Fresh from the golf course, a tanned and toned looking Lucas Scott entered his penthouse suite at the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It was a place of pure paradise. The beauty of the island was breathtaking. Lucas had always enjoyed the white sand beaches and crystal blue waters. For the past few days he had been loving every second surfing and jet skiing. When he wasn't working out or perfecting his shot on the ninth hole, he was with Caylan. The trip had been planned to the last detail, designed for the sole purposes of making her happy and helping him get in a little much needed relaxation before facing the reality that awaited him in Tree Hill.

Of course the main event was indeed a joyous occasion. After ten years in the making, Nathan and Haley were finally taking the plunge and saying I Do. Indeed it would be a beautiful ceremony and no one was happier for the couple than their blonde haired best friend. But a wedding wasn't the only happening in the work. Just the opposite of blissful, romantic nuptials would be the solemn occasion of divorce. One stroke of a pen would mean the end to his four year marriage to Peyton Sawyer. Just like that, their hopes, dreams and future together would be over. Their beloved beach house would be just a memory. Though they'd always be friends and would always be there for one another, it still marked the end of an era, so to speak. And a part of Lucas couldn't help but be sad about that.

On the other hand, there was Caylan. She had been a wonderful breath of fresh air for him. She had changed his life, made it better. She was an amazing young woman and Lucas was happy but he had the sinking feeling his new girlfriend wouldn't go over too well in Tree Hill. That was precisely the reason he had chosen to keep it a secret. But time was running out. Soon he would be back home in North Carolina and his newfound relationship would no longer be a secret. Caylan would be with him and it worried Lucas how the others would react.

He could almost see it. Perhaps the only one in his corner would be his uncle, turned step father, Keith Scott. And that's only because, that was just the kind of guy, Keith was. He was the down to earth peacemaker and he and Lucas had always been close. Keith would always be there to lend an ear or a kind word of non judgmental advice. But his mother, on the other hand, would be a complete other story.

Karen had always been a great mother to her only child. They had grown up together and had always been best friends. But Karen was a mom first. She loved and trusted Luke's judgment, but she worried about him as well. And she loved Peyton Sawyer. Karen had been devastated to hear the marriage between her son and daughter in law was ending. And quite naturally, she would be concerned to see her son so involved in another relationship with a much younger woman before the ink had even dried on the divorce papers.

Then there was Peyton, his soon to be ex wife. She had wanted the divorce in the first place, in fact, she had been the one to initiate it. Of course in time it was known that both would eventually move on to other relationships. But Lucas' time had happened to be sooner. And he knew Peyton like the back of his hand. There would be some sort of reaction and he knew it wouldn't be good. Not that he could blame her. The thought of her with another man was still enough to make him feel queasy. It was a classic double standard that couldn't be helped and he dreaded the day when his girlfriend would meet his wife.

Nathan and Haley were another story. Haley James had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. He had always told her everything. But not this. It had been on the tip of his tongue but every time the words came close to tumbling out, he would clam up. Haley, known for her bubbly personality and sweet demeanor had a reputation for getting along with everyone. He prayed that would apply to Caylan as well but he couldn't shake the feeling that the young blonde would receive a less than welcome reception. And Nathan. Lucas and his baby brother were beyond close but he had failed to produce the balls to tell him either. Closing his eyes, he could see Nathan shaking his head, hands in his pockets mumbling, "Man, what the hell have you got yourself into now?"

And if matters couldn't get more complicated, on the backburner was still the sensitive subject of a certain reunion. The whole gang was returning to Tree Hill to celebrate the wedding. It meant seeing faces Lucas hadn't laid eyes on in years. It also meant seeing Brooke Davis again. Just thinking about her was enough to make his heart pound. He had not seen or heard from her since that fateful summer day when she had left him to go to California. Now she was some rich, successful professional dancer who had returned to Tree Hill with her new boyfriend. Surely they would run into each other and he was unsure how he felt about being so close to her again after all those years. How would she look? What would they say? Would it be awkward? He had been thinking about it for months but recent events had surpassed his Brooke trepidation.

Stepping onto the large and lavish balcony, Lucas took the time to enjoy the scenic view. Tree Hill, North Carolina was still miles, days away but at times it was all he could think about. Hearing his cell phone vibrate in the front pocket of his khaki golf shorts didn't help matters much. It was Nathan, again, and Lucas knew he couldn't avoid him forever.

"Hey man," he spoke into the phone.

"About time you answered. We have been calling you and calling you."

"We?"

"Yeah, Hales and me. You hadn't been answering and we left a bunch of messages and when you didn't call back, Haley freaked. You know how she gets."

Lucas smiled.

"How is my Buddy."

"Beautiful," Nathan answered. "But as much as she won't admit it, she is really stressed out about all the wedding plans. She wants it to be perfect and I know it's getting to her."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Is everything on track?"

"Pretty much. As soon as you get into town, we have to do your tuxedo fitting. Don't forget about that."

"Yes sir," Lucas joked.

"Get off my nuts, man. That's just one less thing for Hales to have to worry about and she's been asking too. I thought you were supposed to be in town by now."

"Yeah, I was but um, something came up."

"Peyton got in a few days ago."

"How is she?"

"I haven't seen her yet but apparently it was some drama at her dad's house. I don't know."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine, Luke."

Lucas sighed.

"And what about Brooke? Have you seen her?"

The million dollar question.

"Not lately. You know, I just got back to town myself and she was dancing over in England somewhere but they're back now."

"Yeah…"

"You nervous about seeing her?"

"Yeah," Lucas admitted. "I'd be a liar if I told you something else but I've got some other stuff going on right now."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you, at least not right now."

"You okay? I mean, you're still coming to town and you're still gonna be my Best Man, right?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world, Nate. I'm fine, I just…never mind. Um, I'll tell you later."

"Are you gonna be here soon?"

"Soon. Look, kiss Hales for me and I'll be there in a few days, I promise. I'll call you before I leave."

"Alright, dude. You sure you're okay?"

Lucas glanced over at the door as he heard fumbling on the other side.

"I'm good. I'll call you back," he hung up just as it opened.

In walked a bellhop with a hotel cart full of shopping bags. Right behind him, was Caylan.

"Put them over there," she instructed, before tipping and seeing the man out.

Lucas looked around at the dozens of bags. Caylan certainly liked to shop. Since she was living with him and in between modeling and acting gigs, he had been footing the bill for her expenses and what an expense account it had turned out to be. Though sweet, Caylan was definitely what you would call a high maintenance kind of girl. She had expensive tastes and enjoyed the finer things. Though Lucas could afford it, it was quite a difference from his previous relationship. Peyton was simple and the couple had never been two to throw their money around.

"Wow," he chuckled. "I see you were busy today."

"Look at my new dress, do you like it, baby?" she twirled around, showing off the floral designer sundress that accentuated her tiny, girlish figure.

"I love it. You look absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," she said, kicking off her heels and crawling on top of the bed beside him. "I missed you. How was your day?"

"Pretty great actually."

"Yeah? What did you do?"

"I went to the golf course down at Mahogany Run. I swear, Cay, it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life. It felt like I was on top of the world. Anyway, I almost hit a hole in one and…"

"Sweetie, do you like my toes?"

"What?" Lucas asked confused.

"My toes. The color. How do they look? I just got a pedi this morning and I don't think she did a very good job," Caylan pouted.

"I think your toes look great."

"You're just saying that…"

Lucas grinned as he gently pushed her over and lifted her sleek leg into the air, his hands massaging her feet before he placed a kiss on each toe.

"Believe me now?"

"You're so silly," she grinned, pulling him towards her. "Come here."

He stroked her hair. She was such a pretty girl with a fun loving spirit. At times he could see how she might be misunderstood but she really was a sweet person and he was absolutely smitten.

"Are you having a good time here?"

She nodded.

"The best and it's all thanks to you."

"That's what I want," he whispered. "I want the best for you, for us. I want you to be happy, babe."

"I am."

"Can we talk about something serious for a second?"

"Sure. Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong but I did want to talk about Tree Hill. You know when we leave here in a few days, that's where we're headed."

Caylan shrugged.

"So?"

"So that means a lot to me. Tree Hill is home. My friends are there. My mom and my step dad are there."

"Isn't he like your uncle or something?"

Lucas made a face as she frowned.

"Something like that. Only in Tree Hill, babe but like I was saying. It's home for me. It's a really special place for me just like you're a special person to me. I want you to like it there."

"It'll be okay, I guess. What's it like?"

He shrugged.

"Well, it's a big town or a small city, depending on how you look at it. And it's really beautiful. It's right by the beach and this really great river with a big park and basketball court beside it. I grew up playing there and that place means so much to me. And my mom owns a café downtown and Keith is a car mechanic in this shop he runs not too far away."

"What about your real dad?"

Lucas tensed up.

"I, we don't really talk to him much."

"Why? What happened?"

He took a deep breath. It was a part of his past, long buried but the ghosts of long ago were with him every day whether he admitted it or not.

"Look, Caylan, I really don't like to talk about it because it was a long time ago and it's still really painful but my dad…my real dad, Dan, the one who is also Nathan's dad, he's in jail, prison actually."

"What did he do?"

"He murdered, Nathan's mother, my step mom, Deb. Shot her in broad daylight."

"Oh my God. Baby, that is like so awful and so mean. Why would he do that?"

He shrugged.

"He's a very disturbed man. Dan has a dark heart. Over the years he did a lot of hurtful things to some innocent people. It's a long story but Deb had enough. She was just trying to get away and protect herself and Nate but I guess she kind of lost it. She tried to kill him first. Drugged him and set his dealership on fire but um, I, I saved him. I pulled him out."

"Are you serious? That sounds a little twisted, don't you think? I mean, what is with all this drama in Tree Hill?"

"Beats me but it happened. Anyway Dan is in prison for life. By choice, I don't see him or talk to him, neither does Nathan. That is probably the biggest and saddest part of my life and that's why I just told you. I want you to know."

"Lucas…"

"Bringing you home with me is a very big deal. It shows just how much I care, just how real our relationship is. I'm going to be honest with you, honey, not a lot of people know about you and me."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"It's…complicated."

Caylan sat up, pushing Lucas away.

"What do you mean, complicated? What's so complicated about it?"

"Cay…"

"Are you ashamed of me?"

He closed his eyes.

"Ashamed? Of you? Babe, no way. Never."

"But…"

"Listen to me, please. Just hear me out. Look, I know you don't like talking about Peyton but the point is, we are going through a divorce right now. And I know it probably doesn't look very good that I'm seeing someone else at this time."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that it's not gonna be easy at first. Maybe the people around us won't be so accepting. There will probably be a lot of talk but I don't care. I know how I feel about you and this is something special and real and I hope long term. You are a huge part of my life now. You make me happy. The other people in my life need to know that. I am not ashamed of you, Caylan. I've hated keeping us a secret for so long. But now I know it's the right time and I can't wait to show you off and introduce you to everyone. I can't wait for you to see my world, where I come from."

Her expression softened a bit.

"You mean that?"

"With all my heart. You bring this inner peace to me that I had been missing for a long time and I'm crazy about you. We get each other and that's all that truly matters. I don't care what anyone else thinks because I know what's really in our hearts."

His voice was soft, his eyes sincere, as he gently stroked her hair.

"You're a great guy, you know that, Lucas? And I'm a lucky girl, I realize it every day. I know I'm young but I'm old enough to know how I feel. Every single time I need you, you're always there for me. You take care of me and I love that. I need that. And that's why…that's why I love you, Luke."

His eyes widened. The ocean could be heard in the background as the sunlight peering in through the balcony cast an angelic glow on her face. She looked so beautiful, so fragile at that moment and he loved it. She needed him as much as he needed her. And suddenly the words just spilled out.

"I love you, too, Caylan."

She had taken away the sadness, she had made things better. She had joyfully distracted him and put a smile back on his face. Lucas Scott hadn't felt that great in a long time and for the moment, nothing else mattered.