Do Overs

thirtyfour.

After the funeral, Camilla had a lot of reflecting to do. Shane and her mother were right in the sense that accepting the money meant that she and Aubrey had a new start, they could buy a new home for their growing family...but, this also meant that essentially everything she deemed important was given to her by her father. The restaurant, now her home, what was next?

"I need to talk to you about something" Camilla said, twirling her hair as she laid behind Aubrey as he played on the PlayStation. Camilla had been sat behind him ever since she got home. He'd even made food for her to eat, which she didn't feel hungry to eat. She'd rather just be snuggled up next to him for comfort.

"Why does it sound like you wanna break up with me?" Aubrey chuckled, pausing the game to look round at her. "What's up?"

"There's a piece of paper in my purse, take it out and read it then tell me what you think" Camilla looked at him. Aubrey looked at her apprehensively before reaching for the paper in her purse.

"Absolutely not" Aubrey scoffed, looking at Camilla.

"Why?" Camilla furrowed her eyebrows at him. "That money would really help us out"

"Right, but I'm not going to feel comfortable living in a home that was paid for by a man that wanted me dead"

"But you're ok with working in and owning a restaurant that was paid for by a man that wanted you dead?"

"Camilla, that's different" Aubrey spoke, knowing what was coming next.

"Should I have done what you did? Just bought the house and not said anything? Let you live in it?"

"We're not doing all of this, I told you I don't wanna be bringing up the past" he sighed, placing his hand on his head for a moment.

"I don't wanna fight with you, I'm just saying to think about this"

"I'm not raising my kid in a home by a man that wanted to kill me"

"Alright Aubrey" Camilla said,  getting up and moving from behind him.

"Camilla" Aubrey sighed, bowing his head in his hands for a second before talking.

"Nah, I'm over the conversation. I won't take the money, we'll do what you want" Camilla walked away, leaving Aubrey to groan loudly out of frustration.

Camilla let the shower run for a few minutes before she got in. She was going to take a bath but she figured that'd give her more time to dwell on things and it wasn't something she wanted to do right now.

Aubrey sat on the bed waiting for Camilla to leave the bathroom. He felt guilty. It wasn't his intention to make Camilla feel uneasy, but it was hard for him to see the good in this situation. The man he hated and robbed, had left his wife nearly a million dollars which she wanted to use to buy a home for their growing family.

Camilla poked her head out of the bathroom door, before walking out wearing a white bathrobe and her hair tied in a bun as her hair started to frizz up from the steam.

"I don't wanna fight with you" Aubrey said, grabbing Camilla by the string of her bathrobe as she walked past him. "I get it, I do...but, I want to be the one providing for our family. I don't want to have to be relying on your fathers money, yeah, I did what I did, but that was before. Things are so different now"

"I know, but we can use this money just to be done with that one part of our lives. I'm nearly 7 months pregnant, our son is going to be here soon and sure, we didn't plan any of this but to bring him to a new home is what we both want, isn't it?"

"It is, but I'd rather put that plan into action independently. No nigga that wanted me dead is going to be the reason I lay my head to sleep in a big house at night or play in the backyard with my son"

"No nigga? Don't make it seem like I'm taking the money from some random nigga. This is my father, regardless of everything" Camilla raised an eyebrow.

"You know how I meant it...if this was the other way around, you'd want me to take the money?"

"Probably, yes" Camilla folded her arms. "Think about this. My dad didn't do shit for me, but, this is money. Money that can buy us a house, money that hasn't come out of our pockets"

"You're not seeing it from my perspective"

"I am, but this is about pride"

"Let's look at this in a different way then, suppose Leah left me that much money. You'd want me to take it?" Aubrey asked, clearing his throat as he watched Camilla's face change.

"That's not the same, at all"

"Yes it is. I hate Lorenzo and you hate Leah, look at it from that perspective. You're telling me you'd want me to take the money?"

"Well- no, but that's different. This is from my dad, not from a girl who gave you mediocre head a couple times"

"It was one time" Aubrey interrupted. "Back on track, it's essentially the same thing. That's why I'm asking that you just respect my stance on this"

"I'm respecting your stance and I'm asking you to respect mine. Which you're not doing"

"I am, I really am. I just don't know how we're supposed to come to common ground on this. You take the money and buy a house, I'm unhappy, if we do what I want, you're unhappy" Aubrey shrugged. "I don't want you mad at me"

"I can never stay mad at you, as much as I'd like to. It would just be easier for us, you know?"

"I know it would but I want it to be me to provide for you and our kid, even if your mom was giving us the money I still wouldn't want to take it"

"I get it, you don't want a handout. What am I supposed to do then?"

"Take the money, but use it to treat yourself"  He pulled her onto his lap. "Listen baby, I don't want you to think I'm trying to manipulate you or anything. I just- I can't take money in this way"

"We'll just leave the conversation here, let's move on" Camilla shrugged.

"I'm sorry if what I was saying cane out wrong" Aubrey planted a kiss on Camilla's cheek and rubbing her stomach.

"Whatever" Camilla pushed him playfully as she stood up to get changed. "Don't try butter me up, I'm not in the mood"

"Don't be like that" He chuckled as he laid back from Camilla's push. "I'm not letting you stay mad at me"

"I'm not mad at you dumbass, I'm just tired and your son is sitting right on my bladder which means I'm going to have to get up like 70 times tonight to go piss-"

"You want a massage, baby?" Aubrey offered, realising her hormones were getting the best of her. Camilla nodded and smiled, letting her dimple be on full display.

"And a real massage, not the ones you usually give" Camilla looked at him before sitting back down on the bed.

"What's wrong with the ones I usually give?" Aubrey laughed in disbelief.

"The massage is the reason I have a little person sitting on my bladder right now" she rolled her eyes.