"Luke, can you help me move this table by the pool?" Haley asked as he saw her visualizing what the party scene would look like.

"Sure."

Each of them grabbed the end of the table and walked in unison to carry the table.

Haley put her hands on her hips seemingly satisfied with the job she had done. Lucas giggled at his friend's meticulous organizing.

"It's good to see you smiling, Luke." She looked on at him with a small grin.

Her words left him with a distant memory.

"Look at you."

"What?"

"Your smile. I missed it."

Pulling him out of his reverie, he heard his best friend's voice once again.

"Peyton's coming with Sawyer, ya know. I hope that's okay." He noticed that with each word she seemed to be waiting for him to lash out at her for allowing his ex to come.

"It's fine. She should be here, and I haven't seen Sawyer for a few days."

"How is everything working out between you and Peyton?" She sat on the edge of the stone wall.

Taking a deep breath, he searched for the right words.

"Well, she's been great about letting me see Sawyer. But I just-" He paused as he tightens his lips debating with his feelings.

"I don't know how to feel. A part of me wants to be so angry with her. And hell I am. But at the same time, how can I blame her?"

"What do you mean?" Haley's voice was laced with confusion.

"I blame her because she confessed her feelings knowing full well the repercussions. How does it make me any different if I tell Brooke how I feel now?"

Haley frowned knowing exactly where he was coming from.

"That's a hard question to answer, Luke."

"I haven't slept for a week because all I can think about the pain I'll cause her because I put my feelings before hers or even Julian's. I blame Peyton because she pushed away the girl I was in love with. What if I'm the one who pushes the love of Brooke's life away? I can't be the guy who breaks her heart again. I just can't."

"There is a difference." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"How? Because I've spent the past three months since Peyton and I split trying to figure it out." His voice wasn't angry or frustrated, this time he only sounded tired.

Lucas watched Haley as she closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Luke, I'm really not supposed to say anything."

"Hales, if you're not comfortable telling me whatever it is, it's fine." He put his arm around his arm trying to ease her.

Shaking her head vehemently, she turned to look at him.

"Luke, me telling you this goes against every girl code, but you need to know this."

His eyes furrow with curiosity and he nodded for her to continue.

"A few weeks ago, Brooke showed up here . I thought nothing of it, ya know. Brooke stops by all the time. But, I when I let her in she broke down."

His heart ached. The very thought of Brooke crying made him cringe.

"All she kept saying was that it's not fair and that it shouldn't be this hard. I thought she got in a fight with Julian so I questioned her about it. But, her tears had nothing to do with him."

"What do you mean Haley? His voice was just above a whisper.

"She was crying because you and Peyton were separated. The fact that you two aren't together anymore made her realize that she let you go for nothing."

Haley stopped and shrugged sadly as she put her hand on his knee. Lucas' jaw clenched as tears threatened in his eyes.

"Luke, she doesn't want to love you anymore, but she does. Julian or no Julian. There's your difference."

Swallowing at her revelation, Lucas brought his hands to his head.

"Ya know something? I used to lay awake at night when I was younger wondering how Dan could marry Deb knowing that he loved my mom. I just couldn't understand someone who didn't listen to their heart." He smiles sardonically. "Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, huh?"

Haley purses her lips realizing the full extent of the pain her best friend has been going through.

"Luke, you are not Dan."

"I don't know. I mean I lost the love of my life because I was too damn stupid to fight for it. So, instead of being man enough to admit it, I settled. You think I'd learn from his mistakes."

"You already have! Lucas, it may have taken Peyton slipping the truth for you to realize that you settled, but you did. You still have the chance to change."

"I just don't know when my life got this complicated." His voice was hoarse as a tear made its way down his face.

Actually, Lucas Scott knew the very moment his life changed.

"Feel what change?"

"Everything. I mean how many moments in life can you point to and say that's when it all change? You just had one."

Brooke Davis wouldn't only change the world, but she would forever change his.

His conversation with Haley had been cut short as the guests began to arrive. He did his best to muster up a smile. It was Jaime's day and he swore he'd make his best efforts to appear happy even if he had to pretend.

So, he stood there listening to Skills talk about his theory that Mouth was trying to push him out of the apartment so that he could "have time with his girl." But Lucas didn't focus much on the story. Instead, he nodded occasionally and sipped on his drink intently. His eyes continually landed on the main entryway making his heart beat a few extra beats.

"Luke?"

"Mhm?" He responded out of impulse.

"You ain't even listening to me, are you?" Skills voice became high pitched at the realization that his friend had been oblivious to his plan to stay put in his apartment.

"Yea, you, uhm, think Mouth wants you to move out."

"How 'bout all them other things I said?"

Lucas grinned as he watch the look on Skills' face.

"Cold man. Real cold."

He lifted his drink in Skills direction as he continued to smile. It was then that he felt a tap on his shoulder. Saved by the bell he thought.

"Hi." Her voice was vulnerable and filled with a nervous tone.

Or maybe he wasn't saved at all. He'd give anything to go back to listen to Skills talk now.

"Hi Peyton." He said as he tried his best to sound somewhat cordial.

"I'm just gonna go get a drink." Skills said as he immediately walked away from the two exes leaving them with an air of silence.

The awkwardness was put on hold when he spotted his daughter. He kneeled down and unbuckled her from her stroller. Lifting her into the air, he elicited a giggle from his baby girl. On his worst days, her smile was the only thing that could ease his pain.

"Hey baby girl." He said as he cradled her in his arms kissing her forehead.

"How you been, Luke?" Peyton said breaking the silence.

He wanted to laugh in her face. How the hell did she think he was?

"I've been better." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

She closed her eyes and folded her arms as her face was etched with pain.
"Luke, I am sorry."

"Your only sorry you got caught Peyton. You would have content to live the rest of our lives knowing that our relationship is based on a lie." He realized his voice had gotten higher than he intended. "A lie-" He whispered ,"that changed my entire life!"

"I carry that guilt around with me every day. Luke, I-"

"Oh, excuse me. What a martyr you are."

"Okay, you have every right to hate me. But, at the time I was a seventeen year old girl who wanted to believe that maybe we still were that epic couple. It's all I had left. Was it wrong? Yea. But, you were always saving me and things with Jake hadn't worked out, and I just fell in love with the idea of us. People always leave, and I wasn't about to let you go."

He exhaled exasperatedly as he realized the implications of her confession.

"Do you even how selfish that is? You know that Brooke was so sensitive with our relationship to begin with. And you told her you loved me because you thought maybe I could ease that ache where Jake was? Hell, who knows maybe we both might turn out to be the fantasies we had of each other we were sixteen!" Caustic as it sounded, he didn't care.

"Lucas, I did love you. I do." She said as her eyes were large with the horror that this conversation may be in the earshot of the guests around them. Thankfully for her, it hadn't been.

"And so did I Peyton. But I was in love with someone else. It isn't your job to decide who's destined to be with each other." He held Sawyer closer to him as he thought of how deep this triangle really went.

"I know. It's just after a while I started believing my own lies. "

"We both did. Hell, I settled just as much as you did." Peyton may have been caught living in her own lies but so was he."

"I don't wanna lose you in my life. I know I screwed up but I-"

He tried to listen to her. He really did. But, nothing could take his concentration off the two people who walked into the room hand in hand.

Peyton stopped mid sentence and focused her sights in the direction of his eyes.

"She doesn't know, does she?"

He shook his head.

"I'm so sorry." She placed her hand on his forearm. "If I could take it back, I would."

He held the gaze into her solemn eyes that had once left him so captivated. What he had with Peyton would always be there. Maybe that had been their problem.

Lucas knew in time he would call Peyton Sawyer his friend again. They both made mistakes in regards to their heart. But for now they needed time to deal with the fall out. Her lie had aided in driving apart his relationship but he did nothing to change it. Brooke didn't just run because of her confession.

He fought back frustration as he thought back to a time when his heart's desire was clear. Now, she was standing next to another man. A man with a ridiculously goofy grin plastered on his face. And she returned the favor. He couldn't hide from Brooke forever, but he could tonight.

"Come on Sawyer. Let's go outside."

He needed fresh air or a bottle of vodka to get through this party. Maybe the first option was a better idea.

"Uncle Lucas, what are you doing out here?" Jaime slowly made his way toward his Uncle.

"Hey birthday boy." He rustled his god son's hair. "I was just showing Sawyer the view." Motioning toward the river in the distance, he smiled.

"Well, we're about to cut the cake!" Jaime replied with every ounce of enthusiasm in the world.

"We couldn't never miss the cutting of my nephews birthday cake!"

"Knew you couldn't resist." He giggled.

Laughing, he buckled Sawyer back into her stroller. "Come on, buddy. Push her for me, will ya?"

They began to make their way toward the house, and Lucas opened the door helping Jaime steer the stroller in.

Looking up, he was met by Nathan and Haley's ominous expressions in his direction. His heart sank.

Feeling as if he was walking toward his death, he walked into the kitchen to meet them. As he grew closer, the opposite side of the wall revealed a beaming Brooke and Julian.

Shit.

"Luke!" She hugged him and he stiffened as her body fit with his. "I missed you stranger."

"Me too." More than she could ever know.

"I'm really glad you're here now because we wanted to tell you guys something!"

His eyes danced back and forth between Nathan and Haley and Julian's hand wrapped tightly around her waist.

"We're engaged!"

Shot to the heart.

Guys I'm so sorry it took so long to update. Schools been crazy and I haven't had time to write a decent chapter. I promise I'll get back with the updates in the future!!

Review and it'll get up faster : )