The Hook-up

Chapter 160

The next two weeks were full of mommy blues and daddy downers with both Lauren and Bruno going through bouts of confidence and unexplainable bouts of insecurities regarding their parenting. They were held together by all the family that had come to help them, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, all of them continued to help even after the twins lost their newborn smell. Lauren still had five weeks to spend with the babies at home while Bruno was feeling antsy to get back in the studio, even though everyone at the label had told him to stay home. Early in the morning, before anyone had arrived to help them on their journey Lauren sat at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal with one hand with another laying on Everlee's chest to keep her from crying. "Hey mama..." Bruno said to Lauren walking toward her from the other side of the house.

"Shhh." She motioned to him.

"Where's my son?" he asked quietly seeing Lauren's eyes move to the other side of the table.

"I can't move it or else he'll wake up." She said. "And she's just finally falling asleep after waking up at like 4..."

"I'm sorry I'm not much help..." Bruno said with a sad face reaching for a hat on the kitchen table.

"It's okay, I guess." She shrugged standing up to put her bowl in the sink.

"I'll be done soon, baby." He said to her hugging her from behind.

"But then you'll be gone even more. I know this is hard and I know I can do it and we've had this conversation so many damn times." She turned around to look at him.

"I know." He kissed her on the cheek squeezing her. "You'll be amazing. And I'll come home and they won't even know who I am because you were such a good mother. You won't even need me." He said trying to boost her self confidence.

"I don't know if I quite want that..." she said raising her eye brow. "Look...." She suddenly lost interest in their conversation pointing to Everlee. "She finally fell asleep."

"Good. Now go finish watching TV until your mom comes over." He said letting go of her reaching for his keys.

"Be safe, Bruno. " she instructed him as he neared the front door.

"I will." He smiled at her making her heart melt.

**

"Hey..." Bruno sat down at a table at a table in an outside restaurant.

"How are you?" Damaris asked taking a sip of her water.

"I think I'm okay." He shrugged mimicking her movement toward his own water.

"And the babies? I've only seen the two pictures she tweeted...." Damaris asked.

"Ezra is mine. He listens to me. He falls asleep in my arms. He cries. He does this thing with his lip where I can tell he's going to be a rock star." Bruno boasted.

"And what about your daughter?" Damaris asked.

"She's a diva. She has to have attention. Everything revolves around her. She loves music already. I can play any music or sing any song and she calms down. I hope that she stays that way." Bruno explained.

"And your wife?" she faked interest in Lauren.

"She's okay. I don't think she's a hundred percent yet. She still worries." Bruno said to his friend.

"It's hard. I'm sure it is." She faked interest in Bruno's life.

"Yeah it is." He said feeling a bit uncomfortable by their conversation. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I have a cover for some shoe thing." She told him.

"Oh, so I'll see you at the grocery store?" he asked.

"If you go to the Mexican grocery store." She smiled.

"Oh. Okay. But you know I don't speak Spanish." He told her.

"I can teach you." She winked at him.

"I agreed to lunch. Nothing more, Damaris." He said standing his ground.

"Mhmm." She said raising her eye brow taking a sip of her drink.

There was a long awkward period of silence between the two of them that was interrupted by a waiter bringing them their meals. "I don't know what to tell you, Damaris." Bruno said with a bit of disappointment in his voice.

"About what?" she asked adjusting her napkin taking a fork to eat her lunch.

"About us. I hate that Lauren can't stand you. Whatever happened was a mistake. There have been plenty of mistakes, but we've known each other for so long that I can't just stop talking to you. Or having you in my life. Or whatever." He said.

"Then don't let her win." Damaris said plainly.

"She would leave." He said to Damaris.

"Oh." Damaris said a bit shocked.

"Yeah." He said pushing around his food. "I don't always do the right thing." He shrugged not apologizing for his actions.

"Well, at least you admit it." She answered rubbing her leg against his from the opposite side of the table.

"Yeah. Well. It doesn't make it any better." He said looking her dead in the eye with a seductive smile.