By the day of the sextuplets birthday party, Peyton still hadn't given Brooke and Haley an answer yet. She was pretty sure she had decided to start the label, though. Maybe she would announce it at the party. All week long she had been busy after school hours, taking care of last minute things for the party,making sure it all came together for Saturday. It was finally Saturday morning, and everything was coming together. James had arrived the night before, with his new girlfriend, Rebecca, and dinner with the family-including Lucas, but minus his mistress-had gone surprisingly well.
That didn't make her feel any less nervous about the party, though. She would have to face Lucas today with his mistress, and they would have to interact, seeing as it was a party for their kids. She would try to avoid him as much as possible, though, and talk to him only as much as was necessary. First things first, though. It was time for breakfast, eaten in the living room in their pajamas, like they did on every birthday. She only had to wake up all the kids. Yeah, easier said than done. She started upstairs today, going into each room first, not bothering with a first wake-up-call.
Opening Seth's door, she walked in, to find that he was already up, writing in a notebook. He got that from his father, the need to write things down. He didn't let anyone read it, though, so Peyton had no idea what he was writing. She walked in, gave him a hug and a kiss on the head. "Happy Birthday, my boy," she said, trying to sneak a peek at the notebook he quickly closed when he realized what she was doing. "Alright, alright. I get the point. Be down for breakfast in ten," she said as she kissed his curls again before heading out of the room. "I love you," she called over her shoulder, waiting for him to echo the sentiment before she closed the door.
Her next stop was Martin's room. He, of course, was still sleeping. She walked in and stripped the comforter off the bed, opening the curtains so the light could stream in the window, right in his face. He groaned and turned over. "Come on, it's time to get up. You're sixteen today, but that doesn't mean I can't still pour water on you when you don't get up," she informed him. He didn't move. "Martin Scott, if you don't get up right now, you don't get your birthday presents, or any breakfast," she added sternly. He quickly sat up. She bent down to kiss his forehead. "Be down in ten. If you lie back down, you won't live to see your 17th birthday," she threatened, like every year. She told him she loved him, and he worked up the voice to reply.
Jessalyn's room was the next in line, and she stepped inside, to find her daughter staring at the ceiling. She knew Jessalyn must have just woken up, because she always took a few minutes to just lay there in the morning. Peyton entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Happy Birthday, Jess," she said, receiving a grunt in response. Peyton leaned down, kissing her daughters naturally straight blonde hair, and stood again. "Be down in ten minutes. I love you," she said. She was just about to close the door, figuring Jessalyn wasn't awake enough to give her a response, when her daughter repeated the words.
The next room was Ryan's, and he was already up, and working out, like he did every morning. Peyton sat on on end of his bed, and, since he was already working with the medicine ball, they tossed it back and forth a few times. "Happy Birthday, son. You gonna be finished in ten minutes," she asked, as she tossed the medicine ball back to him a final time. He nodded and she stood, walking over to him, kissing his forehead. "Good, 'cuz if you're not, you miss breakfast, and you don't want to miss the birthday breakfast," she started for the door. "I love you," she said. He called it back to her and she closed his door with a smile.
Heading downstairs, Peyton knocked on Marissa's door, surprised when she got no reply. She opened it cautiously, to find her daughter still in bed. With a sly grin, she entered the room at a run, and jumped on the bed. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty, it's your birthday," she said as she bounced on the bed. Marissa groaned, but sat up, rubbing her eyes. "I love you baby, but you've got to be downstairs for the big birthday breakfast in ten minutes," she paused, mussing her daugter's natural curls. Marissa just groaned, moving her head out from under her mom's hand. She gave her daughter a kiss, then left the room.
Marissa yelled the words back as Peyton was entering Kerri's room. The green-eyed blonde, who happened to be awake, smiled at her mother, and Peyton placed a kiss on her daughters straight hair before telling her to be down in ten minutes. "I love you," she said, and her eldest daughter said it back as Peyton left the room. She entered the other twins room next, and Madison was also awake and Peyton walked in and kissed her curls. "I love you, Madi," she said as she stroked her daughters hair. Madison's eyes were a mix of her mother's and father's. She repeated the words to her mom and Peyton stood. "Be down for breakfast in ten minutes," she said as she left the room.
The last room Peyton had to enter was Ainsley's room. Her youngest daughter was still asleep, and Peyton sat on the bed, moving her messy curls out of her face. She bent down to kiss her forehead, waiting until her daughter's blue eyes flickered open. She sent her mom a sleepy smile as Peyton leaned down to give her another kiss on her forehead. "Good morning, angel. Happy Birthday. Breakfast is in ten minutes," she informed her daughter, who scooted back and lifted the blanket to allow her mother to climb in the bed. Peyton did, and Ainsley cuddled up against her mother.
All of them knew how hard this birthday was going to be. Not just for Peyton, but for everyone. This was the first birthday without their parents together. Everything was in the air, and nothing would be normal. Peyton would try to make things run as smoothly as possible, but they all knew it was going to be hard. Peyton took a couple minutes to relax. She had been trying to mentally prepare herself for today for the past couple of days, but she knew no amount of mental preparation would help. She hugged her daughter, then slowly extracted herself from the bed. "Be in the kitchen in five minutes," she said before leaving the room.
When Peyton reached the entryway, right next to the front door, that split into the hallway that lead to the kids rooms and the hallway that lead to the kitchen and living room, she stopped in her tracks. Her first reaction was to start screaming, her second was to throw herself into his arms. She couldn't do either. "What are you doing here, Lucas?" she demanded instead, crossing her arms in front of her chest in her standard defensive stance. She glanced behind him to see if the whore was there too, but the front door was closed. Peyton didn't let the relief show on her face.
It was probably mean of Peyton to think of the woman that way. Honestly she didn't even know her, but still. She was the woman who stole her husband away, and Peyton would think of her any way she wanted. The woman had slept with a married man, and they hadn't even practiced safe sex, obviously. As she waited for his answer, she forced her thoughts away from the homewrecker. "I just wanted to have breakfast with my children and their mother on their birthday. Do you mind?" he asked, not in a rude tone, but genuinely asking. His gaze was probing, as if he was trying to get a feel on what she was thinking. Peyton did not like that one bit.
Since she couldn't keep him away from his children, even if she wanted to, which she really didn't, she turned and walked down the hallway without giving him a response. She had tried to avoid him at all costs lately, and she wasn't going to stop now, even if they were obviously having breakfast together. She hadn't expcted to have to deal with him this early, but she wouldn't be the mother who kept her kids away from their father. Her kids deserved both parents, and she would give them that, to the best of her ability. She began to set the table, and was surprised when Lucas started helping her. She stayed quiet, though.
There was complete silence as Lucas took his spot at the head of the table, and Peyton sat at the opposite end. There were four chairs on each side of the table, and it stretched between them, almost ominously. Peyton desperately wanted a glass of wine, but she knew it was too early to start drinking, and she didn't want Lucas to know he was affecting her that much. What she didn't know, was that he also wanted a drink. He just didn't know how to act around her anymore, and he hated himself for it. He knew everything was entirely his fault, and he wished that he knew how to fix it, but he didn't.
When the teenagers finally came downstairs, the ones in front stopped so suddenly that the ones behind them ran into them. There was a traffic jam in the doorway to the kitchen, and Peyton and Lucas waited patiently for their children to get it together. When the ones in the back finally saw what the big deal was, they were also speechless. None of them could understand why their father was there. Sure, they'd never had a birthday breakfast without him, but they really didn't expect him to be there. Some of them didn't even want him to be there.
Noticing the hesitation of most of her children, Peyton gestured to the table before anyone could say anything hurtful, that would start the day off in a bad place. "Sit and eat before your food gets cold," she said in a tone that sounded pleasant, but everyone knew that it held no room for discussion. Ainsley took the seat on Peyton's left, and Marissa sat across from her. Ryan sat down on Lucas's right, and Martin sat down across from him. Seth sat down next to Ainsley, and Kerri sat down in between Ryan and Seth. Jessalyn toon the seat next to Martin and Madison sat down between Jessalyn and Marissa.
The breakfast actually went quite smoothly. There were no outbursts, or arguements, and there was even some laughter. The teenagers thought they'd never see their parents laughing together again, but there it was. It was almost like things were back to normal, except for a few minor things, that weren't really that minor at all. For one, Lucas was the only one not wearing pajamas, but, for some reason, he was wearing his wedding band, which no one had seen on his finger for months. Also, their parents weren't sitting next to each other, like they usually did, and there were no stolen kisses, or touches, though they did share a few meaningful looks.
The biggest, most significant differece, though, was the white tan line on Peyton's ring finger of her left hand, where her wedding band and engagement ring had been for the past eighteen years. She had been reluctant to take them off, because she was afraid to let go, but she had decided that she was moving on. She had to, or she'd never make it through the signing of the papers, which was set to happen in a couple of weeks. So she had taken it off, considering she would be facing her husbands mistress today, and there was the possibility that she would have to interact with her. She didn't want to appear as the woman who was unable to let go.
Actually, she wasn't entirely sure she would be able to let go, but that was Lucas's fault as much as her own. How could he show up at her house like things were normal, and wear his wedding ring? What made him think he could move in with someone else, and then act like things are normal. She hated him for it. She hated herself even more because she allowed it to happen. She didn't know what she could have done to prevent it, but she just wanted to move on, because he'd obviously made his choice. She really wanted to ask him what he was doing, but she didn't want to start a fight. Not on their kids birthday.
So she refrained from saying anything. When Lucas offered to do the dishes so she could get ready, she accepted the offer as everyone else headed to their rooms. Once again, she found herself left alone with Lucas, and she wasn't sure she liked it, but she wasn't sure she disliked it either. Their eyes locked, and blue met green for a long moment. Peyton wanted to say a number of things, about his wedding ring, or his editor, or his other child, but she couldn't promise herself that it wouldn't end in a fight, so she just broke the eye contact, turned heel, and headed upstairs to her bedroom.
Lately, she'd been keeping most of the clothes she wore in the guest room, since she slept in there, but she didn't want Lucas to know she slept in there, so she went upstairs to grab some clothes from the room, and shower in the ensuite bathroom. Then she stood in the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body as she stared into her closet, trying to figure out what to wear. The family barbeque would likely involve swimming, considering it was at the Naley house. Peyton hadn't wanted to have it at hers, because then she would have to have Lucas's editor at her house, and she didn't feel comfortable with that.
The other Scott house was neutral ground, and there was a pool in the backyard, not to mention the basketball half court to one side, and the volleyball net to the other side. They had a pretty large backyard. The guys would probably end up playing basketball, while the girls played volleyball, and the younger ones would probably swim, which meant that an adult would have to swim with them. Peyton could be that adult. It wouldn't hurt that swimming meant Lucas would see her in the new bikini Brooke had designed for her. It was immature, to show off her body every chance she got, but it was all she had, considering the woman he shacked up with should be gaining pregnancy pounds, if she hadn't already.
So she put on the bikini, which was a green that matched her eyes. The top was halter and tied in the back. The bottoms were boy cut. Over the bathing suit she put on a strapless black summer dress, which flowed to her mid-thigh. She slipped on a pair of black heels and blow dried her hair before pulling her curls up into a messy french twist. She did her make-up kind of simple, only using cover-up, black eye liner and red lip stick. Since he was wearing his wedding band, she slipped her wedding band and engagement ring on a chain she had laying around and clasped it around her neck.
For jewelery she also put on a pair of dangly green earrings that matched her suit, and a couple of rings she rarely wore any more. On her left hand she put on a silver thumb ring and she put a ring on her middle finger that was fashioned out of a horseshoe nail. On her right hand she put a silver band with an emerald stone that she had inherited from her mother on her pointer finger and a silver ring that snaked around her finger on her ring finger. Instead of going downstairs when she finished getting ready, she stayed in her room until the kids were ready, so she wouldn't have to face Lucas alone again.
They all got in their cars and drove to the other Scott household. Peyton noted that Brooke's family was already there. Lucas hadn't arrived yet, because he had to go pick up his editor. Peyton hadn't seen her since Lucas had confessed about the affair, and they hadn't really met before that either. So this was really the first time she would be around the woman. She couldn't say she was looking forward to it. So, while everyone went to the backyard, Peyton went to the basement, where they kept wine for special occassions. She looked through the bottles, trying to decide which would be best. She couldn't spot her favorite.
That was where Haley found her. She approached quietly, and Peyton didn't notice her until she spoke up. "I figured you'd be here, which is why I've already brought up an aged bottle of your favorite merlot," she said. Peyton just nodded and headed back upstairs. Haley followed, and found Peyton in the kitchen, searching the drawers for the bottle opener. She knew where it was, so she located it pretty quickly, twisting it into the cork, and then pulling it out as Haley pulled a glass from the cabinet. "You know, he's my best friend, yes, but I don't approve of everything he does. I really can't believe he's bringing her," Haley said as Peyton poured the wine glass full.
For a couple of moments, there was silence, as Peyton took a gulp of the wine. She didn't get a chance to respond as Brooke found her two best friends. "I can't either, the jackass. I seriously can't believe he's bringing the slut here, to your kids birthday party. I mean, if she thinks that she's gonna get a warm welcome, she's got another thing coming," she said as she entered the kitchen. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured some wine into it. "Sorry, Tutor-Mom, you can't drink anything. Not if you want this little one to come out normal," she said, patting Haley's stomach.
As Brooke took a sip of her wine, Peyton found her voice. "No," she said, and both brunettes looked at her, wondering what she was saying no to. "No, Brooke, you will not be anything other than cordial to her. I will not allow anyone to ruin the sextuplets sweet sixteen. I don't care what she does, or what he does, or what either of them say. They could make out the whole time, or sneak away to a guest bedroom to fuck. Whatever, I don't care. It's their business, and no one will do anything to start a fight today. Do what you want tomorrow, or any day after that, but not today," she said, looking between the two of them to let them know she meant it.
They both got the picture, and the three women walked outside to the back porch. James came up to give his aunt a hug, as did the others. Then the three women settled into the patio furniture on the back porch, while Nathan and Owen manned the grill. They watched all the kids in the backyard while they chatted about things. It was about twenty minutes later when the back door swung open again, and Lucas walked onto the back porch, with his editor clinging to his arm like she was attached. Peyton sent Brooke and Haley a look, focusing mainly on Brooke, before she went on with the prevois conversation, ignoring the new development.
Very subtlely, out of the corner of her eye, Peyton watched as Lucas introduced the woman to James, and his girlfriend, and the other young ones. He talked with Jamie and Rebecca for a while, with his new bracelet firmly attached, and laughing at everything he was saying. Peyton wanted to roll her eyes, but soon enough, Lucas was joining the guys at the grill, and the brunette was coming over to the women. She came right up, acting like this was nothing weird. "Hi, I'm Lindsey," she stood there as if they would welcome her with open arms, as if they should.
Both Brooke and Haley introduced theirselves, and offered her a seat. They started talking to her, trying to make up for the fact that Peyton hadn't said a word. Eventually, Lindsey looked over at her. "You must be Peyton," she said, as if it wasn't obvious. "The kids talk about you all the time, everytime they're over. They love you so much," she smiled as if it wasn't wrong to bring up her boyfriend's other children to his wife, and the mother of those children. Brooke and Haley both stayed quiet, eyes wide, as they waited for Peyton's reaction.
There was complete silence among the women, while Peyton blinked a few times, unable to believe the woman was that dense. "When they're over? You mean when they're over at the house you live in with my husband?" she tried not to raise her voice, but she drew everyone's attention. She wasn't done, though. "You know," she started condescendingly, "they don't tell me anything about you, but I guess that's to be expected, since obviously you're not just a homewrecking bitch, you're a stupid homewrecking bitch," with that, she stood, and stalked into the house.
Peyton went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a new wine glass, because she'd left hers outside, and she wasn't about to go get it. She poured herself a glass, and downed it. She was just pouring her second glass when Lucas entered the kitchen. He didn't look exactly furious, but he did look mad. More than even that, though, he looked concerned for her. "What the hell was that, Peyton? What are you doing?" he asked as she finished her second glass. He grabbed the bottle before she could pour her third. "You're not wearing your rings," he said softly.
Incredulous, Peyton abondoned the wine glass, turning to face him. She poked him in the chest. "And you are," she said accusingly. Before he could form a response, she continued. "What the hell, Lucas? You haven't worn it since before I even kicked you out, and now you wear it, when you bring the slut to our kids birthday party? What the hell is wrong with you? Who do you think you are, to play with my emotions? You can't do this Lucas. Choose one way or the other, but just stop acting like you didn't do anything wrong. You impregnanted your editor. You can't be on and off. You made your decision. Stop acting like you regret it," she pleaded.
Reaching up, he grabbed the hand that was still poking him in the chest. "What if I do?" he asked. She just stared at him, disbelief and confusion mingled on her face. The wine was going straight to her head. "Maybe I do regret it, Peyton. Maybe I wish that none of this happened, and that I could take it all back," he stopped, closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "It doesn't matter, though. I can't change things, and I'm with Lindsey now. You have to accept that, and you can't act like a bitch every time you see her, because that's just not you, Peyton. You know it's not," he said, trying to convince himself of that as much as her. She believed it more than he did.
Shaking her head, she pulled her hand out of his grip, neither of them really aware that he had held it for so long. She was looking up into his blue eyes, and she found herself wanting to throw herself into his arms and kiss him senseless, until everything else went away. "Does she know?" she asked instead, to keep her feet on the ground. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Does she know that you promised me forever? That you said you'd love me for the rest of our lives? Does she know that you said you'd hold me until you died? Well, Lucas, you're still here, and I guess those promises don't matter anymore, do they?" she turned from him, closing her eyes briefly.
When she opened her eyes, she turned back to face him, a smile now on her face. It almost looked real. He didn't say anything, because he didn't know what to say. "I just want you to know I'm happy for you," she said, and now the look on his face was disbelief. She nodded, smiling wider. "Yeah, I'm happy for you, if you're happy. That's all I want, Luke. That's all I've ever wanted. I wish the best for both of you, and I'm sure she'll be an excellent mother to your child," she said, sincerity filling her voice. She took his earlier comment to heart. She really was better than the pettyness, and she did mean what she was saying.
Still somewhat surprised, he thanked her and she gave him a hug. "Of course, Lucas. I know things between us aren't like they used to be, but I guess things don't always turn out like we wish they would. You're moving on, and I won't hold you back. I'm moving on, too," she said, nodding. He raised an eyebrow and she elaborated. "Well, last week, Brooke offered to loan me some money to start a label. Haley said she'd be my first artist. I said I'd think about it, but I think I'm going to do it. I thought you should be the first to know, since you always told me I should do something like that," she said.
There was a brief pause, as he thought about it. Then he smiled at her. "That's really great, Peyton. I'm happy for you, and I know you'll be great at it. Hey, you know that there's extra space at Tric. I'll ask my mom, but she'll probably say yes. You can use that as office space," he offered, giving her the smile that she hadn't seen since things were good. It was nice, and she liked it, but she had to remind herself that this changed nothing. They talked about a few more things before they went back out to the party. Everyone looked at them, but they just went their seperate ways, Lucas to the grill and Peyton to the patio furniture.
They shared one look, just one, as she was sitting down. Then she turned her attention to Lindsey, and apologised. The woman graciously accepted the apology, then offered up a smile, and a conversation that had nothing to do with anything too dicey. Peyton announced that she was accepting Brooke's offer, which made both Brooke and Haley extremely happy, and the evening went on. For their birthday, the 'lets got a lot of things, but the biggest gift was from their mom, who had been saving up since the twins sixteenth. She got them a truck, for the guys to drive, and a convertible for the girls. She was thanked profusely before they started arguing about who would drive to Tric.
Depite her dispute with Lindsey, Peyton was pleased with the day. She knew the kids loved their presents, and there was no more arguements. The food was good, and the company was better. She really did love spending time with her extended family. It was a lot better than anything that happened during her childhood. Yeah, Lucas was her estranged husband, and his girlfriend was with him, but she did her best to ignore it. When Lucas and Lindsey left, and Nathan and Owen were cleaning the grill, Peyton suggested the women get in the hot tub, so that's what she, Brooke and Haley did. They spent the evening chatting about the new label, their men, and it was reminiscent of high school.
A/N: This chapter is kind of long, but I wanted to fit everything into it before moving to the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews for the last one. I don't really have that much to say about this chapter, except please review, and tell me what you think. Is this fic still good, or should I stop? Let me know, please and thank you!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my ideas.