Chapter Forty One

Last Christmas

After the drama on Halloween, Brooke realized she didn't want a big Christmas party. She wanted to have a nice quiet Christmas with Haley and the Scott family. Keith and Karen instantly agreed with her decision. With knowing their sons and their friends going in different directions after their high school graduation, they wanted to make their last Christmas together special.

One Saturday afternoon, Karen planned to take Lily to see the mall Santa. Brooke and Haley tagged along with little Mackenzie. Brooke didn't know if Mackenzie would tolerate being on Santa's lap. She knew it was a hit or miss with babies and toddlers, but she wanted to try anyway. As they were wandering through the decorated mall, Brooke was lost deep in thought. Both Karen and Haley noticed it.

"Brooke, are you alright?" Karen asked as Lily spotted the Merry Go Round. She begged Haley to ride it with her. Haley nodded as this was the perfect time for Karen to talk to Brooke. They pushed the stroller over to a bench and they sat down. Brooke let out a heavy sigh. Karen looked at her with a concerned look on her face. "Okay, what's wrong?"

There was still silence before Brooke finally spoke. "I want to adopt Mackenzie as my own daughter," she announced. She had thought long and hard about it and it felt like the right thing to do. "I want to make her mine. So I know Richard or anybody else can't take her away from me. I just don't know whether a judge will approve. Look at my history. What was the first thing I did when my parents went out of town? Threw a house party. With college students. And beer. And then there was that whole thing with Ian. How stupid was I to let him attend the Halloween party and open his Christmas present? I should have sent those earrings back, but I thought he was just being nice."

Karen gave her a look. "When was the last time you threw a house party?" Brooke was quiet as she thought about the answer. "As far as the situation with Ian, none of us had any clue about his obsession with you." Brooke could think of one person, but she didn't want to bring him up now. "And you've learned your lesson. No more party crashers. And no accepting gifts from strangers. We've all made mistakes. As long as you've learned from them, that's all what counts. Besides, you have a lot of people who believe in you. I'm sure a judge will take that into account." Brooke smiled gratefully.

"And I know you're also worried about your future with college and Lucas," Karen said. "Waiting to attend college isn't a bad decision. Traveling around the world isn't a bad decision either, but you could also wait a few years when she's older. That way, you two could enjoy it together. Keith and I always had travel plans after Lucas and Nathan graduated from high school. Of course, that was before we realized I was pregnant with Lily."

"So you're going to wait ten more years for your travel plans?" Brooke asked.

"You make a lot of sacrifices for your children," Karen gently told her. "But there are advantages to being the only child in the house. We can give her more attention to her education. To give her more one on one time. In a few years, I'm sure Keith and I can start going on those weekend trips and Lily can stay home by herself. Although, I am nervous about her becoming a teenager." There was a long pause. "I hear teenagers can bring a lot of drama."

Brooke laughed as she glanced at Mackenzie. "I'm glad I have years before I have to worry about that. If she's anything like me, I'm going to have a problem." Mackenzie was fussing and Brooke gently pulled her out of the stroller. "What am I going to do with you? Do you want to come to Europe with me and Lucas?" Mackenzie just giggled in response. Brooke and Karen just smiled back at her.

"Why don't we just take it one day at a time?" Karen suggested as she took the baby from her. "How about we ask her if she wants to go see Santa Claus? Won't that be fun?" Brooke was still skeptical. "It's her first Christmas. Do you know how special that is? You want to experience as many firsts as you can because they grow up so fast." Brooke noticed the sadness in her voice. Karen gestured over to Lily. Brooke watched Haley help her down off the carousel horse. "I would hate to ruin the magic of her believing in the jolly man who brings presents, but she's going to be eight next year. How much longer do Keith and I keep this up?"

"Let her enjoy it a little longer," Brooke replied as Haley and Lily joined them. "Did you guys have fun?"

Lily nodded. "Can we go and see Santa now?" she asked. She didn't let anyone answer as she continued in the direction they had been going before they were stopped by the carousel. Brooke caught up with Lily while Haley carried Lily and Karen pushed the empty stroller. They were almost to the line where they could wait for Santa when Lily recognized a couple coming towards them from the opposite direction. "Look, there's Aunt Deb and Uncle Dan!"

Lily left Brooke's side and she ran to her aunt and uncle. They greeted her as the rest of the group joined them. Karen, Haley and Brooke couldn't help but notice how close the two were. Maybe a little too close. Deb spoke up first as she gave Lily a smile. "Are you getting your Christmas shopping done?" she asked her. "Or are you here to see Santa?"

"We're here to see Santa and then we might go and start our shopping," Karen replied. Her next words were what Haley and Brooke were thinking, but they didn't know how to say it. "We didn't expect to see you two here together."

"Dan invited me to lunch and I thought I would be polite and accept the invitation," Deb replied. "And then we realized neither of us have gotten anything for the kids. So we thought we might as well start now. Julian and Rachel were nice enough to invite both of us for the Christmas holidays. It may be a little awkward, but we are willing to make it work. After all, it's Christmas. By the way, I don't believe Dan has met little Mackenzie, have you?"

Dan shook his head as they all turned to little Mackenzie, who was loving all the attention she was getting. "May I hold her?" he asked. Haley looked at Brooke and she nodded her head. She trusted him. Haley handed Mackenzie over to Dan. He made faces at her and she just burst into giggles. "I don't know why your dad wanted to put her up for adoption. She's certainly a treasure, Brooke."

Brooke gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"Can we go now?" Lily moaned. "The line is getting long again." Karen gave her a look. Brooke spoke up and volunteered to take her. Dan gently put Mackenzie back in Brooke's arms and Haley took the stroller from Karen. The friends thought the adults should talk a little longer without any interruptions.

After waiting fifteen minutes, Lily finally got her wish and she was able to sit on Santa's lap. By then, Karen was done talking to Deb and Dan. She was able to watch as Lily told Santa what she wanted for Christmas. Then it was Mackenzie's turn. To Brooke's surprise and delight, she loved being on Santa's lap. She wasn't scared of the big jolly man. The moment was picture perfect.

Once they were done with meeting Santa, they split up once again so Brooke and Haley could go Christmas shopping. Karen offered to take the kids home since it was getting close to Mackenzie's naptime. Brooke nodded in agreement. She didn't want to have a fussy baby while she shopped. It would be too distracting and she wouldn't be able to enjoy it.

As soon as Karen left with the kids, Brooke and Haley hit the toy store. They slowly went through the aisles, looking at the different toys and games. "I still remember the first year we met when we were in kindergarten and your parents invited me over for the Christmas holidays," Brooke said.

Haley smiled at the memory. "Yeah, my parents weren't too happy that your parents were heading off to Hawaii without you. They wanted to make sure you had a great Christmas. I'm sorry it was so crowded though."

Brooke gave her a smile in return. "That was the first year I remember enjoying Christmas. I felt like I was part of a real family. And I loved being there for the first few years. Then I realized I needed my space. Now I don't have to worry about trying to fit in with a family because I have one." Her attention turned towards the Barbie Dolls. "Do you remember playing with these?"

Haley tried not to laugh. "I remember you wanting to have a Barbie Doll fashion show every time I came over to play with you." Brooke wanted to protest, but she knew Haley was right. "Maybe you should apply to fashion school in New York or something. You would definitely be good at it."

Brooke gave her a gentle smile. "I wish I could, but I couldn't leave Mackenzie here. And I don't want to raise her anywhere else. Tree Hill is my home." She let out a sad sigh. "Everyone else may want to leave after graduation, but I'm staying here. Maybe I'll go to community college or something."

Haley looked at her. "Brooke, I know what you're thinking. I'm sad too," she confessed. "That's why we should make the most of this Christmas. We are going to have the best Christmas ever." Brooke nodded. Haley was right. She had to focus on the present. And right now, they were on the hunt for the perfect gift for Lily and little Mackenzie.

A couple of hours later, Haley and Brooke arrived home with a trunk full of presents. Haley believed that Brooke may have gone overboard for Mackenzie, but she wanted her to have a great first Christmas. They immediately noticed there was another car in the front of the house. Brooke let out a sigh. "One of these days, I would like to come home to an empty driveway," she told Haley. She looked at the vehicle, trying to figure out whether she recognized it. "I don't even know who it is, but I'm pretty sure the person is here for me. They always are."

Brooke and Haley got out of their vehicle as the other person did the same in the other car. Brooke wasn't happy when she spotted Richard. She glared at him as he approached them. She didn't let the man say a word. "Are you kidding me? Didn't we just have this discussion the other day? Mackenzie's mine! So back off!" she exclaimed angrily. Haley tried to calm her down as she pulled out the shopping bags.

The man tried to calm her down. "Brooke, calm down. It's Ted, not Richard," Ted told her. Brooke felt embarrassed for accusing him and jumping to conclusions. She still had trouble remembering Richard had a twin brother. "I'm sorry I came by without warning, but I tried to find you. I stopped by the café and your friend Lucas told me you girls were out shopping. Let me take your bags."

Both girls smiled at him gratefully as Haley handed him a couple of shopping bags. He followed them into the house and into the foyer. He put the bags down and turned to Brooke. "I would like to discuss something with you in private. And I assure you it has nothing to do with Mackenzie."

Brooke nodded and she led him into the living room. They sat down across from each other. She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Richard has been causing me grief about handing Mackenzie over to him and I thought the conversation was over."

Ted nodded understandingly. "Your mom told me about the bribe that he gave your friend's ex-girlfriend to try and break you two up. I wish I could say I was surprised, but Richard always had to get his way, no matter what. I was going to take care of him for you, but someone else already did that. You are lucky to have so many people care about you and who are willing to fight for you and little Mackenzie."

"I do," Brooke agreed. "But you didn't come over here to talk about me and Mackenzie."

Ted realized he was getting off track. "No, I wanted to let you know how much I love your mother. I've always loved your mother. I just didn't have a chance to say it until now. I know you haven't been close to your mother until recently, but I didn't want to spring this on you. You've had enough surprises in your life." Brooke wondered if he was going to get to the point. "I want your blessing for me to marry your mother. I know she didn't have the best marriage with my brother, but I want you to know that I'm not my brother. I will not abandon your mother. Or cheat on her. I love her with all of my heart and she makes me very happy."

Brooke thought back to all of the times she had heard her parents arguing. She couldn't remember a time where they were truly happy being with each other. "I know. I've seen the way you two look at each other. And I've never seen her light up like that. Ever."

Ted gave her a smile. "Thanks for your blessing. It really means a lot to me," he told her. "I should get going."

Brooke saw him to the door. She stopped him for a moment. "If you and my mother don't have plans, maybe you could join us for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day."

Ted gave her a warm smile. "Thank you for the invitation. I'm afraid we already have plans for Christmas Eve, but I'm sure we'll stop by on Christmas Day," he replied before he walked out the door. "Goodbye."

Brooke waved and watched him drive off before she shut the door. Haley looked at her with interest. "That was nice of you to invite Ted and Victoria over for Christmas. And I thought you didn't like him."

"Ted isn't anything like Richard," Brooke replied. It was hard to trust him at first, but she was slowly opening her heart to him. "Besides, it's Christmas. As you said, we should make the most of it. Now let's go find some wrapping paper so we can wrap those presents." Haley nodded in agreement as she grabbed a couple of the shopping bags. Brooke grabbed the rest and followed her upstairs, where they spent the rest of the afternoon being Santa's helpers.