A/N: It's been far too long, but here you go :)

Chapter 57 - Bookclub revealed

CPOV

"Baby, have you seen my light blue Versace shirt," I yell, my voice echoing around the closet. I've searched my shirt rack too many times to count now, and I can't see it anywhere. I only wore it last week so it can't be buried too deep.

"It's hanging up in the laundry room," Ana's quiet voice makes me jump out of my skin; her mouth grazing my ear. I hadn't heard her sneak up on me.

"What's it doing down there?" I ask curiously. It's not like Gail to take a week to get my laundry back to me, and the fact that it's here, and not at a dry cleaners is even more confusing.

"I was steaming the creases out after I washed it." Ana shrugs, oblivious to my confusion. "Here, wear this one." Picking a white shirt from the rack she holds it up against the gray three piece suit I've got hanging on a hook.

"Baby, why the fuck are you doing the laundry?" I growl, my protective nature coming into play. I pay good money for our staff to take care of all the trivial stuff so that Ana doesn't have to.

"I'm quite capable of washing my husband's shirts myself." She raises her voice defensively causing my head to jerk back in surprise.

"Never said you weren't babe, doesn't mean you have to." I retort, starting to get a little pissed off. She's heavily pregnant for fucks sake. She shouldn't be worrying about my dirty clothes, she should be resting.

"Every other mother and wife manage to do their own housework, why am I the exception?!" She scowls, turning on her heels and damn near stomping out of the closet. Seconds later the bathroom door slams shut. Well, that was random.

More than a little annoyed, I pull on my slacks then head downstairs but not before yelling at the bathroom door. "We are not every other family!"

Leaving her to get over her mood in the bathroom, I run down the stairs, not even registering my state of undress.

"Motherfucker!" I groan, standing on a piece of Lego at the bottom of the stairs. Damn those little pieces are lethal.

"Teddy, son. Come and pick your toys up!" I yell to the silent house. He'll be around here somewhere, he always is this time of the morning. That boy can never sleep in. I don't think he knows the meaning of it. Lately, he's been getting up at the break of dawn with Ana - who is having trouble sleeping. Maybe that's the cause of the mood. She's tired, exhausted and just downright stubborn.

"Teddy," I yell louder, continuing my walk across the sitting room to the laundry. "Fuuuu...arrrr out!" I bite my tongue on another curse as I walk blindly onto another piece; just as Teddy skips into the room.

"Morning, Daddy."

"Morning Son, pick up your Lego, please."

"Mommy picks up the Lego for me," he states, hands on hips.

"Two things Teddy. Number one, it's not your mother's responsibility to pick up after you, so pick up your Lego or I will throw it out with the trash. Second, if I ask you to do something, you do it. No excuses."

He screws up his little face and huffs.

"Now!"

He drops to the floor and starts picking up the scattered blocks.

"Good boy," I praise him when he's picked up every last little piece. "Now go and have some breakfast. Daddy will be back down soon to help you dress okay..."

"Kay daddy," he grunts, his forehead pinched in frustration. Good, grief. Did everyone get out the wrong side of the bed this morning?!

Francis walks in ready to start the day, a smile on his face. Not for long.

"You," I point at him, not exactly being polite but I'm too pissed off to care. "Why is Ana doing the laundry? If I find out Ana is doing your jobs for you again, you'll pay with your paycheck."

He stops, stunned. His eyes tracing the lines of my abdomen; reminding me that I'm shirtless, and he's gay.

"With all due respect Sir, I was threatened with my job if I didn't let her do the laundry. So I'm sure you can understand why I'd be a little confused right now."

"She threatened to fire you if you didn't let her do the laundry?" I ask incredulously.

"And the mopping and the bathroom clean yesterday. She's nesting..." He sings. "Either that or she's bored."

"Don't let her do it again." I shake my head. "Teddy go into the kitchen with Francis while Dad gets dressed. I'll be down soon, Buddy."

"Come on, Wiggle." Francis ruffles teddy's hair and pulls him along to the kitchen.

Immediately I head to the laundry; my shirt is hanging - still crinkled - on the rack. "Great." Fuck it.

Storming back upstairs I count to 10, I don't particularly want to take my mood out on Ana, she doesn't deserve it. She obviously wants to feel more useful, and I have no problem with that. It's just been one of those mornings.

"I'm sorry about your shirt. You have so many... I just didn't see the need for urgency." Ana murmurs apologetically when I enter the room.

"Hey," stepping into her I cup her face softly. She looks pale, her eyes dull. "Don't even worry about my shirt. I just want you taking care of yourself." My thumbs stroke her cheeks gently, my foul mood dissipating with a single look at her. "Promise me you'll rest today. I don't want to be at work worrying about my wife collapsing again."

She nods her agreement though I can tell her hearts not in it. I can practically see the thoughts of everything she wants to achieve today flicking through her head.

"Promise me," I demand, my tone firmer, grasp tighter.

"I promise." She mutters petulantly, and if she weren't so tired and heavily pregnant, I wouldn't hesitate at putting her over my knee.

"Good. Now give me a kiss," I tap the side of my mouth and angle my face towards her. Her eyes twinkle with a hint of amusement before she wraps her arms around me and reaches up to slant her mouth over mine.

"Mmm," a low growl escapes my throat as her tongue sweeps against mine, slow and gentle. The warmth of her kiss has my pants tightening considerably and it's not long before my hands are squeezing her bum and my hips are grinding into hers. "As much as I'd love to stay here and finish this off... I've got to get Teddy dressed, and Phoebe up." I mumble, my lips still caressing hers.

Pulling back I see that her eyes are still closed dreamily, and there's a slightly crooked smile on her flustered face. So fucking gorgeous.

"Don't forget we've got dinner reservations tonight." Biting down on her lip, her eyes flutter open, and if I'm not mistaken there's a hint of mischief lighting up those beautiful blues.

"Cancel. I think it's best if we start taking things easy. Plenty of food here. Besides, it feels like it's been forever since we were all home. Together."

Her forehead crinkles, and she opens her mouth to argue.

"If this has anything to do with my birthday tomorrow... I'm not exactly ecstatic about turning older, so don't worry about it." I continue.

"Christian, we are going out tonight if I have to drag you kicking and sulking myself... So, I'll be ready at 6.30."

This time it's my turn to open my mouth and argue, only she turns on her heels and leaves me open-mouthed and speechless for the second time this morning. Damn pregnancy hormones.

*.*.*.*.*.*.

"Are you sure?" Ros looks at me with an astounded look on her face. "I mean I'm grateful, but Sir, this is your..." I halt her ramble by raising my hand.

"Positive. All the notes are here in the folder. If you can get him down to twenty, I'll be a happy man."

"I'll handle it," she smirks, her eyes honing in on the Richard file. We've been in negotiations for months now, and while I should be there this afternoon for our meeting, something's been niggling at me all day and I have a pressing desire to get home and check on Ana. If she's running, herself ragged trying to organize something for my birthday tomorrow, I'm going to lose it.

"I have no doubt you will," I chuckle at Ros' eagerness. "Go easy on him, he's not as young as he used to be."

"Me, a ball buster?" She feigns shock, her fingers wiggling as she makes for the folder.

"If you need me, I'll have my mobile on me."

"Understood." She nods. "How is the wife? I'm presuming that's why you're taking off early."

Rolling my head from shoulder to shoulder I exhale. "Very pregnant. Very grumpy. Stubborn as ever and incapable of resting."

"Ah, the joys." Ros laughs. "Can't be too long now 'til the little fella is here."

"Just over 10 weeks." Collecting everything I want to take home from my desk I shove it into my leather satchel and make for the door; Ros hot on my heels.

"Well, tell her Ros said she needs to take it easy or I'll..."

"You'll what...?" I turn back to face her, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"I'll think of something!" She laughs.

"Good luck with that," I chuckle, shaking my head.

The drive home is relatively quick considering the time of day. I'm pleased to see that Teddy is running around the lawn with Bear and Sawyer, and Ana's nowhere in sight; it means she's inside, hopefully taking a nap.

"Daddddeeee, daddy." Teddy squeals with excitement when I exit the car. His arms are waving furiously in the air as he sprints over. Dropping down to my hunches I scoop him up.

"Hey, little man. You having fun out here?"

"Mmhmm, me am. We are playing in the sandpit building castles."

"Yeah, did you build a really big one?"

"Me did. It was bigger den da the house!"

"Wow! Is it still there? I need to see this piece of architectural awesomeness." I laugh, messing up his hair with my hand.

"No, the Pegins came and knock it down," he pouts.

"The Penguins?" I laugh, loving this storytelling phase he's currently in.

He nods enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear with pride.

"Well, I'm sorry I missed it." He hooks his legs around my waist and holds on tight as I walk us to the house.

"Me gon play with bear, daddy." He wiggles energetically to get out of my hold.

"Okay, buddy. You behave. I'm just going to say hello to Mom and your sister then I'll come back out and see if we can't find those pesky penguins."

Lowering him down to the ground, I watch as he runs back over to Sawyer before I enter the house.

Downstairs is quiet, apart from the sporadic noise Francis makes while he's baking. Poking my head in I acknowledge him with a nod. "Upstairs." He points upwards as he stirs something that smells like caramel on the stove.

"Thanks." I take the stairs two at a time then start walking the landing to our bedroom; assuming that's where she'll be. But I stop half way in front of the soon-to-be nursery when I see a headful of dark waves walking into the room's to connecting bathroom.

My hands fist at my side and my breathing accelerates with frustration as I take in the scene before me. Tools scatter the floor amongst a pile of polished wood. Nuts and bolts, piles of fabric and an instruction manual are resting on the carpet, and a sleeping Phoebe is snoring softly in her reclined activity seat.

"What the fuck is going on?" I whisper yell when Ana returns from the ensuite. She startles, her hand pressed to her chest, eyes wide with surprise.

"Baby, you scared me." She breathes. "I cut my finger... I'm just trying to put together this changing table." She explains, walking towards the instruction papers. "Damn it." She hisses, looking down at her finger when the tip of the paper starts turning a bright red. She's still bleeding.

Marching over to her I grab her hand and place the offending finger in my mouth, sucking the blood away and putting pressure on the cut with my tongue; all the while looking at her with narrowed, angry eyes.

"What?" She shrugs.

"How is this resting? You promised me!" Unable to stop the anger seeping into my tone. Inspecting her finger and seeing a hint of blood starting to pool at the cut again I place it back in my mouth.

"It's not as if I'm out running a marathon, it's just a bit of DIY." She rolls her eyes at me.

"Don't think I won't handcuff you to the fucking bed if that what it takes to get you to slow. The. Hell. Down." I seethe.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." She laughs, stopping abruptly when she notices I don't find humor in her response. "I'm pregnant, not on my death bed. Why is everyone treating me like I'm incapable of doing things for myself!"?

"Because, Ana. You collapsed not that fucking long ago. And if I remember correctly you were told to take it easy. This," I motion around the room. "Is not taking it fucking easy!"

"Don't talk to me like that."

"I'll speak to you any way I want to if it means you'll listen. If you're not cleaning the damn house, you're off at your damn book club until all hours of the night. You're tired. I can see it in your face. When's the last time you went to bed before midnight?"

She looks away from me, her breathing heavy. Oh yeah. She's just as angry as me, but I won't let this go. "If you're bored, I can swing by Grey Publishing and pick up some manuscripts for you to read, hell I'll go grab you a fucking embroidery kit or a learn to knit book. But I don't want to see you trying to build furniture, or doing laundry, or scrubbing the God damn bathrooms."

Her face snaps back to mine. "Yeah, Francis told me," I continue despite her scowl. "Until such time as the doctor gives you the all-clear to resume work and there's a healthy baby sleeping in that crib," I point at the crib across the room to emphasize my point.

"Fine," she holds her hands up in defeat. "Excuse me while I go find my knitting bag! There's a really nice fair-isle sweater I've meant to knit you for Christmas..." She grumbles sarcastically then heads out of the room.

For the love of God! It's like she's PMSing, only a thousand times worse.

Shooting a quick glance at Phoebe to make sure we didn't wake her, I grab the bloodstained instructions and set about finishing the change table for her.

After completing it, and trialling it with Phoebe - who woke up not long ago - and having it not fall to pieces, I clean up the mess then hoist Phoebe onto my hip and make for outside. Stopping at the top of the stairs, I look down at Phoebe and sigh. "Let's check in on Mommy first." Kissing her curls we head down the landing and into our bedroom. A satisfied smile curls at my mouth at seeing Ana curled up on the bed sleeping. I fucking knew she was tired.

Closing the door quietly behind us we go outside and spend the afternoon playing with Teddy in the sandpit.

"Okay here's what's going to happen little people," I clap my hands to get the kids attention; cringing when Phoebe laughs, her hands above her head pouring sand in her hair. "Mommy and Daddy are going out tonight, so Mommy will want you bathed and fed before Grandma Grace gets here. Can I count on you to help me out here and do as I say?"

"Me can do it," Teddy stands up and turns to Phoebe, who's is still busy rubbing sand through her hair. "Come on eebee, come on." He pats his knees for her to follow him like he does with bear.

"How about I carry her."

Guiding Teddy inside with Phoebe on my hip we head to the bath first. With the amount of sand Phoebe is sporting, if we ate first, she'd be eating more sand than food.

With a tub filled with bubbles, a spray gun, and the help of the colored soap crayons - Ana had the genius idea of investing in - I manage to bath the kids fairly stress-free. Apart from the incident which saw Teddy squirting Phoebe in the face with his water gun, there was minimal tears and the children are now sand free and smelling like bubblegum.

Wrapping them up in their towels, I take them through to Teddy's room, stopping by Phoebes and grabbing her pyjamas on the way, then dressing Phoebe, helping Teddy button his pyjama shirt and brushing their hair.

A job well done if I do say so myself. Here's hoping feeding time runs as smoothly.

I'm in the middle of trying to get Phoebe to welcome the spoonful of mashed vegetables into her tightly closed mouth when Ana walks into the kitchen and takes my breath away. She looks like a million dollars. No scrap that, she looks like five million.

"Baby, you look..." I take in her dress, words stuck in my throat. "You look amazing." I choke, admiring the figure hugging dress that shows off her swollen belly.

"Thanks," she smiles and does a turn on her cream heels.

"Mommy look bootyfil." Teddy nods his agreement.

"Thank you handsome," Ana walks over to Teddy and kisses him on the cheek. I can take over here if you want to get ready." Ana makes her way to me and squeezes my shoulder.

"Are you sure, we're nearly done here..."

"I'm sure. Go get ready." Ruffling my hair, she all but pushes me off my chair. "Thank you, for this afternoon. I needed the rest..." She admits, her expression showing a little guilt, her hand gripping my arm.

"That's what husbands are for," I lean in and brush my lips across hers. "I know I work excessively, but if you need me, I'm here. Always." Parting my lips, I capture her bottom lip between mine, savoring the taste of her cherry lip gloss.

APOV

Grace arrived half an hour later; just as I'm grabbing the kid's clothes from behind the sofa in the television room where I stashed them.

"You look stunning," she gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before passing me along to Carrick, who is dropping their bag of clothes behind the sofa.

"Everything is set, the kid's clothes are in that bag, as well as their shoes. Christian bathed them and they've had dinner..." I rattle off, causing Carrick to place his hands one shoulder.

"We'll be okay. Go enjoy your dinner and we'll see you there." He smiles fondly at me, easing my nerves just a little.

"I didn't know you were coming," Christian pats his Dad on the back, breaking Carrick's hold on me.

"How could I resist spending the evening with my grandchildren," Carrick answers.

The answer seems to satisfy his curiosity as he drops the conversation and moves to greet Grace in a warm embrace. My eyes graze the length of him appreciatively when he steps back after kissing her on the cheek, fixes his tie and buttons his suit jacket.

He wears a suit most days, but I will never tire of seeing him dressed up. He was born to wear a suit, and he never looks anything less than mouthwatering in them. Sometimes I still can't believe I am married to him.

It takes me a minute to realize that he's stopped fiddling with his clothes and is now looking at me, watching him. His mouth is slanted with a knowing smirk and his eyes are dark with desire. I can almost hear his thoughts: 'like what you see, baby?'

I most certainly do. "Ready when you are," he winks, and my body reacts, heating from the inside out. Straightening my shoulders, I move to kiss the children goodnight, then let him lead me to the car with his hand pressed firmly against the small of my back.

"So where are we off to?" He asks as we settle into the R8.

"IL Bistro," I smile, knowing how much he loves the food there.

With one hand resting on my thigh and the other clutching the steering wheel tightly, he speeds off into the city.

After thoroughly devouring our dinner; an assortment of antipasti dishes, with a variety of different breads and condiments, Christian encourages me to order something for dessert.

"I don't think I could eat anymore," I feign fullness, rubbing my belly for emphasis. "Why don't we go get coffee somewhere? I love the hot chocolates at 'The Georgian'," I suggest.

"You want to get coffee at the Fairmont?" He cocks a curious eyebrow. "Baby, the coffee here is just a good. Besides, I like this." Entwining our fingers, he lifts my hand to his mouth and kiss the top of my knuckles. "Candlelight, me and you alone..." He looks around the restaurant. "Well nearly alone. Share a tiramisu with me?"

Panicking, I rack my brain for a quick diversion. Shuffling closer to him, I kiss his jaw, cheek, mouth. "But if we went to the Fairmont, we could get our coffee via room service," I whisper against his lips. I can feel him smile, his tongue coming out to wet his lips.

"Now you're talking," he murmurs. I send off a text to both Grace and Kate while Christian is busy paying the bill. It's then that my nerves kick in, and I struggle to keep my hands from shaking.

"Maybe we should see if Mom and Dad wouldn't mind turning tonight into a sleep over," he smiles, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and leading me out of the restaurant. "I can think of nothing better than waking up on my birthday, in a hotel room... With my wife. No kids jumping on our bed trying to wake us up..." By this time we are out in the car lot and Christian, has me pinned to the car. "I could wake you up like this..." His teeth dig into my neck and his hands glide down sides, his thumbs sweeping over my sex. "I've wanted to ravage you all night, baby. You look unbelievably sexy..." He doesn't give me a chance to respond, his mouth hot and heavy over mine.

It takes all my strength to push at his chest and break the spell he's casting on me. "Let's go," I pant, feeling a little disheveled. He growls, literally growls, before biting at my lip one last time then opening my door for me.

The drive to the Fairmont is quiet; I'm lost in my nervous thoughts, Christian no doubt just in a hurry to get a room. He's going to be disappointed, but I hope my surprise will make up for it. Perhaps the 'room service' comment was a bad idea.

My anxiousness kicks into high gear when we pull up in front of the hotel. My hands are trembling and I feel clammy. I feel like throwing up.

I wait for Christian to open my door, not because I'm lazy, but because I could literally do with a hand getting out of the car.

"You okay?" He asks, looking a little concerned. Dammit. My nerves are showing.

"Fine," I smile up at him, hoping I'm better at acting than I am at putting together a changing table.

Needing to take charge, I link our hands and pull him towards the entrance. "In a hurry, babe?" He laughs, lengthening his stride to keep up with my pace, which is amusing considering the difference in our heights. Usually, I'm the one who struggles to keep up with him.

Bypassing reception, I head straight for the ballroom. As I'm nearing the door, I'm hauled back by my curious looking husband. "What's going on?" He drawls, hesitancy in his voice.

"I want to show you something," I shrug, knocking on the door loudly four times.

"Ana..."

"Christian..." I mimic his tone.

His forehead creases, and I can tell by the dark, disapproving look in his eyes that he's not entirely happy.

"I love you," I smile before pushing open the large wooden door and shoving my stubborn husband through to the ballroom.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yells collectively. Whistles, claps and laughs echo around the room; the room filled with all of our family, friends and work colleagues.

"Fucking hell, baby." I watch amused as he raises his hands to his face scratching his head nervously. "You did this?" He mutters, and I nod.

Pulling me into his chest he breathes into my hair deeply. He holds me for an age, then loosens his grip so that he can cup my face and kiss me soundly. The action is met by a round of wolf whistles and hoots, and a very loud Teddy announcing to the room that "Daddy is eating Mommy's face", which in turn starts a round of laughter.

Christian backs away laughing. "God I love that boy."

"Go mingle birthday boy." I pat his backside and push him towards the crowd.

CPOV

Blown away, absolutely blown away. I can't believe Ana did this. I was happy with a quiet dinner out with my wife, I wasn't expecting this.

I've been working my way around everyone for the past hour. Accepting birthday well-wishes from my family, staff and friends. I don't think I've spoken to everyone yet, but I'm ready to sit down and have a drink.

I'm heading to the bar when I spot someone I haven't seen for years. "Miss Kathie?" I choke back a stunned snort as I step toward my old piano teacher. "What? Wow. It's good to see you."

"Christian," she beams, looking up at me with pride in her eyes. "Still as handsome as ever I see. And with a beautiful family too."

I'm still shaking my head in shock. Of all the people who I would expect to be here, Miss Kathie certainly wouldn't have made the list. Not that I don't want her here, I'm just astonished that she is.

"You haven't aged a bit, Miss Kathie." I wrap her up arms and give her a genuine hug.

"That would be Mrs. Kathie now," she winks, and although I find it amusing, I'm still too stunned to react.

"Can I get you anything, a drink? Coffee, tea. God, I want you to meet my wife...she's around here somewhere..." I mumble, scanning the crowd for Ana.

Miss, sorry Mrs. Kathie nudges my shoulder and points up at the low stage at the far end of the ballroom. Plush red curtains fall from the ceiling, and standing in front of them fiddling with a microphone is my wife.

"Testing, testing..." She laughs when her soft voice gets the attention of the room. "Welcome everyone, and thank you all for coming out to celebrate my husband's birthday with me...us." She smiles, looking more than a little nervous up there. Though I'm not sure why because she's not new to public speaking.

"For those of you who know Christian well, you'll know that while he's a force to be reckoned with in the office and a voice that demands to be listened to, when it comes to being in the spotlight like this..." She shakes her head, "not so keen. So I'm sorry for springing this on you, love." She scans the room until she finds me, her eyes holding mine for a long second. Long enough that the room starts to blur out with the background noise, and it's only Ana and me in the room.

"There are no words to describe how much I adore you, cherish you, and love you." She whispers, her voice breaking. "You are my life, my love, my everything." I feel my eyes start to tear up, and if I weren't frozen in place from the intense look in her eyes, I'd be up on that stage with her in a heartbeat.

"I never imagined that one day I'd be lucky enough to find the one person in the entire world who makes my life so complete. Who makes all my dreams come true, who loves me with such passion, and intensity, that sometimes I don't think I'd remember how to breathe if I didn't have you in my life." I don't even register my Mom stepping up beside me and wiping a tear from my clenched jaw.

"What do you do for the man of your dreams on his birthday? I spent a long time thinking this over... And baby, I hope you like it... Because I know how much my going to book club annoyed you. I want to make your dream come true." She blows me a kiss and walks off stage, disappearing behind the curtain leaving me open mouthed and stunned for the third time today! What the?

Lowering my head to compose myself, I notice Teddy now standing at my feet. Needing to shield my emotions, I pick him up and hold him tightly to my chest.

"Hey, buddy. Having fun?" I ask, burying my face in his hair.

"Daddy me had chocolate." He informs me.

It's when I'm about to reply that the first notes start. I can hear the hesitancy and the long pauses. Looking around for the source, but not seeing anything I turn to my old piano teacher who is looking towards the stage with the widest smile on her face.

"She didn't complain as much as you did." She chuckles.

Snapping my head back to the stage I still don't see anything, but the notes become more confident. My stomach is buzzing with butterflies because although I can't see, I know.

'I'd love to be able to play a duet with my wife.'

My heart thumps in my chest and my breathing becomes ragged. The curtains on the stage are slowly drawn and I suck in an emotional breath as Ana comes into view. She looks angelic, sitting at the piano, her hands pressing delicately down on the keys as the notes to 'A thousand years' echo through the now silent room.

My throat constricts, eyes water. She did this for me.

Passing Teddy to Mom, I walk slowly, mesmerized, to the front of the room. She's nervous and hesitant, but I've never heard anything more beautiful in my life.

Unable to stop myself, I jump onto the stage and position myself behind her, kissing her neck and watching as her hands flutter almost effortlessly across the keys. It's sexy as sin, and I've never been more turned on in my life; no matter how inappropriate the situation.

As her fingers slow and the song is coming to an end, I straddle the piano stool and turn her face to mine, my hands cupping her cheeks.

"God, Ana. That was..." My eager mouth finds hers and pours every emotion I'm feeling into a devastatingly hot kiss.

Breaking away, she strokes my face then reaches forward to grab more sheet music from the top of the piano.

Placing the papers along the front of the piano, she positions herself further to the left; making room for me.

"I'm counting on the fact that you'll be able to play this from the sheet music," she points to the part she wants me to play, and although I'm still in a state of mild shock, and awe, I drag my eyes from her face and scan the music.

I smile at the song. John Legend's 'All of me', then settle my fingers over the first keys.

I wait for Ana's cue to join in. We play together, and it's magic. It's everything I dreamed of but never thought would ever happen. We play smoothly, harmoniously, gracefully; like everything else we do together.

My finger lingers on the last note, my head drops, and I have to suck in a calming breath before I can face our audience.

After placing a tender kiss on Ana's forehead I stand and face our family and friends. Applause erupts around the room, and I help Ana to her feet in order to take a much-deserved bow. "And that, everyone, is why I'm the luckiest man alive." Wrapping my arms around a very embarrassed looking Ana, I hold her close. "Book club huh?"

"Happy Birthday, handsome."