Camila's PoV
I watched as Lucas blew over her sketchpad, brushing away the eraser crumbs. Her tongue peeked out between her teeth as she scrunched her forehead into a frown, concentrating on her drawing. I peered over her shoulder and noticed it was a drawing of a teenage girl in hockey gear, with the number eleven perfectly situation of front of the sketched jersey.
"Nice drawing." I smiled and slid onto the stool beside her at the breakfast counter.
"Mom!" She screeched and tucked her book away quickly, a scowl donning her features. "You weren't supposed to see that."
"Oh," I nodded slowly and kissed her cheek, "well it's still good."
She blushed. "Thank you."
"So," I looked at the clock, "it's five-thirty in the morning and you're up... on a school day."
"I couldn't sleep." She shrugged and looked at me with her grey eyes. "Are you mad?"
"No." I smiled and ran my fingers through her brushed hair. "Just surprised."
"Dylan's really excited about tonight." Lucas smiled at me. "I think she's going to play really well."
"Me too." I moved to pour her some orange juice. "And to think, she'll get to have her mother there as well." There was no point dancing around the subject. The night before Jaiden walked in with a sleeping Dylan thrown over her shoulder and Normani had a sleeping Lucas over her own. I wasn't able to talk to her about Lauren.
"Blah." Lucas sighed and threw her head forward, smacking it on the counter's surface. She didn't mumble an ow, she just sat there like that, staring at her socked covered feet.
"Baby," I leaned over and bumped her shoulder lightly, "I know this is hard for you. But you have to understand that I have no control over this and if I did," I bit my lip a little, "I still think Dylan deserves to have her mom."
That brought wide grey eyes to mine and she frowned deeply. "You said she was a keeper!"
My fault. I got caught up in the moment and I was about to pay for it.
"Mom!" She hopped off her stool. "You can't just let her take her! I know she did something bad!"
"Luc, you don't understand," I turned to face her, "Lauren's a great person. She was always a great person and something happened that caused her to lose Dylan. She was very upset about it and sad. She has the perfect opportunity to rebuild her life with her daughter and you know what?" I wanted to cry at the unshed tears filtering in Lucas' eyes, but she stood there, waiting for me to continue. "I spent time with Lauren last night and you know she said? She's scared of taking Dylan away from you."
I watched few emotions flicker across her face, as if she didn't know what to say. Finally, her famous frown and pout formed on her face. "Good." She said quietly and ran upstairs to her room.
That time she closed her door quietly.
I sighed and rolled my neck, moaning as it cracked.
"Rough morning?" Normani said from behind me, placing a kiss on my cheek and then moved to grab herself a cup of coffee.
"Ugh." I groaned. "I don't know what to do."
Normani shrugged and gave me a sympathetic look. "Maybe you shouldn't do anything, Mila. You talked about the situation and she just wants her best friend to stay here. She's going to hear what she wants to hear."
How'd she get good at this parenting stuff?
"I'm so thankful you're here with me." I wrapped my arms around her. Aside from Ryn, Normani had been my rock and in fact, she's been there since I gave birth to Lucas.
"Aww me too." Normani sighed. She could be a softy and sweet when she wanted to be. "I love you, Mila."
I pulled back with a smile. "I love you too."
"Okay, enough of this bonding shit," she smirked and looked me up and down, "when are we gonna do it?"
"We always do it Normani," I laughed, "in your dreams."
"Blah," she made a face, "you're a tease in my dreams. You get me so worked up and that when I wake up I'm completely frustrated..."
"How is it that you don't have a girlfriend?" I frowned with a smirk. "It's not like you're ugly or don't have that charm oozing out of your ass."
"I know." Normani rolled her eyes. "I attract all the young ones but never the Cabello."
"Ha." I laughed. "Whaaat about Sammy?"
Normani swung around and looked at me. "Are for serious Carlin? Sammy? Alex's Sammy?"
"She hasn't been Sofi's Sammy for years, Kordei." I shrugged. "Besides, you two would be a hot couple..."
"I have competition." Normani chuckled. "Jaiden is all about Taylor right now."
I shrugged again and just shook my head.
It wasn't my business who hooked up with who.
As long as they left Lauren alone.
--
Lucas' PoV
I kicked my feet in the snow and looked around at everyone paying in the school yard. I just wanted to be alone. I didn't know why, but I wanted to be alone.
My frozen fingers gripped the pencil in my hand and my notebook in front of me. I couldn't draw of course, it was too cold. But I felt better with a pencil in my hand, it was comforting.
"Hey Lukey!" Dylan bounced next to me and plopped herself down on top of the snow pile I was sitting on. "Why aren't you playing?"
I shrugged and looked at her. It broke my heart to look at her and think that she would no longer be with me when Lauren decided to take her away. "Why aren't you?" I asked softly.
"Cause I love playing with you." Dylan frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I closed my notebook and stared ahead at the other children playing on the swings.
"Liar." She smiled and sighed, adjusting her blue beanie hat.
"Do you love us?" I asked her softly and she looked confused.
"Yea."
"Do you want to leave us?" I asked again, digging my heel deeper into the soft snow.
"No." Dylan whispered and I finally caught her looking at me. "But I love my mommy."
I tried to understand, I really did. Everyone else around me thought that Lauren being back was a good thing.
I didn't.
Dylan chewed on her bottom lip and brushed a snowflake off my nose. "Lucas?" She cleared her throat and looked down at her fuzzy gloves for a brief second before looking up at me. "Are you going to hate me?"
"What?" I frowned and shook my head.
"When I leave with my mommy, are you going to hate me?" She started to cry, her bottom lip quivering.
"Dyl," I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arms around her in a big hug while she buried her cold face into my neck, "I could never hate you."
"But you hate my mom." She sniffled and I closed my eyes, squeezing her tighter.
"I don't like her." I admitted softly. "You're my best friend and I can't stand the thought of losing you, not now and not ever."
"But you won't lose me, Luc. I'll still be here." Dylan cried softly. "Please like my mommy, she's really nice..." she looked up at me, "she reminds me of Camila."
I swallowed. My best friend was crying because of me and I didn't like it. I didn't like myself for the first time because maybe for the first time, I realized I was being selfish.
Something my mom taught me not to be.
"Does she like hockey like us?" I asked quietly and Dylan's face lightened up, nodding her head eagerly. "Can she skate?"
"Not very good." Dylan scrunched up her nose. "But she still tried and then I started helping her."
I had to grin a little and then became serious. "I don't like seeing you cry Dylan, it hurts my heart."
"I don't like seeing you sad either," she whispered, her hand rolling up a snowball, "hurts me too."
"Are you excited about tonight's game?" I asked with a smile.
"Yes!" She bounced up and started to jump up and down. "My mom is coming to dinner too, did you know that?"
My mom was right. This Lauren made my Dylan happy and I tried to push back every sad and jealous feeling in myself to show her I was happy for her. "I know, maybe Ephiny and Chase will let her play the piano."
"She loves playing the piano." Dylan nodded again before settling her butt back down on the cold pile of snow next to me.
I just smiled and grabbed her gloved hand, squeezing it in my own.
I took a deep breath.
I could do this.
For Dylan.