Chapter 5

Ana

I really thought I went camping, but maybe I dreamed that. I'm probably at Escala right now. I'm never this warm when I camp. Maybe I let Christian talk me out of it, and maybe he was right, because I'm so cozy right now.

And yet, when I open my eyes, I see the ceiling of a tent, not a luxury apartment building. But its usual occupant is inside the sleeping bag with me, snoring softly with his face against my neck. Ah. The Christian effect. My former tentmate was more of a wham, bam, separate sleeping bag kind of guy, and then I'd shiver my way through the night.

Things are different now. Different age, different guy, heart expanded in unimaginable ways. Happy birthday to me. Twenty-four is off to a rollicking start. Because I have you.

There's some cold, unfamiliar feeling against my chest, but it's external, not emotional. I wrestle my hand out of the sleeping bag and… holy shit. Now this, I swear I thought was a dream. Christian did not give me a giant hunk of diamond for my birthday, that's just too ridiculous. Grey diamond. Heart-shaped. When I dreamed about getting a Grey heart, this isn't exactly what I meant. But trust him to figure out the only way to give me something of this magnitude without it completely freaking me out. Yes, it's extravagant in the extreme, especially for someone he's been dating a month, but it's also… thoughtful. And so very Christian. And if I were to deny this, I'd be denying his heart, and that's just never going to happen. Well-played, Grey.

I hear rustling outside and I'm reminded that we have company. It's so easy to forget when I'm wrapped up in his arms, but now a particularly frustrating detail from last night resurfaces. I slowly untangle myself from him, laughing to myself at the usual groan when he realizes in unconsciousness that I'm leaving. Sorry. I have to avenge you. I kiss his stubbly cheek and duck out of the tent, zipping it closed behind me to protect him from all the critters.

Marty is building a fire and Ray is nowhere to be seen, which is probably for the best. Marty is a better way into this conversation. She stops and smiles when she sees me. "Hi, sunshine! Sleep well?"

"Uh… yeah. Shockingly well. Can I—"

"Holy shit, what is that rock around your neck? Goddamn, is that real?" She drops the armful of wood she's holding and rushes forward, twirling my necklace between her fingers. "Oh shit. That's a diamond. Ana, do you realize that you probably have millions of dollars casually laying across your chest? My God, it's gorgeous."

"Yeah. I'm dating someone perfect, I'm aware. Speaking of, can I talk to you?"

She cocks her head to the side, probably thrown by my tone. "Sure. Everything okay, honey?"

"Not really. Could you explain to me why you and Dad kept bringing up Caleb last night as if he were a fond memory? And how you thought that would be helpful or appropriate on our first trip all together?"

She covers her face with her hands and sighs. "You know, as soon as I said that about your twenty-first birthday, I knew I'd put my foot in my mouth. I just meant to emphasize that camping doesn't have to be so primitive, but it was a horrible example. I'm sorry. Christian is a lovely guy and I'm glad he's here. Besides, Caleb was all about the big gestures without the little things, or anything that matters, to back them up."

I twirl the necklace around in my fingers now. I find that it grounds me. It's a reminder that I'm in better days. "Yes, he was. And I can understand how your comment was misconstrued, fine, but what about Dad? Caleb would have brought a gun? Caleb could pitch a tent? Okay, but Caleb also emotionally destroyed his daughter. Why is he being so hard on Christian and directly comparing them like that?"

She shakes her head. "He's testing the waters. Trying to push his buttons. Exactly why, I don't know. Some male thing, I guess."

"Where is he?"

"Replenishing our water supply."

"Well, as soon as he gets back, he's next."

"Who's next?" Ray asks, tromping through the trees. He sets the water cooler down and looks between us both, his eyes guarded.

I put my hands on my hips. "You are. Can we have a chat?"

"Isn't there coffee to make?" he says impassively.

"What do you know, I learned how to do that somewhere along the line in my nearly fifty years on Earth. You two have fun!" Marty says cheerfully.

I walk back towards the path from which Ray just came, assuming he'll follow me. He's playing it cool, but I know he gets nervous when his women are mad. Sure enough, once I stop in a little clearing several hundred feet away from our campsite, he's behind me by only a few paces. "I want to know what all of that yesterday was about."

"All of what?"

"Caleb this, Caleb that. Last I checked, that wasn't who I was here with."

He looks at me for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Just a few observations."

"Why? Why are you comparing them? And most of all, why are you making it seem like Christian is the lesser option? He actually makes me happy, which is more than Caleb could ever say."

His gaze turns cautious. "Annie… I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"What I'm getting into? I've only known him a decade, Dad."

"A decade ago, he wasn't the youngest billionaire in the world."

"You liked him when we all went to dinner."

"I didn't know who he was. I thought he was a guy with a rich family, blowing some money away to impress us for one meal. I didn't realize he was the power player that he is. That worries me. See, that's his idea of a birthday gift? How many carats is that?"

I sigh and tuck the necklace into my shirt. "Dad… like he always tells me, he's just a guy with resources, and he's using them to make me happy. It's… weird, it's different, yes, but I can accept it in this context. It's not like he gives me diamonds because it's Saturday and pearls because it's Sunday. It was my birthday. The first one we ever had together."

"He is a guy with resources. And what happens when he wants to use them against you, not for you?"

I gasp. "Dad. You don't know what you're talking about." Christian might lose interest in me, I'm completely aware of that, but I can't imagine a universe where he would actually turn on me.

"You might have rose-colored glasses on, Annie. I'm trying to be realistic. I'm not one to put much stock into social standing, but that man could eat you alive and never notice the difference."

"Yes, he could, but there's this thing that relationships are supposed to have called trust. I didn't have that with the last one that no one can seem to forget, and yet everyone seems to be leaving out that crucial detail. I don't expect you to understand our connection, because I barely understand it myself, but Christian loves me. If you can't respect that, you at least need to accept it. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop bringing up the past on our first trip together. I don't care if he can shoot a gun or pitch a tent. I love him. So whatever little test you're trying to put him through, stop."

"Annie…" His tone is one you would use if you were trying to calm a cornered animal.

"Don't Annie me. Respect my wishes or don't, it's up to you. But I'm not going to put up with the people who are supposed to love me disrespecting the person I love." With that, I turn back towards the campsite, leaving him standing in the woods. Hopefully, this gives him something to think about, and doesn't just ignite some stubborn, reactionary response. Come on, Dad.

Marty smiles and gives me a thumbs-up as I walk past her, making a beeline for my tent. I smile and roll my eyes. Yes, she's guilty, too, but it's hard to stay mad at her. At least she's being reasonable about it. I unzip the tent and find Christian half-sitting up, looking adorably sleepy and grumpy. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Hey, that's my line." He reaches up and takes my hand, giving my arm a jerk and pulling me down next to him, then rolling over on top of me and kissing me. "Where were you? I don't like waking up without you."

"Just… making sure there's coffee. And there is. I know how you need it to function."

"I need you to function. But coffee is good, too."

I smile, melting like butter at his casual compliment. "True. It feels like you're the only real requirement these days." Food, water, oxygen, Christian.

He kisses the side of my neck. "Did you have a good birthday?"

"The best."

He shakes his head. "No. The best is yet to come."

My heart skips a beat, like it does every time he references the future. But there's a prick of fear as well. What if we don't get there? "Well… let's live in the moment."

He's quiet for a moment, then kisses my cheek and sits up. "Then coffee it is."

We crawl out of the tent, greeted by a Marty smile. "Good morning, lovebirds! Sleep well?" She hands Christian a mug of coffee. "My camping specialty. A little oat milk and sugar to take the bitterness out of your morning." Wow, he gets the first round of coffee. She really is trying to make amends.

He nods politely. "Thank you."

We sit on the ground and chat while Marty starts getting breakfast together, and Ray comes back through the trees after a few minutes. Marty gives him her patented you-just-got-your-ass-verbally-whooped look. "Breakfast, honey?" she calls.

"Maybe later," he dismisses. "Thought I'd scope out the trails."

"I thought we were all doing that later?"

"Well, then, I'll get a head start."

I roll my eyes. What is it with men and admitting they were wrong? "Everything okay?" Christian murmurs in my ear.

"Perfect."

He gives me a questioning look, and I just shake my head. "Marty, this coffee is delicious," he comments amiably.

"Oh, you doll. Someone just got themselves first in line for pancakes."

We both laugh and I lean my head against Christian's arm. At least we've got one little unit. That odd one out… well, he'll have to get used to it.

Or he'll have to make everyone else suffer through his own internal chaos by simply shutting us all out on a group hike.

Marty, Christian, and I have been having a grand old time. We ate breakfast and then left for the hike up to the nearby waterfall. It was gorgeous. We took photos and even stopped and had lunch there. Meanwhile, Ray has been ten steps forward, only speaking when spoken to, and then only a grunt, and when we were at the waterfall, he decided to continue on and meet us back here later. Now we're all hiking back down, but we're not exactly happy campers. I can tell that Christian is bothered by his attitude, even though he wouldn't say anything, and I can definitely tell that Marty is going to have words with him later.

And honestly, I'm bothered myself. I know that my relationship track record doesn't give a ringing endorsement about my ability to pick them, but Christian is different in every possible way. Our social standing is worlds apart, yes, but it's not like I don't know that or I'm fooling myself about it. My eyes are open. I'm not trying to marry the prince, as Maya would say. I'm trying to love him. That's it.

So, the rest of us are just trying to make the best of it. Though, I've been retreating into my head more than I'd like to admit. I know that Christian notices, and he's probably going to pick my brain about it later. I wish I knew what to say. I'm having a great time with you, but I wish my dad wasn't such a party pooper and didn't think you were going to destroy me one day. Yeah, that's not exactly comforting.

We've stopped momentarily while Christian tends to the call of nature in the bushes. Must be nice to just be able to whip it out and go. Ray seems to have gathered that we've stopped, but he's still loitering a good distance away. Marty sighs heavily, her gaze focused ahead on his solitary figure. "I know," I mutter.

"Look, I think he's worried about you, as fathers are. But he's being a nincompoop about it."

"I know."

"Christian is a gem."

"I know."

"Anyone can see that he adores you. I know Ray can see that. He did before. He's just found something to stew about and won't let it go."

"Why can't he just give him the benefit of the doubt, though? Why does he have to judge him on what he might potentially do if he were the most evil version of himself?"

She shrugs and puts an arm around my shoulders. "I don't know, babe. Next time we camp, I'll just third wheel and leave him at home." She looks around. "At least the scenery is beautiful. There won't be wildflowers much longer now that it's September."

I take a deep breath and look around, trying to refocus myself. "Yeah. It's pretty."

"Holy shit! Is that a phantom orchid?" She points to a tall white flower off into the brush.

I squint. "Uh… I'm not sure. I can't tell." I take a few steps forward. "I'll just go look." Marty is notoriously nervous about ticks, but she loves a good orchid, so it's up to me. I tromp off the path into the forest a little ways. "It is!"

"Oh! Picture!" she says, with the enthusiasm of a little kid.

I sigh and take my phone out. There's no service, but the camera still works. I snap a photo. "Anything else, milady?" I call.

"No, smartass. Come on back." I see Christian emerging from his little trip just then, so you don't have to tell me twice.

I look up and see him smile. I keep walking, keeping my gaze on him. God, he has the best smile. He's beautiful, inside and out. And he picked me, baggage and problematic ex and grumpy ass dad and all. I'm so lucky. But suddenly, his smile falters, his gaze drops just a hair, and his eyes are filled with panic. What? What's wrong?

"Ana! Shit!" Everything happens impossibly fast after I hear him yell that. At the same time, I hear Marty cry in dismay. Before I even know why, Christian has sprinted over to me and grabbed me around the waist, whirling me around in another direction. Christian makes a grunting sound like he's in pain, and then I hear the sound of a gunshot.

I pant and look down at where the sound came from. There is a dead rattlesnake at Christian's feet, exactly where I was just standing a few seconds ago. Ray lowers the gun. Holy. Fucking. Shit. "Did it strike you?" he asks, addressing Christian.

"Just the boot. Not the skin," he answers.

Strike him?! "What the fuck? Why did you—?"

He looks at me incredulously, then interrupts me. "It was going for you, Ana! For fuck's sake, you're wearing shorts and we're in the middle of fucking nowhere. You could have died before we made it to a hospital."

"You could have died! Jesus! Are you insane?"

"Christian, are you hurt? Are you sure it didn't get you?" Marty says, getting down on her knees and rolling his pant leg up.

"No. I felt pressure from the bite, but it didn't break the skin." I wrap my arms around him in a vice grip as the gravity of what just could have happened finally hits me. Christian just jumped in front of a rattlesnake for me. I could have a full-blown panic attack at that realization. He kisses the top of my head. "It's okay, baby. You're safe."

Seriously? He thinks I'm worried about me? "Who cares? Christian, holy shit, never fucking do that again."

"Do what? Protect you? Not likely, Ana."

"We should get back," Ray says, finally speaking up. "Good eye, Christian. Glad you're okay."

Christian looks at him for a moment, then nods in acknowledgement, turning back to me. "Hop on."

"What?"

"I'm carrying you back. There might be more out here, for all we know, and your legs are bare."

"Christian, that's—"

"Ana, I can't take that chance again. Just get on."

I'm about to argue, but then Ray calls over his shoulder. "Listen to him, Ana. He's right. We're not far."

I look at Marty and she nods in agreement. I sigh and hop onto Christian's back, piggyback style. Marty pairs up with Ray, and they walk a little bit ahead of us, since Christian is now burdened by the extra weight of one human woman. "Listen to me. If you die because you jump in front of dangerous things for me again, I am going to kill you. Understand?" I whisper in his ear.

He laughs. "What a way to go."

"I'm serious," I plead. "You can't do that. My heart can't take it. I can't lose you."

"I can't make that promise. It wasn't a choice. I protect you from anything and everything in my power to. That's the deal."

"Can the deal be negotiated?"

"Never."

"I don't like this."

"Then do me a favor and never be in danger. The sight of you next to that snake took ten years off my life."

"No, not acceptable. I refuse to give up a decade of you. Not again."

He chuckles quietly and turns his head to the side to look at me. "I love you."

"I love you. And thank you for saving me, even though it was monumentally stupid."

"Anytime."

"I hope you don't mean that."

"But I do."

I sigh and rest my chin on his shoulder, squeezing my arms tighter around him. This was too much drama for one day, on so many levels. I see Ray turn his head to the side, looking back to look at us. Well, not us. At Christian. And if I'm not mistaken, that expression is one of… respect.

See? He loves me. To a senseless, stupid degree. Even if I don't understand why, I know in my soul that he does.

A/N: I'd appreciate your thoughts if you have a moment to write them. I'm going through a breakup (which is fine, it needed to happen and I'm not sad anymore!) and grad school is crazy and this is a lot more fun to do if I hear from you. Thanks. xo

One more chapter featuring camping after this.