I Ran So Far Away - Complete

Chapter 37

"Is everything set?" I asked, nervously for at least the third time.

"It is," Taylor confirmed stoically. I annoyed even myself with my constant questioning – Taylor had the patience of a saint!

"And Anastasia...?"

"Has no idea," he confirmed. "She's at Bellevue settling Master Grey in with your parents for the evening."

"And Gail?"

"Is preparing everything as instructed."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Today was Sunday the seventeenth of June. The anniversary of Jack Hyde's attack on Ana, or the first time I told her I loved her, as I preferred to remember it. Sitting in my office, when I closed my eyes, I could still picture Ana's terrified face as I came into her room at the Mount Sinai West Hospital, and the way she calmed as soon as she saw me there. Even drugged and disorientated, she knew that I'd protect her. That I'd always protect her. I couldn't believe here, a year later, we were married and had a son together. A young son my wife was currently preparing to leave with his grandparents for the first time this evening.

Anastasia had started expressing, and it thrilled me that after a couple of false starts, I could now play an active role in feeding our son. There was no doubt he preferred his milk straight from his mother, but provided she was not in sight, to my delight he'd settle for a bottle of warm breast milk from me.

Last month Ana and I celebrated the anniversary of our first meeting, the ninth of May, with a quiet dinner at Escala. However both of us considered today and tomorrow our 'real' anniversary. The day we got back together, and the day we promised to be each other's more. I persuaded Ana that Teddy should spend the evening at Bellevue with my parents while we celebrated. I'd pushed for him to spend the night, and God knows my parents were willing, but Anastasia was not sure she was ready for that, although I made sure she'd packed enough milk in case we decided to let him stay over.

Anastasia understood we would dine at Canlis then head back to Escala for some alone time before going to Bellevue to fetch Teddy, but I had something else planned.

Medina was finished. If not quite move-in ready, the main spaces were complete, and the furniture had arrived for our bedroom, the nursery, the family room and our family meals area. Heather and Ana still had work to do deciding how to furnish some other spaces, but for tonight there was enough there for us to enjoy a comfortable evening.

All week I'd been secretly making arrangements. Heather had prioritized finishing our room and Teddy's. In a way these were easiest as Ana had been the most vocal about the way she saw those two spaces. With everything already selected, it had been simple enough to arrange for the furniture and linens to be delivered, Heather styling them as Ana had outlined. While the family room and meals area lacked the finishing touches, they had enough to be functional for an evening. Gail was over there now, preparing a delicious meal, stocking the fridge with some basics and furnishing the bathrooms and Teddy's nursery with all the necessary supplies. Taylor would drop me to Medina, then escort Mrs. Taylor back to Escala where I knew he had a romantic evening of his own planned.

Sawyer was with Anastasia and would drive her to our new home in Medina although she would believe they were headed for Canlis. McIntyre would stay at Bellevue with Teddy, bringing him to us later in the evening if required.

I wouldn't be going into work tomorrow. Instead I planned to go to playgroup with Anastasia and Teddy in the morning before the three of us spent the afternoon at the Seattle Art Fair, looking for art. It should be the perfect way to celebrate our future together – choosing things for our family home.