"You're early." I said, glancing up from my phone when Callie walked in the door. I was sitting at the island, eating from the bag of goldfish.

"Hello to you too," Callie laughed.

I smiled. "Hi."

"Goldfish. Nice." Callie took some, then set her things down. "I stayed way later last shift, so someone came to cover me." She said.

"Cool." I nodded.

"Yup. What have you been up to?"

"Hm. I went grocery shopping, had friends over and took a trip to Europe." I joked.

She laughed. "So, nothing?"

"I made my bed?" I suggested.

"Hey, it's something." Callie shrugged. "I'm gonna hop in the shower quick." She quickly unpacked her lunch bag, putting the containers in the dishwasher.

"Wait."

She looked at me.

I sucked my cheeks in. Now I had to say it.

"I just wanna ask you something..." I said quietly.

"Of course. What's up?" Callie leaned against the island, right across from where I was sitting.

"Well. You're marrying my mom." I pushed a goldfish around on the counter. "Does that mean you're my mom, too?"

She didn't say anything.

"I mean. Technically you'll be my step mom. Right?"

"Technically... yeah." Callie spoke up, her voice a little shaky.

I glanced up at her. She looked surprised. Maybe a little nervous.

I redirected my attention back to the goldfish.

"How do you feel about that? That I'll technically be your step mom?" Callie asked after a few moments.

"I don't mind it." I shrugged. I wasn't against it.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean... I don't know." I sighed, looking up at her again. Our eyes met. "What do I call you? You know... once you guys are married."

Callie tilted her head. "Whatever you would like to call me. Whatever you feel comfortable with."

"I think it would be weird to call you Mom." I thought out loud. "Because... well. Mom is my mom. She's been my mom my whole life." I bit my cheek, then, "Can I just call you Callie? Is that disrespectful?"

Callie quickly shook her head, "That's not disrespectful at all. Liv, I don't care what you call me, truly. I won't be offended. Call me what you want." She smiled reassuringly. "I'm not expecting you to think of me as a parent just because I'm married to your mom. Of course I hope that you like me and that we have a good relationship. But, I know that your mom has done a lot for you- she's your mom. I'm perfectly fine with you calling me Callie."

"It's not that I don't think of you as a parent..."

Did I just say that out loud? Of course I think of Callie as a parent. She's more of a parent than my 'Dad' has ever been. Ew I hate calling him that.

But, Callie is like a parent. Not in the lecturing and telling me what to do type way- in the caring about me and being there for me way. She makes me feel... loved.

Similar to how Mom does.

Of course nothing could match up to my relationship with my mom. But, Callie was a parental figure.

Callie hadn't said anything.

"I'm sorry," I laughed. "That was a lot." Maybe I scared her. Maybe she didn't want to be my parent.

"No, no. Liv, that's really sweet." Callie said quickly, her expression soft and emotional.

I looked back down at the goldfish on the counter.

"Hey," Callie spoke softly. "You don't have to call me mom. I was never expecting that. Callie is fine. You calling me Callie doesn't mean I can't be someone who loves you and is there for you. A title wouldn't change that."

She loved me. That was the second time she had said that now.

I felt tears in my eyes at that. Maybe that was silly. But, ever since Mother's Day, really, I had thought that maybe I was starting to love Callie. It was mutual. Not one sided. That made me feel beyond special.

"Got it?" Callie asked after I hadn't said anything.

"You love me?" I asked. Immediately I wished I hadn't said that. Kind of weird.

"Of course I do!" Callie said, as if that was a known fact.

I looked up at her.

"Liv, don't cry. Oh my god." Callie rushed around the island, hugging me tightly.

I didn't hesitate to hug back. I held in as many of my tears as I could. I wasn't upset. I just... felt... a lot.

Too many emotions.

She let out a breath, rubbing my back. "Are you ok?"

"I'm... yeah." I nodded a little. "I. Well, I love you too." I said quietly.

Callie smiled as we pulled away. "You're the cutest." She said quietly, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

I laughed, shaking my head.

"You're ok with the idea that I'll be your step mom? Really?" Callie asked, clearly wanting to be sure.

"I'm happy about it." I told her.

"I'm happy about it, too, Liv." Her smile was big and bright, brown eyes shining with joy. I could feel my smile matching her.

Though emotional, it felt good to have this conversation with Callie.

"You've got me all emotional." Callie said.

I giggled, "Sorry. I've just been... thinking about it. I wasn't too sure."

She gave me another squeeze and then pulled away. "You can call me whatever you want. Well. Not what ever. But, you know what I mean." She laughed.

"I think I wanna stick with Callie. If that's cool. It feels normal."

"Of course!" Callie nodded quickly. "It does feel normal. Normal is good."

"Yeah." She was right. Normal is good. Calling her Callie would keep one thing in life normal.

Plus, I felt weird about the idea of calling anyone other than my mom, mom. Or any form of the word mom.

Like Callie said, Mom has done a lot for me. She raised me. I think she deserves to be the only one going by that title. She was the only one who raised me.