Happy Mother's Day to you! I have a short prompt when you get a free couple moments: A few weeks before their first May in NY, Penny asks Callie what *they* are doing for Mother's Day. Callie immediately thinks about Arizona and... you decided the rest
“What are we doing for Mother’s Day?”
The question left the young woman’s lips on a sunny day a few weeks before the beginning of May, as her and Callie were walking through Central Park on their way to pick up Sofia. Spring had finally started to emerge in New York City; the trees were blooming, the grass turning a brighter shade of green every day under the light of the sun. It was their first spring in New York, and their relationship finally felt like it was back on track – back on real, solid ground after a rocky last few months.
Callie looked over at her girlfriend, and the redhead smiled, her fingers lightly squeezing the hand that was intertwined with hers.
“I said, what are we doing for Mother’s Day? It’s in like three weeks.”
“Oh, yeah,” Callie smiled immediately, “I know. Sofia and I are going to fly out to Seattle that weekend…it’s not a scheduled weekend, but I’m not working, and I kind of want to surprise Arizona. She’s been so great the last eight months, you know? I was thinking the three of us could have brunch and maybe do something together – I know Sof really wants to try one of those pottery painting places and Arizona would love that–”
She glanced sideways again and her voice dropped off as she watched the confused – and slightly upset – look that flashed across her girlfriend’s eyes.
Penny’s reply came softly, her eyes flitting to Callie’s face before looking back to the path in front of them.
“I thought we could do something nice with Sofia.”
“We…I mean…Arizona’s her mom, Penny – I don’t want to just exclude her.”
“But you’re okay excluding me.”
It wasn’t a question, but rather a statement, and the younger woman’s hand fell away from Callie’s as she pushed it into the pocket of her jean jacket.
“I get that I’m not Sofia’s mother, but I am your girlfriend, you know.”
Callie trailed off, the words having left her lips completely unbidden, and she was distinctly aware that she had no idea how that sentence ended. She’d been thinking about the blonde a lot lately, if she was honest, and talking to her more, and she – Callie really wasn’t sure what Arizona was to her. Or what she was to Arizona.
Except she was. She was sure, she realized, as she looked up at the eyes of the woman beside her. Because those eyes weren’t the ones she wanted to see – they weren’t blue enough, or vibrant enough, or…
And the way the brunette bit her lip quickly, holding back her thoughts, Penny knew.
If Penny was being honest, she’d known for some time. Maybe even since they’d left Seattle.
A small, dark-haired bundle of energy came running across the lawn toward them, waving goodbye to the friends she’d been playing soccer with, and she wrapped her arms around Callie’s waist in a hug. Excitement was written all over her face, her small dimples popping as she grinned and skipped back a step, effectively ending any conversation between the two adults.
“I made THREE goals! I’m way faster than Jason and Max. We played girls against boys and we won, it was so awesome!”
Callie couldn’t help the grin that spread across her own face at her daughter’s excitement, and her eyebrows raised in a suitably impressed expression.
Sofia beamed, her braided pigtails bouncing slightly.
“Can I call mommy and tell her about it?”
At the mention of the blonde, Callie’s eyes raised cautiously again to meet the other woman’s, but she was met with nothing but a veil of emotion and a wistful, defeated look. Penny glanced away after a moment, a tight-lipped smile gracing her face as she took Sofia’s other hand.
“Yeah, come on, kiddo. Let’s go call your mom.”
