Making It Right: Part 3
By Morganperidot
1.
As much as Katie had wanted Ridge to spend the night – and as much as he seemed to want to stay – Katie knew it was too soon for that. So she had walked him to the front door, where they had shared another soft, deep, long kiss that had made her question her decision. Still, they had said good-night, and he had left while she went upstairs to bed alone.
She woke the next morning to the sound of pounding. Katie looked at the clock, which glowed with 7:00 even. Thinking there was an emergency – but wouldn't someone call? – Katie threw a robe over her gray t-shirt and purple pajama pants, checked on Will, and then ran down the stairs to the door, where the pounding persisted. Katie yanked the door open and found Brooke standing there, immaculately dressed in a turquoise suit with matching jewelry and perfectly styled hair. Katie self-consciously flattened her bed head hair with the palm of her hand. "Brooke, what…"
"May I come inside?" Brooke asked, her voice level but bearing a sharp edge. Katie knew she wasn't prepared for a confrontation with Brooke, and she made what she knew was a pointless attempt to retreat from it but only managed to say one word before being cut off. "I…"
"I'm not leaving until we talk," Brooke said. As Katie had no doubt of that, she stepped aside and let Brooke stride into her home.
At that moment Will started to cry, and Katie tried to hide her relief as she rushed up the stairs to him. After calming him down, Katie went to the bathroom where she combed her hair and pulled it back before applying a bit of makeup. Of course those lame attempts were foolishness next to Brooke's perfection, but Katie didn't want to look like she had just rolled out of bed even if she had. Releasing the breath she had been holding, Katie went back down the stairs, slowly this time.
Brooke was looking at her cell phone and didn't look up until Katie stood a few feet from her. "Is Ridge here?" she asked.
"No," Katie said. "He…"
"Good," Brooke said. "I want this to just be you and me."
Meaning, you think you can walk all over me without him here, Katie thought. "Would you like to sit down?" she asked.
"Yes," Brooke said, and she went over to the sofa and sat down, crossing her legs. Katie sat on the other end of the sofa. "I know you're still angry about Bill and me," Brooke said.
"This isn't about that," Katie said.
"Of course it is," Brooke said. "I know you, and I know Ridge. I know he thinks that he's helping you by standing with you against me."
"This really isn't about either you or Bill," Katie said. "This isn't something that was planned, Brooke. Ridge and I just found ourselves…"
"Don't pretend to me that you know him," Brooke said firmly, anger flashing in her eyes. "You have no idea who Ridge Forrester is or what he wants. And there is no 'our' between the two of you."
The certainty in Brooke's tone quieted Katie for a moment. She recalled that she didn't know for certain what Ridge had said to Brooke after she found them together at the rehearsal dinner. What if he was playing them one against the other behind the scenes? No, she didn't believe that. She didn't believe Ridge was misleading her. If anything, it was Brooke doing that. "I know you're upset about the wedding being canceled," Katie said. "I'm sorry about that. I was trying to ignore what I was feeling for Ridge. I told him to be with you and your family. I believed that was the right thing."
"It is the right thing," Brooke said, "and we all know it."
"But Ridge and I…"
"Stop fooling yourself," Brooke said. "He pities you; that's all. He's playing this game with you to build your confidence after what happened between you and Bill. Are you really naïve enough to believe that Ridge is going to come back here from Paris for me and then suddenly fall head-over-heels in love with you? Do you know how ridiculous that is?"
Katie felt her own fury rise up inside of her like a hibernating dragon that had been awakened and was ready to breathe fire. "Ridiculous why?" she said. "Because he chose me over you?"
"Because you believe he would set his family aside for you," Brooke said. She sighed. "All you've done by buying into this is delay the reunion of R.J.'s family. You've forced my son to wait until you play out your childish crush on Ridge before he can have his home back."
"You're the one keeping R.J. away," Katie said.
"He needs his parents together," Brooke said, "which will be the case once you release Ridge from the obligation of pretending to be your doting suitor."
"Wow, you are unbelievable," Katie said. She stood up. "After all of these years you still see me as that little girl who wants to be like her big sister, who wants to have what she has and is jealous of her."
"You are jealous of me," Brooke said.
"Why?" Katie said. "Because you stole my husband? Because you slept with every man in LA, including your own daughter's husband? Because you have children with three different men? Or because Eric keeps you around at Forrester to prop up your pathetic clothes for hos?"
Brooke stood as well. "I know exactly who I am," she said. "And I know exactly who Ridge is. You are the one who needs to do some examination of who you are and what this relationship you think you have with him really is." She strode to the door. "The sooner you do that," she said, "the sooner he can come home to me and R.J."
"I'm not doing anything to stop Ridge from being where he wants to be," Katie said.
Brooke rolled her eyes. "Open your eyes, Katie," she said, and then she left, closing the door quietly behind her.
2.
When Katie got to her office at Spencer Publications she called Ridge, who had told her he would be at Forrester Creations discussing some new designs with Rick. "I need to see you," she said.
"I'd like that," Ridge said playfully.
"I'm serious," Katie said. "Brooke came to my house. There are some things I need to discuss with you face to face."
Ridge was silent for a moment. "What did Brooke say?" he asked finally.
Katie was troubled by his pause and his question. What if Brooke was right? she wondered. What if he had told Brooke at the rehearsal dinner that this was just some ruse he playing with Katie? She shook her head, but the doubt still clung to her. "Can you meet for lunch?" she asked.
"Of course," Ridge said. "The park?"
"Yes," Katie said. "Meet me there at noon."
Before noon Katie left her office and picked up a couple sandwiches and sodas. She found Ridge already sitting on a blanket on the grass in the park. He shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand as he held the other out to her. Katie grasped his hand and let him guide her down beside him. "It's good to see you," Ridge said softly. He touched her face with his fingertips and then moved closer, bringing his lips to hers. "I've missed you," he whispered against her lips before kissing her, and Katie found herself melting into him. He put his hands on her back, and the kiss deepened. Katie just closed her eyes and opened her mind and body to the sensations of him. Ridge, she thought, and she wanted more of him, all of him.
Katie broke off the kiss. "Tell me what you told Brooke," she said.
"About what?" Ridge asked.
"About us," Katie said, though part of her didn't really want to know.
Ridge tilted his head slightly and looked at her. "She made you doubt me," he said.
"She tried," Katie said.
"And succeeded to some extent," Ridge said.
"Tell me," Katie said.
Ridge studied her for a moment longer and then looked in her eyes as he spoke. "I told her that I had been putting off telling her something because I didn't think anything would come of it," he said. "But it turned out that there was something, and she needed to know. I had developed feelings for someone else – strong feelings I couldn't and didn't want to deny – and they were feelings that were shared. As a result, I couldn't marry her; it wouldn't be fair to any of us."
"Did she ask who it was?" Katie asked.
"Yes," Ridge said. "I told her it was you. I told her have strong feelings for you."
Katie looked into the steadiness of his gaze and couldn't find a lie in his eyes or his words. "You don't…feel sorry for me?" she asked.
"No," Ridge said. "Of course not. You're a beautiful, intelligent, warm woman, Katie Logan Spencer. Why would I feel sorry for you – because Bill left you? That seems like a blessing to me." Katie smiled. "Is that what Brooke told you?" Ridge asked. "She said I'm with you because I feel sorry for you?"
"She said you were just pretending to be interested in me to get my confidence up and that you were going to go back to her," Katie said.
Ridge laughed quietly. "She's always had some interesting ideas about people," he said.
"She's known you intimately for a long time," Katie said.
Ridge raised an eyebrow. "Do you think she's right?" he asked.
"I don't think you're pretending," Katie said.
"I'm glad to hear that," Ridge said. After a moment he added, "But you do think I'll go back to her."
"You have a child with her," Katie said.
"You have a child with Bill," Ridge said.
"You know that isn't the same," Katie said. "What he and I had together could never be repaired. But you and Brooke, you could fix what is broken between you. You were ready to do that. You were going to marry her and spend the rest of your life with her, to be her husband like you were so many times before."
"Because I thought I couldn't be with you," Ridge said.
"Because part of you will always love her," Katie said.
Ridge took one of her hands gently in his. "OK, yes," he said. "I will always care about Brooke. But what I feel for her now isn't what I used to feel. It isn't that pull to be with her that I used to feel. I feel that with you now. And that's all that matters to me. I just wish it meant as much to you."
"It does…"
"Show me," Ridge said. "Make me believe it."
Instead of responding directly, Katie took out her phone to call her assistant and cancel her meetings for the rest of the day. A moment later Ridge freed himself for the afternoon as well.
3.
They were in Katie's bedroom, the room dark except for a trio of red candles topped with flickering flames. Ridge's touch was fluid tenderness, so pure and natural, so different from Bill and his constant need to exert his manly dominance. Ridge was self-assured without being arrogant, giving and responsive, entirely present in the moment. And when he held Katie in his arms and whispered into her ear, "I love you," she believed it without a single doubt remaining.