Thank you to everyone who read Making It Through The Rain. All the comments were appreciated. I hope you enjoy my new story, The Haunting Past as much. It's quite different than Making It. Enjoy!
"I said, no," Brooke replied into the phone.
"Why not?" the voice asked.
"Because it's what's best for you. Please understand," Brooke pleaded.
Ridge walked into Brooke's office. Brooke motioned for Ridge to sit down and turned her back to him as he did so.
"I don't like this," the voice said.
Tears welled up in Brooke's eyes. Ridge wondered who Brooke was talking to. Fiddling with his briefcase, he pretended not to be avidly listening to her conversation.
"Trust me, it's for the best, at least for now, ok. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later," she said.
"Sure, whatever," the voice replied sullenly.
"Please don't act like this."
"Why? So you won't feel guilty for giving me the brush off like usual? Fine, I forgive you. Go back to your real life now." The line went dead.
"Wait," Brooke yelled. Ridge got out of his seat and walked around Brooke's desk. He turned her around. Tears streamed down her face. He removed the phone from her hand, hung it up, and gently pulled her into an embrace.
"Logan, what's wrong?" he whispered in her ear. Brooke stepped away from Ridge's comforting arms. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose.
"Nothing I can't handle," she answered.
"You can handle anything, Logan, I have no doubt about that. But that's not what I asked you. I asked you, what's wrong? Is it Rick or Bridget?"
Brooke shook her head. "No, they're fine. A situation has just come up and it's harder to deal with than I originally imagined." She wiped her face. "But that's life." She sat back in her chair and indicated to Ridge to go back to his. He did so reluctantly.
"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but why are you here? Trying to steal our designs?" She gave him a slight smile.
Ridge did not buy the smile for a minute, but it didn't seem like Logan was going to tell him what was bothering her. He decided to give it one last try.
"Logan, I'm here if you ever need me."
She shook her head. "No, you're not," she said as tears threatened to spill down her face again.
He gave her a bewildered look.
Brooke continued, "I mean you are and I know that, but you can't be, Ridge. I've spent more than half my life in love with you and whenever we didn't work out, I would allow myself to fall into relationships with men I couldn't or wouldn't allow myself to love the way they deserved."
Brooke walked over to her window and stared out, seeing nothing.
"I figured if I couldn't give Bridget and Rick the perfect family with you and me as parents, they could at least have a man who loved them and me with all of his heart." Brooke let the tears flow freely. Ridge was stunned into silence by Brooke's words.
"But I failed miserably. Every time there was trouble in your marriage I pounced, destroying whatever I had created with that man. And whenever I was happy in a relationship, you started dropping crumbs of affection again." She began pacing her office floor.
"I don't want that for Hope. I want her to know Uncle Ridge and Aunt Taylor as her mommy's good friends, that's it. And until I can get to that point, then we can't talk."
"What!" Ridge exclaimed. "I agree that we've had an unorthodox relationship over the years, but we've always been able to talk, even when you married dad and had Rick."
"And we flirted," Brooke added.
Ridge nodded. "Friendship between men and women involves flirtation, it doesn't have to lead to anything."
Brooke stopped pacing, stared at Ridge, and rolled her eyes. "You're right. Bridget was almost your daughter because flirtation leads to nothing."
Ridge chose to ignore her comment. "With Whip shirking his fatherly duties, Hope needs to know how men and women relate. She needs a strong male influence in her life."
Brooke shook her head. "You can't be the male figure in her life because our flirtation always leads to something."
Ridge grinned remembering their flirtatious past. Brooke carefully watched his expression.
"That's what I am talking about." She pointed at his grin. "I don't want her to know about our past."
Ridge laughed out loud. "C'mon, Logan, now you're being ridiculous and delusional. There is no way she will not know about us as soon as she starts school, especially once they figure out who her mother is."
"You're right, she will find out. But when she does I want her to react like kids do when they realize for the first time that their parents have sex-" Brooke stared into Ridge's eyes, "with shock and disbelief. So until that can happen. I don't want to talk to you or know you, starting now. Please leave."
Ridge walked over to her. Brooke took a step back with every step he took forward. Finally, Ridge stopped moving.
"Logan, this is crazy. You've been my best friend for more than twenty years."
"Taylor is your wife. She should be your best friend."
Ridge ran his fingers through his hair. "Stop this. You know what I mean."
"No, I don't know what you mean. I only know what you say."
Ridge had had enough. "I'm not allowing this."
Brooke glared at Ridge. "You're not allowing this," she yelled in outrage. "You're not allowing this, when did you become my father. Go sell that line to your kids or Taylor, but not me!"
Picking up the stapler from her desk, Brooke threw it at Ridge as he came closer. It flew through the air, narrowly missing his head.
"Brooke!" He yelled while ducking.
"Get out Ridge!" She pointed to the door.
"Logan, let's talk. I didn't—"
"Don't forget I was the star pitcher of my high school softball team." Brooke picked up the vase that sat on the edge of her desk.
Backpedaling to the door, he opened it and paused. "When you-"
Brooke launched the vase. Ridge quickly slammed the door as the vase smashed against the door, shattering into thousands of pieces.
Brooke took a hundred deep breaths, picked up the phone and dialed.
Thankfully Megan was not at her desk when Ridge walked to the elevators. Taking the elevator down one flight, Ridge was so absorbed in his thoughts about Brooke's speech that he ran directly into his mother as he was getting off the elevator. The papers in his mother's hand scattered everywhere. Ridge bent down with Stephanie and picked them up.
"I'm sorry, mother. Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, son. How are you? You seem to be a million miles away."
"It's Brooke," he answered.
Stephanie frowned. "What did she do now?"
Ridge handed his mother the last of the papers. "She didn't do anything. I went to her office."
"Why?" questioned Stephanie.
"I came to see if you and she would like to go to lunch with me. I wanted to celebrate the fact that my mother and best friend are finally getting along," he explained.
"And what happened?"
"I didn't get a chance to ask her, she was on the phone crying. I tried to comfort her."
"Ridge!" Stephanie exclaimed.
"Mother, what was I suppose to do? My best friend was in pain."
"You could have called me or your father."
"It wasn't that type of situation."
Stephanie glared at Ridge.
"Then suddenly, she's telling me how we can't be friends anymore."
"What!" Stephanie asked, shocked.
"I know." Ridge nodded in agreement. "Then she threw me out of her office."
Stephanie smiled, but Ridge was too distracted to notice.
"Mother, what is going on? What are you doing to my relationship with Brooke?" Ridge asked.
Stephanie looked at him with disbelief. "Ridge, you don't have a relationship with her. In order for Brooke to ever be over this obsession she has with you-"
Ridge frowned. He opened his mouth to speak, but Stephanie gave him a look and he closed his mouth.
"I'm quite proud of her, actually. I'm glad she had the strength to cut you out of her life."
"That is nothing to be proud of. I can't allow my best friend, who's been part of my life and has meant as much to me as Brooke has, to do this," Ridge stated with determination.
Walking over to Ridge, Stephanie brought her hand to his face gently stroking his cheek. "If you ever loved or cared about Brooke, you'll respect her wishes and leave her alone." She kissed his cheek and got into the elevator. As the doors closed, she thanked God that Brooke was finally letting Ridge go. Hopefully, soon Brooke would be a fading memory in the Forrester family history.
Ridge watched his mother leave. No one was going to stop his relationship with Brooke, not his mother, not even Brooke. He pressed the button and waited for the elevator.
Brooke ran one hand through her hair and the other kept the phone next to her ear. "I don't know what to do."
"Yes, you do, allow him to be part of your life," Storm said from his office in San Diego, while he perused some legal documents.
"Storm, you know it's not that simple."
"Do you love him?"
"Of course."
"Are you ashamed of him?" Storm asked.
"No!" Brooke sat straight up in her chair. "No. That's the same thing he asked."
"With good reason."
"I'm just trying to protect him. I don't want him to get involved in all this madness."
"He already is."
Silence permeated the phone line. Putting down his documents, Storm rubbed his temples.
"Brooke, I'll be straight with you. In the beginning, I thought this was for the best, like you did. But now it's time to let the truth come out. Right now, you're being a coward."
"What! No-" Brooke exclaimed.
"Shut up," Storm yelled into the phone, "and listen. Your cowardice is going to cause you to lose him permanently."
Brooke looked at the broken vase by the door. She then looked at her favorite picture of her, Rick, Bridget, Hope, and Little Eric on her desk. It was time to make some major decisions.
"I love you, lil sis," Storm said softly.
"I love you, too, big bro." Brooke quietly hung up the phone and dissolved into tears.
Justin watched the kids play in the sand. He had been sitting in his hideaway for over an hour watching the identical twin girls dressed in matching bathing suits chase two older boys. The oldest boy was named Zende and the younger boy was Thomas; he had heard the babysitter Catherine say their names. The twins were Stephanie and Phoebe, though he couldn't tell which was which.
Zende told Thomas to go deep as he ran back and threw the football with all of his might. Thomas missed the ball. Justin watched as the ball hit the sand a few feet away from him. Picking up the ball, he waited for Thomas to come get it. Thomas ran up to him and Justin handed Thomas the ball.
"Thanks," Thomas said.
"No, prob," he replied.
"Do you want to play with us?" Thomas asked, nodding towards Zende.
Justin looked down at his unkempt appearance as compared to the expensive looking swimming trunks they were wearing.
"Nah."
"Please, together we can give Zende a run for his money. He thinks he's undefeatable."
Justin liked a challenge, so he nodded in agreement. "Sure," he replied.
They walked over to Zende.
"Zende, this is," Thomas paused and looked at Justin.
"Justin."
Thomas smiled. "Yes, Justin. I'm Thomas, he's Zende."
Zende smiled at Justin. "Let's play," Zende said.
For the next hour, they played and laughed like they had known each other for a lifetime. Finally Catherine started packing up and called Zende and Thomas. Sad, Justin gave the ball back.
"See ya, guys," Justin said and walked away.
Thomas and Zende looked at each other and smiled.
"Wait," they yelled.
"Why don't you come to my house? I've got an X-Box," Thomas said.
"Yes, and Aunt Taylor makes the best food, but don't tell my mom I said that though."
Zende and Thomas looked at each other and laughed hysterically at thoughts of Kristen's cooking.
Justin looked from Zende to Thomas and back again. "Aunt Taylor?" he asked.
"We're cousins," Thomas answered.
"Cool," Justin replied. "Are you sure I can come over for dinner?"
"Let's go ask," Zende said.
The three boys walked over to Catherine and introduced Justin.
"Catherine, is it okay for Justin to come home with us?" Thomas asked.
"Let's call your mom and see," Catherine replied. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Taylor's number. "Hi, Dr. Hayes, Thomas would like to talk to you."
Catherine handed the phone to Thomas.
"Hi, mom. Fine. I was wondering if I could invite a friend over for dinner?"
Justin hoped it was okay with Thomas' mom for him to come over; he really could use a meal. He felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks, instead of just one day.
"Justin, I, I know him from-" Thomas looked desperately at Zende for an answer.
Zende mouthed, "School."
"From school, mom. Zende and I know him from school. Okay, we will. Thanks. Love you, too." He hung up the phone and handed it back to Catherine. "She said it was fine."
Catherine nodded. "Then let's go."
"I need to go get my stuff," Justin said.
"I'll help him," Thomas said.
They walked back to Justin's spot, while Zende helped Catherine with the twins.
Thomas picked up Justin's skateboard as Justin zipped up his duffle bag. He put his backpack on and carried the duffle bag by its handles.
"Cool skateboard," Thomas exclaimed.
"Thanks."
They chatted about pre-teen boy stuff as they walked to the SUV.
"Boys, dinner's ready," Taylor yelled from the bottom of the staircase.
Zende, Thomas, and Justin ran down the stairs, not stopping until they reached the table.
"Hello, boys," Taylor said as she put the pot on the table.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi, Aunt Taylor."
"Mom, this is Justin," Thomas said, introducing Justin to his mother. "Justin, this is my mom, Dr. Hayes."
Justin held out his hand. Taylor wiped her hands on her apron and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you," Justin said softly.
"Same here," she replied. "I'm glad you're joining us for dinner." Taylor took off the apron. "Everyone sit down and let's eat."
They all sat down and started passing around the food.
"Where's daddy, mommy? Phoebe asked.
"Daddy will be home as soon as he can," Taylor responded as she fixed Stephie's plate.
Justin couldn't believe his luck. After days of candy bars and chips, this was a feast. He attacked his food with gusto.
"Mom, is it ok if Justin spends the night?" Thomas asked, then quickly added, "His mom said it was okay."
Taylor watched as Thomas and Zende gave her pleading looks and Justin looked at her hesitantly.
"That's fine, though I really wish I had talked to your mother, Justin. We'll call her back after dinner," Taylor said and continued eating.
Justin gave Thomas and Zende a worried look.
"You can't," Justin replied hurriedly.
"Why not is there a problem?" she asked.
"No, not at all-"
Thomas jumped in, "It's just that they don't have a phone at their new house."
Zende continued, "And her cell phone is disconnected."
"Yeah," Justin said.
Taylor looked at the three boys curiously. What was going on? "Where did your mom call you from Justin?"
"From work," he replied.
"Can I contact your father, then?"
Justin put down his fork and stared at his food. "He and my mom aren't together," he answered so softly Taylor barely heard him.
Taylor watched his face drop. "I'm sorry, Justin. I'll talk to your mom when she picks you up tomorrow."
Justin was about to speak, but Taylor cut him off.
"Or I can drop you off. Whichever is easier for your mom. Now who's ready for the main course?"
Taylor got up and walked into the kitchen amidst the twins' cheers as they followed her into the kitchen.
Justin, Thomas, and Zende looked at each other.
"That was close," Thomas said.
The other two nodded in agreement.
"We'll come up with a better story tonight," Zende replied.
Justin nodded again and resumed eating.