Chapter 2
Callie ran as far away from the house as she could, not knowing where she was going and not caring either. This wasn't a neighborhood that she recognized but it didn't' matter since she wouldn't recognize anyone soon enough.
A thousand thoughts were roaring through her mind at once, and she felt like she was going insane. Her head was throbbing from all the crying she did since she heard the news, and she couldn't take her mind off of Robert's face when he told her that he wouldn't sign the papers a second time.
And then, he told her that he wanted her to be happy?
He might as well have said, "I know I've ruined your life and took away your happiness, but at least you can live with us now and make us even happier than we already were."
Because that's the way it really felt.
It was like he had no care in the world for what she wanted and he was just like cps.
Only he was worse.
He was her own blood and he had no problem taking away the only people that she valued most in this world.
And he had the right to because of what he was to her.
Callie felt her cellphone start to vibrate in the pocket of her white dress and she was almost afraid to see who it was.
If it was Brandon, how would she have explained the kiss? Or would she really have to?
If it was Robert, what could she say to him that she already hadn't? She wouldn't even answer.
If it were Stef and Lena, how would she break the news to them? Or did Robert and Sophia already do just that.
She finally stopped running and lifted the phone out of her pocket, only to see Wyatt's name pop up.
She hadn't talked to him after what he did to Liam, but now wasn't the time to get self-righteous. He made a mistake just like she had. And he was the only safe thing she had at the moment.
The only thing she had that wouldn't be taken away from her.
"Hello?" she answered abruptly, too abruptly.
"Callie, uh you picked up…I uh…"
"Yeah. And now I need you to pick me up…"
"We're glad you told us," Stef said the second Jude finished talking. She glanced over to her wife and waited for her to say something, but she just looked to Stef as having a mixture of both confusion and shame on her face. Instead of focusing on her at the moment, Stef decided it'd be best to focus on her son, so that he didn't feel like either of them were mad at him. The last thing they were going to be mad at him was for a kiss, a kiss that he obviously felt guilty or ashamed for. "You did the right thing. And I know it must've been hard for you to come to us with this, yes?"
Stef's plan to distract Jude worked. "I guess," Jude replied. "I just thought you should know because I didn't think it would be fair to you," he looked at Lena when he spoke. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is… you shouldn't quit your job because of me."
Her son's comment finally got Lena to snap out of it, "Oh honey…I didn't—"
"I know. You already said that you didn't do it because of me. But if it weren't for me then you wouldn't have quit."
"Connor's dad—"
"Isn't the school," Stef finished for him. "Bud, can you give a second?" she asked Jude in the calmest voice she could muster.
Jude nodded after taking one last look at Lena's frustrated body language.
"Thanks, love," Stef smiled.
And as soon as Jude was out of earshot, Lena glared at her wife disapprovingly. "So," she started awkwardly. "Do you mind telling me what the hell was that?"
"Lena—"
"You're supposed to be on my side, Stef. Why is it that you can never manage to do that?"
"Don't even go there, Lena. Of course I'm on your side. I'm the only one on your side in case you haven't noticed. You're not even on your side."
"Really? Because I don't see it that way at all," she took a deep breath when she felt herself getting riled up before she continued, "Look, I get it. You're mad because I quit. You think that I'm going to leave you here to deal with all of our financial problems on your own."
"This isn't about money, Lena. Come on—" Their conversation came to an abrupt stop when they realized another couple had come to sit on the couch beside them. Although these other people seemed lost in their own conversation, the two women decided that they weren't going to continue their argument in front of anyone.
"Well, I could use another drink," Lena said as she stood up first to walk away.
"Me too. Excuse us," Stef tried to smile as she followed her wife to a more secluded area, closer toward the house.
"Stef, all you've been doing is making jabs at me about money ever since I told you I quit. You've barely even talked to me since I told you about it."
"That's not true," Stef tried to defend.
"No? …Less, than ten minutes after we walked in here, I mention how beautiful this house is and what did you tell me?"
"I—Wh—" Stef stuttered as she tried to get the words out.
"You told me that we'd be lucky to live in the house that we live in now that I quit my job. It's like you've been trying to get me to crawl back to Monte without actually saying it. Admit it. You want me to tell her that I was wrong, that I was wrong about defending our son from a bully, a bully who, by the way, is a grown man—"
"Not to say that you were wrong about defending him… that you were wrong about quitting. You leaving the job that you love over something you can't fix alone is stupid, Lena."
"So now I'm stupid? Great this just great, Stef. The support is overwhelming," Lena mumbled.
"I didn't say you were stupid. I said that your decision was stupid…Look honey, I know that you think this is helping Jude but it's not."
"He needs to see that we're going to fight for him."
"I agree with you but he needs to see us do it in a way that doesn't hurt him in the process. He thinks this is his fault. He—" Stef took a deep breath as she stared at Lena, who looked as if she was about to defend herself again, but Stef beat her to the punch, "Honey, you need to realize that the person you are mad at isn't the ones suffering here. Connor's dad isn't the school, or Monte, or the school board. I know that you feel like you have to do something, but this isn't it…If anything Jude needs to see that we don't need to quit to solve your problems. You fight for what you want the right way… I mean, look at Callie. She thought about quitting all of this and now look where she is. She's this much closer to getting adopted, she's not burning anymore, she's talking more than ever. Did you not hear her on that stage? Seriously, I thought she would never shut up." Stef smiled when she heard Lena chuckle.
"I think Mariana is rubbing off on her."
"Yeah, a little too much," Stef joked as she stared at her wife, admiring the first real smile she had seen ever since she got back from her trip with Jude.
"You're right, Stef. As much as I hate to admit it you're right. I'll talk to Monte and see if she's still willing to…"
"I don't like being right you know," Stef said in a sincere voice.
Lena furrowed her eyebrows at her wife and smiled, "Since when?"
Stef tried to hide the smirk that was forming on her face.
"Exactly… Where is Callie by the way?" Lena asked as she glanced around them for her.
"I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Probably with her clone. That little girl has been following her everywhere. Have you noticed?"
"Yes, I have… And what about you?"
"What about me?" Stef narrowed her eyes at her wife.
"Well, you asked Jude how he felt about Callie addressing Robert as her father on stage…"
"Yes, I did."
"So… How do you feel about it? I mean, I wasn't expecting that at all. I'm sure you have your opinions about that."
"Honestly, I'm not sure what to think. Maybe it's a good thing. He didn't get a chance to be in her life and that wasn't his fault, right? Anyways, he signed the abandonment papers so we can adopt her. He kept his word... I think he seems like a pretty decent guy."
"He is," Lena smiled as she wrapped her arm around her wife's arm, and they led themselves toward the house. But they froze from fear the second they heard a loud scream coming from the inside of it.
