Protecting You - Complete

Chapter 10 - Christian

"Mother," I greeted Grace in the entryway at Bellevue, letting her give me one of her half hugs, touching only my shoulders as she kissed my cheek.

"Christian! I'm so glad you could make it, darling. And this must be Anastasia," Mom said, releasing me only to pull Ana into a tight hug.

"It's so nice to meet you, Dr. Trevelyan-Grey. You have a beautiful home," Anastasia replied, immediately earning points with my mother for her good manners.

"Please, call me Grace. Come inside."

"Thank you, Grace. I brought a chocolate cake for us to share for dessert." Anastasia gestured to Taylor, who was carrying a large plastic cake container.

"Well, isn't that thoughtful of you?" my mother cooed. "We'd better hide that away. Chocolate cake is Christian and my husband Carrick's favorite and Elliot will eat anything sweet." She led her way through the house and to the kitchen, asking Gretchen to put Ana's dessert somewhere neither Dad nor Elliot would look. "Now let's introduce you to everyone."

With my hand lightly touching Anastasia's back, we followed Mom back to the front of the house and into the formal sitting room where we found Dad, Elliot, and Mia.

"Ana!" Mia said, throwing herself at Anastasia, engulfing her in a hug. "I can't believe you made it. I mean, Christian said he was coming today and would bring you, but he hardly ever comes for brunch... Elliot and I expected him to ring and cancel!"

"We're here, aren't we?" I grumbled, angry at myself that I'd let my family down so often that my appearance at a family gathering was apparently so noteworthy. Come Monday morning, I would ask Andrea to schedule me to attend brunch at least once a month.

"Yes, you are, and good to see you, son," my father said, shaking my hand before clapping me on my shoulder, in the only sort of affection I could tolerate from him. "I'm pleased to meet you, Anastasia," he said, shaking her hand. "How about a drink? Wine? Or a mimosa?"

Each accepting a mimosa from Dad, Anastasia and I sat down on the three-seater couch with Elliot, opposite where Dad and Mia were sitting.

"El? Casey not here today?" I teased. With Elliot's never-ending parade of blondes, I doubt he'd introduced me to the same woman twice.

"Casey was months ago," Mia chided me. "Most recently was Megan."

"Melanie," Elliot corrected Mia, "and no, she won't be coming. She started getting clingy, so I cut her loose. I'm single and looking for some action!" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Anastasia, making me fantasize about putting him out of business via a pair of our mother's rustiest garden secateurs. My face must have given me away because he quickly settled down.

"I wish you wouldn't speak like that," our mother said to Elliot with a sigh, seating herself in an armchair beside Mia and Dad. "Anastasia, Mia told us she met you at the mall and you were being followed. What happened?"

I was about to explain to the family Ana's stalker situation when I heard shifting on the gravel of the driveway. Looking through the front windows, I saw a familiar black E-Class Mercedes pulling up. Gleaming, top of the line, I knew it was the very best—after all, I'd paid for it. I panicked for a moment before pulling myself together.

"Mom? Elena Lincoln is here. What does she know about Anastasia? Have you told her anything?" I knew my voice sounded panicked because the entire family was regarding me strangely, and Anastasia was biting her bottom lip in worry.

"I've told her nothing at all. Other than Friday, when I spent the afternoon with your sister, I've been on evening shifts in the ER. I haven't spoken to Elena for a week, and wasn't expecting her here today."