Restart

Chapter 14

Camila bounded lightly down the stairs, drying her damp locks with a towel as she made her way to the main floor.

She had been a little overwhelmed after finally working up the courage to call her mom, and Lauren encouraged her to take some time to think and take a shower while she got the girls ready for school.

The conversation with her mom had actually gone really well, and she agreed to meet them for coffee after they dropped the girls off. Camila couldn't help but be nervous, however, as it had been a while since they'd seen each other and the last time was far from pleasant.

"There she is," Lauren said once Camila appeared in the living room. The older woman was sitting on the couch, cradling Avery who was curled tightly into her side. "Someone's not feeling too well," she added when she noticed Camila's curious expression.

Camila sat next to Lauren on the couch, reaching over to stroke the back of her daughter's hair lightly.

"My tummy hurts," Avery whimpered, looking up at Camila sadly before squeezing her eyes shut again.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Camila frowned as she leaned in to bring her lips to the girl's forehead. "She probably shouldn't go to school today," she directed toward Lauren. "I'll go call my mom and cancel."

"Camz," Lauren objected gently, grabbing the younger brunette's arm as she moved to stand up.

"I'll just reschedule," Camila shrugged as she reached to pull out her phone.

"This is kind of important," Lauren reminded her. "It's already been over a year. You should go, I'll stay home with Avery."

"I don't know," Camila sighed, running her fingers through her hair nervously as she sank back onto the couch.

"We'll be fine," Lauren smiled as she looked down at the tiny brunette in her arms who was seemingly drifting off to sleep.

"No, I know," Camila nodded, returning Lauren's smile. "I just kind of wanted you there with me when I see my mom."

"Maybe it'll be better for you to do this without having to worry about me being there," Lauren replied.

Camila immediately noticed the way that Lauren's eyes fell to the floor, and she reached over to put her hand on the woman's leg.

"Can you put her down for a minute?" Camila asked before nodding behind them in the direction of the kitchen, indicating that she wanted to talk to her a little more privately, away from the other four tiny ears in the room.

Lauren laid down Avery, who was now fast asleep, on the couch and glanced at Laney who was sitting across the room in the middle of the carpet completely distracted by the TV before following Camila into the kitchen.

"Why would you think I don't want you there?" Camila asked Lauren sadly as she leaned against the kitchen countertop.

"Someone has to stay with Avery," Lauren replied, attempting to avoid the question.

"Hey," Camila said, seeking Lauren's attention as the woman's gaze had fallen to the floor. She stepped closer to her, placing a hand on her hip as their eyes now met.

"I just don't want you to feel pressured to tell her about us," Lauren admitted. "Not that there is an us," she added quickly.

"Lauren," Camila scolded gently. "Of course there's an us," she said as she wrapped her other arm around Lauren and pulled their bodies together. "And I'm going to tell her. I don't want to hide you, not this time. I know everything between us has been moving really quickly, but I don't regret any of it. It feels right, doesn't it?"