Crawling Back To The Way We Were…
By: Kathy-Lynn Brown
Brooke placed the Greek salad onto the table. Baby Angie was finally asleep and Brooke thought she'd use this time to cook dinner for Lucas. He'd been so wonderful to her for the past month, helping out with Angie and even at the store. For once Lucas was truly being a good friend.
"Brooke, you here?" Lucas called through the house as he entered.
"Shh…." She said as she met him in the hallway. "Angie's asleep and I've cooked dinner."
He placed his briefcase on the hallway table and followed Brooke's small frame into the kitchen. "Wow, Brooke you didn't have to do this."
"Theres lasagna, salad, bread sticks, white wine and cheesecake for dessert." She said as she lit the last candle on the table.
"It looks great." He pulled out her chair for her and took a seat across the table, unfolding the napkin placing it on his lap.
"How was your day?"
"Long. How about yours?" He poured the white wine into the crystal glass.
"Great. I actually got a new line designed. Well half of it anyway." She smiled.
"Angie must have been asleep for a long time."
"Luke, I want to think you for letting us stay. You've been a wonderful with Angie. I mean Peyton is great but Angie really likes you a lot."
Lucas smiled. "It's my pleasure." The truth was the house seemed lonely without his mom and Lilly. He tried to fill the void with Lindsay and although he did have feelings for her he felt like something wasn't there. The was only one person that Lucas ever really loved and none-else that he dated ever came close to that person. It was really nice having Brooke and baby Angie there.
Angie woke up and her cry carried through the baby monitor. "There's my que." She smiled and slid out of her chair.
"I can get her."
"That's okay, your turn is later." She patted him on the shoulder. "Like around 2:30am." She laughed.
"Gee, thanks." He watched as she disappeared from the kitchen. Brooke was a terrific mother to Angie. And for some reason he wasn't surprised. Maybe because of Brooke's mom. Victoria was hard and made Brooke feel like she was never loved. And because that Brooke knew exactly how to be a good mom, do everything different than her mom.
--
"See there it was just a dirty old diaper. Yes it was." Brooke said as she fasten the last button on the onesie. She lifted her kissing her baby soft skin.
"Need some help?" Lucas asked as he entered the room.
"Nah, I've got everything under control, aint that right." She traced the outline of Angie's face.
"You're a natural, Brooke." He walked over to the baby bed picking up a teddy bear. "You have that motherly glow and it looks amazing on you."
"You think."
"I know."
Brooke felt her cheeks warming up like eyes on a stove. "I figured we'd go home tomorrow. I mean we've been interfering in your life long enough. It's time you for you to get back to normal. That way you can put Lilly's things back in the attic and turn this into the office you wanted." She laid Angie down softly in the crib.
"Huh,… actually I was thinking that I'd keep things like they are. That way you'll always have a place to go when you need some help."
"I'd like that." Brooke stroked Angie's soft black hair. "She's gonna miss your bedtime stories."
"I'll miss her too." He took Brooke's hand." And I'm gonna miss your conversations late at night when I can't sleep." He said softly.
"Listen to us. We sound as if Angie and I are moving a hundred miles away." She let go of Lucas's hand and walked over to the dresser. She picked up a picture of her and Lucas horsing around in Karen's café. Karen had taken the picture and framed it for Lucas. He placed it there and never hid it away. He tried but he couldn't seem to be able too. "I can't believe you still have this picture."
"Why wouldn't I? I mean it was the best time of my life." Lucas knew that he didn't want Brooke and the baby to leave. The truth was the past month he began to remember just how much he loved her. And how much he was starting to fall in love with baby Angie. Why couldn't he just tell her? Maybe he was scared to go backwards when things were going so great with them as close friends.
"Yeah. Those were the day's huh? The Lucas, Brooke and Peyton years." She laughed. "Well I'm gonna clean up the kitchen and turn in." She starts towards the door. "Lucas."
"Yeah."
"Thanks." She left the room. She realized that she still had those feelings for Lucas. But she was afraid to go there again, because every time she'd follow her heart it just got broken.
