Fifty Shades Bound

Chapter Four

We spend three hours at Tottini, a small baby store less than ten minutes from Escala. We look through seven catalogs, settling on RH Baby and Child. Although insanely expensive, I have to admit that their items are the best quality. Christian looks pleased when the salesman goes over the safety of each item we purchase, especially the crib.

"Don't need Blip jumping out," he winks, giving the salesman his credit card. Once we get home, I kick off my shoes in the foyer and walk to the kitchen, needing something to eat. I look through the fridge, but nothing looks appealing. My appetite has been changing tremendously and I am growing tired of it. I hope this is only temporary. Christian walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.

"Want me to make you something?" He offers, knowing I have definitely gotten more picky about food.

"I would love that," I reply, turning my head to smile at him.

"Go wait in the bedroom. I want to surprise you," he says, giving me his shy smile. I reward him with a quick peck on the cheek and walk to our room. I eye the bed, but I want to stay active instead of laying around. I head into our closet and look through my clothes. I find my plum dress, wishing I could still fit in it. It's one of my favorites, and I know it's one of Christian's too. I hang it back up and keep sorting. I find the indecent dress I bought in Aspen. Memories of that night make me cringe, thinking of the guy that hit on me. Thank god Christian was there, even though I got a good swing at him. I see the gown I wore for my birthday when Ray was in the hospital. I miss him. Christian and I will have to visit when Blip is born. He'll be so excited. I lastly find my wedding dress in its garment bag. I unzip the bag and touch the soft material of the dress. It is gorgeous, flattering my curves and making me look like a princess. As I put it back, Christian walks in, stopping when he sees me with the dress.

"What are you doing?" He smirks.

"Just going through my clothes. There are so many memories within this closet. It's crazy." He walks towards me and wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.

"Your food is ready," he says, leading me from the closet to the table where I spot chicken and mashed potatoes, one of my favorite meals. I grin at him, loving how he knows what I love to eat these days. He pulls out my chair and I sit, grabbing my fork and digging in. It is truly amazing. I have to give him credit. He's a good cook. All my lessons paid off.

"Is it good?" He asks nervously, doubting his cooking still.

"It's wonderful," I remark, my mouth full of potatoes. I finish quickly and stand up, ready to relax. I'm tired from the shopping we did earlier and my ribs are starting to hurt again. Christian stands up and follows me into the TV room, which we rarely use. I sit down and grab the remote, looking for some source of entertainment other than reading or sleeping. Christian sits beside me and pulls me into his arms so that my head is resting on his chest. I'm exhausted, but I feel bad that Christian and I haven't spent any quality time together. I look up at him to find him staring down at me, smiling.

"What?" I ask shyly.

"You're very beautiful, Anastasia," he replies, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I blush and he kisses my cheek. I turn back around to focus on Pride and Prejudice, which is playing on Hallmark. The movie isn't nearly as good as the novel, but Keira Knightly plays Elizabeth flawlessly, so I enjoy it. I am about to fall asleep when Taylor walks in, embarrassed to disturb us.

"Sir, there are a few work matters that need your attention," he says, not giving anything away with his facial expression. Christian looks at him steadily and looks back at me.

"I won't be long," he says, giving me a quick kiss and walks out with Taylor behind him. I wonder what is going on. He doesn't talk about work that often these days. I make a mental note to ask him what's been going on at GEH when he's done with Taylor. I turn the TV off and walk out of the room, not sure what to do. I walk up the stairs to visit my old room, but instead I go to the playroom. To my surprise, the door is unlocked. It smells like cleaner when I walk in so I know Mrs. Jones has been in here recently. I walk around the room, staring at everything around me. To my surprise, I find myself wishing Christian would take me in here. I admit that I have missed it, and I know Christian has too. I can't even remember the last time we had sex. I wish Christian wasn't so worried about my health. I miss being intimate with him. I walk over to the bed and sit down, enjoying the feel of the silk sheets. I lay down and stare at the ceiling. I need to get Christian to take me in here. I begin brainstorming how to entrap him in here, but I soon am consumed by sleep and drift off.