Sorry this update is kind of short. I want to make sure I set it up right and have enough to write about for the next chapter, which if it goes well, I'm thinking will not disappoint. Thanks for reading =]
Callie noticed the drive way was filled with cars as the SUV rounded the corner to Mark's house. Parking on the street, Callie made sure not to hit the curb as she squeezed her way in between a red convertible and a gun metal blue Mazda 3. "Seriously can't believe she bought that. It rains here like what? Every three days!" Callie shook her head trying to understand why Cristina would buy a convertible she could hardly use.
"Mama, that car is bad-ass!" Calliope gave her son a warning look in the review mirror as she took her seat belt off.
"See what happens when you let words slip?" Arizona chirped in her ear, trying to hold back a smirk. Their son definitely took after his Mama, and Arizona was too emphatically in love with her to even be bothered by her son's light cursing. Any emulation of Calliope couldn't be a bad thing.
"I wanna go swimming! Let me OUT!" yelled their youngest, a petite little blonde whose hair was in braids down her side. Madeline had entered the brat years of her life, full force, much to her parents dismay. Screeching and damn near breaking the handle off the car, Maddie threw yet another tantrum that only ended when Calliope reached up to press the button that released the door.
"You had to have three. You just couldn't stop at two." Liyah muttered loud enough for her voice to catch in Arizona's ears.
"Well actually I promised your mother ten, so consider yourself lucky." She smiled fondly at her wife and gave her a wink. Callie placed a kiss on her cheek and chuckled at the groan from the back of the car.
"We could keep going" Callie egged on, giving Liyah just enough motivation to grab her girlfriend by the hand and lead her into her uncle's back yard, with her brother Danny in toe. Getting out of the car, the two women took their time getting to the party. They held each other for a bit, looking into each others eyes with as much love as they always had, taking this small window of peace and quiet for themselves.
"I love you Calliope." Arizona spoke first, nudging Callie's nose with her own. Callie kissed her beautiful wife softly, letting her know with every exploratory slip of her tongue how much she loved her too.
"You know.. the kids are inside, we could slip away.. home isn't that far and we could just.." Arizona giggled enthusiastically, her dimples having as much magic in them as they always had. They kissed a bit more before reluctantly making their way to the party, still hand in hand, each with a longing that would have to be dealt with later.
As Arizona and Callie made there way to the deck outback, they said their hellos to their friends and colleagues. Waving a quick "hi" to Derek as he played with his kids in the pool, They nestled down next to Mark after exchanging hugs.
"Hey! I Can't believe how many people were able to make it. Sorry to see Teddy can't be here" Arizona said while rubbing little circles into Callie's hand with her thumb. The weather outside was nice for once, though the sky was gray with clouds, supposedly it wasn't going to rain. Charcoal smoke filled the air along with the smell of hot dogs and burgers on the grill. Natalie and Liyah had sat down on the hammock by the green shed that matched the siding of the house, a plate of ambrosia on Natalie's lap. Cuddled up, Liyah took a fork full of the fruity salad and brought it to Nat's lips.
"They make a cute couple." Mark acknowledged the pair on the hammock with a small smile, proud of his niece for finding someone like Natalie. Callie smiled briefly while Arizona looked at their other two children in the pool. She still felt concerned for her daughter's safety. She knew Natalie loved Aaliyah and would never intentionally hurt her, but she also knew, being a doctor, how easily HIV spread. She tried to relax though and even laughed a bit as her son flexed his muscles like a super hero before taking a running jump and cannon-balling into the water, splashing Derek in the process.
The girls were still cuddled up together on the hammock when Mark called everyone to eat. Not wanting to leave the warm embrace of her love, Natalie leaned back into her and nuzzled under her chin. "Can't we just stay here like this a while? Its crowded over there anyway, and besides we still have this," She lifted up the plate of ambrosia a bit and waited to hear her favorite voice respond.
"Yea, I wanna wait till the crowd sits down anyway... Last party we had, Cristina elbowed me in the ribs so she could get to the macaroni salad before it was all gone." Liyah rolled her eyes. "She gets very territorial when it comes to food." The couple swung softly in the hammock while Liyah hummed along to "the Escape" as it blared through the radio speakers. It wasn't long till they heard Liyah's cousin Kimber singing along from the pool patio.
Kimber wasn't the best singer but neither was Lexie, and so it was no surprise to Liyah or anyone else that she had inherited that from her mom. Still it was nice to see the 9 year old out and having fun. Now that her cast had finally come off, she could play outside with all of her cousins and not get lectured by her aunt Callie.
Mark plated the burgers and dogs and looked around for his best friend, who happened to be missing, along with a certain blonde hottie he had grown to love over the years just as much. He smirked knowingly as he helped his twin girls get their food and sit down. Lexie took care of Kimber, who was her only daughter with Mark. It took a while for them to be able to be genial with each other, but it was worth it. Now that the kids were getting older it was important for them to have a strong sense of family.