Lucas put the tip of his thumb to his lips as he read over the edited version of his latest book. It was his off period and he typically used this time to work on his book. He read his words aloud and then sighed. It sounded alright but not his best work. He shook his head and continued to type on a blank document. He needed a better ending. Something thrilling to bring the reader back from the destruction that occurred in his main character's journey. He was typing diligently when he got a call from his brother. He picked up his phone and watched the call ring. He still didn't know what to say to him. He couldn't put to words the anger he felt towards Nathan and Ted. The call stopped and then started again. He watched it again. Four calls came through and the fifth started. He sighed and answered the phone.
"I really don't have time for you." Lucas said.
"Luke, just talk to me." Nathan stated. "I fucked up." He said.
"Okay." Lucas said plainly in one breath.
"I'm sorry." Nathan said and Lucas hung up the phone. Nathan sighed as he put his phone down. He kept his head down as he shook it. He sighed as he raised his head to look at his computer. He looked out his office window. When Clay and Nathan started their own agency they wanted to be in the center of town. They got an office space in an old store that sat two blocks away from the cafe. Their office was quiet since Clay had left early that morning for a trip. He got up from his desk and walked to the big window in the front. He stood there as he watched people go about their day. He stood there for a minute and then walked back to his desk. He grabbed his phone, keys and wallet, walked back to the front door and opened it. He locked the door behind him and then walked to his car parked on the street. He got in and drove to the rivercourt. He grabbed a ball from the backseat and got out. He dressed in his jeans, a polo and sneakers. He walked out and causally shot around. A lot had happened on this court. He built a relationship with his brother, something he never thought would happen. He fell in love with the game all over again. He made a full comeback on this court. Now he had a son of his own. Making his own memories on a treasured piece of town history. He made a shot and watched it bounce.
Nathan walks up to the rivercourt. Lucas had just moved back from Charleston. His hair was buzzed and he was wearing a dark green shirt with jeans. He had his eyes closed while he listened to music and a ball laying next to him. Nathan stood over his older brother with a smile on his face.
"Three questions. You ready?" Nathan said as Lucas opened his eyes and saw Nathan upside down. He took out one of his earphone.
"Was that your first one?" Lucas asked.
"Number one; what happened to your hair?" Nathan asked as Lucas turned around and sat up. He was now facing Nathan.
"I left it in Charleston. You and Haley still married?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah, she hasn't thrown me out yet. Number two; why'd you come back?" Nathan asked as Lucas shrugged.
"It was the right thing to do. Which actually brings me to my number two; how's our…uhhh…your…fath.., how's Dan?" Lucas asked.
"Oh, he's alright. He's still alive, probably freaking out about me and Haley; like my mom." Nathan said.
"Hm." Lucas said.
"Alright, last question; you regret all that 'you're my brother' stuff, now that you're back?" Nathan asked as Lucas shook his head.
"Absolutely. You?" Lucas said with a smile.
"Definitely." Nathan said as Lucas stood up with a laugh.
"So I can totally see your family tripping out." He said as they started walking. "I mean I freaked out and I'm not even related to Haley." Lucas said.
"Actually…" Nathan said as he patted Lucas on the back. "You are now." He said as Lucas laughed.
Nathan sighed as he picked up his ball. He needed to talk to Lucas about something other than his fuck up, but he was running out of time. He got back in his car and drove to his office. He parked and looked down the block. When he had passed Brooke's store in his car he saw her sitting on her purple couch scrolling through her phone. He walked past his office and to her store. He opened the door and she looked up from her sketch pad.
"We're closed." Brooke said as she stood up.
"Brooke." Nathan said as he followed her.
"I really don't have anything to say to you Nathan." She said as he sighed.
"I'm sorry." He said as she stood behind the counter. She put her sketch book in the drawer and looked at him.
"I don't think Lucas and I will be joining you this friday." She said.
"Friday night is important to me." He said.
"And…?" She stated. "We are supposed to gather for you to tell everyone your big exciting news after you did this. Did you know that Kieran's nightmares have come back." She said as she rolled her eyes.
"I didn't know that. Kieran hasn't returned any of my calls or answered my text." He said as she looked at him.
"Because he is grounded for making poor decisions." She said and he sighed.
"Brooke…" He said and then sighed again.
"I really don't have time for you." She said as she talked with her hands. He looked down at his feet.
"I know I fucked up, and I'm sorry." He said as he walked to the door. "I get you don't want to be a part of my big news." He said as he opened the door. She sighed as she watched him. She let out a deep breath.
"Why'd you do it?" She asked. "Haley told me the answer you gave her, but I want to hear it from you. Why did you think it was okay to do this? Did you ever stop to think and ask for our permission?" She said as he turned around.
"Brooke, what I did was wrong. I should have never gone behind your back or Lucas' back. I know I shouldn't have. I know. I know I'm stupid. I know I fucked up. I know I make terrible decisions. I know I let you down, and my wife, and my brother. I caused even more trauma to my nephew. I know." He said as she looked at the couch and then extended her arm to motion that they sit down. He walked to the couch and sat down facing her. "I did it because he asked me to. I didn't get to have a relationship with my uncle. I used to say that was on Dan, but I could have done something about it. I could have talked to him. I could have walked to his apartment, to his work. You know the shitty thing is he was always there for me. Always. He didn't have to be, but he was. He gave me a job when I didn't have one. Keith loved me even though I didn't spend any time with him. I just want to be there for Kieran like Keith always was for me." He said as she nodded. "Kieran asked me when he turned 10 about Clark. I didn't know what to say but I listened. He talked to me about Clark for hours while we played basketball in the backyard. You and Lucas were gone on a trip and we were watching your kids. It was just me and Kieran. He told me about the good parts of Clark. He talked about the fun they had and how he thought Clark didn't mean to do the things he did to him. He asked if he would ever see Clark again and I told him I didn't know. He asked if there was anything I could do, and I told him I would try. I should have told you when you came back into town. I should have told you that he was curious but I didn't. I'm sorry." He said as he looked down. She sighed and put her hand on his knee and he looked back up at her. "I am sorry Brooke. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Key." He said as she nodded.
"I know. I know you love him." She said as he nodded. "I forgive you and your choices. But please know that if you ever pull something like this again I don't know if I will have it in me to forgive you." She said as he smiled. He then hugged her.
"It means everything that you can forgive me. I promise I won't do something like this to you and your family again." He said as she smiled.
"I will talk with Lucas and maybe I can convince him to go out on Friday night." She said as he stood up.
"Is Kieran still okay to babysit that night if y'all can't go?" He asked.
"Yes he knows that he is babysitting for you as well as the rest of our friend group that night." She said as he laughed a bit.
"Really came down hard on the kid, huh?" He laughed a bit as she nodded.
"No electronics, car, or phone for a month. Plus he is on the clean up crew for the month at the body shop." She said as he was a bit shocked.
"Wow, really hard." He said.
"I don't want him to make stupid decisions like that again." She said. "Lucas thinks I was a bit too hard on him, but he needs to learn. He is getting a test back today that will determine if he's still grounded from his phone." She said as she walked to the door with him.
"Oh and what does he have to get to get it back?" He asked.
"At least an 85, which shouldn't be that hard for him since he has to maintain a 3.6 to be on the debate team." She said.
"Hearing you talk like this makes me laugh. I can still remember high school Brooke failing her classes and chasing boys." He said.
"I think karma is kicking me in the butt with Lily. She reminds me so much of myself at her age." She said.
"Hopefully not too much like you." He laughed.
"Oh shut up." She laughed. "Go to work or something." She said as she opened the door for her.
"Alright alright, I'll leave." He said as she watched him.
"See you Friday." She called out as he turned and smiled at her. He waved and then continued to walk to his office.
The bell rang for the final period of the day. Jamie walked out of his classroom and caught up with Kieran walking down the hall. The two walked together towards the gym.
"Can I get a ride home from you or are you only allowed to go straight home?" Jamie asked as Kieran rolled his eyes with a smile.
"I can give you a ride." Kieran laughed.
"Thanks!" Jamie said and smiled. "Do you know if your dad forgave my dad yet?" He asked.
"I don't think so. I was sitting in the hall today and my dad walked by me on the phone with my mom. He didn't even stop and ask me why I was in the hall. He was just going on and on about how your dad makes stupid decisions all the time." Kieran said as they walked into the locker room.
"Why were you sitting in the hall?" Jamie asked to change the subject. He knew his dad made terrible decisions. Charlie and Parker both laughed when they heard Jamie ask Kieran his question. They were in his class.
"He wouldn't shut up while the sub was taking attendance so she made him go to the hall." Parker said as Kieran shrugged.
"No, I think what it was you telling the sub to shush." Charlie said as Jamie looked at Kieran with big eyes.
"It was your Aunt Quinn." Kieran said, trying to ease some of Jamie's tension.
"Oh smart. Be cocky to one of your parents' friends." Jamie said as Kieran rolled his eyes. "You're going to get in even more trouble…" He added.
"She ended up thinking it was funny. I always give her a hard time when she subs. Which is a lot, so watch out. Besides, I'm babysitting for her and Clay along with all our parents' friends' kids this weekend. I think that is enough punishment." Kieran said as he changed into his warm-ups. Since they were still in pre-season it was weight day for the basketball team. For the returning members this was a time for them to get back in shape for the season. For the newer members and freshmen this was a day of learning the proper way to lift from Skills. Lucas oversaw the returning members as he worked out with them. The boys walked to the weight room and joined Lucas in a huddle as he assigned their groups and starting weights. Keiran and Jamie both being sons of ex-athletes always kept in shape as they worked out with their dads often. As they were working out Lucas was walking back and forth helping his players with their stances. He noticed Kieran and Charlie were goofing off, he laughed to himself as he used to be that player on Whitey's team.
"Andrews! Scott! Get over here." Lucas said loudly. The boys dropped their weights and walked over to him.
"Yes coach." They both said.
"Enjoying yourselves?" Lucas asked as they both looked at each other. "How bout you two go hit the track for a mile. I heard you both got kicked outta your classes today." He said as they nodded. They walked out of the weight room and out the door but stopped. It was pouring. They walked back to the weight room and Lucas walked over to them.
"It's raining." Charlie said.
"Pouring really." Kieran said.
"Oh um. Okay." Lucas said. "Head to the gym and do sidelines." He said as the both groaned. "50."
"Yes coach." Charlie said.
"That's like 100 dad." Kieran groaned as Lucas hid his smile. His kids didn't often call him dad at school and whenever it slipped out he couldn't help but be proud he was their dad. He watched them run off and thought of the first time Kieran called him dad.
Lucas pulled up to Tree Hill Elementary. Since the basketball season had started he didn't get many opportunities to pick up his kids. But today was different, it was Friday and the last Raven Game Day of the season before playoffs. Lucas parked his car and walked inside. He was wearing khakis pants and a blue Raven polo. His kids typically were in after school activities since he and his wife were busy. He stopped at the office and talked with the front desk lady. She was excited for the Raven game tonight. She told him to stop by his son's second grade classroom before heading to the gym to get his kids. He nodded and then asked to be shown to the classroom. He walked into the classroom and the teacher looked up from her desk.
"Oh Mr. Scott!" Rebecca Lance said.
"Mrs. Lance, is everything okay?" He asked. "Has Kieran not been adjusting well? We've been working with him at home to get him caught up on where he should be. I don't really know if it's working. It's a lot of arguing back and forth." He sighed.
"Oh he is doing so great! That's why I wanted to talk with you." She said as he was a bit taken back. Kieran had been living with them for about 6 months and they got to officially adopt him a month ago today.
"That's good to hear." He said as she motioned for him to follow.
"He's a very different kid from when he first started in my class and where he is today. He's more outgoing, so talkative. He loves to play outside during recess. I know that you got to officially adopt him a month ago. We've been working on our family trees." She said as she pointed to the family trees on the wall. Lucas smiled as he walked up to find Kieran's. He had a picture from his adoption day glued down in the middle. Kieran was in the middle of the picture with a very cheeky smile, Brooke and Lucas were standing next to him both holding one of the twins and Lily was standing next to Kieran. He smiled as he thought of that day. Kieran had arrows pointing to each person and had Brooke and Lucas listed as mom and dad. This was the first time he had seen Kieran had referred to him as dad. Almost immediately Kieran was calling Brooke mom, but he hadn't called him dad yet. The counselor that Brooke and Lucas had been seeing told Lucas that it would just take time for Kieran to call him dad.
"That was a good day." He said.
"You can take it home if you'd like." She said as he nodded.
"I'd love to! You know kids sometimes things they should bring home don't make it home." He said as she laughed.
"Very true." She said, "Like the permission sip I need signed. Kieran's is the only one I haven't received and our field trip is on Monday." She said as he looked a bit confused.
"I didn't know about a field trip." He said as she nodded. She handed him a blank sheet. He filled it out and she handed him the package Kieran should have brought home. He was a bit confused as to why Kieran never gave it to him. He thanked the teacher and then headed to the gym. He walked in and saw Lily sitting at a table coloring and Kieran was shooting a basketball. Lily was the first to notice Lucas walk in. She shot up from her chair.
"Daddy!" Lily squealed as she ran to Lucas. He smiled and picked her up.
"Hi sweetie! How was school?" He asked as she made a face. She hated school. He laughed as he watched Kieran put his basketball back in the basket. He grabbed his backpack and walked over to Lucas. "Hi Kieran. How was school?" He asked.
"Good." Kieran said as Lucas nodded.
"Lils go get your backpack so we can go home." Lucas said as he set Lily down. Kieran stood next to Lucas quietly. Lucas looked down at Kieran with a smile. Lily ran back up with her backpack. He walked out to his car with the kids and had them get into the back seat. The whole way home Lily was talking which made Lucas and Kieran both smile. Lucas pulled up to the house and they all got out. Lily ran inside but Lucas stopped Kieran before going inside.
"Hey bud do you want to shoot some hoops?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah!" Kieran said excitedly. Lucas smiled as they both walked to the back yard. They started shooting around and Lucas was helping Kieran on his form.
"Make sure to keep your elbow in bud." Lucas said as Kieran nodded. They continued shooting around. "Can I ask you something?" He said as Kieran nodded again. "Why didn't you bring home the permission slip for the field trip, don't you want to go to the museum?" He asked as his son shrugged. "Did you not think we would let you go?" He asked and got a yes. Lucas sighed and motioned to the bench they had next to the goal. Kieran followed him and they sat down together.
"You were busy." Kieran said as Lucas shook his head.
"I am never too busy to be your dad. Okay?" Lucas said.
"Okay." Kieran replied with a little smile and looked at his basketball.
"Your teacher showed me your family tree. It looked really good." Lucas said with a smile.
"Thank you." Kieran replied.
"So I was thinking, do you want to go to the game with me today?" Lucas asked.
"Like sit at the bench with you?" Kieran asked as he looked at Lucas.
"Yeah! We can go get some dinner and then head over to the gym to watch the freshman and JV game." Lucas said.
"Just you and me?" Kieran asked with a smile.
"Yeah, just me and my boy." Lucas said as he gently placed his hand on Kieran's knee. Kieran did not like to be touched at all, which was understandable. Kieran smiled and stood up quickly. He dropped the ball and looked at Lucas.
"Yeah! I want to!" Kieran said eagerly.
"Alright well go get dressed in some Raven gear and we can head out." Lucas said.
"Okay! I'll be right back!" Kieran said as he ran to the sliding door. Lucas smiled as he picked up the ball and started following behind Kieran.
"Thanks! I'm excited dad." Kieran said as he then ran up the stairs. Lucas stood in the frame of the sliding door and watched Kieran go up the stairs. He got called dad. Dad. Brooke was in the kitchen as this happened. She walked from the kitchen and looked at her husband who was still looking up the stairs.
"He called me dad…" Lucas said as Brooke walked up to him. He had a couple tears in his eyes.
"Yes he did." Brooke said as she hugged him.
"That was my first dad." Lucas said as he wiped his eyes. Little did Lucas know that this night was the spark to their bond. Kieran opened up to Lucas on the court. Lucas took pride in his son on and off the court.
The bell rang and the high schoolers poured out of the building. Lily was standing in the door frame of Peter's classroom while she talked to Spencer. She was waiting for Tanner. She was wearing a white crop top with short sleeves and a black spaghetti strap dress. She was wearing white vans with it. Tanner saw her and walked up behind her. He smiled as he tapped her on the shoulder.
"Ready to go to my house?" Tanner asked.
"Yeah! Bye Spence." Lily said.
"Text me!" Spencer called out as Lily rolled her eyes. Tanner laughed a bit as they walked through the building and out the door. It was still raining. He reached for her hand and she grabbed his. They quickly ran out to his truck. He opened the door for her and then ran around to the other side. He got in and threw his backpack in the back seat. He turned his truck on and started to drive towards his house.
"So we can't hang out in my room." Tanner said. "My parents won't be home for an hour or so, and they have a rule about having girls in my room when they aren't home." He said as he turned down his street.
"Okay." Lily said as he pulled into his driveway. His house was a couple houses down from the house Lucas grew up in. He parked and they both got out. He grabbed his backpack from the back seat and then walked towards the front door. His house had white wood trim and was painted blue. He unlocked the front door and they walked inside. The house was beautifully decorated and there were tons of pictures throughout the house.
"Wanna do our homework?" He asked.
"Sure!" She said as she followed him to the kitchen table. They set their backpacks down and then sat down next to each other. He pulled out his math homework and she pulled out her history homework. They sat and talked while they did their homework.
"Do you want something to drink?" He asked as he got up. She nodded as he smiled and walked into the kitchen. He pulled out two cups and then opened the refrigerator and found the fresh squeezed lemonade that his mom almost kept for him after school. He poured them the drinks and walked back to the table. She smiled as he set the cup down on a coaster. "What are you working on?" He asked as he sat back down next to her.
"I was working on my history homework, but now I'm focused on my English test I have on Friday." She said.
"You already have an English test?" He asked.
"Yeah. We had to read a book over the summer." She said.
"Which book?" He asked.
"The Odyssey…" She said as he laughed a bit.
"I remember that book. I hated it." He said. "I think I honestly cheated on the test…" He laughed.
"Did you? How?" She asked.
"I wrote some practice answers and questions on my shoe." He said with a laugh.
"Did you get caught?" She asked.
"No but I don't recommend it." He said. "Luckily your dad is cool but he did ask me why there was writing on the bottom of my shoe. He noticed it when I had my feet propped up on a desk while he was talking about reporting." He said as they heard the garage door lift up. "Ooh I think my mom is home!" He said with a smile. He got up and walked through the kitchen to the garage. He asked his mom if she needed any help with her bags from shopping and she said no. His mom walked in behind him carrying a bunch of shopping bags. She set them down on the counter and then looked over at Lily. She took a step back admiring how much Lily looked like Keith and Karen.
"Hi I'm Tanner's mom Stephanie." Stephanie said as she walked over to Lily.
"Hi I'm Lily." Lily said back and shook Stephanie's hand.
"You can call me Mrs. Higgs, that's what all of Tanner's friends call me." Stephanie said with a smile. "I can't believe how much you look like your parents." She said, looking Lily up and down.
"Oh, did you know them?" Lily asked.
"Yes, they were a little older than me in school, but we were regulars at Karen's Cafe when your mom opened." Stephanie said. "I think we went almost every Saturday morning. Your brother Lucas was running around with Keith chasing after him." She added as Lily slightly smiled. Tanner noticed that Lily's body language changed. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand.
"Mom, is it okay if we go to my room?" He asked.
"Yes but the door stays open and two feet on the floor." Stephanie said as the two teenagers were already up the stairs. "Tanner?" She called out.
"Yes ma'am. Door open, two feet on the floor." He called back. They walked into his room and she looked around. His room was painted a hunter green, his queen size bed was lofted and he had a couch and TV underneath. He walked over to the couch and sat down. He moved his stack of books to the floor and patted the seat next to him. She walked over and sat down next to him with a smile. "Did it bother you? That my mom talked about…" He said as she cut them off.
"I call them my birth parents, in case you were wondering." She said with a sigh. "It didn't bother me that much. I am so used to it. So many people have these great memories with them, and it just kinda sucks to hear about." She said.
"I'm sorry…" He sighed. "I wish you would have told me. My dad is excited to meet you." He said.
"Oh why?" She asked with a smirk. "Talk about me a lot?" She laughed.
"Well…I mean kinda…" He said. "I've had a crush on you since grade school….but no that isn't why. Uhh…my dad and your birth dad were really good friends in high school. They both played for Whitey."
"I didn't know that." She said.
"Yeah if you go in the hallway there's a couple pictures of your dad and my dad from high school." He said as she quickly got up and walked to the hallway. She started searching the pictures for her dad and came across one. Tanner followed her to the hallway and looked at the picture with her.
"This one is my favorite." He said as he pointed out one of the body shop the day it opened. "That's the day that Keith's Body Shop opened." He said as she smiled. In the picture were Keith, Karen, Lucas, and Tanner's parents.
"Why didn't you tell me that your parents were such good friends?" She asked as they walked back to his room.
"Honestly?" He asked as she nodded. "I thought you would find it sad." He said as she shook her head.
"No, it's kinda cool. I mean the only memories I get to hear of my birth parents are from my parents and their friends. I'm kind of jealous that Lucas got eighteen years with them, and I didn't even get two minutes." She sighed.
"I'm sorry." He said as he hugged her. She smiled and hugged him back.
"So are we going to watch a movie or something?" She asked as she plopped back onto the couch.
"Yeah what are you thinking?" He asked.
"Oh I don't care. Whatever." She said as he nodded and flipped through Hulu.
"How about Adventureland?" He asked as she nodded. He turned the movie on and they got comfortable on the couch. As they watched the movie they talked about school, friends, and everything in between. They heard Tanner's dad Owen come home. Their movie finished just as Stephanie called up to them that dinner was ready.
"Do you know what your mom cooked?" She asked.
"She made tacos." He replied.
"Oh my favorite!" She said with a smile. They walked down the stairs and there was a spread to make the tacos sitting on the table. Lily and Tanner sat down across from each other as Stephanie sat down too. Owen came out of the bathroom and smiled as he saw Lily.
"And you must be Lily Scott." Owen said with a huge smile. He greeted her with a hug and she smiled. "I'm Owen, Tanner's dad. It is so nice to finally meet you. We have heard such good things about you." He said as she smiled again.
"Thank you." She laughed nervously.
"Let's eat!" Owen said as he sat down. They all made their tacos and started to talk. "So Lily, how is high school treating you?" He asked.
"It's good…I guess." Lily replied.
"Are you in any clubs or sports?" Stephanie asked.
"Well I did make the cheerleading team!" Lily said.
"Of course, following in your mother's footsteps!" Owen said.
"Yeah my whole family has been on the Raven cheer team." Lily said. "This Friday I am auditioning for the school musical Mamma Mia! I think that will go well. Tanner told me that he would help me run lines before the audition." She said as his parents smiled over at him.
"That's sweet of you honey." Stephanie said.
"How's your brother doing? Does he think he has a strong team this year?" Owen asked.
"Oh um dad she calls Coach Scott dad." Tanner corrected.
"It's fine." Lily smiled. "Umm I think the team will be pretty solid this year. He had a good amount of returning players. My cousin Jamie is on varsity and he's been playing with Kieran and his friends for years, so the chemistry should be really good!" She said.
"Oh that's great to hear! Tanner obviously doesn't play but we haven't missed a game in years. We love basketball! Let me know if your dad wants to do a charity event at Riply's this year." Owen said.
"Oh yeah for sure!" Lily replied. They continued talking and Lily looked at Owen and he smiled. "So you were really good friends with Keith?" She asked.
"One of my best friends actually!" Owen said. "I was there the day he opened his body shop. It was such a shame to see it go up in flames in the last storm. I couldn't believe it when I saw it on the news." He sighed and so did Lily.
"Did you ever get to spend time there?" Stephanie asked and Lily shook her head.
"No, not really." Lily replied. "Losing Keith hit my family really hard for obvious reasons. We moved from Tree Hill when I was a baby and came back when I was around 4. My dad could never bring himself to take me there. I think he only went once or twice after Keith died. My little brother Keith got to go once but he was super young and doesn't really remember it." She sighed.
"It hit this whole town really hard. We reached out to Lucas when we heard about your mom but I can't even imagine what he went through." Owen said. "Did you ever get a chance to go to the body shop?" He asked.
"I did go on my own once or twice with a key my dad had, but I could never bring myself to go in. So I just stood outside. I guess I don't really feel close to him at that place." Lily said with a sigh.
"Keith always wanted a daughter." Owen said.
"How do you know that?" Lily asked.
"He talked about it all through high school. He loved your mom so much. He wanted a daughter just like her, and to the looks of it he got one." Owen said with a smile as he looked at Lily. "I am really glad you decided to eat dinner with us. I've been wanting to meet you for a while." He said as he looked over at his son. Tanner rolled his eyes as he continued to eat his taco.
"I would have thought Keith wanted a girl." Lily added.
"Oh gosh no. He wanted to be a girl dad from the time we did a flour sack project. He said that the flour sack was his daughter." Owen laughed, as Lily half smiled. "I am so sorry. Here I am going on and on about your dad. We can change the subject." He said as Lily shook her head.
"It's actually nice to hear someone else's memories of him. I call Keith and Karen my birth parents, and Lucas and Brooke my parents. Anyways I hear memories about my birth parents all the time from my parents and their friends, but I don't know I get jealous I guess." Lily said.
"Which is completely fine." Stephanie said as she placed a hand on Lily's hand. Lily smiled at her and then across the table at Tanner who was stuffing a taco in his mouth. Owen was also watching his son eat and made a face of disgust.
"I can do you one better than a memory." Owen said as he got up. He walked to his bedroom and came out with a photo in a frame. "This was taken our freshman year." He said as he handed the picture to Lily, and started pointing the people out. "That's me, and that's…" He said.
"My dad…I didn't know I looked so much like him." Lily said as she looked at the picture.
"You can have that." Owen said as Lily looked up from the photo.
"I couldn't…" Lily said.
"I insist. I have the memory, take it." Owen said with a smile.
"Thank you. This means a lot." Lily said as she wiped her eyes. Owen had a soft smile as he then hugged Lily from the side. She smiled at him and he sat back down. They continued talking about different topics. Stephanie started clearing the table as Owen was talking about the basketball team with Lily. Tanner looked at his mom and started helping her.
"I got it mom." Tanner said as Stephanie sat back down and Tanner was taking their plates to the kitchen.
Brooke sighed as she pulled into the driveway. It was almost ten at night and she was just getting home from work. She got out of her car and walked inside. The house was quiet like she expected. She set her things down on the counter and saw an empty pizza box sitting on the counter. She threw it away as Lucas came out of his office.
"Hi pretty girl." Lucas said with a smile as she smiled back at him. "Long meeting?" He asked.
"Very long." Brooke sighed. "Did Lily enjoy her date with Tanner?" She asked.
"Oh yeah! She came home with a huge smile on her face." He said. "I think she has a crush."
"Of course she does! Did she say anything?" She asked.
"No, she went up to her room and was talking to Spencer on the phone until she fell asleep. Probably like you and Peyton did every night." He laughed as she smiled.
"How was your night?" She asked.
"It was good. It was just me and the boys for dinner. We had some pizza. Keith and Davis watched TV with me but I don't think either one of them said a word to each other." He said as he opened the fridge.
"Why?" She asked.
"I don't know." He said. "I think something might have happened at school. At least that's what Lily told me." He added.
"What could have happened that they wouldn't have told us?" She asked.
"I don't know. They haven't had any tests yet." He said.
"I don't think a test score would make them act that way." She said. "Do you think they are growing apart?" She asked.
"No there's no way. They are best friends." He said in disbelief.
"They are getting older." She sighed. "Just because they are twins doesn't mean they have to be best friends. You know they are always competing with each other." She added.
"But to just not talk to each other? They are brothers." He said.
"Like you and Nathan are brothers." She said.
"That's different, he crossed the line." He said.
"Yes he did, but he has apologized so many times." She said. "Maybe whatever happened between Keith and Davis seems unforgivable in their lives right now. Think of how much you and Nathan used to hate each other so much, for things that neither of you could control. Maybe whatever is going on with them just seems like a huge thing in their lives." She said.
"Yeah I guess you are right." He said. "Should we ask them what is going on?" He asked.
"No, I think we should let them work it out. If they aren't fighting, hopefully it can be worked out easily." She said as he started fixing Brooke a sandwich. "Did Kieran get his test back?" She asked.
"Yeah he got a 92." He said.
"Did he not watch TV with you?" She asked.
"No, he spent the night in his room." He said.
"Why?" She asked.
"Uhh I think because he's just exhausted. I had him running at practice and then he went over to the body shop for 2 hours. He got home just as the pizza arrived. Grabbed one slice and went up to his room." He said.
"Did you check on him?" She asked as he placed the sandwich in front of her. He also placed a cup of water in front of her.
"Yeah I went up to his room maybe an hour after he got home and he was out." He said as she sighed.
"Do you think we were too hard on him?" She asked as he clicked his tongue.
"I think with the amount of punishment he got, maybe…" He trailed off.
"I was thinking about that all day. After Nathan stopped by I just couldn't get it out of my head. Maybe taking his phone was overkill." She said as she ate her food. "I don't like him driving around town without a phone. What if something happens, you know." She said as he nodded. She got up and walked over to her purse. She pulled out Kieran's phone and handed it to her husband. He smiled as she walked to their wine rack and pulled out a bottle. "Do you want a glass?" She asked as he looked back over his shoulder from the stairs.
"Sure, I'll be back down in a minute." He said as he walked up the stairs. He checked on his younger boys and they were fast asleep. He walked to Kieran's door and knocked. He heard a quiet come in and opened the door. Kieran was laying on his back in bed practicing his form with his basketball.
"I'm going to bed soon." Kieran said thinking that was why Lucas came to his room.
"I'm sure." Lucas said. "No, I actually came up here to give you this." He said and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He then tossed the phone on the bed.
"What! Really?" Kieran shut up and grabbed his phone. "Thank you!" He said with a huge smile as he turned it on. Soon his phone was dinging non stop. Lucas laughed a bit.
"So what did you do to get kicked outta class today?" Lucas asked.
"I thought you were told?" Kieran questioned.
"No I only knew because I walked by you while you were sitting in the hallway." Lucas said.
"Oh it was just Quinn subbing for one of my classes. I was joking around with her and she sent me to the hall. She didn't really mean anything by it." Kieran said.
"Why did you say that when I sent you to run?" Lucas asked.
"Because I'm already in enough trouble and arguing with you in front of all the guys didn't seem like a very wise choice." Kieran said as he was scrolling through his texts.
"Fair enough. Glad you know where the line is drawn." Lucas laughed as Kieran nodded. "Alright well don't stay up too late." He said as the teenager nodded. Lucas walked out of his son's room and closed the door. He walked back down the stairs and found his wife sitting on the couch with a candle lit and two glasses of wine. He smiled as he walked over to her and sat down next to her. They started to drink their glasses and talk about their days. Soon the wine was drank and Lucas was carrying Brooke off to their room to finish their night together.