Chapter 39

We got back to California three days ago. Right now, Trey's helping me unpack in my new bedroom. Cody's at the studio and Dad's at work. "When can we make my bed?" "I don't know. Not today though, we're just doing the basics. You can sleep on just your mattress for a night or two." "Come on! There won't be any more time where you're free and Dad can't do it to save his life."

Trey laughed at me and sighed. "Put the mattress against the wall and I'll make a start. You'll have to help me though." "I will." I nodded and lifted it up. The two of us messed around as we built my new bed. Trey put the mattress on the bed and I put the sheets on it.

"I still think it's unfair how you get a room and I don't." "You have your own house." "You have three bedrooms!" His voice went squeeky as he raised it which made me laugh. "There's a guest room." I stuck out my tongue. "I'm more important than just a guest." "Not to meeeee." I sung. "Hey! I just made your bed!" He pushed me.

"It's probably gonna break within a week." I teased. "Tell Cody to take it easy then." He smirked. "Trey!" I scolded. He laughed and put a box on the bed. "I'm just joking." "Sure." I rolled my eyes and helped him to unpack the box.

"Dad's gonna build me a closet." "You've got one." "Not that. The bedroom next door. He's gonna put a door in that wall and then he's gonna build me the shelves and everything. Also he's gonna put long mirrors all along one wall so the whole wall is a mirror." "Aren't you a lucky chick?" "I am." I nodded.

"When's he gonna do this?" "When he has the time, for now I'm just leaving my clothes in that room." I explained. "Makes sense." "It does." "I was gonna say because six bedrooms is a lot for two people." "Well Lilly has a room. I have two. Dad has one and there's a guest room." "What about the sixth?" "I don't know." I shrugged. "He hasn't told me."

"You heard his plans for the basement?" Trey raised his eyebrows. "Yes! It was my idea." I grinned. "I remember when we moved into the other house and you were begging for this." "You wanted it too!" "I wasn't the one crying because the house didn't have a basement." "I was eight-years-old!" I defended.

The plans for the basement was to have a projecter screen on one wall and comfy pillows, beanbags and blankets on the floor so that you could watch the TV, movies or play video games in comfort. There's going to be fairy lights hung around the room and stuffed animals everywhere too.

"It'll be a fun place for Bump." I smiled. "Yeah, he'll be able to crawl around down there and learn to walk because of all the soft things." "Not straight away, you doofus." I rolled my eyes. "How long until he'll be able to crawl?" "Haven't you read into this?" "No. I didn't think I need to." "You need to know the basics." "Okay. Now I'm scared." He sat on the bed.

"You gotta teach me?" "Does Cara know this stuff?" "She's reading all kinds of baby books so I guess so." He shrugged. "But I know nothing." "It's fine. You'll learn." I sat down next to him. "I bet you know more than I do." "I do child development at school so I've been learning about it since the start of high school." "I know nothing." He said.

"All you need to know is that you're gonna love that baby more than you've loved anything before and the rest you'll learn with time. It's something new and it's something scary, but you're gonna be the best dad in the world. I know that for two reasons; one, look at your example, he's one of a kind. And two? You're an amazing, irreplaceable big brother."

"Cody told me how you felt about this." "What do you mean?" "You're scared of being replaced. But you're always going to be my baby girl. Even if the baby turns out to be a girl, you were here first and you had my heart first. You and I? We're a two-man team and just because I'm having a baby and starting a family, that's not changing. Okay?" "Okay." I smiled and got up.

"Oh and before I do anything, there's something I wanna talk to you about." He said. I turned around to see him sat there with a small box in his hand. "What's that?" I pointed to it. Trey popped the box open and showed me. "When the baby's been born, I was thinking of maybe.. Asking Cara to marry me." He said with a massive, corny grin.

"Okay." I said simply and continued to unpack a box. "How do you feel about that?" "I'm happy for you." "You don't sound it." "Well I am." I sent him another smile. Trey popped the box closed and put it back in his pocket. "Do you like the ring?" "Mhm. It's nice." "Speaking of rings." Trey was holding my jewlerry box with it open.

"Put it back." I told him. "Why isn't it on?" "Put it back." I repeated. "What did he do this time?" Trey sighed. "He sle- We had an argument." "He sle.." "We had an argument." "Fine. I'll ask him." "Fine." I smiled sarcastically and took the box of him. I placed it on my new dresser and set my ring next to it.

"This is so boring!" Trey complained and laid back on the bed. "Go unpack some of the boxes from downstairs then." I shrugged. "That's even more bor-" Trey was cut off by his phone ringing. He quickly picked it up and pressed it against his ear. "Hey, baby. Are you okay? Do you need anything?" He walked out of the room. "Bye then." I scoffed.

Trey left after his phone call with Cara. He said that she needed him. I rung Marcus and asked him to come over because I was bored. "Hey." I opened the front door. "I like this." He came inside and looked around. "You want a tour?" I offered. "Of course I do." He nodded.

I showed him around the house and told him what the plans for each room were going to be which took around a half hour. We went outside and sat on the swings of the child's playset. "Does Boyfriend know I'm here?" "Why do you have to ask about him? What's the point in it?" "Okay, calm down." He laughed.

"But no, he doesn't know. I don't run every detail of my life by him." "Good." "Why is that good?" "I jus-" "I know you don't like him and you don't have to. I'd just appreciate it if you could be respectful of him. I've asked him the same thing so everything's fair." "So everything's fair?" "Yes." "I don't think it's fair that he gets to be with you all day and all night. He gets to kiss you and to touch you and to love you and all I get to do is be your friend." "Marcus," "No. It's true and it's not fair so don't tell me it's fair."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. The air was full of awkward tension. "If you'd moved here a few weeks earlier or even a few days earlier, things might have been different, but you didn't. Things are as they are and I'm sorry." "So, I might have had a chance?" "I find you very attractive and I like you very much. But I'm in love with him."

"I wish I could understand." "I'm sorry." "Just admit that if I'd moved here earlier, we could have been together. I wanna hear you say it." "I don't think that will help anything." "We both know it's true so just say it!" He rasied his voice. I stood up and so did he. "Getting mad won't help you." "Just admit it." He pulled me closer to him by my jacket.

"It won't help." I sighed and looked into his eyes. "It'll help me." He whispered. "Marcus," I put my hand on his chest and pushed him gently but he didn't move. "We're not supposed to be this close." I looked away from him. "I like it." He held my jacket tightly in one hand and he used the other to hold my face so I'd have to look at him.

"I don't feel comfortable." I tried to move. "Kiss me." Marcus whispered. "Marcus, this is wrong. That's wrong. I have a boyfriend and I love him very much." "He doesn't have to find out." "Yes he does." "No he doesn't." "He does." "He doesn't." "He do-" I was cut off by his lips crashing into mine.

At first I kissed him back and let him hold me. I then pushed him back away from me and shook my head. "I think you need to leave." I said. Marcus has an annoyingly smug smirk on his face. "You just kissed me." "I didn't choose to." "You kissed me back." "You need to go." I started to walk inside.

"Are you gonna tell him?" Marcus asked as I opened the front door for him. "He's going to kill you." "You kissed me back!" "He's going to kill you." I repeated. "He won't touch me. He's all mouth and no acti-" "You can think that all you want but you have to go." "Fine. I'm guessing I'll be seeing you and your boyfriend later." He stepped out of the door.

I closed the door and quickly got out my phone. I pressed on Alli's number and rung her. "He-" "Alli, I've done the worst thing that you could possibly imagine. I'm freaking out, I'm shaking and I'm so scared." "What did you do?" "Marcus came over to see me and we were talking and he kissed me and I didn't want to but I did for a second and Cody's going to hate me." I slid down the wall and hugged my knees before hiding my face and starting to cry.

"Why did you let him do it?" "I kept telling him no and that it was wrong and that I loved Cody but he caught me off guard. I don't know why but at first I kissed him back." "Why would you do that?!" "I don't know, Alli! I'm a horrible person." "No you're not. You need to stop crying." "I have every right to cry, he's going to break up with me."

"If he even thinks about it, I promise you, he's a complete jerk. He's done this to you twice and slept with your best friend, you're allowed one slip up." "I don't deserve him." "Lauren!" Alli scolded. "What?" I wiped my tears. "Don't you dare say that!" "Are you mad at me?" "No, of course I'm not." Her voice turned soft again.

"Cody will be." "He will be but he'll come round." "I don't know, Alli." "Trust me. But you just have to tell him." "I'll tell him when he gets back from the studio. He's coming over tonight so I'll tell him then." "Okay, good." "What if he gets really really mad?" "That's where my part comes in. I'll do my job as the little sister to make him see sense." She said.

Just then the front door opened, I looked up and smiled at Dad. He smiled back and went into the kitchen. "Als, I gotta go." I said. "Okay, make sure you tell him." "I will." I said and hung up. I got up off the floor and went into the kitchen.

"What's your mascara doing on your cheeks? It's supposed to be on your eyelashes." Dad said as he wetted a paper towel and started to wipe my makeup off my cheeks. "It's not important." I forced a smile. "Daddy's here to fix it." He kissed my forehead and threw the paper towel in the trash. "I gotta go fix myself up. I'm gonna put on some sweats too." I said before going upstairs.

I put on a white tank top and some gray sweats. They're baggy at the top but then tight around the bottom of my leg. I put on some white fuzzy socks and Trey's gray zip-up hoodie. I then put on some light make up and then stared at the promise ring on my dresser. I sighed and slid it onto my finger before grabbing a hair tie to do up my hair.

"Lauren!" Dad shouted. "Yeah?" "Get down here now and into the car!" "Why?" I came to the top of the stairs. "We're going to the hospital!" He had a huge smile on his face. "Seriously?!" I shouted and raced down the stairs. "Shoes!" Dad reminded so I ran back upstairs. I put on some gray supras and then ran back downstairs.