Chapter 12. Unconditional

Several weeks later, Jude and Callie's adoption was finalized. When they came home from school that day, the house was decked out with balloons, and Stef was at the stove, making a special dinner.

"Surprise!" She called when they came in the door.

"All this is for us?" Callie asked skeptically.

"Of course," Stef replied, smiling, as she turned to face them. "It's a 'welcome to the family' party. Your troubles are over, my loves. You'll never be mistreated or separated again. You're home."

"I can't believe this is real!" Jude cried, hardly able to contain himself.

"Believe it, baby," said Stef. "You're Fosters now." She hugged and kissed them both.

While the family ate their celebratory dinner, Callie felt lighter than air. She couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. Probably when her birth mother was still alive. She looked across the table at Jude, who was grinning from ear to ear, and she knew he felt the same way. Life was good. They had a loving family, and they were going to be safe. That was all they ever wanted.

Another reason for Callie to celebrate was that she had been working hard to prove to her new moms that she was trustworthy. She went to school, did all of her homework, and helped around the house without being asked. And it finally paid off the night before, when they took her aside before bed and told her that she deserved their trust because she'd been so responsible, and it was hers once again. It was a tremendous weight lifted off her chest. Brandon had also been on his best behavior, and Callie believed Stef and Lena had told him the same thing. She and Brandon were growing comfortable in their platonic relationship. They knew they'd never be able to see each other as siblings- that would be way too weird. But even though they still loved each other, they were satisfied with just being friends for now.

After dinner, Lena brought a chocolate cake to the table. She cut the first slice. "Here you go, my dear," she said, passing it to Jude. Jesus scooped up chocolate chip ice cream to serve with it.

"Thanks, mom," Jude replied happily, taking his plate. Callie smiled. 'Mom' seemed to be her brother's new favorite word.

Lena cut a second slice of cake, and handed it to Callie, saying; "There you are, honey."

'Thank you. Mom," Callie answered, still a little shyly.

Once everyone was served dessert, Callie cut into her slice of cake and tasted it. It was a homemade two-layer cake, with a whipped cream filling. She tasted the ice cream next. She and Jude didn't get treats like this very often, so she decided to eat it slowly and savor every bite. Callie remembered the last time she had a party with cake and ice cream. It was on her fifteenth birthday, when they were living with the Olmsteads. Mrs. Olmstead had baked her a yellow cake with vanilla frosting, and they had strawberry ice cream. The memory of that party was bittersweet, because little did Callie know then, but just a few days later, Liam would enter her room and steal the last of her innocence. Just like that, what was left of her childhood ended.

When everyone was finished with their cake and ice cream, Lena announced that it was time for presents.

"We get presents?" Jude asked.

"Sure!" She replied. "We can't have a real party without presents!"

They followed her and the rest of the family into the living room, and sat down on the couch. Mariana stood back up. "I forgot something!" She called out. "Be right back!" She went upstairs and returned carrying a bowl of pink and blue lollipops. The wrappers said; "It's a Girl" and "It's a Boy." She set them on the table. "These are for you," she told her moms. "Congratulations!" Stef and Lena laughed when they read the the announcements on the candy, then they passed the bowl around so everyone could take one.

"Now," began Stef, giving Callie and Jude each a folded envelope, "these are for you from both of us."

The siblings opened the envelopes, and discovered they contained gift cards. "This is too much," Callie said, looking at the amounts they were worth. "We can't take this."

Lena waved her hand. "Yes you can," she told them. "We did the same thing for the twins when we adopted them. Foster kids have so little of their own, and we want you to be able to buy some things to start your new life with."

"Exactly," added Stef. "You can buy whatever you want with those."

"Thank you!" Callie exclaimed. "This is really nice of you."

"Yeah," Jude agreed. "Thanks!"

"We love you both so very much," Lena said. "And we hope you enjoy whatever you choose to get."

Callie thought she might get a bathing suit, since they lived so close to the beach. She used to love to swim. She figured Jude would want to buy toys or games.

"We also have one more surprise for you, baby," Stef told Callie, drawing her back from her thoughts. "A little birdie told us it would be the perfect gift for you."

"What is it?" Callie asked, her body tensing with anticipation.

"Wait and see," teased Lena. "Close your eyes. No peeking!"

Callie squeezed her eyes shut, determined not to cheat.

"Okay. Open them," she heard Stef say, at last.

When she did, she saw that Stef and Lena were holding a guitar. And not just any guitar, but her guitar. Callie hardly believed her eyes as they handed it to her. She cradled the guitar in her hands. There was a card attached to it. She set the instrument down on the couch, and slit the envelope open. The card read; "To our daughter, Callie, with unconditional love. -Moms." She felt tears of joy come to her eyes, as she hugged her parents. "I love you," she told them. "Thank you so much." Then, she turned to Brandon. She knew exactly who the little birdie was.

He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. "How about I teach you that duet?"

The End

Thank you to everyone who viewed this story! The response it's gotten has meant a lot to me, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Look for more stories about The Fosters by me soon!