She stopped suddenly, standing up straight. She turned around and looked at him. "Excuse me?" Her voice was low and full of surprise. She wasn't surprised that he had left her, she was surprised that he had told her this. He couldn't possibly think that it would make a difference. Lucas could be kind of dense, but he wasn't retarded.
He cleared his throat and stood up walking the short distance to her. "I left her." He put his hands in his jean pockets, dropping his shoulders as he did so. She used to find that stance absolutely adorable; now, she wanted to slap him. She looked up at him, into those deep blue eyes that she could never get tired of. She took in his appearance. He'd gotten kind of scruffy looking, it was obvious that he hadn't shaved since she last saw him.
She snapped out of her gaze when she realized how close they were. He was just in front of her belly, not touching it quite yet. "Do you think that's going to change anything? Is that why you told me?"
He surprised her again when he shook his head no, looking down at the brunette he had loved for so long. "I just wanted you to know. I'm committed to making this work. I'm choosing Brooke. I'm choosing you." He wanted to reach out and touch her, to tuck her hair behind her ear like he used to. To reach out and touch her belly and to lean down and kiss her with everything he had.
She scoffed, still not moving away from him even though he had moved closer so that her belly was brushing up against his flat stomach. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "You're too late," she whispered as she backed up, turning away from him so she wouldn't have to look at his face. She already knew what his expression would be, the look as if he just saw her kick a puppy, sadness, hurt and shock.
"Mom?" Sophia asked when her mother came back to her, linking their arms together.
"Let's go see some penguins," Brooke said cheerily, choosing to ignore what had just happened.
Brooke rolled over in the enormous bed that she now realized was entirely too big for just her. It was Saturday, the day everyone chose to sleep in, but the doorbell was ringing. She sat up slowly in her bed and threw on her robe before walking downstairs as fast as she could so whoever was at the door wouldn't wake the other three people who were still in dreamland.
She looked at the clock above their mantel, discovering it was only 7:30 in the morning. She sighed, irritated, before placing a fake smile on her face and opening the door. "Hel-." She stopped herself when she saw the women who was staring back at her, wearing a fake smile as well. "What are you doing here?"
"Is that how you greet your mother?" Mrs. Davis asked with a raised brow.
Brooke shook her head, sighing on the inside. She really didn't want to go into this. "Mom, hi! How wonderful to see you! You must be awfully tired from your flight. Please, come in!" Brooke said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"I swear you got your love of sarcasm from your father," Mrs. Davis said, shaking her head as she walked into the house. Brooke rolled her eyes, locking the door behind her mother.
Her parents had only been to the house a handful of times, when each of the kids were born and a Thanksgiving or two. They were hardly great grandparents, in fact, they were completely against Sophia. They thought that Brooke was too young and had too much ahead of her to bring a baby in the world. But, they did love all of their grandchildren, spoiling each one even if they didn't see them. For Christmas, each one would get 5 presents, for birthdays they would get 7. Whenever they'd come into town, presents were always on hand, if not, then they'd slap down 100 dollars for each of them.
They walked into the kitchen, Mrs. Davis taking a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen while Brooke started a pot of coffee. "I don't get why you have such a big kitchen," Mrs. Davis muttered to herself.
"I have a big kitchen because unlike you, I actually cook. I never understood why we had a state of the art kitchen when it was just you, me, and dad," Brooke said, deciding to get a head start on breakfast.
"Because we thought Rosa deserved it after working for us all those years. She was a wonderful cook," Mrs. Davis said with a sigh. When Rosa died three years ago, they had decided not to replace her and instead eat out for every meal. Rosa had become a part of their family and had gotten so close to them that they were crushed when she died. "Why don't you hire a cook? You'll need help now wont you?"
Brooke stopped cutting up oranges to look at her mom. "Because I'm not like you?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit snippy. She had told her mother about the divorce through an e-mail two weeks ago and hadn't gotten a reply. "And no, I won't need help. I can do everything on my own."
Mrs. Davis held her hands up. "I'm not trying to start anything Brooke. I'm just saying." She got up from her place at the island and began looking through the cabinets until she found the cups and pulled out two mugs.
"You 'just say' a lot of things Mom," Brooke said, returning to the oranges. "I'm not having any coffee. It's bad for the baby."
Mrs. Davis turned around to look at her daughter, the daughter she barely knew. Her dark brown hair, which Brooke had gotten from her, was in a messy bun on top of her head and she was wearing huge oversized clothes, although her belly was easily seen, due in part to her belly button that had popped out. She seemed so... perfect for this life. Not being a divorcee that is, but to be a mother and a wife. "This suites you."
Brooke looked up once more to give her mother a confused look. "What suites me?"
"Domestic life," Mrs. Davis said, realizing how snotty it sounded once it left her mouth. "Not domestic life per say. Living like this, being a mother and everything. It suites you."
Brooke stood there in a momentary shock. Her mother didn't usually say things like that. "Thanks?" Brooke replied, question in her voice.
"It comes so natural to you," Mrs. Davis said shaking her head, running her hand through her graying hair. She was far from the perfect mother, she knew that. She had reacted horribly when she had found out that Brooke was pregnant with Sophia. She had gone as far as to get someone who would marry Brooke despite the fact she was pregnant. He was a nice wealthy man who could take care of her and Brooke did like him, she just didn't love him. She only loved Lucas which meant that no other man would do.
Brooke shrugged, now moving to her fridge to get out eggs. "I told you he wasn't good Brooke." She stopped, standing up and turning her head ever so slightly to see her mother out of the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry, but you should've married Paul when you had the chance."
Brooke scoffed and shut the fridge. "I should've known it was only a matter of time. Was that your plan all along? Compliment me and then trash me?"
"I'm not trying to 'trash' you Brooke! I just wish that for once in your life you would listened to me," Mrs. Davis said, keeping her voice calm.
"I can't live the life you have Mom. I wanted a husband I loved and who loved me back. I don't care about money Mom, I never did." Brooke noticed her mother straightening her cardigan, something she did when trying to keep her temper down and remain like the socialite she had become. "Why did you marry Dad? Was it for the money?"
Mrs. Davis stopped for a moment to look at her daughter, the daughter that looked so much like a younger version of her. "Because he was safe."
Getting tired from being on her feet, Brooke stopped making breakfast temporarily and sat down across from her mother at the island. "What do you mean?"
"I didn't marry him for his money like you think Brooke. He could've worked a 9 to 5 job and I still would've done it because he is a nice man."
"But you don't love him. Why did you marry him?" Brooke asked, her mother confusing her thoroughly. She often wondered if her mother was a bit psycho in the head.
"He can't hurt me. I'm not in love with him and he isn't in love with me. He's my safe haven. Being with someone you love? That's scary. That's an unsafe zone that you can't control. Your father can't hurt me emotionally because we simply don't care. But someone you love... someone you think the world of? They hurt you, they let you down." She stopped momentarily to gather her thoughts and place her hand on top of Brooke's. "When I told you to marry rich it wasn't because I thought you were a stupid slut who needed money to survive. It's because I didn't want you to get hurt. In some screwed up way I was trying to protect you."
Brooke was taken a back by what her mother said. She'd never really thought of it that way before. "I love your father, I do, but I'm not in love with him. It's not the way a husband and wife love each other. I simply love him like a friend."
Brooke sat there, taking it all in. It was definitely an odd way of protecting her, but it was done with good intentions. Her mother who didn't have a maternal bone in her body had done something to protect her daughter that didn't involve money. "Why live like that though? Living a life without love, what kind of life is that?"
"You can't be completely happy Brooke. It just doesn't happen. But I'd rather be with a wonderful man that takes care of me whom I don't love, than be with a man I love who I know will only end up hurting me. That pain hurts a lot more than living a loveless life." Mrs. Davis got up from her spot and walked around the island to give her daughter a hug, something she hadn't done since Brooke was six years old. She placed a kiss on her head and Brooke brought her hand up to rest on her mother's forearm.
They sat in the moment for a while neither one saying anything. Brooke was soaking in everything and for once, she finally understood her crazy mother. She looked up at her mother who was examining the ring on her right hand. Brooke didn't know who it was from, but guessing on their recent conversation, it was probably someone who could have made her really happy.
Mrs. Davis looked up and offered Brooke a small smile. The moment had gotten personal, too personal for her taste and she wasn't going to divulge any more information, at least not today. "So, how about I take you and the kids out to breakfast instead?"
Brooke shook her head, her mother walking back to her seat across from her. "I can cook Mom. It's fine."
"Well that's too bad Brookie because we're going out to eat." The sentence would have ticked Brooke off but she knew her mother meant well.
"Fine," Brooke said as Sophia walked sluggishly into the kitchen.
"Mom, what's for..." She trailed off, yawning and scratching her head. When her eyes opened she caught sight of the other brunette in the room. "Grandma Davis!" she shouted, suddenly alert.
"Hi honey," Mrs. Davis said, getting up to hug her granddaughter. "When your brothers wake up, we're going to go out to breakfast and then, how about we go to the mall? Hm?"
Sophia's eyes lit up and all Brooke could do was laugh. "They don't need to sleep in any later. They still have tomorrow anyway," Sophia said before turning on her heels and leaving the kitchen.
"Don't wake your brothers!" Brooke called after her but she knew it was no use. "Honestly Mom. You spoil them."
"I'm their grandmother. It comes with the job description."
