This chapter is a lot longer then the previous ones, I just kept having things to write. We're getting to the best parts of the story so it's definitely easier to write. I'll update soon but until then...ENJOY!
"Thank you very much" Brooke hung up her cell phone and ran out to the living room to find Haley. When she spotted Haley and Nathan sitting on the couch she couldn't help but yell. "I GOT IT!"
"Great job Tigger!" Haley jumped up and hugged her best friend. The two of them were jumping up and down since they were so excited. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Me too Bee." Nathan pulled her into a hug when they finally calmed down.
"I need to get officey clothes!" Brooke jumped up at the idea of shopping.
"Officey clothes? Really?" Nathan laughed. "On that note I'm gonna head to the weight room, basketball season starts soon."
"You sure you don't want to come shopping with us Natey?" Brooke pouted jokingly.
"Yeah. Not a chance." Jason started making noise and Nathan turned around. "I'll take Jay with me. You guys have a girl's day." Nathan picked up Jason and headed for the gym. It was always so much fun when Nathan brought Jason with him to the gym. All the guys had fun playing with the little boy and teaching him basketball. Although none of them would admit to their girlfriends or anyone else that they enjoyed playing with a baby, it would definitely ruin their macho physique.
"So Brooke what exactly is this job?" Haley and Brooke were enjoying their day walking around the mall and talking.
"It's a receptionist job, basically just answering the phones I guess." Brooke shrugged. "It pays pretty good and hey, it gets my foot in the door of the fashion world."
"It sounds perfect." Haley smiled. Brooke had come a long way since high school and was being really responsible about the future. "What are you gonna do with Jason during the day?"
"I've been thinking about that and I'm not really sure yet. I have until next week to figure it out but I just don't know."
"I'll watch him as much as I can but I have classes."
"Hales, don't worry about it. You guys already do way too much for us." Brooke was so thankful for all they'd done for her already.
"Well, I get out of class at eleven tomorrow, if you want we can go check out some daycares afterward."
"Perfect."
Haley and Brooke were hanging out in the apartment waiting for the boys to get home. When they heard the door open Brooke jumped up, she missed Jason after not having seen him all day. In New York she never left him for very long. "How are my two favorite boys?" Brooke took Jason from Nathan and started hugging and kissing him.
"Exhausted." It was true, Nathan looked wiped out and Jason's eyes were getting heavy. "Man that kid has a lot of energy."
"Imagine being cooped up in a small apartment with him for weeks on end." Brooke stuck her tongue out at Nathan who shivered at the thought. "But really Nate, thanks for being so good with him and taking him today."
"Anytime Bee. I love him and I love you too, you know?" Nathan leaned in and gave her a kiss on the check.
"Hey what about me?" Haley joked from over on the couch. Nathan and Brooke looked at each other and both got these devilish grins, which didn't go un noticed by Haley. "Guys. What are you…" Haley got cut off by Nathan and Brooke throwing themselves on top of her. She grabbed Jason and held him close while trying to get away from her best friend and boyfriend tickling her.
"We love you Hales." Brooke gave her a big wet kiss on the cheek.
"Definitely." Nathan smirked and laid on a long passionate kiss.
"Well on that note…" Brooke laughed. "Me and Jason are gonna go to Karen's for dinner. You two have fun. Remember the scrunchy system from when we lived together." Brooke looked over her shoulder at Haley as she grabbed the diaper bag. Haley nodded and blushed. "Well use it." Brooke smirked which made Haley blush even more and Nathan just start laughing.
"Wait Brooke, you know Lucas is probably gonna be at Karen's?" Haley quickly threw out there figuring it would be better to warn her then her be blindsided.
"That's okay. We're trying to be friends remember?" Brooke exited quickly after that not really wanting to continue having this conversation. Secretly she hoped Lucas would be there. They had had some rough times since she got back. She wanted to have some fun with him, he always brought out such a great side of her. They could have fun as friends, right? Brooke was trying to convince herself.
"Okay baby. Tonight you're going to meet someone very important to mommy." Brooke was talking to Jason as she pulled up to Karen's Café. Part of it was to distract her from her nerves as she anticipated seeing Lucas again. "I love you very very much buddy." Brooke tickled her son a little bit as he was giggling. The two of them walked into the café hand in hand. As she expected, Lucas was sitting at the counter talking to his mom who was laughing. When Karen saw Brooke walk in she ran over to her.
"Brooke Davis. You disappear for over a year and now you've been back a couple weeks and this is only my second time seeing you. That is unacceptable." Karen engulfed Brooke in a hug.
"I promise, I'll come more Karen. I'm sorry." Brooke laughed.
"You better." Karen laughed too, she wanted to make sure Brooke knew she wasn't actually mad. Karen knelt down to Jason's height. "Hello Jason."
"Jason, say hi to Grandma Karen." When Brooke said that Karen looked up at her with tears forming in her eyes.
"Ggggrandma Karen?" Karen stuttered out as she stood up now holding Jason.
"Well who else would be his grandma? Certainly not my parents." Brooke grinned at Karen.
"Now should I ask why mother is crying?" Lucas laughed as Brooke walked up to sit next to him at the counter and Karen continued back to the other side of the counter.
"I called her Grandma Karen." Brooke laughed.
"I'm sure you made her day, you realize she's never gonna give him back now?" Lucas looked over at his mom and the little boy playing with the buttons on the coffee maker. Brooke just laughed. All she wanted was for people to love her son as much as she did, Karen included in that.
"I'll go make you guys some food. Why don't you move to a booth and I'll bring it out." Karen handed Jason back to Brooke and walked back to the kitchen as she saw the three of them get up and head to the booth.
"Hey Jay, this is Lucas." Jason just kind of looked at his mom and started playing with her hair. Brooke and Lucas both laughed. Jason could care less about Lucas. Lucas decided he would take it upon himself to get Jason's attention.
"Hi Jason." Lucas leaned over and picked Jason up from Brooke's arms and placed him on the table in front of him. "I'm Lucas. One of your mommy's very good friends."
" 'cas" Lucas looked at Brooke with wide eyes. Brooke just laughed, of course her son would say Lucas' name.
"Nathan's gonna be so mad when he finds out he said your name first."
"He didn't really say my name though."
"In his world he did. He's at that age where he just says some sounds not really full words. Things like ma and no. Especially no." Brooke smiled. She loved talking about her son, he was her world.
"You know I always knew you'd be a great mother." Lucas smiled at Brooke. Hearing her talk about Jason, he knew how great she was doing.
"Really? I didn't think anyone else ever thought that. Especially not me."
"I always did. I mean hey, you learned exactly what not to do." Lucas joked knowing Brooke's mother was never around.
"I remember sitting in the hospital moments after Jason was born." Brooke grinned thinking of that day. "I was so scared because I had no idea how to take care of a baby, I had never even held one. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown when the nurse came over to the bed with Jason. He was wrapped in a blanket and they had just cleaned him off. The second I held him, I just knew that I was going to be okay, even if I was alone."
"You've always been really tough and independent Brooke."
"I've always done everything on my own so I knew I could do this too." Brooke sighed thinking about how hard it was to be a single mother. "I wasn't completely on my own though." Brooke laughed when her phone rang. "Hey Bitch. What's up?" Lucas gave her a strange look when he heard what she said.
"How's the hometown?" Rachel missed her friend since she left so suddenly she didn't really get a chance to say goodbye.
"It's good. I'm actually with Lucas right now."
"What?!" Rachel was shocked beyond belief. She had heard a lot about Lucas especially the stuff with Peyton.
"I'll call you later. Our food's here." Brooke didn't give Rachel a chance to answer as she hung up the phone since Karen had just dropped off their food.
"So who was that?" Lucas looked skeptically at Brooke.
"My only friend in New York." Brooke laughed.
"Brooke Davis. Miss Popular. Only having one friend? I don't believe it."
"Yeah well, I had other things to do, I didn't really meet people." Brooke looked at Lucas thinking it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I guess. How'd you meet Rachel then?"
"Well I was working as a waitress while I lived in the city and in the first 5 months I was there, I was always really moody to everyone at work but Rachel was just as much a bitch so she always stuck up for me when the other girls complained. Then the day after I had Jason I was sitting in the maternity ward watching people come and go from everyone else's rooms to visit them. I had driven myself to the hospital and hadn't had anyone come visit. I was feeling extremely lonely and had my phone out. I was going to call you. I had actually dialed your number when Rachel came walking into the room. She said that our boss said you had the baby so I figured I'd come see if your baby was cute or not. Ever since she was there to help, she has a very tough exterior because she's afraid of showing she's really a softy but she loved Jason." Brooke looked down at the table and tried to look distracted. She didn't want to look up at Jason because she knew that he would look at her with a guilty look on his face because he felt bad for her.
"I'm sorry." Lucas didn't know what to say. "I wish you would have called me, you know I would have been there."
"I know, but you were with Peyton at the time…" Brooke didn't want to get all emotional and heavy with him, she just wanted to have fun. "Can we not talk about it though? I just want to have fun, okay?" Brooke smiled.
"Sure. So what do you want to do tonight?" Lucas starting clearing the plates from the table.
"There's not much we can do with a one year old tagging along but I'm sure we could find something." Brooke laughed.
"Wanna go minigolfing?" Lucas asked, thinking it was something that Jason could try and do.
"Sure, we'll see how it goes." The duo took Jason and went to the mini golf place. The night basically consisted of Jason running back and forth between them and rolling the ball into the hole himself. Whenever they did try to actually play he would just then go pick up the ball from wherever it landed and run away with it. The actual mini golfing might've been a fail but Brooke certainly had a great time. Lucas was great with Jason and of course was his usual charming self all night long. This was both a good and a bad thing for Brooke. She knew she was getting roped in again but for now they're still just friends and that's the way she wanted it.