Chapter Forty

Apologies

Brooke looked around the restaurant as she waited impatiently for Richard to show up. She hoped she could put all of this drama to rest. She didn't want to keep looking over her shoulder for the next eighteen years to see if he was plotting another scheme to make her look like she was a bad parent. This had to end. This was stressing her out and she didn't need to deal with this crap her senior year. This was her senior year. Her last year to spend with her friends before they left for college. Except Lucas.

Brooke let out a heavy sigh. What was she going to do? She would love to drop everything and travel the world with him. She wasn't really planning to attend college right away. But what about Mackenzie? Would it be right to leave her with Keith and Karen? How responsible would that be? Then again, would it be responsible if she brought the baby along with her and Lucas? Brooke didn't know what to do.

Brooke was so deep in thought that she almost didn't hear the door opened and Richard walked into the restaurant. He dismissed the hostess as he spotted Brooke. He walked over to her and she gestured him to sit down across from her. Richard smiled as he did. "I'm very pleased you called me. I'm glad you finally decided to negotiate a deal between us."

Brooke plastered a fake smile on her face. "Considering you tried to convince Lucas's ex-girlfriend to interrupt my life in order for her to try and break us up, I felt I had no choice." Richard tried to defend himself, but Brooke didn't let him respond. "I can't believe you would stoop that low to bribe someone to interfere in my life to try and get custody of Mackenzie. If you're that desperate for money, then I'm willing to give it to you."

"Brooke, I thought we've had this discussion already," Richard replied. "You aren't responsible enough to take care of a child. I'm just trying to take the burden off you." Brooke shook her head in disgust. "Think about it. Next spring, you will be graduating from high school. What are you going to do with the baby while you're off at college? Drop her off at your friend's house and come back during holidays? You might as well sign custody over to them."

"I don't know what I will be doing yet," Brooke admitted, realizing he was telling her her exact fears. She pulled an envelope out of her purse. She kept tight of it as she spoke. "But I will figure it out. I don't need your help. Nor do I want it. All I want is you accepting this money." She handed him the envelope and he took a peek at it. "It's all there plus what you paid Lindsey for trying to break me and Lucas up."

Richard chuckled. "I'm surprised she gave in so easily. She really seemed eager to try and get back together with Lucas. I'm sure you know their history, right? They got married and they thought she was pregnant. And then it turns out to be a hoax. Is that what you want to do for Lucas? You want him to go through that whole ordeal again?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but Lucas and I don't have any plans to get engaged, much less married anytime soon," Brooke snapped. She was getting more annoyed with Richard by the minute.

Richard just smiled in amusement. "Sooner or later, that baby will interfere with your relationship. And your college plans and dreams," he taunted. Brooke didn't want to hear anymore. She got up from the table and grabbed her purse. "When your life starts to fall apart, you will regret keeping that baby. Trust me."

Brooke was about to leave when she heard a familiar voice. Yet, she wasn't expecting him. In fact, Dan Scott was the last person she expected to be watching the scene. She knew he had been out of jail, but she didn't realize he had returned to Tree Hill. "Wow, that certainly brings back memories for me." Richard just looked at him confused. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overhear, but I don't think you know what you're saying to this young lady."

"What are you talking about? Who the hell are you?" Richard demanded as Dan walked over to the table. "This happens to be a private conversation between me and my daughter."

"You don't recognize me?" Dan asked, pretending to be surprised. "I'm Dan Scott. My son is Julian Baker. I believe you and your ex-wife tried to hook him up with Brooke." Richard's face fell as Brooke wondered what Dan was going to say. To her surprise, he was on her side. "Now I don't believe you know the story behind Julian's mother and I. Like Brooke, I was young when I fell in love with Sylvia. When she announced she was pregnant, I left her. I abandoned my son. I didn't even claim him as my son. And I regretted it every day since. I never fought for a relationship with him. He wouldn't even have stuck around if it wasn't for his two half-sisters. He never forgave me for abandoning him, but we're working on rebuilding our relationship. And I'm sure Brooke would regret it if she did give her little sister up."

"Sure, she is just the sister or cousin. Whichever you'd prefer. She probably should have a life on her own. Then again, she has had one since she was little. From what I have heard, she has raised herself. You weren't there to wipe her tears away when she needed comforting. You weren't there to supervise her field trips to the zoo. You weren't there to ground her when she snuck out to a college party. Instead, you gave her the freedom to do whatever she wanted. You didn't show her any conditional love so she searched for it somewhere else. She's ready to give that love to someone else, someone who needs it more than her. And that's what being a parent or a guardian is all about." There was applause and cheers from the other customers. "You would be crazy to doubt Brooke. She loves Mackenzie and she will do anything for her."

Richard tried to contain his composure, but it was clear he was embarrassed. He couldn't think of a good response. Instead, he kept tight of the envelope as he got up from the table. However, Dan stood in his way. "Do I have your word you won't be harassing Brooke anymore? And you will allow her to raise Mackenzie without interference?" he asked. Richard was silent for a moment before he nodded. Dan stayed where he was. Richard looked at him annoyed. "I want your word."

Richard continued to stay silent before he finally answered. "Fine, I'm not going to harass Brooke anymore. No more interfering." He turned to Brooke. "But I still believe you are wrong. You will find yourself wishing you could go back to your old life. Trust me." He glanced at Dan one final time before he stormed past him and headed to the exit.

There was an awkward silence between Dan and Brooke before she spoke. "Thank you. I should probably go." She walked past Dan and he sadly watched her go. It wasn't until she was in the parking lot when she heard her name being called. She stopped for a moment so Dan could catch up with her. However, she didn't let him say anything. "Look, I appreciate you helping me out in there. I really do, but I'm not going to help you reconcile with your family. You are going to do that on your own."

Dan nodded understandingly. "I know. I understand. I just wanted to talk to you." Brooke wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it. "I want to apologize for everything I did to you. I know I didn't kidnap you directly, but I was an accomplice. I knew Ian's desire for you was a little too strong and I didn't do anything to stop your kidnapping. Instead, I helped plan it and lost my family in return. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I wanted to let you know how truly deeply sorry I am for my part in your kidnapping and the suffering you went through in the aftermath. I never should have used you like to get revenge against my family and I promise you it won't happen again."

Brooke could hear how sincere he was in his voice. When she had heard he was a part of her abduction, she was furious. When she heard he was out because her mother dropped the charges against him, she didn't really think about the news because she was too busy focusing on Richard. Now that she has seen him, she realized all of those feelings of anger and hurt weren't there. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I forgive you."

Dan looked at her flabbergasted as Julian and Rachel came up to them. "Hey, what's going on?" Julian asked, looking from Dan to Brooke. Both he and Rachel were concerned. "Is everything okay with you two?"

Brooke nodded. "Yeah, I was having some trouble with Richard and Dan was helping me out," she explained. "I should get back to the house and check on Mackenzie. You guys enjoy your lunch. I'll see you later." Rachel was disappointed and tried to get her best friend to join them for lunch. However, Brooke was firm and promised she would call her later.

As Brooke drove home, she couldn't help but think about what she really wanted to do after high school. Her senior year was nearly halfway over and she still hasn't even thought about applying for college. She had to figure out something soon. She really wanted to travel with Lucas, but the problem was the baby. Yet, was it truly possible for her to bring the baby along?

When she arrived home, Haley was there to greet her. She wanted to ask, but she could tell by the look on her friend's face that the meeting didn't go well. "What did Richard say now?" Haley asked as they sat down on the sofa.

"It doesn't matter because Dan set him straight," Brooke told her. Haley gave her a questioning look. "Yeah, Dan was there. I guess he was waiting for Julian and Rachel because they showed up right after Dan apologized to me." There was a short pause. "And I forgave him. It's funny. For months, I had wanted to yell at him. I wanted to tell him how angry I was at him for helping orchestrate my kidnapping. Then I realized it wasn't worth it. I would never truly move on from that unless I forgave him."

Haley smiled. "That sounds like great advice. Looks like there has been forgiveness all around." Brooke looked at her confused. Haley was silent before she spoke again. "While you were dealing with Richard, Nathan stopped by." Brooke looked at her with raised eyebrows. "We had a good talk and we realized how much we have missed each other." There was a short pause and Brooke was dying to hear the rest of the story. Haley gave her a wide smile. "And I can proudly say that we're back together again."

Brooke embraced her in a tight hug. "I knew you two would get back together again. I just knew it." She pulled away from her best friend for a moment. "You know what we should do? We should celebrate with a movie and some popcorn." The conversation was interrupted by the sound of Mackenzie crying from the baby monitor. "I came home just in time. Let me take care of her and then we'll start planning our movie night." Haley just nodded as Brooke hurried off to the nursery.

Brooke turned on the light and she went over to the crib, where Mackenzie was wailing. However, she managed to give her sister a smile as Brooke lifted her up. She gently put her against her shoulder and did her best to comfort her. "It's okay. I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere," she promised.

Richard's words of doubt kept echoing in her head, but she pushed them aside for the moment. This wasn't the time to think about him. In fact, she had a feeling he would keep his promise and finally leave her and Mackenzie alone. Dan really fought for her and it seems that she could finally take care of Mackenzie in peace.