"Kay, sweetheart," Lucas pleaded his oldest daughter as he fought with her, "You have to put on the dress so we can go see grandma Deb."
"I don't want to," the 4 year old screamed.
Karen Penelope was the older of Lucas and Peyton's two daughters. She had taken after to her with his dislike of dresses and anything typically girly. She struggled with her father to get into the dress.
"Peyton, could you come here please," Lucas yelled down the hall.
"No mommy, don't come," the little girl screamed, "Don't help daddy. I don't wanna wear the dress.
"Peyton," Lucas said again, "Your help, please?"
Peyton came strolling down the hall and leaned against the door frame of the room. Lucas looked up at her when she entered. He got up and started walking towards her.
"Please put Karen in her dress," he tried to walk past her, "We are late for Deb's lunch,"
"I never liked the dress to begin with," Peyton said calmly.
Lucas stopped where he was and turned around to face his wife.
"Excuse me?"
"If I wouldn't wear the dress, then I'm not going to make Kay wear it," she said plainly and walked out of the room leaving Lucas there.
"Hey Peyton," Lucas yelled after her.
When they got to their bedroom, Lucas saw that Peyton had a pair of jeans and a t shirt laid out on the bed. He looked from her to the clothes and back again.
"I thought I asked you to dress up for this," he said going to his closet and pulling out his clothes.
There was no answer from the bathroom where Peyton had gone.
"Peyton, come here please," he said loudly and Peyton walked out of the bathroom and into the room with a toothbrush in her mouth. She stood with her hands on her hips while Lucas spoke
"I need you to go to Karen's room and put that dress on," he said firmly.
"No," she turned around to walk back in the bathroom.
"Don't you dare walk away from me."
She continued to walk. He heard her spit out what was in her mouth and she walked back in front of him.
" I don't understand why we have to dress up to go eat dinner with Deb," she said once again placing her hands on her hips, "I don't even know why we have to go. She's not related to any of us and we haven't heard from her, except for the other day, in years."
"She's Nathan's mother," he said, "Nate's my brother."
"And how long has it been since you've heard from your "brother"?"
"She's family. In a really twisted way, she's family. She doesn't have anyone. Her son hasn't called in months and Dan, well he's Dan,"
"I don't get it Luke, she's NOT family,"
"She's been nothing but like a mother to you after all these years, Peyton," Lucas said, "Family's important. You'd know that if you'd had one,"
Lucas didn't realize what he was saying before he said it. He thought he had complete screwed everything up. He saw tears forming in Peyton's eyes, then she screamed.
"I didn't have a family?" she yelled, "I didn't have one? At least I didn't have a murdering father that wanted nothing to do with me. I had a father who loved me more than anything in this world and TWO mothers who did their very best to see that I got everything I needed."
"So when maybe a parent of mine is ashamed of me and doesn't even claim me, I'll come ask you for parent child advice ok. Screw you Luke, have fun at dinner. Alone."
She walked back into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She came out a moment later and yelled at him again.
"Don't you dare put that dress anywhere near my daughter," and slammed the door again.
