There was a gleam in Camila's eyes as she stood beside her fiancee, looking ahead at the stage before them that they'd be stepping onto in only moments. A gleam that spoke of pride and excitement that calmed any nerves Lauren had accumulated as they waited to share their relationship with the world.
Their hands were tied together by their fingers, a firm hold that assured Lauren how ready Camila was for all of it. How certain Camila was about them.
And for someone who had been notoriously uncertain during the majority of their childhood, it made Lauren's heart leap to know that it was her that Camila chose to be sure of. She was glad it was she that Camila could keep a promise to.
"You're sure, right?" Camila turned to the woman she loved with questions swimming in her eyes. "You're not gonna end up resenting me for this later down the line?"
"Camz," Lauren smiled gently, her eyes glowing with adoration. "I am so fucking ready to tell the world that you're the love of my life."
"I hate when you do that," The younger woman sighed softly, leaning in and placing a delicate kiss to the green-eyed woman's lips. "You literally don't give my heart a break."
"Never." Lauren winked just as they were ushered to begin making their way towards where their host was waiting for them.
The entire interview itself was a blur to Lauren, she remembered answering questions and giggling along with Camila every now and then. She remembered announcing that they'd prefer to keep their family life private and Camila had agreed wholeheartedly, they hadn't even so much as mentioned Natalia's name. Or Ashley's.
It was days following the interview that changed things.
She wasn't just Lauren Jauregui anymore, no, she was now the Lauren Jauregui. The woman who'd stolen the heart of one of America's most sought after singers. She was asked for autographs often or photos, she was requested in interviews with Camila and she'd even found a site online that seemed to know more about her than she was comfortable with.
And that led to Ashley having Natalia with her more often because all three mothers agreed that until things died down, it was best their daughter be kept as far away from the limelight as possible. Ashley brought the little girl home at night and only when they were sure there weren't foreign cars parked along the street. Lucy began taking Natalia to school often and as confused as the little girl was, she soon accepted it as routine.
Lauren kind of hated it.
Camila held the heavy weight of guilt in her heart.
And Ashley tried to be as supportive as she could be but even she was beginning to crack.
"This is a mess," Ashley sighed one night after dropping their daughter off, running a hand through her short hair. "She doesn't deserve to be passed around like this."
"It's not forever," Lauren assured the other mother. "They'll pick up a better story soon and then we can get back to normal."
"She doesn't have a clue what's going on, Lauren," The oldest mother argued. "We may as well leave her with Lucy until this blows over at this point. She sees her more than any of us."
"She comes home almost every night," Camila chimed in. "We're not changing that. She's not going anywhere."
"You're both delusional if you think this isn't affecting her in some way or the other. I can barely wrap my head around it, how do you think she feels?" Ashley looked to the living room where her daughter sat perched on the couch, hugging the dog to her. "I'm trying to cause trouble here, but my priority is Natalia always. She needs stability and this...this isn't it."
