The Hook-Up (Part Two)

Chapter 288

That next Sunday the family returned home to a messy house that looked like it did when they left. There were toys scattered on the floor, clothes in the laundry room, dirty dishes and unmade beds. When they walked in the house Lauren sighed throwing everything on the ground. "Okay. I'm going to go...." she said with a little laugh.

"What?" Bruno asked a bit confused.

"Well, we don't live here right now...." she told him. "And these kids are wearing out the few things of clothes they have...."

"I forgot." Bruno told her. "I really did...." he said picking Ezra up keeping him from the mess that was on the floor.

Lauren saw the nervousness of him being alone on his face. "But I can go get some stuff for them....and then come back...." she paused waiting to see his reaction. "It won't take long."

"When are you going to come back?" he asked her.

"I said it woudn't take long..." she repeated confused about his question.

"No, Laur. I mean really. When are you going to come back?" he clarified.

"Oh...." she started. "I hadn't really thought of that...but I can stay until you leave...."

"You can go home when I leave for Kentucky..." he told her. "I know you don't like that the house is so big and lonely."

"It's not really that anymore." she told him. "I just said that because I wanted to leave." she said with a bit of a smile on her face.

"Ahh, I knew I married a liar." he said to her sitting down on the couch with Ezra holding some toys in his hands.

"Yeah. Well. I knew I married a of things." she said sitting down next to him pulling Everlee near her to make sure she didn't run away from them. "But I know that we're gonna have to super baby proof this house before you leave. He's getting really close to walking and now I'm thinking that the carpet wasn't that bad of an idea...." she said seeing him make a face reacting to the word carpet. "I know. It's not pretty. And it doesn't go with the way the house looks. But just think of them falling and hitting their heads and then we have another one that won't be very far behind them...."

"We can do it while I'm gone. I think it's a good idea." he said. "She did fall a lot there. The best fall was when she fell in the sand." he said as the forgot about the somewhat confrontational conversation they were having before.

"Are you sure? You trust me with picking it and everything? So it could be bright pink and you'd be okay?" she joked.

"No. Not pink. Maybe blue." he told her.

"No. I think I'll stick with the normal colors." she told him. "Oh gross." she suddenly said watching Ezra climb toward her. "Do you have the good diapers here?" she asked him.

"Yeah. I think so." he said getting on the ground with Everleee.

"He needs like eight good diapers. He smells so bad." she said sitting him on the floor. "You can take care of that and I'll go to the house to get their clothes."

"Well, that's really convienent." he joked handing Ezra the toys his sister had taken.

"Can you handle the two of them?" she asked. "She's walking and all..."

"I'll be fine. She's not running yet so I think I can handle it." he told her with a smile.

"Call me if you need anything. I will come back." she told him.

"You're not going to be gone that long." he told her. "You aren't going on tour or anything. You're going to get clothes for nine month olds."

"I know, I know. But..." she replied watching a ball fly toward her face from his hand.

"Go!" he yelled at her playfully.

"Okay! Okay! I'm going! There's some food left there for them if you need it." she giggled heading toward the door.

"Just wait until she opens her car..." Bruno whispered to them picking them up running to the front door to see his wife open the the driver's side door on her car.

"What?!" she yelled seeing the biggest bouquet of flowers she had seen since the day she brought Everlee home from the hospital. "What is he doing...." she said to herself a bit more quietly. She opened the big piece of paper shaped like a heart to read it.

Laur- Bruno picked these out for your anniversary but didn't tell me what to put on the card. So, have a good anniversary, get laid and don't puke after. Love youboth, Ry.

"Oh my god. I love him so much." she said to herself with a laugh placing the flowers on the ground on the other side of the car.