Teach Me - Brollins

7.

"Do you want to come with me to get Cali from my mom's?" Colby asked quietly and Rebecca looked up at him through her eyelashes, her head not moving from its spot on his chest

"Is that really the best idea?" She asked

"What's the worst that could happen? You're already fired" he shrugged

"Do you think she's going to be okay with this?"

"I think she's going to be caught off guard at first and it may take some time to get used to but eventually she will come around to the idea of us being together"

"I've never done this before ya know.. been with one of my student's parents" she shook her head

"Good to know" he nodded "and lucky for me you won't ever do it again" he kissed her head

"You're stuck with me.." She looked up at him "You're locked in for the next eighteen years at least"

"How will I ever make it through all of those years with you.." He shook his head and she laughed, he loved that sound

Rebecca decided to get dressed and go with Colby to pick Cali up from his mother. The little girl had school the next day so she needed to be home and starting her nighttime routine.

Rebecca sat in the car as Colby went into his mother's house to retrieve Cali. The little girl walked out talking up a storm as she held her notebook in her hand and her father carried her backpack in his.

She felt herself become nervous the closer the little girl got to the car. As soon as Colby opened the door to the backseat and Cali hopped in happily their eyes met and the little girl's jaw dropped.

"Hi Cali" Rebecca said as Colby began to back out of the driveway

"Hi Miss Quin" the little girl said and looked from her former teacher to her father and then back again "HOLD ON!" The little girl yelled and Colby looked back at her through the rearview mirror as they began the short drive home "Daddy's the one Brayden's mom called about" she said

"You figured that out a lot quicker than I thought you would" Colby nodded

"Are you okay with that Cali?" The redhead questioned as she looked back at the little girl

"Daddy" Cali said

"Yes?" Colby looked back at her through the mirror and then back to the road

"Does she make you happy?" She asked innocently and Colby looked over at Rebecca with a small smile

"She does" he nodded

"Then I'm okay with it" she said "but I have a question.." The little girl said as they pulled into the driveway

"What is it?" Colby asked as he pulled into the garage

"What do I call you now?" She asked Rebecca and the redhead looked at Colby unsure

"You can call me Rebecca, becky, Becks.. or even just hey you.. I promise I'll answer to it.. whatever makes you feel comfortable"

"I think I'm gonna call you Rebecca for now" she nodded as she got out of the car and grabbed her backpack

"That went better than I expected" Rebecca looked at Colby as they still sat in the car

"Way better.." He nodded

"Are you guys coming?" Cali questioned as she looked back at them

"I don't think we should tell her about the pregnancy yet" Rebecca shook her head "Just until we know we're in the clear and we let ourselves digest it a little more"

"Agreed" Colby nodded

Over the next hour, Rebecca watched Cali and Colby interact with one another. The little girl's routine was as soon as she got home from school she changed from her uniform to comfy clothes before having time to unwind. Colby didn't press the little girl to do her homework right away because she had been at school for hours at a time, he didn't see why she should come home and sit for more hours right away. After unwinding from the day Cali did her homework with the help of her father who kept a watchful eye on her while responding to emails on his computer and getting back to people who had needed something from him throughout the day.

Homework was done and then it was time for dinner. Rebecca sat at the island and watched the little girl moving around the kitchen, pulling pots out of cabinets and ingredients out of the refrigerator and a few spices.

Rebecca looked over at Colby who just smiled at her with a knowing look in his eyes. Rebecca knew instantly what he meant without even speaking, She thought back to the conversation they had earlier about Cali doing everything exactly the way her mother did it. It was her way of coping and connecting to Heather.

"What are you making?" Rebecca asked the little girl

"Roasted Vegetable Pasta" Cali answered as she pulled the recipe card from the small plastic box in the cabinet

"Do you need any help?" She asked and the little girl looked at her for a moment

"Can you cut up the zucchini?" She asked and Rebecca stood up

Colby watched Rebecca and Cali work together on dinner, he watched how patient Rebecca was with his daughter, how respectful she was to every minor detail Cali would tell her.

After dinner was over, Rebecca took over putting the dishes in the dishwasher while Colby put Cali to bed.

Colby walked in and watched Rebecca silently for a moment as he leaned against the doorframe.

"You don't have to do the dishes" he shook his head "I can do it"

"It's fine, I want to do it" she nodded with a small smile and she began looking around

"Under the sink" he said and she opened the cabinet grabbing the dishwashing pod from the container "It feels strangely normal to have you here doing things like this" he walked over to her

"Like I'm supposed to be here?" She asked and he nodded

"Are you staying tonight?" He grabbed her hand gently

"I've never stayed here" she shook her head "We've jumped with everything else right?" She asked with a laugh and he nodded

He walked out of the kitchen, leading her up the stairs slowly. She'd never seen the upstairs of this house, the only rooms she'd ever seen was the living room and the kitchen.

Walking up the stairs, she saw the sign on the first wooden door that was Cali's initials, the next room was an office, the next was a bathroom, there was another room, and then the master bedroom.

She stood in the doorframe and looked around, noting the grey walls, the walk in closet and master bathroom attached. She couldn't help but wonder about all of the memories this room held for Colby.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he watched her take in the room and she shook her head "I can see it in your eyes, what is it?" He walked towards her now and she took a deep breath, looking him in the eyes

"This room" she continued to look around "It holds everything.. all the memories" she looked in the closet and saw the clothes hanging on the opposite side of his and she looked back at him "You've kept all of her stuff" she said in a whisper