Lauren's PoV
It was early morning and the sun was just starting to say good morning to the world as it rose over the horizon slowly. It was cold out but it felt nice. I stood on Camila's dock and gazed out at the foggy clouds streaming over the icy river.
I sipped on my hot chocolate and grinned at the thought of telling Camila I was up way early and out of bed willingly without having sex all night. She wouldn't believe me or be stubborn about believing it. Camila was probably just starting to crawl out of the warmth of her bed while I was out of my bed over an hour ago.
I had finished the remainder of the school week smoothly and successfully gained friends in students and the rest of the staff. It was starting to piece together slowly and I couldn't be happier and if I had to be honest with myself, I couldn't help but be proud as well.
Dylan landed in a very great home and even though I had questions for Mr. C, I had to thank him for keeping his promise to Sofi and getting my daughter into a great home. Dylan hadn't felt like talking about the bad homes she was put in before being transferred into Camila's care and I didn't push her to tell me. I just assured her that when she did want to talk about it to not be scared because I would listen to every single word she had to say. She had smiled and thanked me.
I heard footsteps coming down the snowy stairway and down to the dock. I expected to turn around and see my brunette giving me a raised eyebrow grilling me about why I was out so early and in the freezing -32 Celsius weather, but instead I turned to find the shorter version of Camila smiling at me with two pairs of skates tucked underneath her arm.
"I was going to the bathroom when I noticed you were sitting down here," Lucas smiled, her nose already red from the cold wind.
"Lucas, you should be in bed nice and warm." I laughed softly and she shrugged, dropping the skates and sitting in the snow.
"I couldn't sleep anyway." Her grey eyes were bright as her smile threw light into the air. "When I'm way too excited about something, it keeps me up. Mom says that I need to try and break the habit before I get older or it could get worse."
I nodded and offered Lucas a sip of my hot chocolate, which she gratefully accepted and thanked me for politely. "I'm the exact same way."
"You couldn't sleep?" Her eyes danced with curiosity.
"I did sleep." I shrugged and looked out as the sun inched its way higher very slowly above the frozen lake's horizon. "Why are you excited for today?"
"I wanted to skate with you." Lucas blushed and adjusted her beanie hat more securely over her smaller ears. "I grabbed mom's skates because I figured you two wear the same size."
We do.
"Thanks, Luc." I smiled and picked up the skates, looking at them. "How old are these?"
"Pretty old," she shrugged and chuckled, "but she wears them all the time when she's skating out here. They're sharpened and mom would kill me if I touched her good ones she uses for practices. No one touches those, not even Aunt Normani."
That last statement said a lot about Normani and Camila's friendship. They were extremely close, maybe even closer than Camila and Kyla had ever been, but they still liked to compete when it came to hockey.
I watched as Lucas tore off her boots quickly and started to put on her own pair of skates. It still amazed me just how much she looked like Camila, a small clone. She was done in thirty seconds flat and then stood up, testing to see if they were tight enough. "Lauren!" She chuckled, looking at me, "are you going to get those on or what?"
I laughed and shook my head, taking off my gloves and kicking off my own winter boots. I fumbled a bit with sliding the skates on, my fingers becoming frozen fast. I felt Lucas shift and she knelt down in front of me, biting her gloves off and taking the ties to my skates, tying them up tightly with a grin. "Uh, thanks." I blushed.
"It's okay rookie." Lucas giggled and put her gloves back on.
I stood up shakily and tried my best not to look like a complete dork on the skates – especially in front of an eleven year old.
Lucas started to skate on the ice, her eyes trained across the lake as she did a few quick stops. I swallowed and made my way carefully over to the middle of the ice and she finally looked at me, smiling. "It's okay that you don't know how to skate. It does make me wonder how Dyl is such an expert though."
Me too. Seemed it was in her blood or something but she taught herself to skate, I was just someone to help her balance every now and then when she was younger. "She's a natural."
"Ah," she nodded with a grin, "the best kind actually." Lucas slowly made her way towards me as I stood still on the skates, not trusting myself to balance if I moved. "You know, I've never seen my mom this happy before."
I eyed her suspiciously as she started to skate around me in circles. Her grey eyes danced along with the small snowflakes that started to fall lightly around us. "Never?"
She shrugged and switched to skating backwards around me, her eyes never leaving mine. "Katie was never good at making her smile, you know? Katie was my mom's ex-girlfriend and I don't think she ever liked me. I barely remember her but that's okay."
"Luc," I furrowed my eyebrow but she chuckled and shook her head.
"I know, Lauren." Finally she stopped skating around me and just stood there a foot in front of me. I looked down at her and she squinted a bit, her long eyelashes catching the small snowflakes. "I saw you two the other morning; you were kissing."
"Oh." I swallowed and smiled nervously, feeling as if I were caught by Sinu kissing her daughter.
Lucas tugged on my coat and I hunched down to be eye level with her. She placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed softly. "What do you have to say for yourself?" She asked seriously but her eyes twinkled playfully.
"I love her, Luc." I said quietly knowing she meant it teasingly but feeling the need to be honest. There was no use in denying it anymore.
"Oh." Lucas chewed on her bottom lip. "I wasn't expecting that." Her small face broke out into a big smile though. "You love her a lot?"
"Yeah," I breathed, releasing a sigh with a bashful smile. I had just poured my heart out to Camila's daughter in four words. Four words that I couldn't take back nor did I want too.
"You break her heart and I'll break your nose." Lucas whispered softly. "I'll send Aunt Normani after you too, are we clear?"
"Crystal." I smiled and she pulled me into a hug.
"Can I tell Dylan?" She pulled back wide-eyed.
"How about we wait for a bit, kay? I just really want to make sure your mom and I are heading in the right direction first." I nodded and she understood, saluting me. "Now, can I get out of these skates?"
"No." Lucas laughed and I stood up, holding her shoulders for balance. "If you're going to be with my mother, you need to know how to skate."
"I can skate." I said firmly, completely lying of course. I could... just not really.
"Really?" She raised an eyebrow and skated backwards to make room for me. "Prove it."
The minute I pushed one foot in front of the other I found myself on my ass.
"Thought so." Lucas giggled and helped me back up.
"Do you know how to play piano?" I asked, wiping the snow off my backside.
"No." Lucas shook her head and frowned. "But it'd be awesome to learn."
An idea struck me and I chuckled. "I've got an idea," I straightened my hat out and patted my gloves together, "how about I teach you how to play piano and you teach me how to skate."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Awesome! Yes!"
"There's a catch." I smirked. "No telling your mom."
"Are you saying I keep a secret from her?" She gasped, placing a gloved hand over her heart.
"A harmless one." I nodded. "Trust me, she'll know about it, just not yet."
Lucas eyed me up before holding out her hand. "You've got a deal..." she smirked and licked her lips, "...mom."
And cue the heart flutters.
--
Camila finished doing her morning dishes and joined me at the table with a warm sleepy smile. "I could still sleep a few more hours." She clutched her coffee mug close to her chest.
I laughed and patted her head, her chocolate eyes seeking mine. "Go back to bed then. I'm sure the girls will be content with me."
"Oh I know," she shrugged and rubbed her face lightly with her hands, "I just won't be content without you."
"I still can't believe you slept in this late." I smirked and looked at the clock on the oven. 9:07am.
"I was having naughty dreams." Camila grinned with a smile, closing her eyes. "You were everywhere." She whispered.
"Camz," I laughed quietly, looking around to see if there were any children ears around, "stop that."
She shrugged and winked, taking another sip of her coffee. Her head snapped left to find Lucas standing in her winter coat and ski-pants, holding a hockey stick as she watched Dylan tie up her boots. "I want you two back inside before noon for lunch."
"Yes ma'am." They replied and rushed out the door, but not before Lucas ran over towards me and kissed me on the cheek.
Camila raised an eyebrow and leaned towards me. "What was that?"
"What?" I snickered.
"Lucas just got fresh with your cheek." Her chocolate eyes sparkled widely.
"Oh yea," I nodded and grabbed her coffee, taking a sip, "about that..." I swallowed and looked around the room, "she knows."
"She knows?" Her head tilted to the side and she frowned slightly.
"About us, Lauren. She knows that...well... I told her I loved you." I shrugged and stood up, grabbing my own mug from the cupboard.
"Wait, you what?" Camila grabbed my wrist softly and I turned around to meet her eyes. "She knows about us? You told her you loved me?"
I nodded slowly and studied her face. She didn't look upset but she wasn't smiling either. "She saw us the other morning kissing," I looked away briefly, "I just told her the first thing that came to mind when she confronted me this morning."
"That you love me?" Camila questioned softly and I could see the grin start to curl up on the left side of her cheek.
"Yes." I nodded.
"She... she didn't freak?" She whispered, bringing me closer to her body. Her eyes flickered down to my lips and then slowly back to my eyes before she kissed me so softly I could barely feel it.
"She threatened to break my nose if I ever broke your heart." I murmured against her lips that were softly pressed against mine.
"I'll send Normani after you." Like mother like daughter. Camila giggled quietly and I felt myself being lifted onto the counter, her lips harder against mine. Her hands squeezed my thighs as she stepped between my legs, her tongue grazing my bottom lip before pulling back. "I love you too," she whispered back, breathing slightly heavier than a few seconds before.
And cue more heart flutters.
Damn those Cabello women.