A/N: I don't know how readers got the impression Brucas broke up, but they haven't been together as a couple yet.

Chapter Thirty Two

Let the Reigns Go Loose

Brooke heard the doorbell and hurried to answer it. Opening the door, she was relieved to see Lucas. He didn't even get a greeting as Brooke gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I've had a rough night, but I promise I'll be ready in two seconds." She then disappeared down the hallway to the kitchen. "You can take Mackenzie to the car. I'll be right there."

Lucas was about to lift Mackenzie's carrier when Haley came in the foyer. They exchanged smiles as she gave him the diaper bag. "Did you get any sleep last night or did Brooke keep you and the baby up all night?"

"I'm fine. It's Brooke I'm worried about," Haley replied. "She hasn't had a break from taking care of Mackenzie all summer. I understand Mackenzie needs a little more attention than most babies because she was premature, but Brooke needs a break. I don't know what she is going to do when we go back to school."

Lucas frowned. "I thought my Aunt Deb was going to watch her. Did Brooke change her mind?"

"No, she is just having a hard time letting Mackenzie go," Haley replied in almost a whisper as Brooke returned into the foyer. Before she could even speak, Haley spoke up first. "Don't worry. I packed everything you need for Mackenzie while you're out."

Brooke gave her a friend a grateful smile. "What would I do without you?" she asked as she embraced her in a tight hug. "We should probably get going. We don't want to be late for Mackenzie's checkup."

They said goodbye to Haley before they headed out to the car. Lucas helped Brooke fit Mackenzie's carrier in the car seat before they were on their way. Brooke was silent as Lucas began the conversation. "My family wants to make sure you're still coming to the café for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate Nathan's and Alex's homecoming."

"I'm not sure if I'm going," Brooke replied. Lucas was curious to hear her excuse this time. "I don't want to hurt Haley's feelings by going to the party without her."

"I don't think that will be a problem since she's invited," Lucas replied. "Even though Nathan and Haley are broken up, we knew we couldn't have a party without Haley. I even asked Nathan and he told me he didn't mind if she was invited. He's ready to face her after a summer apart and I think Haley feels the same way." Brooke was about to ask about Mackenzie when he jumped at the answer. "You don't need to find a babysitter. Bring her to the party."

"As much as I would love that, I don't want to take attention away from Nathan and Alex. No, I'll just hire a babysitter. And if I can't find a babysitter, then I'll just stay home with her."

Lucas stopped her right there. "No, you are going to that party. You haven't been away from Mackenzie much all summer. You need a break and the party is the perfect place to do it." Brooke was about to protest when Lucas didn't let her speak. "We'll find a babysitter for Mackenzie. What about Haley's parents? Or are they not back from their trip?"

"They are coming back this way, but it's not for a few more days."

"What about your mom?" Lucas suggested. Brooke shook her head. "Why not? Because Mackenzie is your father's daughter and not her daughter? Come on. She can't stay mad at your dad forever."

"May I remind you she is going through a divorce right now?" Brooke asked. "She has a lot on her plate and she really doesn't have time to take care of a baby right now. Besides, I don't trust her with Mackenzie. After all, she screwed me up. How do I know she won't screw Mackenzie up?"

"Victoria didn't screw you up," Lucas protested. "She just didn't show you unconditional love until she got a reality check. And if you want her around, you're going to have to learn to trust her with the baby."

Brooke let out a heavy sigh. "I know, but I don't want history to repeat itself."

Lucas gave her a look. "It would only be for a couple of hours. I doubt anything bad would happen in that short amount of time. And if you don't feel comfortable asking her, then you can always bring the baby to the party. I'm sure Mackenzie won't steal the attention away from Nathan and Alex too much." Brooke didn't answer. "Just think about it." She was grateful when he changed the subject.

Lucas did his best to calm Brooke's nerves down, but she was still terrified something wasn't right with Mackenzie. She kept having to remind herself that it was just a checkup. It was the doctor's job to let her know if Mackenzie wasn't catching up with the other babies. Of course, she was born premature so she was already behind the others.

However, she had nothing to fear. Dr. Copeland told her Mackenzie was doing well for a premature baby. Lucas was relieved too, but he knew Brooke wouldn't stop worrying about Mackenzie. It reminded him how crazy his mom was when Lily was born. She wanted to make sure Lily was growing and developing well after her birth. Maybe it was time his mom gave some advice to Brooke about being less overprotective of Mackenzie.

After Lucas dropped Brooke and Mackenzie back at the house, he drove to the café. Walking in, he looked around for his mother, but all he saw was the very few customers who were finishing up their breakfast. He was surprised nobody was at the counter, but he figured she was in the back room. It was confirmed when his mom and Deb made an appearance.

"Lucas, what a nice surprise. Is everything okay with Mackenzie?" Karen asked. Lucas nodded, not wanting to discuss it in front of Deb. Deb got the hint and said goodbye to them as she left the café. "Okay, what's wrong? Is it Brooke?"

Lucas nodded. "She doesn't want to bring Mackenzie to the party because she's afraid the baby will upstage Nathan and Alex. Can you try and talk to her? Tell her that it's okay to bring the protective shield down and have someone else take care of the baby for a couple of hours. I'm worried about her. She hasn't had any fun all summer because she has been too busy taking care of Mackenzie."

"Do you want me to talk to her for her sake or your sake?" Karen asked, raising her eyebrows. Lucas frowned. He had no idea what she was referring to, but he had a suspicion. It was confirmed when she gave her explanation. "You have been dying to ask Brooke out all summer, but you have been waiting for the right moment. And there hasn't been one because Brooke's focus has been on the baby. Unfortunately, that's the way it is when you have kids. The children come first."

Lucas let out a sigh. "I know, but Brooke deserves a break from parenting. I thought the party would be the perfect opportunity for me to ask her out on a date, but she doesn't think she should go. She didn't want to go because Haley wasn't invited. I told Haley was invited to the party, but then she made an excuse about not being able to find a babysitter."

"I was the same way when I had you, your brother and your sister," Karen replied. "Nobody was good enough to watch my babies. And as you guys grew up, it was hard to see you two would rather hang out with your friends than your good old mom and dad, but I knew I had to let you go." There was a short pause as she thought about their high school graduation and her boys attending college. "You can't stay here forever."

Lucas gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Mom. I won't go far. Besides, you still have Lily. She won't be going off to college for another ten or eleven years."

Karen laughed. "Yeah, but she is getting to that stage where she wants to hang out with her friends more than her parents. Speaking of your siblings, I was wondering if you would pick up Nathan and Alex from the airport this afternoon."

Lucas nodded. "I have nothing else planned. What time do I need to be at the airport?"

"Their flight comes in at four thirty. So you should get there in plenty of time in case their flight gets in early."

"I can head over there now if you want," Lucas joked. "As I said, I have nothing else to do."

"If you're bored enough, you can stay here and help with the lunch rush," Karen offered. "Or you can run some errands for me."

Lucas tried not to smile. "I'm not that bored. I'm going to go to the River Court. I'll be back at lunchtime."

"Tell your friends they are welcomed too," his mother told him. Lucas nodded before he left the café and began to walk back to his vehicle.

Later that day, Lucas was anxiously waiting at the terminal for Nathan and Alex. Their plane had landed and they could arrive any minute now. He was glad his brother would finally come home. It had been really challenging for him to be away from him. They hadn't been apart since birth and it wasn't easy for him to let him take off for the whole summer.

Although, it did help they talked on the phone every day. Nathan was having a great time, getting to know their cousin more. And there was a lot to do in L.A. He had gone out with one of Julian's friends a couple of times, but he realized it was too soon and broke it off with the girl. Lucas was glad since he was hopeful he and Haley would eventually get back together. During their last phone conversation, Nathan told him he was so ready to come home and Lucas couldn't have been more thrilled.

Lucas finally spotted his twin and gave him a wide smile. Nathan smiled in return. So did Alex. She embraced her cousin in a tight hug before the brothers were given a chance to greet each other. Alex instantly began the conversation as they headed to the baggage claim. "So are the rumors true? You haven't asked Brooke out on a date yet? What the hell is taking you so long?"

"I wanted to give Brooke time to settle back in her old house and adjust to living with Haley and Mackenzie," Lucas replied. Nathan understood that since a move could be tough. "And now she is focused on taking care of Mackenzie."

"Now you see what it would have been like if you and Lindsay really had a baby," Nathan pointed out. "Although, I'm glad you guys didn't have a baby. I wasn't ready to be an uncle and you know our parents weren't ready to be grandparents. Or have another baby in the house. Speaking of a baby, didn't Mackenzie have a checkup this morning?"

Lucas nodded. He didn't keep them in anticipation. "The checkup went great."

Alex spoke up. "Great. Now can we go back to the reason why you haven't asked Brooke out on a date? Because she has been taking care of Mackenzie. That's B.S. and you know it. You're afraid she will reject you."

Lucas gave her a look. "What? That's ridiculous. Why would I be afraid of that?"

It was easy for Nathan to sense what was bothering his twin. "Because you're afraid your friendship might be ruined if you guys take that next step," he told him. "I felt that way when I realized I liked Haley more than just a friend, but I took that chance because I wanted to pursue a relationship with her. You should try with Brooke. She might surprise you. Besides, it's our senior year. Why not start it out right with having the girl you like by your side?"

Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise. He couldn't believe what Nathan was saying. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

Nathan laughed. "I've learned a lot over the summer while I was in L.A. and I'm ready to start over."

"Does this mean you want to get back together with Haley?" Lucas asked hopefully.

Nathan was quiet for a moment. "Well, I did miss her," he admitted. Lucas waited for more. "And I do wish I could have made better choices when we were dealing with Uncle Dan and Ian and even Damien, but it's too late to fix those mistakes."

"Yeah, but it's not too late to fix things with Haley. You can still get back together with her," Lucas said. "I know she doesn't want to admit it, but she misses you. Maybe it's time to talk to her and see how she feels about getting back together."

"I'll only do that if you ask Brooke out on a date," Nathan replied as he pulled his suitcase off of the carousal. "It's about time you and Brooke start dating. I still can't believe you haven't asked her out all summer." Lucas didn't want to explain himself again and he wanted to drop the subject. Luckily, Alex began talking about her adventures in Los Angeles and there was no more talk about getting him and Brooke together.

The next evening, the gang gathered at the café to celebrate Nathan's and Alex's homecoming. To Lucas's delight, Brooke had managed to tear herself away from the baby and attend the party. With Haley's help, they were able to find a reliable babysitter. Mackenzie was home with Whitey. Brooke knew she could trust her with him.

Nathan and Alex showed off pictures of their trip to their family and friends. Lucas was impressed with Nathan and Haley. They didn't seem as uncomfortable with each other as they had been when they first broke up. He was glad, but that didn't mean they were going to get back together. He then turned to Brooke and smiled when he saw she was having a great time.

Lucas waited until he was able to get Brooke alone to talk to her. He wanted some privacy and he believed she wouldn't feel pressured to say 'yes, I would love to go out with you'. The opportunity didn't arise until after the party was over and Brooke needed a ride home since Haley wasn't done with her evening plans. Nathan offered to take her home when she was finished and she took his offer.

"I'm sure you're happy Nathan's home," Brooke said as Lucas drove her back to her house. "It must have been hard to be away from him all summer."

Lucas nodded before he changed the subject. "Brooke, we need to talk." Brooke hated those four words. Nothing ever came good behind them, but she let him continue on anyway. Lucas tried to say the words as gently as possible. "I think we both know our feelings for each other goes beyond friendship. And I was thinking maybe it's time to show it." Brooke was about to answer when Lucas didn't let her interrupt. "I know you're worried about the baby. And you're thinking about our pasts. We'll take it slow. No rushing."

Brooke had to admit she had gotten past the terrible year and she had been ready to move on with Lucas when the baby drama happened. Now she felt she had to focus on Mackenzie. She didn't have time to date anymore. Yet, she wanted to pursue a relationship. Was there really a way she could have both worlds? If there was, she was going to fight for it. "No rushing," she repeated. Lucas nodded. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Where are you taking me for our first date then?"