Raura's Daughter

forty two.

Laura

Ross, Calum and I had parted ways once school had finished and Raini, Isabella and I headed home to spend time with my mom whilst the guys got our belongings and furniture moved into our new apartment.

"Mom!" I called out as the three of us clambered through the front door. Raini helped Isabella out of her pushchair whilst I locked the door up behind us and threw the keys into a small pot on the coffee table. "Raini's here, okay?"

I didn't receive any answer from her so I exhaled and headed into the kitchen where I poured a mug of coffee for Raini and I to share whilst we sat and discussed Ross' current relationship with his family.

Isabella sat in her high chair beside me nibbling on some new baby snacks that I'd brought for her and seemed fairly content whilst I attempted to have some teenager time, as I liked to call it, with my best friend.

Raini stirred her spoon around her mug of coffee and shook her head slowly. "I think he's in over his head, Laura."

"He's just hurt." I explained with a frown as I held the warm mug to my lips. I knew that I was just trying to defend his actions instead of rationally looking at the situation in an unbiased way but he'd followed his heart and they'd all turned on him for it. You couldn't exactly blame him for being angry.

"Maybe he is, Laur, but he's completely neglecting his family over one small disagreement that they had. They've already moved past it and want to continue being a family."

I nodded in agreement with her. Raini's points weren't wrong but Ross clearly had some underlying issues with his siblings and his father that none of us really knew well enough about. "How do we get them to be a family again?"

Raini shrugged her shoulders and gently ran her fingers through Isabella's short bob of curly blonde hair. "Maybe we need a sleepover?"

I chuckled and rolled my eyes playfully at her. "Good one, Rain."

She raised her eyebrows slowly and her dark brown eyes were wide. "Oh." I murmured, taking an awkward sip of my coffee. "You're serious?"

Raini held her hands out on the wooden table in front of her and began to explain her plan to me. "Think of it this way. If we hold a sleepover and tell Ross that it's just going to be me, you and Calum then he'll definitely come."

"Okay..." I said uncertainly.

"Then we invite Rocky, Riker, Rydel, Ratliff and Ryland to crash the party and boom, family conflict resolved!"

I bit my lip and nodded slowly at her. "Okay... that could actually be a good plan."

"So? Shall we do it?"

Before I could give her an answer, my mom waltzed into the kitchen with a purple nightgown and a glass of water in her hands. "Hi girls, sorry I'm only just coming down I was catching up on some sleep... before I go to work tonight."

My eyes widened and I leapt up from my seat. "Oh my god mom! You're going back to work?"

She nodded and smiled at me. I could tell that she'd been crying because her usual perky green eyes were puffy and red but with an excited giggle I threw my arms around her neck and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Mom I am so proud of you! Are you excited to be going back?"

Mom chuckled and poured the rest of her water into the sink before turning back to Raini and I with a genuine smile on her face. "You know what honey... I am. I've been cooped up inside of this house for too long. It's about time I go back to the surgery and see my old co-workers again."