Chapter 7
"You got a dog?" Lucas stared at the trio. Brooke, Jason, and Francis looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Yes daddy. His name is Max and he's my best friend." Francis replied matter of factly. Lucas rolled his eyes. He had been on the road for the past week and had come home to find his house infested with a dog. Apparently Brooke and the kids were out shopping and saw an adoption day event at a pet store. They had stopped just to look and had all fallen in love with a dog-named Max. Brooke had promptly adopted him and brought him home without even asking Lucas if it was all right.
Lucas looked at the dog. He had never really cared for dogs. This dog in particular was a mutt. He was a medium sized dog and very shaggy. Brooke had told him they hadn't had time to get him groomed yet. It didn't look like he'd be able to send it back; the kids were already attached to him. Jason told him that Max slept in his room every night.
"Why don't you guys take Max out back and play with him? I want to talk to Brooke."
"K daddy." Francis hugged Lucas' legs before following Jason out the door to play with the dog.
"A dog Brooke?"
"He was so cute and looked so lonely. We couldn't leave him there. Just be happy we only got one."
"You could have asked me first."
"Well it was kind of spur of the moment." Brooke didn't know why Lucas was getting so upset, it was just a dog. He wasn't home enough to even be bothered by it. "It'll teach the kids responsibility. Jason and Francis check every morning to make sure he has food. They're too little to really walk him but they come with me when I go. Look at them, that's how they've been all week. It really is sweet. Besides he makes me feel safer when you're gone."
Lucas looked outside and saw his kids playing with Max in the back yard. Francis ran as fast as her little legs could go trying to follow him around. Jason would throw a ball and Max would go and get it and bring it back to them. Francis giggled non-stop the whole time.
"I don't think I've seen her laugh like that since her mom left. That hit her pretty hard. She's too little to understand, all she knows is her mom isn't around any more." Brooke was shocked. Lucas hadn't ever really talked about his ex with her. In fact that subject was pretty much off topic. Francis was a happy girl but the way she was with Max was different. She giggled constantly. Jason was right when he said Max slept in his bed with him, but Max somehow always ended up in Francis' room before too long.
"Luke, look, I'm sorry I didn't ask, but he looked so pathetic and they said they were going to have to put him down. Francis just took to him. He's been the sweetest little guy. He's so protective of them already. I was tickling Francis and she was yelling me to stop and he started barking at me. They're all happy. Can we PLEASE keep him?" Lucas looked at Brooke and then back at his kids.
"Fine, but keep him out of my study."
"No problem. I guess now would be a good time to tell you about the cat we got too." Lucas whipped his head around at Brooke and stared daggers at her. "Kidding." Brooke shook her head as she walked out of the room laughing.
Christmas was coming to the Scott household and Brooke was quickly learning it was a big deal. Grandparents called daily reporting presents they had bought and asking what else they could do. It was decided that Christmas would be at Lucas' house because of the kids. He and Nathan would be working the entire Christmas season and Lucas' house was the base of operations. Karen was going to take about three weeks off and come out to Dallas and all the other family members would be there for at least a week. Brooke was going home briefly. It's not that she loved her parents, she did, but they weren't the most loving family in the world. Most of her vacation time would be spent with Haley goofing off.
"Brooke did you get eggnog at the store?" Lucas walked into the kitchen and saw Brooke putting up groceries. She pulled out the carton of eggnog and shook it at him. "Awesome." He went over to it and opened it up and started drinking without a glass.
"Luke that's gross. Get a glass." She pulled the carton away from him.
"You women are all the same." He reluctantly pulled a glass out of the cupboard and poured himself a glass. Lucas and Brooke were alone in the house. Jason was at school and Francis was at mother's day out. Brooke had convinced Luke that mother's day out was a good idea for Francis so she could learn socialization skills. He had agreed and for two days a week she went and gave Brooke a nice little break.
Max followed Lucas around as he walked around the kitchen. Luke had slowly warmed up to the dog and the two were friends. He took Max jogging with him daily and often took him and the kids to the park to play.
"Did you get your tickets to go home?"
"Yeah. First class all the way. I'll leave the 22nd and come back the 30th. Just in time for New Years, you better have a good party planned."
"Eh. I can't remember if we have a game or not. The kids are sad you're not going to be there for Christmas."
"I know, but my parents have been bugging me to come visit. Besides I haven't seen Hales in awhile and it'll be good to hang out with her."
"You should bring Haley back here. I'm anxious to meet her."
"We'll see." Truth be told Brooke did want Haley to come back and stay for a little while. She was somewhat nervous about bringing Haley back to the insanity that was the Scott household though. "Oh you have to see what I got for Francis today?" Brooke ran excitedly back out to her car to get the gifts she had bought that day.
Luke was lucky to have her, he thought as she went out to the garage. The kids loved her and she loved them back. He was going to be sad when she was gone for Christmas break. They had been shopping for the kids since before Thanksgiving. They were going to be spoiled rotten. Lucas and Brooke had even bought toys for the dog. He couldn't believe that he was so attached to a dog, but he was. Brooke came back into the house with bags and bags of toys and the two began to pile over them.