Chapter 2

Lindsay woke up the next morning in Lucas's arms. He was still sleeping. He looked adorable that she didn't want to wake him up. She took a glance at the alarm clock and she had to be at work in about an hour. She kissed him on the forehead and got out of bed. She went to go take a shower. The sound of the running water woke Lucas up. He scratched his head and turned to get out of bed. He slipped his white slippers on, and put on a white bathrobe. He headed to the kitchen and decided to make Lindsay breakfast. He took out four eggs out of the fridge. He cracked them, opened them and let the yoke drop onto the pan. He finished making her omelette and set the table. The bathroom door opened and Lindsay came out with a towel on and her hair messed up in a bun. She headed straight to the bedroom to get changed without even realizing Lucas was up. She came out a couple minutes later and headed to the bathroom. A couple seconds later Lucas heard the blow dryer turn on. He screamed from the kitchen, "Babe, what time are you going to be home tonight?" The blow dryer turned off and Lindsay stuck her head in between the door frame. "What did you say love? I didn't hear you."

"What time are you going to be home?" Lucas asked again.

"Late." Lindsay said, "Mark wants me to help him with a new project." She turned the blow dryer back on. Lucas nodded. Lindsay was never home lately; she was always at the office, working late hours, coming home at 2-3 in the morning. God knows what she was doing in that office, Lucas had had some suspicions that Lindsay might have been having an affair, but never said anything. Could you imagine how she would react if she wasn't having an affair?

Lindsay then came into the kitchen, took a look at the table that Lucas had set up for him and smiled. She kissed him passionately, then grabbed her bag and started to head off to the door.

"Hey. Babe, I made you an omelette."

"I know, and I really appreciate it, but I really gotta go. I'm ready late, and there's going to be traffic."

Lindsay left the apartment and closed the door behind her.

Haley and James were rushing to get ready to go to school. Nathan lay back on the couch and watched TV. James got his school bag and brought it to the front of the apartment. He lay it on the floor and then joined his dad on the couch. Haley gathered markers and pencils for the 4th graders, it was coloring day today and put them in her bag. She grabbed two toasts and spread some peanut butter on them. She wrapped them with a napkin and told James to get his butt to the door. James ran to the door with a smile on his face. He picked up his bag and opened the door and got out of the apartment. Nathan came to the door and kissed Haley and told her to have a good day. Nathan closed the door and went to go watch TV again. A phone rang and Nathan followed the ring. It was coming out of Haley's purse. He opened Haley's cell, "Hello?" he said.

"Haley?" Brooke asked.

"No, it's Nathan." He said, "Brooke? I haven't talked to you in three and a half years"

"Hey stranger." Brooke said, "I really need to talk to Haley, is she there?"

"You just missed her and she forgot her cell."

"Dammit, I really need to talk to her."

"Maybe I can help?" Nathan asked.

"No, no offense Nathan, but this is something I need Haley's advice on."

"Well, I can listen…"

"No, I can't. I'm running late for my interview, and I'm panicking." Brooke was hyperventilating.

"Brooke calm down." Nathan said, "Everything is going to be fine."

"Right… well…I have to go."

"Brooke…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be a stranger okay?"

"I'll keep that in mind."

Brooke closed the phone and faced Emma. She smiled and starting brushing her hair. Emma had a crush on a little boy in her daycare named Angelo, and Emma wanted her mom to make her pretty for Angelo. Brooke put a clip in her hair and told her she was ready to go. There was a knock on the door. Brooke opened the door; it was Rachel. Emma ran to hug her. Rachel grabbed Emma's hand as Brooke told Rachel that she was going to going to be done her interview at about twelve so that they should meet for lunch. Rachel nodded in agreement and headed to her car with Emma. Brooke closed the door and headed to her room. She picked out the clothes she would wear to the interview. She put them on and received a text message from Peyton, it said; "Hey Brooke, good luck today at the interview, you're going to do great, and I'll be watching."

Brooke closed the phone and smiled. Mike came into the apartment a couple of seconds later, told her that her ride was ready. Brooke walked out of the apartment and locked the door behind her.

Brooke was looking at her pictures in her wallet. There was a picture of Peyton and her in their Halloween costumes from their high school Masquerade Ball. She smiled at a picture of her, Haley and Peyton at Haley and Nathan's second wedding. She stumbled upon a picture of her, Rachel, Nick and Chase where she almost started to cry, but held in her tears. Brooke put her pictures back in her wallet and was about to put it back into her Prada bag but a couple more pictures fell on the floor of the limo. Brooke picked them up quickly and took a look at them. They were pictures of Emma. One was of Emma taking her first steps with Rachel holding her hands, another was of Emma eating her first piece of steak at the age of two, and the last one was of Emma laughing with Rachel. Usually a mother would feel happy when seeing these pictures remembering every moment, but not Brooke. Brooke had nothing to remember, because she wasn't there when Emma took her first steps, or ate her first anything, and she only heard Emma laugh about five times; five times, in 3 and a half years. Brooke had been too busy to be there for her daughter's best moments. Rachel, Brooke's family and Mike were the only ones that knew about Emma. She cut off connection with all her friends at Tree Hill High after she began to have a bump. She didn't want anyone to know, not even the girls that were suppose to be her best friends. When Peyton or Haley would call to get together for a weekend or something like that she would either say she was working on a new design or she had too many interviews that week. Mike pointed to the picture of Emma eating her first prime rib steak and said that she was the cutest thing in that picture. Brooke smiled and rubbed Emma's face with her thumb. "She looks identical to you Brooke"

"No, she's got some of her father's features." She said with a couple of tears in her eyes now. The limo stopped, and the driver told them they had arrived. Mike escorted her into the building. He let her go backstage so that he could get a seat, and told her she was going to be great. There were people waiting to touch up her make-up and fix her hair up a little bit. She could hear the audience screaming "Brooke! Brooke! Brooke!" She heard the cameraman, "and we're rolling in three, two, and one."

"Hello everyone, today we have a every special guest visiting us here on the Regis and Kelly show." Kelly said.

"Please give it up for Brooke Davis everybody." Regis exclaimed.

Brooke walked into the studio waving her hand, she was so nervous she almost couldn't walk straight. She sat on the chair next to Regis and took the microphone from one of the back tables.

"Glad you could make it Brooke." Regis said.

"It's good to be here Regis." Brooke reassured him.

Kelly smiled, "Before we begin, I just want to put out there that Brooke looks amazing in her outfit."

There was cheering from the audience. Brooke thanked her and blushed. Kelly asked Brooke about her fashion line and the success it's made so far.

"Well, me and a couple of the people that work with me at Clothes Over Bros are very pleased with the turn-out and the popularity with these clothes. We're all very pleased and very happy."

"So we've heard a lot of the stories about how you started this fashion line, and how you came up with the name. Let's hear your actual response."

"Well, like you said Regis, there are lots of stories, but here's how it started." Brooke smiled, "It all started in the town of Tree Hill in North Carolina, me and my best friend had this saying, Hoes Over Bros. Then I was feeling really bad one night and my roommate Haley cheered me up and told me to try designing clothes. The idea Clothes Over Bros hit me when I was having one of my boy crisis's."

Kelly and Regis laughed as did Brooke. "So I mean, that's how it pretty much started off."

"Fair enough" Regis said, "Now Brooke, we all know you're clothes are very popular with teenagers and women, and we thought it would be fun if the audience would ask you some questions."

Brooke smiled, "Yeah, that sounds great."

A young girl who had curly brown hair, had glasses and was a little over weight came to the edge of the studio, and took a mike, "wow, she said, I can't believe I actually get to talk to you. You know, I could talk about how great you are, but you probably already know, so I'm just going to flat out say something to you, "I'm over-weight, and was never able to fit into designer clothes. Some girls like me would by them small, and even though they were designer they didn't look good. But you make designer clothes for every size and I just want to say that we really appreciate it." the girl said wiping a tear from her eye. She headed back to her seat. Brooke was almost in tears and asked if she could give the girl a hug. She went over to the girl and gave her a hug, and asked for her name. "Erika" she replied.

"Well Erika, how would you like the newest dress of my collection? It's probably my favourite one, and I would love it …" Brooke was interrupted by a screaming Erika, "YES! I'll take it." she gave Brooke another hug.

Brooke headed back to her seat next to Regis and turn to face them. "We have another fan." Kelly told her as she looked at the audience. Brooke too faced the audience and watched a blond teenager walk to the front of the audience. She was wearing one of Brooke's red designer dresses. She took the mike and said, "Brooke, I absolutely love your fashion line. I have a question about it though" she said, "At fashion shoots; companies have the tall, long legged, and thin modelling their clothes. Why does Clothes Over Bros have women of all shapes and sizes?"

"Very good question." Kelly said.

"Well, what's your name?"

"Jess…"

"Well Jess, I want to clear something up first, you said that companies use the "American Apparel" look, and you used the word thin. These woman are not thin, they are either anorexic or bulimic. We don't use the "American Apparel" look because anorexia and bulimia are not fashion statements, they are diseases. Why do we use the models we use? Because our clients come in all shapes and sizes, and we want to show that we do not want our clients going anorexic or becoming bulimic." Brooke said with a smile, thinking she had answered the question well.

"Well said," Regis told her.

A tall guy with a backwards hat came to the front of the audience and asked Brooke if they could make guy clothes. Regis, Kelly and Brooke all laughed as did the audience, "That is something I may take in consideration." Brooke smiled.

"Oh, one more thing, are you single by any chance?" he said biting his lip trying to be cute.

Brooke blushed, "Actually I am single. There's just too much work." Brooke lied. She knew that wasn't the reason guys didn't want to date her. Who was she kidding, she was a single mom, no guy wanted to be a part of that. At their age, guys were just looking to fool around; never would raising a baby cross their mind.

"We have one last question Brooke." Kelly said.

A mid-aged woman came down the aisle and asked, "Brooke, I love your clothes, they are truly amazing and inspiring. One question, what do you regret the most?"

"The thing I regret the most?" Brooke said trying to think of an answer. She knew the answer. She regretting working on her fashion line and not spending time with her daughter. She didn't regret anything from her fashion line because she had been spending all of her attention to it. Brooke figured it would be the best to come out with truth, after four years, she figured her fans should deserve to know the truth, "The thing I regret the most would have to be the fact that I spent all my time on this fashion line, making the clothes, going to the shoots, talking on national television and not spending time with my own daughter."

There was a huge gasp from the audience. Regis and Kelly looked at each other shocked. Rachel, who was watching from her apartment smiled and said, "Good for you Brooke."

Peyton gasped while watching this on television and called Haley to open the TV.

"That's right, I have a daughter." Brooke said again, "Her name is Emma, and she's three and a half years old. I think I owe her the biggest apology. She's watching this interview right now with my best friend Rachel, and I just want to say, I'm sorry baby, I promise I will be there for you whenever you need me and I won't miss your first bike ride or your graduation from daycare." She smiled, got up and ran out of the studio. Mike followed her and caught up to her outside. "Brooke wait up." He said. Her eyes were full of tears, "I've just ruined my career haven't I?"

"You did the right thing." He said, "Come here" he gave her a hug.

Mike walked with Brooke outside and opened the limo door for her. Brooke got in and Mike followed. A couple of seconds later she got a call from Haley and Peyton. "Hello?"

"BROOKE DAVIS! YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!" Peyton screamed.

"I know." Brooke said.

"Brooke, how could you have a daughter and not tell us?" Haley asked.

"Guilty." Brooke said, "But girls, I don't need this right now, I may have lost my job."

"We understand" Haley said.

"NO! WE DON'T!" Peyton said angrily, "I THOUGHT WE WERE BEST FRIENDS!"

"We are. I promise," Brooke said, "No one knew. Rachel was the only one, and my mom and Mike, but I swear that's it."

"I understand why you would want to keep it a secret Brooke, with the fans and the paparazzi, it would have been too hectic with … Emma?"

"Yeah, that's her name."

"It's beautiful." Haley replied.

"Alright, I'm calming down, but who's the father?" Peyton asked.

"That I can't say."

"What?"

"Girls, he doesn't even know he's fathered a child, I promise I will tell you just not now."

"Brooke, you have to tell him." Peyton said.

"I know, I have to wait until I'm ready." Brooke said, "Can you imagine what would happen to Emma? I may loose her, and I'm not willing to do that."

"Well I want to meet her."

"Agreed" Haley said, "We both want to meet her."

"Well since everyone knows now that I have a child, I'll bring her to the wedding."

"It's next week you know that?"

"Yeah, guess we're all going back home." Brooke said, "I've got to go girls, I'll talk to you girls soon."

Brooke walked into Rachel's apartment and was greeted by her three and a half year old daughter with a huge smile on her face. Emma ran into her mom's arms. "I love you Emma."

"I love you too mommy."

"Can you ever forgive me baby?"

"Of course I can." Emma said, "You're my mommy, without you I have no one."