The Hook-Up (Part Two)

Chapter 283

The family found themselves back where they were earlier the day before, at Bruno's mother's house. They continued to go through things and remember their beloved mother. Lauren had taken the children outside the same way she did the day before. She glanced over to see everyone inside every few minutes to see them talking about how they were going to remember Bernie. "Laureeennn!" she heard Tiara come out of the house toward the pool to sit next to her. "I needed a break from all that." she said jumping into the water. "Get in, Elle, you've sat and watched the whole time..."

"I'm okay." Lauren told her. "I just don't want the twins to fall and I can see them perfectly from right here." she smiled pointing to the babies with their cousins.

"Wait..." Tiara said grabbing Lauren's hand. "When did that happen?" she asked pointing to the ring.

"Right before this happened." Lauren answered trying to decide if she should smile.

"When did it happen? What happened?" Tiara asked changing her voice from an inquisitive sister tone to an excited friend tone that calmed Lauren down.

"He was so nervous. It was so funny. I tried not to laugh at him. It was last Thursday. The day before all this happened. We haven't had a lot of time to talk about what we're doing next or anything." Lauren answered.

"He was nervous? What did he say?" Tiara asked jumping out of the pool.

"He said he was. I think it's the therapy he's doing." Lauren told her.

"He's in therapy?" Tiara asked confused.

"Yeah. He didn't tell y'all?" Lauren questioned a bit worried that she had told her a secret.

"He might have but we were so mad at him about everything that we might have just forgotten. But it's helping?"

"I think so. He's thinking a lot more before he does things." Lauren told her. "Like he's just a lot more thoughtful about everything. Like you know how he just jumps into things and says yes right away? I can see him stopping to think before he does almost everything now."

"That's good, Laur. We were all so worried for the two of you." Tiara said. "I know he's my brother and I have to support him and everything but it was hard after finding about him and Damaris. It was really hard."

"I'm worried she's going to show up somehow, honestly." Lauren told Tiara.

"No way." Tiara replied.

"Your dad is here and her father and mother are coming." Lauren told her.

"No." Tiara said shocked.

"Yeah. No shit." Lauren answered.

"But I think your grandmother may have laid it all out after she saw Damaris come over earlier in the year because I haven't heard anything from her or about her since. It was like if she couldn't have him then she was going to ruin everything we had." Lauren explained.

"We will seriously not let that happen, Lauren." Tiara said seeing that Lauren's voice had dropped a bit scared of what could happen.

"She just never goes away." Lauren answered. "She's always there."

"No, she's done, Elle. She's a waste of even a second thought." Tiara responded seeing Bruno come out with the rest of the family.

"Come talk to me, Lauren..." he said to her helping her stand up. They walked over to a shaded table. "Are you okay? You looked like you were crying when you were talking to Tiara..."

"I heard Eric say that Damaris might come. And I don't want anything to happen, Bruno. I don't want anything bad to happen." she said almost starting to shake. "She can't make this any worse than it already is."

"I don't know if she's going to be here or not..." Bruno said not sure of how to answer her question.

"But what if she is?" Lauren asked. "You know she'll start something and this isn't the time or the place to do that. And she's not classy enough to realize that."

"We'll figure it out if it happens, Laur. We don't even know if she's going to be here." Bruno told her.

"Brunoooo..." Lauren started to cry. "I can't have her here and not know what we're going to do."

"Oh, Laur..." Bruno said pulling her chair toward him to hug her.

"I'm sorry, it's the baby." she tried to laugh through her tears. "I just don't want anything to happen and for it to overshadow anything else."

"Okay, baby..." he said moving from their embrace to look at her with a sincere smile. "If she shows up..." he started. "She's not going to be here. My mom said that she would kill her if she ever saw her."

"Stop!" Lauren almost yelled. "i'm serious. We have to know what we're doing if she's here." Bruno sighed closing his eyes almost frustrated by how she was reacting. Think before you get upset. He thought to himself. Try to think like she does. This is the girl that almost caused your divorce. She's right to be worried about what could happen."Bruno!" she said in the same tone trying not to cause everyone to notice their conversation. "We have to have a plan."

"If she shows up..." he opened his eyes. "If she shows up we stay as far away from her as possible and don't talk to her."

"She's going to try to get to you, Brunz. There's no doubt in my mind that she will." Lauren told him. "Dre isn't going to be there to save you or me. Or the twins."

"That's the only thing we can do, Elle..." Bruno told her. "We have to be better than he. Be bigger than that..." he said with a moment of maturity she hadn't seen from him in a long time.

"How are we being bigger than her?" she asked.

"By not giving her what she wants, attention." Bruno answered. "By ignoring her she'll just fade into the past." he watched Lauren wipe away her tears trying not to laugh at the extra emotions she had. "Are you okay, mama?" he asked her.

"Yeah." she smiled at him sniffing away her tears. "Quit laughing at me." she said almost starting to laugh. "You did this to me."

"It's your fault your eggs still work, Lauren." he said pulling her up to hug her tightly to finish their almost argument.

"Awww...I love my brother and his wife..." Tahiti responded to their embrace hugging the two of them. Lauren looked down from the hug to see her daughter wobbling toward them to join them. She got out of the hug to reach down for her daughter who continued to walk from the shaded area to the hot unshaded area suddenly starting to cry from the heat on her bare feet.

"Oh, Evee! I bet that hurt." Lauren responded to her daughter picking her up seeing Ezra crawling as fast as he could behind her.