A Hug Instead of Saying Something (Camren)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Lauren's POV

That next morning Camila and I talked about Ryland; I told her that he should stay with us. She agreed to keep him she was just concerned about where we would put him. He could stay in the guest room for the time being, we weren't going to do the nursery until Camila was a little closer to her due date. I think it will be plenty of time to find a place for him.

Camila and I discussed the financial aspect of it and we both knew we were more than capable to take him on. Camila had a six figure salary and so much in the way of savings and a trust fund she hadn't even touched. It makes sense that she has so much money though, her mother is a cardiologist and her father was a real estate tycoon and he owned several prime real estate properties that actually rented for a couple thousand a month he was worth millions. They paid for Camila's college tuition so that Camila didn't have to touch the money they put away for her. The house she had was also something her father just gave to her; Camila was definitely spoiled as an only child. She seemed far from it though if you didn't know her personally you would have never thought she came from a lot of money.

David left us very well off also he made a six figure salary, that's why we were able to get this large house that was completely paid for. When we were both working David didn't want me to spend all of my money, he told me to keep it in a savings account and not to touch it. I did what he said because he was bringing in a lot of money I really didn't have reason to spend it so it accumulated. David also had his father's inheritance which I kept up for the kids I didn't want to touch it at all. When David died he had taken out this huge life insurance policy that insured I never had to worry about money again. So money was something that we didn't have to worry about, and even though we had plenty of it we didn't spend it like crazy and we still budgeted ourselves.

The most expensive thing I've bought in years was Camila's ring, and I actually saved my photography money for several months before I was able to afford it. I didn't want to pull from money that I had already saved. Money was no issue in this scenario, but I know families with way more children than we have and they don't have half the money that we have and they do just fine, so I'm not worried about my family.

Camila said that our first step to getting some sort of custody over Ryland was to call Mae; she knew all the ends and outs of this stuff so she would be our best bet.

When we made the call to Mae she told us that it would be very tricky getting custody of Ryland. We had to prove paternity, then we need to get Ryland's mother to forfeit her rights in a court of law. I knew that wouldn't be easy. Another thing that was working against us was David's mother; she could fight for custody of him because he isn't blood related to me. Pat might have been an okay choice to raise him but ever since David's death she's flown the extra batshit mile, she is crazy. I would say she's completely grieved stricken but I don't know if that's the case anymore. David's brother Brandon calls me once in a blue moon and he told me that it's gotten so bad that her husband is about ready to throw his hands up and call it quits.

What's so funny about all of this though is that she never really appreciated David. David was very respectable to her he never argued with her, he didn't feel the need to get the last word in. He never got into any trouble and he followed the rules that she and Jerry set. Spite all of that though she constantly ragged on him and I have witnessed it several times, and I would have to listen to David talk about how his mother didn't appreciate anything he does. He stayed out more than he was home because his mother was too much for him to handle. Now that he's gone she must have seen the error of her ways and now it's taking a toll on her because she didn't recognize the good man that her son was before he was gone. I think the guilt is eating her alive that's why she's slowly losing sanity.