This Is How You Get Her Back

Thirteen

"Alessandra, baby, are you going anywhere this afternoon?"

I glanced at the passenger seat and found Lauren with a huge smile on her pretty little face, bringing one on mine as well. "No, why? You seem bubbly," I replied.

"Logan texted," she said.

"Your brother, right?" I asked. She hummed a yes. "He seems really cool. I want to meet him."

"You're about to," she said. I didn't even have to look to tell that she's smiling.

"Wait, really?" I asked excitedly as I turned to her.

"Eyes on the road, Alessandra," she scolded with a laugh. "He's dropping off my niece after lunch. She's going to sleep over tonight at our place because Logan's nanny took a day off. Is that okay with you? I really want you to meet my brother and his kid."

"Yeah, of course! I love kids."

"You're the best," she said before she leaned over to the driver's side and kissed my cheek.

"What's her name? What's she like? Come on, give me some details. I'm excited," I happily asked.

"She has the prettiest name in the world. I want you to guess."

"Umm... I don't know. I can't think of anything pretty except you," I said, making her laugh, though I could tell that she's blushing.

"You have the same name. She's also an Alessandra."

I blushed, realizing again how playful she is with her words. "I bet she's amazing. Tell me about her."

"She's 6 years old and she's the literal spawn of the Joker, but way cuter," she started, causing me to laugh. "That kid is so manipulative, babe! She can make you do anything she wants, I'm not kidding! One pout and you're gone!"

"What, like you're not manipulative?" I asked with a smirk. "Maybe she got it from you."

"I'm not manipulative," she said with a frown.

"Uhh, yes you are. You take off your shirt and I'm gone," I teased.

She laughed. "f**k, I love yo—" she pauses. Was she about to say what I thought she was about to say? "Oh my god. Umm... your... uhh... your shoes. I love your shoes?"

With wide eyes and a fluttering heart, I turned my head towards her, who was blushing like crazy and avoiding eye contact. "I'm... I'm wearing heels, babe," I stuttered as my brain dried out of things to say.

"Watch the road, loser," looking down at her hands, she mumbled with a frown.

I let go of the steering wheel with my left hand, and reached over to hold her right hand. I gave it a light squeeze, and I felt her relax significantly. "Feelings are okay, Lauren. I know my fashion sense is incredible," I said.

"Babeee," she whined. "You're such a butt."

"You can curse around me, you know," I said with a chuckle.

"Never. As much as possible, I'm only ever cursing when we have sex."

My eyes widened and my body caught on fire as heated fantasies of me and Lauren flash in my head. "I—uhh—umm—" I swallowed hard and coughed.

Over 3 months together, and we still haven't had s*x. It drove me crazy, and I was honestly just waiting for her to make a move. She hasn't tried anything since that one time when I was on my period.

I heard her laugh. "Chill your hormones, babe. Focus on looking for parking."

"You suck," I said as I parked and shut off the engine of our car.

"I can't wait to change my shitty bed," she said as she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

With an adoring smile, I followed her to one of the most sapphic places in the world: IKEA.

"No, no, babe, this screw goes here," Lauren argued.

We were sat down on the floor while Lauren tried to figure out how to build the nightstand that she bought last minute. We decided to build this one before the bed because this was smaller, and therefore should have been easier, but she has been trying for over 20 minutes, and she wasn't even halfway yet. Thank Lauren for picking the most complicated nightstand in the store, and refusing to read the manual.

"Lauren, the picture says it's supposed to go here, not there," I argued back, amused at Lauren's frustration. "Maybe you should try following the manual, you know."

"I don't need it."

"Let me try."

Eyebrows scrunched up while looking between the manual and the parts, Lauren sighed in defeat. "Fine. I hate this."

I moved towards her and gave her a kiss. "You're just saying that because you suck at it, cutie." I took the manual from her and began building. In less than 5 minutes, I finished it.

Lauren looked at me like I just discovered another planet or something. "What the hell? How did you—what?!" she expressed when I easily finished building her nightstand. "What kind of magic was that?!"

I laughed as I crawled towards her, who leaned on the wall in genuine surprise and confusion. "No magic, babe. I read the manual. You should try it next time."

She pulled me over to sit on her lap. "How am I going to survive without you and that pretty little brain?" she asked as she rested her forehead on mine.

"Guess you're stuck with me then, huh?"

"I don't mind," she said before she closed the gap between our lips.

But as things began to get heated, we heard someone knock on the door.

With a frustrated sigh, Lauren pulled away and rested her head on the wall. "The universe refuses to get me laid," she said.

"Maybe tonight's your lucky night," I said with a wink. I stood up from her lap. "Let's go meet your niece." I pulled her up and she led me to the door.

She opened the door, and I saw a really tall and well built man who looked like the male version of Lauren. He pulled Lauren into a hug, and the laugh that came out of my girl was the cutest thing ever.

"You asshole, you just won't stop growing," Lauren said.

I looked beside Logan, and found a little girl in a pink dress, smiling at me. I waved at her, and she giggled. Our little moment was interrupted by introductions.

"I'm Logan. Lauren's more attractive brother," he greeted.

"I'm Alessandra," I replied.

"Hey, kid, you have the same name!" Logan said to his daughter, whose eyes widened in amazement.

"I'm Alessandra too!" she said with a grin.

I squatted on the floor to meet her height. "Nice to meet you. Can I call you Ally?"

She smiled and nodded. "I like that. It sounds cool. And it's easier to say."

"Anyway, I got to go," Logan interrupts. "Thanks for letting her sleep over. And it was nice meeting you, Alessandra."

"It was nice meeting you too, Logan," I said back before he left. "Come in, Ally," I said as I stood up.

Ally held my hand with her little ones and followed us in. I caught Lauren looking at me with a relaxed smile I've never seen before.

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked Ally as I led her to the sofa.

She shook her head no. "Dad and I already had burgers. But thank you," she replied. "Is Aunt Lauren your girlfriend?"

Lauren choked on the water she was drinking, making me and Ally laugh.

"Well, I haven't officially asked her yet," I said. "But she better not be flirting with anyone else."

Lauren walked from the kitchen to behind the sofa and leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "You know I'm all yours, babe," she whispered in my ear, bringing shivers all over my body. She walked around the sofa and sat beside me, leaving me between her and Ally.

"Do you love her?" Ally asked me, surprising Lauren and I.

I chuckled. I moved over to whisper to Ally. "Very much. But that's a secret."

Ally smiled as I sat back up. She nodded and zipped her mouth shut.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Lauren whined. "I've known you longer, and you're already keeping secrets from me, kid?"

I lightly nudged Lauren, causing her to frown. "Don't be mean to Ally."

"You have nicknames now? Man, this isn't fair."

"Want to help me build a bed while Aunt Lauren makes milkshakes for us?" I asked Ally. She nodded. "Make us milkshakes babe," I said to Lauren, who was pouting. I put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "Please, babe?"

She playfully rolled her eyes and laughed. "And you said I was manipulative," she said as she stood up.

"Alessandras, it's already 1 in the morning. You two should get some sleep," Lauren said.

Looking up from our colouring book, Ally and I looked at Lauren who was lying down on our newly built and extremely comfortable bed.

"But we're still colouring," Ally said.

"You need to go to sleep, kid," Lauren argued. "You don't want to grow up to be as short as your Aunt Alessandra over there."

"But..." Ally said with a pout.

"Nope. You're not playing me like that. You need to go to sleep."

I shot Lauren a playful look, making her stick her tongue out. "She's right, Ally. We have a big day tomorrow," I said.

Ally yawned and nodded.

"You follow her but not me? Unbelievable," Lauren mumbled to herself.

We sat up from the floor and cleaned up our colourful mess. Ally crawled into bed beside Lauren, and I followed, keeping little Ally comfortably between me and my girl.

Realizing how familial we looked, I smiled as I concluded that I'm definitely marrying Lauren.

"Can you sing to me, Aunt Alessandra?" Ally requests, surprising me.

"Sure. What song do you want?" I asked.

"I really like that song that dad always plays on the guitar. The one that goes 'I can't see me loving nobody but you for all my life,'" she sang adorably off key in her little voice.

"Happy together?" I asked. She nodded. "I don't really sing well, so don't expect too much, okay?"

She giggled. "I heard you sing when we were building. You're good."

"Aww, thanks Ally," I said.

Ally snuggled in my chest comfortably.

"Imagine me and you, I do

I think about you day and night, it's only right

To think about the girl you love and hold her tight

So happy together," I sang softly, glancing up at a smiling Lauren at the right times.

"If I should call you up, invest a dime

And you say you belong to me and ease my mind

Imagine how the world could be, so very fine

So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you

For all my life

When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue

For all my life," I sang. By the time I got to the next verse, Ally has already begun quietly snoring.

I looked up at Lauren, who looked at me with a loving smile.

"You tired her out, Lévesque," Lauren said with a sleepy smile. She reached over sleeping Ally and held my hand. "You should sing more often. Your voice is lovely." And I did. Since that night, I've sang her to sleep almost every night.

"Anything you want," I replied.

"She really likes you, you know. Heck, she likes you more than she likes me," Lauren commented.

"I love kids. I'm gonna miss her when she goes. She's a lot of fun," I replied.

"I'll ask Logan to make her come over often, then. You're really cute when you're with kids."

"I'm always cute, but thanks, babe."

"You're getting as cocky as I am. I love it," she said with a light laugh. I saw her eyes fluttering.

"Get some rest, Lau."

"Wait, I have to tell you something," she mumbled sleepily as she tried to stay awake.

I smiled and kissed her hand. "I know, baby. Get some sleep. I love you, too."

She flashed the most content smile ever as she tiredly looked at me in the eyes. "I love you. So much." Then she fell asleep.

I smiled as I closed my eyes to sleep, knowing two very important things: 1, that I'm madly in love with Lauren; 2, that she loves me back; and 3, that the things that Ally and I coloured were tools to officially ask Lauren to be my girlfriend tomorrow.