"So what do you do now?" Brooke asked Bevin, who still looked every bit the Southern belle. She was standing with her, Skillz(they were engaged), Haley, and Mouth. An alcoholic beverage had thankfully materialized in her hand , replacing the pie, a few minutes after she'd arrived.
There was still no sign of the other Scotts though. She'd caught a glimpse of Lucas earlier, but had lost sight of him. She was more than a bit disappointed he had not come to say hello yet and wondered vaguely where Peyton was. She was enjoying herself so far though, catching up with all of her old friends. Everyone seemed to have found their calling. Skillz played for the Lakers and it was lucky she even got to see him as he was rarely in Tree Hill these days, Haley was a high school teacher, Nathan had filled Whitey's shoes as coach at Tree Hill High, and Bevin-
"Ah'm an investment banker!" This was said with the same intonation and enthusiasm as when she once said "Ah can stand on ma head and chew gum at the same time, kind of!" So naturally Brooke began to laugh and realized no one was laughing with her. She looked around and then her eyes snapped back to Bevin who was wearing the same moony grin she always wore and would wear forever.
"Oh-wait seriously?"
"An' she good at it too," Skillz chipped in. "Right baby?"
"Ah sure am baby," Bevin replied, looping an arm around her fiancee's waist. She favored him with a smile before turning back to Brooke. "The best part is when Ah tell people!"
With that Bevin bounced off with Skillz in tow, leaving a confused Brooke in her wake. She shook her head and looked at Haley and Mouth,
"Woah-wait. What?"
"The crazy thing is she's the best investment banker in her firm," Mouth said, before excusing himself to grab another beer.
"Yeah, and don't feel bad about laughing. We all had that response," Haley said, grinning.
"Unbelievable. I'm gone for six years and Bevin becomes a genius," Brooke laughed. "So where are your kids tutor housewife? I want to meet my godson and miss Amalia. Who's Amalia's godparents, anyway?"
"Luke and Peyton," Haley replied as though it was kind of obvious.
"Oh, well that makes sense," Brooke shrugged. "So you guys are all pretty close huh?"
"Peyton is one of my best friends, now. We have keys to each other's houses….um and the kids," she said changing the subject, seeing Brooke's discomfort, "are probably on the other side of the yard with Deb and the other kids."
"Deb? How is she doing?"
"You know what? She's fabulous. She's off the sauce, actually still lives with us, and I know for the first couple years of Nathan and I's marriage she was like the mother in law from hell but now we're actually friends. She's great with the kids and the kids love her, which is great so I can keep working and-" Haley stopped mid-babble, realizing Brooke's attention was across the yard. "You have stopped listening to me," she finished. Brooke had stopped listening. The crowd of people seemed to part and all of a sudden she caught sight of him standing by the grill with Nathan and another dark haired man whose face she couldn't see.
He was wearing his hair clean and short these days, much the way it was when she broke up with him for the last time, except darker. He wore old denim jeans and a simple blue cotton tee shirt that looked comfortable and hugged his chest in all the right places. As she watched him throw his head back and laugh at something Nathan said, she saw he hadn't lost any of the boyish charm that made her fall in love with him in the first place. No, there was still that boyishness to his face and his demeanor, but the boy-man had become a full fledged man. There was none of that confused teenaged angst in his eyes. The brooding eyes had given way to a peace she knew he'd been searching for. He had apparently found it. Peace looked good on him….damn good.
"Um Brooke?" Haley called, glancing in the direction Brooke's stare was and then back at the brunette who was now looking at her. "Are we going to have to talk about this?"
Brooke paused and painted an innocent face on. "Talk about what?"
"Okay, well either you really, really want a hamburger, or you're staring at Nathan thinking about making sex-tape number two, in which case you and I will have to fight, or it's Jake in which case you should know he's married now to a fiesty redhead who will actually kill you-"
"Wait," Brooke cut Haley off and peered closer trying to get a better look. "Jake Jagielski?"
"Yes, and don't change the subject. If it's not hamburgers or Nathan or Jake, then…it's Luke, in which case we have a huge problem."
Brooke rolled her eyes and put her full attention on the woman in front of her.
"Is this going to be a problem?" Haley asked with concern.
"No it's not," Brooke replied firmly. "I haven't seen any of you guys in years and that includes Lucas. It's just memories, you know. He just looks so different."
"He's happy," Haley said simply. Brooke looked at her feet and nodded a bit.
"Good," Brooke said, forcing a smile. "Yeah don't worry. It's just-It's just memories."
"Well I hope they're all good memories," a voice said behind her. She spun around and stared in surprise.
"Luke!" She cried wondering how he'd materialized in front of her so quickly.
"Hey cheery," he greeted her warmly with one of his old nicknames for her before pulling her into a big hug. Brooke tried to slow her quickening heart as she was momentarily pressed against the warmth of his chest, which felt more muscular than she remembered it to be.
He pulled back to smile down at his ex-girlfriend. She looked the same, he decided. Her hair was a bit shorter and her eyes were decidedly more adult, less flirtatious, but she was still the same breathtaking Brooke Davis. The most beautiful woman you'd ever have the pleasure to see close up, dimples and all.
"Hey broody. You didn't come say hi to me right away. I thought you didn't like me anymore," she pouted a bit and Lucas chuckled. Maybe the flirt wasn't completely gone.
"Well, it was kinda hard to get near you, what with the old cheer leading squad and basket ball team pressing in around you," Lucas joked.
"So how the hell are you? How's New York?"
"Well," Brooke chuckled sardonically, all too aware of Haley stare on her. "Just a lot of work on my fashion line which is doing really well. I haven't exactly changed the world yet."
Lucas smiled softly, bowing his head. "You remember."
"Of course I do," Brooke replied, meaningfully, looking up into his eyes. She felt her heart begin to beat faster as he smiled back at her.
"I'm going to check on the kids." Haley said, looking back and forth between the two. Her eyes settled on Brooke who shook her head slightly, feeling like her moment with Lucas was broken. She smiled innocently at Haley. "I'll catch up more with you later tutor wife." She gave Haley a placating look.
"Hey Hales, can you make sure my mom and Larry aren't stuffing Anna and William with cake," Lucas asked, placing a hand on her arm before she could leave.
"No problem, but I can't promise you that if they pout at me I won't give them a cookie myself."
"Well then you'll be the person we call when they're bouncing off the walls at eleven thirty," he replied with a cocked eyebrow. In reply, Haley stuck her tongue out at him before she walked away.
When she was gone, Brooke glanced back at Lucas who was wearing a pleasant smile and whose steady stare was on her. She cleared her throat and gestured towards him, feeling herself starting to blush,
"Well what about you! Writing novels has always been your dream and now look at you!"
Lucas's smile grew bigger and he nodded a bit bashfully. "I am most definitely living my dream," he replied, thinking of his family. Brooke returned the smile, enthusiastically.
"You write for a paper too, right?"
"Yeah, I freelance on the side, but I might hang back on that a bit. The books take me away from Peyt and the kids as it is with book tours and stuff. I worked out a deal with my agent about that so I'm not away so much, but it's still hard. Finishing them is always bittersweet because I may have to leave soon for a tour."
"Oh-yeah…so-your family-kids-I met um-I met Anna and she's…really, really beautiful Luke."
Lucas's face beamed with pride at the thought of his daughter. "Thank you. She's got a little too much sass for her own good, but we all love her. Did you notice how much she looks like Peyton?"
"Um, yeah-how old is she?" Brooke broke in.
"She just turned four three months ago. Between my mom, Larry, Nathan, Haley, Peyton and I, we managed to spoil the hell out of her that day."
"Sounds like every little girl's dream," Brooke replied, wondering if she should broach the subject of Peyton. She wasn't sure if Peyton had told Lucas about seeing her at the beach the day before or if Peyton told him the reason they no longer spoke. If she had told him, Lucas was doing a good job pretending he was clueless…and like he couldn't wait to get away. He had begun looking at his watch every once and awhile like he had somewhere better to be.
"So are you about to catch a flight, Broody?"
"Oh, no," he chuckled, having the grace to look embarrassed. He didn't feel comfortable telling her that it was nearing a new hour and he had to go find Peyton to continue the 'hourly love fest' as Haley had begun to call it.
It was no secret that he was very amorous when it came to Peyton, sending her flowers on random days, leaving love notes on their bathroom mirror. But he'd been told more than once that he could also be incredibly cheesy when it came to her. He was proud of his cheesiness, but then he remembered what Peyton had told him about Brooke and although he didn't want to believe it was true, he thought it best not to put his cheesiness or his romancing on display.
"I'm-Peyton and I-Have you seen Peyton yet?" He asked changing the subject.
"Oh, um-no," Brooke replied furrowing her eyebrows. Maybe Peyton hadn't told him about seeing them at the beach. "I haven't seen her at all."
"Don't be nervous. I know she's looking forward to seeing you," Lucas said, already edging away. "Let me go find her for you. I'll be right back."
"No, you don't have to," Brooke tried to say, shaking her head.
"No it's fine!" He called from practically halfway across the yard. "I'll find her for you!"
Brooke stood more than a little confused for a moment, before running after him, weaving in an out of people. She didn't want to have to give up her time with Lucas, without Peyton so easily.
"Luke!"
She caught sight of him once more, running to catch up, but stopped short. A little ways passed him Haley was talking to Peyton. She watched Lucas walk purposefully towards the two.
Meanwhile Haley had found Peyton, feigning interest in a veggie platter after checking on the kids.
"I know there's a reason you haven't talked to her yet Peyton," Haley was saying. "I thought you were okay with her being here."
"I guess I jumped the gun on that one. I'm sure it will be fine. I just need to, you know, mentally prepare myself or something." Peyton replied, shrugging. "And I missed her. I did."
"She seems to have missed everyone," Haley tried. "Look Lucas told me that you saw her at the beach yesterday."
"He did?" Peyton sighed. "Did he also tell you the reason Brooke and I no longer speak?"
"No and he said he wasn't going to, but Brooke is tense about seeing you and you are obviously tense about seeing her. I know it has something to do with Lucas and if you don't want to tell me-"
"Wait. How do you know it has to do with Lucas," Peyton asked, indignantly in much the same manner Lucas had asked earlier. Haley rolled her eyes.
"Because it's just as I told Lucas earlier. When it comes to you two fighting, it always has to do with Lucas."
Peyton had to give her that one. They'd never fought so much before Lucas had entered their lives. "You can't go spreading this around, but you know when Lucas came to visit me in LA?"
"Yeah, the single most romantic thing I think he has ever done," Haley sighed.
"Well, a week after he left Brooke told me she was still in love with him. Like she wanted him back or something! Like I was just supposed to hand him over." Peyton crossed her arms and huffed.
"Um…wow," Haley murmured. She wasn't too surprised. Brooke had put on a good show, but it was obvious that she hadn't gotten over the brooding blonde.
"So what happened?"
"Nothing. It all just-it fizzled. We just stopped talking one day," Peyton replied looking away. She shrugged and looked back at Haley.
"Yesterday when I saw her she looked disappointed, maybe even jealous."
"Do you think maybe you were just imagining it?" Haley asked, hopefully. She was really playing the devil's advocate here. She'd seen the way Brooke was looking at Lucas earlier and it worried her. "Maybe she's just sad that she doesn't have your kind of happiness yet."
Peyton nodded, contemplatively. Brooke had spent most of her life searching for something her parents had both failed to give and took away from her. "Maybe," she shrugged. "I don't want to think this way, Hales. I missed her and I don't want think she isn't happy for me or begrudges my happiness. But I won't apologize for it either," she finished in a small voice.
"And you shouldn't have to," Haley said firmly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, she has missed you. I know she has and for now I say we take Lucas's advice and give her the benefit of the doubt."
Peyton nodded and Haley smiled reassuringly. "So, she's apparently staying at a hotel and I was thinking of inviting her to stay with Nate, the kids, and I until she makes definite plans."
Peyton furrowed her brows, "Plans like what?" Peyton's words were cut off as Lucas marched up to her, gently grabbed her face with his hands and with an "excuse me" thrown in Haley's direction swept Peyton up in a passionate kiss...complete with borderline 'porn tongue'.
Haley rolled her eyes as she watched the two, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. No, they weren't leaving that honeymoon stage anytime soon.
"I'm still standing here you know," she said. It was a common line she and Nathan used when Peyton and Lucas began getting…affectionate.
Ignoring her as he always did, Lucas moaned and pulled away a bit to grin at his wife. "Guess what," he whispered.
Peyton couldn't resist. "Chicken butt?" They shared a giggle, before Lucas Eskimo kissed her. It was a signature move on his part.
"I love you," he whispered, ignoring the exaggerated gagging Haley was doing. "Is it getting annoying yet?"
Peyton cupped his cheeks with her hands and smiled. "Hearing that from you will never get annoying, baby. And I love you too."
They shared a final kiss and separated, both of them turning innocently back to Haley. "You know I'm really surprised you haven't knocked her up more than twice Luke," Haley joked.
"I could say the same thing about you and Nathan," Lucas teased back.
"Hey, wasn't Brooke with you?" Haley asked looking around her.
"Oh!" Lucas turned around to look for Brooke and then glanced at Peyton who merely raised an eyebrow, noncommittally. "I um-left her back there somewhere. It was nearing the hour so I kind of sorta ditched her."
"Lucas! You just left her there?" Haley cried. "Did you at least tell her why?"
"Well, I did tell her I was going to go find you," he explained looking pointedly at Peyton. "Which I did," he went on, before leaning in to kiss her nose. "I told her I'd bring you back….if she's still there."
"You're an asshole," Peyton laughed and he shrugged.
"I'm a romantic asshole."
Brooke stumbled back from whence she came, deciding to head towards the house. There was no denying the jealousy and sting of pain she felt seeing Lucas pull Peyton into that kiss. She hadn't thought about him in years, or at least she tried not to, but now all the feelings came flooding back.
"Dammit," she murmured. Coming back here was a horrible idea and what was worse, she had yet to face Peyton and she wasn't sure how that would go at all.
As she neared the house a voice stopped her and she turned.
"Jake!" Brooke threw her arms around the taller man who hugged her back in turn.
"How you doin' Davis?"
"I'm pretty good, Jagielski. A few more of these and I'll be fantastic," she said, gratefully taking the beer he handed her.
"I um, couldn't help but see you watching Peyton and Lucas and I figured you'd need a drink."
Brooke looked away and took a long swig of her beer, wondering how they had all reached this point.
"How are you here?" Brooke blurted. Jake only looked taken aback for a moment before he looked at her knowingly.
"It's weird isn't it? The two exes."
"Yeah. I mean, the last time I heard about you, Peyton had come back from seeing you and decided she was in love with my boyfriend. Now you're at a cookout with them."
"We are pretty close. So how's the big apple treating you, Davis?" Jake was well known for changing the subject abruptly. Brooke mentally regained her footing a moment later and smiled, faintly.
"Oh, the city and I are fine," Brooke chuckled. They walked a short ways to some chairs and sat. "It's Chase and I that are not. It's kinda why I'm here."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jake replied. "Was it a mutual thing?"
"No," Brooke murmured. "Not really. I worked a lot."
Brooke thought about the night Chase packed his bags. The sad look on his face and the look of defeat. He had tried so hard to make her happy.
"He said-he said that I was still waiting on something, that I continually kept him at a distance and that he was tired of waiting for me."
"I'm sorry," Jake said genuinely. "I know how that feels." And Brooke knew he did. It was why she chose him to confide in about Chase.
"I lost myself."
"I know how that feels too," Jake laughed, lightly. He took a sip of his beer and looked down at Brooke. "But home has a way of fixing what the soul needs. You know?"
"Um, I guess. I didn't realize you were a poet now."
"Hangin around Luke too much," Jake shrugged with a laugh. Brooke looked over at him with interest.
"Yeah, I saw you with him. How did that happen?"
"What, you mean how did I end up friends with guy who was essentially my rival? I moved home with Jenny five years ago for a better job and to be closer to my parents. They were together. I won't lie, for a long time it killed me to see them together, but I'd never seen Peyton so genuinely happy in all the years that I'd known her. I just wanted to see her happy."
He paused, catching sight of the curly haired blonde and glanced at Brooke, who'd seen her too.
"I didn't go to the reception, after their wedding. Just because I wanted her happy didn't mean I needed to watch them together. I'm a nice guy but I'm no saint. Anyway, Peyton has an art gallery down town and I was walking by one day and I was just drawn inside. Peyton was on her honeymoon at the time. That's where I met Molly, my wife, who you'll meet later. She and Peyton are really good friends and they work there together. I didn't think I'd ever find someone to love the way I loved Peyton, but Molly taught me how."
"I'm glad you found that Jake. I thought you and Peyton would end up together in the end."
Jake smiled and shook his head. "No you didn't. Hoping and thinking are two different things. I'd hoped that Peyton and I would end up together too, but I knew that wasn't the way it would be. Some things are just meant to happen, you know?"
"I don't believe in destiny anymore," Brooke said quietly. Watching Peyton, who now had her son, swinging in her arms.
"You don't have to," Jake replied, placing a hand on Brooke's. "It finds you."
He watched Brooke watch Peyton and sighed inwardly. He might have to have a talk with Haley about this, if she wasn't already clued in on this.
"Have you talked to her yet?" He asked and she knew he was talking about Peyton.
"No, but she hasn't spoken to me either. It's a two way street."
"She's missed you a lot."
"I know. I know and I missed her too, It's just….I didn't know if we could be friends with him between us."
Jake looked at her and then back at Peyton who was swaying back and forth with William to the music coming from the stereo system just inside. His little head on her shoulder, chubby arms wrapped around her neck, curly blonde head pressed to curly blonde head.
"Six years ago," Jake prodded. Peyton's eyes were shut, but they opened and locked onto someone that made her smile. Jake knew who that smile was for and glanced quickly back at Brooke, as a smiling Lucas walked up to Peyton and wrap his arms around her waist and rested his forehead against hers.
Jake knew the look because he'd worn the same one the day he came back to Tree Hill and ran into Peyton and Lucas, laughing and walking hand in hand out of the record store.
"You didn't know they were still together did you. When you came back."
Brooke shook her head. "No."
"You were hoping they weren't though."
Brooke didn't reply. Watching them now was just as painful as it was watching them yesterday. They never broke eye contact as they swayed to the music with their son tucked securely between them. Lucas Eskimo kissed her, making her smile and then the whispered words she knew were "I love you" from across the yard. She looked away when their lips gently interlocked.
She was vaguely annoyed that they didn't seem to mind sharing intimate moments in public, especially since they knew she was there. This was a very different Lucas and Peyton than she was used to.
"This is obviously crazy though right? I haven't seen him in six years. It's just memories getting the better of me…or something." She shook her head and looked back at the couple. Anna had stuck herself between her parents and was holding onto Lucas's legs.
"How can you watch this and not have it hurt?" Brooke looked back at Jake. "Those are the loves of our lives."
"Because I'm not in love with Peyton anymore," he replied, eyeing the brunette. "She might have been the love of my life but I wasn't the love of hers."
Brooke sighed and looked at her empty beer bottle. "I need to drink more."
She got up and made her way to the bar and Haley filled her empty seat after a few moments.
"Well?" She asked. Jake sighed.
"We got trouble."