gail to work comfortably.

To the left, there were two bedrooms—one for Mrs Boyd and the other for a CPO—and a bathroom, and finally, behind the sofa, there was a set of stairs that led to the second floor. There were three bedrooms upstairs: mine, a guest bedroom, and one with two bunk beds for the remaining CPOs.

I opened the first door and led Anastasia inside. It was about half the size of our bedroom in Escala, but with enough space to fit a Queen bed and have a comfortable walking room around it. It had been decorated in shades of grey, with bluish walls that matched the headboard. It was as impersonal as a hotel room, but it fit me just fine for short business trips. Most importantly, it had an awe-inspiring view of Central Park.

I noticed a CPO had left our bags by the door. I placed them in the bed and we looked for our pyjamas. We made short work of getting dressed, making a quick trip to the bathroom and climbing into bed. Naturally, the innocent night routine left me with an erection, which Anastasia could feel against her back as we cuddled.

"Ignore it." I insisted. Anastasia obviously didn't have enough energy to deal with it, and after the long trip, I didn't have much energy myself. "It'll go away. Now go to sleep, beautiful."

I had a pleasant night but still woke up early the following morning. I climbed carefully out of bed, so as not to wake Anastasia, and made my way to the bathroom. Upon exiting it a few minutes later, my girl was already awake and getting dressed.

"Hello, sunshine," I greeted her as she finished putting on those tight black leggings of hers. As she turned to look at me, I told her with a smirk "Your ass looks fantastic in that."

Amused, I noticed her running shirt read 'Classy, Sassy & a bit Smart Assy.'

"Thank you. Hello, handsome," she answered before reaching up to kiss my cheek.

A few minutes later, Sawyer, Anastasia and I were walking out of the building and to Central Park for our usual Saturday jog. We were slower than usual as Anastasia focused less on the treacherous ground in front of her and more on the green scenery.

By her request, we made a pit stop at the Alice in Wonderland monument and the Bethesda Fountain. Sawyer took pictures of us in both places when Anastasia asked, and my girl smiled widely at the phone's camera.

On our way back, Anastasia got a call from her father. She happily shared with him details about our plane trip—watching movies with Ros and Gwen—and our morning run through Central Park, and I thought a visit to Montesano should be in our near future.

"Ray said hello," she told me right after hanging up. "And that he wants pictures."

An hour and a half later, after shower sex and breakfast, Ros, Gwen, Anastasia and I were on our way to Madame Tussaud's wax museum. The girls were looking forwards to the visit more than I was, but in the end, I did find it entertaining—although I wasn't terribly comfortable with the amount of pictures taken.

Afterwards, Ros and Gwen went to visit the former's parents, and Anastasia and I spent a couple of hours in the Public Library. I stood on the sidelines as I watched her waltz through the aisles and among the books. I made a mental note to find us a house with enough room for a library much larger than the one I had in Escala. Anastasia's happiness and enthusiasm were a sight for sore eyes, but eventually, my stomach started rumbling and I knew that if I wasn't the one to put a stop to the outing and take Anastasia to lunch, she'd forgo the meal completely. Furthermore, there were other places I knew my girl wanted to visit, and we had a lifetime of trips to New York's Public Library to look forwards to if she so wished it.

Thus, Sawyer drove a pouting Anastasia and me back to the apartment, where Mrs Boyd fed us lunch. Afterwards, I took Anastasia to experience Manhattan's streets on foot: we first took a romantic stroll down Central Park before walking down 7th avenue and spending an hour or two in M&M's World and Hershey's Chocolate World. I then took her to the Top Of The Rock, where Andrea had reserved our tickets, and we spent nearly an hour enjoying the view of New York under the light blue sky of the evening, the orange hue of the sunset, and the darkness of the night.

I had been originally planning on finishing the tour there for the day, but a quick research had shown that FAO Schwarz, the toy store from 'Big,' was only around the corner. I surprised Anastasia with a visit to the shop, which was as much of a novelty for her as it was for me. The store was almost iridescent in its luminosity inside, so much so that it was like stepping into a different world. Shelves were overflowing with toys appropriate for all ages, and there were plenty of oversized objects, such as stuffed animals and a 3D puzzle of the Empire State.

My favourite toy by far was the Big Piano on the upper floor. There weren't many shoppers around, and I got to amuse myself on it for as long as I wished, playing songs with my feet. After spending all day long running around New York, I grew tired much before I could get bored. Thus, I took Anastasia to dinner in a nice restaurant nearby, where we charged up.

To bring a wonderful ending to an amazing day, Sawyer drove us down Times Square to Broadway, where I took Anastasia to watch 'The Beauty and the Beast.' She spent the night looking wide-eyed at the stage. I was pleased with myself: my Goddess was enjoying herself as much as I had hoped she would.

When we arrived back to my Penthouse, Ros and Gwen were relaxing on the couch, drinking red wine and wearing fancy clothes, but barefoot.

"Hello, there, lovebirds. Did you have fun?" asked Ros.

"So much!" gushed Anastasia as she sat down gracelessly next to the redhead. "We've just watched 'The Beauty and the Beast.' It was brilliant."

"Great minds think alike," Gwen said while I served Anastasia and me two glasses of wine. "Ros took us to watch 'Mean Girls.'"

"We picked good ones," replied Anastasia with a smile before turning to ask Ros, "Did you have fun with the family?"

She groaned, "Ughh. No matter how much I try, they're so…"

"Ughh?" Anastasia completed the sentence for her.

"Yes. I need to relax," stated Ros as she stretched her neck. She stood up and offered a hand to Gwen while asking her "Are you coming, love?" It was quite obvious what she was planning on doing to relax. "You're welcome to join us if you'd like," she added as she gave Anastasia her best flirty smile.

I frowned. I knew Ros was kidding and trying to egg me on, but I didn't appreciate someone else flirting with my girl.

"I'm flattered, but I'll have to refuse the offer. I've got all I want right here," Anastasia answered as she patted my upper thigh, dangerously close to my dick.

"Damn right," I said as I hugged her close to my side.

Ros and Gwen left us then, and as soon as they'd closed their bedroom door behind them, Anastasia turned to look at me with darkened eyes and her flirtiest smirk. My nymph.

We had to drag ourselves out of bed the next morning. We skipped our usual run and after breakfast the four of us went to the Empire State to enjoy the view of the city under the morning light. The date crushers kept their distance, sticking to the opposite side of the roof to give Anastasia and me some privacy. There were still plenty of people around, but it was easier to ignore strangers.

Afterwards, Reynolds and Ryan drove us to Madison Square Garden, the American Museum of Natural History, and then back home, where Mrs Boyd served us a late lunch. All too soon, it was time to leave. We took the scenic route to the airport, driving through Brooklyn Bridge as Anastasia happily took pictures of the view. Luckily, we still had some time to kill and we were able to stop for half an hour on the pier by the Brooklyn Bridge before driving to the airport.

The romantic trip had been a success!

I was a step closer to being able to ask Anastasia to spend the rest of her life by my side and marry me.

I missed Anastasia when I woke up Monday morning. I missed her when I met Bastille in the gym, when I showered without her, and when I had breakfast by myself. Soon, she'd be with me by my side every morning and every night. Halfway through the morning, when I returned to my office after a pleasantly productive meeting, I was pleased to see I had an email from Anastasia.

From: Anastasia Steele

Subject: Thank you

Date: July 18, 2011, 09:26

To: Christian Grey

Hello Handsome,

I woke up lonely in bed, but with a smile on my face. Thank you for the amazing trip to New York. I feel thoroughly swept off my feet.

Speaking of feet, they are killing me. I don't think I've ever walked so much in a single weekend. Let's spend the next one in bed ;)

XOXO

Ana

From: Christian Grey

Subject: My pleasure

Date: July 18, 2011, 10:14

To: Anastasia Steele

Hello Sunshine,

You're very welcome. It was my pleasure travelling with you and watching you enjoy yourself. I'm looking forwards to sharing many more trips with you in the future.

My bed was very lonely without you this morning. So were my shower and breakfast. I can't wait to have you by my side every day.

Apart from waking up in a cold bed, how's your day been?

XXX

Christian

Anastasia's reply was positive, and it filled me with hope.

She wanted to live with me.

She wanted to travel with me.

Hopefully, she'd soon agree to spend the rest of her life with me.

Feeling optimistic and practically on a whim—if one can call it that, when I'd been planning this for weeks—I asked Andrea to set a private meeting for me in my favourite jewellery shop the following day.

Anastasia and I exchanged a few more emails throughout the day, but she was rather busy and focused on her work, so they weren't plentiful.

Hours later, as soon as I'd arrived home, Anastasia called me.

"Hey, baby."

"Christian! Hi," she answered high-pitched. Something was wrong, but not terribly so. "I've just had quite the talk with Kate…"

"Did you tell her you're moving in with me?" Katherine and I weren't each other's biggest fans, and between Anastasia's young age and the limited time we'd known each other, I didn't expect the blonde would react enthusiastically to the good news.

"Well, yes. Speaking of, we still haven't figured out the details."

"Details?" I asked alarmed. Was she planning on postponing the move?

"It's not only me that's moving in with you, Christian. It's also my clothes, and you'll be surprised by how much I own. Oh, and my desk, of course. I'm seizing your library."

She wanted to plan how we'd be moving her things. That was a relief.

"Of course, beautiful. Consider it your office. The desk could probably fit in my SUV once we lower the back seats, and we can put your clothes in bags and luggage, and bring it in another car. Why don't you take the week to pack so we can move your things Friday evening?"

"Sounds good, handsome."

Thanks fuck. I wanted her with me as soon as possible.

"And if you'd like to come over on Wednesday, you can start bringing some of your clothes."

"Of course. It's a date. Umm… There's something else I need to tell you about Kate…" she muttered.

"What is it, baby?"

"Well… during the weekend she came to my room looking for some copy paper… and came across a very particular contract."

"I see." Frozen, I waited for her to share the details of their conversation. She was still looking forward to moving with me, so I tried to assure myself that whatever it was, it couldn't be so terrible.

"So… the cat's out of the bag now," she added nervously. "She was—she was freaked out at first. Worried, really. But we talked, and I convinced her our relationship was never like that."

"But we did use to be Dom and Sub," I pointed out.

"Not like in the contract you gave me, or even in the new one you drafted after our discussion in the Heathman." She did have a point. While we'd had a contractual relationship during the first month, everything changed after the first time I'd let her into our bed—the night before she even got to sign the contract that would never come to fruition. "You went through all that trouble, yet we never actually followed the contract. It feels like a lifetime away, you know? I can't even remember the details anymore, and I had put so much thought into it!"

"You're right. Everything changed drastically once you moved to Seattle. I don't think I truly ever behaved like your Master again." I snorted. "I let you sleep in my bed that very first night. And now, in my head, it's our bed," I confessed.

"By the time we decided to become a couple, we were already a couple. And you know what the worst part about it is? My mum was right," she grumbled.

I laughed at her.

"Have you called her yet?"

"Ughh. No. But I'm sure if Kate was supportive, so will my mum." Kate had been supportive? How unexpected. "You know she lives in a sugar cotton cloud. It's my dad I'm worried about. I'm twenty-one, and I'll be living in sin with a man."

"You're almost twenty-two," I reminded her and she snorted.

"What would you do if Mia moved in with Ethan a month from now."

"Cut his balls. Or maybe have Taylor do it."

"There you go then."

"Do you think it'd make him feel better if we told him in person?" I proposed. The thought had crossed my mind in New York, and this seemed a good time to bring it up.

"Go to Montesano?" she asked, startled.

"Why not? Maybe not this weekend—there will be unpacking to do, and I'll have more work than usual after our weekend in New York—but we can go the following one."

"Sounds good. I'm always up to visit my dad," she agreed enthusiastically.

"You're a Daddy's girl," I joked. I hoped this wouldn't backfire. I worried Mr Steele would put his foot down against us living together and that it would make Anastasia slow things down in our relationship before I got to ask her to marry me.

"And don't you forget it! This Daddy's girl can totally kick your butt, especially after Taylor's self-defence review curse!"

"Yes. I overheard Reynolds complain about you bruising him."

"Upsy."

We hung up soon afterwards—with a whispered promise from my Goddess that she'd call me that night as soon as she'd gone to bed—as Anastasia wanted to begin packing.

Tuesday evening, Taylor drove me right from GEH to Ben Bridge. The jewellery store was one of the largest in Seattle, offering watches and jewels from several well-known and expensive brands. Mr Schmuck was already waiting for me in a small private back room, three black ring-display showcases placed neatly on the glass table. Two cases held diamond engagement rings, while the third showed colourful gemstones. I'd had a diamond ring in mind, but the gemstones had merit.

I was usually quick in picking jewellery as gifts for my mother and sister, or the occasional Sub, but this was different. If she said yes, Anastasia would be wearing this ring every day for the rest of her life.

It had to be perfect.

Taylor and Mr Schmuck were patient as I painstakingly analyzed every diamond ring. I set aside a golden ring with a round diamond and a dozen smaller gems on the side; a white gold ring with an emerald-cut diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller round diamonds; and a platinum ring with a large marquise diamond on the centre and two round diamonds on each side, all three surrounded by smaller gems. The first two rings were part of a set and came with a matching wedding ring.

Then, I moved to the third box. Mr Schmuck started talking about how he was aware I'd asked for diamond rings but had taken the liberty to show me some other options, yet I paid him no mind.

The rubies set in yellow gold rings were the most striking, but they didn't seem appropriate for Anastasia. There were also pink, green, pale orange and purple gems, but the ones that caught my eye were the blue ones. It was a colour both Anastasia and I favoured, and topaz or sapphire would match my Goddesses eyes rather nicely. After examining the round, oval and cushion-cut gems set in white gold rings, Mr Schmuck volunteered to bring me a larger collection. Then, when he mentioned sapphire's the September gemstone, I was sold.

It was half an hour later when I finally decided on a matching set. The ring was made of platinum and had a four-carat cushion-cut sapphire set in the middle; on both sides of the main gem, there was a line of alternating small diamonds and light blue-violet iolites. The matching wedding ring was similar to the engagement one, only lacking the large sapphire.

"This is the one," I stated with a smile.

When I arrived home on Wednesday, Anastasia was busy unpacking a few pieces of luggage in our walk-in closet. Between my clothes and hers—including the ones I'd had my personal shopper acquire for her months ago—the closet looked tightly packed. I added 'large walk-in closet' to my mental list of things our new home would need.

Excited to have her home with me, half of her things already under the roof we'd be sharing soon, I invited her to join me in the Playroom. As usual, I gave her a couple of minutes to get ready. Impatient, I hurried back to our bedroom, took off my clothes and put on my soft jeans. Mindful of Gail's presence somewhere in the house, I zipped up my pants, buttoned them up, and put on a t-shirt. Once upstairs, I took off the latter and threw it on the old Sub's bed, wondering if I should leave my Dom denim in the bedroom from then on. Before stepping into the playroom, I unbuttoned my pants.

Anastasia was kneeling in front of the door, wearing black sheer underwear that made me salivate.

Instead of wearing only her panties, she also had on her bra and stocking. She looked so exquisite I couldn't possibly be upset about her breaking the rules.

I walked around her once, taking in the view, before offering her a hand and saying, "Stand up, Kitty."

"Exquisite as always, Anastasia," I whispered as she stood in front of me, letting me look at her beautiful body. "Spin for me, baby."

She obeyed, moving slowly so I could enjoy the show.

As soon as she was facing me once again, I grabbed her by the hips and took a step forwards so I could kiss her. Once we'd run out of air and I'd pulled away from her, her eyes met mine. She wasn't supposed to look at my face in the playroom, but I could hardly complain when the look of love and trust in her eyes almost bought me to my knees.

That feeling seemed to be mutual, as Anastasia laid more of her weight on me. I smirked at her reaction.

"Undress. Slowly."

Once she seemed to be steady, I took a step back. Getting her baring back, she smirked as she undid her bra and removed it slowly, my eyes staring at every millimetre of her skin that was revealed. Next, she released her dark stockings from her suspenders and lowered them unhurriedly, before finally removing her suspenders and then her panties just as leisurely.

"Beautiful," I stated as soon as she was done. Even after that little show, my words made her blush. "Get on the bed."

She obeyed while I walked to the chest of drawers to choose the toys for the evening. I opted to give good use to Elliot's generous gifts and took with me the fuzzy handcuffs and blindfold.

As soon as she saw what I had in my hands, Anastasia snorted. I couldn't help but smile at her amused expression before reaching down to cuff her. Without needing verbal instructions, Anastasia rose her hands toward the headboard. The moment I placed one cuff around her left wrist, she burst out laughing.

Instead of calming down, her guffaws increased as I stared at her, both confused and amused by her reaction. After several seconds, she was laughing so loudly that one would think I'd been ticking her ribs. Soon, tears of merriment were sliding down her face.

It took her a few minutes to calm down. I wasn't quite sure how to react to a naked woman lying in the red sheets of my Playroom as she laughed at me after I'd tried to cuff her.

"What's so funny?" I asked once she had calmed down.

Or rather, so it'd seemed, because all she could say was my brother's name before she started laughing again.

Clearly, she wasn't going to calm down anytime soon by herself. Thus, I climbed into bed and then placed myself on all fours on top of her, with my skin against hers but my weight supported by my extremities.

The closeness of our bodies helped with my purpose, and soon enough she stopped guffawing.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to laugh."

"I'm not used to women laughing at me once I get them in bed."

She glared at me, mostly playfully but with an edge of warning. "You better not be used to women doing anything in bed with you, unless that woman is me."

"Don't worry, gorgeous," I assured her as I placed some of my weight on her. If it were up to me, I'd be marrying her and promising myself to her before the month was over. "Now that I've had a taste of you, I'm never letting you go."

"Damn right!"

I smiled at her answer. It gave me hope.

"So what was the problem? The handcuffs?"

"I guess. They're so… silly!"

"What about this?" I asked, reaching for the fluffy blindfold.

"That one looks cute," she said.

Cute wasn't my usual aim in the Playroom, but I'd take it over laughing.

On Friday, Reynolds drove me to the girls' apartment after work. I didn't spot Anastasia's car in the driveway, but I rang her bell just in case anyway. Indeed, Anastasia wasn't home, but Katherine was. She allowed us in and observed us fixedly as we carried Anastasia's emptied desk to the SUV. She seemed calculating, but not upset, while she observed me. I knew her to be overprotective, so I was glad she hadn't confronted me about the contract in front of Reynolds, even if he was aware of my lifestyle.

As soon as we'd made it to the car with the desk, Anastasia and Sawyer arrived. Quick hellos were exchanged before we all got to work, carrying Anastasia's desk chair, boxes and luggage into the three cars—Anastasia's plus the ones that Sawyer and Reynolds had driven.

Among the flurry of activity, when Kate and I found ourselves alone in Anastasia's old bedroom for a few seconds, the blonde warned me to treat Anastasia like a Queen, or else she'd come from me. God knew, as the daughter of Mr Kavanagh and a reporter to boot, she'd have the resources necessary to do so. Luckily, I planned on treating Anastasia like a Goddess. Katherine was pleased to hear so.

Reynolds, Ryan and I climbed into the driver's seats while Anastasia and Kate exchanged a teary goodbye. My girl was smiling ear to ear as she skipped back to her car and climbed in next to me.

Kate's apartment was around ten blocks away from mine, so soon we were parking the cars in the underground garage. Then, Anastasia and I climbed into the elevator with most of the luggage, while the CPOs took the furniture with them in the service elevator.

"Mr Grey, Ana, welcome home," said Gail the moment we stepped out of the elevator.

Home.

Anastasia beamed at her.

"Home, sweet home."

There were no words to describe how good it felt to have my girl there with me. It was just right.

It was a first only comparable to the first time we stepped into our home as owners of the house;

the first time we arrived home as husband and wife;

the first time we took home each of our children.

Overwhelmed by so many positive feelings, I wrapped my arms around Anastasia's middle and kissed her passionately, showing her my love and happiness when my words failed me.

I didn't let her go until the CPOs arrived with the furniture and boxes meant for Anastasia's new home office/library. My girl ran behind them, ready to put together the room to her liking. I watched from the doorway as Anastasia stepped into the library and looked around the room, bemused. I'd had the billiards table moved off to a side—I'd briefly considered having it moved somewhere upstairs, but no bedroom had enough space, and it seemed silly to move such a large piece of furniture when I was hoping to move houses within the next few months. Also, I'd purchased a white fluffy rug for Anastasia and a light blue sofa, and I'd had them placed in the centre of the room. They painted a nice picture among the white walls and bookcases.

When Ryan placed Anastasia's desk chair in the room, I was pleased to notice it matched the sofa just like I'd hoped it would.

Anastasia looked at the new furniture wide-eyed before turning to look at me.

"Thank you, Christian!" she exclaimed, jumping into my arms.

"I'm glad you like it, baby."

"I love it. I love you."

Anastasia had Reynolds and Sawyer place her desk and chair by the large window, and then she methodically organized her papers and office supplies with an excited smile. Once she was done, we had dinner, and then we made plans for the upcoming week—our first week living together.

That night, we went to sleep in our bed, in our bedroom, in our apartment.

I had lost count of the number of times I'd fallen asleep with Anastasia between my arms, and the feeling was both comforting and exhilarating. I could hardly believe four months ago we hadn't met yet. Three months ago the thought of anyone sharing my bed was repugnant. Two months ago Anastasia and I had met halfway and signed a new kind of contract. A month ago… a month ago I was already head over heels in love with Anastasia. Now, I was ready to marry her and commit myself to her forever.

As I drifted off with my front pressed against her back, I relaxed at the thought of going to sleep like this every night for the rest of our lives.

Hi! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Remember you can check out the accompanying images, such as the engagement and wedding ring, in my Pinterest account, JustValeP!