Thank you so much for all the support and reviews. I'm so glad you are liking this story. This is a longer chapter! This week has a lot in store for me so I don't know what kind of time I will have to upload, but I will have to wait and see what happens. I would love to hear what you think. Enjoy!
May 15th, 2015
Rachel and Finn were sitting awkwardly at the restaurant. Both of them were having a hard time looking at the other. It had been a long three years and this was their first time alone in that long. Rachel finally broke the silence and asked, "Do you think that your mom and Burt will be okay with Arabella? I don't want to just put her off on them."
Finn told her, "Don't worry about it. Mom and Burt love kids. Arabella is going to be fine. She needs to know her other set of grandparents as well as your dads."
Rachel lowered her head. "I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"Stop apologizing. I know you did it because you felt like you needed to. I understand that, it just doesn't make it any easier that I have missed two years of my daughter's life."
"There is nothing I can do to get those years back, but I just knew I had to get away. I couldn't risk Quinn doing anything to hurt Arabella or ruin things between us. You are the only guy I have ever loved. I am so sorry for all that I have done to you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just thought it would be easier on you so that you could live your dreams."
"What about your dreams?"
"When you become a mother your child is your dream. Nothing else matters."
"I know you better than that, Rachel Berry. Broadway has always been your dream."
"It isn't now. I am a secretary and it is working out fine. I am happy with the benefits and they have a daycare that I get to use for free. Arie loves it and has a lot of little friends there."
"That is good, but you were meant to be on the stage. Your voice shouldn't go to waste."
"It doesn't go to waste. I sing to Arabella every night. That is not putting it to waste. Arabella had the hardest time sleeping and still does some nights. She wouldn't calm down until I had sung Faithfully to her at least three times. I guess I'm not the only one that loves that song."
"I didn't mean it like that. You just always wanted to be on stage and let the world hear your voice. I thought that I would always hear about you in the magazines. I'm pretty fond of it, too."
"Sometimes things just don't work out like that. I don't regret any of it. Arabella is my little angel. She is perfect. She is the perfect combination of the two of us. She has my rhythm and your big heart. She has your nose and my brown hair. She has your eyes and my love for Broadway. She is exactly what I would have imagined our child to be."
"She is a little angel. I wouldn't think of her to be any different. She is so smart, just like you. I'm just so glad that the two of you are happy and healthy. That is all I have been hoping for in the last three years. I was hoping that I could spend some time with her tomorrow if that is okay with you. I know that you may not trust me to be with her being alone with me."
"Hey. I'm sure you would be fine with her alone. The only thing is that she is pretty attached to me. I don't know how much of a problem that will be for you."
"We will be okay. If there is a really big problem I'll call you. I just really want to get to know her. She is my little girl. I want to be a good dad if at all possible."
"You are a great dad and you will be. She likes you already. I have always seen her as a daddy's girl and I know that is what she is going to be. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"What is going to happen when you, Leroy and Arabella go back to New York? You will have no reason to come back here."
"Finn…"
"No, you know it's true. You won't have a reason to come back here. Rachel, I just want you to know that you can't keep her from me now. I'll do whatever I have to do to see her."
"I would never keep her from you. We can Skype. You can come visit. We can come visit. We will make this work. She needs a dad in her life. Now that you know about her I would never think about doing something to keep the two of you apart. I just don't know how we will work out visiting, but we can Skype every day so the two of you can see each other and have a relationship."
"I want to see you, too. I'm sure we can figure out something. I can't wait to spend the day with her. Will you tell me about her? I want to know everything there is to know about her."
The two of them started talking about their little girl. Finn couldn't get enough of hearing about Arabella and everything there was to know about her.
Carole couldn't take her eyes off of the little girl. She was perfect. She was the perfect combination of Finn and Rachel. Arabella looked at Carole and asked, "What nana?"
Carole chuckled. "I'm sorry. I just can't get enough of you. You are such a pretty little girl. I didn't think someone so pretty would ever call me nana."
Arabella giggled. "You pretty!"
"Thanks, princess. Do you like cookies? Do you want to help me make cookies for your mommy and daddy?"
"Cookies! I have cookies?"
Carole laughed. "Of course. I think there will be a cookie or two with your name on it."
"Yay! Cookies!"
Carole picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. Carole started putting things together while Arabella sat on the counter singing and talking about her favorite things.
Burt walked into the kitchen and asked, "What are you two pretty girls doing?"
Arabella exclaimed, "Cookies, pop!"
Burt and Carole both chuckled. Carole told him, "Arie is helping me make cookies for everybody."
Burt said, "You are such a good little helper, Miss. Arie. Can I steal you? We can go watch football or something? Maybe we can take a nap. You have to be getting a little tired."
Arabella shook her head back and forth. "No! I want cookies!"
Carole said, "Nana will finish the cookies. You go take a nap with pops. He wants someone to take a nap with him. I won't let anyone eat your cookies. I promise."
Arabella sighed. "Up pop!"
Burt and Carole silently laughed at the little girl. She was full of drama just like her mother. Burt carried her into the living room. Carole watched them walk away. She could stop thinking about how much they had missed. She really couldn't stop thinking about how taken with her that Finn was already. She wasn't ready to see the two girls go. She didn't know how she was going to take it and she definitely didn't know how Finn was going to take it. The little girl was so easy to love and she knew that was something that she got from her father.
Burt and Arabella went into the living room. They tried out every chair there was, but Arabella wouldn't sit still. He could tell that the little girl was getting tired, but she just wouldn't have it. Burt fought with her for a while before he finally sat down in the recliner in the back of the living room. Then she was out easily.
Finn and Rachel walked up to the house. Finn said, "I guess mom has made some of her famous cookies. I think she will do just about anything to keep you and Arie around."
Rachel said, "I'm nervous. I just hope your mom and Burt don't hate me."
"What are you talking about? My mom loves you. She thinks you are the best person there is."
"That was three years ago. That was before I took her only grandchild away without giving her a chance to get to know her."
"That is in the past. We are all willing to put it behind us. You have to put it behind you, too. We are going to figure things out. Mom will get to see her. It's not like you are going to France. You are going to New York."
"I guess you are right. It's just that Carole is the closest person I have had to a mother and it just now hit me how I am probably disappointing or upsetting her."
"Don't worry about that. All that matters now is that the two of you are in our lives again." The two of them had been talking in a low whisper when they walked in the door.
Carole came in and hugged both of them. She told them, "I thought I heard the two of you coming in. You have to see this. I think this is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Finn, I don't want you to be upset. I know how territorial you get."
Finn said, "Slow down, mom. What are you talking about?"
"Earlier I decided to make cookies and Arabella was going to help me, but we could tell she was so tired. Burt took her into the living room and tried every chair we have to calm her and get her to fall asleep, but nothing worked."
"Okay?"
"You just have to see this for yourself." Carole led Rachel and Finn into the living room.
Finn and Rachel both chuckled as they saw Burt asleep in the recliner with Arabella asleep on his chest clinging to his shirt.
Rachel said, "That is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I always pictured Finn holding her in that chair. I was hoping you would still have it."
Finn subconsciously wrapped his arm around her waist. He said, "I wanted to keep it so that I could have a picture of me holding my kid like I have a picture of dad holding me. I wanted to take it over to my place, but Quinn wouldn't let me. Sometimes I just come over here to sit in the chair so that I feel close to my dad. It is the only thing I have that really connects me to him."
"That is awful. I would never keep you from something that connects you to your father."
"I appreciate that. I guess I can take it back to my place now. Tomorrow afternoon I am really looking forward to spending some quality daddy/daughter time in our chair."
Carole sniffled. "Look at you. I can't believe my little Finny is a daddy."
"Come on, mom. Stop. It's embarrassing."
"I can't help it. She just looks so much like you, but she acts just like Rachel."
Rachel laughed and said, "I have thought that since the moment she was born. I should probably get her home and to bed."
Carole said, "Aww… We hate to see her go."
"We aren't leaving until Sunday. I will make sure you get to see plenty of her. Finn is taking her out tomorrow."
Carole asked, "Can we go out tomorrow?"
Rachel just looked at her. "I thought you would have hated me."
"Oh sweetheart. Of course not. You were doing only what you thought was best. I understand that you will do anything that you think you need to do for your child. I would love to go shopping with you tomorrow. I am dying to buy some things for Arabella."
Rachel smiled. "I would really like that."
Finn leaned down and took Arabella out of Burt's arms. She blinked as she was transferred from one man to the other. Finn kissed her head as she clutched onto him. Finn said, "I'll take her out to your car, Rach. Then I guess I will let you be on your way."
Rachel bit her lip and said, "Would you like to come back to the house with us? Then we can put Arabella to bed together and we can finalize what is going to happen tomorrow."
He adults were trying to say their goodbyes quietly so they wouldn't wake Burt or Arabella. Arabella woke up a little and said, "Cookies?"
Carole ran into the kitchen quickly and got a bag of cookies. She said, "I put icing with Arabella's name on them for her. Finn can let her have one tomorrow. Rachel, thank you so much for letting us get to know her. It meant so much to Burt and I."
Rachel told her, "Thank you for watching her. I'm glad the three of you got to bond."
Finn and Rachel left after Arabella was buckled safely into her car seat. Finn followed Rachel to her father's house in his truck. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when they got there, but he was looking forward to finding out.
Rachel was nervous about Finn coming over, but there were still a couple of things they needed to talk about. It didn't help that she just wasn't ready for her time to end with him for the day. She felt just like she did three years ago and that scared her senseless, but she wanted to see what was to come.
