I, Anastasia Rose Steele, take thee, Christian Trevelyan-Grey, to be my lawful wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth.
I wake up with a huge fucking smile on my face, still hearing the echo of words from a really fantastic dream.
Ana is like a drug to me: she calms me, warms me, heals me, excites me - she completes me. I just cannot get enough of this beautiful, amazing woman. I didn't think I was capable of the love I feel for her. Fuck knows I don't deserve her but for some reason that I will never understand, she loves me. She wants to be with me and she's agreed to marry me.
And maybe, once we've exchanged our vows, and she's said the words 'for richer for poorer' she'll be able to accept the wealth and lifestyle that comes with being my wife. Maybe.
'For better for worse': well, she's the 'better' and I'm the 'worse' but I can live with that - if she can. I've always known it's true, so it's not like it's telling me anything I didn't know.
'To love, cherish, and to obey': I have no problem with that. I've loved her almost from the first moment I saw her, certainly from the first night we spent together - even though I didn't have a word for what I was feeling at the time.
And I will cherish her. My God, I will cherish her. I want to protect her and take care of her, and every fucking day I will remember why I am the luckiest son of a bitch on earth. She'll be mine - really mine. And I'll be hers.
I love to watch her when she's sleeping. Her beauty is translucent and she seems to glow from within - her goodness, her kindness, her decency. There isn't a single thing I don't love about this woman. She looks so fragile and breakable but she's strong. I know how strong she is. All the shit I've put her through, all my fucked-upness and she just keeps on loving me. I don't know how she does that and I sure as hell don't know why she does it. I just want her to keep on loving me, like she's promised to do. Because there is no power on earth that will stop me loving her.
She starts to wake up. Her eyelids flutter and a smile curves those beautiful, full lips. I wait for the moment when her astonishing eyes will look up at me and I'll see her love reflected in them.
She stretches sleepily, knowing I'm awake already.
"See anything you like, Mr Grey?"
"Oh, Miss Steele - more than like."
And finally, her eyes blink open and again their blueness and clarity take my breath away.
"Sex or breakfast?" she says, echoing my words from a few weeks ago - and definitely reading my mind.
She knows me so well.
