By Sun and Candlelight / CAMREN

Chapter 15 - The First Date Part 2

"Justin Spheer," Camila sighed out, "I remember."

"Yes, his death was all over the news," Lauren said, "As brilliant as he was, he made one really stupid mistake and it cost him his life. We had argued just a week before about his experiments with nanotechnology. He knew they were dangerous, but he thought he had it under control. As much as I loved him, his ego was huge."

"So, you two were involved?" Camila asked.

"No, Justin didn't even know I was pregnant when he died," Lauren said, "I had only figured it out a few days earlier and hadn't worked up the courage to tell him yet."

"Hang on," Camila said. She leaned forward and grabbed the wine and topped off their glasses. Lauren looked at her thankfully and took a sip before continuing.

"I was working at Jauregui Corp at the time. Normani was living here in Alta Vista so it was just me and Justin. We hung around a lot. He knew I was gay. We were just friends," Lauren said. "Things started to sour between me and Chris and I was miserable. Justin was having his own family issues. His parents are awful people and he was mostly estranged from them, but when he started making money, they came around looking to get some of it for themselves. We were commiserating one night over a bottle of whiskey. We got so drunk. We were both lonely. I honestly still can't believe I did it, but I just wanted to feel something, I think. I wanted to feel loved – and I was blotto. He was too. We were both consenting and willing. It was stupid."

Lauren paused and took another bit sip.

"What happened the next day?" Camila asked, a small grimace on her face.

"We both laughed it off," Lauren said, "I was embarrassed. I think he was too. We both vowed it was just the alcohol and that was it. We didn't discuss it again. I told Normani. She was stunned. She was even more stunned when I called her a month later and told her I was pregnant."

"You must have been shocked too," Camila said.

"I was," Lauren said, "But I knew right away I wanted the baby. Somehow, it felt like it was meant to be. I was working up a speech to let Justin know and then the accident happened, and he was gone. I was devastated."

"Gosh, Lauren, I'm so sorry," Camila said, reaching over and intertwining their fingers again.

"I never told his family," Lauren said, "I figured my baby already had to deal with one dysfunctional group and that was enough. I told Clara and Chris that I planned the whole thing and that I had been artificially inseminated. They thought I was crazy, but that was par for the course. Only Normani knows that Justin is the father. And now you."

"Spheer Industries had to be worth a fortune," Camila said, "That money should be Lori's."

"Believe me, if I had needed the money my choice might have been different," Lauren said, "Thank god, that wasn't an issue. I'll tell Lori who they are when she's old enough to understand and she can reach out to them if she wants."

"You're a great mom, Lauren," Camila said, "I'm sure your choice is what's best for her."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm doing okay," Lauren said, "Sometimes it's really hard."

"Go in my room," Camila said, pointing to the doorway, "Look by the mirror."

"Okay," Lauren said, looking confused as she got up.

Lauren walked into Camila's room and walked to her dresser. Tucked into the corner of the mirror was a sheet of paper. It was the drawing Lori had given Camila the first day they saw her at the diner. Lauren's eyes immediately welled with tears. She was smiling as she wiped at her eyes and walked back into the den and plopped down next to Camila.