a reason to love

chapter 9

A/N: Hi! This chapter is majorly short, but I currently have a kidney stone invading my body and trying to write with a decent thought process is difficult when you are on pain meds. I hope this holds you over until I can get something else up :) So...to the person who asked for 2 chapters per day, that may not be possible for a few days but I promise to try my best after I pass this dang stone!

Camila woke up on Monday morning with a tiny foot positioned right below her eye. "How in the world?" she whispered to herself, slowly beginning to wake up and take inventory of her surroundings. She had been sleeping on Lauren's side of the bed with her wife in the middle and Brooklyn on the other side of her since the night when Lauren asked to sleep beside her. She smiled as she took in the sight before her. Brooklyn was somehow draped across both of them, upside down so that her head was resting on Lauren's legs and her feet were in Camila's face.

Lauren began to move when she felt weight shift on the bed. She turned to look at Camila, who was staring at both of the girls in amusement. "Babe, I think it might be time to get that bed with railings," Camila whispered to her wife.

Looking at a Camila through drowsy eyes, Lauren nodded. She reached for Brooklyn and turned her around so that her head rested on her chest. She stroked her hair as the tiny girl slept soundly. "I don't know if I can do this today, Camz."

Camila scooted over so that she could get close enough to put an arm around both girls. "She's going to be ok, you know? It's going to be good for her to be around other kids her age. She'll learn new things. Besides, it's only 3 days a week! We have to loosen up a little or we're going to become those parents who keep their kids in a bubble. And you know those kids aren't any fun," Camila reasoned as Lauren kissed the sleeping girl in her arms on the head.

"I know. I'm just really going to miss her." Lauren looked over to her wife and added, "Do you think she's going to cry when we drop her off? Because you may have to drag me away if that happens."

"I'm not sure, babe. But I guess we'll find out in a few hours. Now, as much as I would like to spend all day here with my two girls, we've got to start getting ready." Camila picked Brooklyn up and started gently rubbing her back and whispering for her to wake up. Rubbing her eyes, the little girl slowly started to wake. "Good morning, baby girl. You know what you get to do today?"

"School!" Brooklyn screamed. Yes, literally screamed. Camila and Lauren winced at the sheer volume of her voice.

"Well, looks like someone is excited," Camila said as she took Brooklyn over to the sink so they both could brush their teeth. That was a whole other obstacle that they had been facing. Most days, Brooklyn would rather eat the toothpaste than brush with it, so today due to lack of time, Camila had the little girl open her mouth wide and brushed her teeth for her.

Lauren walked into the bathroom to find her hairbrush and Brooklyn reached her hands out for her to hold her. Who could say no to that? As soon as Lauren was close enough, the blue-eyed girl jumped into her arms and hugged her tight. "Good morning," the little one said in her raspy morning voice.

"Good morning, baby girl. Are you going to be good for Miss Dinah today?" Lauren and Brooklyn locked eyes and the woman raised an eyebrow so that the younger one knew she meant business.

"Yes, Law-ren. I'll be SO good." Brooklyn smiled back at Lauren and with that smile and those pretty blue eyes, there was nothing in the world she could do that was wrong.

Little did she know.

*****

The three of them walked hand in hand up the stairs to the preschool. Lauren was extremely nervous. "What if she has an allergy that we don't know about?" This was just one in a long line of questions that had come before. Camila stopped them in their tracks and turned to face Lauren. She placed one hand on each side of her face and forced her wife to look her in the eyes.

"There's a lot about her that we still don't know. But we will learn...it just takes time." Lauren's green eyes softened at the kindness in her wife's voice. "We've learned so much already, right?" Lauren smiled, thinking back over the last week. Their world had certainly been turned upside down.

"You're right," Lauren said to her wife as they resumed their positions on either side of the preschooler. Once they approached the door, Camila caught Lauren's eye and gave her a wink, just to let her know that she understands how she is feeling and pushed them both to enter.

They made their way through the brightly colored hallways to Miss Dinah Jane's classroom. Dinah noticed them right away and came over to greet them properly. "Camila! It's so great to see you again. How long has it been since we've seen each other? A few years at least."

"Yeah, it's certainly been too long! I didn't think we'd be meeting again under these circumstances, but it is a pleasant surprise. We'll have to all get together for dinner sometime."

"I'd love that!" Dinah looked over at Lauren. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, sensing Lauren's hesitancy to leave Brooklyn.

"I'm going to have to be," Lauren laughed. "I know she will be in good hands, I'm just going to miss her." Lauren looked down at the little girl who was already busy scouting out the best toys in the classroom.

"That's very understandable. I will call if there is anything you need to know, I promise." Dinah sent them both a reassuring smile before bending down to get on Brooklyn's level. "Are you ready, sweet girl? Let's go have a seat over on that rug for story time." Brooklyn nodded and looked back at Lauren and Camila.

Lauren grabbed Camila's hand for support. The little girl gave them a happy smile and waved. "See you soon!" she said quickly, before racing over to the rug.

Camila squeezed Lauren's hand and tugged her towards the door. "See? She looks so happy. She's going to have a great day, I just know it," she said reassuringly as they walked back through the hallways and down the front steps. When they had made it all the way out and back to the car, Lauren pulled Camila into her embrace.

"It's been a while since it's just been us," she started. "I know we have to get to work soon, but I just wanted to tell you how much I've missed you."

Camila leaned back a little so she could look into her wife's eyes. "You know, I will never be able to explain how hard it was for me to give you the space you needed over the past 6 months. I know we're trying this new open communication thing and I just...I honestly didn't know if you would ever come back to me." Not even trying to fight the tears anymore, they held on to each other like they had something to lose. They did have something to lose, they had lost it before and knew what that felt like.

"I can't believe I ever doubted you," Lauren's eyes were full of pain as she confessed her deepest regret to this very day. "I shouldn't have pushed you away. I know that you were only distant because every time you tried to make things better I shut down. I'll never be able to forgive myself for doing that to you."

"Shh. It's ok, babe. What matters right now is that we're here together...and you're letting me hold you again. That's so much more than I could have asked for even just last week." Lauren put her hand behind Camila's neck to draw her closer. Their lips crashed together like they had been dancing the same dance for ages. This kiss was filled with passion and longing. It conveyed that not only did they miss each other, but they were ready to love one another again.

Camila used her hips to press Lauren's against the side of their car. The distant memory of the passion they once had in their relationship was coming back to them with much clarity. Lauren felt a moan rising in her throat that could not be contained.

"Camz, we can't do this here. We have to go to work and lest we forget that we are currently outside of a preschool." Camila dropped her hands to Lauren's waist and rested her forehead against her wife's.

"We really have to get that bed with railings," Camila mumbled, trying to steady her breathing.

Lauren giggled. "I love how talking about purchasing a toddler bed has somehow become suggestive. Parents all over the world, I feel your pain. We are now officially lame."

"That settles it then. We're going to get one tonight." They both got inside the car and fastened their seatbelts. "And Laur," Camila took her wife's hand and looked into her green eyes, "I can't wait until we can hold each other all night long without worrying about a small child falling off the bed." Lauren smiled. This wasn't going to be such a bad day after all.

A/N: I think it's about time for some serious camren action, don't you? ;)