No More Do Overs - Sequel

twelve.

With everything going on, Aubrey hadn't seen his mother Sandi in a while. It wasn't like him, aside from his children and his wife, his mother was the light of his life.

"So you're not going to tell your mom what's been going on?" Camilla asked Aubrey as they walked up Sandi's pathway.

"Not yet, I don't want her worrying. Today she just wants to see the kids, us and have a good day" Aubrey replied, reaching down to pick up Alijah.

"Sometimes withholding stuff can do more harm than good. Plus Monique gave you good news" She replied through gritted teeth as they waited for Sandi to come to the door.

"Therapy got you thinking you're Maya Angelou, eh?"

"Shut up, asshole" Camilla rolled her eyes.

"Oh my, look who it is!" Sandi beamed, opening the door and immediately reaching for Alijah. "Is the baby awake?" She asked, peering into the baby carrier Camilla was wearing.

"He's a little fussy today, teething is driving him crazy" Camilla replied, angling her body so Sandi could see Aaron. Sandi made a small pouting face.

"I'm so happy to see you guys, come in" she beckoned them inside.

Being a grandmother was something Sandi really enjoyed. She was a great mom, but an even better grandmother.

Camilla came into the kitchen and stood next to Sandi as she was cooking.

"Smells so good in here. Anything I can help with?" Camilla asked.

"I just want you to relax, you're always taking care of everybody else. Relax today!" Sandi smiled, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure?" Camilla chuckled.

"Very" Sandi smiled. "I'm really glad you and Aubrey are doing so much better these days" Sandi confessed.

"Me too" Camilla sighed.  "The past year has been a lot"

*6 months ago*

"This is it! This is it!" Camilla yelled, throwing one of a Aubrey's shoes at him, causing him dodge.

"Camilla, it was just a picture!" Aubrey followed behind her.

"Don't touch me, don't follow behind me, don't even say anything to me!" Camilla grabbed the air, turning to face him. Her face was turning red out of anger.

"I'm sorry" Aubrey tried to grab her by the waist. Camilla pushed him off of her, walking off. He sighed loudly, following behind her. "C, I'm sorry! It was just a picture, I swear!"

"I let you slide with disrespecting me that one time, but now I'm serious. Fuck you!"

"C, please" Aubrey sighed. "Just listen to me, I can't justify it. It was in the moment and I apologise"

"Nope, not good enough" Camilla shrugged. "It's ok to say you wanna be single Aubrey. It won't kill me, I understand-"

"Don't say shit like that to me" Aubrey groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. "I took a picture with some strippers, it was just for Chubbs' birthday party. You think I'd ever jeopardise what we have? The only woman I will ever want to be with is you"

"Those strippers would disagree. That's embarrassing" Camilla shrugged, continuing to walk around their house with Aubrey following behind.

"Stop and listen to me" Aubrey put his hand on the door frame and stood in front of Camilla. "I'm sorry, baby. I promise it went no further than that"

Camilla looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. She stared at him momentarily before opening her mouth.

"I believe that you didn't fuck the stripper, I just don't like the fact that you were there grinning your stupid face while rubbing up against them"

"Camilla, come on-"

"No you come on, I do everything for you. All I ask of you is to respect our relationship and that's even barer than the bare minimum"

"I know, I'm sorry baby, I wasn't thinking and it was just the atmosphere I was in. I haven't been in a strip club in years, I lost my mind for a minute"

"I'm done talking about this" Camilla exhaled, trying to walk away from him.

"I'm not. I don't want the conversation to end like this"

"I've just given birth to our second child, do you know how I feel when I see you all over these strippers? They've had surgery, butt shots and all that shit"

"I-I didn't even think about it like that...I'm so sorry. I think you look beautiful, you're everything" Aubrey nodded, realising his mistake.

"I don't want apologies, I want changed behaviour" Camilla glared at him before walking away.

*now*

"Marriage is hard, but the effort you both put in shows how much this relationship means to you both"

"Definitely. I couldn't see my life with anyone else"

"My ears are suddenly burning" Aubrey said, chuckling and interrupting as he walked into the kitchen.

"Actually, I was just telling Camilla how happy I am that you're both doing a lot better" Sandi laughed, looking up at him.

"That makes two of us," Aubrey replied, his gaze locking with Camilla's, a subtle smile gracing his lips. "Actually, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, Mom."

Camilla's brow furrowed, a hint of uncertainty lingering from their earlier conversation.

"Wait, are you two expecting a baby?" Sandi's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Both Camilla and Aubrey chimed in simultaneously, "No."

A somber tone crept into Aubrey's voice, his eyes searching his mother's face. "It's not the easiest news to share, Mom. I'm being investigated regarding Lorenzo's murder. I want you to know that I'm innocent, and they seem to realize that too. But someone out there seems to have a vendetta against me. My lawyer is handling everything."

"Oh, Aubrey" Sandi briefly but her hand over her mouth before rushing to hug Aubrey. "I'm glad that you told me, I want to always know what's going on with you. Tell me everything that's going on with this investigation. Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?"

"Just being your usual support self, that's all I need" Aubrey smiled, pulling his mom into a hug as Camilla looked on.