50 Shades Deeper

Surprise

((OMG I'm so sorry an update took this long, soo much has happened and life just got in the way. Here is a well deserved chapter.

READ THE END NOTE

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!))

"Do I look okay?" I turn to the side looking as Christian who is finishing getting ready. He is fumbling with his tie.

"Do you really need a tie? It's just the family."

"Well, maybe I want to look presentable." He rests his hip against the counter and crosses his arms, his shirt collar flipped up. I laugh and take a giant step to reach him.

"Babe, you could show up in a brown sack and flip flops and they wouldn't care. I honestly think you are too dressed up for this." I reach for his tie.

"Just make me look presentable, Wench, it's a first impression all over again." I tug his tie loose and slip it off his neck. After I flip the collar down, I pat his chest and smile.

"There you go, you're presentable." I hear my phone go off with a text message and as I turn around, his hand connects with my back side.

"I've missed that." He winks before leaving me alone in the bathroom. After rolling my eyes, I look down at my phone, reading over the message from Gail.

Dinner is ready, kids are suspicious, family said they would be here soon.

I send a quick response back, asking for a notification for when the family gets there. I follow my husband's footsteps and find him in the kitchen a freshly poured glass of whiskey in his hand. I scrunch my face up. I've never liked that stuff and I didn't think Christian did either.

"Since when do you drink that?" I ask as he downs the glass. He scrunches his face up and licks his lips.

"I have no clue." He shrugs and places the glass down. "Ever since I got home, I've had at least one glass a night. Gail did tell me I never did that before the accident, but I seemed to have developed a craving for it."

"Oh. Okay." I pick up the bottle and read the label. I think we have an old bottle of this back at the house.

"I know you are getting tired of me asking this, but when are we going to leave?" Christian groans and encircles me in his arms. I slip my hands through his belt loops and open my mouth to answer.

The phone goes off.

"Now, I guess." I look down at the phone and, sure enough, there is a message from Gail telling me that the Trevelyan-Grey's have arrived.

"I'm nervous." Christian murmurs as Taylor turns on our street. I pull our intertwined hands up to my lips and place a gentle kiss on the back of his hand.

"There's no need to be."

"How are the kids going to react? How will my parents react? Is this the kind of information that should be a surprise? We told the office, full of people I have no relation to and probably couldn't care less about the state of my health, before my own family." I didn't think about it like that.

"The kids will be overjoyed, same with your parents. Everyone will just be happy to have you back." I smile and smooth my hand over his hair, loving the feeling of the clean strands beneath my fingertips. "I know I am." Christian remains silent and his grip on my hand tightens. Taylor pulls the car to a stop and kills the engine.

"Last time I was this nervous it was our wedding day."

"Well you aren't making a lifelong commitment tonight." I laugh and kiss his cheek. "Let's get in there." Christian smiles back and opens his door. I know he always insist on being the gentleman and open my door, but I don't want to take that time because I'm really hungry and I want the family to be together again.