Chapter 22: On the Way to the Wedding
AKA: News sharing & wedding planning & shopping & paintball

"He knew her, he realized. He truly knew her. Not just the usual things. In fact, he didn't know the usual things. He did not know her favourite colour. Nor could he guess her favourite animal or food.

But somehow it didn't matter if he didn't know if she preferred pink or blue or purple or black. He knew her heart. He wanted her heart."

― Julia Quinn, On the Way to the Wedding

We eventually managed to untangle ourselves and climb out of bed. Anastasia whipped up a quick dinner for us and we discussed a few more details regarding the wedding, like the people we'd like to invite and the level of formality of the event. Afterwards, she decided to call her dad and share the news.

She paced around the living room anxiously for a minute, fidgeting with her phone, before finally sitting down on the largest couch and ringing Ray. I was anxious myself, although not as much as Anastasia. He had seemed supportive of our growing relationship when we visited him in Montesano, and while I worried about his reaction to our impending nuptials, I knew my stubborn Kitty wouldn't be talked out of marrying me. That being said, the fact that we wished to marry in a handful of weeks could get a less-than-stellar response from the father of the bride.

"Hi, Annie," I could hear Ray answer the phone. I had seated myself next to Anastasia, on the same side on which she held the phone against her ear.

"Hi, Daddy," she replied, high-pitched. It came as no surprise she had always been a goody-two-shoes. She was so transparent; she couldn't have got away with anything.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Not at all!"

"Then why do you sound like I just caught you reading after midnight?"

I chuckled. Getting caught reading past bedtime had once induced this response? To think of the havoc Elliot and I had wrecked after midnight and had been sneaky enough to get away with.

It was also a hilarious contrast from the small misdemeanours Anastasia had got away with as my Sub. How many times had she broken my rules and acted as though nothing had been out of the ordinary?

"You make me sound like the ultimate nerd," whined Anastasia to her father. "And I've got good news to share, but I'm worried about your reaction."

"Fire away."

She bit her lip nervously and turned to look at me, hesitation in her eyes. I held her hand and smiled encouragingly, wanting to hear those sweet words come out of her mouth.

"Christian and I are engaged," she said with love in her eyes and emotion in her voice. My heart started beating more strongly. Anastasia wanted to be my wife!

"Well, I'm not surprised, Annie," I heard him say. "When you get something in that head of yours, there's no taking it out. And a fool can tell how much you love each other."

She breathed out in relief and relaxed against me, deflating a like a balloon, and beamed.

"Have you set a date?" he asked.

Anastasia tensed up and bit her lip once again.

"September 17th," she muttered.

"Next year?"

"Next month…" she winced.

"Why the rush? Are you… Am I about to be a grandfather?"

"I'm not pregnant!" she exclaimed.

Thank fuck. I felt as horrified as she sounded.

I wasn't ready for a child. Part of me trusted I would get there someday—after all, only six months ago the thought of having a wife would have petrified me just as much—but at the moment, the idea of having a baby so soon terrified me. Having a kid depending on me, and having the responsibility to educate them and raise them into smart functioning adults… It was over my head.

Plus, Anastasia and I were just starting our lives together, and I wanted to show her the world before we had to worry about sleepless nights and diapers.

Because even if the thought of children terrified me at that moment,

I knew there'd be a before and an after.

The idea had already wormed its way into my head and my heart,

and I suspected someday we would have sleepless nights and diapers to worry about.

"I'm not," Anastasia insisted.

"Then why the hurry?"

She turned to look at me with a delicate smile on her lips and eyes full of love and devotion.

"Because he's it for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and I want to start now." She was silent for a few seconds and then asked, "Will you walk me down the aisle?"

"I'd love to. I'll let you go back to your younger man now," he said. "Let me know the details later."

"I will, Dad. I love you."

"And I, you, Annie. Bye."

"That wasn't as bad as I had feared," she said as soon as she'd hung up. "But Kate may still flip. Everyone else will be a walk in the park."

I snorted. Those weren't the words I'd used to describe the women in my family. "Mum and Mia will panic when they realize they have five weeks to plan a wedding."

"I'm sure everything will be 95% done by the time we leave Bellevue tomorrow…" she answered.

She then looked out the window, eyes unseeing as she chewed on some mysterious thought. I waited, giving her a chance to tell me what was on her mind before insisting she talked to me. I wasn't a patient man, and luckily she didn't make me wait long. "We never spoke about kids."

That's not what I had been expecting. I reflected on my answer, being sincerer with her than I'd been with myself, and hoping she wouldn't be unsatisfied with my thoughts.

"I've only recently given it a thought," I admitted, turning to look at her, "and I believe it's something I'd like to experience with you." In all honesty, when I thought about showing Anastasia the world, taking pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower or on top of the Great Wall of China, I could just as easily imagine a couple of featureless kids standing next to us, in front of the pyramids of Giza or the Coliseum in Rome.

"You've asked me if I had to sacrifice my family for work—and I know those were Kate's words—but I've realised I don't want that. I want to have a family with you. Children running in the backyard, school functions, math homework…" The images formed themselves in my head as I spoke. How easily they fit in our future home by the lake, in a refurbished house that didn't yet exist. "But I'm not ready for dirty diapers and sleepless nights. And I'm not ready to share you."

"I'm four weeks away from turning twenty-two," she replied. "I've only ever thought about kids in the abstract. I believe it's something I'd like, but I'm most definitely not ready for it. Sometimes I feel like I'm still learning how to be an adult. Let's revisit this conversation in say… five years."

"It's a date," I agreed, relaxing against the couch. That sounded reasonable. It was good for my structured mind to have a five-year plan, even if I knew those never went exactly as intended. Sometimes things took longer, and sometimes they happened surprisingly quickly… "But just for the record, if the unexpected happens before then I'll be happy—if terrified—to start a family with you. Let's not turn our rom-com into a drama."

She chuckled.

"It's romantic erotica, Christian," she corrected me, and we burst out laughing.

Our life was, indeed, probably something out of those porn books that had tempted her into trying BDSM.

Maybe I should invest in those things.

I then called my mother to ask if we could drop by sometime Sunday afternoon, and she was so enthusiastic she insisted we make a family lunch out of it. I'd been planning on spending more time alone with Anastasia, but I also knew we had no time to lose if we wanted to marry in five weeks, so I agreed. This way, we could get started with the planning immediately.

Therefore, Sunday noon found us ringing the bell in my parent's home. It took my mother only a few seconds to open the door and greet us enthusiastically, "Christian! Ana!"

She kissed our cheeks and guided us into the house, moment in which Grace's eyes immediately found the blue sapphire on Anastasia's left hand. It hadn't even been in her field of vision!

Grace gasped immediately and beamed. She looked as proud as when I'd graduated college or announced I was now a millionaire, but even happier than in those instances.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and then hugged us both carefully.

"Well, what a way to ruin a surprise," I said with a chuckle. Nothing could ruin my mood then, most particularly her exuberant response.

"Shush, you! I'm so happy for you both!" she exclaimed happily with her hands pressed against her own chest.

"Thank you, Mum. Can we go in and share the news with everyone else?" I asked, amused.

"Of course, dear. Of course."

My father and siblings, as well as the Kavanaghs, were already waiting in the living room.

"Good morning, everyone," I greeted them immediately, interrupting the ongoing conversation and commanding everyone's attention. I beamed at Anastasia, expectant to share this moment with her, before turning to look at everyone again. "Anastasia and I have great news to share."

Much like she had when I'd announced Anastasia was moving in with me, Mia immediately looked for the ring in Anastasia's hand.

This time, she found it.

She screeched with happiness, and before anyone else could figure out the news, I happily announced, "Anastasia has agreed to be my wife. We're getting married."

I turned to look at Anastasia to find her looking at me with those familiar warm ocean-blue eyes, as full of emotion as mine.

Suddenly, everyone was standing and surrounding us.

Handshakes and hugs were exchanged all around, as well as a mild threat from Kate to take good care of Anastasia. Unexpectedly, it was followed by a compliment. "And keep doing whatever you're doing," she said. "I've never seen her this happy before."

Then, it was time for business. Lunch was spent planning as Mia and Mum led us through a discussion regarding colours, clothes, flowers, decorations, food, invitations, and such. Kate and Mia enthusiastically agreed to be part of Anastasia's bridal party, and Elliot beamed with pride when I asked him to be my Best Man. I was wary, though, about Kate and Elliot's eagerness to plan our bachelor and bachelorette parties, even if they promised to tailor them to our idea of fun instead of theirs.

"We need to think about the venue!" Mia exclaimed wide-eyed halfway through lunch, probably panicking about the chances of finding a nice and elegant hall only five weeks in advance.

"Don't worry. We've already got something in mind. I'll let you know the details before next weekend," I answered. Mia glared at me, even if she knew it was fruitless and I wasn't easily intimidated.

Moving onto the next topic, Kate asked, "What about the flowers?"

I didn't much care about the details, so long as Anastasia was walking down the aisle towards me in five weeks, and she was happy. My presence was expected on Wednesday though, when Carrick, Elliot and I would be picking our tuxedos. On the other hand, the women would go shopping on both Monday and Tuesday, to choose their dresses.

As we congregated in the living room after lunch, I managed to get Elliot's attention for a minute.

"I found a house for Anastasia and me," I told him. His eyes widened and then he smiled and clapped my shoulder.

"Good for you. Let me guess. It's in Denny-Blaine or Laurelhurst?"

Yes, the tech millionaires' suburbs of choice. It was beautiful and safe. We had good taste.

"Denny-Blaine, yes. I want to buy it, but Anastasia and I were hoping you could take a look at it. It needs gutting. Floors, walls, windows."

He nodded as I spoke.

"I want something sustainable and environmentally friendly," I added. "But I'm not sure how much can be done without taking down walls and shit. We don't want to change the house itself. And I was hoping we could move in after returning from our honeymoon… so in seven weeks?"

"Well, I'd need to see it first, but I'm game."

"When can you drop by."

"Hmm… I'm free tomorrow at noon. I'm working in Denny-Blaine actually, so it shouldn't be an issue."

"Great, I'll make the arrangements. If you think the house is solid, I'll make an offer. Thanks, Lelliot."

"Of course, baby bro. And congratulations, both for the house and the girl."

I smiled, proud of how things were turning out for me.

After coffee, Grace called her church's Father, Frank, to request his services as the wedding officiant. He was happy to agree but requested Anastasia and me to meet him personally on Friday.

The week that followed was, of course, intense and exhausting. Monday morning, I postponed the beginning of my workday and began planning the honeymoon. I wanted to take Anastasia around the world, but for the honeymoon, I'd have to be satisfied with England and France. I made some of the arrangements myself, such as renting a catamaran in the south of France, but had Andrea deal with the hotels.

I was also able to make arrangements with Mrs Darling to have Elliot visit the house, although I was unable to accompany them myself. While I waited for my brother to inform me of his verdict, I received an email from my sister with a dozen invitation templates, as well as a request for the location's address, as the invites needed to be sent before Friday. I quickly discarded several extravagant options, and while I was pondering on the few I liked, Elliot called me. I was glad to hear good news, but before making an offer on the house, I wanted to check on Anastasia.

"Hello, beautiful. I have good news," I told her. "Elliot says the house is sturdy, so I'll be calling the estate agent as soon as I hung up."

"That's great, love!" she exclaimed. "Let me know how that goes. Did you see Mia's e-mail?"

"I did. I liked all the invitations that weren't over the top. I'll let you have the final say."

She chuckled. "I liked the second one. The white one with silver font and blue flowers on the top and bottom."

I took a look at Mia's email, still open on my computer. "I know which one you mean. Let's go for that one. If everything goes well with the house, we may be able to give Mia the address tomorrow morning." Indeed, by five that day, our offer had been accepted.

The rest of the day and Tuesday were actually tranquil for me, as the women were the ones shopping. I resigned myself to a few more hours without Anastasia and focused on my work instead. By the time my sunshine arrived back home on Monday, not only had she picked her dress, but she and Mia had also had the invitations ordered, and she'd purchased her bridal underwear. Ros—who had joined the women even if she was technically part of the groom's party—was supposed to have subtly guided Anastasia into buying some new bikinis for France's warm beaches.

Tuesday, Anastasia didn't arrive home till late once again, as they'd gone shopping for the dresses for my mother, Mia, Kate, Ros and Gwen at Mrs Kavanagh's designer store.

"There's a couple of things that we need to talk about regarding the wedding," Anastasia said as we had a late dinner. "I'd like for us to write our own vows."

"I think it's a great idea, beautiful," I agreed with a smile. I was used to writing speeches, albeit not romantic ones, and sometimes with some help from my PR team. Still, if it was important for Anastasia, then I would do it.

"There's something else," she stated firmly. She meant business, and probably not from the kind that I liked.

What was it? Did she want to change the date? Or the venue?

"I'd like to have a double-barrelled surname: Grey Steele. As much as I'm looking forwards to being Mrs Grey, I'm never going to stop being a Steele."

I relaxed.

I could more than live with that. I wasn't sure what other men's opinion would be on the subject—especially those as dominating as me—but for me it was natural: my mother had a double-barrelled surname herself.

"I thought you wanted to move forwards the wedding or something as bad! I don't mind if you want to have a double-barrelled surname, baby. I admit I'd be upset if you didn't want to take my surname at all, but I don't mind sharing. I'm not even surprised," I said with a playful smile. She was strong, driven and independent—in retrospect, the perfect woman for me, as a more placid one would have got drowned in my dominant and overbearing personality. "But I can't wait to call you Mrs Grey."

It wasn't time to relax yet, though, as we had to finalize the list of guests and email it to my sister. We were planning on hand-delivering most of the invitations, but Mia would take care of mailing the rest within the week.

Wednesday, it was the men's turn to go shopping, although Anastasia and Mia accompanied us to decide on the best suits. We were required to change clothes several times before I received approval for a blue suit, a grey vest and, of course, my silver grey tie. Anastasia's eyes roamed over my body before focusing on said sinful tie. She blushed, making me smirk.

Elliot, as the best man, was also assigned a blue suit and grey vest, but with a blue tie. According to Mia, he'd fit perfectly with Ros and the bridal party.

On the other hand, Carrick would be wearing a grey suit with a matching vest and a blue tie. Also, the women decided Ray would need to get a grey suit, a blue vest, and a blue tie to match Carrick's and Elliot's.

Thursday found us signing the necessary paperwork to finalize the purchase of the house, and then joining Elliot there. Every Thursday for the last couple of years I'd met Flynn for my therapy session and it was disconcerting not being there. But my life had changed dramatically in the last months and I'd been more open to Flynn's advice and encouragement, so much so that we'd decided I was ready to cut my sessions in half the amount and now join him every two weeks instead of one.

As proud new owners of a fantastic house with uncountable potential, we gave Elliot his second tour of the house and pointed him to the changes we wanted to make. He wrote down a list of the necessary repairs and informed us that he would have a team free to begin working on Tuesday, as the work they were meant to begin the following week had been postponed indefinitely due to issues with the required permits. They'd begin with the main level, and Elliot promised that by the wedding, the kitchen would be completely redone, the floors, replaced, and the walls, repainted. He had available a couple of freelance interior decorators with whom we'd need to talk soon to determine how we wanted the kitchen to look like.

After the ground floor was ready, they'd move on to the rest of the house: floors, walls and bathrooms needed to be revamped. Elliot was sure the first two floors would be completed by the time we returned from the honeymoon, but with six outdated bathrooms that needed a complete makeover, the last storey would probably take longer.

Using the honeymoon as a time reference seemed to remind Anastasia of its existence and made her realize that I already had plans for us.

"So… the honeymoon. Where are you taking me?" she asked me on the drive back to Escala.

"That's for me to know and for you to wonder."

She pouted adorably. "At least tell me what weather I should pack for."

"Gail will take care of it, love. I'm not letting you ruin your surprise."

She didn't push, and the small smile and fidgeting revealed she was actually looking forward to being surprised.

To bring an uncomfortable ending to a long week, Friday evening we met with Father Frank. He wanted to know about our take on faith and how often we went to church. We were embarrassed to admit the last time we'd gone to church had been Father's Day, and before that… I believed my mother had dragged me to church for Easter. Luckily, Father Frank didn't judge us for it, nor because of the shortness of our relationship. He was engaging as he spoke about the holiness of matrimony, which was something I believed in with my parents as role models. For me, marriage was forever: there would be no one else but Anastasia for the rest of my life. It was a relief for me to have found my one life companion, and to know we were committed to each other for eternity.

We weren't left alone on Saturday either, but it was more fun than the week had been. Anastasia in particular was looking forward to it and her excitement was contagious, although I was rather wary of the upcoming activity. Elliot and Kate, as active best man and maid of honour, had made arrangements with Elliot's friends, Mia and Ethan to go playing Paintball. So Anastasia and I put on old threadbare clothes and drove to my brother's favourite Paintball Park on the outskirts of Snohomish. With a similar number of men and women, we were divided into two teams according to sex: Anastasia, Kate, Mia, Ros, Gwen, and Elliot's friends Sue and Hannah were on one team, while Ethan, Elliot and his friends Peter, Ian and Steve, and I, were on the other team.

The game was organized so that we played three fifteen-minute challenges. At first, I was uncomfortable with the concept of shooting my opponents, as well as Anastasia injuring herself either in the tricky terrain or because of a ball of paint, but after a few minutes, I was able to immerse myself in the game. I could hear Anastasia cheer often after a man went down; it would seem she was responsible for most of my fallen team partners. Of course, she managed to hit me a few times too. Luckily, every time we were hit we weren't out of the game but rather had to wait out in the home base for a minute before we could return to the field.

The girls won the first round, with Anastasia shooting at us from a safe distance, and Katherine and Hannah doing most of the risky running, stealing our blue flags from the middle of the field. Elliot and his friends had taken the plunge too, but we'd only acquired one lonely red flag by the time the girls were declared victors.

We upped our game during the next round, determined to bring us to a tie. Gwen, though, had got hyped after the win, and Anastasia had her back as the brought a second win to the red team.

Having lost two out of three rounds, the game itself was lost for us, but we refused to go down with no rounds won. Indeed, we gave all we had left and managed to win the last round. It was not enough though, and the girls rubbed their win in our faces.

A few hours later we were back home, thoroughly cleaning the paint that had stuck to our skin. I also inspected Anastasia's body closely, checking for new bruises on her pale skin. I only found three on her left upper thigh, her right knee—which she whined about—and her right arm. I had five bruises, and chances were most of them were Anastasia's fault.

After a terribly long week, I was ready to spend Sunday in bed with Anastasia, but there was still wedding planning to do. We didn't get to complain much, as—like Mia reminded us—we were the ones in a hurry to marry, and so all of the preparations needed to be done in a rush. The only consolation was that it would all soon be over. Five weeks had become four, and now we were only a month away from the big day.

Therefore, my parents happily welcomed us to their home on Sunday and helped us decide on a tent and portable restrooms to rent for our upcoming wedding. With little input needed from me, the women then agreed on tablecloths, chair linings and centrepieces.

My attention was recaptured when it came to the catering. We would be using the same my parents always hired for their events, as the food was delicious, and they were organized and discreet—I wouldn't need to worry about a picture or details about our home or the wedding being leaked to the press. Mia had collected several menu options for us—she was a godsend, even if she was driving us up the wall—so Anastasia and I were able to choose the options we liked best. My sister volunteered to call the catering service first thing on Monday and arrange for us to have a tasting. Mia herself would be baking and decorating the groom's cake and the wedding cake—our only request had been the latter was white on the outside and chocolate flavoured.

"Next on the business: bachelor and bachelorette party!" exclaimed Elliot after Mia had declared all the details finalized. I frowned. Anastasia and I weren't fond of parties, and I sure as hell didn't want either of us involved in any kind of debauchery those two could plan.

"Don't worry," Kate said. "We swear you will enjoy what we have planned for you. We just ask you to free the weekend after the next. Elliot, your security and I will take care of the rest."

"Taylor is into it too?" I asked, surprised. I knew he could be inconspicuous; I just didn't expect him to go behind my own back to collude with those two.

"Yes," my brother answered. "And he approves. He agrees you'll actually like this, and the poor man wouldn't risk angering you!"

I did trust Taylor, so it seemed we would have to trust Kate and Elliot too.

On Monday, we were finally left alone by my family. I took Anastasia to the very neglected playroom, and then we made love in our bedroom, before cuddling and falling asleep.

On Tuesday, though, we were expected at the catering centre for the testing. Wednesday was uneventful but I had a session with Flynn on Thursday, while Anastasia had an appointment to pick up her fitted wedding dress. The women were adamant I wouldn't be seeing the dress until the wedding day, so my Kitty didn't bring it home, but put it away in Kate's apartment.

Anastasia was already home when I returned from my appointment with Flynn. I found her in the library, lying down on the couch with the laptop balanced on her belly and listening to classical music. She was so focused on the screen, she didn't look up until I was standing at her side, curiously peeking over her shoulder at her screen. She appeared to be reading a text, but the instant she noticed me, she slammed the laptop shut as if I'd just caught her watching porn, and sat up.

"What is it? Were you reading porn?" I asked her with a smirk.

"No," she denied as she stood up. After pecking my lips, she said, "Get your mind off the gutter, Sir! I was writing my vows."

The vows! It had been such a busy couple of weeks I hadn't had time to work on them. I didn't even know how to begin.

"I better get started on my homework too, then," I said as my lips found the sensitive skin under her ear. Maybe inspiration would hit me while holding her in my arms, preferably naked.

"I don't think you're in the right frame of mind for it, Mr Grey. There're some things you shouldn't say out loud in front of our guests."

"Indeed," I muttered as my dick pressed against her hip. "Maybe I should get it off my system first. Wait for me upstairs, Kitty. Only in panties, if you please."

If she pleased, indeed. Would she be only wearing her panties when I entered the playroom, or would she be wearing another lacy ensemble? Both would be a pleasant surprise, as she liked to keep me guessing.

I was looking forward to years of surprises from her.

With most of the wedding planned, we were finally left alone. We spent the weekend at home, and after a morning enjoying the playroom and a delicious lunch, it was time for me to tackle those vows. After spending half an hour googling ideas and coming up with absolutely nothing, I was beginning to wonder why I'd agreed to discard the classical ones. It had served other couples just fine.

Frustrated, I went searching for advice from the house's English Major, who was lying on the living room's couch, reading.

"Is there any rule I should follow?" I asked, pulling my hair. I hadn't even been able to decide on a beginning. "There are so many things on the internet!"

She chuckled.

"Just go with whatever feels right." Nothing felt right! Everything felt too saccharin sweet and over the top. I'd only embarrass both myself and my bride. "Maybe we could set some linings?" she suggested, taking pity on me. "Give me a second."

She went to the library, predictably to look for her laptop and inspire her advice on her already finished vows. I followed her lead and fetched my own computer from my office.

Once we were both comfortably seated with the laptops on our laps, she said, "I started mine by saying 'When we first met…' and kept that intro within less than two lines."

"When we first met, I wanted you naked and tied up in my playroom's bed, baby," I pointed out. That didn't seem something appropriate to mention in front of our guests.

"I know. The point is that it may not have been love at first sight, but it's not any less true because of that."

I could probably work with that. I'd have to think of something GP-rated later.

"Alright. So…" I muttered as I typed. "When we first met…"

"And then I wrote 'on this day, I do take you to be my 'yada, yada, yada.'"

I snickered at her words as I typed the beginning of the second paragraph.

"Your what?" I asked her, amused.

"You'll have to wait another three weeks to hear the rest. Then I wrote a bunch of promises I do intend to keep. I made it sweet and honest, a bit funny every here and there… And then I finished talking about how I will love you forever."

I smiled at her words. Sometimes, I could hardly believe I'd found someone who wanted to spend her life with me.

"I will love you forever, too," I answered. Maybe there was no help for the saccharin-sweet vows. "How many words did you write?"

"Umm… Almost two hundred."

I could hopefully work with that. Life-saving green tech was easier to talk about, and I could easily write two hundred words on the topic. "It had even been a while since I'd felt the need to have someone proofread it. I couldn't very well ask for help at the office regarding this topic, though. I quickly realized my girl wasn't the only English Major I knew. Maybe Kate would be willing to help me and edit my words?

"Alright. Thank you, baby." I kissed her cheek and stood up. "I've got work to do now."

"And so do I."

After a couple of hours, I was done with my first draft. I decided I'd sleep on it and edit it myself in a day or two before showing it to Kate.

On Monday, we met with Miss Lucas, Elliot's recommended interior designer. Anastasia had a clear idea of what she wanted for the kitchen: a classical look, with wooden cupboards, warm colours, and easily cleaned floor tiles. Miss Lucas understood right away Anastasia's style and needs, and was quick in finding designs my girl approved of. Nonetheless, Anastasia wanted to tag along for the shopping, as we accompanied Miss Lucas to stores that sold all kinds of materials, appliances and home accessories.

We were on a roll, so I suggested we go furniture shopping. While planning the details of the wedding didn't excite me—I wanted to get married soon, I didn't much care about the how—I was looking forward to designing our future home with Anastasia's tastes reflected in every room. I wanted to feel her presence in our house, even when she wasn't physically there. Therefore, we went hunting for new furniture for the bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and family room. The plan was to leave Escala furnished as it was.

With the main aspects of our home taken care of, and excited about the remodelling, I decided we should go shopping for the new playroom too. My current one had been designed with only me in mind, and much like the house, I wanted to fit in with Anastasia too.

I made an appointment at the sex shop I frequented on the outskirts of Seattle. It was large and respected its clients' privacy and preferences. All the employees had signed NDAs, so it was the safest place to shop for toys, furniture and such. It was inconspicuous on the outside, merely looking like a well-kept warehouse, but the inside made Anastasia gape and blush like a virgin.

Unlike me, she'd never felt the drive or need to research the kinds of 'furniture' available, so she insisted that I choose what I liked best. I still explained to her my choices as I picked a new St Andrew's cross, spanking bench and even a sex swing. Anastasia informed me she'd never been in one before, but her darkened eyes and bitten lip revealed she was up for the challenge.

To ensure our privacy, I made arrangements so that all of our new furniture—both regular and kinky—wouldn't be delivered to our new home, but rather picked up by one of the CPOs while we were away on our honeymoon.

In the blink of an eye, the week was over and we only had fifteen days to go before the wedding. All the details regarding both the wedding and the house had been taken care of. The only thing we were yet to shop for were the gifts for the wedding party, but Anastasia had already made an appointment for us with my usual jewellery store for the coming week.

That Friday, though, we had other plans: Elliot and Kate were taking us to our weekend-long bachelor and bachelorette parties. I was anxious, dreading spending the next couple of days away from my sunshine, and with my party-loving brother and second-in-command.

At five o'clock, Ros dragged me out of the office and into my car, Elliot already seated shotgun and Taylor behind the wheel. Ros tried to force me into a blindfold, but she eventually had to give up. Therefore, I was unsurprised when we arrived at the airport. What was unexpected was the car that arrived right behind us: Sawyer's. I hurried out of my seat and took a few quick strides to open Anastasia's door.

"Christian?" she asked as I offered her my hand. She got out of the car, while Kate did the same on the other side. Anastasia turned to look at her friend from above the car's roof. "Are we all going somewhere for a combined bachelor/bachelorette party?" she asked, sounding as hopeful as a child about to enter Disneyland.

"Yes, we are!"

"Oh! That's great, Kate!"

"Thank you. Although I must say Elliot helped with the planning."

"Where are we going?"

Kate shook her head, but it was pointless because Mia popped out of nowhere and exclaimed, "Aspen!"

Oh, my house in Aspen. It was a great idea. I was suddenly looking forward to the upcoming weekend.

"Mia!" whined Elliot and Kate in chorus. Ethan, who had also sneaked on us, chuckled. Behind him, I noticed Gwen had joined us and was standing next to Ros.

While a flight alone with Anastasia renewing our mile-high club membership would have been more fun, the four-hour trip was quite enjoyable: we played Uno, watched a rom-com centred around weddings—27 Dresses—and bounced fun ideas for the Wedding Rehearsal. Because the latter would be just for us plus our parents and my grandparents, we didn't want something elegant, but a true celebration of our upcoming nuptials.

Anastasia fell in love with my house in Aspen. She smiled and expressed her approval of the warm colours and the homey rooms as I gave her a tour. It was warm and rustic, all brown wood and grey stones. It fitted flawlessly within Aspen and was the perfect place to escape on weekends, although for our daily lives, I preferred the elegance and lighter colours we had chosen for our new home.

It was getting late and Elliot and Kate had great plans for us for the weekend, so after a cup of hot chocolate served to us by Mrs Bentley—who watched over the house with her husband—we went to bed. I tried to ignore Ethan and Mia stepping into the same bedroom, knowing I'd get an earful from my fiancée if I complained.

The next morning, Anastasia and I got up as early as usual. We weren't the only ones though, and soon enough we'd been joined by the rest of the party.

The first thing on the agenda was a hike in the woods. Gail had packed appropriate clothes and shoes for us, so we had everything we needed for a pleasant walk through the local trails. I suspected half of our companions weren't as fond of the greenery as Anastasia and I were, so I appreciated their effort to join us in an activity we enjoyed.

After lunch, we went our separate ways. Elliot and Ethan took me fishing, while the women dragged Anastasia to town for some shopping. After the last few weeks, my sunshine was probably exhausted of shopping, but Mia and Kate still managed to convince her.

While Ryan accompanied the girls, Reynolds drove us and our fishing gear to one of my favourite spots on the Roaring Fork river.

"You fished around here before?" I ask Ethan as we settled on the bank.

"Here, no. But around the Yakima. My dad's a big fan."

"He is?"

Of course, I had known Eamon Kavanagh for a while, but I hadn't been aware he was fond of fishing. We usually discussed business as I was poor at small talk, and while we'd met outside the office a few times since Kate and Ethan came into our lives, we mostly exchanged pleasantries and stuck to our own age groups.

"Yeah. Dad told me you're working with him," Ethan commented.

I nodded. "GEH is updating his fibre-optic network."

"He's pleased."

So was I. "I enjoy working with him. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

"He says the same about you."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Our conversation reached a lull then. Fishing is, of course, a silent activity if you don't want to scare away the fish. Nonetheless, it was a strangely pleasant way to get at ease with someone else. It had worked with Ray and me, and now it seemed to work with Ethan and the overprotective older brothers of the girls he was dating. If Mia had to date someone, Ethan wasn't a terrible option. Of course, this conclusion didn't come from spending a couple of hours fishing in silence; after all, I'd known him for months. Rather, the tranquil environment seemed to have helped me become at peace with the fact.

After we'd caught a few fish and some hours had passed by, we were ready to return home to our girls. We packed up and climbed back into my pickup, and soon enough Reynolds had us back at my holiday house.

Anastasia welcomed me back home with a wide smile, a scrunched nose, and a refusal to kiss me while I stunk like fish. She did agree to join me in a bath after I'd had a quick shower to get rid of the smell.

"Those girls are brutal. My feet are killing me," complained Anastasia as she climbed into the bath. Thus, I sat in front of her instead of behind her, and I massaged her feet as she relaxed in the warm bath.

"Trying to spend more time with our friends has proved to be a bad idea," she whined. "It would seem now they think we're outgoing and happy to share most of our time with them."

"Indeed," I agreed. "Life was easier when I was considered disagreeable."

It had the intended effect. Anastasia chuckled and her face relaxed.

"I can consider you disagreeable every now and then if it'll make you feel better," she proposed.

I tickled her feet and joked, "You should add it to your vows."

After a while, the water grew cold. Once Anastasia had washed her hair in the shower, she left me to my own devices, as she'd promised the girls she'd get ready with them in Ros and Gwen's room. I simply put on black slacks and a light blue shirt Gail had packed for me and then joined Ethan and Elliot downstairs in the living room, where they were watching a basketball game.

The day wasn't over yet and I wasn't looking forwards to a night out, although it would have been worst with stripers and without Anastasia. All in all, Elliot and Kate seemed willing to respect our wishes. They could have dragged us to a place like Vegas, in separate parties, insisting we celebrate a last night out as bachelors, but instead, they'd planned a weekend for us to spend together and celebrate our coming nuptials.

"Thanks for today, Elliot," I told him as we watched the game.

"No problem, bro. It's been fun. But don't thank me yet! The night's still young!"