Chapter Twenty
"When I'm not with you I lose my mind, give me a siiiiiign, hit me baby one more time!" I sang, laughably out of tune with my daughter Kylie. We danced around the huge house in towels from when I'd bathed her, singing along to one of my nineties CDs.
"Are you hungry sweetie?" I asked, pushing a damp dark curl away from her face. She nodded eagerly.
"Yeah. Can we get Joe to make me a sandwich?" she asked, in reference to our cook. I shook my head.
"No, I will. Come on," I said, kneeling down so she could clamber onto my back.
She sat on the counter where I made her sandwich, swinging her legs in time to more bad music. I carefully cut it into quarters with my inexperienced hands as Antonio came in.
"You don't have to do that," he said, nodding towards the plate I'd made for her. She got up and ran along the marble countertop, throwing herself into his arms. He twirled her around before setting her back on the marble-they were almost the same height with her advantage. I walked over to join them, and helped Kylie off the counter, handing her her sandwich. She ran off, and I faced him.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning against where she'd been a moment earlier.
"Coming to spend some time with my family. A crime?" he asked, leaning down to kiss me. I briefly allowed his tongue to roam my mouth before pulling back.
"We were bonding," I said stubbornly.
"Play nicely Brooke," he advised. I smiled weakly at him, and he pulled me into his arms. I sighed and rested my head on his chest.
"Did you have a nice day?"
"Yes. And you? What did you do?" he asked, pulling me up and sitting me on the counter before him, as Kylie had done.
"We just hung out. She inherited my singing voice," I said, giggling.
"Shoot," he said, laughing.
"What are we doing tonight?" I asked.
"Kylie is spending the night with a friend," he said. So that was what we were doing. I nodded.
"Okay," I said simply.
"And if you don't mind, the two of us are going to go visit my mother," he said. She lived just out of town. I nodded absently, and soon after the two left together.
I wandered up to our room after they'd left, admiring the bed curtains, the en suite bathroom, the beautiful hard wood floors. All the pictures of our perfect family of three.
I hadn't acquired a new bruise since the shoulder has started to heal.
I paused at a picture of our wedding day. My beautiful, diamond encrusted tiara, the silk gown, his handsomeness in his tux. The enormous diamond that weighed down my finger. I glanced down at it and slipped it off-I needed a way to rebel.
"Brooke?" said a voice from behind me. I spun around, and met his soulful brown eyes.
"Lucas," I breathed. We met halfway across the rooms, and immediately are lips found each other, crushing together in passion. He backed me up against a wall and familiarized himself with all my curves. After a sensual moment, I pushed him away.
"No, not again Luke. I won't be Peyton for you," I swore.
"Then for God's sake be Brooke for me," he said, diving back onto my mouth. I didn't think about what he was doing, about why he was doing it. I just thought about what I'd been wanting since I'd been a teenager. I felt his hardness through his pants, wrapped my arms around him and thought guiltily of how young he seemed.
My cell phone vibrated me against my hip, shocking me. I answered it immediately, dreading hearing my husband's voice. But Peyton answered. Her voice was urgent yet hysterical as she blurted out a lie that had colored her entire life. As I hung up, and he pushed up against me again, I pushed him off.
"Don't you dare, you sick bastard. You want her, and you're going for me because you know I'm easy. How dare you?" I demanded.
"It's not like that. I love you Brooke," he said sweetly, palming my cheek. He advanced toward me again, and I kneed him.
"No! You're never getting that from me again. You've turned into the kind of guy I've always known you could be. How can Peyton or Callie ever forgive you? You know I hope my husband does come here, just so I can tell him and he can kick your ass?" I said angrily. I realized guiltily that I'd wanted Lucas too much, that it had blinded me to why he'd come to me. Because he missed Peyton-of course.
"Shit Brooke. Come here," he said, kissing my neck roughly. I pushed him away and struggled under his strength. I'd wanted him to get under from Antonio's control, but they were exactly the same.
"Brooke!" came a call from across the room. Lucas backed away from me, and I slid to the ground in exhaustion. I looked to the door-Mouth. Why?
"Man, what are you doing here?" asked Lucas.
"Saving Brooke. Get out," he ordered menacingly.
"I wasn't hurting her," said Lucas uncertainly.
"Bull," he said. Surprisingly, Lucas left and I rubbed myself angrily where he'd touched, as though afraid he'd contaminated me.
Mouth walked toward me and helped me up, holding me lovingly once I'd stood. I nestled into him, relieved he wasn't trying to hurt me, or even kiss me. I'd become too used to dodging, or just settling.
"Shh. I'll take care of you," he promised. Another tear slid down my cheek.
"I thought he was good again," I sobbed.
"I know. I know. Shh," he said.
"He's just like Antonio. He pretends to be perfect and charming, but he hurts me just the same," I said, pulling down the shoulder of my blouse again. Mouth gasped almost inaudibly.
"He hit you?"
"Often."
"Divorce him!" he burst out angrily. I shook my head.
"I can't. I'm trapped," I said in despair. I thought again of the pre-nup.
"An agreement?" he asked. I nodded.
"You're so nice. I never should have left you," I said.
"No, I don't think you should have. I still love you," he admitted.
"Don't expect these things of me right now," I begged.
"Yeah. But we were too young," he said.
"Peyton wasn't."
"Peyton lived by herself since her thirteenth birthday. She's different from you. But we should have waited," he said. I nodded, even the sound of his voice soothing me. My mind drifted backward in time, and I thought of the shock and intensity of the last fifteen minutes.
"I don't know what to do," I sobbed.
"Don't worry. We'll think of something," he promised.
