A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.
Chapter Thirty Four
Brooke heard Haley groan in frustration. She felt sorry for Haley. Her pregnant belly made it so she wasn't able to fit in her bridesmaid's dress. "Maybe I should just sit with the guests. I'm probably going to go into labor during your wedding ceremony anyway," she said as she came out of the dressing room. "That way, Nathan and I can just easily slip out without interrupting the ceremony."
Peyton gave her a look as Brooke tried to help Haley zip up her dress. "I think your son is more important than my wedding," she said. Peyton examined the dress as her friends continued to struggle. "We can always wait until both of you guys have your babies. That way, you might be able to fit in your dresses then."
"No, you two should be able to get married when you want to," Haley replied as she gestured Brooke to stop trying. "I just shouldn't be in the wedding party. It was nice of you to ask me, but I think I'll pass."
Peyton nodded understandingly. "If that's what you really want, then you can be out of the wedding." Haley smiled gratefully as she went back to the dressing room. "I don't need a bridesmaid anyway."
"You can always ask Millie," Haley suggested. "I'm sure she would love to be in the wedding. Of course, then you would have to ask Mouth too." There was a short pause as she came out of the dressing room. "In fact, I'm surprised that you asked me to be a bridesmaid in the first place."
Peyton was silent for a moment. "Well, I'm not that close to many people. And I suppose I didn't help matters when I betrayed you to the enemy." She quickly changed the subject as she turned to Brooke. "Dare I ask how your visit is going with your parents?" she asked hesitantly.
Brooke sighed. "It's been a long two weeks. I know that they are just trying to help me and Lucas by giving us parenting advice, but it's a little too much."
"Have you talked to them about it?" Haley asked. "They probably don't realize how much they are taking over. After all, they are the grandparents, not the parents."
Brooke nodded. "I know." She had been through this conversation with Lucas already. "I just don't want it to become an argument."
"Don't you think it's better if you talk to them now before you do start to explode?" Haley asked her.
Brooke hated to admit it, but she was right. However, she didn't respond. She didn't say anything about it for the rest of the afternoon. After she spent time with her friends, she headed to the restaurant. Her parents had volunteered to help Lucas and Deb since they were understaffed.
When Brooke arrived, she saw that her parents were busy at work. Her mother then looked up and saw her. She quickly walked over to her and gave her a stern look. "Brooke, you shouldn't be here. You should be at home, resting."
"Mom, I'm fine," Brooke assured her. She knew her mother just wanted to make sure that she took care of herself and the baby, but she was getting a little annoyed by it. "Besides, it looks like you need help with the customers."
Karen shook her head. "We can handle it," she replied. "Now go and take care of my grandson." Brooke was about to protest, but her mother didn't want to listen. She gestured her to leave. "I'll come by and check on you as soon as I can."
"You don't need to do that," Brooke told her. "I'll be fine. I'll call you if I get into any trouble." She quickly said good-bye to her parents before she headed outside to her car. Once she arrived home, she was ready for a snack. She was dying for some pretzels.
She unlocked the door and turned on the light. She then jumped as she saw a familiar figure sitting on the couch. However, it wasn't the person who she was expecting. She was shocked to see Clay sitting in the armchair. "How the hell did you get in here?" she demanded.
Clay tried not to smirk at her. "Wow, you haven't changed since we last saw each other," he replied. "Of course, you're pregnant too. So I'm sure your hormones don't help." Brooke was about to respond when he held up his hands. "There's no need to call Lucas or the police. I'm not here to kidnap you."
Brooke was still apprehensive about the visitor. "Then what do you want?" she asked him as he got up from the chair. "Because I'll do anything you want if you just leave me and my family alone."
"Well, I wanted Nathan to give the business over to me," Clay replied. "But I guess I'll have to settle for getting paid instead."
"How much money are you talking about?" Brooke asked.
Clay was quiet for a moment. "Why don't we start with 12,000 a month for now?" he suggested. Brooke looked at him shocked. She couldn't believe that he wanted her to pay that amount every month. Clay wasn't even fazed by her reaction. "Yeah, you're right. That's a little too much. How about 9,500?"
Brooke was then able to find her voice. "You and I both know that I don't have that kind of money."
Clay gave her a look. "Come on, Brooke. You have inherited money from Dan's estate. You have money from the restaurant. So you should be able to pay me somehow."
"You can't expect me to pay you 9,500 every month," Brooke protested. "What would I say to Lucas if he asks why I am drawing the money from our account every month?"
Clay shrugged. "You lied to him for the first few months of your relationship. Surely, you can lie about this. Tell him that it's for a charity."
Brooke shook her head. "I can't lie to him again. I won't."
"You're going to have to if you don't want trouble from me," Clay told her. "Because you know how rough I can be."
Brooke was then quiet, knowing that he was right. He had been cruel to her in the past. He could easily do it again. However, she wasn't going to give in so easily this time. "What could you possibly do to me that I haven't already gone through?" she exclaimed. Clay looked at her belly as Brooke realized her mistake. She glared angrily at him. "You wouldn't dare hurt my baby!"
Clay gave her a look. "Brooke, do you really think I would hurt an innocent little child? I would simply hold onto your son until you are able to pay me again."
"You're not getting my son," Brooke said firmly. "And I'm not paying you 9,500 a month either."
Clay wasn't surprised that she was putting up a fight. "Well, it has to be one or the other. I'll give you some time to think about it. I'll be in touch." He was about to leave when he spoke again. "And I advise you not to tell anyone about our meeting."
Brooke was quiet as he finally left the house. She knew that she should feel relief that he hadn't harmed her or her baby. But she felt frustrated instead. She thought that the nightmare was finally over, but her past kept coming back to haunt her. She let out a heavy sigh. She knew that she had no choice but to pay him. She just wished that she didn't have to lie to Lucas about it, but she was willing to do anything to protect her family again.
That evening, Lucas, Brooke and her parents sat around the dining room table, eating dinner. However, all three noticed that Brooke was quiet. Karen finally spoke up about it. "Honey, is everything ok?" she asked her daughter.
Brooke nodded. "Yeah, I just had a long day. That's all." She then knew that it was the perfect moment to talk to her parents about their overprotective behavior lately. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Mom, Dad, we need to talk to you about something."
Her parents exchanged looks before they turned back to their daughter. Brooke tried to find the right words to say. She didn't want to hurt her parents' feelings, but she had to tell them to back off. Lucas reached over to her and squeezed her hand. Brooke smiled gratefully at him before she turned to her parents. "I love you two, but you are being too overprotective. I appreciate your advice for making the house baby proofed, but we can take it from here. You two are the grandparents. You should be preparing to spoil your grandson to death."
Karen became embarrassed as she realized her mistake. "I'm sorry, honey. I just want to make sure that you have my grandson safely. I don't want you to become so stressed out that you have to deliver early like I did."
Brooke nodded understandingly. She gave her parents a comforting smile as she put her hands on her bulging stomach. "You don't have to worry about me. Dr. Copeland told me that everything is progressing well. Your grandson is as healthy as he can be in here."
"I've been taking good care of both of them," Lucas added, knowing that it was safe for him to speak. "So you have no worries there."
Keith then spoke up. "Actually, I do." Brooke knew what was coming before he even said it. "I know you claim that you love my daughter, but I don't see the proof. You abandoned my daughter when she needed you the most."
"And I apologized for that," Lucas reminded him as he shot up from the table. "I made a mistake. Are you really going to hold it against me for the rest of my life?" He didn't let Keith answer. He didn't want him to yell at him before he was able to say what he wanted to say. "I sent her away for her own safety when it got too dangerous in Tree Hill. I stayed by her side when she had nightmares of Dan killing her family. I got her the help she needed when she was suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "I know you still don't trust me because I'm Dan Scott's son, but you have to believe me when I say that I love your daughter and our son."
Brooke then spoke up again. She got up from her chair and stood by her husband. "And if you can't accept him as your son-in-law, then you can't be part of our lives." She and Lucas exchanged gentle smiles. "We love each other and nothing is going to change that."
They then turned back to Keith and Karen before Lucas took his turn again. "I'm not going anywhere unless it is with Brooke and Jayden. You have my word on that."
Keith was quiet for a moment. Everyone waited anxiously to hear what he was going to say. "I'm sorry for not giving you a chance. I guess Karen and I both have to realize that our daughter isn't a little girl anymore. We can't tell her what to do or who she can marry. And I suppose that I shouldn't have judged you so quickly. You may be Dan Scott's son, but you are definitely not like him."
Lucas gave him a grateful smile. "No, I'm not. And I don't want to be." He and Keith then shook hands as Brooke and Karen embraced in a tight hug. "Now who wants dessert?" he asked as he headed to the freezer.
"Let me help you," Karen offered as she got up from her chair and followed him into the kitchen.
Brooke then walked over to her father and embraced him in a hug. "Thank you for listening to him."
"Well, I want to make you happy," Keith replied. "And he does make you happy, doesn't he?" he asked his daughter. Brooke nodded her head. "Then I'm willing to give him another chance for you and Jayden." Brooke gave him a grateful smile before they embraced each other in one last hug. They then pulled away and went to join Lucas and Karen in the kitchen.
