Lucas made his way back home on autopilot. He couldn't have said how he got there but, sure enough, there he was parked in front of the house. He sat in his truck for a while, unable to summon the energy to go inside.
Eventually, Lucas climbed out of his truck, went into the house and stripped off his shirt so he could do his exercises. And because all he could picture was a dark haired little girl with her dimples and his eyes, he lost track of his repetitions and ended up in more pain then usual. He bypassed his medication in favour of a beer.
At least a girl would be less likely to inherit his HCM.
Sitting on the front porch, he drank the beer and contemplated his options. He didn't have a lot of them, and none were part of a life he'd imagined. But as the beer mellowed him out, he allowed his thoughts to dwell on Brooke.
She was beautiful, way prettier then he even remembered. He'd heard that pregnancy gave a women a special glow. It might be true because she'd seemed lit from within. Her eagerness to have a baby was appealing. Hell, it was more than that, it was a dream come true. Except for the part where she was very clear about not wanting or needing him.
Yeah there it was the naked truth. He wanted her, he wanted this, their baby girl. Brooke as the mother of his child transformed her into a women of irresistible appeal. If the attraction he'd felt before could be compared to a fountain, this new emotion was more like Niagara Falls.
He wondered if his reaction was connected to some primitive urge to claim the female who'd successfully welcomed his bid for immortality. He hadn't realized at the time how unlikely this baby had been. Knowing that he'd overcome the condom barrier plus her apparent fertility issues. Their baby really was a miracle.
He was scared spit less. Not about bringing his little girl into the world but by the fact the Brooke would eventually end up with another man, another man could be raising his baby.
During dinner, Brooke broke the news of her pregnancy to Haley and Nathan. That's when she realized that Haley and Nathan really did consider her family.
"Babies need aunts and uncles to spoil them rotten. You would never have to do this alone, Brooke." Haley hug her tight.
Brooke laughed through her tears, "I suppose they do. She will also nee her cousin."
"Oh yes!" Haley exclaimed. "Jamie will be old enough by the time she comes along to understand that he has a new baby cousin. I can't wait to see them together. It'll be adorable."
"Yes, well…"Brooke had allowed herself to get carried away by Haley's enthusiasm. "I'm not sure how often I'll get down here. I'll do my best but…"
"Oh." Haley shared a quick glance with Nathan. "Sorry, Brooke. I was so focused on the baby and just excited to share this with my best friend that I didn't even think about anything else. Don't you think you and Lucas could work it out?"
She shuddered at the thought. "I plan to raise the baby on my own."
Haley gave a little gasp of surprise. "Does Lucas know?"
"I told him tonight."
Nathan frowned. "And what did he say?"
"Not much. But I know I'm not the person he wanted to start a family with. I don't want him to feel trapped?"
Nathan's frown deepened. "You know that Lucas is going to feel an obligation to his daughter."
She met Nathan's worried gaze. "Legally, yes, but I'm relieving him of that. I'm financially capable of raising this child and, despite my right to child support, I couldn't in good conscience take money from him when he doesn't want to be involved."
Haley and Nathan greeted that statement with a long silence. Brook wished circumstances could be different. But this baby was a gift and she refused to let her become an obligation to anyone, least of all the man who accidently fathered her.
Finally, Haley took a deep breath. "I can understand why you feel that way. But we'd love to be part of the process, so I hope you'll remember that you and our sweet little niece always have a home here with us."
"We will." She reached over and squeezed Haley's arm. "I promise."
After that, Haley demonstrated her conversational skills because that baby and Lucas weren't mentioned again. Brooke's admiration for Haley's social abilities grew as they spent the rest of the meal discussing music and various stories from Haley's student teaching.
Immersed in the conversations, Brooke lost track of time as they lingered over dessert. Brooke helped with the dishes before bidding Haley and Nathan good-night. She was touched but her friend's wiliness to accept whatever plan she had for this baby. Her own family weren't likely to react the same way and she dreaded the confrontation when she told her mother.
But she didn't have to worry about that tonight.
After a satisfying meal with two people who made her feel at home, she was more than ready for a good night's sleep. Her last thought was of Lucas's full beard. In a way, it helped that he'd grown one because he looked so different from the boy she'd fallen in love with. She could more easily pretend he was a stranger, one she would never see again after tomorrow.