Chapter 56

Arizona's P.O.V:

It's been two weeks since Callie met up with her mom and even though things didn't go all that well, the two Latinas still continued to stay in touch. I've overheard conversations between the two and then heard Callie mention something to her about meeting Noah and me. So, Callie and I had talked and decided to have Lucia over to have dinner so we could officially meet. To say that I'm nervous would be an understatement. I mean, finding out what really happened, I'm not sure what to say to the woman. We had only talked for a brief moment that day she showed up at our door unannounced, so, I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing. A million thoughts raced through my mind as I got myself ready.

"Arizona," Callie calls out, "are you about ready? Lucia will be arriving shortly, and dinner is just about ready,"

"I'll be out in a minute," I holler back. Since I'm officially meeting my so-called mother-in-law, I decided to be a little comfortable, yet a little presentable. A pair of tight jeans that hugged my ass and a nice white button-up blouse. When I finally finished putting on the final touches of my makeup, I finally exit the bathroom. Callie was sitting on the edge of the bed with Noah in her lap. Her face fell when she saw me, "well?"

"You look amazing... as always, I might add," she says with a grin. She squints her eyes and leans forward to get a better look at me, "and are you wearing makeup?"

"I am, actually," I say with a chuckle, "I picked it up today. I figured I'd look presentable meeting the woman that gave birth to my wife, for which, I am very thankful,"

"Right. Well, we better head out to the other room, she will be here in just a few," she stands from the bed and gets Noah situated on her hip. She places her hand on the small of my back and escorts us out into the living room.

Once the table was set for dinner, the doorbell rang. Letting us know our guest had finally arrived.

"Tell me why I let you talk me into this?" Callie asks nervously, handing Noah to me.

"Because you were the one who decided it would be good for the both of us. Besides, if it didn't go too well, we have the right to kick her out," I say.

"Oh, right. Okay, well, I guess here goes nothing," as she went to walk away, I pull her back, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"It's going to be okay, Calliope," I assure her, "now, go let our guest in," as she walked away, I give her a light tap on the ass, which earns me a small laugh. She opens the door and I hear Lucia's voice.

"Hello, Calliope,"

"Mom," Callie answers, clearing her throat, "thank you for coming...again,"

"Of Course," the woman says, entering our home.

"Mrs. Torres," I politely say to our guest.

"Lucia, please," the woman says with a warm smile. Callie joins us a few minutes later, then introduces us.

"Lucia...Mom, this is Arizona, my wife," she says, coming to stand next to me, "and this is our son, Noah," Lucia walks more towards us and holds her hand out for me to shake, which I happily do.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Lucia," I say, still trying to be polite.

"It's nice to meet you too, Arizona. And it's nice to meet you, Noah," Lucia coos, "Oh, you're just the cutest, aren't you," Callie and I look at each other, then back at the woman in front of us.

"Dinner is ready," Callie says, cutting off her interaction.

"He looks so much like you, Calliope," Lucia states, "and I can definitely see Arizona in him too,"

"Thanks," Callie and I say in unison.

After sitting down to eat, it remained quiet throughout some parts. No one really had much to say. Not even Lucia. I mean, what kind of conversation is dinner appropriate when the person who's sitting in front of you has been gone for half their daughter's life. But the quiet didn't last long. Lucia finally broke the silence.

"So, Arizona," Lucia starts, "Were you named after the state?"

"No actually," I say with a mouthful of food, I cover my mouth before speaking again, "sorry. I..um...I was named after the battleship. The U.S.S Arizona. My grandfather was on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,"

"Oh," she says, sounding a little surprised, "well, that's nice. So, do your parents live in Seattle?" I look at Callie then back at Lucia.

"My parents died a couple of years ago, just before my graduation. Six months before I met Calliope, actually," I tell her.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Must have been rough, you know, losing them just before finishing college,"

"Actually, it was my high school graduation," I correct her, "we buried them the day after I graduated from high school,"

"Oh..that must have been awful," she says, sympathetically.

"Yeah, it's been hard without them, but I'm getting through it. Thanks to Calliope, my brother, and my best friend who is also my sister-in-law,"

"Well, it's nice to have people around you to help you get through a rough time," Lucia says, taking a bite of her lasagna.

"Yeah. You have no idea how lucky I have been," I say, smiling at my wife.

"So, Lucia...Mom," Callie says, cutting in, "if you don't mind me asking after you left, where did you end moving to?"

"Callie," I say, placing a hand on my wife's arm.

"No, it's okay, Arizona. She has questions, so it's fine," Lucia looks at her daughter for a brief moment before responding, "I..um...I actually moved here to Seattle and opened my own practice,"

"So, you've been here this entire time?" Callie asks.

"I have," Lucia replied calmly with a nod.

"Okay then," was all she said. Callie stood up from her spot and cleared her place at the table. Returning, she lifts Noah from his seat, "I'm going to give Noah his bath," then heads toward the hallway bathroom. Lucia and I sat quietly for what seemed like forever. Nothing was said between the two of us.

"I didn't mean to upset her," Lucia finally says.

"You just caught her off guard. That's all. I'm going to go check on her," I stand from my place and head down the hall to find Callie. When I enter the bathroom that was off our bedroom, Callie was bent over the tub, laughing. I smile, then knock on the door frame. She turns around and smiled, "how's it going in here?"

"Good. He's having a blast," my wife chuckles.

"Do you want to talk about what happened out there?" I ask her.

"Not really," she says shortly.

"Callie..." I start but was soon interrupted.

"No.." she says, stopping me, "I moved here after I graduated college, Arizona. That's 6 years. and she's been for 13 years. She was here all this time...all this time. I could've passed her on the street and not even know it,"

"I know," I say quietly, not knowing what else to say.

"Is she still out there?" she asks.

"Yeah, she's still here," I say, stuffing my hands inside my jeans pocket and lean against the door frame.

"Okay, well, he's almost done, so I'll be out soon. We can visit before we put him down for bed," she says. I lean over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek and then join Lucia back at the table.

"She will be out in a minute, she's just finishing up giving Noah his bath," I tell her.

After Callie finished giving Noah his bath, I hear shuffling coming from the hall. I look over and see her coming to join us in the living room. We all sat around talking for another hour before Lucia had to leave. After locking up and turning off the remaining lights, I joined my wife in the bedroom.

"So, that went better than we expected," I say, as I climb into bed next to Callie.

"Yeah, I guess it did," Callie answers, she was leaning against the headboard, her phone in hand. Her fingers shuffle the keypad a few times, then locks up the device and lays it on the nightstand beside her. She puts her arm around me and I snuggle in as close as I can. She let's out a sigh, which gets me wondering.

"What's on your mind, babe?" I ask her.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just thinking about how weird it feels to have my mom back in my life. I mean, she's been gone since I was thirteen. Now all of a sudden, almost fourteen years later, she decides to come back. But, what if she decides that she's made a mistake contacting me, then decides to leave again,"

"Do you really see her doing that? I mean, after all, you guys moved to the same state without realizing it. So, if she does, where will she go this time? I mean, she's lived here the last thirteen years, babe. It's not like she's just going to up and leave a place she made home,"

"You do have a point," she says.

"I know I do," I say with a chuckle, "but seriously, if you are worried about her leaving again, maybe you should talk to her. Lay everything out,"

"Mmm...the only thing I want to lay out is you," she says, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me close.

"Not tonight, I have a headache," I joke, sliding down to where my back was flat on the mattress.

"And I have just the cure," she chuckles as she moves in between my legs.

*Late update, I apologize. Had a lot going on since the last update. Hope it's okay. *