Epilogue XXIV - The Mitchell's
Beca took a deep breath, reached a finger out and pushed the green 'call' icon on her iPad. The FaceTime ringing began, echoing around the small lounge, her heart racing as she stared at the word 'Dad'. This was the moment she'd been dreading.
She looked past the screen at her fiancée who sat on the floor opposite her. Chloe was peering at her own iPad, filtering through Pinterest to add 'pins' to her new 'Wedding' board. She had her legs crossed, their increasingly-growing puppy curled up within the nook her legs, Alba's heavy head lolling over the redhead's right thigh as she dozed.
Beca wanted to feel calm at the sight of two of the most important beings in her world. But the shrill ringing tone of the FaceTime call came to an abrupt stop, indicating her father was answering the call. Beca saw Chloe's head shoot up to look over at her, and the brunette tried to give the woman a smile as if to say there was nothing to worry about, but her motions were interrupted by a man's voice.
"Beca?" Cal Mitchell's voice rang out from Beca's iPad and the brunette shuffled uncomfortably on the little sofa she was sat on. She cleared her throat nervously.
"Uh hi Dad."
The room fell silent at both ends of the call. It had been months since Beca had seen her father, the last time being that moment when he and Sheila had visited and he'd been very rude to Chloe. The woman who had at the time been Beca's girlfriend. The woman who was now Beca's fiancée.
"So...um...how are you?" Cal Mitchell asked. He looked at Beca with an ounce of suspicion to his tone of voice which, lucky for him, Beca hadn't noticed. She was too busy trying to find the words to tell her father that she and Chloe were now engaged.
"I'm good. Great actually. Really great."
"That's good..."
The rooms fell silent again as the two Mitchell's looked at each other's live image on their respective iPads. Beca could feel her palms becoming sweaty. She so desperately didn't want to tell him. He wouldn't be happy. There would be no way he would be happy to hear that his only daughter was going to marry a woman. To continue being the anomaly within the family. And Beca acted as though she didn't care what he thought. But a part of her deep, deep down so desperately wanted her father to love her for who she was, to accept her decisions, and to accept Chloe and all the ways she was wonderful. Having experienced what it was like to know someone who was a good, kind father, Beca wished he was a bit more like Jerry Beale.
"So what can I do for you Beca?" Cal Mitchell said, finally breaking the silence. He sounded impatient and it had sparked a mild feeling of annoyance in Beca's body. Screw it. So what if this was going to be bad news for him. She was happy. Chloe was happy. The Beale's were happy. The Bella's will be happy. That's all who mattered really.
"I was just calling to let you know I've asked Chloe to marry me," Beca said confidently, and a part of her rejoyced when she saw her father's face drop further as he sat up in shock, "and she said yes, so...you don't have to do or say anything. This is really just a courtesy call to update you on the big things that are happening in my life."
Beca took a deep breath as her father stared at her from the screen, stunned. She looked slightly past her iPad and saw Chloe looking at her, biting her bottom lip with a noticeable wince at the impending reaction from the ever frosty Mr Mitchell.
Cal Mitchell cleared his throat, "Right...uh...have you told your mother?"
Beca froze. Ah, her mother. Beca hadn't seen her mother since the woman left the family home when Beca had been thirteen years old. She'd received a birthday and Christmas card from her every year, and in them there had always been some sort of apology, some whistful memory of a time during Beca's childhood, some hope that Beca was well, then a phone number at the bottom, just in case the daughter wanted to contact the mother one day.
Since her nineteenth birthday, however, Beca had refused to even read the words written, believing that if her mother really did love her then she'd do something more about it than simply send a crumby card. When Chloe had found out about this a few years ago on Beca's birthday, she'd taken it upon herself to read the card out to her best friend. It had broken her heart when she saw just how unphased Beca had been about the thoughtful words, the redhead struggling to imagine what life would be like if her own wonderful mother suddenly upped and left but still tried to stay in contact.
So every Birthday, the moment Beca got to the envelope that had what she recognised as her mother's handwriting on, she'd hand it to Chloe and the redhead would read the words out loud. Then, unbeknownst to Beca, the redhead would place the card in the shoebox that she kept in the 'craft box' that had laid initially in her bedroom before she and Beca had begun dating, and which now lay in the corner of the spare room. Over time the cards had begun gathering.
Beca never looked at her mother's Christmas card anymore. Choosing to throw it straight in the bin without opening it. She'd rather not know what her mother had written or what amount of money she'd given her.
"Uh..no." Beca had already had this conversation with Chloe. Her fiancée had suggested that maybe it was time to reach out, to just give her mother a courtesy call like she was going to with her father. Beca didn't think it was a good idea, "I haven't and, honestly, I'm not sure if I will."
The two Mitchell's fell silent and suddenly a slight commotion was heard from Cal's side of the call, "Is that Beca??" Sheila's voice rang out, and for the first time ever Beca was actually relieved that her step-mother was intervening in their call.
Shelia arrived on the screen and sat next to Cal, smiling brightly at Beca who gave her a polite grin, "Beca, you called!" Sheila gushed, and Beca suddenly remembered that in the last email Sheila had sent to her only last week she suggested that the young brunette should call her father and try to rebuild that bridge they kept damaging between them.
"Oh, right, yeah...I was actually just telling Dad that Chloe and I are engaged."
Beca took a sharp intake of breath in shock as a noise she'd never heard before left her stepmother's mouth. A huge smile radiated from Sheila's as the woman grabbed her husband by his arm and squeezed tight in excitement, "Oh congratulations!!" Beca found a grin appearing at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't expected anyone on her side of the family to act this way. "And congratulate Chloe for me too please!"
Beca looked past the iPad screen and saw Chloe beaming at her while she cradled their large puppy, "Oh um...actually she's right here so you can tell her yourself..." and Beca flipped the screen so it showed Chloe who waved politely, her smile having not waivered once.
"Congratulations Chloe!" Shelia chimed, and Beca took this time to watch her father's expression at the sight of his daughter's fiancée. He still looked pretty stunned, but he didn't look angry, and that was the thing that Beca was clinging to.
"Thank you!" Chloe sang back, before biting her lip, trying to contain her excitement. The initial heavy cloud that had hung over the room when Cal had answered had now dissapated with the arrival of Sheila, who was acting just how a family member should act at the news of an engagement.
"You know your mother and I were only speculating the other week about whether you two might get engaged soon." Sheila said in a delighted voice and gave the young couple a wink. Sue Beale had told Chloe on the phone only yesterday how wonderful Sheila was and Chloe had agreed, over the moon that her mother and Beca's stepmother had appeared to become friends.
"Well clearly you two know Beca very well." Chloe said with a giggle, hooping her arm in Beca's and squeezing it excitably. Beca found a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she caught Chloe's bright blue eyes shining at her. Her fiancée was right, maybe Sue and Sheila did know her better than she'd thought. Was she really that transparent?
When Beca turned back to the screen she noticed her father's expression had softened slightly and it took her a little by surprise.
"We'd be over the moon to come along to the wedding of course! That is…if we're invited..?" Beca saw Sheila's smile drop momentarily, the older woman clearly having been so swept up in the initial excitement that it hadn't crossed her mind they may not get invited.
"Well…yeah I…I mean we'd hoped you might?" Beca stuttered a little, distracted by her father's expression as the man cleared his throat awkwardly and shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
"Oh we'd love to, wouldn't we Cal!" Sheila said with a smile, turning to look at her husband and giving him a pointed look.
A forced smile appeared on the man's face and he looked back at the screen with a sharp nod, "Yes…uh…yes of course."
And Beca swallowed loudly, keeping an eye on her father as Sheila and Chloe began talking about ideas for the wedding. It may be taking him some time, but agreeing to come to their wedding was at least one step in the right direction.
Guys thank you so much for your revieeeews! I'm currently away on holiday but have found the beauty that is the app so fingers crossed it's worked in uploading this chapter the second I finished writing it :D
Next up? Find out The Bellas' reaction to the news!
justbechloe - Beca's Dad then happy Bella times ;) got it! Thanks buddy!
JustLettie - Right you aaare :) The Bellas reaction is all rather classic Bellas. Emily is going to be a total cutiepie and Staubrey's gonna show..
Mystery Guest - You got it dude!
Glugalde - hehe yep every chapter is written on my phone! As mentioned to JustLettie, Emily will be a total sweetheart in the Bellas' WhatsApp. Ugh I love the Beale's and so happy you love them too! Hehe Grandma Beale has a part to play in future chapters but I won't reveal how. Sorry you've had to wait 12 days for an update but expect a further 2 chapters to be up fairly promptly over the next couple of days (plus I'm holidaying in the States atm so I'm on US time for once! Yay!)
laco0417 - Sent you a PM with the link dude. There's a shed-load of Bechloe One-Shots that I've written!
Mystery Guest 2 - Hehe I could totally see Jerry kicking Cal's ass ;) don't forget about those protective Big Brothers of Chloe's either!
becamitchellbeale345 - wowee your English is great dude! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a long review! Sorry you didn't get The Bellas reaction first but don't worry, I'll upload their reaction next and it won't be a long wait - honest! Thank you again.
zombiekiller1013 - I know. I bloody love them! Hope you weren't disappointed by the Mitchell's reaction.