Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, I just borrowed the name of the characters for entertaining, no intention to violate any copyrights.
A/N : Wow, didn't realize it has been a long while since I have an update, sorry about that. Work has eaten up my energy, and the barely there calzona has crushed my spirit, sigh! 1 episode leave in S11, I want to trust the journey but dammit, it's hard.
Super thanks to the lovely calzonaforever35 for helping with this chapter. As usual, you are awesome, girlie!
Chapter 55
Arizona stirred when she lost the warmth from the body next to hers, but she was too sleepy to question. Instead, she rolled over and buried her face in the now abandoned pillow, inhaled the familiar scent of her lover deeply and drifted back to sleep.
Of course she was tired. The couple christened the swimming pool after exchanging their declaration of love, just in time to catch their breaths when Callie's preordered room service delivered to their room. The hotel staff set up the delicious Michelin Stars restaurant cuisine on the patio under the starry Miami sky with numerous candles. And later, the love birds sang their praise of love in the hot tub, and continued worshipping each other on the heavenly cozy mattress until they passed out from exhaustion.
The mattress dipped and soft kissed across her naked shoulder rising the blonde from her slumber. She moaned when hot breath washed over her ear.
"Time to wake up, sleepy head." Callie whispered before tugging the earlobe with her teeth. She chuckled when the blonde whined and turned to lie on her back.
"Don't want to. It's so comfy in here." Arizona tried hard to open her eyes. Her face spread to a wide smile seeing the loving face of her fiancee hovering above her. She looped her arms around Callie's neck and pulled the woman downwards for a morning kiss.
"I've drawn a bath." Callie breathed out against the pink lips, made the blue eyes fully opened with sparkle.
The two entered the bathroom hand in hand. Callie had already filled the spa tub with her favorite lavender bath salt and lit a couple of candles around it. Carefully, she helped the blonde into the tub and let the soft body nestle in front of hers.
"Ok, this is more comfy than the bed." Arizona had her eyes closed savoring the tender kiss on her temple from the loving woman behind her.
"Anything for my pretty lady." Callie breathed out contently. Yes, this was comfortable. "I wish we had a big tub at home. The one I put in the loft above the pub was big enough for two, I miss it."
"Feeling sorry for shacking up with me?" The blonde teased, making her body pillow shake from laughing.
"Yeah right, I regret it everyday." Callie laughed even harder when Arizona slapped her thigh playfully. "Seriously, should we buy a house? I mean, we are getting married, and we'll need a bigger place when we start a family."
"It sounds like a good plan. I'd love to live in a house with a big tub." Arizona laced her fingers with Callie's and rested them on her stomach. "I wouldn't mind letting you bath me everyday like this."
"A big tub, a big back yard that our kids can run around with the dogs while mommy and mama lock themselves in the bedroom..." Callie said dreamingly, and her hands were getting restless.
"We can't leave the kids outside unattended, Calliope." Arizona hummed.
"But they can't be in the house when mama wants some sugar..." Callie's hand slid up, unhesitatingly taking a voluptuous swell into her grip, beginning a firm massage.
"Then mama needs to learn to control her craving." The blonde whispered jokingly. She tried to pull away the hand on her chest but Callie upped her game by tweaking the hardened peak, brushing her lips along the long neck nibbling seductively.
"If only mommy stops being so hot." The brunette's lips curled to a smile when she felt the pulse point rapidly fluttering under her lips.
"Mama doesn't need any sugar. She already has a sweet mouth." Arizona wriggled slightly, arching her head wanting to reach for the said sweet mouth. Callie bowed down to meet her halfway.
Their lips pressed against each other. Callie sucked the intoxicating lips tenderly and Arizona willingly welcomed the warm invader when it slid between her parted lips. They were lost in the sweet sensation and Callie's hand had a mind of its own and roamed downwards the soft curves until it stopped on the apex of the creamy long legs.
"Oh god..." Arizona groaned into the kiss. Strong fingers traced along the length of her center made the blonde's body shuddered. The warmth of the water surrounded her, the softness of the body behind her, the sensation of the passionate lips against hers, the teasing touch on her burning flesh... all drove her nearly insane and she started to wriggle lightly, searching for the capable hand that could end her misery.
The dance of the tongues was turning fierce when Callie brushed the little bundle of nerves with her thumb. She smiled after the blonde broke the kiss and threw the head back against her shoulder in frustration. She knew how to play this body and she knew the gentle caress in this stage would just make her lover go crazy.
"Calliope, please..." Arizona breathed out her pleading. She needed more and she needed it now.
"Why the rush?" The brunette said in a hushed whisper. She added a little pressure with her thumb, looking down at the spread body on top of hers. "I'm enjoying the bath. And I'm enjoying the view."
"You're driving me crazy, Calliope..." The writhing woman thrust her hips upwards hoping to maximize the featherlike touch. "Please, don't tease me. Make me come."
"You did come; several times last night, insatiable much?" Callie breathed out against the blonde's ear, taking the earlobe with her teeth. In the meantime, replaced her thumb with the index finger and middle finger, increasing the pace she set between the trembling legs. "You straddled my head by the swimming pool... God, you were loud. And then you rode my leg... you were so wet, so wet..."
Arizona moaned loudly to the memory from the previous night and the magical hand between her legs. She reached a hand up grasping the nape of her fiancee's neck, adding the leverage to undulate against the stroking fingers.
"And then we were in the hot tub. Remember how I had you? Bent over the edge, the jet in front and I took you from behind with... how many fingers? Hmm..." Callie was getting turn on by her own words. The wriggling body on top of her sending wave after wave of pleasant from her own center to her brain. She couldn't hold back a moan. "I had three fingers inside of you, babe. You clenched my fingers so tight when you came. Goddammit! You were so hot Arizona. You are so hot."
In the haze of her frenzy, Arizona noticed the change of breath on her ear. She planted her feet on the bottom of the tub, nuzzling her rear against Callie's front wiggling forcefully when the fingers on her rubbing into overdrive.
"Calliope, I am close..." The blonde moaned out loudly. She hissed when the strong hand kneading her chest and pulled their bodies closer together. Her own free hand grabbed the edge of the tub in a tight grip helping to grind her body between the pair of long toned legs.
"Dammit Arizona... me too. Me too..." Callie groaned into the crook of the creamy neck. "You feel so good, Arizona. Just like when I ground against you on the bed last night. And..."
The dirty talk coming between harsh and uneven breath pushed the blonde over the edge of the cliff. She cried out with unabashed abandon when the warmth washed over her. And her moans and groans were the trigger to her lover's explosion of ecstasy.
The couple was total spent. Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist limply as the blonde head title back with mouth slightly agape catching her breath. Their faces nuzzled against each other enjoying the afterglow of the intimacy.
"You cold?" Callie crossed her arms to rub the naked shoulders when she noticed the goose bumps covering the pale skin. Arizona hummed in return. Then the brunette reached over to turn on the hot water, trying to heat up the bath water again.
"Are you serious about buying a house with a big tub?" Arizona asked, her hand swayed around mixing the lukewarm water with the new additional warmth. "I don't think I can live without a tub now."
"I'm glad you enjoy it." The brunette scooped a handful of water and let it fall on the ivory swells. "I was going to relax you before meeting with my mother, didn't know I'd be benefited too."
"You were trying to relax me, or afraid that I won't let you touch me after lunch with your mother?" Arizona turned her head to glance at the woman behind her, both wearing a smirk on their face.
"Both."
"Well, I'm not worried." The blonde picked up a tanned hand and let their palms touched. "You will be there, and it seems your father is on our side. I don't worry."
"Good." Callie bowed her head kissing the shoulder, continued nuzzling the soft skin with her lips. "How about babies? We get a house, and babies?"
"Eventually, yeah." Arizona massaged the hand in hers playfully.
"Eventually?" The brunette pulled her lips away from the shoulder and asked.
"I'm thinking, maybe in 2 years? You are going to start your residency, and I'll start the fetal surgery fellowship in a month. We'll be very busy for a while, don't you think?" The water was getting warm enough, Arizona fumbled her hand attempting to turn off the hot water. Callie did it for her.
"2 years?" The brunette couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice.
"The soonest." Arizona shrugged a shoulder. After a moment of silence, she finally picked up the glumness in Callie's tone. "You want to do it now?"
"I- no, not really. I mean... 2 years seem so far away. The mama and mommy talk kinda tingle my heart, you know?" She hid her face in the crook of Arizona's neck. "And you heard what Ana said. She tried and tried, the perfect time to have a family has gone and now she's going to raise a child alone."
"She has to do that alone because her husband is a jerk." The blonde titled her head to the side to press against her fiancee's. She stroked the hand on her stomach fondly and continued. "But we have each other. I want to have a baby with you, but I don't want to leave her in the hospital daycare 24 hours a day. When we have a child, I'm going to give her my full attention."
"Her?" Callie smiled in surprise. The blonde narrowed her eyes for a second, smiling along.
"Yeah, I don't know. When I think about our future, I always picture we're going to raise a beautiful girl."
"What if we get a boy?"
"Boys are yucky." Arizona pursed her lips thinking about the possibility. "Can we send him back to the store?"
The lovebirds giggled together, and wrapped around each other soaking in the warm water enjoying the peaceful morning before facing the dragon.
"Why am I not surprised that your parents live in a castle?" Arizona teased her fiancee when the car pulled up to a driveway before a huge metal gate. The brunette threw her a glare before rolled down the window to fumble with the panel to get the gate open.
"It's not a castle, just a big house."
"A gigantic house." The blonde went on with a teasing smile. "I know I'm going to marry rich, I just hadn't really imagined how rich you are."
"Stop it. It's my patient's money..." Callie sighed frustratingly while stopping the car outside the front door. She was so nervous. Not that she was worried that her mother still doesn't accept her and Arizona. She wouldn't give a rat ass about how her mother feels. She just afraid that her mother would say something to upset the woman that she loves.
"Relax, honey. I'm just teasing you. You're all wound up and tense. Everything will be fine." She patted the knee of the pouting Latina before getting out of the car. "I won over the heart of your father, didn't I? One afternoon with me, your mother is going to love me too."
"You have no idea how stubborn my mother could be." Callie rang the doorbell before the blonde came to her side.
"Oh believe me, I think I have a pretty good idea. I know her daughter." Arizona pulled out her dimpled smile that she knew could put her fiancee at ease. Secretly, she was as nervous as the brunette but she knew she had to put up a front to be strong for Callie. Hence, the extra chirpiness.
"Don't cry on my shoulder when she eats you alive." The brunette murmured under her breath. The door opened before Arizona could banter back.
"Señorita Callie!" An old woman on the other side of the door greeted them with a wide grin. Callie pulled her in for a tight hug.
"Bonita! Cómo estás?"
"Estoy bien, estoy bien." Bonita pulled away looking at Callie up and down. "Usted necesita comer más señorita Callie, te ves tan flaco."
"Yo soy? Oh Bonita me haces feliz." The brunette let out a belly laugh, made the non-Spanish speaking woman looking between them curiously.
"Es ella la señorita Arizona?" The older woman turned her gaze to the blonde with the same bright smile.
"Sí, this is Arizona." Callie introduced. "Arizona, Bonita is here helping with the house chores since I can remember."
"Oh... Hola, Bonita." The blonde stepped forwards to accept the hug from the amiable lady.
"Oh señorita Arizona, so nice to see you. You as beautiful as señorita Callie said." Bonita exclaimed in her broken English. "Come on in, come on in."
"Where are my parents?" Callie asked, holding Arizona's hand walking in the house.
"Señor is in the study, and señora is in the garden. I go tell them you are here." Bonita closed the front door and did as she said.
Callie led her fiancee to the overly decorated living room. She took a look at the woman sitting next to her on the dark mahogany leather couch, and she knew what the blonde had in mind.
"Don't you dare make another rich joke." She warned in a husky whisper. Arizona just snickered.
"Mija!" Carlos called out with delight as soon as he stepped in the living room. His daughter jumped up to throw herself in his open arms.
"Daddy!" Callie looped her arms around the older mans's shoulder and gave him a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.
"Look at you, mija. You're getting more and more beautiful every time I see you." The father looked at his girl in an arm length proudly. And then he turned to the guest. "Arizona, nice to see you again. Do you like Miami?"
"Oh I love it." Arizona laughed in Carlos's embrace. "You look good, sir."
"I look old." The man winked at the girlfriend of his daughter and then gestured his hand. "Sit down, sit down. Where is your mother, Calliope?"
"Bonita said she's in the garden... Oh, she's here. Hi mom." Callie looked around and found her mother walking in the room slowly, with a huge vase of freshly cut red roses in hands.
"Hi Callie. Arizona." Lucia turned to the two women with a little nod and a tight smile. She didn't seem to have any intention of giving her daughter and the woman who came along a warmer greeting. "I have to arrange these first. Have a seat. Bonita is coming with the drinks."
The three in the living room watched the woman stride to the other side of the room, and fumble with the flowers on a coffee table. Arizona noticed the hint of annoyance in the corner of her lover's brown eyes. She tugged their hands and sat back down on the couch.
"So," Carlos cleared his throat, trying to smooth over the awkwardness. "You kids had a good time last night?"
"Yes, we did." Arizona felt herself blush remembering the previous night. Of course she couldn't tell her future father-in-law all the details, so she chose the parts that could be shared. "We ordered room service and it was really, really good."
"I'm glad you like it. The new executive chef worked with Gordon Ramsay for a long time. It wasn't easy to convince him to jump on our ship." Carlos smiled. He and Arizona were carrying the conversation because Callie was still chewing her lips, obviously bothered by her mother's cold shoulder. "You should go down to the restaurant tonight. Call Adam and he'll get you the table with the best view. I just wish I don't have to go to that boring party. I rather spend some time with my favorite girls. Right, mama?"
"You like to go to parties." Lucia answered absentmindedly from afar.
"Not when my daughter and her girlfriend are in town." Carlos smiled to the two women on his opposite couch lovingly. Bonita came with a tray of four champagne glasses filled with mimosa. Carlos picked up his glass and called over to his wife again. "Lucia, come to have a drink with us?"
The older woman sighed. She put down the flowers and walked to the sitting area, an artificial smile plastered on her face.
"Here," Papa Torres held up his glass and wait for the others to follow. "To Calliope who passed the intern exam, and welcome to our home, Arizona."
They all took a sip of their drinks. And Callie didn't miss the eye rolling from her mother.
"Those roses look really pretty, Lucia. They are from your garden?" Arizona tried to make small talk, but the answer from Lucia came in short and uninteresting.
"Yes, they are."
The blonde turned to her fiancee asking for help with her blue eyes.
"Mom has a rose garden outside. I'll show you around later." Callie held the fair hand and put them on her lap. "Daddy, I don't think we'll have dinner at the hotel tonight. I am going to show Arizona around. Maybe we can do dinner tomorrow night if you want?"
"Of course I'd love that. I have a meeting in the afternoon but I'll make sure to end it before dinner." Carlos grinned. He wouldn't miss a chance to be with his daughter. "But your mother is free tomorrow, maybe you girls can go shopping or do something together before I'm finished."
Callie squinted at her father. She loved this man but sometimes she just wanted to kill him.
"Oh, speaking of shopping," Lucia interrupted suddenly. "I ran into Alfonso a couple weeks ago. You remember Alfonso Ontiveros?"
"Mom! What does it have to do with shopping?" Callie tensed, and Arizona could felt that from their joined hands.
"I met him in the shopping mall. Do you know he's a financial consultant in the National Bank now?"
"Who's Alfonso?" The blonde asked in a whisper.
"My first boyfriend from high school." Callie leaned in to answer in a small voice. And then she sat straight to face her mother. "Why are we talking about him? You don't even like him."
"We were just talking and he asked about you. He said you should give him a call when you are back in town, catch up or something." Lucia shrugged innocently and that almost pushed the furious young Latina to the tipping point. She was coming home with a girl and her mother had to bring up her former boyfriend.
Arizona bit her bottom lips nervously and clasped the hand tighter. They were in the house no more than 20 minutes and she could feel the tension from Callie. So did Carlos.
"Lunch should be ready, let's move to the dinning room?" He held out his hand to his wife and pulled her to move. And Arizona was going to take this little alone time to calm down her fiancee.
"Take a deep breath, Callie." She smiled at the brunette. "You look like you're going to stab your mother at any moment. I don't want you to go to jail because of that. You're too pretty for jail."
That worked. The brunette couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"Just relax. She can do or say whatever she wants, just smile and hold your tongue. Don't pick a fight with her for my sake, and your father's, ok?" Arizona continued with a soft voice, that really soothing the fury inside the hot Latina.
"Anything for you." Callie bowed down to peck on the pink lips quickly, and then pulled her towards the dinning room to join her parents.
"I didn't know you knew the Carters." Callie asked her father. They were halfway of the lunch, the young ladies were sharing stories with the older man, while the older Torres woman was concentrating on finishing her plate in silence.
"I do. Bethany Carter and I are old friends. I just can't believe you didn't remember the times I brought you to their fundraising dinners when you were younger." Carlos smiled to his daughter. "You always had fun at the kids table."
"I was a kid. How could I remember?" The young Torres rolled her eyes.
"So, they knew my name because of you?" Arizona interjected uncertainly. That brought the attention of the quiet Lucia.
"No." Carlos laughed. "I met Beth about a month ago in a party. She asked about Calliope and that led to a conversation about a certain PEDS surgeon working in the same hospital that turned down their recruitment of running a clinic in Africa."
"As I said, that was a great opportunity but I just don't feel like it's time to go yet. I have so much to do right now." Arizona smiled to the woman sitting next to her. "We both do."
"So you put whatever you two are..." Lucia waved her fork between her daughter and the blonde, disgust showing on her face. "over your career? How stupid are you?"
"Mom!" Callie scolded at her mother instantly, but a hand on her lap stopping her from saying more.
"No ma'am." Arizona kept her tone soft and polite. "Callie is one of the factors but there's more. Running a clinic in a developing country saving children is my dream but I don't think I'm capable of doing that just yet. I still have so much to learn and before I take on that responsibility, I want to make sure I'm well equiped. That's why I'm going to start another specialty in a month."
"Another specialty? Which one?" Carlos picked up the conversation.
"Fetal surgery." Callie answered for her fiancee. She took hold on the pale hand on her lap and put them on the table, ignoring her mother's burning glare. "There's only 5 Fetal surgeons in the west of Mississippi River and Arizona's going to be the 6th. The privilege of touching a baby before they're even born, that's hardcore."
"Calliope." The blonde brushed under her lover's admiring eyes.
"I know you're not doing this for me but think about it. You're an incredible PEDS surgeon and you're going to be an incredible Fetal surgeon too. That's totally going to benefit our kids." Callie went on and on, realizing too late that she let the private discussion between her and Arizona slipped.
"Kids?" Carlos exclaimed, and Lucia stared at them with wide eyes.
"Well, we talked about having kids but..." Arizona trailed off while throwing a playful glare toward her fiancee. But she got cut off by a snort coming from across the table.
"Don't be ridiculous." The older Latina sneered. "The creator decided that it takes a man and a woman to make a baby. Need I to remind you that you both are women?"
"It takes an ovum and a sperm to make a baby, mom." Callie squinted at her mother. "And there's more than one way to have a baby. We can find a sperm donor, either one of us can have an artificial insemination and carry the baby. Or we can even adopt."
"Artificial insemination? That's not how to bring a child to the world. This is not nature." Lucia threw her napkin on the table.
"Two people who love each other and having a kid, to love that kid together is not nature?" Callie raised her voice.
"A woman that loves a woman is not nature. Two women making a baby is not nature. Having a child out of wedlock is not nature." The older woman raised her voice, and raised up from the chair to stare down her daughter.
"What's not nature is for a mother stop loving her own child just because they don't share the same belief system." Like mother like daughter, Callie stood up and continued to scream at Lucia. "I love Arizona and we are getting married and we are going to have children together. Rather you like it or not."
"Callie..." Arizona put a hand on the furious Latina's arm, hoping to smooth her temper but it didn't work this time.
"No, Arizona. I know we planned on telling them in a nicer occasion but I just can't stand the way she downs our relationship." Callie glared at the woman standing in front of her. "You don't even try to acknowledge this relationship."
"Calliope, that's enough." Carlos's voice deep and severe. "You are not allowed to disrespect your mother under my roof."
"Daddy, I'm not being disrespectful, but..." Callie looked between her parents, but Carlos didn't give her the chance to finish.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting to have a nice meal together with my family? Sitting at the dinning table talking about the adventures you're having out there?" The man stood up from the chair slowly. "You two have ruined this for me, and you're making Arizona uncomfortable. I don't care how, but you two need to sort your issues out and acting like a family. I don't want to wait another 7 years until we can sit together again. Arizona, do you want to have a walk with me in the garden?"
The blonde nodded in surprise. She gave a firm squeeze on Callie's shoulder before following Carlos out of the dinning room.
"I raised you better than this, Calliope Torres." Lucia started again before her husband led the woman, in her mind, who caused this fuss, out to the garden. Callie took her eyes from her fiancee to the shouting woman.
"Better than what, mom? Love the person who loves me? Following my heart?" The brunette twisted her lips. She had this conversation with her mother numerous times last year when she was there in Miami, and it never ended well.
"This is not love, Callie. You're confusing the love you have for a friend to the love for a man..." The mother flung her arm towards the direction where Arizona walked out with her husband.
"For the love of god, mom! I'm a grown woman..." Callie threw her arms in the air. Her words were stopped by a pointing finger.
"Do not bring god in it. You know this kind of behavior isn't accepted in the eyes of god. This is a sin." Lucia spelt out every word with force.
"Right, this is a sin. I am going to hell. You've reminded me every chance you get." Callie said with a sneer, made her mother's eyes go wider.
"Don't talk to me in that tone. You know I'm right. And now you're talking about marrying a woman? How are you going to do that, huh? A marriage without the blessing from god is not a marriage!"
"You're a lawyer, mom!" Callie's voice was getting louder and louder. "Same sex marriage has been legalized in more than 35 states. It's recognized by the laws!"
"It isn't recognized by god!" The older brunette exclaimed. She picked up her wine glass and striding towards the living room. The younger woman followed closely.
"God, mom! Do you know how many wars have been started due to the stupid religious differences? How many lives were taken just because one doesn't share the same belief?" Callie gazed at her mother's stiff posture on the couch, couldn't hold back her tears anymore. "Is that what you want? Having this war with me until the day either one of us..."
Die. Callie couldn't bring herself to say the word out loud.
"I am a mother. I am prepared to fight any war to save my children." Lucia lifted her head to stare at her daughter. Her expression was hard as a stone.
"But you don't have to, mom." Callie sighed. She sat down on the coffee table directly in front of her mother. "This shouldn't be a war. I don't need you to save me from the love between me and Arizona. For all people, you should know better that the heart goes where it wants. You accepted dad's proposal when you were engaged to the man that was arranged by abuelo. You used to tell me how you met daddy and how you two were madly in love even though abuelo didn't approve of it. You fought for your happiness and married dad anyway because you can not imagine a life without him."
"That is different, Callie." Lucia shook her head. "I chose to marry the man that I love. A man that loves me and cares about me..."
"I choose to marry the person that loves me and cares about me." Callie clasped her mother's hand tightly, looking straight at the brown eyes sincerely. "This person happens to be a woman, but our loves are no different than the love you have with daddy. I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."
"A marriage is between a man and a woman..."
"A marriage is between 2 people that love each other." The younger woman gave a snort of derision. "I was married to a man. Remember I told you about George? I was miserable. Is that what you want for your daughter?"
Lucia remained silence.
"I didn't choose to be in love with a woman. I chose to be loved and I found it in Arizona. And I know love because I have seen that from you and daddy." Callie wiped her watery eyes with her free hand. "I'm not asking for your approval because there's nothing in the world that would stop me from being with the woman I love. I'm asking for your strength and love, mom."
"I'm sorry about that, Arizona." Carlos waved his hand toward the house. He led the blonde to the garden and they were sitting on the lounge chairs next to the swimming pool.
"Don't worry about it." Arizona smiled bitterly. She had expected that this lunch wouldn't turn out great, she just didn't imagine it would blow up so quickly and furiously.
"Lucia is happy to see the both of you. She just... has a hard time..." Carlos was trying to explain for his wife, but he couldn't find the words to make it sounded believable. And Arizona understood that.
"It's ok. I mean, it's not easy for her to accept me and Callie. And Callie kinda overreacted." The blonde couldn't help to gaze over the house. She was worried that the mother and daughter were in a fight without anyone there to stop them.
"Well, she inherited her mother's temper." Carlos sighed with a chuckle. "I hope that doesn't scare you off."
"Not a chance. Besides, she was trying to defend me. She was afraid that your wife was going to upset me." Arizona dropped her eyes staring at her hands sheepishly. "She was trying to protect me."
"That's Calliope." The man smiled proudly. "I bet you were the same when she went to meet your parents."
"Actually," Arizona breathed out deeply. "She hasn't met with my folks yet. We couldn't find time to go visit them during the year. And when we finally get some holiday, my parents are traveling on a world cruise."
"World cruise? That sounds fun."
"It does. My dad hates to stay at home. He used to travel a lot in his military years. I'm glad that now he's retired, he's sharing his love of traveling with my mom. They went to China last year and sent me pictures of them climbing the great wall." A genuine grin spread across the face of the blonde while talking about her parents. Carlos listened quietly with a smile on his face.
"You seem close to your parents. Callie told me you call them almost everyday."
"She always makes fun of me for calling my mom so often." Arizona laughed out. "She said we'll probably see my parents everyday once they moved to Seattle."
"They're going to move to Seattle?" Carlos asked in surprise.
"We don't really have a home town when I grew up. And then they decided to stay in Baltimore with me after I went to John's Hopkins. Since I have my job and going to have my family in Seattle, we've talked about maybe it's better for them to move closer to me. You know, so I can take care of them." The bright smile on Arizona's face went wider, and Carlos nodded his approval. He found himself liking this woman more and more.
"So, you're going to marry my daughter?" The man looked at the blonde thoughtfully. Arizona gasped. She knew this was coming but she wasn't prepared. Callie promised not to leave her alone with either one of her parents. Thing just didn't go the way they wanted it to be.
"Yes sir." Arizona took a deep breath and looked right back at the brown eyes that were similar to her lover's.
"You know," Carlos started again after a moment of silence. "I've thought about having this conversation with someone who was going to marry my little girl since I held her in my arm the first time. I just never thought this would be with a woman."
"I'm sorry about that, sir." The blonde swallowed hard visibly. "But I'm not sorry for wanting to spend my life with Callie."
"This is not ideal, but I'd say there may not be a better person that I can rest assured for giving her hand to you. You didn't know she came from a wealthy family, I don't have to worry that you're marrying her for her money..." Carlos stared right into the blue eyes without blinking. Arizona interjected hurriedly.
"Not at all, sir. If you want, I can sign whatever document you want me to sign."
"I'll leave that for Calliope to decide." Carlos smiled contently. He had no doubt that Arizona was not going after their money. "She loves you and I can see that you love her too. I have faith that this marriage is going to last. But I still have to say this - if you ever hurt her, if you ever cause any pain to my girl... Arizona, I don't hit a woman but I know people can do that for me."
"I will never hurt her." The pale face went paler at the words coming from her future father-in-law. "I promise you, sir."
"Good." The man's face passed from sternness to amiability in a split second. He just wanted to say what a father needed to say, he had no intention of scaring the blonde for life. "Is there any chance I can meet with your parents soon?"
"They are planning to visit Seattle next month after the trip. I can set it up if you don't mind."
"Just let me know which date and I'll try to clear my schedule. We'll have a lot to discuss about the wedding. Have you and Calliope picked the date yet?" The man pulled out his phone from the pocket, about to mark the date on his calendar.
"Not exactly. We are thinking maybe 6 or 7 months from now. We'd be able to save up some holidays from Thanksgiving and Christmas..." Arizona answered, but she got cut off before she finished.
"6 months? The hotels will be busy around the end of the year... Don't you worry, I'll make sure the function room in the Grand Torres will be available for the wedding." Carlos said with his eyes squinted at afar, already planning what he would do for his little girl's big date.
"The Grand Torres... in Miami?" Arizona opened her mouth wide. "I- I think Callie and I talked about having our wedding in LA."
"LA? Why?" The man asked with his brows knitted together tight, made the blonde stuttered.
"We- we like LA. And- and we had some good memories in there..."
"Fine, it's your big day and you should have it in anywhere you like." Carlos bit his lips to a thin line. He wasn't pleased with this but he was not going to against the will of his daughter and the future daughter-in-law. "The GT Regency LA is just as splendid, you'll like it."
"I- uh..." Arizona's mouth was opened but she couldn't form any word. She and Callie decided that they wanted to have a small and intimate wedding, not a grand party in a grand hotel. She looked over to the house hoping her fiancee would come for the rescue.
"You don't have to worry about the expenses." Carlos noticed the hesitation from the blonde. "I want the best for my only little girl. It was bad enough that she got married in Vegas the last time. She deserved a fairy tale wedding party and I'm going to give it to her."
Arizona closed her mouth. Her authority issue got the best of her, especially after the little you-hurt-my-daughter-I-will-find-someone-to-hurt-you speech. She didn't have the courage to argue with the man. Maybe it's better to leave it to Callie.
Carlos went on and on about how spectacular it would be to have the wedding party in his hotel, and he was actually listing the guest list he had in mind.
"Hey, guys." A call from distance interrupted Carlos. Arizona let out a sigh of relief when she saw Callie walking closer to them.
"How was the talk with your mother?" Carlos stood up from the chair and put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. Looking into the brown eyes, he knew the brunette had been crying.
"It was like talking to a brick wall. There was no way to pass through her mind." Callie twisted her lips. "It's so frustrating. I think we better go. You have to prepare for the party anyway."
Arizona clasped her hand with Callie's tightly as they walked back in the house. She felt sorry for her fiancee but right now, there was nothing she could say to make it all better, except showing that she was right there with her.
And maybe it was not the time to tell her that they're going to have a wedding party of the year in one of the most luxury hotel in LA.