Where Were You

The Keeper Of Hearts

Camila's PoV

"Mom?" Lucas came walking out of the study room with a photo book in her hands. She sat on the couch beside me with a sleeping Dylan's head in my lap. "Are these yours?"

I smiled and took the book gently, tracing my fingers over the blue plaid pattern. "Yea, my pictures from when I was a teenager."

"Oh," she furrowed her brow and licked her lips before opening up the book. It had sat pretty on my shelf for years but I hadn't looked at it since Lucas was born. "Can I ask you a question?"

I nodded and turned down the volume slightly from the TV. "You can ask me anything."

Lucas nodded and flipped towards the back of the book where she landed on a few pictures from high school. "Who is she?" She whispered, her finger pointing to the brunette that held me close to her with our faces smiling brightly towards the camera.

"A, uh, a friend." I managed to say and shifted slightly, running my fingers through the soft curls in Dylan's hair.

Lucas asked, raising a curious eyebrow. "What happened to her?"

"Um," I frowned and swallowed, not really knowing what happened to Lauren after all the years that have passed by, "I really don't know, baby." I glanced at her grey eyes and she tilted her head and looked down at Dylan, "why?"

"Well you still talk with Auntie Kyla and Uncle Austin... and you still see Aunt Normani when she's not playing hockey, I was just wondering why you're still friends with them and not her?" She tapped the picture again, "you two looked close."

Lucas Cabello was smart. The smartest in her grade to be exact. I was a proud parent of course, but sometimes she was too smart for her own good.

"We were," I smiled at the memories, "Lauren and I were very close."

"That's her name?" Lucas softly smiled and then looked back over at Dylan and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Mom?" she whispered, looking back up at me, "Dylan looks like her."

I think my mind went temporarily blank and the noise that was rushing through my ears was deafening. I frowned and looked down at the sleeping frame and curled my lips into a thin line. The resemblance had crossed my mind a few times but I couldn't truly believe that Lauren would allow her daughter to be in such a messed up system.

"Dylan Avery." I whispered and the name snapped together. Two middle names put together and I frowned even further, watching the small body shift and a yawn escape her mouth. I shook my head. It was just a coincidence.

It had to be.

Right?

The Lauren I knew would never ever sleep with a man and the Lauren I knew would never allow her own child to grow up in an unloved environment.

"She does." I looked at Lucas and kissed her forehead. "But how about we keep this book a secret, kay?"

Lucas nodded and closed it before hopping off the couch. "Mom?" She had a way of saying 'mom' that made me melt. "Do you think Dylan's a keeper?"

Fingers ran through soft brown curls again and then her brown eyes sleepily opened, her skin was the same colour as Lucas', a bronze colour. "Yeah," I whispered as the lazy eyes closed again and her body curled deeper onto my lap, "she's a keeper."

//

"Hey," I leaned in and whispered in Lauren's ear, "you think she'll be that happy when we tell her you're knocked up?"