Wow, thank you for all the amazing reviews! I appreciate them so so much. :) I hope you all like fluff... I thought it was time for some happiness in between all the angst, so here's a more light-hearted chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for reading. Reviews make my world go 'round, especially when I'm drowning in Latin translations and British Romantic Period poetry... *hint hint*
As always: Thanks to my wonderful beta, restless-mess. She rocks!
I'm waiting for something
I've waited for now
For the rolling canyons of love
And I'm tongue-tied
And you're coming alive, coming alive
Sooner surrender
Then watch the last wall collapse
And sooner surrender
And our love will count for everything
"Eric?"
The voice sounded far away at first as it tried to steal him from his pleasant daydreams. It grew more insistent and he turned toward his mother, handing her the dish he'd rinsed at least five times.
"I don't think I need to ask where you were just then, judging by that goofy smile," she teased, playfully smacking him with a towel.
"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, reaching for the next dirty dish. He wasn't sure how Family Sunday had turned into a girls' shopping trip, leaving him as virtually the only one to help his mother, but he didn't mind. His sisters had coerced Calleigh into a shopping trip for maternity clothes and her hesitant but excited smile made a thousand dirty dishes completely worth it.
"Don't be," Clorinda assured, smiling. She had noticed the change in Eric early on in his relationship with Calleigh and she'd been so happy that her heartbreaker of a son had finally fallen in love. And now that he was starting the family he'd always wanted she was absolutely ecstatic.
"Eric?"
This time it was Isabel's soft voice calling out to him from the hallway. An amused smile graced his lips as he took in the sight of his disheveled little niece. Her lopsided ponytail was a testament to the tossing and turning she'd been doing in an attempt to nap. Her pink shorts were a little off-center and her top had ridden up her stomach. She blinked as she tried to focus on her uncle and grandmother, finally rubbing at her bleary eyes with a tiny fist.
"Hey Princesa," Eric greeted as he walked towards her and crouched down, pulling the hem of her shirt down into its rightful position. "What happened to napping?"
"I couldn't," she admitted sadly, then outstretching her arms up towards Eric. "I thirsty."
He lifted her effortlessly and rested her against his hip as he retrieved a no-spill cup from one of the cupboards. "Apple juice?"
She nodded enthusiastically and lay her head on his shoulder as he filled the cup. "When's Mama coming back? And Calleigh?" Taking the cup from him, she looked from her uncle to her grandmother expectantly. Clorinda smiled at Isabel's apparent fondness for Calleigh.
"Soon. Lunch is in thirty minutes so they better be back by then or your Mami's in trouble," Eric said, playfully tickling Isabel's stomach once he'd set her down on the counter. "Want to help us wash dishes? You can yell at me if I miss a spot."
Isabel giggled, clutching the cup to her chest as he tickled her mercilessly. "Okay," she agreed, lifting a hand to swipe away flyaway strands of hair to no avail.
Clorinda looked on adoringly, placing a loving hand on Eric's back. "You are going to be such a wonderful papi, Mijo."
"I hope so," he responded, smiling at his mother with only a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. He had definitely always wanted children, but that didn't exclude him from the anxiety and insecurity that pervaded every soon-to-be parent.
"Well I've always thought so," Clorinda assured. "I've been waiting for you to have children for a long time."
"I know." Eric chuckled, shaking his head as he scrubbed a ceramic bowl. "You never let me forget."
Clorinda shrugged innocently, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
They settled into silence for a few minutes before she asked, "So...when are you and Calleigh getting married?"
Eric locked eyes with his mother and sighed exasperatedly, though a hint of amusement was still in his eyes. He'd known this would be coming. Frankly, he was surprised he hadn't been grilled sooner; as supportive, understanding, and just generally happy his mother may have been about the situation, she was still a traditional Catholic woman at heart. All she ever wanted was for him to find a nice girl, get married, and have lots of cute babies...and preferably in that order, he knew. He had always seen himself doing things that way, too, but he was perfectly happy with the way his relationship with Calleigh was playing out.
"Whenever we're ready to," he replied evenly, handing her the bowl to dry. He wasn't mad about her interrogation, just a little annoyed with her traditionalism. His eyes drifted to Isabel, who was studying the designs on her cup, seemingly as uninterested in this conversation as he was.
"Mijo, you're having a baby. It's the right thing to do. And I know you would've married her six months ago," she leveled with him, her voice only part accusative and mostly soft. "A year even."
"Maybe," he admitted, his eyes softening as they always did when the topic of Calleigh was at hand. "And she would've pulled back or completely run for the hills," he added matter-of-factly, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I don't mind waiting for her, Mami."
"As long as you're happy," she conceded, though she still sounded somewhat disappointed. "You've just had that ring so long. I don't understand why you don't just ask her to marry you, Eric."
Eric sighed, drying his hands and resting them against the edge of the counter. "It's easy for us to think like that. We're big on family and happily ever after," he said smiling a little. "But Calleigh didn't grow up like that... Every time things seemed the least bit stable or every time she felt safe and happy, her world was thrown upside down again. She just needs time to prove to her that that isn't going to happen anymore."
Clorinda smiled understandingly and rested her hand atop his in an unspoken apology.
"You have a ring for Calleigh?" Isabel asked excitedly, suddenly understanding their grown-up talk. When Eric looked over at her, she was smiling excitedly with hopeful eyes. "You're gonna have a pretty wedding with flowers and get married?"
Crap, Eric thought. He had forgotten his little baby niece had grown into a little girl who understood rings, weddings, and marriage almost as well as princesses, horses, and butterflies. He would've been a little more concerned with entrusting his talkative niece with this information had Calleigh not already technically known about the ring.
"I hope so, Princesa," he told her honestly, smiling mischievously. "But you know what? It's our little secret. That means you can't tell anyone else, okay?"
"Okay!" she agreed excitedly, giggling as Eric lifted her into his strong arms again. "I like secrets. I not tell anyone." Her eyes were alight with excitement, thrilled with the knowledge that her Uncle Eric would trust her with such big news.
"Good girl," he praised, laughing a little as he kissed her temple. He hoped her determination would last.
At the sound of the garage door opening, Isabel was squirming in his arms, but had no intention of getting down. "Mama's back!"
"Let's go see her," Eric suggested, shifting Isabel onto his hip and holding her there with one arm.
They stepped onto the back patio just in time to see the girls coming through the gate, all three of them nearly weighed down with shopping bags. As soon as his eyes landed on Calleigh, he had to smile. She was in a light yellow sundress that she certainly hadn't been wearing earlier and she looked absolutely beautiful. Now that much of her anxiety had alleviated, he was starting to believe in that whole glowing thing.
"Hey," she greeted, smiling broadly.
"Hey," he replied with a certain softness, letting Isabel down to run after her mother. Looking Calleigh up and down pointedly, he grinned and met her gaze again, her eyes sparkling light green in the sun. "New dress?"
"Yeah," she said, laughing a little as she glanced down. "They made me wear it back here."
"I like it." Eric pried the handles of the bags from her hands, insisting on carrying them for her. She knew better than to protest by now, so she simply smiled at him knowingly.
Sliding the handles onto his wrists, he held her waist, making sure his sisters and niece were out of earshot before he leaned in close to her ear. "Looks easy to take off," he whispered, taking note of the halter-style dress that simply tied at the back of her neck.
Calleigh laughed, pressing up onto the tips of her toes to rest her forehead against his cheek. "Maybe you can test that theory out tonight," she replied seductively.
His sisters glanced back at them, smiling a little at the moment unfolding before them, and went on inside.
"I think I will." He kissed her hair and set the bags down so he could give her a proper hug, sliding his arms around her and pulling her close until her still rather small belly touched his. "So what'd you get?" he asked, nodding towards the multitude of bags on the walkway.
"They said I have too many work clothes, so they only let me get fun stuff." She laughed a little, looking up into his brown eyes that were flecked with gold in the sun.
"What kinda fun stuff?" he asked playfully, leaning over to glance into one of the bags.
"Not that kind of fun stuff." Playfully disgusted, she tapped his arm in admonishment and laughed. "Your mind is in the gutter today. I was with your sisters."
"Mmm, I guess that's true," he mumbled, burying his face into her neck to press kisses there. She genuinely giggled – somewhat of a rarity for Calleigh – and it only spurred him on further. His hands slid low onto the small of her back and his kisses trailed over her collarbone.
"Eric," she reprimanded, grasping at his forearms. "We're at your mother's house… Besides, I do believe this is how I ended up needing maternity clothes in the first place."
He laughed softly, reining himself in with a kiss to her temple. "I guess you're right…"
"Later," she assured, wanting nothing more than for "later" to be right now. But one of them had to be rational, she reminded herself, and obviously she couldn't count on Eric for that right now.
He smiled, sliding his hands to her sides as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers just briefly. "Want me to put these in my car?" he asked, nodding towards the bags.
"I can help…" she offered hesitantly, still unable to just throw her independent nature to the wind.
He grasped all the bags in one hand, her offer respectfully and expectedly turned down, and he took her hand in his, kissing the back of her hand. He held her fingers as he began to walk away and at just the moment where they would've lost contact, she tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him to a stop.
"Hey," she let out, making him turn around. She smiled lovingly, squinting slightly with the sun in her eyes to altogether make a face he found quite adorable. "I love you." She squeezed his hand before releasing it, watching his lips curve upward in a silent response as he walked backwards towards the gate.
Clorinda wore a proud, adoring smile as she watched much of the scene unfold before her through the kitchen window. She hadn't meant to spy, but she'd caught sight of them a few minutes ago and hadn't been able to look away since then.
As steadfast as she was in her convictions, she had to admit that the way they were doing things still held a purity she couldn't deny. They were absolutely head-over-heels in love with one another, and that was really all she'd ever wanted for her son. Tradition is all fine and good, but sometimes fate has different plans.
As Eric left Calleigh's sights, her smile broadened and she smoothed a hand over the yellow fabric covering her belly. Her hand came to rest at the top of her bump and she looked down, still smiling.
Clorinda realized Calleigh wasn't coming in just yet. She was waiting for Eric, just like he would've waited for her…just like he was waiting for her. And suddenly she understood.
* * *
As Calleigh lay cuddled up next to Eric in the large hammock strung up in his family's backyard, she was again struck by the realization that this was wonderful. His family was wonderful. He was wonderful.
He was toying with the ends of her wavy hair, their legs intertwined, her belly pressed against his. With his eyes closed, he looked completely relaxed, not even fazed by the high-pitched shriek of delight – Isabel, probably – and the ensuing laughter from the house.
Calleigh sighed contentedly, resting her forehead against his t-shirt-covered chest again. She never thought she would find herself here – in love, having a child, and finally experiencing the comfort of a warm, welcoming family. Most of all, she had never anticipated being so happy.
It was all almost too perfect to process, and yet more and more she found herself able to sit back and simply bask in the glow of happiness.
When she thought of children and becoming a mother, a thousand negative feelings and memories from her childhood stirred within her, igniting a fluttering panic in her chest. But when she looked at Eric and thought of having a baby, a being that was half her and half him, that inextricably connected them, she was in love with the idea. She wanted lazy Sundays, cuddling with Eric and their baby in bed. She wanted bedtime stories and swimming lessons. She wondered whether Eric's recessive Russian genes would combine with her own to give their baby light eyes, or if his dominant Cuban traits would produce those chocolate brown eyes she always found herself so lost in.
And raising a child amidst his loving family was the metaphorical icing on the cake. They were the epitome of everything she never had and everything she would've wanted for her potential children, if she'd ever allowed herself to think like that. It still scared her often that this whole scenario she'd never allowed herself to want was playing out before her eyes, but most of the time now it just sent a warm happiness throughout her body.
"Oh," she let out suddenly, thoughts disrupted as her hand flew to her stomach in search of evidence of what she'd just felt. Eric was alert in an instant, looking her up and down with worried eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, putting his hand over hers. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
She smiled lovingly at his concern, glancing down at their hands and then up into his awaiting eyes. "Everything's fine… I think I just felt him move."
"Really?" Grinning, his hands began to roam over her belly in search of movement.
She frowned a bit, moving his hand to the right spot but doubting that he would sense anything. "I don't think you can feel it. I could just feel it inside, like butterflies…or like he was doing a flip or something," she explained, laughing a little.
Eric smiled, smoothing his hand over her bump as he looked at her adoringly. "So it's a he now?"
"Well we keep calling it a she," Calleigh pointed out, shrugging. "If it turns out to be a boy I don't want him to have a complex."
"Well I don't think she would be too happy about her mama referring to her as a boy," he countered, grinning playfully as he lay back down in the hammock. She looked at him in awe for a moment, loving the new nickname that had effortlessly slipped past his lips. It gave her butterflies – the good kind. His fingers absentmindedly traced the thin string of her yellow dress as she settled back in beside him.
"You want a girl, don't you?" Calleigh asked, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him. Eric loved his nieces and nephews all just the same. He spent equal time with all of them, taking the boys to soccer games and attending Adriana's gymnastics meets. And while Calleigh was sure he'd babied the boys when they were little, she also knew that Isabel and Adriana both had him wrapped around a finger.
"I just want a healthy baby and a healthy you," he told her honestly. His fingers skimmed over her skin and she sighed contentedly.
Her lips curved upward slightly and she agreed, "Me too."
"If it ever seems like I want a girl it's just because I want a little you," he admitted. "With green eyes and blonde hair and cute little legs," he whispered, now twisting her long hair around his fingers.
She laughed lightly, looking down at her short legs. "That's a great plan," she began sarcastically, "if you're hoping for our child to be vertically challenged like me. I, on the other hand, am hoping for a tall child…with tan skin and dark, curly hair and beautiful brown eyes."
He chuckled, shaking his head disbelievingly. "I guess we'll see who wins in a few months."
"Yeah," she agreed softly, in awe of them being down to four months already. It seemed like forever to wait, but so little time to make the necessary preparations for such a big change. "I need to sell my car…"
"You love that car," he pointed out, suddenly feeling guilty. "You should just keep it. I'll help pay for another."
She smiled appreciatively at his helpfulness, but shook her head. "I have no need for that car anymore and I've had my fun with it," she told him honestly. "We can just get something else."
He was surprised that she'd gone from talking "I" to "we" and he smiled, releasing her hair and resting his hand at her side. "What are we gonna get then? A minivan?" he teased.
"Only if I can put a gun rack in the back." She smiled up at him innocently and he couldn't be sure she was kidding.
"Negative," he responded, not even having to think about it.
She felt his chest quake with laughter beneath her and she smiled. "Good…because you couldn't pay me to drive a minivan. Maybe an Escalade…"
"Oh, so you're gonna be one of those moms," he teased, poking her side playfully. He was completely relaxed again, eyes closed as he playfully bantered with her and traced the curve of her hip.
"Do you know a mom with a 9 mil locked in the glove compartment of her Escalade?" she challenged, and he knew without looking that she was raising a brow.
Accepting defeat, he admitted, "No," and realized with a smile that he could probably never compare her to any mother he knew.
Isabel had crept up on them so quietly that Eric wouldn't even have known she was there had she not cast a shadow over his face. He opened his eyes, finding her grinning at him and Calleigh.
"Abuela needs you!" she told Eric, excited to deliver a message.
Eric sighed; he had been perfectly content to cuddle away the evening with Calleigh. And that plan did not include getting up. Reluctantly, he slid out of the hammock, bending down to cradle Calleigh's face as he kissed her forehead.
Before he had even left, Isabel was already trying to crawl up into the hammock with Calleigh. To keep them both from toppling over, he lifted Isabel in with Calleigh and she immediately settled in against Calleigh's side.
As soon as Eric was within the house Isabel was giggling. Calleigh shot her a puzzled look, which only dissolved her further into a fit of giggles. She buried her face in Calleigh's shoulder to hide her laughter, but her high-pitched giggles were a little obvious.
"Isa, what has gotten into you?" Calleigh asked amusedly. She poked her side playfully, which did absolutely nothing to put her laughter to rest.
"Nothing," she insisted. She took a deep breath and pressed her lips together in silence.
"Did Abuela really need Eric?" Calleigh asked, suddenly wondering if Isabel had sent Eric in for nothing. She wasn't usually a prankster like that, though.
"Uh-huh, she made me come," Isabel assured. Her focus lasted on that for about thirty seconds and then she was grinning again. She pressed her lips together again to no avail, for another thirty seconds later she was blurting out, "I know a secret!"
"A secret?" Calleigh asked, getting excited for Isa's benefit. "Can I know it, too, or is it a big secret?"
Isabel took in a deep breath, clearly struggling with her loyalty to her uncle and her love of sharing secrets. "I not s'posed to tell." As if needing more physical constraint, she slapped both hands over her mouth.
"That's okay, you don't have to tell me," Calleigh assured her, rubbing Isabel's arm reassuringly. "Sometimes it's good to keep a secret, especially if someone asked you to."
"Eric did," she told her, steadily losing her self control. "He wants to marry you. He has a pretty ring."
Why Eric discussed this information in front of a four-year-old, Calleigh did not know, but she laughed a little. The knowledge that this was being brought up again made her stomach flip with nerves and maybe a bit of excitement
"A pretty ring, huh?" she asked, playing along with Isabel's excitement. "Did you see it?"
Isabel bit her lip as she considered it. "No, but all wedding rings are pretty…" She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and looked up at Calleigh with wide, emphatic eyes. "Are you gonna marry Eric?"
Lips curving upward slightly, Calleigh looked down for a moment and then smiled at Isabel. "What do you think?"
"Well," Isabel began with a heavy sigh, clearly having pondered this as much as a four-year-old could, "I was gonna marry him…cause he's really nice and funny and he never tucks me in too tight like Papi or Abuelo, and he always knows grape juice is icky…but I guess you can have him. He likes you."
"Well, thank you," Calleigh said, smiling gratefully. "I like him, too."
* * *
Resting her hip against the front of the dresser, Calleigh absentmindedly began her usual routine. She unclasped her bracelet and slid out her matching diamond earrings, tucking them away in her miniature armoire. Next came her necklace, which she delicately placed on one of the little hooks. As she reached up to pull her hair loose from the bun she'd rolled it into sometime throughout the evening, she caught sight of the small photo tucked between mirror and wood on Eric's side.
It was the sonogram. She smiled, recalling the various places he'd proudly displayed it – their dresser, his locker at work, his mother's refrigerator, his wallet… Ryan had spotted it in his locker and teased him because you couldn't even really see anything. It was a blurry profile at best, but it was everything to them. Even Ryan had retracted his earlier statement when Natalia pointed out that you could tell it had Eric's fuzz and emphatically pointed at his buzzed hair.
Calleigh laughed softly to herself as she untwisted her bun, letting her long hair fall down her back in loose waves. Resting the heels of her palms on the edge of the dresser, she studied the image. Tomorrow they would get a new one, and she was determined this time to let herself enjoy the experience instead of running scared.
She sighed contentedly at the feel of his hands gliding over her wrists and then settling over her hands on the dresser. Soon his chest was pressed against her back, the faint scent of vanilla gracing his senses as he nuzzled into her hair.
"Eric," she whispered as his hands slid up her forearms and then settled at her sides. She closed her eyes as she leaned back into him, letting her weight rest against his strong frame.
"Cal." He kissed the shell of her ear and brushed her hair over her shoulder with a delicate hand to press a chaste kiss to her skin.
"I bought a dress for my cousin's wedding today."
"You're sure you want to go?" he asked, lips brushing up against her cheek as he rested his head against hers.
"Yeah," she said softly, placing her hands on his arms while he held her. "Either way it goes, good or bad, I think it'll be good for me in the long run." She sighed, resolving to not think about the potential disaster. Turning in his arms, she took his hands in hers and smiled shyly. "So will you be my date?"
"Of course." He laughed lightly at her innocence, focusing on her bright eyes.
Tugging at his hands, she drew him closer and pushed up onto the tips of her toes to capture his lips with hers. His hands slid through her hair to cradle the back of her head, urging her even closer as he parted his lips for her. Her taste filled his mouth and her touch graced his skin, her fingers slipping beneath the hem of his t-shirt to glide over his abs. Teasingly, she drew her fingers lower and lower, brushing over his skin tantalizingly slow until her fingers reached his belt.
He groaned into her mouth, his own hands wandering, following the path of the tiny yellow strings of her dress to the back of her neck. Pulling at each end of the bow, he smiled against her lips at how right his little theory was. He pushed the fabric down, finding the zipper at the middle of her back and sliding it down until the material effortlessly slid off her body, pooling at her feet.
Before she could even slide the hem between her fingers to remove his shirt, he had scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. Months ago he would've thrown her down and pinned her in a fit of playful passion, but now he gently laid her back. She watched him with the same awestruck look she always did when he was overly careful or protective with her, biting her lip as he stood up to peel his own shirt over his head.
His muscles rippled and she tugged at his belt, playfully pulling him onto her until he covered her body with his. Holding himself up, he kept his weight off her, finding that he had to work much harder to avoid putting his weight on her these days.
"Hmm." He laughed a little, easing onto his side and watching her follow suit to face him. At her amused but questioning look, he told her, "He's growing." He trailed his fingers over her familiar curves, skimming over her ribs, down her side, and up again over her hip bone. Tracing the new curve of her belly, he followed the bottom of the swell and then placed his palm over her belly button.
"Yeah," she whispered, watching him with that same awe. They had gone from playful to meaningful in point-sixty, but she didn't mind at all. "Eric," she began, drawing his gaze from her stomach to her eyes. "I don't want you to hold back anymore."
The smile that graced his lips was contagious and she mirrored it as she urged him onto his back and climbed into his lap, straddling his thighs.
"Are you sure?" he asked, grinning as his gaze drifted from her belly to her green eyes, shining dark emerald in the dim light. "Because I love this," he said, fingers coasting over her stomach emphatically as he touched her bare skin. "I don't think I can keep my hands off you."
"You won't love it when I'm huge," she teased, though she was starting to doubt that with the awed way his hands were exploring her.
"I will," he assured, gripping her hips and urging her up onto her knees so he could press his lips to her stomach. It was such a small gesture, but her heart swelled and she thought she might die of happiness as he hugged her waist.
She rested her hands on his shoulders as he kissed her belly again and then slid her fingers into the short hair he'd decided to grow out after the "fuzz" comment. Raking her fingers through it, she smiled, catching the low whisper of an "I love you" not meant for her as his lips brushed across the skin of her stomach.
He held her sides, his kisses trailing up her body until he'd found her lips again. "I love you, Cal," he mumbled between kisses.
"I love you, too," she whispered back, fingers grazing through his cropped hair. When she pulled back she had unshed tears in her eyes and she shook her head, resting her forehead against his. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." She slid her hands down to cradle his face.
"It's fine," he assured her, running his fingers through a lock of hair that framed her face and then tucking it behind her ear. "I wanted you to be happy about this on your own terms."
"I am happy." She smiled, caressing the back of his neck as she met his eyes. "You make me happy," she said for the first time. "You're amazing."
Her eyes sparkled with words she wasn't saying, declarations that would remain unspoken for now. But Eric saw unbridled love and happiness in her features now, her apprehension slowly but surely dissipating. And that was something that simply couldn't be expressed in words, so he smiled knowingly, cupped her chin in his fingers, and brushed his lips against hers in an emotion-filled kiss.