The house had been empty when Brooke returned, she took a notebook out on the front porch so she could jot down some items for her next meeting with Lucas. If he wanted to be a part of this baby's life, he had some homework to do. She started a list of child-care books that she thought were important for him to read.
She'd present him with the list and see what happened. Either, he ignored it, proving to her that he didn't want to bother increasing his knowledge, or he'd read them. Reading them might be enough to discourage him from diving into fatherhood. If it didn't ….she'd burn that bridge when she came to it.
She'd come up with nine titles and was trying to remember a tenth when her cell phone rang.
She put the phone to her ear. "Hi, Luke."
"Hey. I had an idea. Nathan is over here working on the house and Haley has some errands to run, so I said I would watch Jamie and thought you might like to join us. And maybe once Haley gets back we can go into town and get a bite to eat, keep talking"
"That's a rotten trick, use my favourite little Godson to lure me over there. But okay. I'll head over in a little bit."
"Great. See you then."
Two hours later Brooke parked next to Lucas' truck in the driveway. Knowing that she would be dealing with a toddler, she'd put her hair in a ponytail and changed her hoop earrings to posts. She left her purse and list of books in the car.
When she walked around to the front of the house, she found Lucas on the porch playing peekaboo with Jamie.
Lucas looked up and smiled.
Oh no, that tug at her heart couldn't be happening. To lust after him was one thing, but the feeling swamping her now was a thousand times more tender and intimate. She didn't want anything to do with it.
Jamie took advantage of Lucas' momentary distraction to pop up for a second and slobber on his cheek.
"Hey, man. We talked about that." Carefully balancing the baby in his arms, he stood. "Uncle Lucas loves you, but keep the spit to yourself."
Jamie looked up at him, his expressions innocent. Then he bounced in Lucas' arms and grabbed his nose. More baby laughter.
Lucas was obviously trying hard not to laugh with him. "The nose is off limits, too." He glanced over at Brooke.
"He was excited about Aunt Brooke coming to play so I brought him out here to wait." He turned so the little boy was facing her. "Jamie and I have been talking about how Aunt Brooke is going to have a new baby girl who will be his cousin."
Jamie gave Brooke a once-over. Apparently, she passed muster, because the little boy held out both arms and gave a little wiggle that clearly said he was ready to trade partners.
Lucas came closer, bringing with him the citrus sent of his aftershave. He handed Jamie to her.
The aroma reminded her of this morning at the River Court when he'd proposed. That awkward moment stood in stark contrast to this one, which was filled with warm emotions and a cuddly baby. Then she realized he must have reapplied the aftershave because it wouldn't have lasted this many hours. Now that she was paying better attention, she could tell that he'd shaved again, too.
No question he was attempting to get on her good side. He was doing an excellent job of it, too. But decisions she made now would affect her baby for a life time. She'd be very careful not to make the wrong ones.
Taking a wait-and-see attitude would drive her nuts. That was where the reading list would come in. It was his first hurdle.
Lucas was happy with the way the visit with baby Jamie had gone. He could tell it had put Brooke in a mellow mood and he wanted to build on that. After Nathan piled his little family into his truck and drove away, Lucas glanced up at the thunder-clouds in the distance. "Doesn't look too bad."
Brooke opened her car door. "Tell you what. We'll sit on the porch while I show you what I brought. Then I should probably head back. I don't want to get stuck here."
He wished she hadn't said it as though it were a bad thing. He'd always enjoyed the cozy feeling of being with Brooke Davis while a storm raged outside. Obviously she wasn't looking at it that way.
His original plan, to drive into town for a bite to eat, didn't seem as appealing with a storm coming. No funny business unless she wanted to. And he'd promised himself that he wouldn't do anything unless she made the first move. Yeah, like that was going to happen.
The proposal had been a huge mistake, and on top of that, he'd brought up his legal rights. That couldn't have endeared him to her.
This afternoon he'd talked with Nathan, Haley and Skills about the situation. They weren't absolutely sure, but they thought he and Brooke might actually be able to work this out.
She was leaning against the railing with her back to him. He paused, noticing how her ponytail had exposed the tender skin at her nape. He shuddered with desire, wanting so badly to walk over and wrap his arms around her waist. To nuzzle that vulnerable spot, one he happened to know was an erogenous zone for her. He'd learned a fair bit about her body over the years. Not so much her heart, though, which was telling. Sex was easy, he knew they'd always had more under the surface, but Brooke always kept this little part of her behind lock and key and defused any situation that may have remotely lead to raw or deep emotions with sex.
She turned. "The clouds are moving away. The storm may not be a problem."
"Then we could drive into town for dinner like we planned."
"I don't think we need to trouble ourselves. Let me show you my list and then I'll go back to Haley and Nathan's."
"Your list of what?" He sat on the porch swing, mindful of leaving a respectful distance for her to sit.
"Books." She handed him a sheet of paper and took a seat.
He scanned the paper. "I take it you want me to read these?"
"You're adamant that you want to step into the role of our baby's dad, so, yes, I do."
He glanced at her. "I like that you said 'our baby'. That might be the first time you've don't that."
"Oh, I doubt it. Obviously we are both involved, so I'm pretty sure I've acknowledged…"
"I'm pretty sure you haven't."
She waved a hand I the air. "Whatever."
"No, not whatever. This is important, Brooke. This morning you practically called me a sperm donor."
She faced him, regret in her green eyes. "I'm sorry. I just don't know how to handle all this."
"It was terrible, but my reaction told me something about myself. I might not have planned for this to happen, but now that it has... I'm this baby's father. I admit reality hasn't fully registered, but give me time. I intended to get there."
"Please read the books."
"I will. I'll see how many are available in town and I'll order the rest." He tapped the paper. "You put time into this. I appreciate it."
"You do? You don't think it's arrogant of me to hand you a reading list?"
"Are you kidding? Reading is a great way to begin. One of the best relationships of my life started with a pretty girl reading a book I suggested."
Brooke gave his arm a little squeeze and moved her hand away.
He wished she'd leave it there. He missed her touch. A simple touch from her communicated so much warmth and pleasure. Maybe that was why he could never make it work with anyone else.
She took a deep breath and let it out. "Well, I'm going to keep reading too. I'm still researching when to introduce peanut butter."
"You mean so she has less chance of developing an allergy?"
"How did you know?"
"Haley. She goes on about baby stuff all the time. Until know I didn't pay much attention. Now I will." He also made a mental note to ask Haley about other foods to look out for. Folding her recommended reading list in fourths, he tucked it in the front pocket of his jeans. "It's possible Haley actually has some of these she can loan me, but whether they do or not, I'll get them read."
"Okay."
Something about the way she said it alerted him to the truth. The books were a test – one she'd expected him to fail. She figured he wouldn't be interested.
A low growl of thunder grabbed his attention as rain began to patter on the roof. For the first time since they'd sat on the porch, he noticed his surroundings.
Sheets of rain obscured the mountains in the distance and a rising wind swept the downpour onto the porch. Damn it. He'd been so involved in the conversation he'd lost track of the weather.
She picked up her purse and stood. "I'll make a run for it."
"No."
"It just started. If I leave right now I'll be fine."
"You know its hurricane season, and how fast the roads around her change."
"Then I need to hurry." She started toward the steps.
"Brooke, no." He caught her arm and pulled her back. "Let's just wait it out." He decided to maintain his hold on her arm until he'd convinced her not to leave the shelter of the porch.
She looked from him to the heavy curtains of rain.
"Take my word for it." He held her gaze. "The chances are very good that you'll get stuck trying to get across town to Haley's."
Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a breath. "You're right. It's just that I got the distinct impression you wanted me to leave."
"I didn't and it's raining biblical proportions."
She glanced down at his hand on her arm. "Well I promise not to take off, so you can let go of me."
He released her. "It might be a quick storm. If the sun comes out right after, the road will dry in no time and you can be on your way."
The steady pounding on the roof didn't sound like the rain was about to let up, but anything was possible.
"May I ask why you're so eager to get rid of me all of a sudden?"
"Sure." He pulled the list out of his pocket and waved it in front of her. "Do you really want me to read all these?"
"Of course. Why else would I make the list?"
"To give me a job you don't expect me to finish. So if I don't complete this list, you can say I'm not dedicated enough to being a father to our daughter." He guessed right. He could see it in the pink flush of her checks and her uneasy glance.
She cleared her throat and lifted her chin. "Raising a child takes dedication. If you make this commitment you can't just change your mind and run off."
Motherhood had given her a glow he found irresistible, but it had made her a tad self-righteous. He recalled the generous nature of the girl he had known in high school and wondered if that woman was still in there.
He could tell she was hoping he'd bomb out because she wanted the job all to herself. She was scarred and he knew it was his fault.
"Brook, I intend to finish every title you suggested. Now let's go inside ad make some coffee. It's cold and we out here." He walked to the door, opened it and gestured for her to enter. "After you."