Chapter 19.

Sophia and Callie walked side by side down the stairs. With each step, the strains of the piano became louder, bouncing off the high walls, filling the house with music. Callie looked down from the landing, and saw Brandon. Surprised, she hurried down the rest of the stairs.

"Brandon?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

Jill and Robert were gathered around him, listening to him play. He stopped when he noticed her. "I was outside stretching my legs." He explained. "Robert saw me and invited me in."

"Oh," Callie replied, nodding. "Cool."

Brandon looked up from the piano, and smiled at Sophia. "Hey there, Callie 2.0."

Sophia blushed scarlet. "Hi Brandon," she said, giddily. She turned to her parents. "Did you know that Brandon and Callie are dating?"

"Sophia," Callie hissed. "Stop it."

Robert ignored his daughter's discomfort and smiled broadly. "How wonderful!" He patted Brandon on the back. "Glad to meet you, son."

"Glad to meet you too, sir," said Brandon, holding out his hand to shake the older man's.

"Now, Brandon," said Jill. "Could you teach me what you were just playing?" She sat down beside him on the bench. "I take lessons at the conservatory, but I'm afraid I'm not very good. I think my fingers are too short."

"The conservatory?" Brandon asked, his interest piqued. "I'm studying at the conservatory."

"Wow," Jill smiled, pleased. "Small world. Do you enjoy it?"

"I love it," he nodded. "It's been an amazing experience." He looked back at Callie. "Robert invited us to dinner tonight, Cal. What do you think?"

She sighed, exasperated, and turned to her father. "I already told you I couldn't stay."

He shrugged her off with a wave of his hand. "Don't be such a wet blanket, Callie. We hardly ever see you, and I think we all should get to know Brandon. We're having stuffed pork chops tonight."

You don't see me by choice, Callie thought to herself, annoyed.

Brandon turned around and smiled weakly. "I think we can swing it," he told her. "Come on, Cal. Stuffed pork chops are my favorite."

She sighed again, and being put on the spot, she gave in. "Fine. I guess we can we can come to dinner."

"I'll tell Elsa to prepare two more places at the table," said Jill, standing up and going to the kitchen.

Later that afternoon, Callie sat next to Brandon at the Quinns' huge dining room table, still fuming about being coerced into staying. She picked at her stewed tomatoes with her fork, her appetite gone, while Jill and Robert interrogated Brandon about his music career. He was just finishing telling them about his recovery from his hand injury.

"You are so brave," Jill gushed, her light eyes wide. "What an inspiration." She glanced over at Callie, and her mouth turned down. "Callie, take your elbows off the table. We're not in a barn."

Sighing, Callie dropped her elbows down beside her, and began to cut her meat. She took a bite, chewing it carefully. When Brandon inched his foot over, and rubbed up her ankle, she gave him a private smile. Even in her state of irritation, one look from him could melt her. And really, she didn't blame her family for being enraptured by him. He was the cutest, sweetest guy on the planet.

As they waited for dessert, cheesecake, Robert's face grew serious. "So, Brandon," he said, folding his cloth napkin in his lap. "I have to ask, what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Brandon nearly choked on his sparkling cider, as he turned to Mr. Quinn. Now, it was his turn to blush. He smiled shyly, his eyes filled with panic. "Well, Sir... first of all, I want you to know that I love Callie very much. She's very special to me." He cleared his throat, and took another long sip from his drink. "Um, I don't think either of us are in a rush to move forward too quickly, but I am serious about her, and later on, I can see us possibly getting married and starting a family, if that's what Callie wants. But in the meantime, I plan to keep dating her, and I promise that I'll respect her and take good care of her." His hands shook as he set his glass back on the table.

Robert nodded, obviously pleased by Brandon's answer. "That's good to know, son. You seem like a good kid." He laughed. "And if you think you can handle our Callie, more power to you."

Callie cringed with embarrassment.

"Thanks," said Brandon, reaching down to take Callie's hand in his. She gripped it firmly, noticing that it was warm, and slick with sweat. He really was nervous. She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb, trying to calm him.

Just then, dessert was served. As soon as Callie and Brandon were done eating, she looked up at the clock. "We should really get going."

Brandon nodded in a agreement. "Yeah. We have a pretty long drive ahead of us."

"Well, we were glad you could join us," said Jill, as the maid began to clear the table. "We hope you can come again soon."

Brandon smiled his adorable, crooked smile. "I'd like that."

Before they left, Robert took Callie aside. "Brandon's a nice kid," he told her. "I couldn't ask for anyone better for you."

"I'm surprised you like him," she replied sarcastically. "You know he's a Foster, right?"

"Of course," he nodded. "His family always seemed very nice. And anyway, after what I went through with your mom and my family, well... I promise you, Callie, I would never put you through that"

"I wouldn't let you, anyway," she calmly told him. "I'm not a coward."

She watched his eyes fill with hurt, and immediately regretted her words. "Hey... I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean that. I know you loved mom."

He shook his head. "No. It's okay, honey. I know I'm a coward. I accepted that fact a long time ago." He sighed. "I sometimes think, if I'd stood up for my marriage, Colleen might be alive today. And you and I, well... we might have had a better relationship."

Callie held her breath. Her eyes stung, but she refused to cry in front of him. "You don't have to..."

He cut her off before she could finish her sentence. "Don't worry about it, Callie." He patted her shoulder. "I'm glad you're nothing like me."

Once they were in the car, on the way home, Brandon glanced over at Callie, quickly lowering the volume on the radio. "You know, Robert seems like a pretty nice guy."

She shrugged, pulled from a daydream. "I guess so."

"Just the look in his eyes when he told you he loves you... " he went on. "I could tell he meant it." He sighed, looking straight ahead, then back at her. "Maybe, you know, you could cut him a little slack?"

"It's just hard," she said quietly. "I can't trust him, and I can't love someone I don't trust." She wondered if he'd forgotten about how Robert lied to her. He'd promised that he would sign the abandonment papers so she could get adopted by the Fosters. But then, he changed his mind at the last minute, and ripped her from her home and her family, just when she felt safe. To her, that wasn't love. Not at all.

"Jill seems nice too," Brandon went on, as if he hadn't heard her.

"Well, you don't know her like I do," she told him. "That was just her act for company. She can be a total bitch."

Brandon nodded. "Maybe. But I like your father, Cal. I really do. And most importantly, he's okay with us. Which is great, because I don't think I can live without you." He reached over and squeezed her thigh, keeping his hand there. "It's amazing how fast you've become my entire life again."

Callie smiled a little, more than ready to change the subject. "Did you really mean what you said about us getting married?"

"Yes," he said, without missing a beat. "Someday, when we're both ready."

She nodded, her mood beginning to brighten. "I love you, Brandon."

He patted her leg, then returned his hand to the steering wheel. "I love you too, baby."

Shifting her weight, Callie snuggled closer to him resting her head against his shoulder. As they drove down the highway, she looked out the window, watching the dusk-shadowed scenery past by.

To Be Continued