First, thanks for all the reviews to the last chapter. Second, why is it that whenever a marriage is 'in jeopardy' that everyone automatically assumes cheating is the reason? Oh, wait, I kind of wrote it to seem that way, but is it really? Hmmm, keep reading to find out. (Sorry, I'm feeling a little evil today).
"Mommy called him Chicago," Sophie said.
The phrase kept repeating over and over in Beca's head as she sat on the sofa trying to think. Chicago? The same guy Chloe was crushing on back when the Bellas did the USO Tour? The same Chicago Chloe told her she felt nothing for after she kissed him? She kissed him. And now she's having lunch with him. Without telling Beca he's around. Shit!
Dylan woke from his nap around 2:45 and Beca went to get him from his room. She checked her phone as she walked up the stairs. It had been almost two hours since Chloe said she'd be home 'in a bit' and she still wasn't there.
Chloe came home while Beca was still in Dylan's room. She heard Sophie in the family room.
"Hey, Soph," Chloe said. "Where's Aunt Amy?"
"She left," Sophie said hugging Chloe.
"What do you mean she left?," Chloe asked suddenly panicked. "Where's Dylan?" Chloe hurrying toward the door as she asked. Anxious to check on Dylan and make sure he was alright. She'd be having a serious talk with Amy about leaving her kids alone.
"He's with mama," Sophie said.
"Mama's home?," she asked feeling relieved.
"Yeah," Sophie said. "Dylan woke up and mama went to get him."
Beca came down the steps just as Chloe was walking towards them. She kept telling herself not to overreact and let Chloe tell her about having lunch with Chicago.
"Hey, Sophie just told me you were home," Chloe said and kissed Beca on the cheek. "And there's my big boy."
Chloe took Dylan from Beca and kissed his cheek. She then wiped his face with her hand.
"How was shopping?," Beca asked as she walked past Chloe heading for the kitchen.
"Lousy," Chloe said and followed Beca. "I didn't find anything I wanted."
"Really?," Beca asked as she pulled out a bottle of water. She held it up to Chloe who shook her head. "You never come home empty-handed."
Beca opened the bottle of water and took a long drink, all the while keeping her eyes on Chloe.
"Just wasn't my day, I guess," Chloe said. She looked at Beca with furrowed brows. "You're home early. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Beca said. "After my meeting with Khaled my afternoon was wide open, so I thought I'd surprise you with lunch. Guess the surprise was on me."
"I'm sorry I missed it," Chloe said. "I wish I had known sooner. I would rather have had lunch with you guys. Isn't that right, Dyl?" Chloe started tickling Dylan.
"Could you put Dylan in the family room with Sophie?," Beca asked as she played with the water bottle in her hand.
"Something is wrong, isn't it?," Chloe asked.
"I just need to talk to you without any distractions," Beca said. Chloe couldn't read Beca's face, so she knew something was up.
"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll be right back."
Chloe left the kitchen, and Beca put her hands on the counter and tried to relax. She trusted Chloe, she really did. But, she has to wonder why Chloe hasn't told her about seeing Chicago. And having a 3-hour lunch with him.
Chloe came back into the kitchen and saw Beca standing with her hands on the counter looking tense. She walked over and rubbed her hand up and down Beca's back.
"Hey, what's wrong?," Chloe asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah," Beca said. She moved away from Chloe causing Chloe's hand to drop. Beca turned so she was standing with one of the counter stools between them. She was facing Chloe with her hip against the counter. "Just have a lot on my mind."
"Like what?," Chloe asked and sat on the stool next to Beca. Chloe put her hands on Beca's hips and looked up at her. Beca remained still.
"Well, I talked to Khaled today," Beca said. "He agreed to find another producer for Blaze, and he apologized for forcing me to go the studio on Saturday. He also asked about renewing my contract."
"That's good," Chloe said. "Right?"
"Maybe," Beca said. "I haven't committed to signing with him though. I'm waiting to see what RCA and Sony offer before I decide."
"That's great, Beca," Chloe said and wrapped her arms around Beca's waist to pull her into a hug. Chloe felt Beca tense and pulled back to look at her again. "What's wrong?"
"If I go with Sony or RCA," Beca said. "I may have to work long hours to prove myself again. Which means I will probably also have to work on some weekends; a lot of weekends in the beginning. If I take one of their offers, I'll have to break the one promise you asked me to keep to show I'm committed to putting you and the kids first."
Beca ran her hands through her hair. She was thinking that if Chloe said it was okay to go with the other labels, that she wanted Beca out of the way so she could keep seeing Chicago behind her back. She stepped out of Chloe's grasp and moved to stand at the end of the counter. She waited to see if Chloe was going to say anything.
Chloe furrowed her brow. Beca usually moved into Chloe's embrace when she was worried. Something else was going; Chloe wasn't sure what it was. She decided to focus on what Beca had said and thought about her response.
"You've already won a couple of Grammys so you shouldn't have to do too much to prove yourself, babe," Chloe said. "But, I hear what you're saying and I hate the idea of you continuing to work long hours and weekends. But, I also think you should take whatever offer is best for you. We'll just have to figure out some sort of compromise so things don't get as bad as they did this past year. I love you, Beca, and I'll stand by you no matter what you decide to do."
Beca looked at her. Stared into her eyes and wondered what it was she was seeing in them. Chloe seemed sincere in her words, but she couldn't get past Sophie calling Chicago 'mommy's special friend' and Chloe telling Sophie not to tell her about him.
"How was lunch?," Beca asked, surprised at herself.
"What?," Chloe asked confused by the sudden shift in conversation.
"How was lunch?," Beca asked again.
"It was fine," Chloe said.
"Just fine?," Beca asked and studied Chloe's face. "What? The company not good? Did Chicago chew with his mouth open?" Beca's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I know how much you hate that."
Chloe shook her head and let out a sarcastic laugh. She looked down at the counter. Beca reached over and put her hand under Chloe's chin forcing her head up to look at her.
"You're asking about him now?," Chloe asked, jerking her chin away from Beca's grip.
"What's that supposed to mean?," Beca asked, her voice rising.
"I told you a couple of times about Chicago being in L.A. and running into him," Chloe said, her voice also rising. "But I guess whatever was going on at the studio was more important to you. And you ignored Sophie when she tried to tell you about her new friend, Ally, who happens to be Chicago's daughter. So, why the sudden interest in who I have lunch with?"
"Because Sophie said you were having lunch with a 'special friend'," Beca snapped back. "And she also said you told her not to tell me about him. How special a friend is he?"
"I'm not cheating on you if that's what you're asking," Chloe said. "Sophie's the one who gave him that title. She calls Ally and Chicago our 'special friends' because we don't get to see them that often. As for telling her not to tell you, what I told her was that you were too busy to hear about Ally and Chicago and that maybe she shouldn't talk about them since you weren't listening to her. It upset her when you ignored her. She's five, I guess I should have explained it better."
"How long have you been seeing him without telling me?," Beca asked.
"Oh, my God! You're still not listening," Chloe said shaking her head. "I did tell you about him. Think back about six months. We had an entire conversation about him. Or I should say I was having a conversation with you and told you about him. But again, I guess you were thinking about the studio or Blaze or whatever."
"I don't remember you telling me about seeing him," Beca said.
"Good to know you pay attention when I talk to you," Chloe said bitterly. "You want to know everything now? Fine. I'll tell you. Chicago and I are friends. We ran into each other at the park on yet another day that you broke your promise to the kids about taking them. He was there with his daughter."
Beca looked at her but doesn't say anything. This was not exactly how she was expecting this conversation to go.
"Sophie and Ally started playing together and became friends," Chloe continued. "Chicago is still in the military and doesn't get to see Ally as much as he'd like, but he knows that she and Sophie are friends so he would ask if they could have playdates whenever he had her. And, after a while, in addition to playdates, we would meet for coffee or lunch. It didn't happen as often as Ally and Sophie wanted, but we did it as often as we could. During the few times we had coffee or lunch, we talked about our families, our work, our significant others. He's in love with Ally's mom, Sarah, but said she doesn't feel the same way about him. Ally was born after Chicago and Sarah had a brief fling. Sarah moved with Ally to L.A. and Chicago requested a transfer to be close to her. When we saw him, he hadn't been here long and didn't really know anyone. He needed a friend and I needed someone to talk to about you. Someone who didn't know us as a couple. He listened and gave me advice about you, and I listened to him and gave him advice about Sarah. What else do you want to know?"
"Why were you having lunch with him today?," Beca asked. "Just the two of you? For three hours?"
"He asked me to meet him because he wanted to talk about Sarah," Chloe responded. "He wanted my opinion on how to ask her out. As for the three hours you mention, I was at lunch for only one hour. The other two hours I was actually out shopping looking for your birthday present.
Beca's shoulders sagged and she put her elbows on the counter. She ran her hands through her hair and rested her head on them.
"Why didn't you mention him in the past six months?," Beca asked.
"You keep asking the same question and the answer is going to always be the same: I did tell you," Chloe said her frustration growing. "And, Sophie did as well when she talked about Ally. I guess I should have known better than to try and talk to you about anything that didn't relate to the studio."
"That's not fair," Beca said quietly.
"How is it not?," Chloe asked, her voice sounding defeated. "I tried so many times to talk to you about things, including Chicago, and you had to run off to the studio. Or you were busy texting Blaze, or whoever, that you never heard what I was saying. This is why I had you make me that promise. Because we need to get back to where we were a year ago, or-" Chloe stopped talking and looked down at the floor.
"Or what?," Beca asked. "You're going to leave me? I already promised that I was going to try harder. What more do you want from me?"
"I want you to want to try harder," Chloe said. "I am sorry you got upset about Chicago, but I did tell you about him, so I'm not going to feel guilty about it. After I told you, I just figured you didn't care about me being friends with him since you never said anything. Again, I should have known your work was the only thing you were thinking about. That's on me." Chloe looked at Beca teary-eyed. She let out a breath. "I just love you so much, and sometimes I feel like you don't love me as much as you used to. We haven't had a date night in almost a year. We haven't been intimate in almost as long. What can I do to make you love me the way you used to?"
At this point, Chloe is sobbing. Beca hurries over to her and pulls her into her arms.
"I do love you, Chloe," Beca said, letting her own tears fall unchecked. "I love you so, so much. Please don't ever doubt that."
Beca's phone pinged with a text notification. She ignored it. She continued to hold Chloe as she cried. After a few minutes, Chloe sobs subsided and Beca pulled back and took Chloe's face in her hands. She looked at Chloe and leaned in and kissed her. It was short and felt desperate, but Beca put as much love into it as she could. She pulled back and stared into Chloe's eyes.
Beca opened her mouth to say something when her phone pinged again. She looked down at the pocket her phone was in and back up to Chloe.
"Answer it," Chloe said with a resigned sigh and walked away from Beca.
"Shit," Beca mumbled. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the two messages. They were both from Khaled telling her she needed to get to the studio for an emergency meeting. Beca stood reading the texts over and over. She didn't know what to do. On the one hand, she needed to stay to show Chloe that she was all in and finish their talk; but on the other, Khaled doesn't usually call an emergency meeting unless it was something big.
Beca went to find Chloe. She found her in the family room playing with Dylan while Sophie was watching a movie.
"Chlo," Beca said to get her attention, but Chloe didn't even look at her. "Khaled's called an emergency meeting."
"Go," Chloe said without looking at Beca.
"Chlo, please," Beca begged. "It's-."
"I know," Chloe interrupted, this time turning to look at her. "It's your job."
Chloe turned away and continued playing with Dylan. Beca sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She looked at Chloe one more time and Chloe wouldn't look at her. She walked over and kissed Sophie and Dylan on the tops of their heads.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Beca said and kissed Chloe on the top of her head and left. Choe let the tears fall as she heard the front door close.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Beca had been gone for over an hour when Chloe called Aubrey and asked if she and Stacie could come over.
"What happened?," Aubrey asked. "Is everything okay?"
"What's going on, babe?," Chloe heard Stacie asking in the background.
"Chloe asked if we could come over," Chloe can hear Aubrey telling Stacie. "She sounds upset."
"Tell her we're on our way," Chloe heard Stacie say.
"We'll there in about 20 minutes," Aubrey told Chloe.
"Thank you," Chloe said softly and ended the call.
About thirty minutes later there was a knock at the door.
"Thanks for coming, guys," Chloe said as she answered the door to Aubrey and Stacie.
"Bella! Maddie!," Sophie squealed when she saw the girls at the door. She ran over and hugged them both.
"Soph, why don't you take Bella and Maddie into the family room to watch a movie?" Stacie said.
"Okay," Sophie said and grabbed the girls' hands and led them to the family room.
The three adults watched until the girls were out of sight and Stacie turned to Chloe.
"So, what happened?," Stacie asked as Chloe led them to the living room.
Chloe sat on the sofa and Aubrey sat next to her. Stacie remained standing with her arms crossed over her chest.
"I think my marriage may be over," Chloe said and started crying again.
Aubrey pulled her into a hug. "What happened?"
Chloe wiped her eyes and through her tears told them everything that happened since she got home. She told them everything she and Beca had said to each other.
"And she left," Chloe said. "Nothing's changed."
"Chloe," Stacie said. "You have to give Beca a break here. You said Khaled called an emergency meeting. I don't think she had the option of not going."
"I know that," Chloe said. "But, it's not just that. She got mad at me for not telling her about Chicago even though I did tell her a few times about seeing him. But I guess she was so checked out it never registered with her. I didn't know until she asked about him today that she never really heard me tell her about him. I thought she was paying attention but I guess I was deluding myself. It's like she just doesn't see me. It makes me wonder how many other important things I told went in one ear and out the other."
"Why did you say you think your marriage might be over?," Aubrey asked.
"Because I feel like she doesn't really love me anymore," Chloe said as the tears fell.
"Come on, Chlo," Stacie said sitting on the table in front of Chloe. "This is Beca. Of course, she still loves you. I know you both felt like you didn't realize your feelings for each other until the USO Tour, but you two had been dancing around each other since Beca's Freshman year. We all saw it. Your love is one for the ages. Give her the two months you promised her. Let her show you that she's trying to fix things."
All three women sat there silently as Chloe's thoughts were all over the place. She finally wiped the tears from her face and gave Aubrey and Stacie a small smile.
"You're right," Chloe said. "I'm being silly. I need to give her a chance. We were having a really good talk and I thought we were connecting again. But then she got that work text and we were back to square one. I'll try and talk to her again when she gets home." Chloe wiped the residual tears from her face. "God, I'm such a mess. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I need to talk to Beca and do it when there won't be any interruptions or distractions."
"Good," Stacie said. "Now, let's order pizza. It's almost dinner time, and I know the kids must be hungry."
"Sounds good," Chloe said. Stacie pulled out her phone to place their order.
"I'm going to text Beca," Chloe said. "And apologize for the way I acted toward her before she left. Ask her if we can talk more when she gets home."
"I think that's a good idea," Aubrey said as Chloe was pulling her phone out of her pocket.
Chloe wrote the text and hit send. She smiled and looked at Aubrey. "Done."
"Good," Aubrey said. "So, why haven't I heard about Chicago being around?"
Chloe looked at her. "I don't know," she said. "I wasn't hiding the fact that I'd seen him. Plus, we've only seen him and Ally about a dozen times in the past six months. I guess whenever you and I got together we became those moms. You know. The ones who when they get together all they talk about are the kids, or how expensive groceries are, or whatever sale there was for kids clothes. Or complain about their spouses."
"Oh, my God," Aubrey said with a laugh. "You're right. We need to restart our bi-weekly lunch dates. And have more adult conversations."
"Pizza should be here in thirty minutes," Stacie said as she put her phone away.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Beca sat at in her car with her elbows on the steering wheel and her head in her hands. After the initial meeting, Khaled had asked her to stay behind. She sat in his office and he offered her the opportunity of a lifetime and she was stunned. It was her dream job, but she was afraid that if she took it, her marriage could be over.
Beca doesn't know how long she had been sitting there when her phone pinged with a text notification. She picked up her phone and saw the message was from Chloe. She opened it up and read the message.
Chloe [5:45 pm]: I'm sorry for being upset when you left. I love you and I hope we can continue our talk when you get home. Be safe.
Beca smiled and text Chloe back.
Beca [6:10 pm]: I'm sorry I left. We will talk when I get home. I'm leaving now. I love you too and see you soon.
Beca started the car and her phone pinged with another text. She smiled again to see it was from Chloe.
Chloe [6:11 pm]: Better hurry. Pizza's here and everyone's hungry.
Chloe [612 pm]: Don't worry I promise to save you a slice. Love you.
Beca drove home, arriving about 20 minutes later. She parked and took a deep breath before getting out of the car and going inside.
"Mama!," Sophie yelled as soon as she saw her.
Beca smiled and knelt down to catch Sophie as she ran to her open arms. "Hey, baby-girl," Beca said and stood up with Sophie in her arms.
Beca walked over to where everyone was eating pizza and smiled at Chloe. Chloe smiled back and held a plate out to here. "I managed to save you two slices," Chloe said with a laugh.
"Thanks, babe," Beca said as she set Sophie down and reached for the plate.
Sophie went back to her seat on the floor next to Bella and Maddie. Chloe moved over so there was room for Beca to sit next to her on the sofa.
"Do we get to hear what the emergency meeting was about?," Stacie asked. "Last time it was you getting promoted."
"I can't really say anything about it right now," Beca said. "At least not until I talk to Chloe about it."
Seeing how tense Beca was, Chloe rubbed her hand up and down Beca's back. "Is everything okay?," Chloe whispered to Beca.
"Um, yes and no," Beca said. "We'll talk later."
"Okay," Chloe said and kissed Beca's temple.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Aubrey and Stacie were getting the girls ready to go home when Chloe's phone pinged with a text notification. She pulled out her phone and saw it was a text from Chicago.
"Oh, my God," Chloe squealed. "She said yes."
"Who said yes?," Aubrey asked.
"Sarah," Chloe said. "Chicago asked her out on a date and she said yes! I'm so happy for him."
"That's great," Stacie said. "Do you think she'll change her mind about wanting to marry him?"
"That's the plan," Chloe said with a laugh.
"You didn't have anything to do with him asking her out did you?," Aubrey asked.
"I may have suggested he try," Chloe said with a proud smile. "He said Sarah didn't love him, but I think Sarah was scared to marry him because he is in the military. She doesn't know when he may be deployed or reassigned. I think him asking to be transferred so he could be near Ally showed her he was willing to do whatever it takes to be there for her."
"Tell him I said congratulations and not to mess it up," Beca said.
Chloe looked at her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."
"For what?," Beca asked pulling Chloe tighter to her.
"For not freaking out because Chicago texted me," Chloe said.
"I'm glad you befriended him," Beca said. "Maybe if things go well with him and Sarah, we can invite them over for dinner. I should probably get to know your friends." Beca pulled back slightly to whisper in Chloe's ear. "I'm sorry I freaked out about him earlier. It was just my insecurities and guilt taking over my common sense."
"I love you," Chloe said.
"I love you, too," Beca responded.
"Okay, you two," Stacie said. "Both hands where I can see them."
"Haha, Stace," Beca said.
Aubrey and Stacie leave and Chloe put Dylan to bed. Beca was sitting in the family room watching a movie with Sophie when Chloe came back. She joined them on the sofa and snuggled up next to Beca. After a while, it was Sophie's bedtime and Beca tucked her in. Beca read a book with Sophie before she settled down and went to sleep. Beca kissed her on the cheek and left the room.
Beca found Chloe sitting at the kitchen counter with two glasses of wine when she came back downstairs. Beca sat and took a sip of her wine.
"I want to apologize again for shutting down earlier when Khaled texted you about the meeting," Chloe said. "I know you had no choice and I should have handled it better."
"I'm sorry, too," Beca said. "I'm sorry we had to cut our conversation and that kiss short. I felt like we were on the right track to becoming Bhloe again."
Chloe laughed and slapped Beca's arm. She took Beca's hand that was on top of the counter and intertwined their fingers. "So, tell me about the meeting."
"It was surprising, to say the least," Beca said. "Khaled fired Theo."
"What?," Chloe said her mouth opened in surprise.
"That was pretty much everyone's response," Beca said. "Theo told Khaled he needed to sign Blaze because she was 'quite good'. I never saw it and told Khaled as much earlier today. Anyway, it turns out Theo had been sleeping with Blaze and she threatened to have him arrested for sexual assault if she didn't get a record deal."
"Are you serious?," Chloe asked still somewhat in shock.
"Yep," Beca said. "But there's more. Blaze is eighteen, which is the legal age of consent in California. However, her parents threatened to sue the label and have Theo arrested because according to Blaze the first time they had sex was two days before her eighteenth birthday."
"Oh, my God," Chloe said. "And, also, ew. Theo's like 35 or 36, right?" Beca nodded. "What is he doing with an 18-year-old?"
"I don't know," Beca said. "Personally, I think Blaze set him up. I think she knew who he was and used her body to extort a recording contract. Oh, and it goes without saying that Khaled voided her contract and got rid of her, too. I swear, the first afternoon I take off in over a year and I miss all the fireworks."
"Wow," Chloe said. She saw the way Beca was staring into her wine. She squeezed Beca's hand and asked, "What else is going on?"
"Well, it's kind of good news actually," Beca said. "Khaled was planning to open a sort of satellite studio and have Theo run it. And now that Theo is gone, he needs someone to take his place."
"Let me guess," Chloe said. "That someone is you?"
"Yeah," Beca said.
"Sounds pretty impressive," Chloe said.
"Job of a lifetime," Beca said.
"Sounds like you really want it," Chloe said.
"Like I said," Beca said. "It's the job of a lifetime."
Chloe rubbed her thumb over Beca's hand. She knew there was more to this and was waiting for Beca to continue. She could see Beca's mind working, trying to figure out what to say.
"You know I'll support whatever you decide to do," Chloe finally spoke. "I'm really proud that Khaled thinks you can handle running a studio."
"Thank you," Beca said looking at Chloe. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Chloe said. "I can tell there's something more you're not telling me. What is it?"
"Khaled gave me until next Friday to decide if I'm taking the job," Beca said. "The studio is ready to start operating and he doesn't want it sitting idle for too long. He already has several acts ready to use it."
"So, what's the problem?," Chloe asked. "Are you waiting to see what Sony and RCA are offering?"
"Not really," Beca said honestly. "More like trying to figure out how to make Khaled's offer work for us."
"So, let me ask you again," Chloe said. "What aren't you telling me?"
Beca took a deep breath and said, "The new studio is in New Orleans."
