the three of us {chim}

Piece 84

Author's POV

"Good Morning, sunshine." Cheryl kissed Camille's forehead, showing that she kept her promises to the teen.

"Would you like some breakfast?" The mother asked and Camille shook her head.

"I'm not hungry." Camille buried her face back into her mother's warmth. Cheryl sighed, wanting Camille's mood to lift a bit.

"Baby, you didn't eat anything last night. Please eat something for us." Cheryl pleaded, causing the teen to give in. Camille nodded her head and they started to crawl out of bed.

"Aww, bubba, look!" Cheryl pointed outside as her and Camille walked up to the sliding glass door to their back garden.  The teen smiled as she saw the snow falling down outside.

"Can we go out?" Camille asked and Cheryl told her they could do whatever she wanted.

"Looks like your Mum left the fire on for us." Cheryl looked around the front room and saw that Kimberley lit the fire to warm up the house for her girls.

"Can we sit for a bit?" Camille asked and pulled out her puppy-dog eyes and pout "I promise I'll eat after." She said, seeing that Cheryl was quavering about the idea, wanting her daughter to eat something.

"Okay, then." Cheryl gave in to her daughter's beautiful blue eyes and put some pillows on the floor in front of the fire.

"C'mere." Cheryl sat down and had her daughter sit in her lap.  She wrapped her arms around Camille and held her tightly.

"Mamma?" Camille looked up at Cheryl's face and saw her eyes closed from the coziness of the fir and cuddles.

"Hmm?" She hummed, feeling tired from laying down with her daughter in her arms.  It's her comfy spot and she prefers to be there than anywhere else.

"Did you love him?" Camille asked and Cheryl knew exactly who she was referring to.

"Yes." Cheryl simply answered, knowing that no matter what, she knows she was in love with him.

"How much?" The teen asked and Cheryl furrowed her eyebrows, not knowing how to answer the daring question.

"Does it matter?" The mother argued.

"Why would it not?" The teen shot back, not giving up on knowing more.

"Because it wasn't enough to make him stay." Cheryl looked into space, remembering all the times where she felt so happy with James.  But then again, the happy times will never override the broken ones.  The times where he left Cheryl broken down and tired are the ones remembered.

"But, that doesn't mean that you should hate him. Just think, if he would have never left, maybe you would have never met Mum. So, maybe he did you a favor." Camille said as she sat up and turned around to look at her mother.

"That still doesn't make up for the fact that he did leave. And he didn't just leave us." Cheryl left it at that, knowing that Camille will understand. He left Cheryl and Camille and didn't dare to look back for so long. Cheryl never got any contact from him that showed her he cared even just a little bit.

"I'm sorry, Mamma.  But, he is my Dad and I want to have something with him." Camille said and it broke Cheryl's heart a little bit "But, I will never love him as much as I love you and Mum.  I won't ever love anyone as much as that.  I won't even ever have another love like that." Camille looked up to see her Mam's face.  The words mended Cheryl's heart more than the teen will ever know.