Epilogue

Six months later

CPOV

Whoever said the sex stops once you get married is a lying bastard. I am not sure if it's Ana's pregnancy hormones or what, but we have fucked on every hard surface in the new house, sometimes three to four times a day. I can't even get through the door sometimes before she unzips my pants and begs me to fuck her. But in no way am I complaining.

Today is my last day at work before going on leave while Ana has the baby. She is begging for the baby to come soon because she is miserable. Today is Valentine's Day, and her actual due date is the 19th. I have a few contracts to finalize, and I will be going home early to surprise her.

I stare at the picture frame on my desk that contains a collage of pictures. One is a selfie I took of me kissing Ana's cheek as she is smiling. Another square contains my favorite wedding picture of us kissing with the sunset as a backdrop. The third square is a 4D sonogram of my son. Yes, that's right—my son. I am excited to be a father. The last spot is empty, for now. I will insert our first family photo in there as soon as my son arrives.

Last year on Valentine's Day, I was alone in Escala, pondering my future. I envisioned myself sharing my life with someone, but I didn't know who. Four months after that night, Ana came back into my life, changing it forever.

The intercom on my desk buzzes, and I hear Andrea let me know my next appointment is here. I tell her to see them in. Kate comes bounding through the door with a handful of papers. "Christian, here are the copies of the magazines you requested. What are you going to do with them?" I shrug and smile.

"I'm not sure yet. Set them down on the corner of my desk." The truth is, I have no idea what I will do with them. I will probably add them to the waiting area outside of my office as reading material.

"How is Ana? I bet she is ready for the baby to come out." I nod my head and point to Kate's round belly.

"Yes, she is ready. How are you feeling?" Kate smiles and rubs her six-month baby bump.

"I feel fantastic. Elliott rubs my feet every night, then fucks me senseless." I hold my hand up, silently letting her know I don't want to hear anymore.

Kate is now head of GEH Public Relations. She came to me a few weeks after Ana, and I returned from our honeymoon, asking for my help.

Flashback

"Mr. Grey, there is a Kate Kavanagh here to see you. She does not have an appointment." I am up to my neck in paperwork, but Kate doesn't just show up. Something must be going on. I check my phone quickly for any messages from Ana. I see none.

"Let her in, Andrea. It's fine." I stand up from behind my desk and walk around to meet Kate as she enters my office. I hug her and kiss her cheek.

"Kate, what's going on?" I lead her to the couch that sits near my desk.

"I need your help with something." My eyes widen slightly, and I wonder who it involves.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"I know Elliott told you about the problems we are having with my father. Today, he gave me the ultimatum of losing my job or losing Elliott. Christian, I am not leaving Elliott for no one, including my father."

"Alright, what do you need from me?" I get up and grab two bottles of water from the small refrigerator I have in my office.

"My mother, Ethan, and I have discussed this, and we are all in agreement. We want to sell our shares of Kavanagh Media to you and then have you force my father out. We each own twenty-five percent of the company, and it would give you the majority you need to take over. For my entire life, he tells me I am nothing and will never amount to anything. He tells Ethan the same thing. Hell, he has cheated on my mother, so many times, it wouldn't surprise me if I have several siblings running around that I don't know about." I sit back flabbergasted.

"I want that SOB to pay for what he has done to my family. My mother is ashamed to be married to him now. He signed a prenup and will get nothing with infidelity. Mom hired a PI and got video evidence on multiple occasions. She has been holding it over his head for years. Now it's time to make him pay." She sits back and crosses her arms.

"So, let me get this straight. You want to sell your stock to GEH, have me go in and force your father out, then take over the company?" Kate nods her head. "Then what do you want me to do? Are you interested in running the company?" She shakes her head, no.

"I am not interested in running the entire company. Dad wanted me to be a ruthless journalist, and I didn't want to be like that. I like PR. You can sell off every part of the company except the PR department. That is the division of the company I want to run. Ethan could care less about any of it. Mom just wants dad to get what is coming to him, which is nothing. Dad knows he will get nothing if mom were ever to divorce him. She has the papers already drawn up and is ready to have them served." I chuckle and shake my head.

"So, tell me about you and Elliott. What are your plans for getting married?"

"We are going to Vegas. I want to get this issue with my father settled first." I nod my head.

"Okay, Kate. Get me the paperwork with financials, and we will talk more." She smiles, and we stand up together.

"Thank you, Christian. You have no idea what it means to me that you are willing to help us out." She hugs me, and I walk her do my office door.

"I'm sorry he has treated you all this way. We'll get it sorted out." She nods and leaves my office. Over the next month, she bought me everything I needed to make a final decision on purchasing the Kavanagh Media. The company is very profitable. The three of them will make a lot of money off the sale, but more importantly, Eamon won't make a cent.

The day we walked into Kavanagh Media for the takeover, everyone's jaws hit the floor. A civil service officer accompanied us to serve divorce papers on Eamon while I informed him I owned a majority of his company, and he no longer would be part of the company. He called me every name in the book but remained quiet when Mrs. Kavanagh tore into him for his indiscretions. He was escorted off the property by security with a small box containing his belongings.

End of flashback

My next order of business before I go home is to check on the Ray Steele Foundation. The donations keep coming in, and they are all substantial amounts. Mom and Dad hosted a benefit gala and raised over two million dollars. She was also able to have many of Seattle's most excellent doctors commit to volunteering their time for the foundation. The schedule they have set up is working great. Ana will be volunteering as well once she is ready.

I send a few emails and place some files into my briefcase. I can work from my home office if necessary, but I want to be able to help Ana once our boy comes. I lock my desk and send Taylor a text letting him know I am ready to leave.

Since we have moved out of the city, the ride home takes a little longer. I don't mind it that much because it gives me a chance to clear my mind before I walk in the house.

Taylor pulls into the driveway, and I see Elliott's truck in the driveway. What is he doing here? Taylor walks to his private residence as I open the front door. I don't hear any voices, so I lay my suit jacket across the back of the couch and take the stairs to the second level. I walk toward our bedroom and hear muffled voices. I realize they are in the nursery, and I quietly walk in that direction.

"Oh my God, Elliott! Hurry up! I can't stay like this forever!" That is Ana's voice. I stop just outside the door and continue to listen.

"Oh come on, banana, doesn't it feel good?" What the fuck are they doing? I don't want to hear anymore, so I barge into the room.

"What the fuck is going on here?" I look at Ana, and her eyes are wide. She looks beautiful in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt that outlines her baby bump. She has her hair on top of her head in a bun, with tendrils framing her face. I see her arms above her head, holding what appears to be some type of shelving.

"Hey, bro! You are just in time. Take over for Ana; I think I have tired her out." The bastard chuckles, and I wish I could smash my fist into his cocky grin.

"You are home early, baby. I asked Elliott to install some shelving in here, and he finally came by today. Can you help me a little bit here? My arms are tired, and my back is sore." She pouts and sticks her lower lip out. I lean down and kiss her, taking her lower lip into my mouth. Once I take her place, she waddles over to the rocking chair and sits down.

"Ah, this feels much better." She leans her head back and closes her eyes.

Elliott takes a few more minutes to finish things up. "All done, Ana. Do you need anything else?" I shake my head, no.

"I can handle things here, Elliott. Thanks for stopping by." He laughs at me and punches me on my arm.

"Christian, you don't know how to use a hammer. Call me if she needs anything else done." He reaches down for his tools and starts to leave the room.

"I can use the hammer to smash your head in, fucker." Ana laughs, and Elliott pouts as he is walking out of the room.

"I can see myself out, see you guys later." He leaves us alone, and I kneel in front of her.

"How was your day?" I take one of her feet in my hands and rub it. She moans in appreciation as I switch to the other foot.

"It was going great until Elliott stopped by. I told him you could help him once you got home, but he was in a hurry to get it done." I slide my hands up Ana's legs and rest them on her bump.

"How is our jellybean?" She smiles and moves my hand to a spot on her stomach. I can feel him kicking my hand. I look at Ana and smile.

"He's been trying out for the soccer team all day. I hope he makes the team soon because I can't stand too much more of him kicking the shit out of me." I rest my head on her belly, and she runs her fingers through my hair.

"I love you, Ana." I pull her shirt up and kiss her bare stomach. I feel the baby kick me back and Ana winces. I put my mouth against her body and talk to my son. "Hey, little guy. We can't wait to meet you. But until then, take it easy on your mommy." I place soft kisses all over Ana's belly until I hear her groan.

"Ana, are you sure you are okay?" She nods her head.

"Yes, I need to lay down for a little while. My lower back is killing me. Can you lay with me?" I help her out of the chair.

"Of course. Come on, let's take a nap. Then we can eat dinner and celebrate our first Valentine's day together." Ana puts her arms around me, and we walk together to our room.

I wake up from the nap to find Ana hunched over the side of the bed, holding her stomach. "Baby? What is it?" She is taking deep breaths, and I think she is having a contraction. I give her a few minutes to let it pass.

"I have been having these off and on for about an hour. I need to use the bathroom, can you help me up, please?" I jump out of bed and help her up. She starts to walk but stops suddenly.

"Oh shit." She looks down at the floor, and I look for whatever she is talking about.

"What is it, Ana?"

"I think my water just broke." I gulp down some air and grab my phone.

"We need to call the doctor." She grabs my arm, preventing me from making the call.

"No, I need to use the bathroom first. I have been timing the pains, and they are about ten minutes apart. There is no need to panic, okay? Now please help me to the bathroom." How can she be calm right now? We have to get to the hospital. We can't have the baby here!

"Christian, please. Calm the fuck down. I already have our bags packed. Let me go to the damn bathroom, and we can leave, okay?" Oh crap. The attitude has already started. Next, she will tell me how much she hates me or how we will never have sex again.

"Okay, baby. I'm sorry. Let's get you to the bathroom." I help her get undressed, and she relieves herself. I stand outside the door to give her some privacy until she calls me back in to help her up.

"Can you wet a washcloth with warm water? I want to clean myself off a little bit before we go." I think we should leave now, but I won't tell her that. I grab a cloth from the cabinet and wet it. I hand it over and run to the closet to grab us some clothes to wear to the hospital.

I come back and see her drying herself off. I hand over some underwear and yoga pants along with one of my shirts. I grab our bags and put my arm around her to help support her as we descend the stairs. I text Taylor as soon as Ana started getting ready, and I see him waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs.

"Can you take our bags? I'm going to help Ana." He reaches for the bags and walks out in front of us. Ana had a contraction while walking to the car, and she doubles over in pain. I hold her tight to help support her as the contraction subsides.

"Oh fuck, that was intense," Ana curses out as we walk the rest of the way to the car. Taylor has loaded our bags in the back, and I help Ana slide into the backseat.

"Don't waste any time getting the hospital," I tell Taylor as he leaves the driveway. Ana has another contraction before we go, which puts them about 5 minutes apart.

"Baby, what can I do?" She shakes her head.

"Just keep holding my hand," she says and starts laughing.

"What is so funny?" I ask while rubbing her hand with my fingers.

"What a way to spend Valentine's Day." She leans her head back and takes a few deep breaths.

I lean over and kiss her cheek. "This is the best day ever, Ana. We are getting ready to bring our son into the world. It will, without a doubt, be one to remember." I smile at her, and she smiles back.

I look out the front window and see Taylor exiting the freeway toward the hospital. "Ana, should we call Dr. Green and give her a heads up?" She doesn't answer. Instead, her head goes down, and she wraps her arms around her stomach. I check my watch, and contractions are still about five minutes apart. I feel her stomach, and it's hard as a rock.

Once the contraction passes, she tells me the staff will take care of paging Dr. Green. I still want to call her and let her know we are on the way to the hospital. I don't want there to be any delay once we get there.

"If it will make you feel better, go ahead and call her," Ana says while leaning her head on my shoulder.

"I only want to make sure there will be a minimal delay when we get to the hospital. You seem to be progressing quickly, and I don't want an intern to deliver my son." I reach in my pocket for my phone just as Ana has another contraction.

I dial Dr. Green's cell phone number, and she answers after a few rings. "Dr. Green, Christian Grey here. Ana is in labor, and we are on the way to the hospital. How soon can you get there?" I check my watch, and Ana's contractions are now four minutes apart, and we are approaching the entrance to the hospital.

"Christian, I am already at Seattle Gen. I am on call, and I had another patient go into labor. Has Ana's water broken yet, and how far apart are the contractions?" I answer her questions and tell her we are pulling up to the Emergency entrance. She tells me they will send Ana straight up to Labor and Delivery once they see she is pregnant.

"Thank you, Dr. Green. See you in a few minutes." I end the call and shove my phone back in my pocket.

"Dr. Green is already here, and she will be waiting for us. How are the contractions?" I reach for her hand, and her palms are sweaty.

"They hurt like hell and are closer together. I think he's in a hurry to make an appearance." She chuckles, and I kiss her temple.

"We are here, do you want to ride in a wheelchair?" She nods her head, and Taylor meets me at the car door with one. I open the door and guide Ana into the wheelchair.

We stop at the reception desk, and once Ana gives her name, they send her upstairs. Dr. Green is at the nurse's station when we get off the elevator, and she walks over to meet us.

"This is not how I envisioned spending Valentine's Day. How about you, Ana?" Ana shakes her head as she works through another contraction. "Alright, let's get you to a room and see how much you have dilated. Based on how you look, I'd say you are almost ready."

Ana's hair is sweat-soaked, and she is breathing through another contraction. We get her moved onto the bed and changed into a gown. Dr. Green examines her quickly and determines she has dilated to eight centimeters.

"Ana, you are at the point where you need to decide on having an epidural or not. Your labor seems to be progressing quickly, but I am not sure how much pain you will be able to tolerate. I need an answer from you now." I look at Ana's face, and she is chewing her bottom lip.

"Talk to me, what is on your mind." I brush the hair back from her face and rub my thumb down her cheek.

"I am scared, Christian. I want to try without an epidural, but these contractions are pretty sharp, and I am sure the pain will only get worse." I smile at her bravery, but I am scared, too.

"I will support you in whatever you decide, Ana. The only thing I can't do is take the pain away, no matter how bad I want to." Before she answers, another contraction comes. I watch the movement on the baby monitor. The lines on the paper go crazy, and then they slowly go back to normal.

"I will go without it. By the time the anesthesiologist gets here, it will be too late." Dr. Green nods her head and checks the fetal monitor. His heart rate is steady and strong.

"What can I do?" I sit down on the bed beside Ana and take her in my arms the best I can. I massage my hands up and down her back, paying more attention to her lower back. She groans in appreciation, and I continue until she has another contraction. "That's it; you're doing great." She nods her head, and I help her lay back on the bed.

I take a wet cloth and wipe the sweat from her face. "Can you look in my bag and grab a hair tie? I need my hair out of my face." I nod and reach into the side pocket of her travel bag. I hand it over, and she puts her hair into a messy bun. The nurse comes back into the room with a large cup of ice chips. Ana takes the cup and puts some in her mouth.

Another round of contractions start, and I am mesmerized at the fetal monitor. What do all the numbers mean? I assume the higher number is his pulse rate, which is at 146. Dr. Green didn't seem too concerned with anything right now.

She comes back into the room and checks over Ana again. "Well, are you two ready to meet your little boy?" I almost choke on my spit and look at Ana. She is smiling and nodding her head.

"Oh, yes. I am so ready. The contractions are closer together and getting more intense."

"Alright. Christian, I need you to help support Ana's leg from this side, and there will be a nurse on the other side.

"Are you doing okay?" I use my fingertips and massage her lower back as the room starts to fill with people. A plastic bassinet is next to the bed, and it's filled with baby items when he arrives. There are instruments, gloves, and other things, which I have no clue what they are or what they do. I'm sure Ana is familiar with everything, so I am going to do my best to help her relax.

"Alright, Ana, when the next contraction starts, I want you to push to the count of ten. Put your hands on your knees and pull them toward you. Our last measurements showed him at an average weight. I don't want you to tear yourself by pushing too hard, so if I tell you to stop, please stop. We are ready when you are."

I know Ana is already exhausted. I think she has been in labor most of the day but didn't tell anyone. I will have to talk with her about it later because right now it's not essential to know. About thirty seconds later, Ana pulls her knees wide and holds her breath, pushing through the contraction. I help her count to ten as my hand massages her lower back.

"You're doing great, Ana." I see her take some deep breaths as I kiss her neck as I take her hands in mine. She squeezes them softly as she tries to relax.

Ana pushed for what felt like forever but was only about twenty minutes when Dr. Green said she could see the head.

"Ana, I need to push until I tell you to stop. Once the head is out, I will clean his nose and mouth. Then you can push him the rest of the way out. You are in the home stretch now. Take a deep breath and give me a good push."

My body is overcome with emotion as I watch my wife deliver my son. Ana has tears streaming down her cheeks, which I'm sure is a combination of pain and emotions. She hasn't screamed out in pain as some women do. I also haven't got the 'I hate you for doing this to me' or 'we are never having sex again' outbursts.

"Stop pushing, Ana." I look down and see a head full of dark hair as Dr. Green cleans off his face and sucks the gunk from his airways. She tells Ana to push one last time, and he is finally completely out. "Congratulations! You have a baby boy!" Dr. Green announces as she places him on Ana's chest.

I lean down and kiss his forehead and then kiss Ana. He is letting us know he has arrived by squalling at the top of his lungs. They seem to be working perfectly.

"Would you like to cut the cord, daddy?" I nod my head and take the scissors from Dr. Green's hand. She points out where I need to cut. With one snip, I separate him from his mother. You're on your own now, kid. I chuckle to myself. No, you aren't.

The nurse carefully removes him from Ana's arms and takes him across the room to be weighed and measured. I put my arm around Ana and hug her tightly. "You did fabulously. I love you so much, Ana." I choke the words out and take her face in my hand. We are both an emotional mess as our lips touch.

"Does our family know we are here?" Ana asks after our kiss ends.

"I sent mom a quick text while we were in the car. I haven't checked my phone to see if she responded." I pull my phone out of my pocket and see several unopened messages. I open the one from mom, and she says that everyone is in the waiting room.

"Have you two decided on a name?" Dr. Green asks as they are cleaning Ana up. Ana looks and me and nods.

"Yes, we have." The nurse brings him over, and a blanket has him wrapped up like a burrito. She hands him over to Ana, and I take some pictures of Ana holding him. I hand my phone to the nurse and ask her to snap our first official family photo. This one will fill the empty spot in the frame on my desk at GEH.

"Everyone is out in the waiting room. Can I carry him out and show him off? I promise I will be back in a few minutes. I am sure your mother wants to come in and see you."

"That sounds perfect, thank you." I take my son in my arms and look at his beautiful face. He has a cute button nose like Ana. I wonder who he will look like when he gets older? He yawns and opens his eyes. They are dark gray now. Will they stay that color?

I hold my son tightly in my arms as I walk to the L&D waiting room. When I go through the doors, I hear my mother gasp, and everyone gets up to meet me. "Everyone, meet the newest addition to the Grey Family, Theodore Raymond Grey. He weighs 7 pounds 9 oz and is 20 ¼ inches long. He is completely healthy." I hear Carla sob. Through her tears, she asks how Ana is doing. "Ana did so well during delivery. Once we got here, everything happened pretty fast. I think she was in labor all day and didn't realize it or decided not to tell anyone." I sneak a glance as Elliott, and his eyes widen.

"You mean she was having contractions and shit while I was there? Why didn't she say anything?" Elliott asks, and I shrug my shoulders.

"I have no idea. We laid down after you left, and she woke up to intense contractions, which was soon followed by her water breaking. She is ready to see you guys if you want to go to the room. They should have her cleaned up by now." Everyone follows me out of the waiting room down the hall to Ana's private room.

Teddy, which we have decided will be his name, for now, starts to fuss, and I hand him over to Ana so she can try to nurse him. "We are going to the café to grab a small bite to eat, would either of you like anything?" My mother asks, and I shake my head no.

"Taylor is bringing a basket over from Gail for Ana and me. Thank you for the offering." She nods her head, and everyone leaves to give Ana some privacy.

Ana scoots herself over on the bed, and I sit down next to her. She gets Teddy to latch on after a few minutes of guiding him to her nipple. We sit in silence while watching him.

"When did you start having contractions today?" I ask Ana as she removes Teddy from her breast, much to his disappointment. I know the feeling, little guy. I can't wait to wrap my lips around her nipple and have a taste myself.

"After you left for work, my lower back started to ache. I thought the baby bump caused it, but it started to get more intense. I honestly didn't think anything of it until Elliott came over. I started to cramp a little, but we started to hang the shelving, and it took my mind off of it." She is patting Teddy on the back, and he finally lets go of a burp. She hands him over to me while she prepares the other breast to see if he wants to nurse anymore.

"I'm glad I came home early then." I glance at the clock and see it is approaching midnight. I lean down and kiss Teddy's forehead before handing him back over to Ana.

Ana looks into my eyes as a single tear falls from one of hers. "I have everything I could ever want right here, Christian. Whatever happened between us in the past was bringing us to this point right now. We are going to be together forever. I will only ever love you, Christian." God, this woman.

I take her face in my hands and look deeply into her blue eyes. "I know, baby. You mean the world to me. And now we have this little guy in our lives. My heart is overflowing right now. I love you so much." I kiss her again, and we both smile as we hear Teddy cooing. She removes him from her breast and hands him over to me.

I walk around the room with him safely resting on my shoulder as I try to work a burp out of him. After expelling some air, I cradle him in my arms. I look down at him and stare in love and admiration. "You are going to have so much love in your life, Teddy. Your mommy and I already love you so much."

The rest of the family come back into the room, and Mom is the first one to take Teddy from me. Carla and Kate check on Ana, and I shake hands with Dad and Elliott.

"Congratulations, bro. It only gets better from here. Sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and no sex." I frown at Elliott.

Dad shakes my hand and hugs me. "Your grandfather would be proud of you today. I wish he were alive to see you becoming a father." I nod my head, unable to say anything.

"Just wait. Your time is coming, Elliott." I point to Kate. In a few short months, you two will be in here delivering a bundle of joy. I look forward to it all, except for the no sex part. There are ways of working around that."

"Boys, talk about something else please. I don't want to hear about your sex life." I laugh and turn my attention to Ana. She is smiling with pride, and I walk over to her bed.

"Do you need anything?" I ask, and she shakes her head.

"No, I have everything I could ever want right here with me." I nod in agreement.

Life has a funny way of working out. Five years ago, I had no plan of ever getting married, let alone having a girlfriend. All I cared about making GEH successful. All it took was a beautiful brown-haired, blue-eyed woman to walk into my life and change it forever. I can't wait to see how forever turns out.

A/N

Well, that's it! Thank you all for the comments, reviews, and follows for this story. I will do some outtakes that will include their new life as parents, as well as Kate and Elliott's Vegas wedding. I have another story I am working on that will be called Healing Touch. Look for the Prologue and the first chapter soon!

On a side note, did you all notice that E.L. James changed her cover photo? She is apparently working on Freed from Christian's POV. What do you think of that? Will it be better than Darker? I love the mind of Christian! Bye for now!