The Hook-up

Chapter 159

"I love it, Brunito." Lauren said to her husband reaching for his hand that gripped the wheel of the car.

"What's the name of that one?" she asked.

"Young girls, I think...." He said to her. "But I haven't decided yet." He said to her as they continued to drive home. "Hey, my phone is buzzing. Will you look at it?" he asked pointing to his phone near her feet. She bent down picking it up seeing that his manager was calling. She quickly handed the phone to Bruno as they neared the windy roads near their home. "Hey." He said casually. Lauren watched his expression change from concentration the road to a drop of his jaw and a slight gasp. "Well shit." He said to himself. "So much for that." He said hanging up the phone.

"What did he say?" Lauren asked hitting the button to let them in their home.

"There's some pictures of us leaving the hospital with them." He said looking down at his phone unsure about how to react.

"It's okay, Bruno. It didn't happen how we wanted it, but whatever." Lauren shrugged her shoulders getting out of the car.

"Are you sure?" Bruno asked still concerned.

"There comes a time where you just give up and let it be." She said to him.

"Let it be, let it beeeee...." He sang to himself reaching to get Ezra in his car seat. "Just let it be, Ez." Bruno smiled at his son as he watched his wife struggle with bags and a car seat. "Give me that, mama..." he said to her taking the bags from her hand.

She watched the bags fall to the ground eying his arm that flexed almost driving her crazy for some ridiculous reason. "You gotta wait eight weeks, baby." He winked at her knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Ugh. I know." She moaned. "But seriously it's the last thing I want right now. I feel gross" she told him.

"But you look hot." He winked at her placing the babies and their car seats on the kitchen table. He reached down hearing Ezra's faint cry against his chest. "Shhh, baby..." he whispered bouncing him carefully to calm him down.

"He ate before we left. He shouldn't be that fussy." She told Bruno taking the baby from him. "Will you go get her and I'll try to get him to calm down?" she asked taking Ezra from Bruno.

"Lauren?" he asked her.

"Yeah?" she turned around.

"I'm going to go call my mom. I have her." He said to her taking the baby in his arms rocking her the same way that he was rocking Ezra. "Why doesn't she let me take care of you two?" Bruno asked his daughter. "I'm not going to mess up. I'm batting a thousand." He said seeing her eyes open up. "But don't cry, Everlee. Don't cry, oh baby don't cry...." He repeated the melody of No woman no cry to his daughter reaching for his phone to call his mother who was at his sister's house. "Mom...." He heard his mother answer the phone.

"Bruno, are you okay?" she asked him concerned with his tone. "Are the babies okay?"

"They're fine. He's crying like crazy and she's in my arms sound asleep..." he said looking down at Everlee's face.

"I'm coming over tomorrow, Bruno." She told him.

"I know, mom. We need you to come help." He said almost pleading with his mother.

"What's wrong, Brunito?" she asked him feeling like he needed to tell someone something.

"She doesn't trust me. I can't do anything right with them. I wanted to help him calm down but she took him from me before I could do anything...." He admitted.

"She's just trying her best, just like you are, my love. There will come a time when she's so overwhelmed that she won't care who has the baby, she , and you, will just want them to calm down. And then she'll see that you are an amazing father." His mother said.

"But I don't want her to see it, I want her to know it." He answered.

"Just go in there and tell her you're going to help. I can hear him." Bernie told her son.

"Are you sure? I'm afraid she's going to yell at me." He told his mother.

"Go in there and help her, Bruno. That's all she needs." His mother repeated.

"Okay. I will. I will see you tomorrow." He said hanging up the phone readjusting his arms to hold Everlee who slept through the whole conversation. He went into the kitchen seeing Lauren struggling with a baby blanket trying to hold Ezra close enough to her to stop crying. He could tell she was almost starting to cry herself. Bruno placed Everlee in the bassinet rubbing her stomach gently to make sure she was asleep. "Sleep my love..." he said kissing her head almost running to help Lauren. "Baby...." He said quietly turning her around to see her crying almost as much as the baby.

"I can't do this...." She said to him. "I can't..." she said holding him trying to get Ezra to calm down.

"Let me try, mama. Go lay down with Ev. She's asleep...." He said glancing at the clock that said almost 8 at night. "Oh, Ezraaaa...." He sang to his son. "It's gonna be a long night." He finished without singing to his son. He bounced baby in a rhythmic motion trying to find the exact motion that calmed him struggling the same way Lauren had finally finding a slow back and forth motion that calmed him down. "Shhhh...." Bruno finished walking back toward the living room seeing Lauren sitting on the couch covered with a blanket with her head buried in a throw pillow. He walked toward her carefully and quietly lifting the blanket from her head trying to crack a smile. "Laurennn...." He sang to her making her smile and sit up. "Tell me what's wrong..." he asked running his finger along her tear-filled eyes.

"This is too hard. I give up." She said crying as he pulled her close to his chest running his fingers in her hair humming something she hadn't heard before falling asleep in his arms.