Chapter 8
Callie glanced at the crowded kitchen and living room before slipping outside to the front porch. She pulled the door closed behind her and inhaled the fresh air. She grimaced as she lowered her body to sit on the porch steps.
She was happy to see this year come to an end; it had been a nightmarish year. However, she found it hard to believe that the new year would be any easier. She brought her hand to her stomach and looked down at her thin waist; still no evidence that there was a human growing inside. Three days of knowing and her mind still couldn't grasp that she was pregnant.
Callie flinched as the door clicked open, snapping her from her thoughts. She whipped her head back to find Brandon closing the door behind him. A smile stretched his lips as his eyes met Callie's. "Hey, you okay?"
She nodded her head as he took a seat beside her. "Yeah, I just wanted to step out for a few minutes."
"It's almost midnight." Brandon said. "Mama has all the glasses of champagne and sparkling cider set up if you want to come back in to count down. Moms actually let us drink champagne on New Year's Eve."
"I can't have any." Callie reminded.
"Right, sorry." Brandon nodded. He was still struggling to process that she was pregnant. "Well there's sparkling cider too."
"I think I'm just going to stay out here. I was never really a New Year's Eve fan."
"The Foster's love New Year's Eve, hence the big party, so you better get used to it." Brandon chuckled.
"My mom, Jude, and I used to love it and after she died Jude and I would celebrate together. Every year I thought, this is going to be the year, the year we get adopted and everything goes right, but…I guess I realized the past few years how stupid that was. I feel like it just keeps getting worse and harder." Callie fiddled her fingers anxiously. "And so, to me it feels like one bad year is ending and just starting an even worse one."
Brandon frowned. He reached across and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. "I'm going to make sure that this year is better for you."
Callie met Brandon's eyes and a small smile found her lips. "You don't have to hang out here with me. You should go back in before you miss the ball drop."
"I want to stay out here with you." Brandon gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I want to start the new year with you."
"Twenty…nineteen…"
Callie glanced back at the house at the distant sound of the party counting down.
"You're supposed to be with the one you love at midnight." Brandon gazed into her deep chocolate eyes; the eyes that made his heart skip a beat every time he looked into them.
Callie chewed on her bottom lip. "Brandon…"
"twelve…eleven…"
"Callie, I love you." Brandon reached up to brush a curl behind her ear.
"Eight…seven…"
Callie leaned into his touch as his hand cupped her cheek. Brandon's eyes shifted down to Callie's lips.
"four…three…two…"
Callie closed her eyes as Brandon planted his lips on hers.
"Happy New Year!"
Brandon's hand entwined in her curls as he deepened the kiss. Callie's hand reached up to rest on the back of his neck as their lips continued to dance together. A loud boom followed by sparks of color lighting up the night sky pulled Callie and Brandon out of their kiss.
Callie glanced at the fireworks in the sky before returning her eyes to Brandon. "I love you too. I love you so much that it hurts, but what are we doing?"
"Callie, I can't pretend that I don't love you. I…I thought we lost you the night you were attacked. There was so much blood and you went unconscious and they didn't tell us anything for hours. I knew I always loved you, but almost losing you made me that I can't live without you. I love you more than anything."
Callie bit down on her lower lip and reached into Brandon's lap to grasp his hand once more. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Brandon shook his head. "Don't. Don't apologize. It was not your fault."
"I want to be with you so badly, Brandon. You make me feel safe and loved and I need that more than anything right now, but I just…I feel like I'm betraying Stef and Lena. But I don't even feel like the adoption is ever going to go through. But I can't…I can't stop loving you. I tried, I tried so hard."
Brandon caressed the top of her hand with his thumb. "I know, I feel the same way. Maybe we should just talk to moms."
Callie nodded. "Okay. But can we just wait and keep us quiet for a little while. Let's see what happens after the DNA test because there may not even be any possibility of an adoption."
"Of course. Anything you want." A smirk found Brandon's lips. "So does this mean we're dating?"
Callie smiled and squeezed his hand gently. "Yes."
Brandon leaned in a pressed his lips to hers once more. He pulled away with an ear to ear smile. "I think you're having a pretty good start to your year."
Callie giggled and shrugged. "I guess it's okay…"
Brandon chuckled before he brushed a curl out of Callie's face. "It's nice to hear that laugh again."
A moment of peaceful silence fell between the two for a moment; both enjoying each other's presence. Callie looked back at the front door. "As much as I would love to stay out here with you, we should probably go back in before they come looking for us."
"You're right." Brandon nodded as he stood and offered his hand to help Callie. He noticed her grimace as she took his hand to stand. "You're still in a lot of pain, aren't you?"
At times Callie hated that Brandon knew her so well; she couldn't hide anything from him. "I'm fine, I just…I stopped taking my pain meds because of…the pregnancy."
"Callie…" Brandon sighed. The thought of the pregnancy affecting her medication hadn't crossed his mind. "Is there something else you can take?"
Callie shrugged. "I mean I think Tylenol is safe, but I'm not positive so I'm not risking it. Plus, I don't really think anything over the counter is going to help."
"When are you going to tell Moms?"
"I…I don't know." Any time Callie considered telling her foster mothers, she erased the idea. She was still trying to process it herself and telling them only made it that much more real. She feared their reaction and thoughts too.
Brandon opened his mouth to speak, but the front door clicked open. Lena stood in the doorway. "There you two are. Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year, Mama." Brandon shot Callie a glance to let her know their conversation wasn't over before he walked over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her. She pressed a kiss to his head and then stepped towards Callie. Brandon smiled at the two before stepping back inside the house.
"Happy New Year, my love." Lena held her arms open for Callie.
Callie took a step closer to her foster mother and leaned into her embrace. "Happy New Year."
"You doing alright? How come you were out here?" Lena gently stroked Callie's curls.
Callie nodded against Lena's shoulder. "I'm fine, I just got a little overwhelmed in there."
"Sorry, we get very festive for Christmas and New Year's. We throw a big New Year's Eve party every year."
"Oh no, it's fine. I just…needed a break." Callie pulled out of Lena's arms.
"There's champagne inside. It's the one night we allow you guys to have a glass." Lena grinned.
Callie froze. She swallowed thickly. "I…uh probably can't with the medicine."
Lena smiled sadly. She placed a hand over her small stomach. "That makes two of us. I have to skip out this year too for this little one."
Callie forced a small laugh.
"So I researched some of the best therapists in the area and I made a list. I'll give them to you later so you can look and choose one. I want you to maybe consider doing a group therapy with other victims too."
Callie flinched at the word victim. She hated that she was a victim it made her feel weak. She didn't want to see a therapist. She didn't want to rehash the details of what happened over and over again. A therapist wasn't going to change what happened. She didn't want to upset Lena though so she nodded her head. "Okay, I'll look them over."
A wide smile spread across Lena's lips. "Thank you."
Thanks for reading! Not my proudest chapter, but I hope you enjoyed. Review!