The Hook-up

Chapter 184

runo lowered his head walking through the airport unsure of exactly how his trip to New York was going to go. He had mixed emotions. He was giving birth to his baby, Unorthodox Jukebox, but was away from his babies. He wanted to hold them and talk to them and do dad things. He wasn't ready to be away from them. He knew that he was going to have to be away from them, but wasn't ready for it. He walked next to his brother and Phred trying to take his mind off of everything. "E...how do you do it?"

"Do what?" Eric asked.

"Stay away from Liam for so long. I don't know how I can be away from them for so long. I just feel like I'm going to come home and they aren't going to know me and they're going to be walking and talking little humans."

"And you're missing it." Eric finished.

"It's hard, dude. You just have to find time to watch them. I would have Cindia leave the computer on when she was getting ready for work or whatever and I would just sit and watch Liam some nights. Or talk to him while he played and he had no idea."

"But she's talking to you. Lauren doesn't even want to hear my name right now. And I don't blame her." he said sitting down in a chair waiting for their flight.

"You did that to yourself and I am staying away from it." Eric said throwing his hands up. "The sisters can tell you what to do, but I'm not Dr. Phil."

"I know." he sighed reaching for his phone hoping to see a text message from Lauren instead seeing e-mails from work that he wanted to ignore.

**

Lauren sat at her desk typing e-mails and press releases trying to shake off her feelings from the weekend's events. She wasn't quite sure what she was feeling inside, but knew on the outside that she was in pain. Her whole body ached and every move hurt her.

"Lauren?" an assistant, Samantha, walked in to ask a question.

"Yes?" Lauren asked looking up.

"Are you okay? You were really quiet at the meeting this morning. And you're never quiet." Samantha observed.

"I'm just tired. The babies were up all night and it was just me." she told Samantha.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Is Bruno gone already?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah. He left today and won't be back for a few weeks." she stopped herself from spilling out everything that had happened.

"Oh. Well. Let me know if you need anything. I know that it can be hard with the babies." Samantha answered leaving a pile of papers on Lauren's desk. Turning around, Samantha ran into Estee who was also coming to see Lauren.

Estee smiled at her employees closing the door behind Lauren.

"Were you mingling at Bruno's thing on Saturday? Someone said that they want to get on board because of a conversation you had with them this weekend. You were utterly charming and endearing." Estee smiled.

"Oh. Honestly, I just want to forget this weekend." Lauren answered rubbing her arm feeling the bruises.

"It was a big night. I thought it sounded great. Had I not been in Napa we would have come.." Estee answered seeing Lauren rub her arm. "Elle, he isn't acting like he did before you got pregnant is he?"

Lauren shook her head looking down. "No." she said taking off her cardigan revealing the bruises on her wrists and arms from that weekend. "No. It was my fault."

"Lauren...when I came in here I came to thank you for the new account, not to see this again..." Estee answered. "You left him, right?"

"He's gone for a few weeks. His album comes out on Tuesday." she answered. "So, I don't even know what he's doing. But it most likely involves drinking and sleeping with that stupid girl again." she said frustrated.