AN: Thanks for all the reviews! Thank you to: brucas622, the only sweet catastrophe, and southerncoffeeaddict. I'm so glad you like it!

Chapter 2

Jake's POV

I never thought I'd be going on a love cruise. I mean, I have to admit, I am a little desperate, and I haven't really been dating for the last four years. But that's only because I have bigger problems in my life. Four years ago, my daughter Jenny was born, I was only seventeen. Three years ago is when I got custody of her and two years ago is when Nikki, my ex-girlfriend and Jenny's mother, stopped bothering me about it and finally left. And I guess for the last two years it's really only been me and my daughter. I don't have time for a girlfriend, and even if I did, who would want to date me?

I've had probably more drama in my life than the normal man has in his entire life. But I don't regret a second of it. Because at the end of the day, when it's just me and my beautiful daughter, it was all worth it.

The people in my life have really helped me. I was able to get through high school with a newborn baby, and I got a scholarship to NCU and I just finished my junior year there. I'm twenty-one. It's suppose to be this great age when you can drink (legally), and party all you want, but for me it's all but that.

I met Lucas at NCU and he's become my best friend. The thing is, ever since I met him he's been trying to set me up with people. And it's always turned into a disaster. Some girls were really nice and all, but they couldn't stand being put second in my life. Like if I had to cancel on a date because Jenny was sick or something, they would freak out. Even when the girls were really cool about Jenny, they never stuck. When I find someone that's worth compromising my time with Jenny to go out with, then I'd definitely date her (if she wanted me). But I have yet to meet that person.

Anyways, after three years of Lucas setting me up, he finally realized that that wasn't working and he got the bright idea to hand me over to the 'professionals'. Without my knowledge, he signed me up at Which is a little disappointing, I mean it could have been or something like that, but sounded so… high school. But as it turned out, they chose me, among a hundred others, to join them on their annual cruise, so that everyone can meet everyone and hook up. Lucas insisted that I go, and alright it would be nice to have a vacation, and since I was allowed a plus-one I figured it wouldn't be so bad. I could bring Lucas and Jenny (I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I brought her) and we could just forget that the whole thing was to set me up.

"Hey, man," Lucas said when I met him at the dock. I had my guitar in one hand, suitcase in the other, and Jenny walking by my side.

"Hey, Luke," I said noticing the gigantic white boat behind him. "Is that it?" I asked. Luke turned around and then back to face me.

"Yup," He answered. "You ready?"

"Um…" I hesitated. I know I had already agreed to it, and now Luke would not let me say no. "Yeah."

We got to the entrance, and there was a guy about my age there, checking off people's names on a list.

"Hi, Jake Jegelski and Lucas Scott," I said as he crossed off out names. We started to go inside but the guy stopped us.

"Hey, man, it says plus-one, not two," He said pointing to Jenny.

"Oh yeah, I know, but this is my daughter-" I started saying.

"Yeah, I don't care," God, I hated this guy already. "You want to take this up with the manager?"

"Yeah, I do." I said. He pointed us to this room nearby. I knocked on it and then entered, finding a middle-aged woman there, who I could only assume was the manager.

Long story short, the woman ended up finding it amazing that I had a four year old daughter and decided that she would let me stay on the cruise with Lucas and Jenny, as long as I spoke at the assembly that after-noon. I have to explain how I'm a single-father and haven't dated in forever and that I signed up on because I knew that they could find the perfect person for me. I know, it's pretty pathetic right? But I don't really care, as long as Luke and Jenny get to stay with me.

So, anyways, that's how I ended up here, in a small cabin in the huge boat talking to Jenny. Lucas had gone out to look around.

"Look, Jenny, I'm sorry about all this. But it's going to be fun. We're going to… uh, make a lot of friends." I said. Jenny was my world, my everything. I hated to have to drag her into all this, I just wanted to make it fun for her. We never really got to go on trips much like her friends did, and I know that she can feel left out, mostly because she doesn't have a mom.

"I know," Jenny said in that soft, sweet, tiny voice of hers. She smiled, "I love you, Daddy," She said. I picked her up in my arms and hugged her.

"I love you, too, angel,"

xXxXxXx

General POV

"Welcome everyone aboard the 'Amour'!" The manager said. Everyone, probably around two hundred people, was outside grouped in front of a small stage, where the manager, and a couple of teenagers were, including Jake. Peyton and Brooke were near the front but weren't paying much attention to what she was saying. They, well at least Brooke, was looking around the crowd for hot guys.

"Hm…" She said looking around, commenting to herself, "Too short… oh, too skinny… hm, what about that one? Oh no, never mind, his pants are way too tight-"

"Brooke!" Peyton interrupted, "There will be plenty of time for that later, just direct your attention to the stage right now, this could be important." She said.

"Fine," Brooke whined looking up at the stage.

"Hey, what about that guy?" Peyton asked. She had been eyeing this one cutie on the stage for a while. He seemed kind of uncomfortable up there on stage and Peyton wondered what he was doing there.

"Well, well, well, P. Sawyer, nice choice!" Brooke said, "I guess you're into the whole daddy thing-" Peyton looked at her weirdly then back up at the guy. She had been so busy looking at him, that she didn't even notice the infant at his side holding his hand.

"Oh my gosh! What do you think that's about?" Peyton asked.

"I guess we're about to find out," Brooke said as the guy went up to the mic and started talking.

"Hi," Jake said nervously. There must be two hundred people there, that he was about to announce to just how desperate he was. "Uh, my name is Jake Jegelski, and this is my daughter, Jenny," He said and Jenny gave a wave. She had a bright, confident smile, and seemed completely at ease. Something she definitely didn't get from her father.

"She's four years old," Jake continued, "And ever since she's was born when I was seventeen, it's been just the two of us. So, I signed up at because I figured they'd help me find someone good for me, because I was having a little trouble. What with, taking care of Jenny and school and all I haven't really been able to date. So I'm hoping that here I'll find someone…" Jake paused. "I guess just someone who can accept that it's a pretty big commitment to date me, because if you become a part of my life than you become a part in Jenny's too. So… yeah, that's it I guess." Jake said and then went to the back of the stage for one of the others to go up and tell their story.

xXxXxXx

Peyton's POV

Brooke and I pretty much ignored the rest of the assembly. We were too busy talking about Jake.

"Wow, that was so adorable!" Brooke said. "Peyton, you need to get with him now!" She squealed.

"Brooke, he's twenty-one," I pointed out. There was no way that a twenty-one year old would be interested in a seventeen year old. I have to admit, he was hot and he seemed like a pretty cool guy, but it would never happen.

"Well, so are we!" Brooke said.

"What?"

"Look, Peyton, who cares about our age? It's just a number right? So why not… change it?" Brooke said, innocently.

"Brooke, you want to lie about our age?" I asked, what on earth was she thinking?

"High school guys are so last season, plus they're way too immature." She said, and I couldn't argue with that. "College guys are so much better, and they'll be more interested in college girls! So, we're twenty-one and go to Duke, if anyone asks, ok?" Brooke pleaded.

I thought about this. It's not like it really mattered. If I found a guy that I liked and that liked me, what did age matter, right? It was harmless. "Fine," I said.

"Good, now let's go say hi," Brooke said and before I could protest she pulled me through the crowd over to the side of the stage where Jake was getting down.

"Hi! Jake, was it?" Brooke said as soon as Jake got down. She didn't wait for him to answer. "And Jenny! Hi!" She said crouching down to play with Jenny.

Jake looked from Jenny to Brooke to me. I figured now would be the right time to say something.

"She's beautiful," I said. And she was. She had curly hair, and her father's eyebrows. She was just adorable.

"Thanks," Jake said, and it actually sounded sincere. I could tell that this guy was definitely different from the guys I'm used to. "I'm Jake," He said, extending his hand for me to shake.

"Peyton," I answered shaking his hand, and flashing a smile. "Nice speech," I added.

"Yeah… they kind of… made me do that so I could get two guests on here instead of just one," Jake said.

"Oh, really? Who else did you bring?" Brooke asked. And I could so tell what was on her mind. She was hoping that he had brought a hot friend of his.

"My friend, Lucas, actually he's coming here right now," Jake said nodding to a tall, blonde, good-looking guy walking towards them. "Hey, man," Jake said to him.

"Hey, thanks for giving me credit in your little speech," Lucas kidded. He seemed nice, and I noticed his glance pause a little longer on Brooke, who was eyeing him greedily. Knowing Brooke, he would be under her spell by dinner.

"I only said what they told me to say," Jake said, getting my attention. Was his whole cute speech a lie? Maybe he was like the guys back home…

"You mean what you said wasn't the truth?" I asked, disappointed and Brooke tore her gaze away from Lucas to look at Jake.

"No, it was all true except that I wasn't the one who signed myself up at Lucas here signed me up without me knowing. So… here we are." Jake said. Phew, ok I could go back to liking him now. I don't know what was getting over me. Normaly I didn't even care what guys thought of me. I think most of my relationship with Nathan, I didn't even like him, and now I'm having such a school-girl crush on this guy. Weird.

"Hun, that's funny, 'cause Brooke here did the same to me!" Peyton said, playfully hitting Brooke.

"I was only trying to help," Brooke defended herself. Which was true, she was my bestest friend in the whole world and she always had my best interest in mind.

"As was I," Lucas said turning to Brooke, who was flashing her dimples at him. I could tell he was already intrigued by her. "I'm Lucas," He said.

"Brooke," She said. "Where'd you guys go to school?"

"We just finished our junior year at North Carolina University." Lucas said. It seemed like Lucas and Brooke were in their own world so I sneaked a glance over at Jake. The sight practically made my heart melt. He was crouched down and playing Patty-Cake with his daughter. He was smiling and laughing crazily, just having a blast with his kid. It reminded me of times when I was little with my dad. I wasn't much older than her when my mom died, and most of my childhood memories are just of me and my dad.

"Yeah, we just finished our junior year at Duke, actually," Brooke said, completely convincingly. Probably because she had said lies like these many times in her life, and was pretty much a pro at it by now.

"Really?" Lucas was saying, "I would have figured you guys were still in high school." I had to bite my tongue to stop me from laughing. But Brooke looked completely calm, she just smiled and looked him straight in the eye.

"Yeah, we get that a lot," She said casualy. I tried so smile and nod along, but I had this weird feeling. Even though this was a completely innocent lie, it still bothered me. But I just brushed it off, it's nothing to worry about. I'm here on a huge boat, with my best friend and a hot, nice, twenty-one year old guy who has a daughter. This was going to be an interesting three weeks.

xXxXxXx

AN: I would love some feedback! I hope you guys liked it, and will review! Thanks so much for reading!