Chapter 12

Luckily Beca knew all things Chloe - and that included the ways to disperse Chloe's "apparent" anger. After a few rounds of battling, followed by several rounds of apologies - all was well.

As Beca and Chloe directed their attention back to their son, Chloe started telling Beca what happened the day before -

"Yesterday, when my water broke, I was at the office. I was having a meeting with Chicago."

Beca looked up at Chloe, puzzled. "Why didn't you tell me you were meeting him? And why was he at your office?"

Chloe pointed to the closet in the room. "Could you help me grab my bag?"

Beca did what she was told and placed Chloe's bag on the bed. Chloe pulled out some papers and handed them to Beca. "He was there to sign these."

Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights.

As Beca read through the papers, she didn't look pleased. And that worried Chloe. "Beca, say something, please?"

Beca paused for a moment before she started speaking. "You know, it's funny - part of me wanted this to happen. In a way I'm glad I wasn't there, because I don't know if I could contain myself and not punch him." She smiled and then turned to look at the boy. "But just now, when I was reading the terms in the agreement, there was this sadness in me, which I wasn't expecting."

"Babe, why are you sad?" Chloe reached out to Beca's hand.

"Because right now, looking at him, I couldn't fathom how someone would want absolutely nothing to do with him. You know, technically, we're not even related. Yet if you tell me now, that I wouldn't be able to see him for the rest of his life - for the rest of my life - it would be unimaginable."

Tears were running down Chloe's face. She brought Beca's hand to her lips and kissed it softly.

"But really, Chloe? "Baby boy Beale"? You couldn't come up with something more badass for our son?" Beca joked.

Chloe was still crying but she couldn't help laugh. "What have you got then, Beca Mitchell?"

"How about Benjamin Christopher Beale?"

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "So you have thought about it. Why the names though?"

"Benjamin; Beca. Christopher; Chloe. Both with the first 2 letters from our names. Plus I like names old-schooled. What do you think?"

Chloe couldn't contain her smile. "Benjamin Christopher it is then. Why "Beale" though?"

"You gave birth to him, Chloe, and he should be named proudly after you. Besides, I don't need him to have my surname to know he is my son. He is my son. Period."

The newly anointed Benjamin started to stir. "Hey, baby boy." Beca gently picked him up from the bassinet and cradled him in her arms. "Okay, so you may not have my DNA, but I'm a strong believer of "nurture over nature"." Beca reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone. "So you're music education, Ben, starts now."

As The Jackson 5's "Ben" started to play on Beca's phone, Chloe watched as Beca began singing to their son. She thought she could never love Beca Mitchell more than she already did - she was wrong.

"Beca, tomorrow, after being discharged, I need us to go to my office first before going home."

"Why?"

"Because I need you to sign Ben's adoption papers."

The amount of smiling in the past 2 days had started to make Beca's cheeks hurt; but she didn't care. She leaned in and gave Chloe a slow, sweet kiss.

"And that is an order; not a question." Chloe smirked.