ONE WEEK LATER…

Brooke followed the movers to the front door, walking them out.

"Thanks for all of your help, guys, "she said to the four men, waving as they walked down the long sidewalk back to their truck.

"Sure, no problem, miss," one of them said—the man in charge of the small moving company. "Take care now."

Brooke watched them go before she closed the red door. She turned around in the foyer and paused, hands in her pockets as she looked around at her surroundings. All of her furniture from her apartment was finally here with her in her new home, in Tree Hill.

Actually, this home wasn't exactly new to her. It had been her home as a child. She'd loved this house then, and she had missed it—like her hometown—for all the years she'd been away. And when she'd started looking for houses for sale when she'd decided to return to Tree Hill, she'd been ecstatic—and also a little disbelief—to find this house was actually back on the market.

So now she was here, back in this house. Only now the house belonged to her. And she planned to make many happy memories here. At least she hoped to have happy memories in this new chapter of her life.

The sound of her cell phone broke Brooke away from her thoughts. She hurried into the kitchen where she remembered last having her phone. She answered quickly when she found it.

"Hello?"

"Hey B!"

Brooke recognized the voice of her best friend.

"Hi, P. Sawyer," she greeted as she leaned against the counter.

"How's the moving going?"

"Well, it's done for the most part. The furniture is here and in place, and the movers just left. I just have to unpack now."

"Oh good! How's Kenzie like the house?"

"She hasn't seen it yet, actually. I mean, aside from pictures. Mike said he'd keep her until the end of the week. I thought it would make moving a lot easier, which it did, but…"

"But you miss her like crazy?"

Brooke sighed. "Oh my god, so much!" she said.

She heard Peyton laugh a little.

"Is this the longest she's been away from you?"

"Yeah," Brooke responded sadly, thinking of her daughter. "But I've talked to her every night, and I will tonight, and then I will have her wither me in a few days."

"What are you going to do in the meantime? Besides unpack?"

Brooke found herself feeling nervous all of a sudden when she told Peyton what she'd been thinking about doing all day.

"Well, I was actually thinking about calling Lucas."

"Oh yeah?"

"I don't know, though…" Brooke trailed off. She closed her eyes briefly as she debated with herself silently again. Then she remembered she was still on the phone.

"I told him I would call him," she continued. "That I would give him a chance. But I still feel so nervous about it. And I feel like I should tell him about Mackenzie before we move forward with anything."

"Why are you nervous? And do you really think Lucas will care, Brooke? I mean, that it would change anything? In case you forgot, Lucas has a daughter too."

"I know." Brooke sighed again. "I hope it wouldn't be a problem, but it's not just that. I really don't want to jump into anything too fast."

"Well, so maybe you two should talk first, about your concerns, before you decide to go out on an actual date."

Brooke nodded slowly, thinking that might be a solution to ease her nerves.

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed.

"Either way, I think you should call Lucas. It's about time you got back out there, Brooke. Plus, Lucas is a good guy."

"I hope so. I need a good guy."

It was late, after ten, when Lucas pulled into the driveway. When he entered the house, Lucas found his mother was still awake. She was lounging on the couch in the living room, watching the television with the volume down low and only the lamp in the corner turned on its lowest setting.

"Hey," Lucas greeted her as she closed the door behind him.

"Hi, honey," his mother said.

"You're still up?" He asked, sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Yeah. There was a movie on tonight that I wanted to see, so I thought I would wait up for you. How was work?"

"Busy. I'm exhausted. How was Cady tonight?"

"Good. She asked me to remind you to go in and kiss her goodnight."

Lucas smiled. "Alright."

He started to get up from the couch, but he sat back down when his mother spoke again.

"Oh, and you also had a phone call this evening."

His brow furrowed as he considered who it may have been.

"Nathan?" He asked.

His mother shook her head. "No. Brooke."

Lucas felt numb suddenly, both nervous and excited.

"She left her number," his mother continued. "It's on the counter in the kitchen."

Lucas nodded slowly. He glanced at the clock on the wall above the television, and he wondered whether he should return Brooke's call tonight or wait until morning.

As if she was reading his mind, his mother said, "It's not too late. You should call her back."

Lucas looked back at his mother. She smiled and said, "You should call her. It is obvious you want to."

Now Lucas smiled. His mother reached her hand over and placed it on his right knee.

"Call her," she said encouragingly. "Settle your nerves tonight."

Lucas nodded. "Okay. I think I will."

"Good." She patted his knee and moved her feet to the floor. "I, on the other hand, am going to bed."

He watched his mother as she stood up.

"Goodnight, Mom," he said.

"Goodnight, honey."

After his mother had disappeared down the hall and into her bedroom, Lucas got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. He found the notepad on the counter next to the phone, Brooke's number written on it in his mother's neat handwriting. He stared at the number for a minute, summoning up his courage. Finally, he lifted the phone from its cradle and dialed.

After three rings, he heard her pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi…Brooke?"

"Yes."

Lucas swallowed. "It's Lucas, Lucas Scott."

"Oh, hi!"

It helped to settle some of his anxiety that she sounded excited to hear from him.

"I'm sorry it's a little late," Lucas spoke with a little more confidence. "I just got home from work."

"Oh, it's fine, really," Brooke said. "Your mom told me you were working. And I've been up for hours unpacking anyway. I'm glad you called back."

Lucas smiled. "Well, I am glad you called. I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind about me."

He heard Brooke chuckled.

"No, I haven't. But I was thinking that before we make any plans to go out, maybe we could just get together for coffee or something and talk?"
 "Okay, sure. That sounds great. Are you free tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah! That sounds perfect."

"Great. How about we meet at Coffee Pagoda on the promenade at ten?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you tomorrow, Lucas."

"See you tomorrow, Brooke. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The following morning, Lucas dressed for work and dropped Cady off at school as usual. Since he had a few hours before he had to be at work, Lucas met Brooke for coffee on the promenade. When he saw her waiting for him, standing near a table with an umbrella, he was once again struck by her beauty. The amazement was even greater when she spotted him and smiled. There was something about her smile…

Brooke waved to him as he approached, and then together they entered the coffee shop. A few minutes later, when they stepped outside again with coffee in tow, Lucas spoke.

"Did you get all moved in?"

Brooke nodded before she responded. "Yep, for the most part. All the big stuff is done, and I just have one more room of boxes to unpack."

"That's good." Lucas paused and he and Brooke began to walk along the promenade. "I'm glad your move went smoothly. And…I'm really glad that you decided to call."

Brooke glanced at Lucas and smiled.

"What, did you think I wouldn't call?"

Lucas chuckled nervously. "I don't know," he answered, shrugging. "Maybe."

They walked quietly for a minute, both of them pondering what to say next.

"So look," Brooke spoke first, deciding to get straight to the point. "I realized that we really didn't get a chance to talk about a whole lot at the wedding. And…there's really something you need to know about me before you and I decide to do anything."

Lucas nodded. "Okay," he agreed. He looked away briefly. "I actually have something I need to tell you too."

"Okay," Brooke said. "You first."

"Alright. Well, um…" Lucas spoke slowly. "I just want you to know that I have an eight year old daughter."

"Oh, Cady, right?" Brooke responded. Lucas looked quickly at her, surprised.

"Yeah," Lucas said. "You knew already?"

Brooke nodded. "Peyton actually introduced me to her at the wedding when we were dancing. I actually met Cady before I met you. After you and I came back from our walk, Peyton mentioned that Cady was your daughter. I'm sorry I didn't mention that I knew before, but—"

"—No, it's okay. I'm glad you know. I just wanted to make sure I was completely honest from the start."

"Of course. I appreciate that, Lucas. And I want the same. That's mostly why I wanted to meet. I wanted you to know that I also have a daughter."

"You do?"

Brooke nodded. She looked away. "Yeah," she said. "Her name is Mackenzie. She just turned seven, and she is my whole world."

Lucas nodded with a tiny smile. After a brief moment of silence, Brooke added, "I hope that doesn't change things for us?"

"No, of course it doesn't," Lucas answered quickly. "I still plan on taking you out if you'll let me."

Brooke smiled. "Well, I did promise to take a chance on you, didn't I?"

"You did."

"So…let's make a date then."

She smiled at him once more—again, completely mesmerizing Lucas.

Happily Ever After