Haven't Forgotten My Way Home (Camren)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Stop peeking, everybody's out there already. You don't need to worry that your audience is lacking."

Camila glanced back from the door and grinned at Normani. "Actually, I was looking at two specific members of the audience." She pointed as subtly as possible, and Normani peered out over her shoulder.

"Who's a good little baby?" they could hear Dinah saying as she cuddled the tiny girl to her chest. "Who's a brave baby Ava? You are, yes, you are!"

"Hey, can I have my kid back?"

"In a minute," Camila and Normani heard her say as she tickled the booties-clad feet of Toby and Spencer's daughter. She giggled and kicked, adorable in pink gingham, all wide brown eyes and with brown hair that Dinah had subtly shaped into curls.

"You're so precious, you are," Dinah cooed, looking nothing like the trouble-making, drug-addicted kid that she had been only a few years earlier.

"Ohhh, boy," Normani breathed softly, "I can see where this is going." But she was smiling, and Camila nudged her, grinning.

"Yeah, you'd think she's precious until she's using you as a milk machine," Spencer said, but her tone was affectionate as she smoothed down Ava's hair.

"She's still amazing," Dinah said, pretending to chew on Ava's fingers now firmly in her mouth, then rolled her eyes at Spencer as she extricated the baby's hand and cleaned it with a wipe. "Aren't you, monkeyface? Your parents did a good job."

"We totally did," Toby said, tucking the baby into his arms as Dinah finally relinquished her.

Camila snapped the door shut and shook her head, smiling at Normani and smoothing down the front of her dress where it had gotten wrinkled.

It had been six months.

Six months since Lauren had looked over at her with her heart on her sleeve, fear and longing in those deep green eyes that Camila realized she always wanted to be looking at her. Camila smiled, remembering what Lauren had said to her.

"I look at you and home is all I see."

The tears had rushed to her eyes but Camila controlled herself to speak quietly, firmly.

"If I hadn't interrupted," she said, the smile still on her lips, "You would have heard me say that all I want is to be with you, in LA." Her smile grew wider at Lauren's gasp, and Camila reached out to pull the girl into her arms.

"My little one," she said, kissing Lauren. "I am so proud of you, even for – especially for interrupting me." She trailed her thumbs over Lauren's face, wiping away the tears, and kissed her again. "I love you, Lauren Jauregui. Everything you are and everything you'll ever be. I love you."

Still, she'd insisted on waiting, because as firm as Lauren was in wanting to be claimed, Camila for her part wanted to be sure. Lauren had moved out of Emily's and into her own small little apartment in town, though she spent more of her time at Camila's than anywhere else. But it had been amusing for Camila, to watch as Lauren slowly blossomed into her own, decorating the apartment with her personal touches even as she would smile at Camila and cheekily say, "I don't plan on living here long, you know."

"I know," Camila would say with her own soft smile, and press a kiss to Lauren's cheek. "I know."

She watched as Lauren grew in confidence with each passing day, going to places by herself or with friends – and that made Camila smile the most, the fact that Lauren had friends. True, they were mostly those in Camila's own circle, with the exception of Lucy, and she was still exasperated about the fact that Toby seemed to revel in teaching Lauren to push all of Camila's buttons. But it was good to see Lauren going out and having fun, whether it was to a restaurant or bookstore, or even one of Dinah's clubs.