Disclaimer: still don't own OTH, the characters, anything really
Thank you all for reading and reviewing. It's always lovely to hear new people have discovered it, and hats off to those who binge read it I can imagine how long a straight read would take. I take that as a huge compliment.
Hey, this is pretty much a filler chapter with its main aim to explore the BL family, I thought it would be a struggle to get a decent word amount though it ended up being longer than I expected even if the flow isn't as natural. Enjoy.
-x-
Chapter Thirty – Nine
The light shone through the open window, her right side glowed from the sun, her hair appearing almost auburn where it was highlighted by the sun like a halo. Brooke stood, her heels abandoned under the bay windows, one knee bent as she, her foot moving lazily around her, lifting in the air, going back down, her big toe dancing along the ground, Lucas smiled as her toes ran up the back of her leg, watching her distracted by the garment in front of her Brooke was unaware how his eyes watched her, followed every small move and it pleased Lucas to be able to do so.
His watchful gaze was not going as unnoticed as he imagined, though focused, pins tucked between her lips, Brooke was all too aware of Lucas on the other side of the large room, sitting at the desk, his eyes burning into her. She shivered, supressing a moan, as she imagined Lucas pulling the chair back and closing the distance between them.
"I don't hear any typing" Brooke mumbled instead, and she looked over her left shoulder sending him a knowing look which held a touch of the heat he was feeling himself.
Lucas sighed and logged back onto his laptop which had fallen asleep while he observed Brooke, the word document was already open, a sentence half written. With one last stolen glance at Brooke, Lucas went back to his own work.
A window popped up on Lucas' screen, he quickly realised his mother was trying to video chat with him, Lucas looked around briefly wondering if he should answer as he hadn't talked to his mother in a while. With one click his mother's face appeared in the box, "Hi, honey!" Karen Roe beamed.
"Hi, Ma" Lucas smiled back, "how are you?"
"Good. I haven't heard from you for a while, how's things?" a slight frown appeared on her face and Lucas gave a reassuring chuckled at her concern.
"Just been busy" he shrugged, "I was just working on my latest draft"
"That's fantastic. We really enjoyed your last novel, much better than the one before"
"Oh, thanks, Ma" Lucas rolled his eyes and Karen smiled those soon a curious look formed.
Lucas continued to smile, Karen's eyes narrowed, "where are you? Unless you've done some serious renovations at the house you're not home"
A nervous chuckle escaped Lucas this time, his hand went to rub the back of his head, "I-uh-well…"
Brooke had turned her attention to her partner, she kinked her brow and Lucas looked up at her, a what now? Expression on his face, a look of guilt then went towards his mother, "I'm not actually at home right now"
"I see that" Karen commented and smiled at how nervous her son seemed.
Brooke rolled her eyes from across the room and padded across the hardwood floors towards Lucas, her face appeared next to Lucas' their heads almost touching, her loose waves tickling Lucas' cheek. With a casual dimpled grin Brooke cut through the conversation, "he's at my place. Hi, Karen!"
"Brooke!" Karen's smile grew, "what a surprise. How are you and Noah?"
"Great, thanks. He's at chess club at the moment but he's so excited about this summer! We can't wait to see you all. How's Lily?"
"Not enjoying school" Karen gave a husky laugh, "Thank you for the new clothes too, you spoil her"
"I'll have to call you tomorrow when Lily's home"
"She will love that"
Watching them together Lucas was reminded once again how close Brooke was to his mother and sister, despite the years, an ocean being between them, and no matter the state of their own relationship, Brooke had remained in touch and close to his mother, creating a bond with his little sister almost as strong as the one she had with Jamie.
"Around one your time?"
"That sounds perfect"
"Great" Brooke tilted her head to Lucas, "I better go get Noah, I'll grab dinner on the way home" she placed a kiss above his brow and then she looked at Karen again, "Talk to you tomorrow. Bye, Ma".
Karen watched Brooke disappear from the screen and her eyes trained on Lucas who was busy watching Brooke collect her heels and leave the library, she sent him a wink before walking out the door. Lucas shook his head and then found his mom watching him with a sly smile. Her expression saying please explain.
"So, I see some things have changed" Karen smirked.
Lucas rubbed the back of his head again, "you could say that"
"Luke, I haven't seen you look this happy in so long" and despite his nerves Karen had observed enough, "you seem… like a weight has lifted"
"I am happy, Ma. So happy. It feels good. It feels right"
"That's great" Karen smiled for a second then a look crossed her face and her smile dropped at the edges with concern.
Lucas rolled his eyes, "but…?"
"Just… maybe take the time to enjoy it, no rushing, it's not just anybody it's Brooke"
"I know that, Ma"
"Good. I love you, son"
"Love you too"
"I'll leave you to your writing and I guess I will speak to you tomorrow too. Good night"
"Bye Ma, give Andy and Lil my love" and then the screen went black. For a second Lucas stared at his laptop screen, he sat back and rubbed his neck before looking around the room. It was strange to be alone at Brooke's house, the silence a reminder of how much had changed, that Brooke hadn't paused for a moment on leaving Lucas by himself, didn't even bat an eyelash. He found himself taking in the space, one side of the room was a classic home library, bookshelf surprisingly mostly filled with books and the odd ornament or framed photograph. Lucas eyes the photos on display, unlike a lot of the most candid shots that were elsewhere in the house most of the ones in here appeared professional. Noah's last school photo, a family portrait of Brooke and Noah that Lucas had never seen before, black and white it appeared to have been taken within the first few months of Noah moving to Tree Hill, his lean face a little rounder at the cheeks than they were now. The group photo of the wedding party at Nathan and Haley's wedding, Brooke and Lucas on opposite sides of the bride and groom, and not far from that one a beautiful portrait of just Nathan and Haley, the veil blowing in the wind as the couple leant in for a tender kiss, no doubt awkwardly posed for too long though it appeared natural in the end result. Jamie's christening photo, a selfie of Jamie and Brooke at his last birthday. A school photo of Lily, long dark hair in two piggy tails on each side of her head, a huge grin on her face, was placed just to the side of another one of Karen and Brooke hugging, arms wrapped around each other as they smiled at the camera, their hairstyles almost matching both straight and shoulder length, only the ocean glimmered in the background and Lucas realised it must have been from years ago before Brooke moved back to Tree Hill and was still living in New York.
One shelf caught Lucas' attention, he picked the two frames up, though one frame was larger the photos themselves were the same size, the larger one held a family portrait, with darker tones and formal smiles, a young Brooke no older than ten barely showed her dimples, and the posture of all three occupants appeared stiff and unnatural, Victoria's eyes had a sheen to them and Ted's smile was a little too forced and wide compared to his wife and daughter. Lucas ran a finger over the unhappy face of the child version of Brooke. The other picture Brooke wasn't too much younger though her brown hair had not darkened as much and appeared almost dark blonde, her eyes looked more green than brown, and the smile that was on her face was overwhelming, changing her whole expression, dimples on full show, she was mid giggle. It wasn't just the happy Brooke that had caught Lucas' attention, it was the two blondes in the picture with her. The photo was overexposed, the light shining behind them almost blinding yet surrounding the three like angels. Peyton's curls were unrestrained ringlets, her eyes bright and green, her blonde hair paler than Lucas had ever scene it, her neck was exposed as her head was flung slightly back mid laugh, teeth exposed. All innocence and joy. The two girls were cuddled up to an older blonde who had such gentle love written all over her soft face, bright blue eyes peeking up at the photographer. Lucas was momentarily stunned, he had never seen a photo of the woman before yet knew instantly who it must be, Anna Sawyer, the mother Peyton had lost so tragically at too young an age. The two images could not be more different, and looking between the two Lucas could easily pick which one looked more like a family. There were no other pictures of Victoria in the room, though Lucas could think of two others of Victoria with her grandson elsewhere in the house. He wasn't a fan of the older Davis woman, not just for the mother she wasn't for Brooke for all those years, but for her ability to bring down those who got close to Brooke, and a part of Lucas resented Victoria's role in Noah's failed adoption. It was perhaps unfair, Lucas knew they each were at fault in their own ways, knew that Brooke had thought she was doing right by their son, yet it was Victoria who had gone the extra mile and hid the truth from Brooke when the adoptive parents had pulled out. Their lives would have been so different if Brooke had known the truth, and if Victoria had offered support instead of a lie then Brooke would have kept Noah and told him about their son. A different life, one where they had their son from the start. It was much easier for Lucas to place the missed opportunity at Victoria's feet instead of their own. As time had gone on though Lucas had learnt to accept the past, what was lost and could never be, the good with the bad and the bad with the good, and Lucas had slowly let go of the negative emotion that came with Victoria Davis, the women was trying, she'd slowly changed. Despite Victoria's past deeds and her many faults, Noah was close to his grandmother, out of all his biological family the boy had formed a special bond with Victoria and though Lucas may not understand it, he respected it.
Thoughts of Victoria's surprisingly good relationships had Lucas think of Sam, his eyes turned away from the bookshelf and over to the dress Brooke was working on where Sam's prom dress, fit for a punk princess, waited.
Lucas could even imagine growing to like Victoria Davis if she kept taking care of those he loved.
Deciding to completely abandon any façade of working, Lucas left the library and instead decided to do housework for Brooke, turning the dishwasher on, wiping down the counters, clearing the table, a quick vacuum of the main areas, and then Lucas took out the trash. It was all so normal, so mundane, yet Lucas smiled the whole time, whistling.
Brooke's return was announced by the sound of the garage door opening and closing, two sets and footsteps and her voice calling out, "We're home!" and there she was, her face glowing, "I grabbed sushi".
As she walked by him Lucas found his hands itching to touch her, his fingers briefly brushed against her hands as he took the bag she was carrying with one hand and his other palm went to the small of her back.
"How was school?" Lucas looked at Noah though his hand remained on Brooke as they all took their usual seats at the small informal table they used when it was just the three of them.
With a nonchalant shrug Noah went over his day, "… and there's the meteor shower next week, Nicola is having a meteor party, she wanted to invite me but her mother said it's not appropriate for her to have boys sleeping over"
Brooke looked up at Lucas through her lashes, her lip curled up, "smart woman, all good mothers should beware good looking Scott boys around their daughters"
"You can stop pretending, you know, you might as well admit I'm the best thing that ever happened to you" Lucas smiled back.
"You make the top twenty" she shrugged, "though-" her teasing ended when Lucas cut her off with a kiss, Brooke sighed instead as they parted, "okay, top five"
Noah swallowed the sushi he'd popped into his mouth as his parents had been interacting, he looked between them, ignored their teasing, "May Jamie sleepover here instead? It's not a school night"
"Sure" Brooke leaned away from Lucas and worked on opening her own container, "we can ask him tomorrow night" she licked her lips and moved her attention back to Lucas, "honey, do you mind grabbing the wine?"
"At your service" Lucas immediately stood, a moment later he called out, "we're out, champagne?"
"Yes please" Brooke answered absent mindlessly, her eyes searching for the wasabi, as soon as she spotted it Brooke looked back to Noah "do you still want to stay at Nathan and Haley's tomorrow night?"
Noah nodded, his mouth full again, he swallowed, "Aunt Haley is taking us to the museum Saturday"
Better her than me, Brooke thought and happily accepted the champagne flute Lucas held out to her as he returned, she sipped the cool beverage feeling the bubbles on her tongue.
In his seat Lucas reached over and hung his free hand over the bac of Brooke's chair, "speaking of tomorrow night, the guys were thinking about just ordering pizza and getting it delivered to the river court"
Brooke cringed, "can we get the gourmet place because its always so weird when Tim delivers" and she took another sip.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll make sure to order your favourite, with extra mushrooms-" Lucas chuckled as the back of Brooke's hand hit him in the chest.
"Ha ha, very funny" Brooke narrowed her eyes at him, "why don't you put that mouth to better use and finish your dinner"
With a smile Lucas complied and the family continued their usual dinner banter and discussion, the adults finished first topping up their champagne flutes while Noah moved on to dessert.
When his bowl was empty Brooke rested the glass against her chin, her finger pointed from Noah to the direction of the stairs, "it's getting late, off you go and get ready for bed, I'll clear up"
"Thanks, Mom" Noah walked off and Brooke rolled her head back, using her left hand to massage her own tight shoulder muscles, two strong hands replaced her own and Brooke moaned as Lucas took over the massage. Eyes closed Brooke finished her third glass of champagne and rested it back onto the table and relaxed completely into his touch.
A few minutes later Lucas' hands came to a stop, resting on her shoulders, he kissed her exposed neck before removing one hand and Brooke heard the tell-tale sound of her glass being filled again, she gave a tipsy giggle, "are you trying to get me drunk?"
Lucas kissed her neck again, "maybe" he mumbled his lips trailing closer to her ear and his hands started to massage again.
Without paying much attention to what she was doing Brooke finished her drink and tilted her head further to the side, Lucas' mouth gently bit an earlobe and she shivered.
A small sound escaped from Brooke's throat, half moan and half gasp, and Lucas moved his hands, gently turning Brooke around as he lifted her up to a standing position, leaning her against the table as he kissed her.
Brooke was lost in it, returning Lucas' kiss with passion as her body quickly matched his for heat. Lucas stepped closer, his body flush against hers, his nimble fingers started to run up under Brooke's dress skirt lifting the fabric higher up her thighs until it was bunch at her hips as he gripped her flesh and carefully propped her up onto the table.
Reluctantly Brooke pushed her head back, removing her lips from Lucas' she turned to the side when he tried to kiss her again, breathless she spoke, "Noah's just upstairs"
"He's in the shower" he murmured against her neck as he moved the kisses down her throat and to her collar bone.
Brooke gasped, her hands digging into his shoulders, Lucas moved Brooke further onto the table, spreading her legs to stand between them so he could be as close to her as he could.
For a little while Lucas continued to kiss her, deftly removing her panties and sliding them down one leg and over her heels, he left them on her, cupping her strapped ankle for a moment, stroking the smooth skin there until he trailed one hand further up again.
Leaning above Brooke, Lucas gently nudged Brooke to lay down, kissing her lips one more time before dropping to his knees, "I believe you requested I put my mouth to better use?"
Brooke gulped as her dark eyes met his, she tried to nod but Lucas was already moving onto position and she bit her tongue instead as her already sensitive body suddenly was exposed to even more pleasure.
She didn't think much after that until she came back to the present, curses on her lips, nails digging into her own wrist as her body shuddered its release, "and I thought we were skipping dessert" she laughed as her damp skin began to cool again.
The sound of pipes turning off caught Brooke's attention as Lucas stood again, still out of breath where she lay on the table Brooke looked down at Lucas, "we have about ten minutes until Noah comes back down" her eyes sent a meaningful look to his zipper before returning to his hot blue gaze.
Lucas was about to unzip his trousers when Brooke shifted, she hooked one of the chairs with her left heel dragging it closer and then used her other leg to move Lucas with her, then placed a heel against his buttoned shirt and gently kicked him until he was sitting down.
She slid off the table her eyes going to his zip again where he was even harder against the fabric, he quickly released himself, "nine minutes" Brooke reminded him as she straddled his lap slowly lowering herself down, he hissed and tried not to control Brooke's movements as she started to move, slowly at first then with more speed, a scream built in side him but before he could let it out Brooke kissed him, her tongue stealing his scream as easily as she'd stolen his heart so long ago.
They were oblivious to their surroundings, to the remnants of their dinner still abandoned on the table, and with two minutes to spare they collapsed into a damp hug, his hands running through her hair, "I love you" he whispered.
"Me too" she smiled against his mouth, still not quite believing they were here.
-x-
An inner alarm system woke Lucas early in the morning, the chirp of birds coming through the window, the sun still below the horizon. There was the familiar hand on his chest, the tickle of hair under his nose, the faint scent of Brooke's shea butter moisturiser than he had helped rub into her skin after their midnight shower, it no longer felt like a dream which he had to question if it was real or not. Lucas held onto Brooke for a little longer, enjoying the simple pleasure of having her in his arms. And then he began his day.
After a quick trip to relief himself Lucas found a pair of his running clothes, made his way upstairs and peeked into Noah's room. The boy lay soundly asleep, spread on his back with one arm behind his head and the other over his belly, a book still open under it. Lucas removed the novel from Noah's grip and placed it face down onto the desk, then the father slipped quietly from the room and down the stairs to the kitchen, he got the coffee machine started for when Brooke woke up and then poured himself a cold juice.
Ten minutes later Lucas found himself back at the bed, he leant over placing his hands on the bed near Brooke so he could hold himself above her, "hey" he whispered gently, a smile gracing his lips involuntarily as he looked down at her, "I'm off" he leant further down and placed a kiss by her mouth.
Brooke rolled slightly into the kiss, she began to wake to up, a moan already coming from her as she resisted starting her day, "you going?" she mumbled not bothering to open her eyes her hand reached for him, holding onto Lucas' arm and cuddling into it.
"You want me to swing by and pick you guys up later?"
"Mmm" Brooke shook her head, her eyelids squeezing shut further, "meet you there, grabbing a ride with Naley"
"Okay" Lucas kissed her again, "have a good day, love you" when he went to pull away Brooke's lips followed him and this time her eyes fluttered open as she gave him a proper goodbye.
By the time Lucas was standing straight by the bed again Brooke was fast asleep. With just his keys and phone Lucas let the door lock behind him as he left Brooke's house and started the jog back to his where shower and clean clothes waited for him, the familiar route took Lucas less time each time he took it. Sometimes he would just do the run to grab a change of clothes then head straight back to Brooke's, it wasn't unusual for days to go by without him even stepping foot into his own house. Most nights were spent at Brooke's unless she was out of town and then Lucas would take Noah to his house, they never discussed the arrangement it just naturally took form as their relationship went from week to week.
When Lucas got out of the shower he dressed and checked his phone, seeing a message alert from Brooke. Her picture popped up on the screen, eyes still half closed, a saucy smile on her lips, sheet wrapped around her nude body missing you already the text had written under the image.
For a moment Lucas was tempted to reply in a way that would turn the texts into a less than innocent direction, then he remembered that he had promised to meet with Skills today, so Lucas merely smiled as he told her he wished he could stay in bed with her all day but they both had work to do. She sent him back a photo of her sticking her tongue out.
Go feed our son, sleeping beauty!
Lucas slipped his phone back into his pocket and shook his head.
Across town Brooke rolled over and sighed, her body ached, she wanted to lay in bed for at least three more hours and then she read Lucas' text and laughed. Abandoning her lazy morning Brooke quickly got ready, after drying her hair Brooke slipped on a pair of comfortable short shorts and dark green spaghetti strap top that showed off her curves, already the day was warm and she tied back her hair as she left her room.
The sight of Noah sitting at the kitchen counter already dressed for school had Brooke grinning, she loved her son yet sometimes she loved him that little bit more, "morning, sweetie"
"Good morning, Mom. Did you sleep well?"
"Like a baby" Brooke then begun to hum as she poured herself a coffee, she saw the look Noah sent her and knew he was probably debating the logic of using a baby as an example of a good night's sleep, "and you?" she asked instead. A moan escaped her as she took a long swallow of the coffee and Noah described a slightly terrifying dream involving a dinosaur invasion though he seemed rapt with excitement.
"-and then I opened the door and there was Styracosaurus reading a book to a class of children"
"At least one was friendly"
"It was odd"
"Stranger than a T-rex eating the mail man?"
"Much" Noah nodded.
Brooke removed her elbows from the bench and straightened up, "right, kid, what do you feel like for breakfast?" and then as his eyes squinted in thought she gave a little dance as she answered happily "let me guess, egg?"
"Glorious"
"Glorious indeed" Brooke went straight for the fridge, "I am thinking scrambled because… well it's easy" and sure enough five minutes later Brooke slipped a plate in front of Noah's spot, which he soon added toast to and then gave her a slice too, "thanks" she kissed the top of his head as he walked by her and then they ate in comfortable silence.
The drive to Noah's private school was less silent, Brooke sang along to the radio and Noah eventually caved joining in though with less exaggerated enthusiasm. And soon Brooke was saying goodbye to another Scott boy and wishing him well for the day. On days like this Brooke didn't feel so lost or empty, some moments still crept up on her, some days she found herself crying even though she didn't feel any strong emotions let alone sadness, the tears would just start and then refuse to stop. Noah and Lucas gave Brooke reasons to get up every morning even when all her motivation was gone.
It felt like a good day though and Brooke bounced back into her house, continuing the lyrics to the last song on the radio as she headed straight for her workspace. The good mood had Brooke breeze through the finishing touches of Sam's prom dress and she took a photo with her phone, sending the image to Haley and Millie, and then she sent Sam a text letting her know it was all finished in time for the weekend.
Still feeling a buzz from completing the dress, and being very pleased with the end result, Brooke didn't look at her phone to check who was calling, "hello?" she expected to hear Haley's voice and was surprised when she heard a different familiar female voice.
"Hi, Brooke, it's Carine"
"Oh, Carine, hi, how are you? I hope everything is okay?"
"Yes and no. I know we haven't spoken since Samantha came out of your care however you are still registered with us and I'm currently looking to place a fourteen-month-old boy who has just come into care today. The mother is in hospital and so far no family has been able to be found, this placement could last a few days or months, however if you're interested-"
"Are you serious?" Brooke's mouth dropped open, "yes, yes I'm interested, I would love too"
"Good because I'm hoping to drop him to you in three hours"
Panic began to set in yet Brook grinned as she nodded along to Carine and let the conversation flow, as soon as the phone call ended Brooke skidded to her car and speed dialled Haley placing her on loud speaker, "tutor wife, I need you to meet me at my old place fifteen minutes ago"
"Okay let me just go get my time machine" Haley joked though Brooke barely noticed.
Still grinning Brooke sped down her street, "Great, I'll see you soon!"
Twelve minutes later Haley walked into the unlocked house, not much had changed since Brooke had moved houses, all the old furniture remained as she had gotten all new stuff in the new place however it lacked the personal belongings. Haley looked around, "Brooke, you called?"
"Up here!" Brooke screamed and Haley found her friend in the attic, Brooke immediately handed Haley a box "okay, all the boxes here on this side need to be packed in my car"
"Okay" Haley comfortably held the box as she looked around, "may I ask what is going on?"
"Long story short, they're giving me a baby in about two hours so I need to get everything I kept from Angie…" Brooke drawled off as she opened another box, she closed it back up and moved it away from the 'to take' section, "I know I am forgetting something"
Haley's mouth was still wide open from Brooke's explanation, "wait one second, did you say you are getting a baby?"
"Yes" Brooke nervously gulped and she gave a little nod, "Harry is fourteen months, his mother is in the ICU and his father is stationed overseas, Carine asked me to foster him until he can return to his parents care."
"We better hurry up then" Haley smiled back at Brooke.
As she watched her friend go to carry the box out Brooke suddenly wrapped her arms around Haley, "thanks" Brooke closed her eyes as she said the words into Haley's shoulder, "I don't say it enough but thank you for being one of the best friends I ever had" and she gave a little squeeze before letting Haley go and stepping back.
Between the two of them they carried four boxes down, as well as the box containing the folded stroller and for them into Brooke's car. Then they fitted the dismantled cot into the back of Haley's car, followed by the bouncer and highchair, it didn't take as long as either one expected and soon they were at Brooke's house. The bouncer and highchair were easily moved straight to the kitchen area and then together they carried the cot pieces upstairs, there was only one room upstairs to really choose from, the one between Sam's room and the larger guest room that was reserved for Karen.
The room was almost empty, Brooke had barely touched it, the walls were still the soft grey with white trimmings that it had been painted before she had moved in, one day she imagined changing the colour though there hadn't been a need to so far and Brooke had only added a few items to the large room. The first being a low six drawer chest of drawers, it was a white antique design fit for a princess, she'd gotten it at the same time she had purchased a matching four post single bed after last Christmas when Lily had stayed over with Karen. It had seemed strange have a single empty bedroom so with no one else in mind Brooke had used Lucas' little sister as inspiration when choosing furniture. The bedsheets mostly hidden were a blush pink, covered by a white pintucked comforted and pillow set, a single rainbow cushion brightened up the bed.
A large shaggy white and grey round rug lay in the centre of the room, and the bench at the bay window was adorned with different shaped and coloured pastel cushions. The bedside tables in the same style as the chest of drawers were unadorned except for one blush pink lamp shade on the right side.
"Do you have any tools?" Haley asked as they placed the cot mattress onto the floor, her question held a hint of disbelief and she was surprised when Brooke quickly nodded.
"I have one of those thingy me bobby's that, you know, screws things"
"A screwdriver?"
"Yeah, but like… it's electric and you can change it, Mouth got it for me when I first moved back to Tree Hill"
Haley laughed at Brooke's attempt to describe the tool though she was surprised that when Brooke retrieved it that she knew exactly how to use it, they put the cot together quicker than either expected with Haley reading the instructions, she laughed as the last screw was secured "this took barely twenty minutes, Nathan and Lucas took three hours with Jamie's"
"When Mouth and Skills put this together for Angie it took two, it helps I watched them do it so I remember everything they did wrong" Brooke chuckled.
They placed the mattress within the cot and each carried a box up the stairs, Brooke opened one marked manchester baby neutral, and soon the cot was made up with pale jungle themed bedding. The still half full box was then hidden away in the wardrobe and Brooke checked the time before instructing Haley to empty one of the storage boxes from the shelving unit in Sam's room and fill it with the toys from the other box they had carried upstairs. Haley did so, placed a few stuffed toys at the end of the cot and a few bigger toys atop the dresser. There was also a mobile she added to the cot even though Haley wasn't sure it was necessary for a child over one.
Brooke reappeared, her arms full, and Millie walked in behind her with a few grocery bags with her, within five minutes Brooke had set up a changing station on the dresser and then she packed everything else up in the wardrobe again, "Wow!" Haley exclaimed, "I forget how fast you get things done when you want to"
"I couldn't do it without you guys"
The three women left the makeshift nursery, Brooke in the middle wrapped a grateful arm around each woman, they were half way down the stairs when the sound of the doorbell came through the house.
"You ready?" Haley asked.
Brooked took a deep breath and then gave a big nod.
The moment Brooke set eyes on the small chubby boy her heart melted, she fell in love and her heart broke a little too as it hit Brooke that once more she would give her heart to a child and then have to hand them back. Then Brooke remembered Angie and Sam, and how much love and joy they both had given her, and Brooke knew all the pain of letting them go was worth it too, knew she had been there when they had needed her, and part of parenting was also knowing when it was time to let go.
With a loving smile Brooke opened her arms and Carine handed Harry to Brooke, he was a chubby toddler with smooth beige skin, big brown eyes and a headful of soft black hair. Brooke ran a hand over the back of his head, kissing the top of it, "somebody's tired" she laughed as the toddler buried his face against her, his eyes barely open.
Brooke's heart swelled.
-x-
Twenty minutes later Carine was leaving and Brooke stared down at the sleeping boy in the cot, "damn, he's cute" she gave a sad sigh, "I hope his Mom gets better, he must miss her so much"
Haley rubbed Brooke's back, "he's in good hands until then" she couldn't help but smile, then Haley looked down at Harry, "what did Luke say? I bet he was shocked"
"Shit" Brooked winced, "I knew I forgot something"
Millie snorted and when the other two women looked at her she couldn't hold back the laughter, Haley joined in and let her hand drop from Brooke.
"Okay, out of the sleeping baby's room" Brooke glared at her friends, walking them out and shutting the door behind her. In a whisper she defended herself, "I just forgot, it all happened so fast"
"Well, you better warn him before he comes home and gets a surprise"
"Obviously" Brooke replied sarcastically and rolled her eyes. As soon as they were back downstairs Brooke pressed one on speed dial and waited, it didn't take long, there was a click and then Lucas' voice came over the line.
"Hey, Pretty Girl" he paused briefly, "missed me?"
"Actually… it's been a pretty hectic day" Brooke tried to hide her nerves and her excitement though Lucas clearly heard it from her tone.
"What's going on?"
"Well," Brooke turned her back to Haley and Millie who were not too subtle with their eavesdropping, "Carine stopped by" she popped the last word and let her sentence linger.
"Uh huh"
And then Brooke finished in a rush, "and I'm fostering a little boy named Harry, he's one and is currently asleep upstairs and he's so cute and precious and I'm really sorry I didn't call you but it all happened so fast and I don't want you to freak but-"
Lucas chuckled and his interruption allowed Brooke to breathe, with a smile in his voice Lucas cut in, "that's amazing, Brooke. And just for the record I am not going to freak"
"You're the best boyfriend"
"Don't you forget that the next time you want to throw something at me"
"I'll try to remember, no promises" and Brooke let out a deep breath.
"And Brooke?"
"Yeah"
"Everything will be okay"
"Thanks" Brooke leant into her phone, "I love you"
"I love you too. I'll see you toni-oh, are we still on for tonight?"
"Of course, sort of… maybe" Brooke bit her lip. She spun back to her friends who suddenly were looking everywhere but at Brooke, "I should probably keep Harry home but you and Noah should still go, come back here after?" though her voice was hopeful with the question everyone knew it was rhetorical, Lucas would be returning to Brooke's whether she had asked or not.
"Okay, sounds good. Maybe you should ask your Mom to pick Noah up seeing she's in town, that way you can tell Noah once he's home and not have him hop into a car with a surprise baby"
"I should have saved that for you" she teased, "that's a great idea, Victoria will love that"
"Good. Now you can stop worrying about my reaction and do the million things you probably need to do. Love you" he said again.
"Bye, Luke" and Brooke ended the call.
Haley shook her head slightly, "you two are way more gross than Nathan and I"
"Why thank you" Brooke stuck her tongue out quickly though the women started to laugh and fell into a hug. Haley wrapped her arms around Brooke and with her eyes closed sent out a silent wish towards her friend.
-x-
Thoughts?