YOURS // Les Twins {Sequel to MINE}

8 - Miracle In The Making

"You know I have to advise against this. I wouldn't be doing my job otherwise," the attorney said to Laurent as delicately as possible before glancing around the room uncomfortably. He'd been against this meeting from the start.

Though Laurent's eyes never left Roark, his peripheral vision caught Larry reaching for Caroline's hand reassuringly.

After the session with Eleanor, Laurent had set up a meeting with everyone involved in Caroline's case: Larry and Laurent, of course; her therapist, Eleanor; her caseworker, Abigail; and Charles Roark, the member of Laurent's legal team who tended to handle more of his private affairs. Alexis had come along for moral support which was fine with the guys. And because she was still a minor, Caroline's parents had been invited, but they didn't respond. Larry and Laurent were both conflicted about that, and they got the impression Caroline was as well.

"What exactly are you advising against?" Laurent asked as he sat forward and braced his forearms on the table, his expression making it clear that Roark should choose his words carefully.

"Financial assistance for the birth mother is generally limited to a certain timeframe, otherwise it can be perceived as a sale rather than assistance. The technicalities can get dicey..." he trailed off, leaving Laurent to fill in the blanks himself.

Laurent nodded, scrubbing a hand down his face.

"Word it however you need to, but this pregnancy has cost Caroline the support of her parents. All we're doing is ensuring her education. We don't care how you structure it. But however long she attends a college or university, any and all out-of-pocket expenses need to be covered," Laurent told him with a pointed look.

"On top of that, we want something set up double the amount of whatever the standard grant or scholarship for living expenses would be," he said plainly, ignoring the look on Roark's face. "The reason for this is that the standard amount for most of those is the bare minimum. Doubling it will ensure it's enough and give her wiggle room for necessities like a car. It's not unreasonable. As long as she's required to stay in school and maintain her grades, I don't see the problem. It's no different than offering her a scholarship or grant for overcoming everything she's been through."

Roark opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by Caroline. Clutching Larry's hand, she turned to both of them shaking her head.

"Guys, that's too much. When I mentioned the fees and everything, I didn't mean all that. I can work..."

"And if you want to work, that's fine. Put as much in savings as you can," Laurent told her decisively as Larry wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a sideways hug. "But when you get a couple of years in and school gets harder, we want you to be able to focus."

"Trust me," Larry said more quietly, "this is nothing compared to what you're giving us."

Caroline looked back and forth between the two of them, her eyes filled with tears. It was obvious she was hesitant to accept such a gift because she didn't feel like she deserved it...most likely thanks to her parents.

Breaking the silence, the caseworker, Abigail, spoke up. "Caroline, I wish more girls like yourself got this type of offer. Our system is so broken. But you can take this and do whatever you want with it. You see how Larry and Laurent have found ways to give back, and you can do the same thing with whatever you choose to do with your life."

Caroline nodded as she swiped at her cheeks. Turning back to the guys, she tried to say thank you but she ended up simply mouthing the words as her voice broke.

"No, thank you," Laurent said softly, reaching across Larry to give her hand a squeeze.

Setting his eyes on Roark, he was once again all business saying, "That's enough to get you started for now."