Sunday came and went and Peyton woke up late on Monday morning, realizing that she had far too much to do that day to have slept in. She shot out of bed quickly after seeing that it was already 9:30, went to check and make sure Grace was still sleeping, and had a quick shower. They were coming to set up the cable and internet sometime before noon, so she knew that she had the rest of the morning to work on setting up her office and her art room. She had a job interview that afternoon. In short, her day was crazy, and she was getting a late start.

She woke Grace and the two had breakfast before heading to unpack yet more boxes that they had left untouched. It made Peyton realize just how much stuff they had. At noon on the dot, the utilities technician showed up, and of course, he was the slowest worker she'd ever encountered. It took him at least double the time it should have to activate what she needed, and it was 1:00 by the time she could even get ready for her interview, which was at 2:00.

The phone rang just as she was buttoning her top, and it was Brooke calling from New York. She'd gotten called to a meeting at the last minute and had left early that morning, forgetting that she was supposed to watch Grace while Peyton was at her interview. She tried Nathan and Haley before remembering that they were in Raleigh for the day. There was one person she thought she might be able to count on.

She packed some of Grace's things into her back pack and rushed her quickly out the door, realizing that she didn't even have time to call him before her interview. If he wasn't home, she'd just have to explain and hope that her potential boss wouldn't mind if a 7 year old sat and coloured while he asked her what he needed to ask.

She knocked on the door tentatively, yet frantically at the same time. She really didn't want to have to ask, but she had simply run out of options. When he pulled the door open, her breath hitched in her throat. There he stood, in just jeans and a black tee shirt that was tight in all the right places. She wondered how he could be wearing something so simple and still be the sexiest person in the world.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile before noticing the frenzied look on her face and the 7 year old standing next to her.

"Hi. Look, Luke, I hate to even ask, but I have an interview in like," she rambled, stopping to check her watch, "Oh God. Like, 15 minutes, and Brooke got called to New York, and Nathan and Haley are in Raleigh, and I have no one to watch Grace."

"Go," he said calmly with a smile, taking the purple back pack from her hand.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Because I can..."

"Peyton," he interrupted. "Go. I can watch her. It's no problem."

"Thank you so much," she said, sighing in relief. Lucas held back a laugh at how flustered she was, and watched her kneel in front of her daughter and rest her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Okay Gracie. Are you alright here for a bit?"

"Sure mom. Go get your job," she said with a smile, making both adults laugh.

"Be good, alright? Don't break any rules. And don't fib to get him to let you do things that I don't let you do," Peyton insisted seriously.

"I don't do that!" Grace exclaimed.

"Do I need to remind you about convincing Brooke to let you chew 3 pieces of Hubba Bubba at once?" Peyton pointed out with a raised brow.

"Okay," Grace groaned. Lucas looked on, laughing at the scene as he rest his arm against the door frame.

"Okay. I love you," Peyton said, kissing the girl's forehead before she stood and turned to Lucas again. "Thank you so, so much. I'll be back in a couple hours at most. Call me if you need anything."

"Get out of here," he laughed.

"Love you, mom," Grace said with a smile.

Peyton took a deep breath and started down the steps. He couldn't stop himself from checking her out as she walked back to her car. Her black suit hugged her hips perfectly, and her green top made her eyes stand out even more. Her heels only made her legs look even better, if that was even possible. He refocused his attention on the girl on his porch and they waved at Peyton as she drove off.

"So," Grace said, looking up at him with a wide smirk, "got any Hubba Bubba?"

"Yeah right, kid," he laughed, rustling her hair and ushering her into the house.

----

Peyton walked down the familiar hallway and towards the office. It was nostalgic and eerie and odd to be there, but somehow, it felt comfortable in spite of those things. Her heels clicked against the linoleum and she felt grown up. For the first time, maybe in her life, she felt like an adult. She could see herself doing this every day - walking these halls.

"Principal Turner," she said with a smile as she walked through the open door.

"Peyton Sawyer," he said eagerly. "It's great to see you."

"You too. I like what you've done with the place," she teased, making him chuckle. The school had hardly changed at all since she'd gone there.

"We do what we can," he laughed. "So you're here about the teaching position."

"Yes sir," she nodded.

"Oh, please. Call me Carl," he insisted as he pored over her resumé. "This all looks really great, Peyton. I just have a few questions. I'd like to think I know you pretty well, but it has been a while and a lot can change in eight years."

"It sure can," she agreed.

"Why do you want this job?" he asked bluntly. She had been expecting it. She knew Turner was no slouch, and he took the task of staffing his faculty very seriously.

"I want to teach kids discipline through something they love. I want to show them that expressing themselves artistically is an easy and meaningful way to portray your emotions. Something doesn't have to be aesthetically beautiful for it to be therapeutic. Of course, I also want to show them that art is a lot more than just some splatters on a canvas or charcoal on a piece of paper. I want to help these kids reach their potential."

He nodded. She'd just given him a perfect answer, and he was pretty sure she knew that.

"I see here that you worked at a record label for four years?" he pointed out. "What was that like and why did you leave."

"It was great, for a while. I learned a lot in that job. I learned that he music industry wasn't for me, first and foremost," she laughed. "But I also learned about teamwork and hard work, and that it takes more than a little talent to make it - in any industry, not just the music industry. I just found that just because I was working in the industry, didn't mean I was following my passion. I started throwing myself more and more into my art, and I realized that I could make a living doing that instead of getting lunch menus and booking hotels for someone."

"I must say, Peyton, I've looked through your portfolio, and I had no idea you had such artistic talent," he admitted sheepishly. "You do great work."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"I just worry that working here will get in the way of the time you'd normally spend on your own art, or vice versa" he explained.

"With all due respect, sir, an artist's inspiration comes and goes when it feels like it. There's no set time to create. I can't just sit down and paint a masterpiece. And I have a daughter to care for, so the stability of this work and these hours is perfect for me. To be honest, if I never paint another piece again, I'll still be alright as long as she is taken care of," she said honestly. She wasn't normally this candid in interviews, but she felt like he would understand. He had, after all, known her since she was 14.

"You have a daughter?" he asked with interest. It wasn't part of the interview, he was just curious.

"She's adopted, yes," she explained with a smile. "She's seven and she's been with me for about three years. It's a complicated situation, but I adopted her after her parents realized they couldn't provide for her any more."

"That's fairly remarkable, Peyton," he said with a nod.

"So I'm told," she said, grinning as she thought of Grace.

"Well listen, you were my last interview, and I can safely say that you probably had the job before you even walked in the door," he admitted with a slight laugh. "But after this chat, it's clear that you're the perfect person for the position."

"Are you serious?" she asked excitedly as they both stood.

"Welcome to Tree Hill High, Ms. Sawyer," he said with a smile, extending his hand across the desk.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said, shaking his hand.

"I suppose I'll see you in a couple weeks. I'll be in touch," he said as he walked her to the door.

"I'll see you then," she echoed.

She walked back out of the school and across the quad towards her car, knowing that Tree Hill was home again. She had a job and a home and her best friends back. This was home.

----

"So," Luke started, looking at the little girl as she sat in the chair in his living room. "What can you tell me about your mom?"

"Umm," she mumbled as she shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

"Is she always that crazy?" he laughed.

"Kinda," she answered honestly. "Only when she's late for something. But she's always late for something."

"Does she paint a lot?" he asked after his laughter had subsided.

"Yeah. Lots. She has a whole room for it," Grace explained.

"Really?" he asked with a smile.

"Yup," Grace nodded.

Peyton had always told him that when she owned her own house, she wanted to have her own room for her sketches and paintings. An art room to house her easel and supplies, where she could work as though it were her own private studio.

"You want something to drink?" he asked. "I think I have some juice."

"I'm okay," she said happily. "What else do you want to know about my mom?"

He loved this little girl. She was awesome. He got the feeling she was a really good judge of people, and she knew when there was something someone wanted to say, but didn't know how. And she was so cute it nearly killed him.

"Does she really talk about me all the time?" he asked with a raised brow, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. He tried to make it sound playful. He was dying to know.

"Not all the time," she said, rolling her eyes dramatically. "But a lot. And only to Brooke."

"What do they say?" he pressed. God, since when had he become so desperate for information that he'd interrogate a 7 year old?

"When we lived in L.A., she said she missed you," she started. His heart nearly beat out of his chest. "She said that everything was different, but I don't really know what that means."

"That's okay," he laughed. He knew what that meant. Or at least he thought he had an idea. "What about other boys?"

"Nope. None," she said, shaking her head. He breathed a sigh of relief he knew she wouldn't recognize.

"You want to go for ice cream?" he asked. He needed to reward this little girl for being such a good spy.

"Sure!" she squealed, getting up from her seat and walking to the front door quickly before turning on her heel. She turned so abruptly that it surprised him when he saw her big brown eyes staring back up at him.

"What?" he asked unnervingly.

"Do you love my mom?" she asked bluntly.

"Oh. Well...I um...It's kind of complicated," he stuttered.

"It's okay if you do," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door.

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh. I think you're nice," she insisted adamently.

He wasn't sure any four words affected him like those ones did. He was quickly falling for this little girl. He'd always loved kids, but the only children he ever felt this way for were Lily and Jamie. Grace was quickly becoming one of his favourite people.

"Well, I think you're nice, too, Grace," he said with a smile as they started walking hand in hand down the street.

----

Peyton hadn't expected her interview to go that quickly, let alone that well. She checked the time and noticed she'd just left Grace with Lucas not even an hour earlier. She thought for a moment about going to pick up her daughter, but she thought she'd make the best of the time she had alone. She trusted Lucas with Grace wholeheartedly, though she wasn't sure how or why. She supposed she'd just always trusted him, from the first moment they met.

She drove through the town, stopping at her favourite coffee shop for a frozen coffee. To any outsider, she looked like a working professional in her tailored black suit. She walked for a bit, then found a bench and sat for a while, looking out over the river that ran through the town. It had been a long time since she just stopped and enjoyed the quiet life of the little town. It was such a drastic change of pace from L.A., but it felt perfect. She felt calm and rested and she was filled with that sense of comfort that only your hometown can give you.

She looked across the river to the old basketball court where she'd spent so much of her youth, and noticed two figures joking and playing. She recognized them both immediately, and a wide smile came to her face. She walked back to her car and drove over the old bridge to the other side, parking next to the court like she'd done so many times before, and stepping out. Her heels sounded on the blacktop, calling their attention to her.

"Well, well," she said with a smirk. "What do we have here?"

"Mom!" Grace shouted, running to wrap her arms around Peyton's waist. "Luke's showing me how to play basketball!"

"Cool!" Peyton said with a laugh.

Lucas' eyes were fixed on her, and he knew she'd see, but he didn't really care. She was stunning, and her outfit was totally distracting. His eyes moved to her face and he noticed she was blushing and looking down like she always used to do when he'd look at her that way.

"Do we have to go?" Grace asked, pulling the adults from their moment.

"No, honey. You keep playing, and I'll just watch. No hurry," Peyton said with a smile as she glanced back at Luke.

Peyton walked over to the bleachers and could feel Luke's gaze on her the entire way. She really wished he'd stop looking at her that way, but not because she didn't like the attention. It was getting harder and harder to ignore him. The more he stared, and the more time she spent with him, the more she thought that ignoring what they had was futile, and if she was being honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to do it anymore.

Lucas watched as she sat and crossed her legs one over the other. His mouth went dry. He wasn't sure how she could have that effect on him while wearing so many clothes. And he was in the presence of a 7 year old, and all he wanted to do was run over to the sexy woman sitting 20 feet away and kiss her until they were both breathless.

"Luke!" Grace called, pulling him from his daydream. "How do I do it again?"

"Like this," he explained, placing her hands on the ball like he'd just begun to show her before Peyton arrived.

She watched as he showed her little girl how to shoot the perfect jump shot, smiling and clapping each time the ball went through the hoop. For a moment - just a moment - she pretended they were a proper family; her, Lucas, and their daughter. But she had to stop herself from thinking that way. Other than lingering looks, nothing had happened between her and Lucas to imply they were anything other than friends.

After a while, Lucas joined Peyton on the bleachers and they watched as Grace ran and dribbled the ball and sent up shot after shot.

"I can't believe you never taught her how to play," Lucas teased, bumping her shoulder with his own.

"Well, that would require me knowing how to play," she laughed. "And before you say anything, we both know that no matter how hard you tried to teach me, I was never good at it."

"That is true," he joked, earning him a glare. "She's a natural."

"She's good at everything she does. It's annoying," Peyton pointed out with a chuckle.

"So how'd it go?" Lucas asked eagerly, remembering the reason he was playing babysitter for the afternoon.

"I got it," she said with a smile.

His eyes went wide and he grinned. "Peyton, that's great!" His arms were around her before either of them could say another word, and he'd pulled her into that embrace that had always felt so comfortable to her. She didn't want to move, but when he pulled away, she was actually slightly relieved. It was a friendly hug to congratulate her, not a romantic embrace. "So what's the job anyway? You were so frantic earlier, I didn't get a chance to ask," he laughed.

"You are talking to Tree Hill High's new art teacher," she said proudly.

"Are you serious?" he asked excitedly, and she nodded. "We're all going to be working together? That's crazy."

"I know, right? We just have to get Brooke in there and we'll all be teachers," she laughed.

"I am no teacher," he insisted. "Nate and I are simply coaches. You ladies do the real work." He paused to look over at her, and the sunlight hit her face just perfectly. "So I guess we'll be seeing each other every day, Miss Sawyer."

"I guess so, Coach Scott," she laughed.

Something about the way she said that made a shiver run down his spine. He'd have to keep that in check, however. Now he'd have to be professional around her all the time. He was pretty sure that feat would be near impossible.

"Thanks so much for watching her for me, Luke," Peyton said sincerely. "I don't know what I would have done if you weren't around."

"I don't mind. She's a great kid," he said with a smile, watching Grace make another shot. He remembered his earlier conversation with her, and her confession that Peyton had missed him. "I still can't believe you are a mom."

"What?!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Is it that hard to believe that I'd have a child?"

"No!" he answered quickly. "It's not that. I always knew you'd be great, but..."

"What?" she pressed after his voice trailed.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head.

"Lucas Scott, tell me right now," she demanded. Yup, she'd make a good teacher with that attitude, he thought.

"I just kind of...I mean...I guess I just...." he stuttered. She looked at him with a furrowed brow and he lost his nerve again. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"Luke, come on. Tell me," she insisted softly, placing her hand on his forearm encouragingly. "I want to know what you think."

"I guess I just thought that if you ever had a child, it would have been with me," he admitted quietly.

She had no clue how to respond to that. Had he actually just said those words? He left her. He almost married someone else, for crying out loud. Yet he had just admitted to this deep secret he'd carried around. He had thought about having children with her. They'd never really talked about it when they were together, though there was a moment when she was holding Lily with him sitting next to her, that she genuinely felt like that was her future. And truthfully, she felt the same way as him. She had always thought that if she had a baby, it would be Lucas'. But, that ship had sailed long ago. Hadn't it?

She was just about to comment when Grace walked towards them and jokingly collapsed in front of them.

"This sport is tiring," she pointed out dramatically.

"Yeah?" Lucas laughed, noticing Peyton was still speechless. He needed to break the tension somehow, then Grace did it for him.

"Good thing I had those two scoops of ice cream before," she said with a smirk, watching Peyton as she looked at Lucas with her mouth agape.

"You let her have two scoops?" Peyton asked.

"She wanted chocolate and vanilla! I couldn't say no," he laughed.

"You, missy," Peyton scolded, pointing to her girl, as Grace got up and started to run away laughing.

"Sorry," Lucas said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it. I usually cave on that one, too," Peyton laughed, then turned her attention back to Grace. "Come on, kiddo. We should go. I'm sure Luke has things to do today other than teach you to be a baller."

Lucas laughed at her choice of words as Grace walked back towards them.

"Actually, I didn't really have anything to do. I was just reading The Grapes of Wrath for the hundredth time," he explained.

"How can you read that so often?" she laughed.

"Oh come on, don't you have a book you can just always pick up and get lost in no matter how many times you've read it?" he asked.

She couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't tell him that she had an entire box full of his novels. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about responding, because she was interrupted by Grace.

"Mom, can Lucas come for dinner?" she asked, looking up at Peyton with her puppy dog eyes - likely the same ones that got her two scoops of ice cream earlier.

"It's okay," he insisted. He didn't want to deal with the lingering awkwardness that he knew would surround them. "Not necessary."

"Come on, Luke. It's the least I can do for helping me today," Peyton said genuinely. "I make a mean spaghetti and meatballs."

"Please Luke!" Grace pleaded. He knew he was a goner. There was no way he could say no to either of them.

"Okay fine. You twisted my arm," he said, rolling his eyes playfully.

Grace stood between them and took both their hands as they walked to Peyton's SUV, and both adults shared a timid look. They each knew the other would be thinking of Lucas' confession, and that he'd have to explain himself a little further the next time they were able to talk alone.

They made small talk about her Volvo, and she explained that her dad and Nathan had both given her information and opinions when making the purchase. He laughed and pointed out that Nathan didn't know much about cars, and she explained that that's what made her call her dad. They stopped for a bottle of wine and some groceries, and Lucas ran in to one of his former players' parents who just assumed that Peyton was his wife. They both blushed and stuttered as they explained that they were just friends.

Peyton wandered through to the kitchen while Grace enthusiastically tugged Lucas up the stairs to show him her room and her favourite things. Peyton sent him a smile when he looked back at her. She put on some music and got to work on dinner, but not before kicking off her heels and pulling her hair up into a ponytail. Every once in a while she'd hear Grace's giggle or Lucas' laugh echo down the stairs, and it would put a smile on her face. Just the thought of him making her daughter laugh like that was enough to make her heart swell.

After about a half hour, she'd gotten a good start on dinner, and she heard the footsteps bounding down the stairs, only to turn and see Lucas with Grace slung over his shoulder.

"Well hey there, upside down girl," Peyton laughed as she stirred the contents of the saucepan on the stove. She wiped her hands on a dish towel before she set a glass of water on the counter for her daughter.

"Sorry," Lucas snickered, placing Grace down on her feet.

"Mom, Luke is so fun!" Grace informed her mother, as though it was the world's best kept secret.

"He has his moments," Peyton admitted, shooting Lucas a wink over her daughter's head.

"Did you know he writes stories?" Grace asked. Her eyes were wide with awe. Grace was a big reader. She'd read anything and everything she could get her hands on in those moments when she'd sit still long enough to get through a book. She may have been a busy body, but she certainly got a love of reading from somewhere.

"I did know that," Peyton said with a smile.

"He says I have a good collection of books," Grace said proudly.

"It's true," he added. He reached for the bottle of wine that was sitting on the counter and Peyton took a corkscrew from the drawer so he could open it. She grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and set them on the counter.

"I'm gonna go change while you pour," she informed him, taking the dish towel from where it had been draped over her shoulder and dropping it on the counter.

He took one last lingering glance at her as she walked out of the room. She could feel his eyes on her once again, and she was starting to think that maybe wearing a business suit wasn't all that bad.

As soon as she stepped into her bedroom, she took a moment to process exactly what was happening. Her daughter was getting attached to him. Hell, she was getting even more attached to him. At first, the thought scared her, but then she realized that none of them were going anywhere. She had a job and a home. Grace was enrolled in school. Lucas was coaching and writing, and as far as she knew, he wasn't leaving. It wouldn't be horrible for Grace to have a strong male influence in her life.

As she shed her skirt and put on a pair of denim shorts and a plain grey tee shirt, it hit her just how much she really had missed this; Lucas. Her friendship with him had always been the foundation of their entire relationship, and it felt like a weight had been lifted to know they could have that back so easily. She just hoped that would be enough for her.

They ate dinner while making conversation about some of the bigger events that had taken place in their lives since they'd last seen each other, steering clear of relationships for the sake of Grace, and both their own hearts. He wasn't a fool; he knew that she had undoubtedly had relationships, but he wasn't ready to hear about them. And for her part, Peyton knew that he had almost gotten married, but she certainly didn't want to hear about it. Not yet.

After dinner, Peyton gave Lucas the official tour of the house. He could tell she was proud of her purchase, and she should have been. The four bedroom, three bathroom home was perfect for her. It suited her. It felt like her, somehow. She'd turned one of the spare bedrooms into her art room, just as Grace had told him earlier. He was impressed. He was happy for her. He was happy to have her back in his life.

When it came time for Grace to go to bed, she hugged Lucas tighter than he thought possible for a girl her size, and watched as Peyton followed her up the stairs to tuck her in. He was left sitting in her only half unpacked living room, sipping wine and feeling like this was the life he wanted.

She came back down the stairs after about 15 minutes and saw him sitting quietly on the couch, clearly lost in thought until she sat down next to him. She wanted to curl into his side and have him drape his arm around her shoulder like he used to. But she had to remind herself that those days were long over.

"She loves you," Peyton pointed out with a genuine smile. He just chuckled and shook his head. "No, Lucas. She really loves you."

"Well, I'm pretty fond of her, too," he admitted with a grin. "She's awesome, Peyton."

"Yeah, she is," she said softly.

And then she remembered his words from earlier. She wondered if it hurt him to know that Peyton had had that life without him. All she wanted to do was tell him that she always thought she'd have a baby with him, too. He must have read her mind, because he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said quietly. He knew she'd know what he was referring to. "I don't know where that came from."

"Luke..."

"It's just..." he interrupted. He knew his earlier statement was true - he couldn't see himself having a child with anyone else - but he wanted to downplay what he'd said just a little bit. "Seeing you with her and how amazing you are...I guess it just stung a little because I feel so far away from that."

"From what?" she asked, ignoring the immense compliment he'd just payed her.

"Kids," he explained softly.

"Luke, what happened between you and Lindsey," she asked, looking anywhere but at him. She heard him take a deep breath and immediately regretted asking. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me. God, that was bold of me. I'm sorry."

"Peyton," he said, stopping her rambling. "It's alright." He nodded just subtly, and Peyton smiled sheepishly. "We were together for two years and I proposed. She had finally moved down here from New York for good, and everything was going great. We decided to have a short engagement because she wanted a spring wedding." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. He didn't love Lindsey anymore, but it was still hard to tell the story. It was humiliating more than anything else. "We were literally at the altar, and I had just said 'I do' and she just took off the ring, said she couldn't marry me, and ran out of the church."

"How could she...?" Peyton started, but stopped herself from going further. She didn't know this woman - she'd never met her - but in that moment, she wanted to slap that perfect stranger for ever hurting Lucas.

"I was...kind of a mess for a while," he admitted.

He couldn't tell her the details. He couldn't tell her that Lindsey had quoted his book and insisted that he was still in love with Peyton. He couldn't tell her that Haley had called him the night before his wedding and told him not to marry Lindsey because his book was about the blonde girl he been infatuated with since he was 13.

"I'm so sorry," she said honestly, shaking her head sympathetically. He turned to her and looked directly into her eyes.

"Lindsey just wasn't the one for me."

She felt as though her heart might beat out of her chest, and she certainly hoped he wouldn't see that. Did he mean that he thought she was the one for him? What the hell was going on between them? She hadn't felt that much sexual tension between the two of them since...well, a long time ago.

"What about you?" he asked, breaking the moment, thankfully. "Surely you've had men falling over themselves to get to you."

She let out a hearty laugh, then covered her mouth remembering that Grace was trying to sleep. How he loved to hear that laugh...

"No," she said, shaking her head vehemently. "The mom thing is kind of a turn off."

"That's so not true," he said before he could stop himself. He watched her cheeks turn pink. It definitely didn't take much to get that reaction from her any more, though he wasn't complaining. She looked adorable when she blushed.

"There was this one guy, before Grace," she said, brushing off his comment. "We were together for almost two years. Lived together and all that." He wasn't sure why, but it was all he could do not to curl his hand into a fist upon hearing that information. "But it didn't end well, and I haven't really talked to him since. Since the adoption, it's been pretty much impossible to date."

"Why'd you two break up?" he asked with interest.

Because I loved your book more than I loved him.

"He just wasn't the one for me," she said with a smirk that she hoped would be just a little bit flirty. They both took sips of their wine, and he hoped she didn't see his hands shaking.

"Peyton, why'd you wait so long to come home?" he asked candidly.

"I know no one understands, but...It was just never the right time. With Grace's school, and everything that was going on with my work, and..." She'd answered this question before. A lot. To her father, and Brooke, and Nathan and Haley. It was harder to say the words to Lucas.

"You should have come home sooner," he stated with confidence. He really believed it. "We missed you. I missed you."

She felt her heart stop, then start again, and she didn't want to admit that she'd been waiting to hear those words for years and years.

"I missed you too," she almost whispered.

They toned down the intensity of their conversation as they finished the bottle of wine, and completely lost track of time. Before they knew it, it was 11:30 and they'd spent the better part of the day together, laughing and talking. It felt amazing to be able to do that again. But as the time went on and they got reacquainted, the tension only mounted between them. So many times, he was tempted to lean in and kiss those perfect lips of hers. She felt it too. In the middle of one of his stories about some antics he and Nathan had gotten up to, she dropped her hand to his thigh mid-laugh, and they locked eyes. She thought for sure they were about to throw caution to the wind, but she pulled her hand away and smiled apologetically instead. He finished his story and drained his glass, then began to stand.

"I should probably go," he said, looking at the time.

"I suppose it's getting pretty late." Truthfully, she didn't want him to go. She would have stayed up with him all night talking like they used to do if he would have let her.

They stood and she walked him to the door, thanking him once again for taking care of Grace for the day. He repeated that he was there to help if she needed anything at all. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she got lost in the nostalgia of being wrapped in his arms, breathing in that familiar scent and being reminded of just how perfectly her body fit against his.

He pulled away and smiled, then leaned down and kissed her cheek, as close to her mouth as he could get without actually hitting her lips. The feel of his stubbled cheek against her skin made her temperature spike in a way that had nothing to do with the summer air.

"Thanks for dinner. I guess I'll see you soon," he said with a grin, as he tried to compose himself and keep from pulling her against him again.

"Yeah," she muttered, clearly distracted by his presence.

He stepped out onto the porch and she waved as he began walking down the sidewalk in the direction of his own house.

She was left alone in her home, wondering if just maybe he was feeling all the same things she was.