Chapter 20

"Hey juvie girl."

Callie closed her eyes for a moment. The only people that called her that were the guys on the wrestling team and the guys are the wresting team were relentless with harassing her. The halls were empty and quiet with classes being in session. Callie had a free period and was on her way to meet Brandon in the music room, but needed to stop by her locker first. She remained facing her locker, hoping that whoever it was would leave her alone if she ignored them. Her body flinched as his large hand slammed her locker shut. She whipped her head around to meet the eyes of Tommy Walker. Her entire body went tense. He was the leader of the harassment and Vico's best friend. Callie wasn't sure what he was capable of, but she certainly did not want to find out.

"I'm talking to you." He growled as his eyes narrowed at her.

Callie swallowed thickly as she felt her pulse steadily rise. "What do you want?"

"I spoke with Vico yesterday." A smug smirk found his lips as he leaned against the lockers.

Callie tensed at the mention of his name. She didn't want to hear what this was about. She moved to walk passed Tommy, but he latched onto her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks. Images of Vico and Liam flashed through her mind. "Let go of me."

"Don't walk away from me. I told you, I spoke to Vico yesterday." He repeated through gritted teeth.

Her stomach knotted as she glanced at the tight hold on her arm. She was too familiar with that painful grip. Her eyes scanned the empty hallways. There was no sign of help. Panic rose in her chest, but she attempted to remain hard on the outside. If she had learned anything from all the abuse she suffered, it was that fear only motivated the abuser. "I don't care what he has to say."

Tommy released his grip on her arm. "Oh, I think you will when I tell you he's planning on fighting for custody when you lose the case if you don't drop the charges."

Callie froze. Her face turned a ghostly shade of white. Her hands grew clammy, yet her body felt so cold. Oxygen escaped her lungs. Her throat felt like it was closing. Custody. Vico wanted custody over her child; her innocent little baby girl.

"See ya." Tommy winked with a grin before strolling down the hall.

Callie watched him turn the corner, disappearing from her sight. Her trembling hands came up to rest on her stomach. Her feet remained glued to the spot she was standing in. Her limbs felt paralyzed. Her chest burned as her heart pounded against it. She was very aware that Vico didn't actually want custody. He didn't want a relationship with a child. He didn't want to raise a baby. He didn't want to be there to watch her learn to talk, to take her first steps, to grow. He wanted custody for revenge. Callie's love and protectiveness for others was obvious and Vico knew that was the best way to mess with her. The vibration of her phone in her pocket snapped her from her thoughts. She pulled her phone out and swiped to open the message.

Brandon- Are you still meeting me? Getting worried

Callie dropped her phone into her bag and started for the stairs. She threw the door open to the music room. Relief washed over her when she locked eyes with Brandon's concerned ones as he spun around on the piano bench to face her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Brandon could see the panic in her eyes as she closed the door.

She made her way over to the piano and leaned against the window ledge. "T-Tommy Walker stopped me in the hall."

Brandon stood with his fists clenched by his sides. That name made his blood boil. Nothing ever good came when Tommy Walker interacted with Callie. "What did he do?"

"It's what he said. He…he spoke with…Vico, who told him he's going to fight me for custody." Callie placed her hands on her bump again as if to protect her unborn baby. Just speaking the words aloud made her stomach tumble with nausea.

"What? That's ridiculous? He doesn't have any rights." Brandon moved so he was standing beside her.

"He doesn't have any rights if he gets convicted, but if he doesn't then he…he could at the minimum have visitation rights. I can't…I can't let him anywhere near her. I can't do this. She can't…" Callie rambled as her breathing shallowed.

Brandon stretched his arm behind her to rub soothing circles on her back. "Hey, take some deep breaths. He's not going anywhere near her ever because he is going to be convicted."

Unshed tears glistened in her eyes. "You don't know that."

"Hey, look at me." Brandon said softly. He turned to face her as his hand came up to cup her cheek. His loathing towards Vico and Liam intensified every time he saw Callie cry. "The lawyers were telling them to take a plea. They only do that when they have no shot. There's so much evidence, you were in the hospital for a week. And these aren't injuries that someone can chalk up to falling down the stairs or something. I'm telling you, worst case scenario is they don't get charged with everything, but they get charged with something. And that is enough that even if he were to fight you for custody, the judge wouldn't give him any rights."

Callie closed her eyes as she leaned into Brandon's touch. His words were comforting, but there was still a small part of her that couldn't shake the anxiety. She believed him; she understood there was a lot of evidence, but part of her didn't trust the legal system because it had failed her so many times before. She couldn't bear the thought of Vico coming anywhere near her daughter. And as much as she had grown from the girl who would run, she couldn't help but consider the idea if Vico actually pursued this.

Brandon wiped the tear that escaped her eye with the pad of his thumb. "He's trying to scare you, but I promise you I would kill him with my bare hands before he came anywhere near the baby. I'm not going to let that happen. We don't…we don't even know if it's his."

Callie peeled her eyes away from Brandon with shame. It was a moot point if Vico wasn't biologically the father, but she didn't doubt that he would then convince Liam to fight for custody. They wanted revenge; they wanted to hurt her in any way possible. She had to swallow the bile rising in her throat and the thought of either of them with her daughter. "So, if it isn't, then I'm sure Liam will fight for custody."

"No judge is going to grant either of them custody. Especially once they're both in jail with a slew of charges. And I promise you I would not let that happen, okay?"

Callie inhaled deeply as she nodded against his hand.

Brandon pushed her curls behind her ears before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered against his lips. A small smile spread across her lips. She reached for Brandon's hand and placed it on the left side her stomach. "She's kicking."

Brandon grinned as he felt the small jolt beneath his hand. He bent down so his face was level with her stomach. He felt her kick so many times and yet every time was just as exciting. "Hey baby girl. Are you telling Mommy not to worry? She loves you so much. I love you so much too."

Callie's heart swelled as she watched Brandon talk to her belly. She was so grateful for him. He had been so great with her through all of this, she wasn't sure she would have made it without him. A small giggle escaped her lips as she felt her stomach tumbling. "She's doing somersaults in here for you."

Brandon's grin widened. He pressed a gentle kiss to her stomach before standing up straight. "It's so weird to love someone so much when you haven't even met them yet."

Tears shone in Callie's eyes. She had seen Brandon become excited about the baby. She had seen him feel and talk to her belly. They had bought things for her together, picked out her name together. She knew Brandon was in this one hundred percent and embraced the role of fatherhood. But hearing him admit that he loved Melody made her heart flutter.

"What's wrong?" Brandon asked nervously as he saw the tears welling in her eyes.

"No. no, they're happy tears." Callie reassured. She seemed to cry with every emotion lately. "I just…you're amazing. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Brandon reached out to take one of her hands in his own. "I think the same thing about you every day."

Callie burrowed her eyebrows as she tilted her head slightly. How did he feel like the lucky one? She had to be the lucky one in this relationship. Her mother died, which caused her to be bounced around from abusive home to abusive home. Nobody wanted her. She became the trashy, reckless foster girl. She was assaulted more than once. She as used, she was dirty, she was damaged goods. Brandon was not. Brandon was the handsome, caring gentleman with a clean past. And yet he still chose her. He knew all she had been through. He knew the baggage she came with. He knew everything, but he still loved her. She was the one who didn't deserve him.

"Why do you look so shocked?"

"Because I'm the lucky one in this relationship. I'm the one that doesn't deserve you." She replied. Brandon could tell she was absolutely convinced by her words and it tore at his heart.

"Callie…" Brandon sighed. "You couldn't be further from the truth."

"I'm a mess, Brandon and you're as close to perfect as you can get."

"Cal, you are an amazing person. I love all of you, every single thing about you. The way you fight back after everything you've been through, the strength that you have, your passion, the way you protect everyone, how you are always thinking about everyone else, how you open your heart to everyone and everything, how you always want to help, the way your smile lights up the entire room, how I could stare at you all day long because you're so beautiful, how I fall in love with you all over again every day. The list goes on and on." Brandon knew Callie's low self-esteem was an effect of the trauma she had been through. One bad thing after another continued to happen to the young brunette. She suffered abuse for seven years from a variety people. They told her she was worthless, that she was to blame for everything, that she was at fault, that she deserved it. Eventually those words became engrained in her mind and she believed them. Especially when it happened so many times from so many different people. "You are the most beautiful person I have ever met inside and out. I'm just a regular guy, but I'm a better person because of you. And I know you don't believe me because you've been told otherwise for so long, but I promise you I will spend the rest of my life showing you how beautiful you are."

Tears slowly trickled down Callie's cheeks as she beamed. In this moment she forgot about all the pain and suffering; even if it was just temporary. She felt loved, truly loved. Somehow Brandon made her feel more loved with each day. After her time at the Olmstead's, she wasn't sure if she would ever find someone that would love her romantically. She was tainted. That fear only intensified after the winter ball. And yet Brandon was here confessing everything he loved about he,r knowing all she had been through. Although she didn't see truth in the things he saw in her, she had no doubt that he truly meant them. Callie wouldn't consider herself a lucky person. In fact, she considered herself to have terrible luck. The never-ending string of terrible, traumatic events in her life didn't happen to lucky people. Yet somehow, she was lucky enough to find Brandon; to find the light in her very, very dark world.

Callie reached up to connect their lips. Her hands snaked around his neck, while his draped around her waist, both pulling the other closer. Their supple lips danced together slowly at first, and then with intensity that took their breaths away. Brandon's tongue gently parted Callie's as her fingers came up to grip his soft curls. Their bodies melted into one another. They both gazed into one another's eyes when their lips finally separated.

A smirk stretched Brandon's lips as he reached up to push a strand hair behind Callie's ear. "I'm sure Mama would love to know we're making out in the music room."

A laugh left Callie's lips as she nudged him playfully. "Well when you go around saying romantic stuff like that."

"I guess we should be more careful too in case someone walked in." Brandon said, although his hands remained wrapped around her waist. "I can't wait to tell the world that you're mine."

Callie couldn't wait to stop hiding their relationship as well. There were so many times she wanted to hold his hand, peck his cheek, wrap her arm around him while in public and they couldn't. Even when they went out together they had to stray from affectionate behavior unless they were far from town.

Callie's hands slid down to his chest as she reached up to peck his lips. "Hopefully soon. Stef and Lena are meeting with Robert tonight. I just want this to be sorted out. There's so much unknown right now. And I know it's really unlikely, but this custody thing is still going to freak me out."

"I know. But I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure everything works out. And I can promise you whatever happens, you will still have me." Brandon said softly before a grin stretched his lips. "You're stuck with me."

"You're stuck with me too, Foster."

Callie entered the house, Brandon following behind her, to find Stef and Lena waiting in the living room. Stef stood when she saw the pregnant brunette. "Uh we have to talk to you."

Callie exchanged nervous glances with Brandon. It was never a good thing when Stef or Lena started a conversation like that, especially since they had been waiting there for her to return home. "What's up?"

"The judge wants to see us."

Thanks for reading! A bit of a cliff hanger-next chapter we find out why the judge wants to see them…

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