One and Only

Part 42

One and Only - Chapter Forty-Two
Lauren's POV
-
My heart was racing when we pulled up to the house, Camila's car door swinging open before the engine was even shut off.
I watched as she ran inside as fast as she could, barely getting out of the car myself before I heard her scream, "I said yes!"
I should've expected that reaction, my legs feeling heavier with every step I took closer to the door. What was waiting for me in there? They would be happy... right?
That feeling of uncertainty vanished the moment I peered inside to see her whole family hovering over her ring finger, speaking words of congratulations to her.
I rested against the wall when Sofia noticed me, giving me a wide grin before she crossed the room to stand next to me. "Let's hope she doesn't break this off like the last one," she whispered. I gaped, looking at her horrified, and she just laughed at me. "I'm kidding. Congratulations," the sibling said, enveloping me in a hug. "I told you she would say yes."
"I know," I giggled, both of us separating. "You're always right, that's why you're the only one I consulted with."
"I'm glad you can see what a genius I am." Her eyes were focused on Camila who was jumping up and down, fresh tears on her face as she talked animately to Sinu while Alejandro looked over them proudly. "She wasn't like this with Adam," Sofia commented. "Sure, she was excited, but... it was for all the wrong reasons." My attention went to the small girl, noticing how insightful she was for her age. I'd never thought of it that way. When she and Adam first got engaged, all she ever talked about was how she wanted to get married-never about the person she was marrying. Sofia continued, "I was so scared she was going to go through with it. I used to just sit in my room and hope she would realize that it was a mistake."
"Me too."
She looked up at me, a slight smile on her face. "Well, she's finally with the right person."
"You think so?" I asked.
"Of course. And even if I didn't, I'm not going to miss out on the opportunity to stand up there next to you in a cute dress," she joked.
"Well, you are the most important guest."
We shared a small laugh before Camila waved us back over to them and I was immediately brought into a hug by Sinu before she kissed me on both of my cheeks. "I'm so happy to have you as a daughter and Alejandro is, too," she gushed. Camila's dad nodded. "What a surprise!"
"I think it's fair to say you've surprised us all," he chuckled.
"Except me," I heard Sofia whisper.
"What?" Camila asked.
"Lauren asked me if it was okay if she proposed to you-I said it was. You're welcome."
My new fiancé turned to me and I shot Sofia a look. "You let Sofi decide this?"
"Well, it was supposed to be our secret," I said, smirking at the young girl when she let out an 'oops'. "But I had to ask her. If it were me, I wouldn't want just any girl becoming my sister in law, so I figured Sof felt the same."
She gave me a side hug, beaming at me, and we just stayed like that, immersed in conversation.
I never thought I would have a family like this-a family at all-but here I was, back in Miami surrounded by people who loved me.
I'd had a family all this long and I was just too caught up in my past to realize it.
After a while, Sinu brought out an old scrapbook and Camila groaned. "Mom, this is so embarrassing," she covered her eyes.
"What is this?" I asked.
"Camila and I made it when she was little," Alejandro beamed. "She was so excited to have a fairytale wedding."
"Oh, my God," Camila buried her face into my chest. "Tell me when it's over."
I just laughed and when I took the scrapbook, I had to peer over Camila's head to see it, the girl having her arms wrapped tightly around me.
I looked over it, surprised that it was so detailed. "You made this when you were little?"
"We started it when she was little," Alejandro said, glowing when I handed it to him, "but we added onto it for years, until she left for college. Right, Camila?"
"This isn't happening," she mumbled. "This is just a dream."
"Camz," I chuckled, "don't be embarrassed. You've been planning our wedding for years. How romantic."
She moved back to meet our eyes, "We don't have to use those. We can plan ours together."
"No, no," I shook my head. "I'm sure I'll love them."
"See?" Sinu put a hand on Camila's shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "This is the fiancé you want-someone who doesn't care about making plans. Now you and I can do what we like," she squealed.
The girl in my arms nodded, giving me a small smile before looking at her mother, "Okay, yeah."
"How much time do you guys have until you leave for your flight?" Sofia asked.
I looked down at my watch, my eyes widening slightly when I realized how late it was, "Oh. Camz, are you already packed?" I paused for a split second to answer that question myself. "Of course not, what am I thinking? Okay, I'll go pack your stuff. We have to be at the airport in an hour."
"In an hour?" she gasped, her eyes on me as I walked toward the stairs. "Why did you wait so long to tell me?"
"Oh, sorry," I spoke, my voice thick with sarcasm, "I was too busy proposing. My bad."
She didn't get a chance to reply before I was in her room, looking down at the floor where her clothes laid. Suddenly, I regretted that escapade from last night, cursing myself because I hadn't stopped to fold the pajamas I was so carelessly taking off of her.
I threw everything into her suitcase as fast as I could, wondering why she brought so much stuff for just a weekend, and I was halfway done when Sofia entered the room.
"Hey, sis," she grinned.
"Hey."
"So," Sofia leaned against the bed, watching as I frantically searched for Camila's things, "how's the engaged life treating you?"
"So far, so good. It's been less than an hour, but I'm pretty confident that I'm making the right choice."
"Well, obviously. You don't buy Ritani if you're unsure."
I gave her an amused look, "I really missed you, Sof."
Her teeth gleamed as she smiled at me, "I missed you, too." She paused before asking me, "Does this mean you'll come visit more? You know, more than once every year and a half."
I looked up from the suitcase to meet her eyes, the question sounding more concerned than casual. "Yeah," I nodded, "of course." She seemed more reassured at my confirmation. "I'm sorry I haven't been over here since we moved to New York. It wasn't right of me to just leave and fall out of touch."
"It's okay. Camila said you spent the holidays with your friends."
"Yeah," I nodded. If friends meant people I was currently sleeping with, then sure. I spent the holidays with 'friends'. "But that's going to change. I'll be down here way more often than the holidays. Pretty soon you'll be sick of me."
"No way. You've always been my favorite."
I smiled, "Come help your favorite with these bags then."
Sofia and I packed the rest of Camila's things as fast as we could before we went back downstairs to put them in the car.
After that, her family drove us to the airport where we had to say a quick goodbye so that we would have enough time to make our flight. Though it was rushed, it was sincere and, for the first time in a long time, I couldn't wait to return to Miami.
-
When we returned to work on Monday, we both wore huge, matching grins on our faces as we stepped into the elevator together.
"Are you nervous?" she asked me.
"Well, I never thought I would ever make this announcement to anyone," I admitted. "I don't exactly know what to say."
"Don't worry. I've got this," Camila said, taking my hand in hers. I felt her engagement ring on my skin when our fingers interlocked and the corners of my mouth quirked up.
The beginning of the day turned out to be surprisingly slow. It was more than unusual that I didn't have any meetings or any special project to do, but I wasn't complaining. I got to sit across from my best friend all day. It was heaven.
However, lunch was approaching and Camila still hadn't said a word. The girls had been around us all day, asking us about our trip down to Miami, and yet she mentioned nothing about the most important event that took place.
When Normani left our desks for the fourth time, I decided to speak up. "What are you doing?"
"I don't think I can bring myself to just calmly say it without screaming from pure excitement," she replied, her expression serious.
I couldn't help but laugh, "What are you talking about?"
"I just keep thinking about it. I'm marrying the one and only Lauren Jauregui. That's a big deal. I can't just casually mention it in a conversation."
"Well, you can't expect me to tell them. I'm marrying the Camila Cabello. The expectations are high for you. What if they interrogate me again?" I joked.
"I expect nothing less," the brunette winked.
"Camz, you said you had this."
"I know but I'm too excited and I honestly feel like I'm dreaming," she spoke quickly, her words almost jumbling up together.
"It's not a dream," I said, "and you can't hide your left hand under your desk forever."
Her brown eyes flitted to her ring again, a broad smile stretching across her cheeks, and she shot out of her seat, the move too swift for me to react to. "Lauren asked me to marry her!" she screamed, her voice echoing around the office.
Oh my God.
Then it all seemed to happen at once. Audible gasps vibrated off the walls before everyone's attention was brought to three girls. Ashley, the temp, dropped a few stacks of paper when she ran into Adriana, the assistant, who had coffee in her hands, the liquid bursting everywhere just in time for Rachel, the secretary, to slip and fall on it. They didn't seem to react to the mishap that they just endured, their wide eyes staring at both of us in shock.
I gaped at Camila, the girl adjusting her blouse nervously. She cleared her throat, her face flushed, and squeaked out a, "Thanks for listening," before she sat back down in her seat.
I leaned forward and whispered, "I thought we were telling the girls first."
Both Camila and I turned our heads to look at Dinah, Ally, and Normani, who had their mouths agape at us just like everyone else, and we quickly met eyes again.
"I know! I just saw my ring and it kind out came out. I told you this would happen," she paused. "Everyone's staring at us."
"I know."
"You should say something."
"Me?" I whispered, incredulous.
"Yes!"
"Why me?"
"Because I don't think I can speak to anyone else right now without fainting."
I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath before I stood up, the office's eyes on me. "For any of you that are confused or shocked by Camila's sudden... announcement...," she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "I proposed to her this weekend and she said yes. We're engaged and both very excited."
A few moments passed before everyone joined in for an awkward clap and I took the opportunity to take a seat once again.
"Five... four... three...," Camila began.
"What are you doing?"
"Two... one...," she continued.
"Engaged?" I heard Dinah quietly yell.
Camila winced and we looked up to see our desks surrounded by the girls, their hands on their hips. "Hey, guys," she weakly greeted.
"Hey?" they all shouted.
"You've just announced your engagement to the whole office and all we get is a hey?" Ally scoffed.
"You got engaged this weekend and didn't call any of us immediately afterward and all we get is a hey?" Normani fumed.
"We've been talking to you all morning and you didn't think to tell us about this huge event and all we get is a hey?" Dinah asserted, the three girls stepping in closer.
"I'm sorry!" Camila apologized. "It just happened so fast and I wasn't expecting it and I'm still not completely convinced that this isn't a dream."
"So, what? You don't call us to tell us in your dream either?" Normani questioned in disbelief.
"Yeah," Dinah chimed in, "we aren't good enough to be in your dreams?"
"You're on thin ice, Karla Camila Cabello." Ally gritted through her teeth.
"How come you guys aren't getting on to Lauren for not telling you? She's the one who knew she was going to propose."
Now wait just a second- I thought.
"Because Lauren doesn't tell anyone anything," Normani explained.
"Don't be ridiculous, Mila," Dinah said.
I smirked. "Thanks for trying to throw me under the bus there, Camz."
"Well, it's not like you're exactly saving me!" she exclaimed, flustered.
I gave her a look before I turned to the girls. "Wanna see the ring?" I asked.
The girls cheered at once and after prompting Camila to put her hand out with a raise of my eyebrows, she showed off the piece of jewelry.
The hostile environment had vanished now that the girls were more excited than angry and when Camila looked over at me, I mouthed, "Saved you."
She responded with a smile.
-
To celebrate, the girls decided to treat us to lunch. Camila was psyched about the free food awaiting her, but I was mostly just grateful to get out of the office. Everyone was still a bit stunned from the news and that meant all eyes were on me. It was understandable the first couple of hours, but I didn't think it would be such a huge revelation to everyone that I actually had a heart.
However, I didn't have time to brood over it because the girls wanted to know how I popped the question. I let Camila answer, the petite girl gushing about the proposal, and learned that watching her tell the story was my new favorite thing.
"I can't believe you two are getting married," Ally exclaimed, her eyes illuminated with delight.
"Me either," Camila grinned at me, placing her hand over mine atop the table. She paused before she said, "So... Lauren and I were talking about it when we were on the plane and we were wondering if you guys would like to be in the wedding."
They all responded at once, their excited voices overlapping in agreement, and I couldn't help but laugh at their eagerness. It meant a lot to us that they were there, especially standing next to us. God knows they deserved a little credit for having to watch as our friendship became an engagement-that wasn't exactly the easiest job.
The four girls began to pass around ideas as I listened, nodding when addressed for approval. It was fun to see them all be so thrilled over just a few plans. Most of it didn't even matter to me. All I was thrilled about was marrying Camila.
I couldn't wait.
My attention was directed to my phone when it buzzed, notifying me of a text. I used my free hand to grab it, seeing that it was from Mark.
Mark Dubois: Are you insane?
Confused, I typed a reply: No?
Mark Dubois: Are you sure? Because I just got to work and Adriana informed me that you're ENGAGED.
Well, that made sense. I'd been waiting for his reaction for ages: Surprise.
Mark Dubois: Surprise? This has to be a joke.
A little offended, I said: I get that you're shocked, but aren't you happy for me?
"Is everything okay?" Camila asked me, squeezing my hand reassuringly.
"Yeah," I mumbled. "Just reading something for work."
That seemed to steer the girls away from asking further questions, and I awaited Mark's reply.
Mark Dubois: Are you even thinking about what you're giving up? I knew you and her were serious, but MARRIAGE? You hate commitment. Haven't you ever thought about what you're going to want in twenty years?
My hand subtlety trembled in anger as I responded: She's what I'll want in twenty years.
Mark Dubois: Get real, Lo. Take my advice and end this while you still can. You don't know what you've gotten yourself into.
I rolled my eyes, locking my phone and not replying. I should've expected his reaction with my past, but it still hurt knowing that the person who knew so much about me had such little faith.
I decided to brush it off, not wanting to put a downer on the conversation, and went back to paying attention to what the girls were saying. They all looked so happy as they spoke about their futures, offering up scenarios they hoped would happen.
"Aw," Dinah looked at us, "in a couple of years, there will be little Camilas and Laurens running around. How cute is that?"
I watched as Camila's smile slowly faded.
"So cute," Ally continued. "How many do y'all want?"
Camila opened her mouth to respond, but Normani cut in. "That's kind of a personal question, guys."
"No, it's okay," the brunette assured them. She took her hand off of mine, not glancing in my direction once. "We actually... um," she faked a smile. "We're not planning on having any."
Dinah and Ally shared a muted look, raising their eyebrows slightly at each other, before the shortest said, "...Oh."
Everyone awkwardly looked down at their food, silence overcoming the table. I grimaced at how tense the air had gotten, all because I didn't want kids. "Excuse me," I grumbled, getting up to walk to the bathroom.
I needed a moment alone. This was all too much at for one day-I hated when my life wasn't private.
When I entered the bathroom, I checked under the stalls to make sure nobody was in there and reluctantly pulled out my phone.
Somehow, I found myself staring down at James' contact. I set the device down on the sink and stared down at it, wondering if I should hit the call button. It would be so easy... One tap of the finger and he would be in my ear, telling me how to get out of this situation.
I knew he would understand. James knew my mom for a long time before she left... He knew how much she hurt me. He knew why I couldn't bring myself to have kids. He himself didn't have kids. He understood what I was feeling more than anyone... and I couldn't call him.
Sure, he would make me feel better. He'd make me laugh and smile and he'd say the right things so that I'd forget how terrible I felt right now... but I knew how Camila felt about him. She hated him, rightfully so. And while the younger girl had said before that she would deal with James and I staying in touch, I was going to marry her now-and that definitely changed things.
I could no longer just opt out of talking to Camila just to talk with James, no matter how much I knew he would pick my side. That just wasn't going to work anymore-not when I wanted to build a life with Camila.
I heard the door open behind me and turned around to see my fiancé entering the bathroom. We met eyes before I looked back at my phone.
She moved to stand next to me, the room still. Finally, she spoke, "Are you going to call him?"
"No," I answered.
"Then why are you staring at his phone number?"
I sighed, "I'm just saying goodbye."
"To what?"
"To confiding in him instead of you."
It was quiet as we took in the weight of that statement and after a moment, I decided to delete his number.
Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I headed for the door, but Camila grabbed my arm. "Wait." I looked at her. "Don't you want to talk?" she asked.
"About what?"
"About you leaving the table to come in here and call James."
I rolled my eyes, "You already know why-"
"No, I don't," she said. "I want you to tell me why."
"We can talk about it when we get home."
"No. Now," she snapped.
"They're waiting-"
"I don't care."
"Well, I do," I replied.
"No, you don't. You just don't want to talk about this."
"That's not true-"
"Yes, it is!" Camila shot back.
"Whatever."
We argued back and forth after that, our voices rising as we yelled over each other, and we were both dangerously near to cracking.
"JUST TELL ME!" Camila screamed.
"I hate this!" I screamed back. "I hate this stupid never-ending cycle that we keep finding ourselves in! I feel like you just have to keep settling for me. First, I didn't want the feelings, then the relationship, then the marriage, and now the baby. I just feel so selfish all the time." Camila stared at me, taken aback. "Don't you see the way people look at me, Camila? No one at the office could even believe that I could actually sustain a relationship, let alone make it into a marriage. Dinah and Ally just looked at each other like not wanting a baby was the worst thing I could do to you on Earth and I believe them! Everyone thinks I'm going to fail at this-what if they're right?"
"Lauren, they're wrong. They don't know you like I know you. We're going to do this, okay? We're gonna get married and spend our lives together and what they think won't matter anymore."
"What they think matters if you agree with them."
She looked at me in disbelief, "I don't!"
"Camila, I'll never be able to make you one hundred percent happy without a child. You can't deny that."
"You're wrong." I frowned at her response and tried to walk away but she strengthened her grip on my arm, pulling me closer. "You're wrong."
I glared at her, "I'm not wrong. Every time someone mentions something close to a baby, you shut down and try to get as far away from me as possible."
Her expression softened and she looked at a loss for words before she said, "You make me happy. You're enough. Don't you see that?"
"How can I be enough when I can't give you a family?"
"Lauren..." she breathed, shaking her head as she tried to wrap her head around this, "you are my family."
"You know what I mean."
She nodded reluctantly. "I know that I won't ever be a mom. I know that. Okay? I know what I've agreed to by becoming your fiancé-and I'm okay with it. I know you don't believe that, but you should, because I can't wait to become your wife. That title means more to me than any other one ever will."
"Me too," I whispered.
"Good," Camila softly smiled. "Are you ready to get back to the girls?"
"Yeah," I responded. She headed for the door before I said, "Wait." The brunette turned back around, waiting for me to say something. I walked up to her and kissed her gently, a genuine curve of the lips gracing my face when I pulled away. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she grinned, taking my hand in her own, and we began to return to the table together.
I felt a lot better as I sat back down, the worries from before no longer present, thanks to Camila. It felt good knowing that I could talk to her about things again without it ending in a huge fight and I had never felt more confident in my decision to marry her than I did right now.
I didn't need Mark or James; didn't need to confide in people who hurt me. Not anymore. Not when I had her.
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