The Hook-Up (Part Two)

Chapter 247

 Lauren drove quickly to Bruno's house to get the babies. She walked into the house hurridely without recognizing that the events of the afternoon had stressed her out. She didn't say anything to Bruno, who was sitting at the table with his computer writing something with Everlee in his lap playing with a stuffed animal as he typed. Ezra sat next to them on the the floor with the same toy in his hand. Lauren reached for the babies' bags and diapers that were laying on the floor. By the time Bruno had a chance to turn around to say hello to her she stood by the couch fixing the bags to leave the house. "Where are you going?" he asked concerned about Lauren's change in behavior.

"I'm going home." she said picking Ezra up with his toy in his hand. "I just had a really long day. I just want to feed them and get them to bed so I can go to sleep." she explained.

"Lauren..." he took Ezra from her sitting him with Everee on his other leg. "What happened today? We saw each other for like 10 minutes....it wasn't me...."

She let him hold onto Ezra sighing trying to decide if she was going to tell him about the conversation that she had with Kat and her father. "I talked to Kat today."

"Oh." he said waiting for her to tell him what she said.

"She asked if I wanted to withdraw the motion." she said to him.

"What did you say?" he questioned her.

"I don't want you to get mad at me....." she said looking away.

"I'm not going to get mad at you." he said in a caring tone moving the babies around switching the toys in their hands right before they started to cry.

"I said I didn't want to." she said reaching for the bags. "I don't want to withdraw it. I still want a divorce."

"You do?" he asked trying not to get upset at her counting to ten in his head.

"I never said I didn't want one, Bruno. I said I wanted to see what happens. I'm willing to work on it. But right now, if we had to decide today. If today was June 22, 2013, I would be okay with that paperwork being finalized.

"But it's not the 22nd, Lauren." he said struggling with Ezra. Lauren grabbed him from her without any question talking to him to calm him down not answering his question. "Lauren?"

"I know, Brunz. I know it's not the 22nd yet. " she replied kissing Ezra's head to calm him down. "But if it were. If it was today. I would want a divorce. That doesn't mean it won't change by then. We're working on it." She watched his face go from confusion to sadness.

"It's like whatever I do, Laur...I can't win."he said frustrated by her response. "You hold all the cards...." he stopped trying not to get angry at her. She mentally counted to 10 thinking that was what he was doing, until he burst out as angry as she had seen him since they had tried to work things out. "And it's bullshit, Lauren. Complete fucking shit." he said handing Ezra to her.

"How is that bullshit?" she asked him. "Explain it to me."

"You get to decide everything! You say you're changing, Laur but you're not. You still think that you get to decide everything. But you're wrong. You're wrong." he replied still angry, still holding onto Everlee who was holding onto his hands tightly placing one in her mouth.

"Decide everything? I didn't decide to fuck another girl and then tell my wife that I wasn't in love with her. I didn't decide to drink so much that I broke a mirror and break my wife's arm. And I certainly didn't decide to be a selfish asshole." she yelled back hearing Ezra start to cry as they started to yell at each other with the babies sitting in the middle of it. "Shhhh....." she bounced him almost too hard angry at Bruno. "And maybe I should be the one deciding because well, you're the one that screwed me over. I didn't do anything to you!"

"You didn't do anything?" he asked as Everlee started to cry the same way Ezra was, a shriek that indicated that they were both upset at their parents for all the yelling and screaming they were doing. They heard the cries frequently, and knew exactly what they were for, but ignored them as they paid attention to themselves. "Because you started dating someone else...and flirted like no tomorrow with Alex the last time you saw him....and you moved out so I figured you must have done something...."

"That's not even the same! We would be fine if you didn't do anything!" she yelled back putting Ezra on the floor with the toys he had before.

"And now you wonder why I say I want a divorce today...." she threatened him. "Maybe I should just call Kat now and say that I don't want to withdraw the motion...." she said watching Bruno put Everlee down next to her brother. '

"Maybe you should. Maybe we should just get a divorce because you're not willing to say that you did anything wrong. You're just soooo perfect. Lauren Marie sooo perfect." he said sarcastically catching her off guard.

"Oh my god!" she harumphed looking down at the twins who were trying to move around on their stomachs with the toys at a distant reach of themselves. She glanced down at Everlee just at the right moment to see her balance on her legs taking several small moves crawling, not on her stomach, but on her legs to the toy. "Oh my god...." she smiled suddenly unfazed by the anger they were both feeling. "Oh Evee! You're so amazing!" she got down on the ground calling her name. "Come over here, baby girl!" she said watching her daughter's eyes light up at the sight of her mother. Holding out her arms her daughter quickly crawled to her. Lauren picked her up and squeezed her tightly telling her how amazing she was.

"Laur...." Bruno interrupted her mother daughter moment. "He's going too..." he smiled getting on the floor to pick Ezra up. "You're so big!" Bruno congratulated his son forgetting about how angry he was at Lauren.

Lauren watched Bruno seeing how happy he was with Ezra suddenly feeling the anger of their argument, just seconds ago, fade. Instead of just forgetting, though, she decided that she should leave knowing that the argument would happen again. "I'm going to go, Brunz..."

"Okay, Lauren." he said handing Ezra to her. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I yelled too." she admitted. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I need to take them to daycare tomorrow or else they're going to lose their spots. And I need that for when you're gone."

"I have appointments tomorrow, anyway. Just call me if you want to see me." he said following her out the door with the babies' things. After putting them in the car he followed her to her side of the car door. "Have a good night Elle."

"I will." she smiled getting into the car. Closing the door she started the car and watched him back away. She moved her hand to the front of the car to make a phone call as she left. She heard the phone ring a few times and then someone answered. "Dad?" she asked. "It's over. I want you to see the twins."