Chapter 16

Christian

"Don't go."

She giggles. "Christian. Duty calls."

"Duty isn't the word I'd use for shopping."

"Then you've clearly never been a maid of honor."

I snort. "No, I can't say that I have." I tighten my grip around her waist.

"Christian, come on, I have to get up!" she playfully whines. The combination of that with her proximity and ever-intoxicating scent sends a fair amount of blood south.

I nudge against her. "Weekend mornings, though, baby…"

"We have a million of those ahead of us. And weekend evenings too. And weekday whatever." My heart warms at the thought of a million. She turns in my arms and kisses me on the nose, then softly on the lips. "But I also have an appointment and you've already distracted me a bit too long." I think she's referring to her wake-up call, my face between her legs. She deftly unwinds herself from my grasp and bounds out of bed into our closet.

I lay back as I hear her rummaging. "Is Kate incapable of choosing her own clothes?" I grumble.

"It's not like she's choosing which sweater to wear to work, my love. This is her wedding dress. Generally considered to be kind of a big deal," she calls. Weddings. Dresses. Rings. These things have been on my mind more collectively in the last few weeks than they have in my whole life. And not just because I'm living with a maid of honor and hearing about all of her "duties," or because my family is over the moon that their wayward eldest son is finally tying the knot. No, I've been pondering, shifting… maybe even plotting. Imagining. Trying on the idea of me and Ana… us… more than we are now… and it's tempting, tantalizing, and terrifying. "What are you going to get up to while I'm gone? Work?"

She interrupts my reverie. The nerves these dangerous thoughts bring up in me is unlike anything I've ever felt. My mind can't go there for long before my nervous system starts to react. I'm a fucking CEO, what the fuck is there to be nervous about? And yet I know the answer. Pushing Ana away, losing her. That's my most primal fear. "I have best man duties." Apparently. "I think they include keeping Elliot entertained while he suffers an afternoon away from his beloved." But who is going to distract me?

She scampers out of the closet with an armful of clothes. "See? We have very important jobs." She flashes me a smile that would make me weak in the knees were I not lounging in bed and makes her way into the bathroom.

"Do you need breakfast?" I ask. Her needs are never far from my mind.

"No, we have brunch before the boutique," she replies through a mouthful of toothpaste.

I sigh and throw the covers to the side. Bed holds no attraction for me when it's empty. I push open the slightly ajar bathroom door to find the queen of the castle brushing her teeth with one hand and fussing with her hair with the other. I fold my arms and hang back, watching her in the mirror. "And why couldn't they elope?"

She gives me a pointed look in the mirror, then spits and rinses her mouth. "You know why. The Grey women and party-planning go together like peanut butter and jelly."

Well, my morning would be so much fucking better if Elliot and Kate were off to the courthouse. But no, my mother and Mia have to flex their event muscles. "This is one of those moments that I very much feel adopted."

"What are you complaining about? You're not expected to participate. Try being a woman in the bridal party. I'm expected to have very decisive opinions about flowers and seating charts and the cocktail menu and the centerpieces. Just because I'm biologically female doesn't mean I can tell the difference between a tablecloth in eggshell and ecru," she laments.

I laugh at her rant and wrap my arms around her from behind, pushing her hair aside and planting a kiss on the side of her neck. "I'm expected to give you up so often. That's my number one complaint in life."

She smiles and looks down, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "I'll see you later. Everyone at your parents', right?"

"Like you said, they never miss a chance to entertain."

"Well, in that case, I respectfully request that you vacate this bathroom while I change. I know what's going to happen if you see me undress, and I already have to get moving." My jaw drops in mock shock that I'm being banished. "And don't give me that look! If you recall, you weaseled your way into having me here all the time, so we can be as inappropriate as we want later when I actually have time."

"That's my spirit animal to you? A weasel?" I put my hands over my heart, feigning offense. I'd weasel you any day if it meant I got more of you, baby.

She taps her finger on her chin. "I'm not sure. A weasel isn't quite as easy on the eyes as you. I'll have to think on that." She makes a shooing motion at me. "Now get."

Such a mouthy one today… I spin her around and tilt her chin up, kissing her freshly minty mouth insistently, pinning her against the sink with my hips. She makes a little moaning sound and brings her arms up around my neck. Just when her fingers start to clutch at my hair, I pull back. "Fine. Laters, baby."

"Christian! Not fair!" she groans as I saunter out of the bathroom, smiling to myself. That'll give us both something to remember this afternoon.

"This is such a lovely time," Grace sighs happily.

She has us all gathered in the kitchen where she's been chattering about weddings venues and other such topics. I've almost surprised myself that I've allowed this level of family time today. Again, the Ana effect. I'm so much more content in life with her that even this feels less exhausting than it used to.

But still, I'm getting antsy without her. And it looks like I'm not the only one.

Elliot rubs his eyes and downs the rest of his drink. "Yep, lovely," he mutters.

Carrick looks between him and Grace and smirks. "A wedding is a lovely occasion, son."

"When are the girls getting back?" he changes the subject, his tone impatient. "How long does dress shopping take?"

"You can't rush those things, I suppose. It's a big day," Grace reminds us. Yeah, yeah, big day, lovely time.

Elliot sighs heavily and slides off his stool, looking to be heading for the bar cart. I follow and find him standing there, typing quickly into his phone. "I don't know what the fuck is going on with me," he mutters.

"What do you mean?" I ask, pouring another scotch.

"Everything is just so… intense. This wedding planning shit is annoying as fuck, sure, but I also just wish I was hanging out with Kate. Like, she's the only one who I'd willingly go through this for. But this is taking so long and I just… I miss her."

I raise my eyebrows. So, I'm not the only one attached at the hip to my girl. "You're preaching to the choir. Your girl keeps stealing my girl for the same shit." And it's not even for us. And I can't decide how I feel about that.

He appraises my expression with a half-smile. "You really are in deep, huh?"

"Oh, wipe that smirk off your face. You're a sap just like I am."

"Yeah, but I just recently learned that you have normal human emotions, dude. Let alone the way you look at Ana like you'd jump in front of a train for her. Or no, my bad, a literal rattlesnake." He nudges my arm and shakes his head. "Seriously, man… when's it your turn? You must have at least thought about it. You said the holdup before was that she wouldn't move in. Well, look at you now, living in glorious sin."

I clear my throat uncomfortably, taking a slight glance towards the direction of the kitchen to make sure we're out of all earshot. "Of course I've thought about it." More than I'd like to admit. "I'm just not sure… I'm not like you, El. Like you said, I'm kind of a moody bastard. I'm not sure she's going to want to put up with my shit forever."

He rolls his eyes. "Come on, dude. Ana is fucking nuts about you. You guys just have some weird connection that seems like it's sticking around for the long haul. I mean, sure, you haven't been actively together for super long, but you've been on each other's minds for a solid decade. Most people can't say that."

He doesn't have to tell me how resilient our connection is. I know firsthand. "I don't even know how Ana feels about marriage. We've never really talked about it."

"Nothing but time now. You guys are together all the time."

"Clearly not all the time," I grumble. It's been a long day.

Elliot's phone buzzes on the table and he eagerly grabs it upon seeing Kate's name. I have an urge to check my own just to see if there's a certain name on mine. "Holy shit, dude! Look at this."

He shoves his phone into my face, but there's no time for me to be annoyed as my heart stutters at the image on the screen. Ana, in a white gown, lace corset on top and a big tulle skirt. She's holding the skirt up a bit, looking away from the camera with an amused, indulgent smile on her face. She looks breathtaking. She looks… like a bride.

"Hey, breathe, dude," Elliot chuckles. He moves the phone away and starts typing. "They're on their way back now. Apparently, she thought it would be fun if everybody tried on dresses. Now are you getting any ideas?"

I wordlessly pick up my drink and go outside on the terrace. My head is swimming, and the chilled late-October air serves as a bit of a reality check. I'm not sure if I'm on the verge of a panic attack, a heart attack, or a breakthrough. Ana in a wedding dress is a brand-new tattoo right on the forefront of my mind. Does this mean she wants it? Does she dream about her wedding? Don't most girls? Then again, her parental figures aren't married. Maybe that's her idea of normal. What the fuck is my idea of normal? I've never been normal.

I don't know how long I stand out here, but my sweater is noticeably cool to the touch by the time I hear the car pulling around the front. My heart leaps when I realize this means that they're finally home, and I'm inside in a flash.

"Oh, come in, come in!" I hear Grace practically sing. "How did it go?"

"Well, she's found the one who's going to be her husband, and now she's found the one in dress form!" Mia squeals.

"Oh, Kate, how wonderful!" I wouldn't be surprised if Grace was jumping up and down.

I enter the kitchen just as they're arriving. Elliot makes a beeline straight for his fiancée and sweeps her into an embrace that would be considered borderline for mixed company. Meanwhile, I only have eyes for Ana.

It's almost like she has a particular glow to her that wasn't there before. She's beautiful every second of every day, from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to sleep, but rarely do I get to see her looking like the princess she just naturally is. Is this just because I haven't seen her in a dress like that since the night of the gala?

Sure, let's pretend it's just that it's a dress. Not that it's a white one.

She makes eye contact with me and smiles. We're both drawn forward as though there's a string tying us to each other, meeting in the middle. "Hi," she says simply.

"Hi," I reply, smoothing her hair behind her ear and leaning down to kiss her. "How was it?"

"Oh… a bit long," she admits, lowering her voice a bit. "But we found the one. So, a successful mission in all."

"And you… did you get to have any fun?" She cocks her head a bit to the side, looking at me questioningly. "Elliot received some photos from Kate. Looks like you all got to play dress-up."

Her eyes widen and she blushes spectacularly. "Oh, no," she laughs breathlessly. "It was just stupid. Kate's idea in passing and then Mia really latched onto it. She picked mine out. I wasn't, I mean, no, that was obviously not my purpose for going—"

"Ana," I gently cut her off. "I loved the photo. You looked… indescribable." Why is she so flustered?

"Oh, yes, Ana, that dress was made for you!" Mia gushes. "Christian, did you see? Wasn't she perfect?"

Her blush darkens one more shade. "Mia, come on. It was just silly and fun. That's all. Are we having dinner soon? I'm starved."

Well, she changed that subject like the wind. "I think so. I missed you today."

"God, I missed you too." She leans into my embrace and plants a few light kisses on the side of my face. I happen to glance up and see Grace looking at us with a grin so big, it looks like her cheeks are straining. She quickly averts her eyes.

I chuckle and shake my head. "Come on. Let's get you a drink." And let's get my thoughts on something that isn't you wearing white… That's the thing. She was perfect. And I'm really playing a dangerous game. Maybe one I was never supposed to.

A/N: Hi! What the fuck! It's been forever! I honestly couldn't believe it when I realized it's been almost a year since I last posted. Life had been so crazy busy. I was working two jobs for a while, but now I just have one amazing one with a very flexible schedule and I ended up thinking about this story again. I don't know if anyone is still out there waiting for this, but I'm hoping and planning to be back a lot more regularly now. I went back and reread both of these stories so it's all fresh in my mind (I honestly couldn't remember a ton of details and I do love the details). If you're still out there, please say hi and let me know what you think! xo