Lucas woke up and rubbed his eyes. He didn't get much sleep and was pretty exhausted. He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He had told Nathan and Haley that he would pick Lily up around 10. He yawned and then looked at his phone it was almost one. There was a message from Nathan on his phone. 'Luke, we figured Brooke probably had you work all through the night so don't worry about Lily. She's fine. We are gonna just have a relaxing day at the pool before we have to cover it for weather. Come by the house whenever. Carrie will be over around five so that Haley and I can have a nice dinner out.' Lucas put down his phone and splashed water in his face. He started getting ready while eating a bowl of cereal. He finished getting ready and then headed to his brother's house. He pulled into the driveway and got out. He walked in the house and saw Nathan and Haley sitting on the couch.
"Hey, he's alive." Nathan joked as Lucas smirked.
"Thanks so much for watching Lily. I thought I set my alarm when I got home, but I guess I didn't." Lucas said as Haley smiled.
"Anytime, we love having Lily here." Haley said as Lucas sat down.
"So, where are the kids?" Lucas asked as he looked around.
"Napping." Nathan said as Lucas nodded.
"Oh yeah I guess Lily probably didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Lucas said as Nathan and Haley both looked down. Lucas had been having trouble with Lily sleeping at a different house for a while.
"Actually…she slept all night." Nathan said as Haley nodded.
"Yeah, Nathan built a blanket fort and all three kids slept in it." She said as Lucas looked at them.
"Three?" Lucas asked and then looked at Nathan. "Ohhhh."
"If you want, Lily can just stay here the rest of the day. We can have a snack and enjoy the weather and then you can leave to get ready." She said as Lucas shook his head.
"I actually got a sitter for Lily tonight…" Lucas said a little awkwardly. He didn't really like Carrie watching his daughter. There was something just a little off about her.
"We told you that Carrie would sit Lily." She said as he sighed.
"I know, but…" Lucas said as Nathan cut him off.
"The kids don't see each at all. They love being together and are never together anymore." Nathan said as Lucas sighed again. "They spent the first four years of their lives together. It is just really different for them."
"Next time, I promise." Lucas said as Nathan and Haley sighed but agreed. Lucas walked to the bathroom while Lily walked down the stairs carrying her blanket.
"Uncle Nafan." Lily said as Nathan smiled and got up. He loved hearing Lily call him uncle almost as much as he loves being her uncle.
"Yes princess?" Nathan said as he picked her up. She had just woken up and was still half asleep.
"When's my daddy coming?" She asked as Nathan walked to the couch and sat down.
"Didn't Aunt Haley tell you?" Nathan said with a smile as she looked up at him. "Your daddy is gonna let you stay here forever." He said with a laugh while Lily started to cry. "Wait wait wait…Lils. I was kidding. Don't cry." He said as Lucas walked out of the bathroom and saw Lily crying. He walked over to her and took her from Nathan's lap.
"Lily what's wrong?" Lucas asked as Lily wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I might have told her that she was staying here for ever." Nathan said as Lucas and Haley both glared at Nathan.
"Way to go Uncle Nathan." Lucas said as he rubbed Lily's back. Haley handed Lucas Lily's bag. Lucas put it on his shoulder and started walking to the door. "See y'all later tonight." He said as he walked out to his car. He put Lily in her seat and then started to drive home. "Did you have fun?" He asked.
"Yeah!" Lily said as she looked out the window. "Where's Lindsey?" She asked as he smiled.
"Lindsey will be here tomorrow." He said as drove.
"Oh." She said, as it got quiet. It had been quiet for almost five minutes and Lily decided to break it. "Daddy?"
"Mhm?" He said as he looked at her in the rear view mirror.
"I wanna ride my bike." She said as he nodded his head.
"Well, do you wanna learn before I have to get ready?" He asked as he turned down their street.
"Can Lindsey help?" She asked as she chuckled.
"Well sure. How about we go to the park tomorrow." He said as he pulled into the garage.
"Okay!" She said as he got out of the car and helped her out. The two walked inside and Lily went to her room to play. Lucas smiled as he walked into his room to clean up. He was putting his socks away and saw the ring he was planning on giving to Lindsey. He grabbed it and sat down on the bed and looked at it. There was a small voice in the back of his head telling him not to do it. He continued to look at it and could hear Lily playing in her room. He got up put the ring back in his drawer. He walked out of his room and into Lily's.
"What are you playing?" He asked as she looked up at him.
"Nothing." She said as he walked over to her.
"Can I talk to you?" He asked as she nodded and he picked her up. He walked over to her bed and sat down her on his leg.
"Am I in trouble?" She asked as he looked at her.
"No." He laughed as he moved her hair from her face. "So I have a question for you." He said as she smiled up at him. He smiled back then continued talking. "So I'm gonna ask Lindsey to marry me. How does that make you feel?" He asked.
"What does that mean?" She asked as he thought about how to explain it.
"Well honey, basically Lindsey and I would have a really big party and we would tell each other how much we loved each other in front of everyone. After the party Lindsey would move in here." He said as he smiled at her.
"But I thought you said that Lindsey wouldn't live here just because you love her." She said as he chuckled.
"Well, now I want to invite Lindsey to live with us. You know how Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan live together because they are married?" He asked as she nodded. "That's what I want with Lindsey." He said as she nodded again. "Is that something that you want?" He asked.
"I like Lindsey." She said with a big smile. She started to kick her legs.
"Well how do you feel about Lindsey being my wife?" He asked as she continued to kick her legs. He placed his hands on her legs to make her stop kicking. "Sweetie what do you think?" He asked as she looked up at him.
"I like Lindsey. She is nice to me." She said as he smiled. He pushed the hair out of her face and she smiled at him.
"Do you wanna play a game with me?" He asked as she jumped off his lap and ran into the living room. He smiled and got up. "I'll take that as a yes." He walked into the living room and saw a bunch of games that Lily had already taken out. "Lils, this is too many games." He said as she looked at him. He sat down and picked up Candy Land. "We can play this." He said as she nodded and then sat down in his lap. He started to set it up and his phone rang. He looked at it and sighed. It was the high school. He got up and walked to his room. "Hello?" He said into the phone.
"Hey Coach Scott." The athletic director said into the phone.
"Hey Matt what's up." Lucas said.
"Well, there are a lot of guys waiting outside of the gym for open gym. I checked the schedule and it says you will be in the gym from 3-6. Are you still coming?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah I am so sorry. I will be right there." Lucas said as he looked at his watch.
"Thanks." Matt said as he hung up the phone. Lucas sighed and then walked into the living room and looked at Lily.
"Hey Sweetie…" Lucas said as Lily looked up at him. "We are gonna go to the gym. Is that okay?" He asked. She nodded. She didn't care where she went with Lucas; she just liked to be with him. She got up and ran over to him. He smiled and picked her up. As he walked out of the house he grabbed a snack for her. He walked to the car and put her in her seat. He started driving to the school. "I can drop you off with uncle Nathan and aunt Haley?" He asked.
"Noooooo, I wanna stay wif you." She said as he smiled. He continued to drive and pulled into the school parking lot.
"So, I have to make sure that none of my players get into a fight during open gym, but we won't be here to long." He said as he got out. He walked to her door and opened it. "I can teach you to dribble though." He said as she squished her nose. He smiled and laughed to himself. Lily got out of the car and reached up for Lucas to pick her up. He sighed and picked her up. He walked into the gym and most of his players were already in the gym practicing. He continued walking to his office. He opened the door and set Lily down. She immediately ran to his chair and started spinning in it. He smiled and then turned on the light. He got some of his things organized and then grabbed a kid size ball that he had keeps in his office for Jamie. "Ready to go to the gym?" He asked as she nodded and got off of his chair. She walked over to him and reached up for his hand. He smiled as he took her hand.
"Daddy when is Lindsey gonna be here?" She asked as they walked into the hallway.
"Well, when we get home, you are gonna play with the babysitter and then it will be time for bed. But, when you wake up, Lindsey will be here." He said as she smiled really big. "Are you excited?" He asked with a laugh.
"Mhm! I love Lindsey!" She said as he opened the gym door. She walked in and he followed her. There were already a lot his team practicing. He sat down on the bleachers. Lily went to the open area by the door. Lucas watched her from the corner of his eye. He was focusing more on the players playing a pickup game. He was making notes when Lily walked up to him. "Can I play with the ball?" She asked as he smiled.
"Sure." He said as he handed it to her. "I can help you if you want." He said. She looked at him and shook her head. He continued taking notes and then stood up to help some the freshmen with the plays they were working on. He had been helping them for a while and then heard a banging noise followed by a very familiar cry. He turned to see Lily lying on the floor while most of the varsity boys were trying to help her up. Lucas ran over to the guys and picked Lily up. "What happened?" He asked as he looked at his players.
"Well, we just finished playing and we looked over at Lily because we noticed she was doing something. She was trying to stand on the basketball." John said.
"We told her she probably shouldn't do it because it isn't safe and before we finished. She fell." Robert said as Lucas nodded his head. He walked over to the bleachers and sat down with Lily on his lap. He was checking to see if she had any cuts or bruises.
"Cutie, where does it hurt?" He asked as she pointed to her elbow. He looked at it and then kissed it. "I think you'll be okay." He said as he kissed her cheek. He then wiped the rest of her tears away. He picked up his clipboard again and continued to take notes. He was very used to working with Lily sitting on his lap. It was almost easier for him to have her sitting there. They sat there for another hour and it was time for open gym to be over. As the players left most were saying goodbye to Lily instead of Lucas. After the last player left Lucas cleaned up then gym and then locked it up. They walked out to his car and got in. They drove home and then got out.
"Can we play outside?" She asked as he helped her out of the car. He checked his watch and sighed.
"I need to take a shower, get dressed, make you dinner and give you a bath all before 8." He said as he held her hand as they walked inside.
"What time is it?" She asked. He smiled and got down on one knee. He then wrapped his arm around her body and held out his arm with the watch on it.
"See the small line?" He asked as he pointed to it. She then nodded. "Well that hand points to the hour while the big line points to the minute." He said.
"What about the other long line?" She asked.
"It's the seconds hand. It helps me keep time of the seconds." He said as smiled. "So right now it is 6:20." He said as he got up. "We left the school at 6:10, and we live about ten minutes away." He said as he walked with her to her room. "While I'm in the shower how about you pick out a movie you and Ashleigh can watch together." He said and then walked to the living room and grabbed the huge case of DVDs. He walked into Lily's room and she was sitting on her floor playing with her dolls. He set the DVDs down on the bed. He looked at her and got down on her level. "I will be in the bathroom if you need me. Okay?" He said as she nodded without looking up at him. She continued to play and he cleared his throat. "Okay?" He said again. She then looked up at him.
"Yes sir." She said as she played with her dolls.
"Thank you." He said as he got up and walked to the bathroom. He took a fairly quick shower and then trimmed up his facial hair. He walked into his bedroom and started picking out something to wear. He picked out dark pants with a black belt, black shoes and a light grey button down. He then got dressed in a t-shirt and basketball shorts so that he could give Lily a bath. He walked out of his room and looked at the clock on the wall. It was now 6:45. He then walked into Lily's room and saw that she was picking out a movie to watch. "Ready to take a bath?" He asked. She looked up and then nodded. He smiled and then walked into the bathroom. He got her bath ready and then helped her into it. He gave her a bath and then wrapped her in a towel. He walked with her back into her room and picked out a pair of Minnie mouse pjs. He set them on the bed and looked at her. She smiled at him and he walked out of the room. He walked to his room and got dressed. As he finished putting on his shirt he rolled up the sleeves. He then walked to the kitchen. He started making chicken nuggets. He could hear Lily's feet running up behind him. He turned around and saw that she had her pj shirt on backwards. He smiled and then fixed it for her. "Are you excited for Ashleigh babysitting you?" He asked.
"Yeah!" She said with a smile. He finished cooking the nuggets and made her a plate. As he set it in front of her the doorbell rang. Lily was about to get up and he pointed at her chair.
"Eat." He said as she nodded. He walked to the front door and opened it. At the door stood a 5'3, 16-year-old girl. She had on a pair of skinny jeans, white converse and a blue ravens cheerleading shirt.
"Hi Coach Scott." Ashleigh said in a soft sweet voice.
"Hi Ashleigh." Lucas said as he moved aside to let her in.
"You look really nice!" She said as she came inside.
"Thanks, my friend Brooke Davis is having a grand opening of her new store." He said as he closed the door. "Again, thanks for doing this on such short notice." He said.
"Oh no problem." She said. "I wasn't doing anything anyway."
"Oh. You aren't doing anything on a Saturday night?" He asked.
"Well, I'm grounded." She laughed.
"Ohhh." He said. "Sorry to hear that. Well, anyways, I'll take you on a little tour." He said. She nodded and they started walking. "This is my room, and here is Lily's." He said and then they started walking towards the back of the house. He finished showing her everything and they ended in the kitchen. Lily had only eaten one of her chicken nuggets. Lucas and Ashleigh sat down at the table with her.
"So are there any rules I need to follow?" Ashleigh asked as she smiled at Lily.
"Well I told Lily she could pick out a movie to watch and then she should probably go to bed." He said as Ashleigh nodded. "Also I know that I won't be coming home until 1 or 2 so go ahead and make yourself comfortable." He said.
"Yes sir." Ashleigh said.
"Also, I would rather know what I am coming home to instead of coming home to a surprise." He said as he looked at the clock. It was almost time for him to leave. He started to get up and got the rest of his things. He walked back into the kitchen and kissed Lily goodbye. She smiled at him.
Lucas and Peyton walked into the new store and saw Brooke busy at work. They smiled at her and were amazed at how well she was doing. As the party was in full swing Lucas walked up to Victoria Davis.
"Oh, I know you. You're one of my daughter's ill-chosen love interests." Victoria said, as she looked Lucas up and down in disgust.
"You must be very proud of Brooke." Lucas said as he looked around with a smile on his face. He was truly proud of her. "I can't believe all she's accomplished."
"Yes, and her taste has greatly improved. Thank God." Victoria said as rudely. "If you'll excuse me." She said as she walks away and stands alone. Peyton then walked up with a laughing smile.
"Oh, don't take it personally." Peyton said.
"She just..." He said and then kept his mouth open trying to pick out the words.
"Verbally punched you in the goodies? Yeah. That's how she says hi." She laughed.
"And I thought Brooke was being dramatic when she talked about her mom." He said as his eye caught Brooke. She was wearing a bright pink dress that flattered her nicely.
"Nope. All true." She said. "So..." She said as she noticed him looking at Brooke.
"What?" He asked looking back at her.
"Oh, nothing." She said with a smirk.
"Don't, oh nothing me." He said. "I know you are thinking of something." He laughed.
"I'm just wondering when you are going to realize that you love Brooke." She said as he looked at her.
"Peyton, I have a girlfriend, that I love." He said.
"Yes, but you don't have history with Lindsey. You have it with Brooke." She said. He looked at her and shook his head.
"You're wrong." He said in a hush angry tone. He then walked away and started talking to some other people. As he is talking his mind keeps going back to the memories he has with Brooke. He was thinking of their first interaction in high school.
Lucas sighs as he realizes Peyton was right. He walked over to Peyton who was talking to a bar tender.
"Okay, fine. You are right." Lucas whispered into her ear. Peyton turns around with a smile. He shook his head as he looked at her.
"She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant and beautiful and brave. In two years, she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday, and I'm not sure she even knows it." Peyton quoted the book. He looked at her and nodded.
"Yeah." He said as he then quoted his own writing. "Suddenly, it was as if the roar of the crowd, the echo of the final buzzer, the cheers of my teammates were all sounding from a thousand miles away. And what remained in that bizarre, muffled silence was only Brooke, the girl whose bravery and passion and beauty had changed my life. At that moment, my triumph was not a state championship, but simple clarity. The realization that we had always been meant for each other and every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth. I was now, and would always be, in love with Brooke Davis." He sighed as he looked at her. "You can't say anything. I'm in love with Lindsey as well." He said.
"Lucas…" Peyton said as she followed him outside. She grabbed his arm, as she did this he pulled a ring out of his pocket.
"I have this for Lindsey." He said as Peyton's mouth dropped. "I am proposing to her soon. She's a good fit. Lily needs someone in her life that is always there. Brooke just opened a new clothing store. It wouldn't be fair to her." He said as he turned his back. He then rubbed his neck and talked with his back facing Peyton. "What am I supposed to do? Walk up to Brooke and say, "Hey Brooke, I know the last time we dated…I messed it up. But I'm ignoring that because I love you. I've loved you since the day you were in the back of my truck. I loved you when you were away, and I loved you when we fought. I have loved you every single day of my life since we met. That being said, I want you to drop everything and help me raise a four year old. I know this is a lot but we can do it because we were meant for each other." He said as he turned around and looked at Peyton. She looked surprised.
"Wow you have thought a lot about this." She said.
"Yeah, since the day she came back in town. I haven't been able to shake the thought of Brooke Davis." He said as he looked at his watch. It was almost one. "I am gonna head home. Lindsey is coming into town." He said. "Do you want a ride?" He asked as he opened his door.
"Sure." Peyton said as she walked with him to the car. As they drove off, Brooke walked back inside. She had been standing on the rooftop of her new store, looking out at the night sky. She had heard every word that Lucas and Peyton had said.
Lucas pulled into the driveway and parked. He got out and walked inside. When he had left the house it was a little messy. When he got inside, the house was completely clean. Ashleigh was sitting on the couch watching TV. She turned around and smiled at him.
"Hi Coach!" She said.
"Hi." He said. "How was everything?" He asked.
"It was good. She was amazing." She said. "Except she didn't want to go to sleep."
"That's not that big of a surprise." He said. "What time did she finally go to bed?" He asked.
"She went to bed on time. She just cried because she said she wanted you." She said as she got up. He sighed and then paid Ashleigh. "Oh, I almost forgot. She is in your room asleep." She said as he nodded. She then left. He walked to his room and saw Lily sleeping in his bed. She had her blanket on top of her and her hair had been braided. He got undressed and put on a pair on PJ pants and a t-shirt. As he laid down, he moved Lily over and then back. He smiled as he wrapped an arm around Lily. He was almost asleep when there was a knock at his door. He got up and opened the door. It was Lindsey.
Brooke walked into her house. She was upset about the fight she had with her mother. She sighed as she set down on her purse. As she sat down at the table Peyton walked out of her room. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. She smiled as she sat down across from Brooke.
"So how did it go?" Peyton asked.
"Bitchtoria only sent in the high-end clothes." Brooke said as she rolled her eyes.
"Sorry to hear that." Peyton said as Brooke nodded.
"So you and Lucas." Brooke said. "What's going on there?" She asked.
"Nothing. Just friends." Peyton said as she looked at Brooke. Brooke's eyes went to the floor and Peyton could tell she was hiding something. "What do you know?" She asked.
"Well, I needed fresh air…" Brooke started to say. "I saw you and Lucas talking….I was on the roof. Actually… I heard him." She said.
"Really?" Peyton said with a smile. "And…?"
"Lucas Scott is the one boy I would give up everything for." Brooke said as she looked down. "I would give up Clothes over Bros, my trips to Milan, my apartment in New York, LA and Miami. I would give it all up for him." She said as Peyton looked at her with her eyes popping.
"Go to him." Peyton said. "Go and tell him that you love him. Go tell him that by loving him you aren't giving up on anything. You are getting everything." She said as Brooke nodded. She got up and walked out to her car. Brooke had the biggest smile on her face. She was finally going to tell Lucas exactly how she felt. She drove to his house and noticed that the living room light was on. She parked and then went to the front door. She took a deep breath was she was about to open the door. She then looked in the little window and saw that Lucas had proposed to Lindsey. She slowly backed away from the door. She then got back in her car and drove home. Peyton had waited up and saw Brooke in tears. "What happened?" Peyton asked.
"He proposed to Lindsey." Brooke said as she walked into her room and shut the door.
Sorry this took me so long! Let me know what you think! -M J