Lucas looked at Brooke as the moonlight poured into the store. He had just told her that he never stopped loving her and regretted their final breakup every day. "Brooke." He said as she smiled and then hugged him. He smiled back as he hugged her tighter. "Come spend the night with me." He said as he heard her sigh and then watched her pull away.
"I can't." She said as he looked at her. He moved a piece of her hair behind her ear and smiled.
"Why?" He asked.
"I was supposed to be in Charlotte tonight for a fashion conference. I postponed my departure time so I could go to your game. I was coming to get some sketches and then go back home and wait for my car to come get me." She said as he nodded. He then sighed as she smiled. "Unless…" She said.
"Unless what?" He asked.
"Well, my company is putting me up in a resort. Why don't you and Lily come with me?" She asked. He was a little taken back by the question.
"Um…" He said as he looked at his watch. It was only 11:15 so he assumed that Lily was probably just being laid down to go to bed. "Uh…okay." He said as nodded.
"Really?" She said with a huge smile.
"Yeah." He said.
"Well my car is picking me up in an hour at my beach house. See you there?" She asked.
"We will both be there." He said as he kissed her cheek and then left. He went to his house and started to pack a bag for him and Lily. As he did this he called Nathan. He explain to Nathan what was going on and that he needed to pick up Lily. Nathan asked if it was really necessary and then Nathan finally agreed that he would have Lily ready for him to come get her. Lucas finished packing and then walked out to his car and got in. He drove to his brother's house and got out. He went up to the front door and could see the light was on inside. He opened the door and Nathan was sitting on the couch with Lily.
"When will y'all be back?" Nathan asked.
"Monday morningish?" Lucas said.
"And you and Lily just have to go to Charlotte for the weekend?" Nathan asked. "I understand you are hurting about Lindsay but you can't just whisk away for the weekend." He said as Lucas nodded.
"We are going to be with Brooke this weekend." Lucas said as Nathan looked at him. "I finally told Brooke my feelings." He said quickly and then checked his watch. "I really need to get going." He said as Nathan nodded and then helped Lucas to the car. As Nathan said goodbye he smiled. He hadn't seen his brother in this kind of mood in a while. He was excited to see Luke being so spontaneous. Lucas waved as he drove off and towards Brooke's house. He arrived to the house as the limo for Brooke pulled up. He smiled at Brooke as she walked over to his car.
"Are you ready?" Brooke asked as he nodded.
"Yeah I just have to get Lily out." He said as she smiled and watched him slowly get Lily out of the car without waking her up.
"Wow. I'm impressed." She said as he half smiled.
"I've had a lot of practice getting her out of the car while still asleep." He said. "I'm not very proud of it." He sighed as the driver walked over to them to get their bags. Brooke smiled at Lucas as they walked towards the limo. The driver opened the door for them and they got in. Lucas set Lily next to him and then arranged her to where her head was on his lap. Brooke sat on the other side of Lucas and smiled as she watched them. The driver then shut the door and got in the front seat. As the driver took off Brooke looked at Lucas.
"What did you mean by you aren't proud of being able to get Lily out of the car while she was still asleep?" She asked.
"Uh…well…" He said as he looked at Lily. "I feel like I tire her out so quickly that she just passes out. I don't really like her having a nanny because I don't want to miss anything with her…but its hard when its just me." He said as she softly smiled. He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled into him.
"I can help you now." She said as he kissed the top of her head.
"I would like that." He said with a smile. They continued their conversations as Lucas pulled out his wallet. He was annoyed with sitting on it. As he pulled it out it opened. He started to close it as Brooke noticed his pictures in his wallet.
"What are those?" She asked as he reopened his wallet.
"Just a couple of photos that are important." He said as she started to look at the first one. He smiled. "That's the newest one. First day of preschool." He said as she started to flip through the photos. She then came to the last one. It was a picture of the two of them. She smiled as he quickly took his wallet. "And you remember that day." He said as she smiled again. She then took out her wallet and pulled out the same picture. It was the same picture. It was a picture of the two of them at the Rivercourt. Lucas had his arms wrapped around Brooke who was holding a basketball. It was back when they had gone to the senior blowout and before Karen had taken her last breath. He looked at the photo and smiled. "How did you get the photo?" He asked.
"Mouth sent it to me. He thought I would want the memory." She said as she sighed. "I got it after we broke up."
"So why did you keep it?" He asked as his other hand went to Lily's back. He could feel her moving and started to rub her back.
"Well…" She said as she smiled with her eyes. He smirked as he watched her think. He loved the way she would kink her eyebrow when she started to think. "I guess when people who are meant to be together find their way back. They may take a few detours, but they're never lost." She said as he smiled a bit. "When we broke up I wanted to hate. I really did, but I couldn't. You broke up with me but it was the first time that it didn't break me. I know that sounds weird. I know it's crazy…but there was something inside me that knew, our journey together wasn't over. I didn't know how to explain it or if I really could. I just knew that whatever we went through and wherever our paths took us, I knew they were going to cross again." She said as he continued to smile.
"Did you think it was over when I was engaged to Lindsay?" He asked.
"No." She said, "I knew Lindsay wasn't going to work out. You two were just not meant to be." She said as he laughed a little. She smiled as she then snuggled into his arm. He kissed her again and she smiled.
"What time do you have to be up tomorrow morning?" He asked.
"My first speech is at 8 and then from 10 to noon I am free. I then from noon to three have to walk through all of the booths. Then after that another lecture." She said as he nodded.
"So you are free for dinner?" He asked.
"Yes." She said. "Where are we all gonna go?" She asked as she watched Lily sleep. They both smiled and then the driver pulled into the hotel. The driver helped them out of the car and they went inside to check in. They then walked to their room. Peyton was supposed to join Brooke so the company had paid for a two-bedroom suite. Lucas smiled as he walked to one bedroom and quickly tucked Lily into bed. He sat there with her as Brooke walked into the room. He looked up from his computer and she smiled at him. "You can come join me." She said as he nodded and got up.
"Sure." He said as he set his computer down on the table in the room. He then followed her into her room. They sat down on the bed together and started to talk. By the time they were done talking it was almost 4 in the morning. The two on them then fell asleep. Brooke fell asleep with her head on Lucas' chest.
Lucas groaned loudly as he woke up. He sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the clock and realized it was 10. He got up and got dressed. He put on a brown polo and a pair of dark wash blue jeans. He then walked into the other room to wake Lily up. "Hey Lil its time to get…" He started to say as he looked around the room. Lily's bed was made and he didn't see her. He walked out of the room looking around for her. "Lily? Where are you?" He called out as he looked for her. He was starting to get a little worried and his voice became sterner. "Lily this isn't funny. You need to come out." He said as the door to the hotel opened. Lily came running in wearing a black shirt with white writing, skinny jeans and a pair of light purple converses. Her hair was pulled half up with a bow. Lucas smiled as Lily hugged him. "Lily where were you?" He asked as Brooke shut the door. She was holding two trays of food. Lucas quickly got up and helped her with the food.
"She was with me." Brooke said.
"Wait what?" He said.
"Oh my god. Luke. I am so sorry." She said as a tear formed. "I didn't even ask you. You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. She got up while I was getting ready and since she doesn't have any toys here I decided that I would just take her with me."
"Brooke, it's fine." He said as Lily let go of Lucas and ran to the window. "Oh my god. You took Lily with you? What did you do with her?" He asked.
"I took her to the lecture. She sat in the front row so I could keep an eye on her." She said as he stood up and hugged her. This was the first time that any girl in his life other than Haley had put Lily first without him asking. She hugged him back. "She was so easy. It was amazing." She said as they both looked over at Lily. She was looking out the window at the park across the street.
"Yeah she is pretty amazing." He said as he looked at the food. "How long do we have together?" He asked.
"Um... a couple hours." She said as she started setting the food out.
"Lily come over here." He said as Lily looked at him. "Its time to eat."
"No." Lily said. Lucas looked over at her. He was a little surprised she said no.
"Lily. Come on." He said trying to remain calm.
"No." Lily said again.
"Lily. Now." He said a little more sternly.
"No." She said back. He then got up from his chair and walked over to her. He knelt down and had her face him.
"Lily, it's time to eat. Now." He said as he looked into her eyes.
"But." She said as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"Now." He said as she stomped her foot. "Excuse me?" He said. She crossed her arms and he then he stood up. Lily knew that this was the last straw before she was in trouble. She uncrossed her arms and he pointed to the table. She walked over to the table and sat down. The three of them continued to eat and talk. As Brooke and Lucas talked Lily started to color in a book. After Brooke had finally left Lucas decided to take Lily to the park. As they walked to the park Lucas was holding Lily's hand. He smiled as he watched his four year old get excited to play.
"Daddy will you push me on the swings?" Lily asked.
"Oh course." Lucas said with a smile as they walked to the swings. As he was pushing Lily his phone started to ring. He looked at it and it was Haley. He continued to push Lily as he answered it. "Hello?" He said.
"Lucas, you better have a good reason for coming in the middle of the night and stealing my very adorable sleeping niece from my house." Haley said.
"Well your very adorable sleeping niece just happens to be my daughter, so I don't think I need much of a reason to do anything." He joked as he heard her laugh.
"So how are things going?" She asked.
"It's good." He said. He hadn't really given much thought to him and Brooke.
"Well, you finally admitted that you love Brooke and always have." She said. "What are you going to do?" She asked.
"Um…" He said as he stopped pushing Lily. She got off the swing and started playing on the playground. He sat down on the bench and continued to talk while watching her. "I had an idea but it is so out there that I can't do it." He said as the phone went quiet.
"Do it." She finally said.
"Do what?" He asked.
"Propose." She said. "It's what you want. It's what we all want."
"I can't do that." He said. "I just ended it with Lindsay and I have to think about Lily." He said as he continued to watch her.
"You left town with your daughter because you didn't want to be away from the woman you love. You never did that with Lindsay. You almost seemed relieved when you would come back from New York." She said. "Brooke loves you, and she loves that little girl too." She said. "What more do you need?" She asked.
"Well, can I tell you something?" He asked as he heard yes over the phone. "I woke up this morning and I couldn't find Lily. A little later here comes Lily dressed and happy. She had left with Brooke this morning and went to her lectures. Lindsay never did that. Lily was basically to be seen and not heard. But with Brooke Lily isn't just an accessory, she is a person with needs and wants that Brooke tends to. I have never seen anyone treat Lily like this that isn't family. Now I know Brooke basically is, but she is so much more than that to me. I could see Brooke getting up in the morning and getting Lily ready for school and doing so much more for her." He said as he realized what he was saying.
"Luke…" She said into the phone.
"I'm gonna propose." He said as screaming occurred over the phone. He smiled as they said their goodbyes. He continued watching Lily and then called her over. Lily came running over full of energy. As she got to him he smiled. He picked her up and set her on his lap. "Can we go for a walk?" He asked as she nodded. The two then got up and they started to walk down the sidewalk in the park. He was holding her hand as they walked. "Lily do you like Brooke?" He asked.
"Yes!" She said as she was jumping around and squirming.
"Do you like Brooke like you liked Lindsay?" He asked. He smiled as he watched the little girl think.
"No." She said, as he was a little taken back. He could feel her swinging his arm and he smiled.
"Why don't you like Brooke like you liked Lindsay?" He asked.
"I liked Lindsay cause she played with me." She said.
"And Brooke doesn't play with you?" He asked.
"She does." She said. "But she is more like Aunt Haley." She said as Lucas stopped them. He looked down at her and then got on one knee.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "How is Brooke like Aunt Haley?"
"Aunt Haley cares about the importants." She said as she stumbled over her words. He smiled as he watched her talk. "She cares about food, safety, love, and you." She said as he was again taken back by his daughter's capability of understanding.
"What?" He asked.
"Brooke took me for breakfast this morning." She said. "She was scared cause she didn't know what I liked. But she got me grapes, yogurt and juice." She said as he stood up and they continued walking.
"And you liked that?" He asked as they came up to another jungle gym.
"Mhm!" She said excitedly. "It was like having a mommy!" She said as she looked at the playground. "Daddy can I go play?" She asked as he nodded. He was at a lost for words. He watched as she ran out to play. Lily had never mentioned wanting a mom before or that she saw Haley for everything she does for him. He continued to think about Brooke as Lily came back over to him. "Daddy? What are you doing?" She asked.
"Thinking." He replied as he picked her up and carried her. He walked over to the bench and sat down with her. This time she was sitting next to him. "Lily, I have a very serious question to ask you." He said as she nodded. "What do you think about having Brooke in your life permanently?" He asked.
"Permanently?" She asked as she stumbled over the words.
"That means like always." He said.
"I like that." She said with a smile. He then smiled really big.
"Well what if I married Brooke?" He asked. "Do you remember what that is?"
"Brooke would be my mommy?" She asked.
"Yes, Brooke would be your mommy." He said as she lit up. "BUT, we have to keep it a secret." He said as she nodded. He smiled knowing that Lily would ruin the surprise if he didn't act fast. He then thought about everything and deiced he wanted to do it tonight. He looked at Lily and then his watch. He and Brooke had already made plans to eat at a very nice restaurant while Millie watched Lily. Lucas looked at Lily and then they got up and started walking back towards the hotel. As they were walking Lucas walked past a jewelry store. He looked down at a very sleeping girl and then picked her up. He walked inside the store and started looking around. He watched as Lily's eye lit up with all the sparkles in the store. He finally found a ring that was perfect for Brooke. He paid for it and then they went straight back to the hotel. As they got to the room, Lily had gotten her second wind. Lucas set her down on the bed. "Lily I think it's time for a nap." He said as she shook her head.
"No!" She said as she started to take her shoes off. He walked out of the room and placed the ring inside his jacket pocket that Brooke had delivered to the room. He walked back into the room Lily was in and saw Lily fighting to stay awake.
"Nap time!" He said as Lily then kicked off her shoe. Lucas barely caught it as it almost hit his face. He sighed and then looked at her. She was aggressively rubbing her eyes and yawning. He was trying to remain calm because he knew she had a harder time sleeping in a newer place. He walked over to the bed and picked her up. She smiled as he tucked her into the bed and then laid down next to her. He was talking to her until they both finally fell asleep.
Lucas pulled out Brooke's chair at their table and she sat down. He then sat down across from her. He smiled as he watched her look around. She looked more beautiful than she ever had before. She smiled at him as she caught him staring at her.
"You are a really incredible father." Brooke said as he smiled.
"Thank you." He said as she smiled back at him. They continued to eat and enjoy their conversation. Brooke felt as if Lucas was ignoring her or didn't actually want to be there because he was so nervous. As they finished eating, Lucas invited Brooke to join him on a walk in the park. While he was there in the morning he noticed there were lights hanging and figured they turned on at night. They started walking through the park and Lucas' prediction was correct. The park was lit with white lights hanging over them. As they walked through the park, Brooke's eyes were scanning the entire area. She was amazed at the lights and how beautiful everything was. As Brooke did another scan of the area she stopped as she saw Lucas on one knee. He had the ring out and was ready for her to see him.
"Lucas!" She said shocked. He smiled.
"Brooke Penelope Davis, I love you so much. You have been such an inspiration to me not only though my writing but through my daughter as well. You have taken your own time to take care of my daughter and you do it with the greatest attitude. Back in high school when I wrote, '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. I'm not sure she even knows it.' To be honest, I'm not sure I even knew it. You changed my world and I let you slip away. I hurt you but you still loved me. I never want to lose you again. So Brooke, will you marry me?" He asked as he watched tears fill her eyes. She smiled and looked at him.
"Yes."