The Hook-Up (Part Two)

Chapter 280

Late in the evening Lauren turned over in the bed catching Bruno's eyes looking up at the ceiling. "Bruno...." she touched his forehead rolling onto her side to look up at him. "You have to sleep..."

"I can't..." he said quietly. "I can't do anything." he said. "I don't even want to get up to check on the twins." he said pointing to the baby monitor that was blinking.

"Come with me..." she said trudging out of the bed to go see which baby was waking up. "Oh Evee...." she said softly picking up her daughter.

"She has my mom's eyes..." Bruno told her touching her face sweetly.

"I can see a lot of your mom in her..." Lauren said moving her around to change her diaper. She turned around to see Bruno sitting in a chair looking out at the ocean. "Bruno..help me get her to sleep...." Lauren asked him walking in front of him. Instead of rolling his eyes or getting impatient he held his hands up for Everlee closing his eyes singing to her.

"I'll be in bed in a little bit." he answered her turning around to watch Everlee as her head hit his shoulder.

**

The next day Lauren dangled her feet in the pool watching her nephews and Bruno's cousins hold the twins in the water in small blow-up toys. While she sat and watched Bruno and his sisters started to go through their mother's things. She could hear laughs in the house making her smile to think of the memories they were going through. She as happy sitting on the side of the pool watching her twins interact with so many of their family members. They were so content knowing that their mother was close to her but far enough away that they were independent. "Elle...come get something to eat. It's spam and rice..." Bruno came up behind her wearing a shirt she had never seen. "What?" he asked with a smile.

"It's just so sparkly...." she said as she stood up to touch it. She smiled at him turning to see Marley with the babies. "Come on, let's eat lunch...." she told him reaching for Ezra. They dried off the babies towel drying their hair leaving it in a huge mess. Lauren quicky braided her semi damp hair and knotted the bottom placing the twins in high chairs. Bruno scooped a small amount of the mixed rice on their trays watching them touch the food.

"Mmm.." Bruno picked up a bit showing each of his children what to do. He handed Ezra a piece watching him examen it and then place it in his mouth. Everyone stood and watched waiting to see what his reaction was going to be.

"Num..." Ezra babbled reaching for another handful of the food. He turned to his sistering saying the same thing. He reached over handing Everlee a small piece of food. Everlee took it repeating what Ezra had said leading the two of them to start a conversation of their own. They exchanged pieces of food with each other and continued to have a conversation with each other making everyone stop and laugh at them.

"Do they do this a lot?" Tahiti asked.

"They've been doing it more...." Lauren answered watching them as intently as everyone else. "Desiree at daycare says they do it the most when they're eating. They'll talk while playing but I think they find food so fascinating that they have to talk about it." she laughed.

The family ate and talked about Bernie throughout lunch remembering how she cooked, what they did in the summers, the songs they sang and the jokes she would tell them. Lauren remained on the side cleaning up at the babies and the rest of them. She stopped after a few minutes placing her hands on the edge of the counter. "Ugh. Eww, baby. That's gross." she told herself thinking that no one heard her.

"Laur..are you okay?" Bruno came up behind her touching her waist taking the plate she was washing away from her. He didn't hear her respond getting a little scared. "Lauren..."

"I'm fine. I'm fine." she told him. "I just remembered when we came over that first time and she was washing dishes and ran out and hugged us and then said that we had to leave because she wasn't ready for us...." she said turning to him with tears in her eyes. "It just really got to me standing here."

"And then instead of leaving we helped her...and you were huge and you got soap all over you..." Bruno told her the story.

"Okay..okay..." she said finishing the dishes turning to see Everlee holding onto the edge of the couch walking toward the edge trying to get to the two of them. "Bruno....do you have your phone?" she asked him whispering careful not to catch their daughter off guard.

"Yeah....why are we whispering?" he asked.

"Just start video taping her. I think she's going to try to come over here...." she said to him looking away from Everlee to make sure she didn't get too scared as everyone started to watch her. "Everlee, what are you doing?" Lauren asked her daughter bending down a few feet away. Bruno and Lauren both smiled at their daughter holding their hands out. Everlee started to laugh at the two of them stepping away from from the couch. She gathered her balance with her arms waving around as she quickly took several steps toward them.

"Everlee!" Bruno exaclaimed holding onto his phone catching everyone's attention.

"Is she walking?" they all heard several people ask.

"Eveeeee!" Lauren called out watching her daughter step in a disorganized way eventually falling into Lauren's arms. "Ohhhh! You're so big!" Lauren said kissing her daughter on the head. "You're so good...." She told her daughter causing everyone to gather around Lauren and Everlee to celebrate her first steps.

After everything calmed down Lauren sat down on the couch with both of her children to finish playing with them. "Look..." Tiara said handing her a cell phone with a picture of the four of them. Lauren held Everlee out excitedly with Everlee smiling at her mother and Lauren smiling back. Next to the two of them was Bruno with Ezra in his arms reaching for his sister. Bruno's smile matched all of theirs, big, happy, proud, like nothing in the world had caused their troubles.

"Oh my god. It's so perfect...." Lauren said holding the phone in her hand.