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Adam was nervous when he walked into the office Wednesday morning. It was nearing the end of summer and if he didn't find the courage soon, his internship would end and so would his chance to tell the truth.

Lucas Scott looked up as Adam walked in. The phone was ringing. "Adam, can you grab that, please?" Lucas requested.

"Yes, boss," Adam responded.

Lucas chuckled. "Adam, you know you don't have to call me boss."

Adam nodded. "I know." He didn't tell Lucas that whenever he said boss, he was actually saying Dad in his head. Even though he wasn't brave enough to say it aloud, yet, it still felt good. Sighing, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?" came the voice on the line. "May I speak to Lucas Scott, please?"

"One moment," said Adam. "Let me put you on hold."

"Thank you, Adam." Lucas looked up and smiled. "Do you mind waiting a moment? I have a question for you." Adam nodded and sat down. "Hello?" Lucas said into the phone. "Oh, hi, Peyt…what do you mean, here?" He leaned back in the chair, sighing heavily, and Adam listened curiously. "Tomorrow? Okay, I see…yes, yes, of course…okay, thank you Peyton…love you, too…bye."

Adam frowned. "Is Peyton your girlfriend?" he asked anxiously.

Lucas laughed. "No, my wife." He held up his left hand and Adam noticed the gold band in his ring finger. "See, there's a picture of her with my daughters." Lucas turned a picture on his desk so that Adam could see it.

"Oh." Adam frowned again. The Adoption Agency had said that his parents' names were Lucas and Brooke, nothing about a Peyton. The picture on the desk was of a blonde woman with two fair-haired daughters. She looked nothing like the crumpled photograph Adam had possessed for as long as he could remember. In that picture, the woman was a brunette, and her dimpled smile always cheered Adam up when he was upset.

"Is everything okay?" Lucas asked quietly. "You seem concerned."

"Yeah," muttered Adam distractedly. "I'm fine."

"Okay, well, I had a question for you. Jamie's birthday is coming up and I need advice on what to buy him. I don't have a son of my own, so I don't really know…" Lucas trailed off. Images flashed through his mind – Brooke telling him she was pregnant, kissing her before she left for California, their discussion in the graveyard when she told him about his son and waking up the next morning to find her letter on his doorstep.

"Dear Luke," it had read "I'm sorry to have told you what I did yesterday. I made a choice that was best for both of us back then; I wouldn't be able to bear it if you hate me. For that reason, I've decided that it is best for me to leave. Please don't come looking for me. I know that you and Peyton will make great parents. All my love, Brooke Davis.

"Mr. Scott?" questioned Adam. "You look like you're about to cry."

Lucas was pulled from the memory back into the present. Adam was watching him concernedly. "I'm fine, Adam," murmured Lucas. "My wife just told me that an old friend was coming back into town. I guess it took me by surprise. I haven't seen her in ten years." He laughed. "Brooke Davis, back from Italy after all these years."

"Brooke is coming into town?" Adam declared, startled.

"Yes…why, do you know her?" Lucas frowned, perplexed.

"Oh…no…" Adam recovered. "I just…um, I've heard the name. Somewhere."

Lucas nodded. "She used to be a well-known designer. Maybe she still is, in Europe. We lost touch many years ago."

"What happened?" Adam asked curiously. He knew he was overstepping his place, but maybe he would finally find out why they hadn't wanted him.

Lucas stared at him for a moment, then settled back in his chair and smiled. There was something about this boy that confused and intrigued him. He couldn't place his finger on it, but he felt comfortable having such a personal discussion with the eighteen-year old. "She and my wife were best friends their entire lives. And I loved both of them. But Brooke never thought she was good enough. We both hurt each other badly and by the time we got another chance, it was too late. Peyton and I got engaged and Brooke left for Italy shortly after that. I haven't seen her since."

"Was she good enough?" ventured Adam.

Lucas sighed. "I love Peyton, I do. But there's something special about Brooke, something that I don't think even she recognizes in herself. She was always good enough, yes. If only I could have gotten her to stop running. I regret that now, all the things we lost because we never gave each other the chance."

"Mr. Scott? Do you think that I could meet Brooke? I mean, she sounds like a great person and well, I learned a little Italian in high school and…" Adam trailed off. And I'd like to finally meet my mother, he thought to himself.

Lucas thought for a moment. "I think that would be alright with her, Adam. At least, with the Brooke I used to know. Tell you what. Why don't you come over for our family dinner on Friday night. I'm sure Jamie would appreciate the company. He's usually stuck with the adults and the little girls." Lucas chuckled. "But now we had better get to work or else we'll never get to Friday."