Raura's Daughter

thirty eight.

Laura's POV

"Ross, are you drunk? I'll take you home. Let me just grab my-"

"I can't go home, Ellen." Ross murmured sharply. I could see his fist clenching around the handle of his suitcase and I felt my stomach knot up in worry. "I've been kicked out."

I let out an audible gasp and shook my head back and forth in confusion. "Ross, why?" I asked in bewilderment. I couldn't understand why his parents would ever throw him out, they'd always supported him, even in the toughest of times.

"The tour." He bluntly said, shaking his head and letting out a soft sarcastic chuckle. "I didn't want to be apart of it. I called it quits a couple of nights ago and now here I am."

I held my hands to my mouth and stared at him. I was completely taken aback by everything that he was saying. It felt like a nightmare that I couldn't quite wake up from. On the one hand I was so happy to have him home but on the other hand I was completely devastated that his journey on tour had come to such an abrupt end.

"Neither of you have the finances right now to move out, Ross. You both know this." Mom explained gently to us both, placing the palm of her hand on my back. "I know how easy it seems but it's not. You have a little girl to think about. I can't let you two waltz out of here. It's a big scary world out there."

I nodded my head slowly in agreement with her, keeping my eyes glued to the floorboards beneath me. It sounded like such a dream to move out with Ross and continue our life as a real family but in reality we were only a pair of kids who were trying their hardest to raise a little girl of their own. As lovely as it all sounded, it wasn't going to work.

"I understand your concerns Ms Marano." Ross calmly negotiated, reaching into the side pocket of his ripped jeans. He pulled out a brown paper bag and handed it to her. "I earned all of that from the month I performed on tour. It's not much but I figure it's enough to get us a little place somewhere. We're a family and I really want to step up and start treating it like one."

My mom sifted through the paper bag and bit her lip as she slowly handed it back to him with a puzzled expression on her face. "Ross... if you're serious about all of this-"

He cut her off and smiled at me knowingly. "I am."

I smiled back at him. My heart was fluttering in my chest. I had such an overwhelming amount of love for him. It scared me sometimes but it was such a beautiful feeling. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

"Okay well... you can stay here until you two find your feet. But if things end badly I want you to come straight back here for Isabella's sake. Do I make myself clear?"

Ross nodded frantically and planted a kiss on my mother's cheek. "Thank you so much Ellen. I promise I'll take care of your daughter and Isabella. I'd give my last dollar to them if I needed to. They're my world and I'll always put their happiness before my own because that's what family is all about."

Mom nodded in approval and managed to smile happily at him. "You're right, Ross. Family is all about making sacrifices for those you love. I'm glad to see that you realised that on your own."

I took his suitcase from him and wrapped my spare hand up in his own. "Mom, I'm going to get Ross settled in, okay? We'll be back down for the party in a little while."

"No funny business okay? You're under my roof now." She jokingly warned Ross before heading back outside to join the rest of the guests.

We both scurried up the staircase and laughed excitedly with one another. I pushed the door open to my bedroom and placed his suitcase down beside my bedroom door. "Home sweet home." I teased as he took his guitar off and laid down on my bed with a sigh. I laid down beside him and intertwined my fingers with his. "Do you want to talk baby?"