Metallic Memoriam

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Musical Madhouse

Blythe's P.O.V.

We walk through the door to our apartment to find it infested with rock stars, best friends, crazy aunts, radical cousins, and amazing brothers. It may be the hormones but I began tearing up at the sight and Chris took the baby into her nursery to change her clothes. We had dressed her for the winter to come home and neither of us want her to sweat to death. That and I had been working on a little steampunk outfit my entire pregnancy for her to wear when everyone had gotten here. My aunts, Baina and Melody, swarm me with hugs and kisses. They pat my still swollen belly and lead me further in. I notice that they decorated the apartment in different shades of purple, silver, and black. I smile because those are the colors of my darlings nursery.

I sit down on the couch next to Angelo when Melody (my dad's sister) sits on the coffee table in front of me. "So no one has told me...what is her name?"

"You'll find out when everyone is here." I tell her, much to her displeasure. She groans and falls down beside me. I love my Aunt Melody. My grandma had her a few years before my mother had me, so we grew up more like sisters or cousins than aunt and niece. She looks so much like my dad it's funny. They have the same blue eyes, immortally young expression, and the type of skin that looks like there's a light that shines from the inside out. She's so expressive like my father too.

I miss my dad.

Baina put her hand on my knee as if she knew what I was thinking, "He misses you too I'm sure. I know they both would love to be here to see their granddaughter. Just like their sisters would love to-"

"Not now Baina Lynne. Give the girl some air." I look over to see my grandmother standing by the kitchen bar.

I ran and gave her a hug. She still had the same familiar aroma. Strawberry mango tea and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. She was like a walking Valentine's day tea tray. "Gemmy Cady!" I shed a few tears. I call her Gemmy because when I was little, Braxton and my parents tried to make it easy on me and call her Nana Denny but I was stubborn and I tried saying Grandma Cadence but it came out and stuck as Gemmy Cady. She is my dad's mother but she practically adopted Baina and my mom since my maternal grandparents died before my mom even got married.

"My little BumblyBee." Cady smiles, calling me by my old nickname. I would always mumble and mix my words up, plus I was a clutzy baby. Doesn't help my name starts with a B.

I pull away and she hands me a big box. I open it and begin to cry. There were four smaller boxes inside. One I could smell, was a box of strawberry mango tea leaves. Another was a box of her cookies and my favorite: chocolate covered strawberries.

I pulled out the other two looked in them. One was filled with pictures of Braxton, my dad, and me when we were babies. There were also pictures of my dad with us as we grew up. By then I was a mess and questioning my intelligence when I put makeup on this morning before coming home. In the last box were a few old dresses from when my aunts and I were babies. I look again in the box and I find my old security blanket. Tucked inside was a picture of my dad and Braxton holding me wrapped up in the blanket.

I wipe the makeup from my eyes and hug Cady once more. Aunt Melody opened the front door to reveal Chris's parents and siblings, my Aunt Mena, and her daughter Nix. I greet all of them and of course I start crying again. Damn hormones.

Chris walks out with the baby and hands her to me. The three of us stand in front of the large mass of people in our tiny apartment. He kisses my forehead and I kiss the little bundle in my arms. My Aunt Mena is a photographer and she already has her camera out and ready. Nix smiles and ask the question everyone has been thinking, "What is her name?"

I look at Chris and then at the baby. I smile and reveal to my family, "Cadence Lily Cerulli."