Julian and Brooke had been together for a week. The week had been amazing, but it was drawing to a close. Julian was already falling for the designer. He knew he needed to tell her about his daughter, Sam. Sam had been at cheerleading camp for the last week, but she would be making an appearance in Tree Hill the next day.
"Did Peyton ever tell you about Sam?" Julian asked.
"No," Brooke replied. She looked at Julian curiously, waiting for an explanation.
"Sam's my daughter," Julian said. He wasn't one to beat around the bush.
Shock registered on Brooke's face. She had a hundred questions. Where was Sam? How old was Sam? Who was Sam's mother? She couldn't form words to ask any of the questions, though. She just stared at Julian open-mouthed.
Julian waited for Brooke to say something. When she didn't, he continued to explain. "When I was in high school, my girlfriend, Caitlin, got pregnant. We were fifteen."
"You were a mathlete in high school. You weren't popular. You were having sex at fifteen?" Brooke stammered incredulously.
"I was having sex with a mathlete," Julian explained.
"OK," Brooke said slowly, still trying to recover from the initial shock. "Is Sam with her mom?"
Julian shook his head. "I wanted to keep our baby. I already loved her. Caitlin didn't want her. Caitlin hasn't seen Sam since the day she was born."
"Where is she, Julian?" Brooke asked.
"She's been at cheerleading camp in California. She's going to be in Tree Hill until summer's over. She gets here tomorrow," Julian replied.
Brooke had finally processed the information and was back to her usual self. She raised her eyebrows and smirked. "The daughter of two mathletes is a cheerleader?"
Julian laughed. "That's all on Peyton. Sam looked up to her. She used to do her hair like Peyton and dress like Peyton."
"If she's anything like P Sawyer, I'm sure we'll get along great," Brooke said with a smile.
Julian looked surprised. "You want to meet her?"
"Well, yeah. I really like you," Brooke said.
Julian grinned. "I really like you, too." He kissed Brooke. "I'm picking her up from the airport tomorrow afternoon. Maybe we can go to dinner together?"
"I'd like that," Brooke said with a smile.
Julian parked his rental car outside the airport and waited for Sam. He lit up when he saw his daughter walking towards him. He got out and gave her a big hug. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," Sam said.
Julian put Sam's suitcase in the trunk and they got in the car. "How was camp?" Julian asked.
"Fun. We placed second in the competition," Sam said proudly with a smile.
"We're going out to dinner tonight. There's someone I want you to meet," Julian said.
Sam looked surprised. She raised her eyebrows. "Someone like a girlfriend someone?"
Julian nodded. He studied his daughter's expression.
Sam's expression quickly went from shocked to angry. Julian had only ever introduced Sam to one girlfriend before-Peyton. Sam knew he had to be serious about his new girlfriend to introduce them. She wanted him to be with Peyton, though. Peyton was the closest thing she'd ever had to a mom. "I don't understand. You wanted to produce this movie so you could be with Peyton."
"You sound like Peyton," Julian said with a tinge of annoyance. Sam smiled at the comparison. "Why does everyone forget I broke up with her?"
"You broke up with her because you were scared she still had feelings for her ex, not because you didn't love her! You moped around for a whole month after she left," Sam reminded him.
"She did still have feelings for her ex. They're engaged," Julian said.
"I'm sorry," Sam said gently. She knew her dad had to be sad even though he was acting like it wasn't a big deal.
"I'm not. I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to," Julian said.
"No, it didn't! You're supposed to be with Peyton!" Sam cried out.
"Sam, I loved Peyton, but she wasn't the love of my life," Julian said.
Sam nodded, but she didn't look convinced. She had a stubborn streak. She'd given up on trying to reason with her dad. She was going to have to show him that Peyton was perfect for him. Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she came up with a plan.
Julian carried Sam's suitcase into the hotel. They waited in line in the lobby. Julian had requested an adjoining room for Sam. They just needed to check in and get the room key.
Sam unpacked. She had time to take a quick shower before dinner. She stared at the contents of her closet, looking for an outfit that would scare her dad's new girlfriend off. She decided on a black halter top with metal studs on it, one of her shortest denim miniskirts and black heels. She admired her reflection in the mirror. Surely this woman wouldn't want her for a stepdaughter.
Julian knocked on the door that connected his hotel room to his daughter's room. "Sammy, are you ready?" He called.
"Yeah." Sam opened the door. She smirked at the shocked look on Julian's face when he saw her outfit.
"Is it Halloween?" Julian asked.
Sam rolled her eyes. "It's not a costume. It's a new style."
"I don't like this new look," Julian commented.
"I'm not taking fashion advice from someone who carries a man bag," Sam retorted.
They drove to the café where they were meeting Brooke. Brooke was already waiting. She'd gotten a booth, but she stood up when she saw Julian. She was a little surprised by Sam's outfit. Brooke had been pretty slutty in high school and even she wouldn't have worn Sam's outfit.
Brooke kissed Julian. Sam scowled as she watched her dad make out with his new girlfriend.
Julian glanced back and forth between Brooke and Sam. He looked a little nervous. "Brooke, this is Sam." He wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulders as he introduced her.
"Hi Sam. It's nice to finally meet you," Brooke said with a smile.
Sam raised her eyebrows. "Finally? How long have you guys known each other again? A whole week?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Sam," Julian warned with a stern expression.
"I've heard so much about you," Brooke tried again.
"Really? The first I heard about you was today," Sam said with a smirk.
"Samantha!" Julian scolded.
"What?" Sam asked innocently. "It's true."
They sat down. Sam slipped into the seat beside Julian before Brooke could, so Brooke sat opposite them.
"So Sam, you're a cheerleader?" Brooke said.
"No, I was just at cheerleading camp for the hell of it," Sam said sarcastically.
"I was a cheerleader in high school," Brooke said with a weak smile. This wasn't going well at all.
"So was Peyton. That's my dad's old girlfriend," Sam said with a smirk.
"Sam, Peyton is Brooke's best friend," Julian said.
Brooke couldn't help but smirk at the look of surprise on Sam's face. Sam recovered quickly and the smirk returned to her face. "You couldn't have Peyton so you moved on to the next best thing?" Sam asked Julian.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Julian said sternly. Sam followed Julian outside. They stood in front of the café glaring at each other. "Sam, what do you think you're doing?" Julian finally asked.
"You're just mad because everything I said was true! You're still in love with Peyton! You're dating her best friend!" Sam yelled.
"No, I'm mad because you're being really rude. And for the record, I'm not in love with Peyton. I'm falling for Brooke," Julian shot back. He didn't think before he spoke. He looked almost as stunned as his daughter at the words that just came out of his mouth. He was falling in love with Brooke Davis.
Sam felt tears welling up in her eyes. She turned away from her dad and took off. Julian didn't try to stop her. He knew she needed time to cool off.
Julian returned to the café alone. "I'm sorry," he said.
"It's OK," Brooke said quietly. "Where's Sam?"
"She left," Julian replied.
"Do you want to go look for her?" Brooke asked, her voice laced with concern.
Julian shook his head. "No. She has a bad temper. She needs some time to cool off."
"She's Team Peyton," Brooke said. Her tone was light, but Julian saw a flicker of pain in her eyes.
"Brooke, Peyton's the only girlfriend I've ever introduced to Sam. Sam needs stability. I didn't want a constant stream of girls coming in and out of her life," Julian said.
Brooke looked surprised. "Why did you introduce me to her?"
Julian looked into Brooke's eyes. "Because I really like you."
"Why?" Brooke asked. She couldn't help but wonder if Sam had been right and Julian was only with her because he couldn't have Peyton. Brooke always struggled with not feeling good enough. Peyton was an especially sore spot because she'd won the battle for Lucas' heart not once, but twice. Maybe Peyton still held the key to Julian's heart as well.
"Because you're kind and good. You always put others first, even at your own expense. You would do anything for the people you care about. I'm lucky to be one of those people," Julian said sincerely.
Brooke lit up at Julian's response. He'd succeeded in reassuring her that she wasn't the next best thing, at least not as far as he was concerned. "Have I told you lately how much I like you?" She asked with a flirtatious smile.
Sam didn't know where she was going. She didn't know her way around town, and she didn't know anyone in Tree Hill. She just had to get out of there. She took off, walking as briskly as she could while wearing high heels.
Sam wound up at the river court. A boy who looked like he was about her age was shooting hoops.
"Can I play?" Sam asked.
The boy looked up in surprise. He was really good looking. He was tall with an athletic build and dirty blonde hair. He studied Sam. "You want to play in that?" He asked as he took in her outfit.
Sam blushed a little. She'd completely forgotten how she was dressed. The outfit had been for Brooke's benefit. Unfortunately, it hadn't had the desired effect and now Sam looked like a total slut in front of a really hot guy. "Never mind." She was about to leave when he stopped her.
"Hey, wait. Look, I'm sorry," he said. He threw the ball to Sam.
They played Make It Take It, or at least they were going to play Make It Take It. Sam was so bad that he took pity on her when the score was twelve to zero.
"You try playing in heels," Sam said defensively.
He laughed. "No thanks." He walked to his Jeep and then noticed it was the only car. "You want a ride?"
"My parents said I shouldn't get in the car with strangers," Sam said with a hint of sarcasm.
"I'm Sean," he said.
"I'm Sam," Sam replied.
"We're not strangers anymore," Sean said.
"I don't know you," Sam said hesitantly.
"What else do you want to know?" Sean asked.
Sam raised her eyebrows. "Are you a serial killer?"
Sean shook his head. "No."
"That's good enough for me," Sam said. Sean opened the passenger door for her before getting in the driver's seat.
"Is that Mest? I love them!" Sam said when she heard the mix playing on Sean's iPod. She broke into a smile.
Sean smiled a little. Sam gave him directions. His forehead wrinkled in confusion when she told him to turn in to the hotel parking lot. "You live in a hotel?"
"I don't live here. We're just staying here while my dad produces a movie. It's being filmed in Tree Hill. Then we're going back to LA," Sam explained.
"Give me your phone," Sean said. Sam obliged. He entered his number in and then handed it back to her. "Now you have my number. Call if you want me to show you around."
Julian heard Sam moving around in her room and knocked on the adjoining door. Sam opened it. Julian sat down in the desk chair and Sam sat down on the bed. He faced his daughter. "I wanted you to meet Brooke because she's important to me. You're the two most important people in my life. I wanted you to like each other, but you didn't even give her a chance, Sammy."
"We're the two most important people in your life? I'm your daughter! You've only known her for a week!" Sam said incredulously.
"I know her," Julian said.
"OK. For argument's sake, let's say you know her and you're falling for her. It's the first time I've seen you in over a week. I missed you. I wanted to spend time with you. You invited Brooke to dinner without even asking me," Sam said with a hint of anger.
"Sorry," Julian said.
"I'm sorry, too," Sam mumbled.
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. You owe Brooke an apology," Julian said.
"I'm NOT apologizing to her!" Sam cried out.
"I wasn't asking, Samantha," Julian said sternly.
"Fine," Sam muttered.
Julian hugged Sam. "I love you. Good night."
"Love you, too," Sam said.
