Where Were You

Don't Thank Me

Lauren's PoV

I pulled back and smiled shyly, my fingers began to play with the buttons on her shirt. "Camila?"

She looked at me and sighed with love. She was simply breathtaking. "Lauren?" Camila grinned and I shook my head, chuckling.

"I was thinking," I took a deep breath, "maybe sometime in the future we could move?"

"Move?" Camila settled on top of me more comfortably and smiled. "Like, where?"

"Well I was doing some research and I thought maybe we can move where I proposed to you." I ducked her head shyly and bit her bottom lip.

Talking about the future was definitely a good sign. "Of course." She whispered and cupped my face. "Anywhere you wanna go."

//

The whistle blew and I watched the skaters on the ice started to skate around the ice.

"So I heard all about you," Kathryn smiled as she leaned into me a bit, "Camila spilled everything about why she found herself in Kenora."

I blinked and looked at her. A complete stranger knew everything about me yet I knew nothing about her. Or Spencer for that matter. Not anymore anyway.

"You proposed to her here and made it home to her. I guess you made it safe for her somehow, that maybe you'd come back to her here." She blew a few red strands of hair from her eyes and looked at me with a soft look. "She adored you."

I closed my eyes and kicked my feet in front of me. My hands dug into the seat I was sitting in. I was allowed to see Dylan but I wasn't allowed communication just yet. That killed me but getting to see her practice on the ice was a big deal and it meant the world to me that Camila even offered it.

She didn't have too.

But she did.

"Does she go by Avery or Jauregui?" I asked, ignoring the woman's last comment.

I honestly didn't have an answer for her. I thought of Camila every day and aside from the women I slept with during my drug addiction, no one else touched me. But no one held me the way that woman had.

Was it possible to be hung up on someone you hadn't seen in twelve years?

Must be.

"Jauregui." Kathryn smiled. "Dylan didn't seem to bat an eyelash, kind of like she knew the name."

Dylan knew her grandparents' last names were Jauregui.

"Cabello!" I heard her voice ring through the arena, echoing off the walls. I watched as Camila knelt down to be eye level at her daughter's height. She was smiling and then patted her shoulder, telling her to stand beside...

...

Dylan.

Dylan had her helmet off and her hair was longer than I expected. The waves in her hair were natural and it was such a beautiful sight. I think I was tearing up a little. She was dressed in her hockey gear and stood straight, like she was proud to be on that ice.

I watched as Lucas whispered something in her ear and they erupted into a fit of giggles.

"Do I have to separate you two?" Camila held her hand on her hip and I had to snort a little. She made one hot mother.

"They always get like this," Kathryn smiled, "when Camila's coaching the older team, Luc and Dylan are usually always giggling about something, making the players lose concentration with their uber cuteness."

I believed it.

"Sorry Coach!" Lucas cleared her throat.

Camila continued on telling them who was on what team and before long, the small game was on its way.

Watching them out on the ice took me back to when I used to sneak in and watch Camila play her games whenever she was in Vancouver or wherever else she happened to be playing. No one knew that I kept up with her career.

I got to witness Dylan's fast skating skills. She was the smallest on the team but she seemed to be the fastest, aside from Lucas.

"Dylan!" Screamed the smaller brunette as the puck was shot towards my daughter and then shot to Lucas, who scored on the goalie.

"Damn, good tag team." I whispered and Kathryn smiled, nodding.

It wasn't long before Camila blew the whistle again, gathering the team back to the middle of the ice. Coach Cabello gave instructions on their next practice before their next game. I strained my ears a bit to listen to what she was saying, "-don't think they stand a chance against us. With the newest addition to our team," she patted Dylan's sweaty head, "we've got the best team and we're going to deliver!"

A bunch of hoots and hollers came from the team before they let out a fierce "rawr!". The team was Legion Lions.

"I know how badly you want to talk to her," the redhead sighed, "but just a couple more days."

"No, I know," I sat back, "it just means a lot that you offered to bring me here, thank you."

She stood up and smiled, shrugging a bit. "Camila wanted you here. I couldn't let down my best friend."

Best friend? Wow. So she did know Dylan a lot more than she let on.

"Besides," Kathryn continued, "Dylan and you both deserved to share this together."

"Thanks Kathryn."

"Eh," I heard someone come up the stairs, "call her Ryn, Kathryn makes her sound old and I do not hang out with old people." Camila stood there in her Coach jacket with a whistle around her neck and hair pulled back.

I stumbled back a bit and cleared my throat. I wasn't expecting her to come up here at all. I stared at her and she just tilted her head slightly with a small smile.

"I'll have you know that Kathryn is very mature," the redhead frowned, "unlike Camila."

I smiled a little when Camila raised an eyebrow. It felt nice that she wasn't acting funny around me.

I wish I could say the same.

I mean, everything was thrown at me in a matter of forty-eight hours and I'm standing next to her – my ex-fiancée, the one person's heart I broke when I promised her I wouldn't.

And she's smiling at me.

"I think I'm going to start the car," Ryn said and glanced between us two before heading down the stairs from the announcers box.

I silently begged her to stay but she was already gone.

I was very aware that the gorgeous brunette was standing there beside me, looking down at the empty rink below. "So uh," I cleared my throat, swallowed hard, "thank you for mentioning this to me."

Because she didn't have too.

We locked eyes and my air was stolen from my lungs. "I remember when Lucas started to play hockey," I saw the smile in her eyes, "her first practice was just the beginning of it all and if Dylan has as much passion for hockey as she says, you deserved to be here to witness where it all unfolds."

"Thank you." I whispered again.

She shook her head. "Don't thank me please, it was just," she sighed, "Dylan would be happy to know you're here."

"But I can't see her." The sadness in my voice wasn't lost on her.

"No, not yet." She chewed on her bottom lip before pulling out something from her back pocket. "But soon Lauren," she handed me the folded paper, "soon."

I blinked and she was gone.

Camila made her way back down the stairs and I stood there, flicking my eyes from the paper in my hands to the retreating form walking away from me.

I unfolded the kraft paper and there was a drawing of two stick figures, holding hands underneath a bridge. One short girl and one taller girl. I cried when I read the title: I miss you, mommy.

I missed you too, baby Dyl.