Chapter 10:
Carrick Grey, the epitome of respectability and a highly regarded lawyer sat in the waiting room of Steele Securities Experts with a very calm demeanor. He did not demand to see Miss Steele without an appointment nor use the highly thought of name of Grey to gain entrance. He waited online until Miss Steele had a moment free. He checked his watch once more and noticed he had been waiting for almost an hour. He stood when his name was announced by the receptionist and was told that Miss Steele could give him at the most, 15 minutes of her precious time. He accepted it with grace.
Carrick was led into the CEO's offices and found it full of family photographs and a warm atmosphere, so different from his son's offices. He offered his hand and introduced himself.
"Anastasia Steele." The young woman replied with a charming smile. She offered him a seat, not in front of her desk, but in the lounging area of her office. "Can I offer you a drink? Tea, water…a bourbon?"
"Thank you, but no." Carrick said as he watched her take a seat in the club chair before him. "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Miss Steele. You probably are wondering why I am here."
"I am assuming it has something to do with your younger son." She said with a smile.
"You are a very astute young lady. But, yes, this does have to do with Christian. I wanted to see you and personally offer my sincere thanks for your assistance in protecting my son in this horrible situation that a business associate of his was partaking in. You saved my son a great deal of misery and probably saved his business."
"Mr. Grey, I did not do what I did to save only your son, but to protect my daughter. I am also assuming that you know about Trista and that your son is her sire."
"Yes, Christian came clean to us a few weeks ago about his secret child, your sister and his unfortunate relationship with Elena Lincoln." He watched her reaction and he had to admit that Anastasia Steele was one cool customer. She showed no emotion. She could be a great lawyer. "My wife and I were completely shocked and dismayed about Elena Lincoln and of course, appalled that we were such horrible judges of character. If we had known, Mrs. Lincoln would have been brought up on charges, or possibly, we would have attended her funeral. My wife is still wanting her pound of flesh where Elena is concerned."
"As a mother, I completely understand." Ana replied. "So, sir, what can I do for you?"
"Grace and I…well, we would like to have some sort of relationship with our only grandchild. I understand that Christian is not in her life in any way at this time, but we would like to meet her, with your permission of course."
"Mr. Grey, your son is not beholden to Trista or to me in any way. I will not force a relationship on him, nor do I want anything from him. I just want my child to be safe and happy. She has lost one parent already and I do not want anything else to upset her life."
"And I understand that completely. We do not want to force anything on you and your daughter and that is why I am here today, asking you to consider letting us have some contact with our only grandchild. We are making no demands, just asking you to consider letting us have a relationship with both you and your child."
"And what about Christian? What does he want?" Ana asked.
Carrick sighed heavily and with a sadness that reached his eyes. "Christian does not think that he is worthy enough to be a father. He fears that he would cause some damage to any child that came across his path."
"I would have to agree with him knowing his past and his somewhat unorthodox sexual tastes…not that I am judging. What he does in the privacy of his bedroom is his business, but if it affects my child, then I must be vigilant in my protection of Trista. Your son is a dominant and it shows in his personality, and it probably is good for his business, however it is not something that I would want my child to experience." She folded her hands into her lap. "However, I will allow you and Mrs. Grey to meet Trista but only at my home. We will have to play this day by day." She sighed heavily and cast her brilliant blue eyes upon Carrick. "If at anytime that Trista or I become uncomfortable or believe that you are challenging my role as parent, all visits will come to a stop."
Carrick smiled. "I can live with that, Miss Steele."
Ana stood and offered her hand to the barrister. "If you would leave your contact information with my receptionist, I will get back in touch with you for a time that will work for both of us."
"Miss Steele, I cannot express how happy my wife will be when I tell her this news. Thank you so much for even agreeing to this meeting."
"Ana, my name is Ana." She said with a gentle smile.
"And please call me Carrick." He shook her hand gently covering it with his other hand. "Thank you, again."
Ana waited until Carrick Grey left her office and she released a sigh of relief. They only wanted to meet with Trista and form a relationship. When she was told that the elder Grey wanted to meet with her, she expected to be served papers contesting her custody of Trista. She spent the next forty-five minutes with legal making sure that the adoption was solid. She went to her desk and quickly called Ross. "I need a complete background check on the whole Grey family, asap. I need to know what I am dealing with if my daughter is going to be around them in any way. Also, find out if Christian Grey is still in the lifestyle and to what depth."
"Got it and on it!" Ross replied. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
xxxXXXxxx
Nervous was not something that Grace Grey did. She was usually cool, calm, and collected. However, today she was to meet a very special person. A granddaughter! She fidgeted beside her husband as they drove to the address given to them.
"Calm down, Grace." Carrick said giving her hand a gently squeeze. "You have nothing to worry about. Miss Steele is very polite."
"Oh, Cary, I am just scared that Trista might not like us."
"What's not to like? We are charming and warm people."
"We let our son be sexually assaulted by a pedophile that we called friend. I don't think we would ever win a parent of the year award." She squeezed her hands together. "And, what about Miss Steele, what if she doesn't like us? She could forbid us to ever see our granddaughter."
"Then, I suggest you not piss her off." Carrick said jokingly. He looked away when his darling wife gave him "the look". Ok, this was not the time to joke around with his very nervous wife. He took her hand and kissed it as he kept driving.
"I don't know how you can be so… so...so…"
"Laize-fair?"
"Yes!" Grace exclaimed, filling the car with her voice. "Why aren't you scared to death?"
"I am nervous also, Grace, but Miss Steele seems to be a very nice person. I feel that she realizes that family is important. Don't worry, darling. Everything will be alright."
Grace settled into the passenger seat and calmed herself. "What about Christian? Do you think she will keep him from his daughter?"
"I think any relationship between Christian and his daughter will have to begin with him." He gave his wife a sideways glance. "And you my darling, need to stay out of this. If we push too hard, one or the other may balk. Let Christian and Ana decided what is best for the child."
xxxXXXxxx
The Greys sat outside the home of Anastasia Steele for almost a full ten minutes before they got out of the car. Grace had to calm her fears and the tears and Carrick was trying to calm her down. They found a charming home before them, neatly maintained and child friendly. She lived in Renton, Washington in a country styled two-story house with a big front porch that boasted a white double porch swing. A few toys were scattered about the porch which only added to the charm.
"She must be doing well." Carrick said mainly to himself. Miss Steele lived in an upper income neighborhood.
"This is so charming." Grace breathed. "Any little girl would want to grow up here."
Holding hands, they climbed up the three steps onto the porch. Carrick had his hand raised to ring the doorbell when the door opened revealing Anastasia Steele with a little girl on her hip.
"Oh, my." She breathed. "You scared me. I didn't know anyone was here. We were coming out to swing."
Tears rolled down Grace's cheeks when she looked upon the little girl. Big wide eyes the color of the sky tinged with gray and red-golden ringlets of hair that haloed around her head made the little girl look like an angel. She was a female image of Christian as a toddler.
"Excuse my wife, she is a bit over-whelmed." Carrick softly explained as he held Grace close. He, too, saw the resemblance.
"Please, come in." Ana opened the wooden screen door which was painted country white and encouraged them to be welcomed. They stepped into a small foyer and Ana led them into a lovely front parlor. "Please, be seated. Would you like a drink?"
"No, I'm fine. Grace?" Carrick answered.
Before she could answer, Ana took it upon herself to slip over to the drink station that she kept stocked. It was hidden behind a wooden panel that was built into the library shelves that lined one wall. She returned with a bottle of water and gave it to Grace.
"I keep it handy for this little one and myself." She smiled at the lovely lady who still had tears in her eyes. "I am Anastasia Steele, and this is my daughter, Trista Rose Steele."
"I am pleased to meet you, Miss Steele, I am Grace Grey." Grace offered her hand, and they shook.
"Of course, you know me, Carrick."
Ana sat across from them on another soft pale blue sofa. They stared at each other before Trista began to sing about an old grey mare. Her soft voice made the grownups laugh.
"She just learned that song today." Ana explained.
"She is beautiful." Grace said with adoration in her eyes. "She resembles her father."
The mention of Christian Grey made Ana take a deep breath. "I also see much of my sister in her. Aurora had lovely sky-blue eyes."
"We are so sorry for your loss." Carrick added quickly.
"Thank you."
Silence again fell upon the room and once again it was Trista who broke the ice. "Mama, I swing."
Ana smiled at Grace and Carrick. "Would you like to join us in the backyard?"
After an afternoon with their granddaughter, Grace and Carrick returned home with more hope and joy in their hearts than they had had in years. Trista was pure joy. They could tell that Ana was an excellent mother and that love ruled that household. They were grateful that they were invited into the family and was able to have time with Trista. It was agreed upon that they would have at least one playdate every week with their granddaughter and as time went by, they would be able to have her at their own place. They understood Ana's concerns and the need to go slowly with this relationship. Trista would need time to become accustomed to these new dynamics in her life. Also, there was also a security concern. Ana would never let her guard down since Trista had been exposed on the dark web.
"I don't know about you, Grace, but I feel that we have been more than fortunate that Ana Steele is Trista's mother. We couldn't handpick a better person."
"She is a very sensible person and very sweet." Grace had to admit to herself that she fell in love with Ana as much as she did with Trista. "Wouldn't it be grand if Christian and Ana got involved?"
"Grace don't" Carrick softly said. "We are not matchmakers. We are grandparents and let's leave it at that."
Grace only smiled. "One can only hope."
