Thirty minutes after leaving the diner, Beca and her mom return home. Ms. Mitchell turns to Beca and says, "Go pack your stuff we have an early flight tomorrow. Here's an extra suitcase to put the gifts in."
"What? Why?," Beca asks. "Where are we going?"
"We're going to Tampa for Christmas," her mom says.
"What? How?," Beca stands there stunned and confused.
Ms. Mitchell laughs at her daughter. "Your father and I discussed it and he wants to give you Christmas with Chloe as a gift. He contacted the Beales and made all the arrangements. He also bought tickets for both of us to fly down there together. The Beales have graciously offered for us to say in their home. I'll be flying back to Portland 2 days after Christmas and you'll be flying back to Barden with Chloe after New Year's."
Beca just stood their with her mouth hanging open. "I get to spend Christmas with Chloe?," she thought. "Holy shit, I get to spend Christmas with Chloe!," she says and runs up to her room to pack.
Ms. Mitchell just smiles and laughs at her daughter. She was a little worried at first about her ex-husband's plan but after seeing how Beca smiles whenever she thinks of, talks about, or talks to Chloe, she was totally on board with it. Plus, it will be nice to finally meet the girl who Beca fell in love with.
Mr. and Mrs. Beale are sitting at their kitchen counter drinking coffee. "So, what time does Beca's flight get in tomorrow?," Mr. Beale asks his wife.
"Around 2:30," Charlotte responds. "I can't wait to see the look on Chloe's face."
"It's going to be epic," Mr. Beale said. "What are you going to tell her when Cal and I are gone for several hours? It's Christmas Eve after all and we always do family things."
"Oh, don't worry," Charlotte says. "I'll keep her too busy to notice. She's going to help me with dinner and you know how we get once we start cooking and baking."
Mr. Beale laughed. His two girls were great cooks and they always had a huge gathering for Christmas Eve dinner. That would definitely keep them busy so he could sneak away for a few hours.
"Come on mom," Beca yells. "The taxi's here and we gotta go or we're going to miss our flight."
"I'm coming," Ms. Mitchell says hurrying downstairs with her luggage. "Someone sure is eager."
"Not even going to deny it," Beca said with a smile.
They leave the house and jump in the taxi. They arrive at the airport with more than enough time to spare. They check Beca's large suitcase and make it through security with their carryons.
Their flight is called and Beca and her mom are on their way to Tampa. Beca is so excited. She is listening to her music when her phone pings with a text message. She pulls up the message and sees a picture of Chloe and a woman, who Beca assumes is her mom, covered in flour surrounded by several kinds of cookies. Beca starts laughing shows it to her mom who also starts laughing.
Beca texts back.
Will there be any cookies left by the time I arrive?
She knows Chloe doesn't know she's arriving today so she wants to keep it short. She laughs again when Chloe texts her back.
Only if you somehow manage to get here today.
It takes everything in Beca not to tell her she'd see her soon. Their flight finally lands and Beca is up and out of her seat in a flash. She grabs both carryon bags and pushes back a little to allow her mother to exit into the aisle. She is hurrying her mother along and they make it to the baggage claim. The luggage from their flight finally comes out and Beca grabs her bag. They then start looking around for their ride.
Beca sees two men who resemble Chloe. The older of the two is holding a sign and Beca blushes when she reads it. Her mom looks at her and then spots the sign as well. She starts laughing and walks over to the man holding the sign that reads "Chloe Beale's Girlfriend."
"You must be Mr. Beale," Beca's mom says. "I'm Beth Mitchell and this is Beca, Chloe Beale's girlfriend," she says with a laugh.
Mr. Beale laughs. "The sign was my wife's idea," he tells them. "Please call me Charlie. This is my son, Cal."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Beale. You too, Cal," Beca says shaking their hands.
"So, you're Beca," Cal says with no expression on his face.
"Yeah," Beca says hesitantly. "I'm Beca."
Cal and Beca stare at each other for moment. Beca swallows but doesn't back down. Cal finally can't help himself and gets a big grin on his face. "Glad to finally meet you, Beca. Chloe talks about you all the time."
Beca smiles back, the tension leaving her body.
"Nice to meet you as well, Cal," Beca said. "Chloe's told me a lot about you. I'm glad she has you to watch over her when she's home."
"Let's get you ladies home, shall we?," Cal says.
"Okay," Beca said. She's nervous and excited and just wants to get to Chloe.
Charlie and Cal grab the suitcases and head to the parking garage. Beca and Beth follow behind. They arrive at the Beale's home and before Beca can jump out, Charlie says, "I need you to wait outside the door when Cal and I go in. I'm supposed to tell Chloe there's a package she needs to sign for at the door. When she opens it, you will be standing there. This was also my wife's idea."
Beth laughs and says, "I'm liking your wife without even meeting her yet."
The four climb out of the and grab the luggage. Beca and Beth position themselves outside the door while Charlie and Cal enter the home. The two men put his coat away and go into the kitchen.
"Chloe?," Charlie says. "There's a package for you at the door."
"Can you bring it in for me?," Chloe asks.
"You have to sign for it," Charlie says to get Chloe to go to the door.
"Oh, okay," Chloe says and goes to the door. The three Beales sneak behind to watch.
As Chloe opens the doors she says, "I'm Chloe-Beca?!"
"I got a text saying that I could have cookies if I got here today," she barely gets out before the red-head is throwing herself at her.
Chloe hugs Beca and then pulls her into a kiss. They don't stop until they hear Beth clearing her throat loudly to get their attention.
"Oh, sorry," Chloe says. Beca just smiles.
"Mom, I'd like you to meet Chloe Beale," Beca says. "Chloe, this is my mom, Beth Mitchell."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Chloe says and gives the woman a hug.
Chloe pulls back and ushers them into the house. "Beca," she says grabbing her hand. "These are my parents, Charlie and Charlotte Beale, and this is my brother, Cal."
"We already met your dad and Cal at the airport," Beca said. She turns to Mrs. Beale and offers her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Beale."
Charlotte looks at Beca's hand, grabs it and pulls the girl into a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Beca. Please call me Charlotte."
Beca pulls back from the hug and says, "This is my mom, Beth Mitchell."
Charlotte grabs Beth in a hug as well. "Nice to meet the mother of the girl who's stolen our daughter's heart."
"Likewise," Beth says. "I must say the sign was pure genius."
Charlotte and Beth laugh, Beca blushes, and Chloe looks on in confusion.
"Sign? What sign?," she asks.
"We found your dad holding a sign that said 'Chloe Beale's Girlfriend'," Beca told her, blushing even more.
"I love it," Chloe said with a laugh. "And I love you, too," she told Beca as she pulled her into another hug.
This is turning into the best Christmas ever!