30 The Dress

Lisa's P.O.V.

"He left it to you, Lisa." Anthony had just shocked the hell out of me. Dad had left the business to me. After everything he had done and said, he left it to me. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Sell it. I'll create my own business from the money. Whatever money is left, anyway. I know with dad embezzling that we probably owe people money."

Dad could go fuck himself if he thought I was going to keep this business.

Did he think I would fix it up then when he got out of jail, he'd still have it to come back to? He was sorely mistaken. He was even more mistaken if he thought this fixed anything he'd done. This must have been what he meant when he said he hoped his actions would speak louder than his words. Only his actions were confusing, too.

Did he do this because he really felt bad? Or because he wanted me to fix his business? Maybe it was because he still wanted to have some kind of hold on me. Whatever the case, I won't fix the business that caused him to be this way.

"Alright, I'll get the liquidation process started."

"Thank you. Let me know when it's done."

"You'll be the first person I call." He nodded his head, scribbling away in his notepad.

I left his office with thoughts of Dad stirring in my mind. It was impossible to tell what he was really thinking. Could he really be trying to make up for everything?

Don't fall for his shit. Lucas' words rang in my head.

He was right. I couldn't let this affect the way I saw dad. He turned his back on me and left me to be raped by the Darnell's. There was no amount of apologizing that would ever make that okay. He could be as remorseful as he liked. I wouldn't forgive him anytime soon.

I made my way home, thinking of Calliope and all she had probably gone through. I started taking her to a psychologist to help. The hope was that she would start opening up more, and perhaps one day tell us all the horrors she'd seen in her short life so far.

I needed to talk to Davis. It wasn't what I had originally said, but I really wanted to adopt her. I wanted Calliope to be the girl that made me a mom first. Once she was better, we could revisit surrogacy, because I still wanted a little Davis running around.

Liv: I told you my medical stuff, and that I was pregnant and you never told me about your tubes. I am sorry, Lisa.

Liv's text surprised me, arriving out of the blue as I made it home.

Lisa: It didn't feel that relevant with everything you told me.

Liv: Your news matters too.

Lisa: Thanks, but don't worry about me. Stay focused on yourself, Abi, and the little bean you're growing. I expect you to come dress shopping with me next month, though.

Liv: I'll be there!

"How'd it go?" Davis asked me the moment I entered the house.

Calliope was at school, leaving Davis alone at home. We had enrolled her in a private school nearby, noticing how intelligent she was. We could tell she needed a more challenging place and thankfully we could afford to send her there.

"He left me the business."

"Seriously?"

"Yup, but I'm liquidating it and taking the money to create my own. I just need to figure out what I want that to be."

"I know you'll think of something."

I love how confident he always was of me.

"Thank you, I hope so." I sat beside him on the couch, allowing him to wrap me in his arms, sending me to my happy place. "We need to talk about Calliope."

"I know we do."

"I want to adopt her," we both said in unison, smiling real wide, knowing we wanted the same thing.

"Let's talk. There's a lot we need to figure out first," he said, and I nodded, feeling the same way.

"Is that okay with you, Calliope?" I asked her, really hoping she'd say yes.

It had been a month now since she had come to stay with us. I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her, and I wasn't willing to give her up. Davis and I stayed up most nights discussing our parenting plans with her. We knew it was a big decision, so we tried not to rush it, but we just kept falling more in love with her every day. It was obvious we wanted her, so we came up with a plan and mapped out everything we wanted to do for her and with her.

"You want me?"

"Very much so," Davis said, grabbing her hand from across the table. She'd grown more comfortable with Davis, but she still flinched when his hand had approached her.

"So I can keep living here with you?"

"Yes. You would live with us and be a part of our family. You'd be our daughter," I explained, wanting her to understand what it really meant.

"You'd be my new mommy and daddy?"

"If you want us to be." I nodded at her with a smile.

"You mean it?"

"Yes, we mean it. Do you want to be our daughter?"

"Yes!" she said with a smile.

I was elated to hear her answer. I was going to be a mom. She was going to make me a mom and I couldn't be happier.

"Thank you Calliope," I said through tears.

"I am sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry." She seemed panicked as she apologized, so I shook my head at her.

"No, silly girl. These are tears of joy. You have made me so happy that my body couldn't contain it all."

"You can cry when you're happy?"

"Yes, of course."

She cried then, too.

"Good, because I am very happy."

Oh, heart of mine.

"There's a lot we need to talk about. There are rules, and you must promise to follow them." Davis got right to it.

"Okay."

"Number one: We will never physically hurt you and you have to believe that. Number two: You may not leave the house without permission or a grownup by your side. Number three: You must do well in school, and if you're ever struggling with it, you must tell us so we can help you. Number four: If you're having problems of any kind, tell either Lisa or me, or both of us, preferably. And finally Number five: You can never doubt that we love you."

"Okay, I can do that." She sounded so determined as she said that. She really wanted to make it work. I could see it in her eyes. She didn't want to fear Davis.

"Also, we won't rush you, but we want to know about your childhood and your time on the streets. You share with us however much you want at whatever time you want. We just want to help you and we want to understand what you've been through, okay?" I added.

"Okay, Mommy." She smiled at me, melting me with the way she called me mommy. I cried again. "Did I make you happy again?"

"Yes, you did. Very, very happy."

I love her so much already.

"My mommy before was nothing like you. She was nice and she would stand up to daddy for me sometimes, but she didn't take care of me the same way you do. She never brushed my hair while she sang to me, like you do. Also, she wouldn't make me take a bath or give me clean clothes every day. She'd make me food sometimes, but it's not as much as you and this Daddy do." I could see Davis' chest rise with pride as she called him her daddy now. There was no hiding he was angry at the news she was sharing. She had been neglected. "Still, I sometimes miss her. I hope that doesn't make you mad."

"Never," I quickly told her. "She gave you life. I'll never be mad at you for missing her."

Even if she was a shitty mom.

"She was much better than Daddy. Daddy would hit us both if we ever made him mad. He liked to hit me more than Mommy, but Mommy would take care of me after, so it was okay."

The fact she thought that was okay broke me.

"That's not okay, Calliope. No matter what, it's never okay for someone to hit you. You hear me?" Davis used his serious tone, so she knew he meant business. She nodded her head timidly. "Good."

"When Mommy wouldn't wake up one day, Daddy made me get in the car. He drove us far away and then told me to get out. I always listen to Daddy so that he won't hit me as much. He never came back."

I was crying again, making Calliope furrow her brow.

"Are you happy?"

"No, baby. I am sad. I am sad that you had to go through that. But I promise you that will never happen again. You're ours forever."

She nodded her head again. I know it would be awhile before she believed those words, but I would make sure that she does. She would know what real love feels like. There would be no doubt in her mind that she was wanted and cared for by us.

"I stayed there for a few days, but then I got hungry and people kept saying they were going to call the police. I knew Daddy would be mad if the police came to his house. So, I ran and got more lost. I kept walking and sometimes people would give me food or drinks. Some gave me money. The scary part was sleeping. I started sleeping in the treetops to feel better. I fell once, so I made sure not to go too high next time."

We were both listening to her attentively with tears in our eyes. This little girl was strong, so damn strong when she shouldn't have to be. She told us everything right then and there. My heart shattered for her as she told us her story.

Don't worry, Calliope, I'll make sure you never go through something like that again.

We have everything slowly going towards Calliope's adoption. We were just waiting on the court date now. I didn't understand why it was so damn hard to adopt a kid. Still, I was trying not to complain, because I had a daughter now. She was mine, my sweet girl.

"Calliope, are you ready to go?" I called up to her in her room.

Calliope's tastes in fashion have become more bold and girly. She had been coming out of her shell more and more, especially after opening up to us. She still sees her psychologist and therapist once a week, and she was doing brilliantly at school.

"Ready, Mommy."

She stood at the top of the stairs, a picture of utter perfection. She had on a sweet pink floral dress and her favorite pink shoes, that didn't really match the style of the dress. No way I was denying her, her favorite shoes.

"Let's go buy me a wedding dress." I smiled at her, having her grab my hand when she was on the last step.

She jumped with an excited smile. I have been having her help me with the planning of mine and Davis' wedding. We decided it wouldn't be as grand as Lucas and Liv's, but it'd still be beautiful. There was a spot in New York a little ways away that was just perfect. Great views, beautiful reception area, lovely nature feel for the ceremony area too. It was just perfect. We went and looked at it all together and decided it would be the place.

Today we were meeting my mom and Liv to shop for dresses. There was a small boutique with a seamstress that made the loveliest gowns. She wasn't as well known as the name brands, but I fell in love with her dresses years ago. I always pictured her making my dress.

When I called her the day after Davis proposed, she was excited and told me she would pick out some options she thought I would like and design a dress for me as well. So today we would look at those. I didn't need a shop with a million dresses, just a seamstress that knew me well enough to give me three to four amazing options.

Calliope skipped along the sidewalk as we walked from the subway station. She enjoys taking the subway more than my car, so I've become a more frequent subway traveler now. This would be the first time she was meeting Mom, Liv, and Lucas.

Lucas would only stay to meet Calliope. Then he was leaving. They've been dying to meet her, but I was worried about introducing her to the family too soon. Everything was going so smoothly here lately that I feel now was the perfect time.

"Are you ready to meet my family?"

"Yes! I've never had an uncle or aunt or grandma before. Or a cousin!" She skipped merrily as she spoke, sounding excited about the whole thing.

"Well, you do now. They are going to love you. Also, Lucas may have tattoos, but don't let it fool you. He's a softie." I winked at her as I opened the door to a hidden gem of a shop. It wasn't large, but it wasn't miniscule either. It was the perfect size for her and her dresses.

"Lisa!" Avery greeted me with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "I am so excited for you! I just finished putting the dress I designed for you together with all the choices for you to try. But I won't tell you which one I designed. I don't want you to feel influenced to choose it. Your family is waiting for you back there."

"Thank you, Avery."

"Oh, and who is this?" She asked, placing her hands on her legs and leaning forward to be more on Calliope's level.

"This is my daughter, Calliope."

It was the first time I had uttered that sentence and it made me so completely happy. The joy I felt was unlike any other. She was my daughter.

"Your daughter?" She questioned.

"We're adopting her."

"That's so wonderful! Congratulations to you two on more than one occasion."

We headed to the back with the largest smiles on our faces. Mom was sitting on the couch, holding Abi, making faces at her, trying to make her laugh. Liv was sitting on the other end, watching them with a smile, while Lucas sat on the arm of the couch beside her with his hand on her small baby bump. He looked tired, and I was sure it was his worry for her health that was keeping him up at night.

"I see my niece is still getting all the attention." I alerted them all to my presence.

"I'll dote on my new niece the way you dote on our Abi," Liv assured me.

"Everyone, meet Calliope, my daughter."

I really like saying that.

"Hi, Calliope, I'm Liv. I was crazy enough to marry into this family." She spoke first, smiling sweetly at my girl. "You're so beautiful, and look, we both have curly hair!"

"I like your hair. It's a pretty color," Calliope complemented her, being kind as usual.

"I'm sure she's told you lots of things about me, probably all untrue, by the way. I'm Lucas, her brother, your now uncle." He smiled at her, slightly bowing his head. "I'll be the one you annoy and prank people with. Don't worry, I will make sure you have a wild and powerful spirit like my girls."

He winked at Liv with that, making her smile and roll her eyes as usual.

"I'm your grandmother, Sarah. It's so nice to finally meet you, Calliope. I have been dying for time with my granddaughter. It's not fair, your mother had been hogging you this whole time. Don't worry, we'll fix that." Mom said with her dazzling smile, one you couldn't help but reciprocate.

Calliope got shy as they all spoke to her. There were a lot of people, but when the focus shifted back to dress shopping, she relaxed again. Lucas left, taking Abi with a promise of stealing Calliope for a playdate soon. I didn't think he meant with Abi either. I could just picture the shenanigans that he was going to get into with her. She would love every minute, I was sure.

Avery had laid out four dresses for me. Two were A-line dresses and the other two were mermaid dresses. She knew I hated poof-y and frilly. They were all a silky white material with variations in style and embroidery, all beautiful. I knew it was going to be hard to choose.

I tried on one of the mermaid gowns first. It had a court tulle train that flared out at the bottom. There was a V-neck. It wasn't too deep that it was deemed slutty. It was elegant and had long lace, and sheer sleeves. It fit me so perfectly, like it was made for me. Was this the one she designed with me in mind?

"It's lovely," Mom gushed. She had been misty eyed the entire time. "My only daughter is getting married!"

Next were the A-line dresses. This one was interesting as it had a court train, but then it also had this almost cape, I would call it. It was attached at the off shoulder sleeves, falling down over the dress as a second train, almost. Both the sleeves and the bodice were lace. The only remarkable thing about it was the cape like thing.

"Which one, this one or the one before? I kind of like this one more," I said, running my hands along the material over me.

"I agree." Liv nodded, staring at my reflection in the mirror as I looked at myself, too.

"You look beautiful, Mommy."

"Thank you, my love."

I tried on the other mermaid dress next. This dress took my breath away with its beauty. It had thin lace straps that led to a stunning lace bodice. The material hugged the curves of my body just right. The intricate lace detailing was delicate and feminine, adding a touch of romance to the overall design.

The bodice was fitted, and flared out into a full skirt, creating a flattering and timeless look. The skirt was made of luxurious satin fabric that draped beautifully, creating a soft and flowing effect.

It featured a court train that added a touch of drama and sophistication to the overall design. The train was long enough to make a statement, but not so long that it became difficult to manage.

I didn't even have to look at the last dress. This was the one. I just knew it. When I stepped out and saw everyone's eyes, I knew they were feeling the same way. Calliope smiled so brightly at me I nearly cried. I loved seeing her look at me that way…with love.

"Oh, Lisa," Mom cried with misty eyes as her emotions got the better of her. "This is the dress, isn't it?"

I nodded. My heart was feeling a powerful wave of emotions pass through me. It was hard to put into words, but it was like everything was just falling into place. I had somehow got a man I didn't even know I needed. He was my dream come true, a manifestation of a perfect man catered just for me.

"You've always looked good in white." Liv smirked at me, but I didn't miss the twinkle in her eyes.

"This is the dress."

I would be marrying my dream soon.