"Huh, what?" Lucas asked me, completely stunned. I looked at him vulnerably. Did he not want to marry me?
"Marry me again, Luke," I whispered even more softly as I snuggled my head into his chest, my sweaty, dishevelled brunette locks covering my face entirely.
"Yes," he said to me, kissing my head as I refused to stop clinging to his chest.
"Really?" I cried, needing to know that it was real.
"Yes, wait a minute," he said to me as he ran inside our bedroom. I was confused but he emerged from there after a few moments. In his hand, he carried a ring box. I gasped as I realised what was happening. "I don't know why but I just carried this with me. I have had it for a while. I guess the twins weren't far off with their comments. I think we all sort of knew where we were headed and where we wanted to go."
FLASHBACK
"Hey B, where are you? I have a surprise for you," Lucas said to me when he returned home that day.
"I'm in the bathroom, giving the twins their shower!" I called out to him.
"Hi munchkins!" Lucas cooed when he saw the two toddlers playing in the tub while Brooke scrubbed their hair.
"So what's the surprise?" she asked, putting her palm in front of Jamie's forehead to shield his eyes and rinsing out the shampoo.
"We're going on vacation!" he said enthusiastically.
"Wait, what?" I asked, completely surprised. We had money now, lots of it, but our past circumstances had scared us so much that we had been frugal regardless. We saved every dime for the twins' futures. "Where? When? With two four-year-olds!"
Lucas laughed at me. "We are going to Disney World! We are staying there for a week and what's even better, all our friends are coming. Nathan, Haley, Peyton, Jake and Jenny!"
"We're going to Disney World?! Really!" she squealed as she stood up, jumped towards me, and engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug. "Eeeep! Thank you! You're the best! Wait, when do we leave? How much time do I have to pack and shop? You know what, I'm gonna make these kids the best Princess dresses for the trip! Everyone is going to stare at them. I'll make some for Jenny too! I can't believe that everybody agreed! We don't get to see anybody anymore with everyone off to different colleges and things! Oh, I miss our people! But, first, give me the details! Luke, can you get the twins dried and dressed? I wanna go call Peyton and Haley!" I could hear Lucas laughing and beaming at himself while I ran out to grab my cell phone. There was a lot of squealing as we gabbed about the trip that we were leaving for in a week.
"Welcome to the Happiest place on this Earth, Pretty Girl!" Lucas said to me once we were there. I smiled at him as I pushed the double stroller past the open gates.
"Thanks, Lukie! I'm very happy," I said, leaning into him as he planted a kiss on my head. "Okay, let's go! We have a lot to do and very few days! Chop chop!"
All our friends giggled and rolled their eyes as I ran in with an Agenda, only to get distracted by sparkly pink Minnie Ears. We bought everyone a pair and started going on the rides. As evening came, Lucas guided us to the front of the Disney Castle for the fireworks. The kids were so tired that they were ready to pass out in their stroller.
"Hey B, come here a minute," Lucas said to me as he asked me to come a little more towards the centre of the castle. I gave him a confused look but passed the stroller to Haley and took his hand.
He took my hands in his and just stared into my eyes for a moment, making me feel conscious. "Brooke, you walked into my life and everything got better. You saved my life in so many ways. You were my protective harbour, sheltering me from the wind, rain and storms. You still are. This life that we have built together is so magical that I pinch myself sometimes wondering whether I'm dreaming. You make me a better man everyday while making me strive to get better and better for you and the kids. You are my Sanctuary, my Safe Haven, my Home.
There is a Corinthian that reads: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
Do you want to know how I read it? Brooke is patient and kind; Brooke does not envy or boast; Brooke is not arrogant or rude. Brooke does not insist on her own way; Brooke is not irritable or resentful; Brooke does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Brooke bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Brooke will never leave me and go."
Suddenly the Fireworks started in the sky I looked up, still gaping at the speech Lucas had given, completely misty-eyed. The next second I returned my gaze to Lucas only to find him on one knee.
"Brooke Penelope Davis, would you give me the honour of marrying you?"
I moved my hands to my mouth as I began to cry in joy. I moved my head yes frantically while I tried to get the words to come out. Lucas saw my happiness and took my left hand in his. He slipped a delicate diamond ring on my finger, making my eyes go wide.
"I love you, Brooke Penelope Davis Scott!" he whispered to me once he had stood up.
"I love you too, Lucas Eugene Scott Davis!" I giggled before planting my lips on his for the dreamiest kiss ever while fireworks continued to light the dark sky.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Brooke, I found you and my entire world changed in an instant. You took all my pain away and filled it with the deepest joy. Then I lost you all and I never got out of that grief. Every person I met, I compared to you and nobody ever came close to your infinite capacity to love. Your empathy and kindness know no bounds and your love for our family humbles me everyday. Brooke, you're our lighthouse. You guide us to safety. Even though it might seem that I was steering the boat, I would be dead on the rocks without you. I was dead for all the years that I lived without you.
I made mistakes, I said things I shouldn't have. I cannot promise that I won't make mistakes again but I do know that I will always choose you. I will never ever let you go again. This time, being back with you has been the loveliest. I haven't felt this alive in a very long time and imagining having this for the rest of our lives makes me grin like an idiot.
You always used to say when we were young that People that are meant to be always find their way in the end. We, my love, are meant to be and this, us together is perfect. Besides, we were never normal, of course, we have what, three proposals between us and of course you have me go down on one knee twice!" he said while getting down on one knee.
"So, Brooke Penelope Davis, will you give me the honour of calling you my wife again? I love you!"
I cried as I got down to kiss him. He opened the box and I was shocked because it was my old engagement ring with an enhanced design. He had added a layer of intricate designs and details with diamonds and it looked lovely. He saw me take it in.
"I cannot let go of who we were, who we used to be and what we represented when I gave you this ring the first time. Yet, we couldn't be stuck in the past. We have to build on the old in a better manner. So that is what this ring represents," he said to me.
"Luke!" I cried as he made me wear it. The familiarity of having that metal around my finger felt so good. I had missed that so much. "I love this. I love your thoughtfulness and your kindness and your love. Thank you!"
My eyes went back to my finger as my finger adjusted to having a new accessory. It represented us so perfectly.
Just then the intercom rang, breaking us from our reverie.
"Hey Ms. Davis," Greg said, "The carriage rider that you had hired is back. He said that he has time for one round before he heads back home if you and Mr. Scott want to go."
"You know what, tell him that we are on our way down," I smiled.
"Come on Fiance. Let's go watch the beauty that is New York," I smiled as I grabbed our coats.
"Thank you. It was very kind of you, sir, to come back for us," I said to the sweet carriage rider.
"It was only right. You paid for my services for the whole evening and didn't even take a refund," he said gently.
"You came at the right moment. It's our engagement night," I said excitedly as I showed him the diamond ring.
"In that case, we are open all night!" the coachman said to us. "So, what do you two have planned for your lives together?"
"It doesn't matter as long as we're together," I said, smiling as I cuddled into Lucas.
"That's the key. Success is wonderful, but finding someone you love and having them love you back…. Love is what it's all about," he said before going silent and driving us around the city.
"So when do you want to get married, Lucas Scott?" I asked him as I rested my head in the crook of his neck and wrapped my arms around him, snuggling into him and inhaling his scent.
"Right now, but I know that eloping is not our thing. We want our kids, friends and family there. Hell, you might want a big grand wedding this time and call Jennifer Lopez?" he asked me.
"You really want to meet her too, don't you?" I said while smacking his chest. God, boys were dumb.
"I want what you want, Pretty Girl but I do know that I want all the people we love to be out there with us," he said to me.
"Hmm, the Hamptons house would make the perfect wedding venue if we wanted a large one, or we could have it in the backyard of the new house that we are building. The ranch in California is large, we could totally make it elegant. Ooh, or we could do a wedding in Europe!" I said, thinking of locations. "What about you? What is your dream destination?"
"It doesn't matter to me. I just want to make you mine soon. Even tomorrow works," he said before capturing my lips for a kiss.
"Let's just do it in the Davis house like the first wedding. I mean even Karen and Lilly are here. Andy is expected to fly in soon. All our friends are here and I cannot wait to be Mrs. Brooke Scott again either!" I confessed.
"When do we tell the kids? It's only Monday today. We are here until next Sunday. Oh God, people at work are going to go insane, wait, Paparazzi!" I screamed before quickly taking off the ring. Sorry, Luke, I love you but I cannot be photographed with this on until we tell the kids. They and our family have to know first and not by a tabloid!"
"Oh wow, I didn't even think about that. That other people would be interested in news about our engagement. I know, you're famous. I'm sorry. No babe, we're famous. You've made Maxim's Hot 100, most eligible bachelor, bestselling novelist," I reminded him.
"Your Hamptons place is beautiful, B. I would totally love getting married under the trees on the lawn where you can hear the ocean waves crashing," I smiled, imagining us standing there, Brooke in her first wedding dress.
"I'll have to sew another wedding dress! I need to get an event planner on Board. But listen, I want it to be intimate and personal. We'll obviously invite people from our work and James and Sophia can have some of their friends. But even if we decide to go home and do it in the Davis backyard like the first time, I'm okay with that," I told him.
"I guess it's on how long you can resist being married to me then, Ms. Brooke Davis!" he smirked.
"Oh, is it so?" I asked, kinking my eyebrow. "But seriously, when do we tell the kids?"
"Can we go home tomorrow?" he asked, whining like a child.
"Well, you can. Oh shit! A recently appointed Director of Clothes over Bro's just got arrested for Rape! I am sure that my phone which I conveniently forgot at home must be ringing itself to death. I am going to have to put out some major fires tomorrow. Sorry, baby. I know that you really want to go back and I do too. I just cannot back out of my commitments, especially when they just agreed to let me let work remotely from a Tree Hill Office. I promised to hold one major meeting for each vertical and I am sure that the Board will want to hold an emergency meeting to deal with this mess and Legal and PR, urgh, why did we open this can of worms? I'm so terrified of our past and I'm already failing you as a fiance," I confessed while I returned the ring to him. "Babe, I don't know if I can ever be everything you deserve."
"Brooke, shut up. You are more than what I could ever dream of, okay and I am growing too. I get it. You are doing your best and I am going to support you all the way this time," I said to him.
"I have an idea. It's a little crazy, but I mean, this entire day has been absolutely nuts. How about we drive overnight to Tree Hill? I know it is a long drive, but we will get there and we can surprise the kids and then I'll catch an early morning flight back?" I suggested.
"Brooke, how about we catch the next available flight so that you can sleep in an actual bed and fly back again in the morning? I want you well rested too," Luke said.
"Okay! Let's not waste time and take a cab to the Airport directly," I said as I requested the Coachman to drop us near a taxi.
"You don't want your phone and things from the apartment?" he asked me.
"You have your wallet and phone on you, right? To pay for our travel," I asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"Then quit making your fiance pay and take her home!" I said to him. The idea of sharing this with my kids made me so excited.
Lucas booked us two first-class tickets on the next available flight and we were in Tree Hill sometime after midnight. We entered the Davis house as quietly as we could but the twins were awake. They were watching a movie in the den.
"Surprise!" I yelled when we turned and entered the den.
"What!" they both gasped upon seeing us as they got up to hug us.
"What are you doing here - OH MY GOD!" Sophia shrieked.
"What happened?" Jamie cried while Karen came running down the stairs.
"Soph, you okay? Lucas! What are you doing here?" she asked, extremely confused. "Sophia, why are you crying?"
"Is it true?" she asked, looking at me. I was certain that she had clocked the ring on my finger that I had put on moments before entering the house. Seeing my baby girl that emotional made me turn into putty and begin crying as well. I nodded my head and engulfed her in a big hug.
"Can somebody explain this to me?" James asked around.
"Mom and dad are engaged!" Soph said between tears. I raised my hand for him to notice the engagement ring.
"What!" he yelled as his face erupted into the widest smile before he began laughing gleefully. He came ahead and hugged Lucas and then me. Karen had run down the stairs by then as well.
"Oh, my babies!" she said as she hugged us both simultaneously. "When did this happen?"
"Only a couple of hours ago, actually. We were both so happy and we couldn't wait to share the news with you two and a video call would not do this moment justice. So we caught a red eye to come and tell you the good news in person," I informed them.
"I am so glad that you guys came back, I mean, look at that ring! Good job dad!" she said, holding my hand and studying all the details. "Oh my god, we are all going to be a real family again!" Saying that she burst into the most hysterical sobs.
"Oh, my baby girl. I'm sorry we put you through that messy divorce in the first place. You didn't deserve that. Things are going to be different from now on, honey, I promise," I said, rubbing my young one's back.
"When's the wedding?" Jamie asked.
"Squirt, we literally got engaged and flew down here. We have time to get into the details and you as my best man will be involved in all of them," Lucas said to Jamie.
"Seriously?" he asked, surprised.
"Yeah, who else would it be?" he said.
"As will you, my maid of honour," I cooed to my daughter.
"Stop it, I cannot cry any more happy tears," she said. Her face looked so comical as she laughed and cried that we all began laughing.
"What is all this commotion?" Lilly said, coming down the stairs while rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, baby, did we wake you up?" Karen asked, going to lift her up. "Everything's alright, bumblebee."
"By the way, I remember you being grounded with no TV privileges," I said to Sophia. I was still a stern mother.
"Uhh, it wasn't me watching. It was Jamie. I was just sitting beside him," she said, pretending to play innocent.
"Right, anyway, you two should be in bed. It's Tuesday tomorrow and even though it's zoom school, we want you guys to be well-rested," I chided.
"Uh, actually…. We were going to try going to school tomorrow. Like school-school. Olivia Pruitt, the therapist thinks that we are ready to go and she spoke to Grandma. She was going to take us tomorrow and see. We were planning on surprising the two of you," Jamie answered.
Now it was our turn to cry tears of surprise and happiness.
"Really, you two?" I asked, bringing them closer to hug.
"Oh, I need to change my flight time. I cannot leave at 6:00 a.m.! Can dad and I come to drop you two off?" I asked, feeling so many emotions.
"Yeah, I really wanted you there, mom!" Sophia replied emotionally. I hugged her and stroked her hair gently. "Oh, my babies! I love you guys and I am so so so proud of you!" I squished Jamie in a hug too, despite him being way taller than me.
"You're going back in the morning?" Jamie asked me sullenly.
"Unfortunately. Uhh, I really really don't want to but tonight, one of our Directors got arrested and well, I left my phone at home and flew down here. We are going to have to hold a Press Conference to announce that we plan to sever ties and disqualify him from the Board. He was just elected today, so we need to show that he never worked with us, otherwise, we might be facing a gruesome audit and my stocks will take a hit regardless. I need to be the face and speak on behalf of COB. I'm really sorry munchkins," I answered truthfully.
"Damn! That does sound really bad," Sophia said.
"Brooke, will everything be alright?" Karen asked worriedly.
"Yeah, it will. We jumped the gun, I just need to put the fire out," I tried to stop her from worrying.
"Luke, you should go with her. This sounds very serious. The kids and I will be fine for a few more days, right kids?" Karen asked, looking at the twins.
"Yeah, of course!" the two of them said unanimously.
"You two come first, okay? Your dad and I will not go before dropping you guys at school," I assured them. "Also, sleep with us tonight? I missed you two so much!"
We all went upstairs. Karen greeted us goodnight before checking on Lilly who had returned to bed and then went to her own room. The kids got ready for bed and came to our room to sleep. The got between the two of us and I couldn't help but smile.
"Luke, I like our bed this way, full, full of love," I said to him once the kids had fallen asleep.
"Me too, Pretty girl. I'm very happy right now! I can't wait to marry you again," he said to me, making my stomach do a backflip with giddiness.
The next morning, we drove the kids to school. The kids were silent in the backseat as I kept checking their mannerisms to see if they were truly okay.
FLASHBACK
"Mommy, I don't want to go," Jamie cried as he clung to my feet.
Sophia was being held by Lucas in his arms and she refused to let go of her arms which were secured around her father's neck.
"Come on you guys! School is fun! You will make friends and learn so many wonderful things. There are books like the ones that daddy reads to you," I tried to encourage them.
"We want you with us," Jamie said as he circled his arms around my feet, almost making me lose balance.
I didn't want to let them go as much as they didn't want to go.
"Luke?" I asked helplessly.
"If you go to school, your mom and I will take you to eat ice cream after," he bribed the Rugrats. "Two scoops each, final offer."
"You promise?" Sophia asked, her eyes getting wide.
"I promise, Princess. Now mom and I will be right here to pick you up once you are done with school. We will walk you to class today but from tomorrow, you hold each other's hands and go in, okay?" He coached.
They still looked unsure, but we managed to get them inside the building.
"Now you two, there is no need to be scared, okay? See Sophia, you have Jamie right here with you and James, Sophie is with you too. If you feel scared, just look at each other. You will always have each other," I said to my terrified three-year-olds.
"Hey, I'm Madison. What are your names?" An excited blonde who was sitting at the twins' table asked them.
"Uh, hi. I'm Jamie and this is my sister, Sophia," he introduced himself.
"Sister? Does this mean that you're twins?" she asked.
My shy babies nodded their heads in unison.
"That is the coolest thing ever! Wanna be best friends?" the amused girl asked.
"Okay!" Jamie replied on behalf of the two of them.
"I think they'll be okay," Lucas said to me as he took my hand and the two of us slipped out of the classroom. We got into the car but Lucas never turned it on.
"We are staying here for the 3-hour duration, right?" He asked me when I did not attempt to coax him.
"Yes," I replied, my voice thick with certainty.
Lucas and I barely spoke in the car. The twins had been without us before, but only with our close friends and family, like when Karen kept them while we were in school. They had seen the same faces they always saw. The silence wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't uncomfortable either. We were simply anxious. We were so attached to the kids that my heart wished to homeschool them at that moment.
"It's been an hour, seems like we might get to the end without the school calling," Lucas cut the thick silence. That's when I noticed my hands, I was praying.
"Wow, who knew preschool could be so much pressure? When did we become those parents?" I tried to play it cool.
"You're a phenomenal mom, B," Lucas said to me as he tucked a few loose strands behind my ear.
"It means the world coming from you," I said to him, gratefully. "Besides, I have the world's greatest dad helping me. He makes my job very easy."
"It's gonna be painful when they won't need us this way. I mean, as much as the right thing to do was to get them in school, it felt riveting having my baby girl in my arms not wanting to let go of me," he confessed.
"Can we keep them with us at home forever?" I asked in a sugary voice.
Lucas slung his arm around my shoulder and I leaned into his chest. We were literally two nineteen-year-olds. We weren't exactly adults ourselves. We settled into an easy silence at that point. We occasionally chatted but our eyes remained glued to the gates of the school. Lucas had planned this stakeout well. He had water and snacks in the car which we shared. We talked about stuff other than the kids. We discussed music and the movies that were playing at the cinema which weren't under the 'appropriate for all ages' rating. We spoke about what our friends had going on in their lives and it was like we were on an impromptu date. Soon other parents drove back to the school to pick up their kids.
"Seems like they made it!" Lucas said as he got out of the car, opened my door and helped me step out. I could see the other parents eyeing us. I couldn't tell if they were weirdly looking at us because we were so much younger than them or because Lucas was such a gentleman who always helped me out of the car. Either way, I chose to ignore the looks. I was used to them at that point. I looked great despite being a mother of two and I hadn't let two toddlers completely wear me down.
"Munchkins!" I screamed when I saw my kids emerge out of the door. I got on my knees and engulfed both of them in a bear hug. "I am so proud of the two of you! How was school?" I took Jamie's arm in mine as Lucas perched Sophia on his hip.
"Mom, we made a new friend! Her name is Madison!" Jamie told me excitedly.
"Daddy, they have a copy of Rainbow Fish out here too!" Sophia informed us.
Lucas looked at me and gave me a huge grin. The kids would be okay. "I remember promising the two of you ice cream! Let's go to Kilwins' shall we?" he asked.
The twins squealed delightedly as we drove up to the ice cream parlour with even more tales of their time in school.
END OF FLASHBACK
"How do the two of you feel?" I asked as Lucas halted the car near the gates of the school. Both the kids took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.
"We can do this. Right, Soph?" Jamie told us. He had a determined look on his face. I knew my son. The day of the basketball match, when he had a panic attack, he had made up his mind that the next time he stepped into the grounds, he would go all the way.
"Your mom and I are very proud of you, okay? If you feel uneasy, just call us or call Grandma and you can come back home, no judgement, no questions," Lucas assured them.
"Thanks for being here for this," Sophia said, leaning towards the front seats and kissing Lucas' cheek. The two of them stepped out of the car. "We love you, now go do some damage control. I like being rich!"
"Hey, there are more important things in life than money, young lady!" I yelled. Sophia looked back at us and giggled, but continued walking towards the school. She saw Zack and ran up to him as the tall boy hugged her. Madison was waiting out there for Jamie as well as he gave her a peck on her lips.
I watched as they entered the school and were soon out of our sight.
"Luke, do you remember their very first day of school?" I asked him.
"Yeah," he said with a hint of hoarseness in his voice.
"I don't want to fly back to New York! I want to stay here and wait with you like we did their first day of preschool and when they make it, I want to take them to get ice cream!" I said as my face turned bright red and my tears flowed down unabashedly.
"Brooke," Lucas said, looking at me sympathetically. I took out a tissue and blew my nose in it.
"I really don't want to go back, Luke. I really don't. I want to stay," my voice became softer with each word I said as my throat choked.
"Here, my phone has Victoria, Millicent and Tori's numbers. Call them and figure out what is going on," Lucas said to me, handing me his phone.
I dialled Victoria who did not identify the number. "Hello," she said to me in an irritated tone.
"Mom," I whispered.
That was enough for her. She did not let me get another word in. "You stupid girl! Where the bloody hell are you? Have you seen the news? Xavier Daniels got arrested for Rape last night! The Board wants to hold an emergency meeting to figure out how to deal with the situation. The press has been outside the office morning to get a comment and this is affecting our public image badly! I have been calling you non-stop since last night. I even drove up to the penthouse, only to find it empty! Where in the world are you?"
"Shit, uh, I am actually in Tree Hill," I said and closed my eyes to shield myself from an imaginary blow.
"What!" Victoria screeched. "How! Also, what did you do to get him arrested? Is he going to talk?"
"No. Lucas got a confession out of him which the cops listened to. He got sent to prison and my Lawyer got him to sign an NDA for a reduced sentence. So he can never talk about us," I said to her. "Lucas saved me and he did it because he loves me, without making me feel shitty."
"Okay, not bad. It still doesn't explain why you would find it okay to run off to that thespian town?" she asked.
"The kids wanted to resume school. Lucas and I wanted to be there to drop them off," I answered, conveniently leaving out the engagement part. That would simply enrage her.
"You went back to drop your teenagers at school!" Victoria was livid. "If only I could slap you from the phone!"
"Mom! They were returning to school after they were shot in the very same school by their grandfather! They needed us. In fact, I cannot return to New York until this evening. I am going to ensure that they are okay for the entire duration," I said to her. She was angry anyway.
"What? Get on your private jet and get here this instant or I'm passing a motion of no confidence regarding you," she warned. I didn't wait to hear more. I simply cut the call with her and called Millicent.
"Hey Millie, where are the Board Members? Are they at the office or anything?" I asked her.
"No, I have received emails from them all asking to set up an emergency meeting. Where are you? You do know about Mr. Daniels' arrest, right?"
"Yeah, I know about it, but I am actually in Tree Hill. I had to fly down last night. The kids went returned to school today," I said to her.
"Oh, that's huge! I get it. You had to be there for them," she said to me, making me feel a tad less guilty.
"Mills, call all the Board Members and ask them if we can join in for a video call at whatever time is convenient to them all. Send everybody the link but don't tell Victoria about any of this," I said to her.
"I'll do this right away!" she complied.
"Please send the link to Lucas' email. I sort of left mine back in New York," I said, biting my tongue. Millie chuckled and ended the call.
Fifteen minutes later I got a call from her. "Hey, the Board thinks it is important to discuss this right away so they want to do the call right now. Check Lucas' mail, I sent the link."
"Hello everybody. I am so sorry to host this meeting virtually, but I had to fly down to Tree Hill last night. My kids decided to resume school today which meant going to the same spot where they were shot by their grandfather. I had to be there to make sure that they were okay. I'm literally talking to you from the car right now as I'm just worriedly waiting outside the school gates," I said honestly.
"Oh my God, that is scary. Are they okay?" another female on the Board empathised. The other Board members quickly agreed, making me feel a little relieved.
"So far, we are good. Anyway, shall we discuss the elephant in the room? I propose the immediate disqualification of Mr. Daniels from the Board as a direct violation of our Morality Clause," I proposed.
"Yes," came a unanimous vote.
"So, I was thinking about holding a Press Conference this evening. We can tell them that he had just been appointed that very day as an Invitee and his appointment was pending. We will highlight that the Company has immediately cut all ties with him and that no decision has been taken with his input. I will be flying down to New York this evening. I can go straight to wherever the Press Conference is being held as long as my kids walk out of that school without a panic attack," I made my stance very clear. "I am a Mother first."
"What if they aren't well? What will you do about the Press Conference?" a Board Member asked.
"I will hold it online, just like our Meeting. I know it is better if I am there in person, but nothing is more important than the well-being of my children. The Company will not suffer serious repercussions if I talk about laying off one immoral man through a screen but my kids will face the aftermath if I have to walk them through a panic attack on a video call. Look, I am real. I always have been. Clothes over Bro's is where it is with all our United effort, but when people say Brooke Davis and COB are one when they say they like the authenticity and transparency of the Company, they are talking about my authenticity and transparency. I have always spoken my truth and I'm going to continue doing so. Even if it means saying that I couldn't make it physically for a very important meeting because my kids were not okay. If you don't like that, I am happy to help you find a new face for the Brand," I said.
"I admire your clarity and well, everything you stand for Ms. Davis. I am willing to back you up for this, whatever the circumstances lead to. If this was my son who was struggling with what your children are going through, I would feel lost and helpless. You are still completely put together," one Director said.
"I am with Mr. Shaw on that one," another said.
"So we agree to hold a Press Conference to address the matter and let Ms. Davis decide the best way to do it keeping her personal circumstances in mind?" the Chairman asked.
Another unanimous Yes echoed on the phone. '
"Thank you! I truly appreciate all of you having my back and having faith in me," I said before greeting them farewell.
"Damn!" I screamed as I breathed in happily. "I cannot take in any more adrenalin-driven situations. My hands are shivering!"
Lucas took my hands in his and kissed every finger. "So what ice cream are you getting after this?" he asked if he didn't know.
"Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!" I screamed gleefully like a toddler. "Do you think the kids will get the significance of us waiting and then taking them for ice cream?"
"Probably not but that's okay. We know. High School is a lot longer than three hours. What do you want to do to kill time?"
"Well, we could make out. We did do that a lot in this very parking lot or we could do some wedding planning!" I suggested.
"You will smack me if I pick option one, won't you?" he asked me.
"Uh-huh!" I said, not losing my smile even for a moment. "But first, I need to write my speech for the Press Conference. Do you have some pen and paper, writer boy?"
"We have tissues and there should be a pen somewhere in the glove compartment," he said.
"Help me write it?" I asked.
We spent the next several hours writing the speech. The school broke for Lunch and the kids still remained indoors. My speech was ready by then and I had rehearsed it for Luke.
"Stay with the kids, Luke. Don't return with me to New York even if they are okay today. I will get through all the hurdles and work a double shift so that I can come back home sooner. Sorry that it cuts our romance short too," I said to him.
"Eh, we'll just have a longer honeymoon," he said so casually that I turned giddy. I hugged him tightly at that moment.
"So, we had to plan the wedding! Come on, shall we pick a date?" I asked.
"What are you guys doing here!" Sophia asked spotting our car. "We were just about to hitch a ride with Madison since we didn't drive to school."
"Weren't you guys supposed to leave for New York?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah, but I couldn't. I was worried about you guys. How are the two of you doing?" I asked, trying to see if they looked tensed or frazzled.
"Surprisingly okay. It is still morbid to walk those halls and we are grateful that the classroom where it happened has been closed down for renovations. I guess it will get less weird with each day," Jamie replied.
"Yeah, let's take it one day at a time," Lucas said. "Now get in, we are going to get ice cream before dropping your mom off at the Airport."
We got to the ice cream shop and Lucas and Sophia stood in line to get us our treats.
"Uhh, mom. I need to talk to you about something and it's awkward. Uhh…" Jamie mumbled. He looked very uneasy which made me focus on him fully.
"What is it, baby?" I asked him trying to read his expressions. He quickly looked towards Lucas and Sophia. The line was still too long.
"First promise me that you won't freak out," he said.
"Okay, but you are scaring me," I answered.
"Madison says she is ready. She wants to take the next step in our relationship. We haven't yet! But, she wants to, soon," he said.
My eyes widened. "Are you two safe? Do you have all the protection?" I whispered to him. "You have to be careful. Your dad and I couldn't make it work at 16, we are now figuring things out."
"Yeah, I know mom. Maddie is on the pill and I have condoms. That is not what I wanted to discuss with you. I am scared mom, scared that I will hurt her. Umm, when you and dad did it the first time, did it hurt really badly?" he asked.
Uhh, my poor innocent boy who thought his dad was my only sexual partner. If only he knew. "Uhh, your dad wasn't my first," I answered truthfully.
"Huh? You told us that dad was the only boyfriend you ever had and I mean you two were high school sweethearts. You had us at 16," he reminded me.
"Yeah, all of that is true, but I lost my virginity before I met your dad," I answered.
"To whom?" he couldn't help but ask.
"To your Uncle Nathan," I said as softly as I could.
"What!" he screamed, making several heads turn to look at us. Lucas and Sophia looked our way as well but I played it cool as if nothing I had said was shocking.
"You lost your virginity to your ex-husband, current fiance's brother?" Jamie asked to clarify.
"Yeah, but this was long ago Nathan and I knew that Lucas or Haley existed. I mean Nathan knew about Lucas, them being brothers and all, but this was when none of us interacted. It was, well, it was what it was," I said.
"What about Dad? Were you his first?" he asked.
"No, that would be Haley's sister, Taylor," I said, covering my eyes with my hands.
"That sounds so messed up!" he said, scrunching his nose in disgust.
"Yeah, the lesser you know the better," I said to him.
"Anyway, I will try to erase that gruesome image from my mind. Uhh, did it hurt when you and Uncle Nathan did it the first time?" he asked. "Damn, I am never going to be able to look at Uncle Nate the same way again! He is my godfather. My name is James Nathan Scott! Ew! Do dad and Aunt Haley know?"
"One, shut up. We all moved it. Yes, everybody knows it. Nathan has been nothing but nice to me. Two, Yes, it did hurt a lot. I can't sugarcoat it, I'm sorry. Nathan was very gentle and sweet with me, but we were both very young. It hurt. I remember crying during it and yet I remember Nathan being extremely sweet and caring with me," I said.
"Shit, so what do I do?" I asked.
"Look Jamie, you're old enough. I can't unfortunately stop you even though I want to. You're going to respect the rules of my house and that doesn't mean you find a seedy motel. Uhh, what do I even say? I guess, I want to say, abstain, but if you do go ahead with it, always be protected. As for Madison, communicate. Talk to her. Tell her how you feel and what your fears are. Be gentle and listen to one another. Coach and guide each other about what feels good. Communication is key," I said, holding off my urge to wrap my arms around him and never let him go. "Also boys can feel not ready too, okay? If you don't feel ready, you don't, despite what Madison feels. It's scary for everybody."
"How did you know you were ready?" He asked.
"Uhh, baby boy. I don't regret it. At that moment, I felt like I needed it. Unfortunately, I realised I was not ready much after. I wish I would have waited for your dad. I wish things in the past were different. You're a smart, empathetic, sweet young man, Jamie. I know you will be a gentleman. I know you will respect Madison. Just don't do anything you're not comfortable with. Take things slowly, I cannot believe I am saying this but umm, try other things. Foreplay helps a lot. Okay, officially creeped out," I said.
"You and me both," he said as he took in all I said.
"You can come to dad and me with anything, okay? We have been through every version of bad and messed up. We promise to be non-judgemental. But I also expect you to learn from our mistakes," I said, looking at him sharply.
"Thanks for being this chill and not losing your cool," he said gratefully.
"Hey, I'm only 16 years older than you! Your Ma is still considered cool!" I laughed.
"Geez, you're embarrassing, old lady!" He laughed.
"Can I please hug you? My baby is no longer a baby," I sighed. "I never thought I would be that cheezy parent, but god today when we dropped you to school, I couldn't help but remember your first day of preschool and how you refused to let go of my legs."
"I still need you, just differently. I love that you stayed back, mom. It was very sweet," he said. "Also, everyone is planning a trip some weekend of the month. Could we maybe go to the California ranch? I love that house."
"Seriously, just after you told me what you and Maddie have planned?" I deadpanned. "I take it back, you're dumb! Especially if you think I'm going to let you kids fly to California unsupervised."
"Fair point," he said, knowing that he had messed up.
"Besides, Sophia is grounded for a long time and there they are with our ice creams," I said.
"Hey what have you two been discussing?" Sophia asked as she handed me my chocolate chip cookie dough.
"Nothing, just school and things," I replied nonchalantly.
They dropped me to the Airport, "Guys, take care of each other, okay? I will be back as soon as I can," I said, kissing each of their cheeks. "You sure you will be okay?"
They nodded their heads in approval and so I jetted back to the Big Apple. Millie was in the green room in the venue ready to get me ready for the Press Conference.
"Hey, I emailed Victoria the draft Minutes of the Meeting and invited her to the Press Conference," Millie said to me while a team worked on glamming me up.
"Thanks. What did she reply?" I asked.
"Nothing. She just said okay. She isn't too happy but when is she?" Millie rolled her eyes.
"Mills, would you consider relocating to Tree Hill? I can't imagine not having you as my assistant. I'd need you but it hurt to have to leave my life and move to New York. I can't force you to leave everything and move to Tree Hill," I offered.
"It's a good thing that I don't have a life in New York!" she said with a smile. I hugged her before she told me that I had to be on stage in five minutes.
When they gave me the indication, I walked to the podium with my speech as the spotlight blinded me. I gave them a signature smile, used to these kinds of things.
"Good evening everybody. As many of you have heard on the news, Mr. Xavier Daniels was convicted last night for unspeakable things. All of you believe that he has been affiliated with Clothes over Bro's. I am here to clear the record and say that that is not true. Mr. Daniels attended his first-ever meeting yesterday morning which considered his appointment as a Member of the Board. He has not been ratified, he has signed no paperwork or contract or had any real say in any matter regarding the operations of the Company.
I am not here trying to cut our losses and appease any of you. I am here to set the record straight. We did consider him for the job, but it wasn't given to him yet and I'm glad we weren't affiliated with him. I am a woman myself and I have hundreds of other women working for me. Their safety is our topmost priority. We have a strict policy in place for these matters at the office where if any girl faces any sort of harassment, they can email me directly, even if her job is delivering coffee at another office. Every employee is reminded of this repeatedly. Any behaviour of this sort is not condoned and every employee contract stipulates that if he is found to have harassed someone, his employment will be terminated immediately. We haven't had any reported cases so far and I hope to continue that trend.
Further, just because this made me feel really disturbed, the Company and I personally plan to contribute 100,000 dollars each to Women's shelters. Nobody should have to go through this. I thank all of you for listening to our truth. Do you have any questions?"
"Ms. Davis, the measures that you spoke about, where they can email you. How do you know it is being implemented if there is no track record?" a reporter asked.
"Well, for one, I am a woman myself. I understand what these females are going through. I have been vocal about my advocacy which includes women's rights and I have repeated myself about being a safe space. We have also told them that if they are still scared, they can put in their complaints anonymously. The person in question's background will be checked and he will be reported without the guilty party ever having to speak of her pain. The healthcare that we provide also allows them to use it for therapy," I responded.
"Was Mr. Daniels not screened and interviewed?" another asked.
"Sir, I would like to remind you that he was just being considered for the job. He wasn't given the job or the contract. The meeting was just to approve the beginning of our due diligence work," I replied with a smile. That made it very clear to everybody that Xavier Daniels had done no work for us.
After a couple more questions, the Conference was over. I went into the Green Room to find Victoria waiting there for me.
"So, you handled everything?" she asked me. Her voice was heavy and something about her felt off.
"Uhh, I guess," I replied, feeling like a four-year-old in front of her.
"I have to say, Brooke, well done. As much as I don't want to, you and that boy of yours did manage to handle everything. You got that paedophile in jail and you retained the Company image although I'd much rather you have done it in the morning. Our stock prices did go down today. I'm sure they will stabilise tomorrow," she said.
"Yeah, how I see it is that I got the paedophile in jail, I protected the Company image and I was there for my kids when they needed me," I replied, gaining some confidence.
"Very well," she sighed.
"Mom, what is it? What are you thinking? Just say whatever you want and get done with it," I told her, tired of her games. The last two days had completely worn me out.
"I want to say that I am proud, okay! You did a good job, better than what I could have done perhaps. Although, do you have to support every charity out there?" she said, completely stunning me.
"We have plenty of profits, Victoria. We can share," I repeated what I said every time.
"Okay, are you leaving again or we can do the meetings as scheduled?" She asked me. "You skipped the ones we had planned for today."
"Yes, I'm here but I would appreciate wrapping them up as quickly as we can so that I can get back home soon."
"Good. Will I be needed at those meetings?" She asked me.
"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked. Victoria almost sounded vulnerable when she said that last sentence.
"Uhh, nothing. Nothing at all. Email me the rectified schedule," she said as she rubbed her eyes.
"Mom, are you crying?" I asked as I saw that her eyes were red.
"No, it's this horrible mascara. Remind me to sue the manufacturer," she said.
"It's our mascara, Victoria. What's really going on?" I asked.
"Well, you handled everything on your own. The guy, the Board, the Press. You don't need me anymore," she answered truthfully.
"Mom, that's not true. Of course, I still need you. I needed you to back me up to the Board to relocate to Tree Hill. I ran to you to help me fix the Xavier situation, not Lucas," I reminded her.
"Yeah. Now get home and go to bed. You have dark circles showing," she quickly hid behind a quip. My heart felt warm though, she did care.
I got home and packed some for my final move to Tree Hill.
"Hey, love," I said to Luke once he answered my Facetime call.
"Hi, Pretty Girl. I saw your press conference. You were great," he remarked.
"Thanks, but you will not believe what happened with Victoria. You melted the ice queen, Luke!" I said excitedly before narrating the tale.
The next three days were a blur as I got thrown deep into work.
"Hey Lucas, I just got out of my flight. I'll get an uber home," I said when I saw my phone ring.
"No Brooke! It's Peyton! She began bleeding! We're on our way to the hospital, hurry and get there!"
