"Hi Brooke, I came by your house this morning and neither you nor Lucas were home. What's up?" Peyton asked me on call, bright and early. I had stirred open due to the vibrations and answered the call without opening my eyes. I did not have the energy to deal with the sun just yet.
"Hi Peyton. How are you and the baby doing?" I asked through a yawn.
"Anna and I are fine. Just sitting in your driveway wondering where you are," she asked me again.
"Oh I'm sorry. We're at the hospital. We got a call last night. Jamie developed a fever and baby Soph is still struggling with nightmares. It's all under control, but Luke and I spent the whole night here post the school conference," I explained as I stretched on the hospital chair. I emitted a sharp whelp at the sharp pain I felt in my back from sleeping awkwardly.
"Okay, I'm coming over to the hospital," Peyton said to me before ending the call.
Finally opening my eyes, I looked around the room. Jamie was still sleeping but Sophia was on her phone and she was smiling. God I missed my baby's smile.
"Hey Princess," I said, walking up to her, a hand on my lower spine, trying to ease the pain.
"How is Aunt Peyton?" she asked, not looking up from her phone.
"She and baby Anna are fine. When did you wake up?" I asked, finally at her bedside.
"About an hour ago," she answered.
"Bad dream?" I asked, cooing to her and sitting on the tiny space of the bed by her.
"Mm hmm," she responded, burying her face into my chest.
"It's alright. You're safe with me. We'll get past this," I said, brushing through her hair with my fingers while cradling her head.
"What are you watching on your phone there?" I asked, seeing that her eyes were still fixated on the screen of her phone and she had her airpods in.
"You. Somebody recorded the speech you gave at school and posted it on youtube and now it's everywhere. You're trending," she said, raising one eyebrow. She looked so much like me in that moment that it made me stop and stare for a moment.
"Ohh, umm, how do you feel about that? Do you want it taken down?" I asked her. It felt important to ask them their opinions and get them involved in decisions so that they knew that their voices mattered and that they too held power in this family.
"It's a good message. It's out there because it is famous celebrity Brooke Davis giving a speech and not well, Madison's mom or something. But, either way, it is important that people know. Besides, I have practice being known only as Brooke Davis' daughter," she said.
"Sophia! Girl, no! You are so so so much more than the daughter of a quote unquote celebrity. You are your own person and it is important that you know that. You have already exceeded all our expectations. You're a good, kind, loving person who cares for everyone, you work hard at school and try your best. That's all your dad and I and the world expects from you. You have a whole lot of years to try a whole lot of things and I promise you, none of those things will be because you're my daughter or your dad's," I reminded her. I knew both of them carried it with them, although less because we barely ever let news about them get out.
"Did both of you just have to be over-accomplishers? Like you had children in high school and still… talent just ran through both your veins. I can't write like dad or design like you and- and what if I'm not good enough?" she asked.
"Princess, you already are," I said, lifting her head to look directly in my eyes which were glistening with pride for her. "I love you, you cookie monster. So, what are some of the things you want to do once you are out of this hospital?"
"I don't know. I just want to hang out at home, I guess. Netflix on the couch with Jamie sounds good. Maybe Zack and Maddison can come," she said.
"How about places you want to visit? Don't you want Kilwin's ice cream? A walk at the pier? Dinner at that Italian restaurant that your dad takes you to," I suggested. I was asking because I wanted to know just how terrified she was to step out of the house.
"Sure. We can doordash it all," she smiled, making all my fears a reality.
"Hey!" I heard Peyton say at the door. "I come bearing food and coffee!"
My upset face soon turned into a smile seeing my best friend enter, resting a tray of coffee cups with the support of her large baby bump. I walked to her, grabbing everything that she held and assisting her to the couch, flicking Lucas awake so Peyton could be more comfortable.
"Hey Luke, here, have some coffee," she said to him while Lucas rubbed his eyes.
"Oh, thanks Peyton," he mumbled before cracking his back just like I had a while ago.
"Did you check Instagram, Aunt P? Mom is blowing up," Sophia asked her as she tried to grab a coffee for herself but I gave her a death glare.
"Yep! Good job B. Davis, nobody else could advocate for these kids as eloquently," Peyton said but I was too busy staring at my phone.
"I have 17 missed calls from Victoria. I don't think I want to answer them. Here P! Why don't you? It's not like she will know the difference!" I said, throwing my phone towards her.
"Brooke, why do you let that evil vampire still get under your skin? You're a child all over again around her, not CEO, Entrepreneur, owner of a multi-million dollar company, Fashion icon changing the world one red carpet at a time, Brooke Davis!" she attempted to motivate me.
"Nah, not buying it," I said, turning the darn thing off. "I'm sure it is about the speech. All she wants is for me to look pretty. Alas, some of us have a voice and choose to use it and advocate! She hated that the husband and kids were already public news, or she would have kept it all under covers."
"It's so funny watching mom get scared. She seems so put together most of the time," Sophia remarked.
"Your mom is good at pretending about herself. She is only put together when it has anything to do with her family. She is nothing but a puddle of mush when it comes to herself, Lizzie," Peyton commented. "Don't you agree, Luke?" she wiggled her eyebrows as Lucas stiffened at his spot, sending her and Sophia into peals of laughter.
"Stop stabbing an old wound! Peyton, I love that you're here but why are you here?" I put myself in the middle.
"Well, I wanted to see you all and I wanted to check first hand why you texted me about getting you a car in order to keep Lindsey happy," Peyton said, rolling her eyes as she said her name like it was a swear word. "Where is she anyway? I got her a coffee that I may or may not have spit in."
Sophia burst out giggling, "I for one am glad she isn't here pretending to care! Also mom, how can you go car shopping, leaving your child out here to fight for her life!"
"Yeah, yeah, quit being so dramatic. But really Pey, I don't think I can anymore. But I do need that car and you can't even test drive. What are Nathan and Haley up to?" I voiced my thoughts loudly.
Jamie stirred awake at that very moment.
"Squirt! How do you feel?" Lucas asked him.
"I feel fine. I am tired out of my mind lying in this bed. All I want to do is hit the River Court," he answered.
"All in it's time, okay. Right now you just rest," Peyton said.
I walked up to him and put my hand on his forehead, "The fever's broken! Thank God!"
"Rounds' time," the doctor called out from the entrance. "Oh, I see that the parents and extended family never left last night. How do the two of you feel?"
"Fine," they both answered together like scary twins who said the same thing at the same time.
"Then I have some good news for you! If Jamie's fever does not return, you can go home tomorrow," he said, checking their vitals.
"What really!" came a unanimous chorus of cries.
"Yes, we will take you down for some testing, but if your screens are consistent with the previous ones, I have no reason to keep you both here anymore. You will have to take it slow for some time. You will have to come down to get a checkup every week and start physical therapy and emotional therapy, so unfortunately this is not the last that you are seeing of the hospital. But you do get to live at home. Any questions?"
"Yeah, how soon before I can play pro again?" James asked.
"About two to four weeks," the doctor responded.
"It will be two," Jamie said confidently.
"Oh, thank you so much Doctor!" Lucas said, giving him a man-hug. He smiled before exiting the room.
"I guess you don't need that car after all. The kids need you home Brooke," Lucas whispered in my ear as he took his seat again at the couch. God why was I always stuck in this Lucas Lindsey mess. Yet, he was right. Lindsey would just have to deal with it.
'Hey P, do you think that you and Haley can maybe put together a surprise welcome home party for the twins in a day?' I texted her. 'By that I mean get Nathan and the boys to do all the heavy lifting while the two of you supervise!'
'OMG! Girl! Yes! I think this is a great idea! Pool bash?' she responded from the other end of the room.
"Why are the two of you giggling like idiots across the room?" Jamie asked us, seeing our excited faces.
"Nothing, just Haley sent a meme on our girl group chat," I lied.
'So food, decorations, invite our friends and the basketball and cheerleading team. Tell them all to keep it a secret from the twins. They'll love it!' I responded before texting Nathan, Haley and Lucas to let them know of our plans. We got quick thumbs ups as everyone took charge.
"So, I'm gonna go back after all. Love you B. Davis and love you kids more!" she said, kissing each of their foreheads and giving Lucas and I a hug.
Shortly, the nurses came to take the twins for their final screening and tests.
"A party, huh?" Lucas asked me once we were all alone.
"Yeah, the kids deserve it. They have been nothing but kind and understanding through this. I want to celebrate them. Besides, all their stitches are out. Some splashing in the pool is exactly what the doctor prescribed!" I smiled, not looking up from my phone as Haley and I discussed food.
"I like it. Do you want to go home and shower or do we just wait around out here?" Lucas asked me.
"Mmm, I don't know. As tempting as that sounds, it feels so wrong to not stay with the children. Honestly, let's just leave with them. Even though they will kick us out for the night," I responded.
"I get it. I usually have my gym bag in the car. It might have a shirt or hoodie if you want to get out of that dress," he said to me.
I punched his arm hard! "Why the heck didn't you give it to me last night then? It's not uncomfortable, but it is tight. Seriously Luke, did I not teach you better!" I yelled.
"No, now you don't get the hoodie. Stay in your comfortable dress," he rolled his eyes.
"Don't be mean. I birthed your kids. I went through labour pain," I pouted.
"That doesn't even make any sense!" he laughed. "But I miss this, it's just like old times."
Those words made me go passive. Just like old times. I could not do that again. In the span of time it took me to blink, all the old times flashed before my eyes, me falling in love with him so deeply and so strongly and so madly, the way we used to banter with each other, the way I would get on his nerves and then just sit on his lap and kiss him so wildly that he would forget everything. Then when I started getting on his nerves for real such that he did not want to kiss me. The separate nights, the cold war, then the not so cold but flaming hot words we shared, the additional book tours and New York meetings until it all came crashing down.
My body began to shut down. I don't know why but I was growing fond of this life, living in Tree Hill with my family again and this was a dream. This was not my reality and I needed to remember that. My reality was in New York with a Penthouse Loft on the Upper East Side that housed one. A company with thousands of employees, but an office for one.
"Brooke? Brooke? Earth to Brookeee!" Lucas called out to me. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"Huh? Yeah. I'm fine," I gave him a fake smile.
"So do you want to go get that hoodie?" he asked.
"Nah, I'm good actually. I'm gonna go call Maddison and let her know about the party so she can call the squad and yeah," I said before exiting.
"Always one step forward and two steps back with her," I heard Lucas sigh. "No Brooke, this, what you want to do right now is just like old times. Stop shutting down. You need to let go of the scared young girl. Our kids are fine and they are coming home tomorrow. We are planning a party for them. Things between us are Good! We are friends. Just let me in! What are you thinking in that pretty head of yours?"
"Luas!" I couldn't help but gasp. "I'm fine. I swear."
"Brooke, you kink your eyebrow when you're trying to be cute. You quote Camus even though I've never actually seen you read. You miss your parents, but you'll never admit that! I know you Brooke. Even though we have literally been apart, I am still the only one who knows you entirely, who knows you best. Now, what paralysing scenario is making you shut down?" Lucas said.
I stood there, shocked, with my mouth ajar. What had just happened? All I wanted at that moment was to jump in his arms and kiss him like in my cheerleading days. I almost found myself taking a step toward him. Nobody had ever said anything like this to me, ever. Nobody ever would. Why had I let him go?
I felt tears slide down my eyes as I continued to stare at him. I was afraid that if I moved even the slightest, he would disappear. That this would all be a dream, that I had somehow conjured up exactly what I wanted to hear. Why hadn't he said that to me all those years ago?
"Come on, Pretty Girl. Spill!" he further encouraged.
"It's actually a stupid thought, now that I think about it,'' I said, realising just how ridiculous everything I was thinking sounded.
"None of your thoughts are ever ridiculous. Now talk to me," he said, his eyes steady on me, making me quiver under his gaze.
"When you said just like old times, I got scared. I mean the old times led to so much hurt and heartbreak. Now we are finally good, I don't know, I am just so afraid of going back to where I was, resenting you. I don't want to resent you. I love you." I blurted. "Uhh- I mean I love you in a caring friend, pals, you're the father of my children and ex-husband sort of way."
Lucas waited for a few moments before responding, carefully choosing his words. "It is like old times and yet it is not. We make the rules, Brooke. We get to discern and if we choose not to argue and not to resent each other, we won't."
"You make it sound so simple but you know. You know first hand how not simple it is in the heat of the moment," I reasoned with him. "I never wanted to resent you and I know with complete certainty that you never wanted to hurt me or break my heart because I never ever wanted to do that to you.
"How about we make a promise to each other? A blood oath, as you may call it, that we only go uphill from here. We keep the good, throw out the trash we said or did and build on it," he propositioned.
"Are you really gonna prick my finger?" I asked, the idea of voluntarily losing blood without donating it, making me queasy.
"Haha! We can kiss on it instead?" he suggested, making me guffaw. "I am only kidding. But, don't worry, we can just shake hands and pretend that we did the entire ritual."
"Then it's a deal, Mr. Scott," I answered in my most business-like voice as I shook his hand. "Luke, you mean this right? My heart cannot take it getting severed again."
"You have my word," he promised with so much sincerity, that I actually believed him.
"Thanks," I said, giving him a hug and a kiss on his cheek, so close to his lips, a few centimetres to the left and he would have cheated on his girlfriend.
The twins were wheeled in at that moment and we ended up playing cards with the two of them in order to while the time away.
The next morning had us all in bright spirits. The doctor finally handed us their discharge papers! Both of them were still too weak and tired, they could barely take short walks, but they were so happy to be going home. Home, where a massive party was awaiting them.
Lucas and I took a wheelchair each as we took them to the exit. I waited while Lucas got the car and we helped each of them slide into the backseats.
"It feels so good to be out of that dastardly hospital bed," Jamie sighed, looking out of the window. "I hope it's okay, but I asked Madison to stop by later on. We'll just hang out at home. Soph, you want to join?"
"Sure, it's not like we have anything better to do," she said, scrolling through reels on her phone.
"So what do you want to even do once we get home?" Lucas asked, looking at the backseat from the rearview mirror.
"Kids?" he asked again when he received no response.
"Nothing, just hang out with Mads. Eat something that actually tastes nice and have a nice long hot shower," Sophia listed out.
By then, we were almost home. The outer structure looked exactly the same, all the party decorations were in the backyard, by the pool. Slowly all of us walked to the main door. As soon as we entered, there was a chorus of screams and cheers as everybody welcomed the twins home.
Initially, their faces showed terror as they really weren't expecting it but bright smiles graced both their faces when they looked around and saw that they were surrounded by all their friends and family. Maddison and Zack walked upto the twins and gave them each a hug, not going any further since we were around.
"What! What is going on?" Jamie asked, even though he obviously knew what was happening.
"It's a welcome home party for you dummy! Now go, quickly shower and get into your swim trunks. It's a pool bash!" Maddison said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and then going ahead to talk to Sophia.
"Go ahead, get dressed and come down!" I instructed. The kids seemed to have found a burst of energy. It was almost like they had forgotten where we had just come from as they ran up the stairs and to their rooms.
"Should we get dressed too? It is a pool bash after all!" Lucas asked me.
"Go ahead. I will be there in a couple of moments," I said after a laugh. I walked over to my friends and thanked them all for all their help. They were all already dressed. There was music playing, there were more pool floats than water in the pool, there were lots of kids either dancing, eating or throwing each other in the pool. The place was decorated and the food looked heavenly.
"Guys, you did such an incredible job. Jame and Soph are going to love it! Thank you!" I said to them all.
"Hey, we are having fun too. Lydia! No walking near the pool ledge!" Haley screamed.
"I love your swimsuit, Clothes over Bro's right?" I asked with a laugh.
"Go get ready, you goof!" she said, swatting my backside so I would enter the main house.
I entered Sophia's room and heard her in the shower. Grabbing a bikini from my bag, I knocked on the door to Lucas' room and waited for him to allow me to enter. Once I heard him scream come in, I gently opened the door and walked in.
LUCAS' POV
"Oooh! The new Mattress came in!" Brooke said when she saw that the bedding had changed dramatically. Now matching blue sheets lined a soft bed complete with throw pillows right out of a magazine cover. "You have got to try it out!"
"When did this even happen?" I asked, pretending to miss the old one to save my ego. "Where is the old one?"
"Haley or Peyton must have allowed them in. Besides, I told Millie to ask the C/B installers to burn the old one. So that's gone!" she said, letting out a giggle as if it was perfectly normal to burn mattresses.
"That's so harsh! It was a decent mattress!" I complained, just for the heck of it. I saw Brooke enter the bathroom but she left the door a little ajar so that we could continue our talks. She knew that I was raised to be a gentleman so I would not peek.
"That's what you're saying now. Try this new one out. Then we'll talk!" she yelled out, her voice muffled under the sound of the shower. "But don't worry, I didn't tell them to burn it. That mattress is going to goodwill."
I rolled my eyes as I began to comb out my wet hair from the shower that I had taken moments before Brooke entered the shower.
"So, how does the new one feel?" she asked moments later once she stepped out of the bathroom.
My breath hitched. There she was, standing in a red bikini. I would not call the bikini modest, even though it covered everything that it was supposed to. It was simple and elegant, yet sexy and skimpy. Red was just her colour. It always was, it always would be. The bikini top had a bow design that hit just correctly to accentuate what it was supposed to and the bottom was skimpy enough to cover everything but give you just enough for you to imagine every fantasy that you wanted. I couldn't help but stare at her flat stomach, milky white skin and long slender legs. She didn't seem to notice just how much her outfit was impacting my breath as she moved to the dresser to brush her hair.
"Luke?" she asked, snapping my attention back to her words.
"Uhh, I didn't try it," I responded simply as I continued to stand behind her at the dresser.
She rolled her eyes and stood up. Without saying anything, she pushed me onto the soft bed. What neither of us expected was that while I was falling, I grabbed her hand and with a whelp, she landed on top of me on the bed as well. Our hands and feet were tangled as her hair flew into my face. Brushing the strands of soft brunette curls away, we waited a moment to get our heads on straight.
"God, what is this even made of? I had no idea something that comfortable existed," I asked, extremely surprised by just how comfortable it was.
"Isn't it like it was made out of hopes and dreams?" she asked with a giggle.
"God, I'm never leaving. Tell the kids I love them for me," I said, snuggling deeper into the large bed, tangling our bodies even further, making Brooke laugh and scream simultaneously.
"What in the world is going on here?" a voice boomed, making us shoot out of bed like springs. Standing at the door was Lindsey, looking extremely mad. She did not wait for either of us to respond as she began walking down the stairs.
"Lindsey, wait!" I said, running behind her with Brooke at my heels. "It's not what it looks like!"
"What it looks like is that you were just about to sleep with her!" she yelled in front of everybody at the party. All eyes were on us, including the bright blue eyes of our children.
"Hey!" Brooke yelled. "Listen to us. There is nothing and I mean absolutely nothing going on between me and Lucas."
"Sure, keep saying that. Keep lying to me. I have seen the way the two of you look at each other and the way you two were wrapped in bed together-" she said but Brooke cut her off.
"Lindsey! Look around you before throwing random accusations! Neither my kids, my friends or my children's friends deserve this. Let's just step inside and talk like mature adults," she tried to calm her down.
"Mature adults, my ass!" she yelled and before any of us knew what was happening, she gave Brooke a hard shove. Brooke obviously wasn't expecting it as she started falling backwards. Into the pool she went, falling backwards, missing the concrete by inches as she created a loud splash.
"Lindsey! Why would you do that!" I yelled, running towards the pool. Brooke was resurfacing but she was coughing vehemently, definitely choking on some pool water. "Brooke asked me to try the new mattress and my hand got caught in hers and she fell on me. That's it!"
"Whatever, I am out of here. I am going back to LA," Lindsey said, rolling her eyes. She began to walk towards the house.
"Wait no! Lindsey, please don't go back to LA. Please stay," Brooke begged as she made her way out of the pool, still coughing madly. This made Lindsey stop dead in her tracks and spin around to face us.
"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do or where to go? I can damn well go where I please!" she yelled. I saw Brooke give her a look, a look like she knew something, that she was afraid to say out loud. Yet, Lindsey was angry. She continued to coax my ex-wife.
"Stay out of my life! You gave up on Lucas. You had him and you screwed up! You asked him for the divorce and still, you keep wedging into our relationship, making decisions for Lucas and now making decisions for me! Just tell me why should I listen to you, mother Brooke and not go to LA?"
"Lindsey, don't make me do this?" Brooke said between coughs. I could not understand what she meant by that? WHat did Brooke know that I didn't? Yet, I was too wrapped up to ask.
"Don't make me do what? Lucas is mine! You better get that through that empty head of yours. You might run a huge corporation, but you don't run me or Lucas. So it is you who needs to butt out of both of our lives. I am sick of you being in ours. Anyway, I'm out of here," she said, before turning on her heels.
"You shouldn't go because I don't want you to cheat on Lucas!" Brooke screamed, making Lindsey stop dead in her tracks.
Wait What?
Everybody seemed to be going through a similar version of my reaction as time stood still. It was almost like we were playing the game Statue like we used to as kids. Only, there was nobody trying to make us laugh. My eyes looked intently at Lindsey. She was scared. Her face had completely drained of its colour and she looked as if she was about to faint under the sun. Brooke on the other hand looked terrified. Her eyes were so wide, it scared me that they would pop out of their sockets while both her palms cupped her mouth to stop her from saying another syllable.
"What?" I asked, being the first one to break the game. It surprised even me that my voice box worked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm so sorry," Brooke whispered to me helplessly, trying to read my reactions.
I looked at Lindsey who was still stunned frozen. So I went back to Brooke, now my shock and confusion was getting replaced by anger. "What the hell did you mean when you said that?"
"Dad! Don't get angry at mom!" Sophia shrieked from the corner and ran up to her mother.
"Wait? Did everybody know?" I asked, getting emotional and breaking down. Their silence and downcast faces gave me the answer to my question.
"You guys are supposed to be my family. How could you do this to me? How could you let me…. Lindsey why did you…?" now I was sobbing and panting, hard.
Brooke began to cry as well and Lindsey on the other hand began sprinting. She ran inside the house and out of the door. Nobody followed her. With her gone, I refocused all of my attention back towards my family.
"Lucas, calm down. Everyone here was only trying to protect you," Haley said to me, as she walked to my side and rubbed my arm for comfort.
"Haley, you too! You're my best friend!" I screamed.
"It's all my fault. I made them all promise not to tell you. Only Haley, the kids and I know and the only reason the kids know is because they eavesdropped on a conversation Haley and I were having. Blame me for not telling you. The rest of them were sworn to secrecy," Brooke said. She was meek and bold at the same time. She looked as young and afraid as Sophia, yet she was willing to take all the blame.
"But why, Brooke!" I screamed.
"Okay, let's take this upstairs, shall we?" she said before walking towards the house. "Guys, James Sophia, I am so sorry for this…. Well whatever this is. Please don't let it put a damper on your party. Turn on the music, continue to have fun, but the two of you," she said pointing towards the twins, "You two stick your butts to the deckchairs. Haley, keep an eye on them. They are still too weak to hit the dance floor."
With that, Brooke elegantly spun around and continued walking towards the house. I just followed her silently, not knowing any better way to deal with the situation.
The two of us walked into my study and I closed the door, rather slammed the door behind us. Brooke was still in her wet red bikini, making it extremely difficult for me to stay mad at her. But when I remembered what she had hid from me, I felt that anger rise in me again.
"Explain," I more or less commanded.
"Uhh, it kind of makes me sound and look bad," she said, squinting her eyes in the hopes that I would let her go scott free.
"Brooke," I said, getting agitated.
"Okay fine," she said, giving up her defensive stance. I could see that her skin was crawling with goosebumps. She was definitely cold after her splash in the pool. Yet, I knew that comfort could wait.
"Do you know Samuel Cross, the other guy whose book Lindsey is editing in LA? Well, the two of them have been… uhh, hooking up. How do I know this? There is no nice way to say this. I, uh, hired a PI to look into Lindsey when the two of you got serious, I don't know, I just had a really strong hunch about her and I was afraid about her becoming the kids' step-mom and I panicked and just did this irrational, totally invading someone's privacy thing. The PI returned with images and videos that nobody needs to see. I'm sorry," she said, staring directly at the wall past my ear, avoiding complete eye contact.
I was shocked. "How- what! I - what! A PI?"
"Yeah sorry," she squealed.
"How long have you known?" I needed to know everything.
"I hired the PI after last Christmas, when it was certain that the two of you were getting serious. He returned with the info 2 weeks later," she responded, still not looking at me.
"And what made you think that it was okay to let me date her even though you knew she was cheating on me?" I asked. This one came out way too loudly. Yet, I made no attempt to lower my voice. "Do you care so little about me? I thought we were friends. I thought I still meant something to you. Clearly not!"
"Lucas, no! It's the exact opposite. I care so so so deeply about you, it is ridiculous. Even after everything, I cannot stand seeing you hurt. It pains me so much to see you sad and lonely and in pain. I knew just how much grief I caused you when I did what I did. I could not see you go through it again. I was hoping Lindsey would change. She would realise and come clean and that the two of you would get past it. I just wanted you to be happy, not alone," she answered.
I was conflicted. I was angry at her, furious to the tenth level. How could I trust her and be friends with her? "What else have you lied about to me? What else are you keeping from me? How am I ever supposed to trust you again, Brooke?"
She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, "You know me better than anyone and at one point I could say with complete certainty and conviction that you knew my heart. It hasn't changed much since then. So, you just are supposed to. And no, there is nothing else that I am keeping from you."
"What am I supposed to do with this, Brooke? Lindsey was cheating on me, you were lying to me, the kids were on it, Haley kept mum. Wow, I have no girlfriend and no editor now," I said, still feeling extremely hurt by all of their actions.
Brooke just continued to look down, not finding any appropriate response. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Dad, Mom; can we please come in?" Jamie asked, peeking in.
I nodded my head and saw him and Sophia enter the office. They sat on the couch beside my ex-wife while I still continued to lean against the table.
"What are the two of you doing here?" Brooke asked them.
"Ensuring that dad doesn't do anything stupid," came Jamie's quick response, making Sophia stifle her laugh.
"We wanted to share with you about the time we found out. Mom did not even know we knew until well, until Lindsey showed up to the hospital," Sophia began to iterate. "You were on that book tour with that gremlin and Jamie and I were staying with Aunt Haley. We just got back from school and were about to enter the kitchen when we heard mom's voice on a facetime call with Aunt Haley. She was weeping and I mean literally sobbing her guts weeping. This made Jamie and I stop to eavesdrop...
"Haley, Lucas doesn't deserve this. He deserves so much better. He deserves the world and more," Brooke had said on the call.
"I want to rip that lying, cheater's hair out!" Haley yelled. She was livid. "Are you calling Lucas or should I? I cannot wait to see her go."
"What Haley, no!" Brooke yelled, quickly.
"What do you mean no?" Haley asked confused.
"This will break Lucas. I cannot see him broken again. I love him so much, despite everything. I-I, I don't want him unhappy," she cried. "Haley, this is not fair to him. He is an incredible guy! Why doesn't Lindsey realise that? Wait, Hales, he is a great guy! Lindsey has to realise that sooner or later, right?"
"Brooke, no! We cannot keep this from him! He will hate us!" Haley warned.
"No, he will hate me. He already hates me, Hales. I can live with that, if it means that Lucas gets the girl he wants. I hope Lindsey doesn't mess it up further. I am going to have a call with my lawyers soon. I don't have custody over my kids, although Lucas involves me in everything and never said anything about visitation. I just wanted to ensure that the laws I read that she would have to adopt the kids to have a say are real and there are no loopholes," Brooke sighed.
"Brooke, backtrack! I do not want my best friend to even date her, forget, marry her and become James and Soph's step-mom!" she yelled.
"Hales! Whatever Lucas wants. Whatever makes him happy. It's all touch and feel right now anyway. He might just decide that she is not the one and spare us having to tell him. But I believe in him and his infinite capacity to love deeply. I think they will figure it out," Brooke hoped earnestly.
"Brooke, I don't want you to hurt either! You're my best friend too! I love you!" said Haley, feeling such empathy for the young woman. Brooke just continued to try and keep her tears at bay. Haley ended the call, unbeknownst to the twins who were still standing by the door, listening in.
She walked out and caught them red handed. The looks on their faces told her all that she needed to know. Both of them knew. "Not one word about this to anyone," she said coldly before entering the bathroom to fix her own puffy red eyes."
"So Dad, moral of the story, prove mom wrong. Tell her that you don't hate her. That you love her as much as she loves you," Jamie continued where Sophia had stopped.
"Guys, no. We are not going to put any emotional pressure on anyone. We have always taught you that all your feelings matter. Your father is allowed to feel whatever he wants to feel. I kept something magnanimous from him and forced all of you to lie to him about it. It wasn't right, but it was… I don't know. My opinions don't matter anymore. I'm sorry, Lucas. I had only good intentions," she said, looking at the kids but not at me.
"Dad, mom is still going to live with us, right?" Sophia asked, her eyes close to tears. This made Brook look up and meet my eyes. I looked from Jamie to Sophia to Brooke.
"Of course she stays. You both need her and I need a drink," I said before walking out of the study.
"Does this mean he forgives you?' I overheard Jamie as Brooke.
"I don't know buddy. I'm sorry," she said, her voice cracking as she tried once more to control her emotions.
