The Hook-Up (Part Two)

Chapter 236

"Have you been listening to Adam too much?" she asked him with a bit of a smile pulling away thinking of his friend's song Daylight.

"Maybe." he smiled back still holding onto her.

"Bruno, we can't just go back to the way we were. Like there has to be some type of change. It's not going to fix itself and the answer isn't just you not seeing her anymore. I've realized that she isn't the only problem." she let go of him sitting down on the couch. He sat down next to her listening to her thoughts. "Like I messed up to. You're right. I did try to change you. You're you. And I'm me. You're never going to stop smoking and you're always going to go to Vegas and lose a ton of your money. And you're going to drink and I'm going to stay here and lay on the couch waiting for you. But I like it that way." she said to him.

"But that's not what I want, Elle." he told her. "I can change. I can do it all. If that's what you want." he pleaded.

"No. You're just saying that right now because you're so upset. It's like when we sleep together and I say stupid shit. I don't ever mean it." she told him.

"Oh." he said a bit confused. "What do you want, Lauren? How can I spend the rest of my life with you like I'm supposed to?"

"You need to figure your stuff out. You're so up and down, Bru. Like you're going to be in love with me for a few days and then you're going to go back to her. That's how it always is. And I will not do that. If we are going to fix it you have to go talk to someone about your ups and downs." she said about her demands. "And try not to drink as much. I don't need you to stop like you did when I was pregnant, but just a little less. And you can smoke all you want. I don't even care about that. I kind of missed it." she told him trying not to smile. "And go to Vegas if you want to. I don't care. It's like me shopping."

"I think I can do those things..." he said to her.

"And I'm sure there's things you want me to do...." she said to him looking at his eyes that were still red from crying.

"I don't know, Laur. I haven't really thought about it..." he told her.

"No. Don't lie!" she said almost joking but still serious.

"Okay." he sighed closing his eyes trying to figure out what things annoyed him.

"You have to try not to be such a bitch about stuff. And stop telling me what to do. And how to take care of my kids. And you have to trust me. I know I lost that a long time ago and it might take a long time to get it back. But trust me when i'm with you, when I'm on tour, when I'm with everyone else. You have to know I'm trying and not to get mad."

"I know. I'm trying." she admitted. "I'm trying all those things."

"You're doing okay today, babe." he smiled at her running his fingers through her hair looking at her sincerely. "I missed you so much, Lauren. I don't know how I did it."

"You're still going to have to miss me. I'm not coming back right away...." she responded.

"I know." he looked down thinking about something letting go of her hand to dig into his pocket. "I held onto this the whole time..." he said pulling out her wedding ring. "I never took mine off...."

"What did she say about that?" Lauren asked.

"She got upset sometimes. Especially when we went out." he admitted.

"Oh." she answered not sure how to react to it being placed in the palm on her hand. "Can I think about it for a little bit? Or do you want to keep it until I tell you I'm ready?" she wondered.

"No, you keep it. I think I'm okay with you always having it...." he said with a smile taking it from her running his finger along the inscription.

"Always." she smiled taking the ring from him clutching it tightly as she stood up to take it into her bedroom. He watched her walk back to her bedroom not sure what was taking her so long.

"Laur?" Bruno asked walking into the room seeing her laying on the bed stretched out with the baby monitor in her hand changed into her pajamas completely unaware of his presence. "Lauren...." he whispered leaning down near her ear taking the monitor from her hand.

"Whaattt?" she moaned.

"I'm going to take this okay?" he told her placing it on the side of the bed.

"Are you staying?" she asked turning her body to see him standing next to her. She got out a somewhat surprised smile seeing him standing next to her.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked a bit worried by her reaction.

"Please." she responded taking his hand pulling him onto the bed with her.

"Let me turn off the light..." he said kissing her head standing up to turn off the small light she had in the room. When he returned to the bed he heard her soft breaths, already asleep. He placed his arms around her after stepping out of his jeans into his boxers wrapping the small quilt she had on the bed around the two of them. He placed his fingers into hers feeling the difference between his wife's hands and Damaris's. Lauren had an extra soft feeling like his children. He moved his nose into her hair smelling the soft scent that she always had. As he moved into her remembering all the reasons he loved her he felt her suddenly move in his arms flinging her hands onto his chest pulling him close to her without opening her eyes.

"Sorry." she said in her sleep.

"It's okay." he whispered kissing her head drifting into his own sleep suddenly awakened by a shriek from the room across from him amplified by the baby monitor on his side of the bed.