Final chapter: The Long and Winding Road
Grace POV
Awaiting the birth of her first grandbaby carried her back to the days when she used to count the heartbeats thumping inside her womb. Glued to her phone like a second skin, Grace found herself bursting with the same nervous energy and excitement. Nothing else took precedence over checking in with Ana each day. And as her days filled with researching the latest gadgets and stocking up on newborn essentials, time seemed to slow to a crawl.
This morning, she arrived at Escala, her arms bursting with packages.
After Gail ushered her in, she made a beeline for the nursery. She smiled, satisfied, imagining their bundle of joy sleeping in the exquisite dark wood crib. She tucked in the blankets and fluffed the pillows in case their Little One decided to make an early appearance.
The animated voices of her son and daughter-in-law interrupted her reverie and drew her into the living room.
Not wanting to interrupt, she eased herself onto the nearest armchair.
The couple acknowledged her presence with a nod.
"Wait a sec-" Christian said, "I wasn't spoiled rotten...I was the most selfless child on the block." He turned to Grace for confirmation, "Right, Mom?
"Well...let's see. Yes, I recall a few times when you willingly gave your toys away to charity," Grace smiled knowingly.
"See, I told you," Christian grinned.
Ana pouted. "I don't want our Teddy to be lonely. C'mon, Chris, I'm just asking we keep our options open."
Ana took a breath before she continued.
"Remember the other day? You told me you wished you had known Elliot was your brother. You said you would have resented him less."
Christian let out a bitter chuckle.
"That was about me wishing we could have been close like brothers, but we were raised like rivals."
"Even when you played together, you nearly always wound up fighting," Grace mumbled.
"That's why I wanted to uninvite him from my birthday parties, but Dad wouldn't allow it. He'd tell me Elliot is the only cousin I'll ever have. I remember thinking... hello? What am I, chopped liver? I'm your only son! Remember?"
"Ana put her hand on her hugely pregnant belly. "No matter what you say, I still believe it best for Teddy to have a sibling."
"Hold your horses, my lady," Christian quipped. "Let's have this one first and see how we feel then."
Ana stood. Christian gathered her in his arms, and he kissed the top of her head tenderly.
"Actually, I'm not so sure it would have made much of a difference if you had known Elliot was your brother. It wouldn't have changed your dad's behavior in the least. He had no choice but to follow the script... your grandfather raised him to compete or die."
"Maybe. All I know is I'm the cycle breaker. Our kid will learn early on the truth about rat races. Even if you win, you're still a rat."
Grace smiled to herself. Her son's comment reminded her of Carrick's perfectionism and her own tendency to idealize the future. The apple didn't fall far from the tree after all.
"Very funny," Ana quipped. "I'm all for moderation...we can't completely escape our competitive society."
Christian let out a long exhale. "I know. Nonetheless, we will strike the right balance. We got everything we need in this room. We're gonna make it, babe...With your smarts and my charm, we will be winning the Oscars in the parenting category."
Grace and Ana shared a smile.
"Don't forget the World's greatest grandma," Grace said. "I heard you were lucky enough to have her dispensing pearls of advice twenty-four-seven."
"Christian," Grace suddenly spoke after a comfortable silence.
"Yes?"
"I've been thinking about what you said...about Elliot. You need closure. I wish I would have done things differently...but you know what they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty..."
"Mom, please. I thought we talked about you not blaming yourself for everything."
"Old habits die hard."
"Anyway, who knows what the future holds? This can't be the end. Elliot and I will meet again one day."
"Okay...where is it?" Ana wondered, scanning the room suspiciously.
"Where is what?"
"Your crystal ball!"
"I don't need a crystal ball. Common sense tells me this can't be the end. It's too anticlimatic."
Picking up his briefcase, Christian pecked Ana's lips, his hand going to caress her big belly. "You girls have fun with the nursery." He hurried toward the elevator only to double back to address Grace. "Don't let her overwork herself."
"Don't worry, honey, I'll keep an eye on her," she winked at him. "Really, we are not moving anything heavy, just working on the finishing touches."
….
Ana's water broke an hour later while climbing a ladder. She had foolishly decided to step away to retrieve a few things from her messy closet. The closet in question was the one deemed a fire hazard by Christian.
In the meantime, Grace busied herself with hanging the wall art, a framed picture of a mother giraffe and her baby. After that, she was to finish setting up the Moses palm basin. Ana wanted it resting on the opposite wall from the crib; Grace believed it needed to be moved to the master bedroom.
Most first-time parents, she reasoned, wind up moving the basement next to their bed. But whenever she tried telling her daughter-in-law this, she'd reinstated her intention to bring the baby back to the nursery as soon as he fell asleep.
The thought made Grace laugh merrily.
Aw, little did she know how hard those midnight feedings could be.
Her reverie was suddenly interrupted by the urgency of Ana's voice calling from across the hall.
"Ana! What are you doing up there!" Grace rushed over to her side. "Why didn't you call me?" She scolded her as they stared at the puddle beneath her feet.
"This was only supposed to take a second...besides, this is a short, sturdy ladder," Ana retorted.
"Oh, my God, you're in active labor!" Grace panicked, torn between calling an ambulance first or Christian. "Stay there, don't move!" She said, pulling out her phone to call 911.
After taking their information, the dispatcher assured them someone would arrive in 15 minutes or less.
"Oh, God, please make this quick and easy!" Ana bemoaned as Grace slowly got her down from the ladder.
"Not too quick or easy," Grace promptly replied, "We actually wanna make it to the hospital!"
"We have to call Christian," Ana said.
"Hold on, I'm trying to time the contractions," Grace grimaced, wishing she was better at handling high-stress situations.
There was so much to think about.
"Wait...where is your mommy's bag?"
Ana bit her lip. "I haven't packed it yet."
Grace shook her head in disapproval. She had gifted Ana a pre-packaged hospital bag with all the new mom essentials. All Ana had to do was pack her clothes in there, and she was done.
"Okay, let's hurry. We got to finish packing it."
Ana winced in pain, clinging on to Grace for support, "you do it."
"Me? I wouldn't know what clothes to pack."
"Grace! I just need to get me some morphine fast! Ana exclaimed, her eyes wide as saucers.
"But, honey, I thought you wanted...you said no meds..."
"Forget about that!" Ana yelled in a startling voice, "I'm dying here! Oh, God! Why didn't anyone tell me it would be this bad!"
After helping Ana into the nearest chair, Grace stood back, alarmed. Ana was in full panic mode.
Dammit! She had no freaking idea how to calm her down.
"Honey, it will be okay... it's not really that bad. Women had been doing this for thousands of years."
Ana gave her a murderous look in response.
"Yeah, and they'd been dying for just as long...and it's ALWAYS the women who die... haven't you noticed?"
It wasn't until the ambulance arrived that Grace felt she could breathe again.
"Call Christian," Ana demanded with urgency as the paramedics strapped her in a gurney.
"Yes, of course."
The paramedics moved at dizzying speed and departed for the hospital. However, somehow, Grace managed to get to the hospital at the same time as the ambulance. Not that she was speeding or anything like that. Come to think of it, she had no recollection of her drive there.
"Ana," Grace raced to her daughter-in-law, offering comfort, but Ana rebuffed her.
"You should have told me!" Ana reiterated as though Grace had betrayed her in the worst way. "Oh, God... why...why?!"
Ana screamed with the next contraction.
Watching her daughter-in-law wheeled into the labor and delivery room, Grace feared her son wouldn't make it in time for his baby to be born.
Then, a strange thing happened. By the time Christian arrived, a nurse informed them that Ana's labor had stalled.
"Why weren't you there with her?" Christian asked.
"Ana is mad at me."
Christian looked at her strangely before disappearing behind the nurse into the labor and delivery room.
Ray POV
Raymond Steele cried when he learned his first grandchild was born. The baby, a boy, was born a few minutes shy of midnight, weighing eight pounds 11 ounces.
Ray had camped out in the waiting room for nearly all twelve hours of labor. He'd refused to go home, convinced that if he left even for a few minutes, he'd miss the whole thing.
He was disappointed to learn that he'd only be allowed to visit for five minutes. Per hospital policy, the first 12 hours after birth were strictly bonding time for the new baby and his parents.
Upon learning this, he felt a cramp in his legs from all the hours curled up in the hard waiting room chair. While he waited, he sought to immerse himself in a book. His goal wasn't so much to pass the time. He was using reading as an excuse to avoid interacting with Grace.
He'd done a fine job of fooling himself, alright. All he gained for his trouble was a pound or two from all the coffee and snacks he'd consumed during his stay.
However, he didn't give up on the book until he'd memorized the entire first page.
This morning, however, was different. The waiting was finally over; after a night of much-needed rest, he'd headed to the gift shop to purchase flowers and a blue balloon with a spring in his step.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Grace approaching the elevator at the same time as he. Her hands also overflowed with balloons and gifts.
For a brief moment, they looked at one another and wondered who would call the elevator. And then, after a slight hesitation, they both reached for the button. Their skin made accidental contact, and they pulled back, a touch of electricity cursing through their bodies.
For the longest time, their eyes locked in stunned silence.
Her next words were completely unexpected. He had sensed her hesitation before speaking and couldn't help but admire her boldness.
"Are you happy, Ray?"
Everything was going well in his life, so in that sense, he supposed he was happy.
It was funny to him that she'd chosen today, of all days, to ask him that question.
"Well, today I was going to wear my lousy I'm-a-new-grandpa t-shirt, but I was so excited I forgot," he replied with a smirk. "I hope that answers your question.
Grace took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. For a minute there, she seemed to wrestle with herself until, at last, she spoke.
"I meant...are you happy with Marie?"
He pursed his lips, "Marie is a good woman, and her two little girls are the light of my life."
The elevator doors opened, and he gallantly gestured for her to step in first. This time, she quickly pressed the button to the lobby as soon as he stepped inside.
"Sometimes I wonder how things would have been with you and me," he suddenly confessed.
Time seemed to have stood still.
Indeed, as if propelled by outside forces, Ray's right hand moved to press the stop button while his other hand mindlessly released his packages onto the floor.
The moment their lips met, Grace heard a loud thump. At first, she thought it was her heart. But it was just the sound of the gift bag meeting the floor.
Their kiss was wild and desperate. There was no easing into it. Their limbs tangled and went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye.
And then suddenly, Marie came to mind and pulled away, leaving her confused and wanting.
"I'm sorry."
As soon as he uttered those words, she pulled back, stunned. That was the moment when he realized his mistake.
He'd taken what she'd offered selfishly, consequences be dammed.
"Grace, I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened."
Right now, the last thing he wanted was to screw up his second chance at happiness. Marie and the girls had come into his life long after he'd given up on love.
Even though he cared for Grace, any future with her was uncertain, he thought as he pushed the button for the elevator to resume its journey.
"I see," she murmured, ready to flee like a bird who has unwittingly come too close to a human.
"Grace, please understand..."
She whipped her head around to face him.
"Understand? What exactly am I supposed to understand?
He opened his mouth to speak, but she disappeared before he could respond.
I have made my choice, and I always stick to my choices.
Now that she was gone, his rationale seemed so hopelessly inadequate.
It was like that cheesy Beatles song he'd been listening to lately.
The long and winding road.
How many times had he been alone and cried?
Did she even know how many times he'd tried?
And how he was always brought back to the long and winding road.
Where she left him standing a long time ago?
When all he wanted was to beg her to come back to him and lead him back to her door.
Before he knew it, the entire song played in his head.
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Anyway, you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
…..
Grace POV
Six months later
Grace was a bit overwhelmed; as much as she enjoyed having six-month-old Teddy sitting on her lap, her heart and soul kept anticipating Ray's arrival. Much to her chagrin, the elevator incident had only intensified her feelings for the man.
This Christmas was so different from any of her other Christmases. This year, the family gathered at Escala. The intimate gathering was family only, except for Marie Kondo and her two children, who arrived at the party ahead of Ray.
Unlike previous years, they were being graced by the presence of Ava and Teddy. The pair had a knack for drawing oohs and ahhs.
Ana and Kate had hired a professional photographer to take photographs of their babies together and individually. Clad in a red acrylic yarn dress with matching booties and a Santa hat, Ava could have melted an iceberg with her smile. By contrast, Teddy, dressed in a green elf outfit, bit his bottom lip and pouted as if announcing the seriousness of his job as a toy maker.
At last, the elevator doors opened, and a long-bearded man posing as the Great Giver from the North Pole came forward.
Ho-ho-ho- ho!
Grace held her breath at the sound of the voice of the man she'd done her best to avoid in the last six months.
She and Santa stared at one another for a second too long. Before she knew it, Christian had come to the rescue, taking the newcomer to greet the children.
Teddy's eyes widened as saucers, letting out a piercing wail as Santa attempted to take him from his mommy's arms directly onto his lap.
"Sweetie, it's grandpa, it's grandpa! Ana tried in vain to console him long enough to snap a picture.
"See, I told you it wouldn't work," Christian said, taking a screaming Teddy into his arms. "He's too young... sorry, Santa, better luck next year."
Santa looked momentarily deflated. However, the feeling didn't last very long. The two young girls, encouraged by their mother, warmed up to him in no time.
"Hi, Santa," Marie said, introducing the girls by name.
"Santa, this way, please," Ana ushered Ray toward an armchair specially decorated as a throne.
Marie followed suit and deposited her children on either side of Santa.
"Ho-ho-ho! What would you like for Christmas, little one?"
Marie's older girl readily replied while the younger one studied the floor, which made the adults exchange nods and smiles.
"Maybe we should skip to opening presents," Grace said eagerly. Even though intellectually, she knew Teddy was too young to understand, she was just as excited.
She was a first-time grandma, after all.
It was then she realized her faux pas. She'd completely forgotten to get anything for Marie's children.
So, naturally, she pulled Ana aside.
"Don't worry. I got more than enough presents for the girls," she said, leading her down the hallway to a part of the penthouse Grace rarely visited.
"Voila!" Ana said, pulling out two Holiday edition Barbie dolls and effortlessly arranging them into individual gift bags like a skilled magician.
Grace thanked her with a hug. "Wow, this is nicely organized," she commented, noting all the neatly stacked clear containers with labels.
This closet looked nothing like the hallway closet Ana had asked her to help her organize a few months ago.
"Have you been taking lessons from Marie?"
"Of course not!" Ana replied as if she'd been accused of a crime.
Grace jumped, startled by the tone in her daughter-in-law's voice.
"Hey, it was just a question."
"Marie is with Dad now, but that doesn't mean..."
"Sweetheart, you don't have to explain."
"Yes, I do," Ana insisted, "I still think you and Dad belong together. Nothing will change that."
Grace thought about her response for a moment. Ana's loyalty was bittersweet. In the end, however, it didn't change a thing.
It just wasn't meant to be.
Those words played in her mind like a broken record whenever she thought of Ray.
"Ana. Your dad and I were NOT meant to be."
"Ana?"
They both turned to see Christian standing behind them, holding Teddy.
"It's present time... Everyone's waiting."
A few minutes later.
While the children opened their presents, there was a brief moment when Ray and Grace found themselves unexpectedly standing close to one another.
"About that time on the elevator," she suddenly whispered, "I don't regret a second of it."
He stared at her, speechless.
There. Grace smiled to herself. She wanted Ray to know that she was determined to live a life filled with no regrets.
Turning on her heel, she walked over to the appetizer table, helping herself to a small portion of everything served.
"I saw you and Dad together," Ana murmured, stepping beside her.
Grace hated hearing the sympathy in Ana's voice and the burden of trying to convince her that she was over Ray.
"Your dad and I had a nice chat as good friends. Believe me when I say there are no hard feelings, and we wished each other well."
Ana gave her a doubtful look, her gaze shifting in a different direction.
Grace followed Ana's gaze and noted Ray smiling lovingly at one of the girls.
"Those girls sure have him wrapped around their little fingers," Ana half-smiled.
Grace had to agree. Judging by his body language, Ray was very much devoted to those girls and their mother.
"They make a nice family," Grace murmured with a tinge of regret. If she could turn back time... she would have given Raymond Steele all her hours while she still had the chance.
A/N:
Re-read the Christmas chapter for a flash-forward into the future of our favorite couple.
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Thank you, all for your support for this story. There are so many of you that I cannot name you all. I can say, however, that the FSOG fandom is the BEST. I used to write for different fandoms until I found FSOG. This is home for me, and I appreciate every single one of you. My other profile is KZ4, in case you want to check out my older FSOG stories.
