Yes, There is a sequel, but I will not start on it until my new story is finished.
Love!
Chapter 120
"Who was at the door, babe?" Arizona asked, walking into the kitchen where her wife was standing at the island with a huge box on the counter top.
"Ahh.. It was the mail man." She said, opening the box with a small kitchen knife.
"Did you order something?" She asked, sitting down on the stool across from her wife while the baby sat in her vibrating bounce chair, trying to fit her hand in her mouth, oblivious to her mothers.
"No, my mom sent it."
"What is it?" She asked, hopping up on the counter beside the brunette to see better.
"I'm not sure, she had mentioned about a week ago she was sending something." Callie shrugged and lifted the lid. "Oh.." She whispered, lifting her Nana's blue polka dot dress she had wore to the funeral out of the box.
"She sent you her dress." She watched as Callie took the material from the box and brought it to her nose to smell. Seeing her wife's eyes begin to water, she jumped off the counter and placed her hand on the small of the brunettes back for comfort. "Seeing that makes you sad, huh?" She said, caressing her back.
"Yeah." She sniffed. "I miss her." Her voice was on the edge of breaking.
"I know." Arizona leaned her head on Callie's shoulder as tears pricked her own eyes. "I do too." They both stood in silence a few minutes lost in their own memories of the Latin woman.
"I didn't really get a chance to say it that day, but you looked absolutely breathtaking in it." She said as she took her place on the counter again.
Wiping her face, she couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "You say I'd look breathtaking in a burlap sack."
"You would. You look great in everything. I wish I could pull clothes off like you can." She pouted.
"You do." Callie patted her leg.
"What else is in there." She asked, looking in the box.
"Oh my god." She rolled her eyes as she picked up the next thing in the box. She couldn't help but laugh at this item.
"What?" Arizona watched her wife shake her head.
"I hated this damn thing." Callie said while examining it. Thinking back, she remembered how many times she had saw the piece sitting on her grandmother's coffee table and she swore she would throw it away one day. She actually did when she was around fourteen years old, but Maria went right behind her and took it back. "It's an old piece of carnival glass." She shook her head. "I can't believe she did this."
"What?" The blonde asked, curious.
"Nana. She knew how bad I hated this thing and she used to swear that she was willing it to me." She laughed. "She said this would be the first thing I would get from her and if I didn't keep it, I wouldn't get anything else she wanted me to have."
"Why didn't you like it?" She questioned taking the piece and giving it a once over.
"Look at it. It's weird looking." She couldn't help but scoff. "It's the poor mans Tiffany." She smiled. "This particular piece is from the twenties. That's when it reached it's height in popularity. They call it the poor mans Tiffany, because it looked superficially like the finer and very more expensive blown iridescent glass by Tiffany's. It was actually called rainbow glass, but in the fifties it became known as Carnival glass."
"You know an awful lot about it to hate it so much."
Nodding. "Before we came accustomed to the money we have now, Nana used to drag Aria and myself to flea markets, yard sales and estate sales. And she would be over the moon excited about these pieces, and she could spot a fake a mile away." She laughed at the memory. "There became a lot of fakes and people would sell them at yard sales and up the price and try to sell it as original, but she didn't care to call anyone out on it."
"So why did you hate it so bad?"
"It's just awkward looking." She sat it down on the table. "I mean is it a vase or what?" She laughed.
"It's pretty. Different, but pretty."
"It's highly collectable now. This piece here is probably worth over a thousand dollars. And she probably didn't pay a quarter for it in the sale." Callie said, picking it back up. "Many manufacturers didn't include marks on their product." She looked around for the maker, but already knowing there wasn't one. "Identifying carnival glass involves matching patterns, colors, sheen, edges..." She said running the tip of her finger over the bumpy run. "..thickness, and other factors from old catalogs."
Arizona just watched as her wife explained the piece. She would have never believed Callie would know so much about one piece of art and she couldn't take her eyes off her while she excitedly explained the item. She had no clue what she was talking about, but she just smiled and acted interested as the brunette showed her the thickness of the glass. "It's amazing. And if we weren't leaving in thirty minutes I'd go buy you some flowers to put in it." She winked at her wife. "You're keeping it, right?"
"Yeah." She said, running her hand up the glass. "I could never get rid of it. Holds too many memories now."
"I know the perfect place." She chirped.
"Where?"
"I would say coffee table, but before we know it Charlee will be crawling and then walking and I'm scared she'd break it. So I was thinking the mantle?"
"Yeah, maybe." Callie agreed, sitting the piece aside to finish looking through the box. "Oh man." She was shocked at what she saw.
"What is it?" Arizona leaned over and looked.
"It was Nana's quilt she made when she was younger." She slowly pulled it out of the box. "I can't believe they gave it to me."
"Why don't you believe it?"
"I just figured one of my aunts or uncles would keep it, or even my dad. I can't believe they didn't."
"Maybe they thought you would appreciate it more." She shrugged, watching her wife hold the blanket to her chest.
"It's so old and tattered though." She said inspecting it. "I used to use this every time I'd sleep over at her house. I loved this blanket, I felt so warm and toasty. It felt like her arms were wrapped around me all night long." She smiled at the memory. "I wish I could use this now."
"Maybe we can find someone to restore it?" Arizona said lovingly.
"No. I wouldn't want to take a chance on messing it up." She shook her head. "I'd be devastated if something were to happened to it." She said handing it to her wife when she reached for it.
"We'll find something to do with it." She smiled, rubbing her foot on the brunettes leg as she peeked into the box again.
"What's this?" The brunette questioned, pulling out a small wrapped box with a message taped to it.
Mija, your Nana bought these for you and your girls and she couldn't wait to give them to you when you were to visit on the 4th of July. I forgot about them until I found them while looking around her room the other day. Also, the Thunderbird is getting a tune up before your father makes arrangements to get it to you.
Miss you terribly. Love, Mami
She read out loud before ripping the wrapping paper, revealing a light blue box. "What is it?" Arizona asked, looking at her wife.
"It's.. matching earrings for us all." She showed her wife the two pair of Tiffany's pink pearl studded earrings and a smaller pair for Charlee.
"They're gorgeous."
"Ugh... Arizona." Callie shook her head, willing her tears away. "I can't believe I'll never see her again." She said sadly as the blonde pulled her to stand between her legs.
Arizona didn't say anything at first as she circled her arms around her wife and held her for a few minutes. "If only you knew the last time you saw her would be the last." She whispered as the brunette held on to her sides.
"Yeah." She closed her eyes and rested her head on her shoulder while she soaked up the feel of being in her wife's arms. "Sometimes I catch myself doing that with you." She whispered. "I can't help but think I need to hug you a little longer or kiss you a little more."
"I know what you mean. I've been thinking the same thing. Most people don't know what they had until it's gone." She kissed the brunettes clothed shoulder. "You know you're my everything, right? You and Charlee are what keeps me going."
"And you're mine." Callie leaned back and pressed her lips into her wife's for a gentle kiss. Neither deepened the touch as they both just reveled in the feel of the other.
"You okay?" Arizona whispered when the brunette finally pulled back.
"Yeah, thanks." She smiled, closing the lid on the box.
"I guess that means we need to pierce her ears." She laughed. She and Callie had been going back and forth on the subject since she was born. Arizona was all for it, but didn't want to be around when it happened and Callie was back and forth with it. "We can just have Mama and Teddy take her and get it done. That way neither of us has to be around to see her cry. If we do decide to do it we should do it soon."
"We'll think about it after we get back." Callie nodded, putting the earrings aside as she pulled the last thing out of the box. Turning over the picture frame the picture caught her breath, tears instantly pricking her eyes. It was of Maria and Charlee the day they brought the baby home from the hospital. That was the first time she had saw a picture of her grandma since returning home from Miami. She remembered taking that picture because it felt just like yesterday that her family was all here fussing over the newborn.
"That is when we found them asleep on the couch." Arizona said sadly when Callie turned the picture to her.
"Will you..." She shook her head. "Put it up, I'm not ready to have that out." To Callie, it was out of site out of mind and lately that's how she's been getting through. If she didn't let herself think about it, everything was okay.
"I will." She took the picture from her wife to put in a safe place. "What about the other stuff? I can sit it all in the guest room for now."
"Yeah, if you don't care?" She wiped her eyes and focused her attention on the baby beside them. "What are you babbling about little lady?" She knelt down in front of the girl who was mumbling and chewing on her fingers. "Are you wanting in on the attention?" She said, focusing her mind on her daughter.
Arizona took everything and placed it back in the box and put it away as her wife played with Charlee. She knew Callie didn't like to really talk or think about Maria right now. She had to admit she was the same when Tim first died. She would get furious when everything would start to seem bearable again and then someone would bring him up and cause her world to come crashing down again.
Once she got back downstairs she saw her mom and dad walking up to the front door. "Mama and Daddy are here. Are you ready to go? We're suppose to pick Teddy and Henry up by ten." She said welcoming her parents in.
"Yep. Bags are by the door, you just have to get this stinker." Callie said, taking the baby out of her seat. "Good lord." She laughed, seeing the drool all over the little girls mouth down to her shirt. "You are a drool box. Mamaw and Poppy are going to have to wait until I put you in a new shirt." She tickled her belly, eliciting a laugh from her. "Oh my god." She froze. "ARIZONA... Arizona get in here." She yelled.
"What?" She ran back when she heard her wife's calls.
"She laughed."
"She's laughed before, Callie." She shrugged, not seeing the big deal right now. In the past two weeks or so, the baby was starting to become more vocal not only more cooing but babbling and letting out yells of excitement randomly which caused her mothers to go into laughing fits themselves.
"No, I mean a belly laugh." She said, tickling the infants belly again, but not getting a response. "Ahhh..." She moaned. "She did, she laughed hard when I picked her up and tickled her." She pouted, looking at the baby. "Come on, Mija, do it again."
"I believe you." The blonde walked closer. "Did you laugh for Mommy, baby girl?" She took her from her wife's arms and held above her head for a few seconds. "Do you think she's funny?" She asked as she turned her around to face her mother, bringing her closer only to pull her back before Callie could get her. The more Arizona brought her closer and then took her away the more the baby smiled, flapping her arms around trying to bat at her mommy which caused Callie to laugh and in turn get a few squeals of excitement out of the baby. "Mommy's funny, huh?" Arizona laughed with her girls as Callie acted like she was going to bite the little Latina's belly. It was times like this she wished they could bottle up these moments forever. "Wow." She said, just noticing her daughters shirt. "You are soaking wet."
"You did pack her medicine?" Callie asked, helping take her shirt off. Charlee had still been fussy with her gums this week which made Arizona wonder if she would have her first tooth sooner than she had thought. The blonde was sad because she and Callie had decided to stop breastfeeding altogether when the baby started getting teeth and she was hoping for at least another month of bonding time but it didn't look like that was going to happen.
"Yep, we're good to go. Daddy and Mama are taking the bags to the car. I told her we'll be right out."
"I'll grab her another shirt out of the laundry room and we can go."
"Get her a bib and burp cloth too. The others are already packed and if we don't have one handy she'll need changed before we touch down in Vegas."
"Calliope..." Arizona said in awe when the walked into their hotel suite in Vegas. The brunette had booked suites for them, her parents, and Teddy and Henry at her dads most extravagant hotel. "This place.." She said walking around, amazed at the huge pillars in the suite.
"Are the others in rooms like this?"
"Ahh.. kinda, not as nice as ours." She winked. "We have the penthouse suite, even though Teddy is the one getting married tomorrow I couldn't let them have the best room in this place. I had to let my girls experience this." She winked at her wife who was dressed in a thin light purple tank top and jean shorts. "But don't worry, Teds and Henry will have no complaints."
"Your dad has some amazingly fancy hotels, but this... Wow. This one is a..." She shook her head not having words for the space. "It makes the others look like rundown motels." She laughed. "How the hell does one afford to spend a night in this place, much less a weekend?"
"It's Vegas." Callie shrugged. "People are willing to be a little extravagant when they come to sin city, and the downstairs casino brings in a ton of cash so rates aren't too bad. Plus they have one of the best restaurants downstairs. You can get anything you want. From fancy lobster and steak dinners, Chinese, Thai or a burger and fries." She said as Arizona walked towards the deck.
"One of everything please." She laughed, stoping in mid stride at what she saw. "What the... no freaking way." She said, walking up to the full length sliding glass window. "Is that.." She looked over to Callie who was chucking at her.
"Way." She nodded, taking the baby when she offered her.
"Oh. My. God." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and threw it on the sofa near her. "This is a place you only dream about." She said, quickly stripping down to her panties and bra, before throwing open the door to the outside and doing a running cannon ball into the pool that looked like it was hanging off the edge of the balcony. Callie loved the spontaneity of her wife. "Come on." She came up out of the water. "Strip my baby off and give her to me." She said holding her arms out for her babbling daughter. "This is so awesome."
"There use to be a time when you would have asked me to come in." Callie pouted as she compiled with her wife's demand.
"Don't you worry, good looking. I will be making love to you tonight in this pool." She winked. "So look forward to that."
"Promises, promises."
"Aww, I think mommy's jealous of you, Princess." She laughed as she took Charlee into her arms. "Get your ass in here Calliope." She grinned at her as she dipped the infants feet into the warm water causing the baby to kick her legs while splashing and squealing, letting her mommies know she was enjoying herself. "Tell mommy we need her in here too Char."
Pulling her yellow summer dress over her head, Callie quickly dived head first into the glass pool and joined her family.
"Well that didn't take much convincing." Arizona laughed as the brunette came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her.
"Of course it didn't." She whispered, kissing her below her ear. "You're like junk food, I could eat you all day long."
"Nice. Real nice metaphor." She laughed.
"Shut up." She chuckled. "I love holding you two." She said as the baby continued to babble and splash in the water.
"I love it too." Arizona sighed, leaning into her wife's embrace. "Teddy will die when she sees our pool."
"No she won't, come here." Callie let go of her and swam over to the side of the pool.
"I don't want to get too close, it's scary." She shook her head. "One little slip, and we're gone." She shook her head.
"Babe, you're completely safe. I promise, I won't let nothing happen to either of you, now come."
"Promise?" She asked looking down twenty nine stories down. She wasn't scared of heights per say, but knowing one little slip and someone could be a goner.
"I promise, it's designed to where if you slip, there's a landing underneath about five feet. You won't fall far." She said, taking her child from the blondes arm. "Tell mama, don't be scared." She said as Charlee started to whimper and reach for her wife. "Don't you want mommy?" Callie pouted to the infant, getting a coo and smile from her before she laid her head against her chest. "Awww, that's mommy's baby girl." She said as she loved on her daughter. "I love you more than I love mama, but don't tell her that, okay? We don't want her to be jealous." She whispered to her before placing a kiss on her head.
"What was that?" Arizona asked, hearing her wife talking to their daughter.
"I said I love you." She winked at the blonde.
"Mmhmm. I bet you did." She laughed. "Now why did I have to come over here." She asked, holding onto the brunette to feel safer as she looked over the edge.
"You see that pool." She pointed below them. "And that one?"
"Yeah."
"The one under us is your mom and dads and the one over there. She pointed to the one across from Daniel and Barbara's pool. "Is Henry and Teddy's. Your parents and Teddy share the whole second floor. They're different suites of course."
"That's them?" She pointed. They were a little far off, but she could swear that was Teddy standing by her pool. "Teddy?" She yelled.
"Zo?" She heard her friend yell. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, up here." Arizona waved.
"Oh my god, this place is to die for." Teddy yelled back. "And the pool, can someone pinch me?"
"Oh god, please tell me you won't scream back and forth to each other like this all weekend." Callie groaned.
"Zone is that you?"
"Oh god." She said, immediately regretting be telling her wife where everyone was located.
"Shut up, Callie." Arizona laughed, swatting at her wife's arm. "Yeah mama. It's me."
"We have twenty minutes till we meet them downstairs for a late lunch, you can talk then instead of screaming at each other."
"It's all part of the experience, Calliope."
"Whatever." She giggled. "Come on, buggy, we'll swim. We'll never get mama away from socializing with the neighbors now." She said as Charlee blew raspberries with her mouth, but only slinging slobber everywhere.
One chapter and then the epilogue. :)
Posting a few pictures on Twitter if what the hotel looks like on outside. Pretty neat.
