Lauren was sitting in the middle of her bed, drawing in her notebook and listening to music.
"Hey, baby sis." Normani plopped down onto the bed beside Lauren. "What are you drawing?" She asked nosely.
Lauren doesn't respond, her music up too loud for her to hear.
Normani rolled her eyes. She spotted the little box on Lauren's bedside table and picked it up, opening it to reveal the bracelet from her father.
Looking up, Lauren frowns and removes her headphones. "Mani?"
"What?" Normani asked, looking up at the younger girl.
"When did you come in?" The younger girl asks softly.
"Not that long ago." Normani shrugged. She showed Lauren the bracelet in her hand. "Where did this come from?"
Lauren shrugged.
"It was on your table." the dark skinned girl says softly.
Lauren shrugged again, she hesitated before reaching out to take the bracelet from Normani's hands. She pushed her glasses up her nose and inspected the bracelet closely, moving it around in her thin fingers.
"There's a note." Normani says, holding out the note.
Lauren lifted her head and looked at Normani. Her eyes flashed down to the note. She hesitated again before taking it and opening up the piece of paper.
"What's it say?" Normani asks softly..
"Um..." Lauren handed the note back to Normani so she could read it herself. She didn't want to admit to Normani that she couldn't actually read what was written on the paper.
"Hey Pumpkin, I know me moving out will be extremely difficult. But, I'll just be across the street and you can come over whenever you want. No questions asked." Normani reads out loud.
Lauren bit her lower lip, looking down at the bracelet in her hands. She forced her tears away.
"That was really sweet." Normani says softly.
Lauren stayed quiet, moving the bracelet around with her slender fingers.
"I wonder if I got one." Normani mumbles to herself.
"You should have a look." Lauren whispered, sniffing.
Nodding, Normani gets up and leaves the room.
Lauren sighed. She leaned back against her pillow and wiped away a tear that slipped out of her eye. She didn't know how well she would do without her dad.
"Don't cry." Lauren whispered to herself. "He's not leaving forever, he's just going across the street. Besides, Camila needs him more than you do." She was annoyed with herself for getting upset.
"Hey Princess." Marcus says softly, making his way into her room.
Lauren glanced up at her father briefly before turning her head and staring out of the window. She sniffed and wiped her eyes quickly.
"Come here." Marcus says softly, holding his arms open for Lauren.
Lauren hesitated, still staring out of the window.
"Laur, I have to go." He tells her, moving over to the bed.
Lauren turned her head to look at her father.
"I love you." Marcus tells her softly.
Lauren swallowed. She moved her sketchbook and pen onto the bedside table and pushed herself into her father's arms, wrapping her own arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. She didn't let her tears fall though.
Holding her close, Marcus kisses her forehead. "I love you."
Lauren wrapped her slender fingers around her father's shirt and gripped it tightly.
After a few minutes, Marcus pulls away and looks into her eyes. "I'm not going to be far."
Lauren stared at him, she gripped his shirt tighter.
"I have to go Laur." he says softly.
"No." Lauren squeaked. "No." She moved closer to him and buried her face in his chest, letting her tears fall. "No."
Closing his eyes, Marcus wraps his arms around her and holds her close.
Lauren sobbed into her father's chest.
"I've got you." Marcus whispers in her ear.
Lauren was trembling in his arms.
****
Two months later
Camila rushes past Lauren and Ally, a hand over her mouth as she darts toward the bathroom.
Lauren stumbled slightly, nearly falling on her bottom. She hadn't expected Camila to run past her so fast.
Grabbing Lauren's arm, Ally steadies her before releasing a sigh. "You okay?"
Lauren only nodded, adjusting her headphones on her head. She'd stopped communicating with everyone using her words and always had her headphones on.
Lillie brushed her body up against Lauren's side and barked softly.
Kissing her forehead, Ally moves to follow Camila.
"Princess?" Ally moved over to where Camila was throwing up her breakfast into the toilet. She gathered up her daughter's hair and held it out of her face.
After a few minutes, Camila coughs softly and leans back. "I don't think the baby agreed with breakfast."
Ally smiled softly. "Brush your teeth and and get ready for school." She said softly. "I'm going to make sure the other girls get ready too." She dropped Camila's hair and kissed the back of the younger girl's head before leaving the bathroom.
Standing up, Camila moves over to the sink to brush her teeth. After brushing her teeth, she makes her way upstairs to get dressed.
Lauren was already dressed in her uniform: a red blazer and tie, with a black skirt and white shirt. She was sitting on the top step waiting on her sisters. She brushed her hand through Lillie's soft fur.
By the time everyone was ready to go, Camila still hadn't made her way downstairs.
"Camila, come on, princess, you'll be late for school." Ally called up the stairs softly.
The fifteen year old doesn't respond causing Ally to become worried.
Frowning, Ally climbed the stairs and knocked on Camila's door. "Camila?"
Camila was laying unconscious in the middle of her room.
"Oh my! Camila!" Ally dropped down on the floor beside her daughter.
The fifteen year old doesn't respond.
"Dinah! Call an ambulance!" Ally yelled to her oldest daughter.
"Why? What happened?" Dinah calls out softly.
"Just call an ambulance. Don't ask questions." Ally called back.
Nodding her head, Dinah dials 911.
"Camila?" Ally shook her daughter's shoulders. She had no idea that Lauren was standing behind her watching. She hadn't heard the green-eyed girl come in because she walked so lightly on her bare feet.
A soft groan escapes Camila and she slowly opens her eyes.
Ally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god." She breathed out.
"Mama?" Camila mumbles weakly.
"I'm here, princess, I'm here." Ally brushed Camila's hair out of her face.
The younger girl swallows thickly. "What happened."
"I think you fainted:" Ally said softly.
Camila slowly tries to sit up. "My head hurts."
"Stay down. A doctor is on his or her way to check you over." Ally said softly, gently pushing her daughter back down to the floor.
"Laur, come on, we have to go to school." Normani tried to encourage her younger sister to leave the room. She held her hand out to the green-eyed girl who didn't even react.
Ally looks up. "Lauren, you need to go to school sweetie."
The green-eyed girl's eyes flash from her mother to Camila to Normani. She was shaking and confused. She didn't know what was going on.
Closing her eyes, Camila takes a deep breath. "She's scared and confused mama."
"Laur, school." Ally said, giving Lauren a soft look.
Lauren shook her head. She didn't want to go to school. She didn't like school. She didn't fit in. She was an outsider and had no friends.
"Come on Laur," Normani says softly, grabbing Lauren's hand.
Lauren flinched, turning her head to look at Normani. She shook her head.
Camila forces herself up, moving over to Lauren weakly. "Don't make her go."
Lauren looked at Camila with a confused facial expression.
"If she's scared of school, don't make her go." Camila tells Ally weakly before collapsing.
Lauren's reflexes kicked in and she caught Camila before she hit the ground, laying her down easily.
"I'm just going to call you girls off school." Ally says softly.
"Dinah and I can walk to school, mom." Normani said.
Shaking her head, Ally runs a hand through her hair. "Just stay here."
Normani sighed. "Okay."
"Go tell Dinah?" Ally asks softly, looking up as the paramedics make their way in.
Normani nodded and left the room.
****
"What happened?" Marcus asks worriedly, walking up to Ally and the girls in the waiting room of the hospital.
"Camila fainted." Ally said calmly. "So I kept them off school."
Lauren got up and ran to her father. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Hospitals made her nervous.
Holding her close, Marcus kisses her forehead. "I'm here."
Lauren gripped his shirt tightly in her small fists and squeezed her eyes closed.
Moving over to the chairs, Marcus sits down and holds Lauren close.
Lauren curled close to her father.
"Have the doctors been out at all?" Marcus asks, looking at Ally.
Ally shook her head. "Not yet."
"She'll be fine." he says, reaching over and squeezing Ally's hand, he could read her like a book, always could.
Ally smiled softly, she nodded. "I hope so."
Marcus just holds her hand while also holding Lauren close.
Lauren buried her face in Marcus's shoulder and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
"She's still taking this hard." Marcus mumbles, kissing Lauren's forehead.
Ally nodded. "She doesn't like school either."
"Maybe we should switch them to homeschooling." Marcus says calmly.
"I don't know." Ally said. "They need to socialise with other people outside our family."
"Maybe Lauren is autistic." Dinah said quietly. "We were learning about autism in class last week and she has some of the signs that they were telling us about."
Frowning, Ally looks at Dinah. "You might be right, we'll get her tested."
Dinah nodded and went back to looking at her phone.
"You think so?" Marcus asked. He looked down at Lauren who was asleep in his arms.
"It could explain a lot of things." Ally says softly.
"If it turns out to be true, then maybe Lillie should be trained as some sort of assistance dog. They have a really strong bond and Lillie gives Lauren loads of confidence." Marcus said.
Ally nods her head in agreement just as the doctor walks out.
"Here comes the doctor." Marcus said, taking a deep breath.
"Family of Karla Camila Cabello?" the doctor asks, all the girls kept their original last names. Dinah took her father's last name.
"That's us." Ally said standing up.
"It seems she was just dehydrated, we will be keeping her overnight to get her hydrated and give her a chance to rest." the doctor tells Ally softly.
Ally nodded. "Can we see her?"
"Yes, but she will be groggy from being so dehydrated." the doctor explains. "Room 727."
Ally nodded. "Okay."
****
Camila was just beginning to wake up.
Ally was sitting in the chair beside the bed. Marcus had taken the rest of the girls to the cafeteria to get some food after Lauren woke up.
Shifting tiredly, Camila slowly opens her eyes.
"Princess?" Ally took her hand and squeezed it softly.
"Mama? Did I faint again?" Camila asks softly.
"Again?" Ally furrowed her brows. "You've been asleep since we got to the hospital."
Rubbing her eyes, Camila yawns softly. "But I fainted earlier this morning and woke up."
Ally nodded. "You did. You just fell asleep."
Shifting, Camila starts to fall asleep once more.
Ally stood up and kissed the top of Camila's head. "I love you."
"Love you too." Camila mumbles before giving in to sleep.
Ally smiled softly before sitting down.
"Hey, I brought you a turkey wrap." Marcus says as he walks in with the other girls.
"Thank you." Ally smiled softly, taking the sandwich.
Marcus just sends her a soft smile before sitting on the other side of the bed.
Normani, Lauren, and Dinah sat down on the chairs beside Ally.
"Why don't you take the girls home? I'll stay with Mila." Marcus says softly.
Ally looked at the girls. "I can take them home if they want to go, but I'll come back." She looked at Marcus.
Lauren got up and moved over to her father. She sat on his knees and curled into him, signaling she didn't want to leave.
"Okay." Marcus says softly.
"Normani, Dinah, do you want to go home?" Ally asked softly.
The two girls nod their heads.
"Okay. Let's go now." Ally said softly.
Getting up, both girls hug Marcus and Lauren before following Ally.
Lauren curled into her father's arms and looked at Camila.
"You sure you don't want to head home?" Marcus asks her softly, kissing her forehead.
Lauren nodded, gripping his hand tightly.
"Okay, I've got you." Marcus says softly, holding her close.
Lauren nodded, her eyes trained on Camila's sleeping body.
Marcus turns his attention to watching Camila as well.
Lauren leaned back against her father's strong chest and shifted slightly, never once taking her eyes off of Camila.
Camila shifts on the bed, releasing a weak sigh.
Lauren raised her brows and tilted her head to the side.
"She's just dreaming." Marcus says softly.
Lauren turned her head to look at her dad.
"She's okay." he tells her softly.
Lauren nodded slowly.
****
"You sure you're okay?" Dinah asks Camila for the third time as they walk through the halls at school.
"I'm fine." Camila whispers.
"You're positive?" Dinah asked.
Nodding her head, Camila wraps her arms around her stomach. "I'm fine."
Dinah quirked her right eyebrow. "Okay."
Keeping her head down, Camila slowly makes her way down the hall.
"Hey." Normani said, walking up beside them.
"Hey," Dinah says, sending Normani a soft smile. "Ready for lunch?"
Normani nodded. "Yeah. Where's Laur?" She asked. "Is she joining us?"
"She's probably in the art room or the music room." Dinah responds.
"Should we go sit with her?" Camila asked, looking up at them.
Normani nods her head. "Yeah, we should."
Camila nodded. "Let's get our lunch first. We should get her something too."
Dinah nods her head. "Let's go."
Normani and Camila followed Dinah to the cafeteria.
Camila got her and Lauren both chicken ceasar salads, sprite, and a double chocolate chip cookie.
She waited for her sisters to come out of the queue before going to find their youngest sister.
Lauren was sitting in the art classroom, finishing off the assignment that their teacher had given them - to design a fall picking.
"That's pretty." Camila says softly, sitting down beside Lauren.
Lauren jumped in surprise, her pencil slipped slightly creating a big line on the page.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Camila says softly.
Lauren shook her head. She reached for the eraser and removed the line that the pencil had created.
"I got you a gluten free lunch. I made sure everything for you was gluten free." Camila says softly, sitting the tray on the table.
Lauren nodded but didn't reach for any of the food.
Sitting down, Camila slowly starts eating, having decided to be quiet.
"Okay, what's going on? Why does it seem so awkward between you two?" Dinah asked.
Camila doesn't speak up, keeping her eyes on her food as she barely eats it.
"Camila? What's wrong?" Normani asked.
The fifteen year old doesn't respond.
Normani sighed and shook her head.
"You girls know you're supposed to be in the lunch hall, right?" Lauren's art teacher stood in the doorway to her classroom.
"We know, but Lauren was here." Dinah responds immediately.
"Lauren is finishing her assignment." The teacher said, running her tanned hand through her black hair.
Camila shifts in her seat and takes a small bite of her salad.
"It's our last day here and we always eat together." Normani says softly.
The teacher frowned. "You're leaving?" She looked at Lauren.
"Our mom is pulling us out of school and homeschooling us." Dinah tells her.
The teacher looked at Dinah. "Why?"
"I can't say." Dinah responds.
"You can't say?" The teacher asked.
Dinah glances toward Camila subtly. "No."
"Oh." The teacher moved over to her desk and sat down.
****
By the time they got home, Camila was completely closed off.
"Laur, go get changed. We have somewhere to be." Ally said to her youngest daughter.
Lauren looked at Ally, tilting her head to the side.
"Mama, something's bothering Camila." Dinah says softly.
Ally looked at Dinah. "Okay. You help Lauren get changed and I'll go talk to her."
Dinah nodded and her mother walked away.
Camila was curled up on her bed, staring at the wall.
"Camila, princess, what's wrong?" Ally asked softly as she sat down on the edge of the bed beside Camila.
The teenager doesn't respond.
"Camila?" Ally repeated. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." the fifteen year old mumbles.
"Camila, talk to me." Ally said. "What's wrong?"
Camila sighs and looks up at Ally. "I think I want to live with daddy."
Ally looked at Camila in confusion, pushing her hurt down. "Why?"
"I just want to live with daddy." the fifteen year old responds, looking down.
How could she explain that she was scared of being alone when she went into labor and her dad worked from home.
"Camila, talk to me." Ally begged.
"I don't want to be alone when I have the baby." Camila whispers, tears filling her eyes.
"You won't be alone." Ally said softly.
Shaking her head, Camila looks at Ally. "But you work all the time."
"Yes I work a lot but nearer the due date I'll take more time off." Ally said softly. "Plus your father wouldn't be much help, you should have seen him when I was in labor - he passed out twice." She joked.
A small smile grows on Camila's lips. "Really?" she asks softly.
Ally nodded. "Really. Would you like to come to the appointment with Lauren and I?" She asked softly.
Biting her lip, Camila shifts slightly. "Okay."
"Okay. Get changed." Ally kissed the top of Camila's head.
Getting up, Camila moves to get changed.
Ally smiled and went to get changed herself.
After a few minutes, Camila was sitting downstairs in the living room..
Lauren was already sitting on the couch, waiting for her mom, running her fingers through Lillie's fur.
Sitting down, Camila closes her eyes.
Ally came down the stairs just moments later. "Right Girls, let's go."
Getting up, Camila runs a hand through her hair. "Okay."
Lauren got up and she followed Camila and her mother to the car.
****
"Maybe I shoulda stayed home." Camila mumbles, shifting in the waiting room chair.
"Lauren Jauregui." A nurse came into the room and called for them.
"Why do you say that?" Ally asked.
Lauren lifted her head and looked at the nurse.
Taking a deep breath, Camila looks up at Ally. "I feel like people are staring at me." she whispers, placing her hands on her slightly rounded stomach.
"No one is staring at you." Ally said softly. She reached out and gently took Camila's hand. "Let's go." She stood up.
Lauren stood up too.
Standing up, Camila keeps her head down.
They followed the nurse down the hall.
Several hours later
Camila frowns when she sees Austin and his new girlfriend in the waiting room.
"Let's head home." Ally said, taking Camila's hand and dragging her out of the waiting room. Lauren trailed behind them.
Tears were filling Camila's eyes as she curled up in the passenger seat.
Ally ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Everything will be okay." She said softly.
Lauren climbed in the back seat. "Mom, what was that appointment all about?" She spoke for the first time in months.
"Laur, your father and I believe you might have a form of autism and the doctors ran some tests to see if you had any signs." Ally says softly as she started the car and began to drive.
"Autism?" Lauren tilted her head to the side. "What's that?"
"It's a type of mental disorder." Ally says softly, not knowing how to explain it.
Lauren's face fell. "Mental disorder?" She asked, not knowing what that meant.
"Basically it means something that is holding you back." Camila mumbles from the front seat.
Lauren tilted her head to the side, still not completely understanding.
Ally sighs. "We'll talk more about this when we get home."
"Oh." Lauren sat back in the seat.
Camila curls in on herself even more, closing her eyes.
Lauren stared out of the window at the world around them.
By the time they got home, Camila was ready to run up to her room. If Austin and his new girlfriend were at the clinic then that meant there was a chance that girl was pregnant.
"Camila, help me with dinner." Ally said as the girl took off her shoes.
"I'm not feeling well." Camila whispers, not looking at Ally.
"Camila, just because you saw Austin and his 'girlfriend' doesn't mean you can shut everything out again." Ally said. "I won't let you do that."
The fifteen year old doesn't respond, looking down.
"Come help me with dinner." Ally repeated.
"I don't feel well." Camila mumbles quietly.
Ally looked at Camila. "Define not feeling well."
"My stomach hurts." the fifteen year old mumbles.
"You're probably just hungry." Ally said.
Shaking her head, Camila rushes upstairs to her room and shuts the door.
Ally sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do with her." She muttered, running her fingers through her hair.
"Maybe she shouldn't have the baby." Normani mumbles.
Ally turned her head to look at Normani. "It's her choice. She wants to have it. I can't change that."
"I don't think she's ready mama, and plus you can make her get rid of it. She's a minor." Normani says immediately.
"I don't think she's ready either." Ally agreed. "But if I make her get rid of it, I might just lose her."
Sighing, Normani shakes her head. "You'll mess her up if you don't."
"I'll mess her up?" Ally asked.
"Yes, you're supposed to protect us from things like this and you haven't." the dark skinned teen responds.
Ally took a deep breath. "I didn't know." She said. "I didn't think she'd do it. I thought she would've been more responsible and wouldn't give into pressure. I didn't even know she had a boyfriend."
"Because you've been to wrapped up in working to pay attention to us!" Normani snaps out.
"Normani! Watch your mouth!" Ally scolded.
Rolling her eyes, Normani storms out of the kitchen and up to her room, slamming the door.
Ally sighed heavily. She ran her fingers through her hair.
"I'll help with dinner, mom." Lauren said quietly from behind Ally.
"Me too." Dinah said.
There was a knock on the front door.
"Thank you girls, let me just get the door." Ally says softly.
Dinah and Lauren nodded and went into the kitchen.
Making her way to the door, Ally smiles softly. "Hello Blake,"
Blake smiled. "Hi, Mrs. Hernandez. Is Lauren home?" She asked, running her fingers through her soft long brown hair.
"She is, her and Dinah are about to help me make dinner." Ally responds, opening the door wider for Blake.
"Oh. I can come back later." Blake said.
Smiling, Ally shakes her head. "You can join us if you want."
"Are you sure? I don't want to impose." Blake said.
"Of course Blake." the older woman responds immediately.
Blake swallowed. "Thank you. I'll leave as soon as your food is ready." She said, stepping into the house and removing her shoes.
"You can join us for dinner if you'd like." Ally says softly.
"Um... only if it's not a problem." Blake said.
Ally smiles and leads Blake to the kitchen. "It's no problem at all."
"Blake!" Lauren squealed, surprising everyone, running over to the older girl and throwing her arms around her.
Smiling, Blake wraps her arms around Lauren. "Hi Laur."
Lauren pulled away and smiled at Blake before returning to getting Lillie's food out for her.
****
"I'm going to daddy's." Camila mumbles during dinner.
"When?" Ally asked, looking up at Camila.
The fifteen year old takes a deep breath. "Soon."
"That's not specific enough." Ally said.
Sighing, Camila puts her fork down and looks at Ally. "After dinner."
"Why?" Ally asked. "What have I done now?" She thought she'd done something wrong.
"Maybe I should go." Blake said, moving to stand up. She felt like she was imposing.
Frowning, Camila shakes her head. "Nothing mama, I just want to stay with daddy."
"Why?" Ally asked, trying not to let this hurt her.
"Because it's too crowded here." Camila says softly, looking down.
"Too crowded?" Ally asked.
"I'm going to go." Blake got up. "Thanks for dinner." She left the room and pulled on her shoes.
Frowning, Lauren follows behind her.
Nodding her head, Camila gets up and places her plate on the counter.
"Camila, don't you dare go anywhere." Ally said.
Tensing, Camila turns to look at Ally.
"Your father isn't home." Ally said. "He's... he's out on a date."
Tears fill Camila's eyes and she rushes up to her room.
Ally sighed heavily. She ran her fingers through her hair.
Getting up, she makes her way into the hallway, prepared to follow after Camila. She caught sight, out of the corner of her eye, of Blake and Lauren's lips pressed together.
Deciding not to say anything, Ally continues on her way up to Camila's room. She found Camila sobbing on her bed.
"Mila? Why are you crying?" she asks softly, sitting down beside her.
Camila moved away from Ally, curling up into a ball.
"Talk to me." Ally says softly, trying to fight back the hurt she feels.
"I'm not ready to be a mom but I don't want to get rid of it or put it up for adoption." Camila sobbed.
Ally pulls Camila into her arms. "It's okay, your father and I will help you."
Camila sat up a little bit and wrapped her arms around her mother, burying her face in Ally's chest. "I'm sorry." She sniffed.
"Shh, I've got you." Ally says softly, rubbing her back.
Eventually, Camila cried herself to sleep.
****
"Hey, what happened?" Marcus asks as he stands in the kitchen with Ally.
"What do you mean?" Ally asked as she moved over to the table to collect the dishes.
Running a hand through his hair, Marcus sighs. "Dinah called me and said Camila wanted to move in with me."
Ally stopped for a moment and swallowed before returning to what she was doing. "She did, does... I don't know anymore."
"What's going on?" Marcus asks softly, sitting down at the table.
"I don't know anymore." Ally repeated.
Sighing, he watches Ally for a few minutes before moving to help her..
"I can't do this on my own." Ally admitted. "You always knew what to do. I don't... I didn't... I still don't."
Wrapping his arms around her, Marcus sighs softly. "We can still cancel the divorce."
Ally swallowed, she closed her eyes.
Lifting her head, Marcus caresses her cheek. "Allycat, we can cancel it."
"I don't know what to do. If we are together, all we do is fight and that's not good for the girls." Ally whispered.
Kissing her forehead, Marcus sighs softly. "We'll go to counselling."
Ally looked up at him. "You're serious?"
Lillie trotted into the kitchen followed by Lauren, who pulled Lillie's lead from the cupboard.
"Yes." Marcus says softly.
Ally nodded. "Laur." She turned in Marcus's arms. "I have a question for you."
Lauren stopped what she was doing and looked up at her mother. She swallowed.
"Why were you kissing Blake?" Ally asked.
Lauren froze, fear running through her veins.
"Don't be scared, I just want to know." Ally says softly.
Lauren looked between her mother and father, taking a step back. She didn't know what to say. She wouldn't have been able to get the words out of her mouth even if she did know what to say.
Marcus slowly moves over to her, so he doesn't scare her. "Laur, do you like Blake? As more than a friend."
Lauren stared up at her father. She swallowed, hesitating. After a long moment, Lillie rubbed her head against Lauren's hand, as it felt encouraging to the fourteen year old to tell her parents. Lauren nodded once.
"Okay, you haven't done anything with her correct?" Marcus asks softly.
Lauren looked confused, tilting her head to the side.
"Anything more than kissing." Marcus explains softly.
Lauren shook her head. She didn't understand what he meant, considering they hadn't told her what sex was yet.
"Okay. Why don't you go take your shower and get ready for bed." Ally says softly.
Lauren held up Lillie's lead.
"I'll walk her princess." Marcus says softly.
Lauren looked down at Lillie and back up at her father, hesitating. She swallowed before reluctantly holding out the dog's lead.
"Go get your shower." Ally says softly.
Lauren nodded. She left the kitchen once her father had the lead in his hand and went up the stairs.
"Do you really want to cancel the divorce? You were just out on a date." Ally says softly.
Marcus looked at Ally. "I wasn't into it." He said honestly.
Swallowing thickly Ally looks at Marcus. "Are you sure about this?"
"If it would help the girls, then yes." Marcus said.
Nodding her head, the brown eyed girl moves closer to Marcus and looks into his eyes. "Then we should try."
Marcus nodded. "Yeah. We should."
Lillie barked. She really wanted to go for that walk.
"I'll be back after her walk." Marcus says before leaving with Lillie.
Ally sighed and moved around the kitchen, continuing to clean up the mess that had been left from dinner.
"Want some help?" Dinah asks softly, walking into the kitchen.
"You should be getting ready for bed." Ally said.
"You do realise that Lauren goes to bed earlier than me." Dinah said. "She goes to bed at half nine and I go to bed at half ten."
Sighing, Ally runs a hand through her hair. "I know. I'm sorry."
Dinah shrugged. "Whatever. Do you need help?"
"You don't have to, but it would be appreciated." Ally responds softly.
"What can I do?" Dinah asked.
Running a hand through her hair, Ally looks at Dinah. "Can you do the dishes?"
"Sure." Dinah nodded and moved over to the sink.
"Thank you." Ally says softly.