The Hook-up

Chapter 164

Lauren went out to the car and placed the sleeping one week old babies in the car careful to not wake them up. She heard a slight snore from Ezra rubbing his head to make sure that he stayed asleep through the short drive back to their home. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what I am going to say. I don't know what he is going to be like. What if he's still a mess? I'm still a mess. Oh my god. She started sobbing in the car laying her head of the steering wheel trying to clear the tears enough to safely drive back to their home. I can do this. I can tell him that he hurt me, but that we have to work it out. We've had to before. And we'll make it. After a few more minutes of a mental pep talk she gained the courage and bravery to drive back home. She turned down the winding street to their home to see his car sitting in the driveway. Oh god. I don't know if I can do this. I can't do this...I'll go to Larissa's house....she quickly turned the car into reverse pressing the button to open the gate that had closed behind her. Before she could back out she heard Bruno's distinctive ringtone on her phone. "No...shut up!" she whispered to the phone putting the car back in park. She picked up the phone.

"Come inside, boo." He said to her sweetly. "Just come and sleep in your bed." She looked up toward the house seeing the light for the front of the house turn on. "Can I help you get the babies?" she nodded her head just listening to his voice trying to figure out how sincere he was. Before she could make any decisions she was being led out of the car feeling his warm body against hers. She felt tears fall down her cheek onto some shirt she had never felt around her body before. She could smell the newness of the shirt. No. I don't like that.' She thought to herself pulling away a little. Neither of them said anything to each other for what seemed to be an eternity. They were silently having a conversation, though. He wanted to tell her that she was the only one that mattered to him and that he was the stupidest person in the world. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry for not listening to his side of the story. They were interrupted by a high pitched set of screams that could have woken up their neighbors. "Let me get him..." Bruno said reaching for the diaper bag and his son. "Come on, Ez....let's get you to bed..." he said looking up at the stars in the sky as he walked them all back into the house. He heard Lauren's soft footsteps behind him trying to get Everlee to calm down after her brother woke her up.

"Will you switch me, please? He needs to eat...." She said pointing to him sucking on his shirt. "And when he's really loud like that that's what he wants...he's not as high pitched when he needs to be changed or wants attention....she's the opposite..." she explained taking the baby from his hands.

"Oh...Okay." He said moving his arms to watch Everlee fight her sleep. "Come on, baby girl, sleep..." he started to hum a song to her walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water. "Do you want something to drink, mama?" he asked Lauren.

"Just a water please." She responded with a half-smile adjusting herself into a chair in the living room next to a blanket that was left out. She looked down at the floor spotting several residual spots from the night before. She wasn't sure if she wanted to interrupt their quiet parenting with her questions yet. She held onto Ezra rubbing his mouth to make sure he was able to finish watching Bruno pace through the house with Everlee in his arms. He slowed down after a few minutes Bruno came back into the room holding Everlee in one arm handing her a bottle of water. He attempted to smile and she did the same taking the water. "Thank you." She whispered moving Ezra over her shoulder to burp him.

"Do you want to switch?" Bruno asked seeing her finish with Ezra.

"I just need to burp him." She said to him.

"I can do it...." He answered taking Ezra from her carefully switching babies with her.

After both babies were asleep Bruno sat down next to Lauren seeing how worn out she was. And he knew it was his fault. "I need to hear your side of the story."

"She texted me when they were born and told me that she was going to be here this week. I was weak, Lauren. I don't know what happened. I've been able to avoid her. I haven't seen her since whenever the last time was. When I was in New York. I saw her for like five seconds and told her to leave. I don't know."

"Am I not doing something right?" she asked him moving her feet under him to get them to warm up.

"No, Laur...you aren't doing anything wrong..." he said reaching for her small feet to warm them up for her. "No, baby...no....you haven't done anything wrong. You've done every single thing right...."

"Then why did you go see her? Why did you have lunch with her? Why did she end up at the studio with you? How do you even expect me to trust you?"

"She's a friend, Lauren. I know you have people in your life like that...what about Nicole? Or Eric? Or Serena?" he asked about several of her oldest friends that she could pick up a conversation with at any given time.

"I've never had sex with any of them, Bruno." She stated plainly. "I don't think that's anything you'll ever have to worry about." She said moving her feet to start to stand up.

"Lauren...please listen to me for once....let me tell you my side of the story..."

"I'm listening...." She said laying her head on the back of the couch.

"She goes from this regular friend to this almost snake that wants to eat my heart out...." He told her. "It's like we were talking about the babies and then she just jumped on me and was like 'Let's go back to the studio...you need to relax....' And I felt like I did need to. Just like you need to sleep."

"You are not that stupid!" Lauren exclaimed. "You know better than that. A girl who says that she wants to help you relax means she wants to get you naked. Come on!"

"I made myself clear, Elle. I told her that you and the babies are everything to me. She left after that....:" he tried to redeem himself.

"But after Cait called you...what if she hadn't called you?" Lauren asked him seriously. "What if my friends weren't nosy and you didn't know that we knew she was here? Be honest, Bruno...."

She reached for his hand feeling him start to sweat. "I don't know what would have happened." He admitted. "I don't know if we would be sitting here right now..."

"So what happens when you go to New York in three weeks? She'll be there...." Lauren questioned.

"She won't know anything about it. I'm seriously going and hiding when I go. I'm so close to being done that all that matters right now is that album and you three..." he paused seeing her coming close to forgiving him for his actions.

"What about the time after that? And after that?" she asked still worried.

"Can we get through tonight before I start thinking about the next two months, Laur?" he asked rubbing his head.

"Are you tired?" she asked him moving a bit closer to him.

"I have a headache." He admitted.

"You only get headaches when you drink..." she called him out on the night before as she stood up to go get him medicine.

"I know." He said following behind her wrapping his arms around her carefully laying his head on her shoulder walking behind her. "Where are you going?" he asked following behind her.

"To get you medicine." She answered grabbing the advil for her.

"Take this and then come to bed. It's obvious that you practically drank everything in this house last night..."

A few minutes later Lauren sat on the edge of the bed looking at Everlee sleep with her hands clenched against her chest and her legs curled up. "Sometime you sleep like that..." he said moving his hands up to his chest.

"No. I don't." she laughed turning around to lay down in the bed.

"Yes you do, mama..." he answered laying down next to her holding her tightly. "Let me take care of them tonight. You left bottles here. I've got this..."

"Mhmm...." She said half not caring what he said and half asleep. He smells better in this shirt. She thought to herself falling asleep to his heart beat against her back.

"You're going to wake up and do it..." he said sarcastically kissing her on the head. "I love you, Lauren."