"It says that the baby and I are a 99.9% match," Lucas said. "It is really mine."

I felt the wind get knocked out of me. Lindsey wasn't playing a game.

"I think I'm going to be sick. Sorry!" I said as I got up and ran to the bathroom to lurch all the contents of my stomach. Once, all my food was out again, I washed my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

Okay, this was happening. I really wish that she would have lied, more than anything else, about assaulting Lucas in his sleep. That part stung the most. I had no energy in me. So I sat on the cold tiled floor with my head between my knees.

"Brooke, open up," I heard Victoria say from the other side of the door.

"I'm fine," I lied and continued to lie on the cold bathroom tiles.

"No, you're definitely not. I just saw the sketches you emailed me in the middle of the night. The designs are excellent. They are fresh and original. The new line will blow SI's mind and I know that this kind of originality comes out of you when you drown yourself in work courtesy of a broken heart," she said, surprising me that she had marked that.

I opened the door and allowed her in. She took a seat next to me, leaning against the tub. Victoria did not do floors.

"I made my wedding dress last night too," I whispered.

"Oh." That was all she got out. "I'm sure it's exquisite," she said after five minutes.

I burst out crying at that moment. "I should be out supporting my fiance." Suddenly, another wave of nausea hit me and I lunged. Victoria held my hair back and rubbed my back. Once I was done, I felt tired but I brushed my teeth and cleaned myself up.

"I'm fine. Let's go," I said to her and we walked out of the spacious bathroom.

"I'm sorry, Lucas," I said to him with a tight-lipped smile. Hugging him tight, I didn't let go of him, letting him take comfort in my arms.

I saw Jamie and Sophia watching us from the corner of my eye. I opened one arm and coaxed them to come join the hug. Sophia grabbed Jamie's hand and ran towards me, breaking down and crying her tears. Jamie was internalising his pain, never a good sign.

"Now what?" Sophia asked once we had let each other go and were sitting together on the couches.

"Now, we call the lawyers and begin a horrible custody battle," Lucas sighed. "I really don't want to have to do this again. Once was too much."

"That was just the start of a custody battle, Luke. I stopped fighting very early," I reminded him. He looked miserable.

"We have great lawyers at our disposal. Given the circumstances, we could file for sole custody," Andy suggested.

"Or we could pay her away," Jamie retorted.

A Deathly silence set in after that. Nobody knew what to say.

"Okay, we have till evening before we go back and have to deal with Lindsey. What do you say we head out?" I asked.

"Broadway?" Karen suggested.

"I could get us tickets," Victoria chimed in and got on the phone.

While Victoria got us tickets for the afternoon show of the Lion King as per Lilly's request, I beckoned Lucas to the side.

"Hey buddy, how are you holding up? The truth…" I asked, rubbing his shoulder.

"I'm so confused honestly. I still didn't believe that it was real but, now, it just got real but it still seems so fake. I am just refusing reality at this point but I can't wrap my head around it. What is the correct feeling here? Should I be happy? Should I be sad? Should I be angry?" he answered.

"There is no right feeling. There just are feelings," I sighed and hugged my guy. "At least we now know who is going to be the flower girl or ring bearer at our wedding." I leaned into him from the back and rested my chin on his right shoulder. He giggled and gave a real smile. I had missed that smile. I hadn't seen a real smile from him in a while.

"It won't be all too bad, Lucas. I promise. We won't let it be. We decide this today and we promise each other that this is no big deal and we won't let it get to us, no matter how difficult Lindsey gets," I asked him.

"I promise," he said, releasing a grateful sigh. "Brooke, I am so grateful that you are going to be by my side through all of this. The thought of another custody battle has me rattled and the only thing keeping me alive is that it is not you who is on the opposite side."

Oh, Lucas. My heart ached for my sweet boy. He could be so strong and so vulnerable. He loved me. He really loved me. I felt that in the deepest cavern of my heart.

"I am on your side. Always, Forever and Completely. You are my Safe Haven," I reminded him.

"And you mine," he answered, taking my hand and brushing his lips against my knuckles.

"How can I feel so happy right now?" I asked giggling and crying simultaneously. He had filled my heart with so much love but it was also breaking, feeling as if I had somehow failed him.

"I'm right where you are, Pretty Girl. It only goes to say that if we have each other, we have everything. Don't tell the kids that though," he said, making me burst out laughing while a steady stream of tears kept pouring down. He wiped my face with the sleeve and I smiled.

"You are so caring. You have been since we were sixteen and you didn't stop even when I gave you every reason on the planet to stop. I ran away multiple times and I fought you and I put you and the kids second and yet, you would make the kids call during dinner but I know it was so that I would eat and you knew I had eaten. You lied to the kids so that they wouldn't hate me. You covered up for me while I was missing things in the beginning. You supported my crazy dreams. You gave up basketball for me. Dammit!" I said, the weight of it all making me want the collapse. I owed him so much.

"I was honestly selfish on all those fronts. Yes, I made the kids call to see if you had eaten, but it was also so that I got to see you. Even after being divorced for nine years, I still had to see you. That was the only bright spot, that I knew I would see you. I wouldn't sleep on Fridays sometimes, or just before birthdays or Christmas and things, knowing that I would see you. I would try on like ten different shirts to try and seduce you-"

"Hmm, I always wondered how I never saw a repeat," I cut him, making him blush scarlet.

"Yeah. Even basketball wasn't a compromise at all because I was choosing what I wanted and all I wanted was you. Every choice was selfish because I had only one choice - you."

I started sobbing and leaned in to kiss him long and hard. My tears wet his face but neither of us cared because we were so lost in each other. My hands went around his neck while his hands circled my waist as he pushed me against a wall and stuck to me. We were running out of air, but neither of us wanted to stop, needing to show the other how much they were loved.

"Gross!" Jamie yelled as he entered the corridor Lucas and I had been conversing in. "Jeez, I do not need to see that! Get a room!"

We giggled and broke apart. Somehow, Lucas had managed to lift up my shirt a little so his fingers could trace my skin. I fixed it and we walked back into the grand hall.

"You got the tickets, mom?" I asked her, pretending that I hadn't been caught making out by my teenage son.

"Yeah. The show is at 2. I got us a one o'clock reservation for lunch at Nobu's and then we watch the show. So get ready everybody. Sanjay will be waiting for us at 12:30 pm," she informed.

"Mom, should I send the designs to Sports Illustrated? Also, are the designs for Zendaya's dress okay?" I asked her.

"Yes you can and I am sure that Zendaya will love them. Everyone is extremely into social and political causes these days. She will love how you incorporated the causes she supports into the design," she praised. "But I want you to first work on the third dress. The design you made but didn't show me."

"The swimsuits will be mass-produced once SI approves them. Tree Hill has beaches, right? We can have the photoshoot right there and Zendaya still has to approve. There will be changes and meetings and measurements to take before we get to sourcing the fabric and sewing the dress. We can have one of the seamstresses do the start and you can do the finishing work on it. I want you to devote all your time to stitching your wedding dress. I am sure that you will be the belle of the ball. Go marry the man you love first," Victoria said.

"Oh, mom! You will come to this one, won't you?" I asked. My parents never came to our first wedding. Nathan had given me away and then stood as best man.

"Yes, we will be there," she promised.

We all got dressed and had our fancy lunch. Lilly was so excited as this was her first Broadway show. Lunch was great. We didn't walk about Lindsey. Victoria was getting along very well with Andy and she was warming up to Karen as well. I saw that she was getting calls from her assistant Calliope, but she was silencing them. That really made me see her in a new light. Lucas told everyone about his new book that was printing as we spoke.

Victoria was resourceful. Although we had requested the tickets only hours ago, she seemed to have great connections as we got the best seats in the house. Lilly was captivated and so were my kids, although they had seen the show before. Halfway through, I heard my phone vibrate.

I checked the name and it was my PI calling me. I found that strange but I knew that it must be important. I left the auditorium and answered his call.

"Hello, Ms. Davis. I still have to do a deep dive, but I did a preliminary screening of Ms. Strauss as you asked. I had my guy at LAPD check her bank accounts and we saw one fishy transaction," he informed me.

Shit, I had completely forgotten that I had asked my PI to do this. Everything had been so crazy, that piece of intel completely slipped my mind. "What did you find?"

"She had a sum of Five Thousand dollars transferred to her by Samuel Cross who is the writer I originally found her cheating with and then almost immediately she wired Ten Thousand Dollars to Mr. Mark Jacobs. Using his bank details, I found this guy and he works as a Lab Technician at a DNA Testing facility in Tree Hill. Also, Ms. Strauss purchased a plane ticket to Tree Hill and she is currently staying at the Riverview Suites. She still hasn't paid her tabs there though," he continued.

"Are you sure?" I asked, feeling ecstasy bubble in me.

"Yes. Does the intel mean anything to you? I am still digging, but I felt like I should let you know about this," he said.

"Oh, Mr. Williams, this is exactly what I needed. Do you have proof?" I asked giddily.

"Yes, I have the bank statements, but you didn't get them from me!" he chuckled. "I'll keep digging. This lady seems to be a thorn in your side."

"Yes, thank you so much! You really came through again!" I answered gratefully.

"Always a pleasure to work for you, ma'am," he said before ending the call.

I couldn't help but smile wide. Lindsey had bribed the lab tech which meant that the results we got were fake which meant that Lindsey was lying! The baby was not Lucas'!

I ran back into the auditorium and beckoned my family to step out. They all looked at me with disbelief. Who in their right mind ever left a show of The Lion King on Broadway? I got it, but they simply had to know. When I kept coaxing them, they rolled their eyes and stepped out. We came down to the streets and I leapt up and down childishly.

"Lindsey lied! I just got a call from my PI and he said that she paid the lab tech ten thousand dollars which means she bribed him to deliver fake results! Lucas! It's not your baby!" I screamed way too loudly.

There was a chorus of gasps from my family. Then there were tears and hugs.

"Are you one hundred per cent certain, Brooke?" Lucas asked.

I opened the email that I had received from Mr. Williams clearly showed the transactions. Lucas lifted me in his arms and spun me around as he laughed.

"I'm ready to go back home now and stick it to that lying bit- uhh, lying lady!" Sophia corrected herself.

"Yeah, let's go home!" I smiled and leaned into Lucas. He held my hand as we waited at the curb for Sanjay to get the limo, considering we left an hour early.

Lilly began to cry because she wanted to watch the show so Karen and Andy went back inside with her. She didn't understand what was happening so obviously, she was upset to leave.

"Twins, you want to stay?" I asked them. "The jet doesn't leave until nine."

"Can't we leave now?" Sophia whined.

"No! That costs a lot of money!" I chided.

"Can we just go back to the apartment and watch a movie on the couch?" Jamie asked.

"Instead of Lion King on Broadway?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Fair point. Are you guys going to talk to Lindsey now? I want to be there for that," he said truthfully.

"I think this will go best with a plan and in person, but not today. Tomorrow morning. Tonight I just want MY Family close to me," Lucas said.

"I'll call Sanjay and tell him to come after the show to get us," I said and the twins turned to go back inside. Victoria waited for us to join her back in and the twins turned to look at us by the door.

"Ya'll go ahead. We will be right in," I said and they shrugged and walked inside.

Once I saw them go, I didn't care, I just pulled Lucas towards me, got on my tippy toes and gave him the deepest kiss I had ever given him. He was startled for a second, but it didn't take him long to reciprocate. I never wanted to let him go. I needed him like I needed oxygen. When the lack of air became a major issue, we parted our lips and we couldn't help but grin like idiots.

"That felt nice," Lucas laughed like a teenager, making me giggle. I leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We began walking back inside the auditorium but we were taking our sweet time.

"So how do you feel? Is it possible that Lindsey is lying about the assault too?" I asked.

"I oddly also feel a sense of loss. I was wrapping my head around the fact that there would be a baby to love and care for again and although the situation was far from ideal and well the mother… I also had a strange feeling of excitement. I am so glad that I am not the father, really. I do feel relieved a lot, but it's also sad," he said.

"You are such a good guy. I'm in love with your heart. Why did Lindsey con you for the money and lie about the paternity?" I asked.

"Guess we will find out tomorrow. Tonight, I just want you to rest and sleep well. I hated myself for worrying you so much that you were up all night," he said.

"It's not on you, my love… and I got a lot of work done," I said, my thoughts shifting back to my wedding dress.

We reached our seats again and watched the rest of the show. I was leaning into Lucas the whole time, just needing to feel him as closely as I could. Once the show ended and we entered the limo to head home, I rechecked my phone and I was stunned. I had eight missed calls from Millicent, fifteen missed calls from Tory and my messages and social media were blowing up everywhere.

"Mom, have you got any calls from work? Something is wrong!" I cried, calling Millie.

"Millie, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, Brooke! You need to call Tori, right now! Also congratulations!" she said excitedly, totally confusing me.

"Hi, Brooke! Thank God you called! I can't tell whether I have good news or bad news. It depends on you. So, you were at Broadway today with your family right?" she asked, making my eyes go wide.

"Well, you were spotted and pictures were taken of you with your family and sold to the paparazzi because they spotted you wearing an engagement ring. There were images of you kissing Lucas Scott and the faces of all the minors are blurred but yeah. We tried calling you in case you wanted to get it stopped but you didn't answer and it blew up. You might want to make an announcement on social media. Your last Instagram photo has over a million likes and comments congratulating you keep pouring in every second. Also, your Twitter is bursting. You might start trending if this continues. It's too late to stop this now, I'm sorry. We need to make an official announcement confirming it. A picture of you and Lucas showcasing the ring, or he on one knee would be perfect. Ps: Congratulations! And my god, that ring is gorgeous!" she informed.

"Is there anything else? Like did anyone hear our conversation? Are there any videos?" I needed to know, or things could get ugly.

"There's a video of you guys making out, but that's it," she said.

"Are you sure? Are there any videos while my family is around? Is there anything else except the engagement?" I was so paranoid.

"No, we will comb through it for you, but I'll send you what has been circling," she said and I got an email with a link immediately.

Second Times the Charm: Brooke Davis Engaged again to her ex-husband!

Celebrity, Starlet, Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur Brooke Davis is famously known for her clothing company Clothes over Bro's. She dresses several of Hollywood's elite and is photographed on many red carpets, attending award ceremonies, movie premiers and galas.

She has been described as strikingly beautiful, making it to Maxim's Hot 100 list and several similar lists every year for several years, her top rank being number 3 and also she has been called one of the most charitable and philanthropic women of our times. She is the complete deal, but sorry boys (and girls), it looks like she is taken.

Miss Davis has been always quiet about her personal life but she used to be married to the bestselling author Mr. Lucas Scott. The two of them share twins, James and Sophia Scott, which they had while still in High School. When asked about their relationship, the pair remarked that they got married early and realised that they wanted to pursue their dreams, resulting in a rift in their relationship. The couple divorced and Mr. Scott was granted custody of the children. Brooke still played an active role in the kids' lives and has often been photographed having a fun family day out with them in New York. She went on to date several guys, the most prominent one being famous movie producer, Julian Baker. However, the couple called it quits a year ago.

The family was most recently in the news when Lucas Scott's father, Dan Scott entered Tree Hill High School with a gun and injured several people, two of them being the said grandchildren! Did the tragedy bring the lovebirds close again? The answer is yes! The pair was spotted smooching in Central Park a few weeks ago and today, the whole family was pictured outside Broadway and Brooke was found wearing an engagement band on her left finger. The pair and their reps are yet to confirm the news, but look at them kiss. It is clear that they are still in love with each other.

Do you think that Round two will work in favour of the pair? We are sending them all our love and wishes!

Scroll through our gallery for pictures of the couple, including some from their previous marriage. They look like babies holding babies! We also have a zoomed-in picture of the engagement ring and looks like Lucas checks all the boxes for best fiance because that band is customised.

The twins' and Lilly's faces had been blurred out in all of them but they had many shots of Lucas and me kissing. I looked up and all of them were looking at me quizzically, except Victoria who was on her phone as well.

I handed my phone to Lucas and showed him the article. My phone was passed around until they all read it.

"There's no denying it now, fiance," I grinned.

"I just can't wait to call you my wife again," he said, planting a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Brooke, do you have any pictures from your engagement? We need to announce this," Victoria asked.

Lucas and I blushed as we shook our heads no.

"Okay," Victoria said. She then proceeded to open the cover to talk to Sanjay. "Sanjay, step on it. We needed to be at the apartment like 10 minutes ago!"

"On it, Ma'am," he said and increased the speed of the long car.

Since we weren't too far, we reached quickly while Victoria instructed us.

"Brooke, you need to put on a dress, a nice evening gown which is a little casual. Lucas, the best shirt and dress pants you have got. Sophia, help your mom do her hair and makeup. We barely have time before you guys head for the airport. We have to hurry!"

"But what for?" I asked while she ushered us inside hastily.

"For an engagement shoot!" she rolled her eyes. "Thank God, the office is close by."

"Calliope, we need photographers at Brooke's apartment right now. If I remember correctly, Mia was going to model some jewellery today and a friend of Brooke's, Quinn James was assigned to click the pictures. You and her take a company car and get here now!" she yelled.

"Mom, is this really needed? Lucas hates the spotlight," I tried to stop her.

"Why are you still standing here? Sophia take your mom in and help her! Before we run out of daylight people!" she yelled.

Sophia giggled as she tugged my hand and pulled me to my room and into my closet. She went through the dresses lining one corner that were special occasions and fingered through the fabrics. I saw her check each dress and push it away. Suddenly, my eyes landed on a stunning brown Valentino gown. It fit my lean form perfectly and had spaghetti straps with a sweetheart neckline. Sophia marked the change in my expression and pulled the hanger.

"Mom, it's gorgeous! This is the one!" she said. I blushed and nodded my head. Why was I feeling so shy? I was used to doing shoots, but this one just made me giggly!

I put on the dress while Sophia picked a pair of sandals to go with it. I had a thin gold necklace and a couple of bracelets while I curled my hair and put on some natural makeup. We stepped out thirty minutes later and saw Lucas in a white t-shirt with a black formal sports jacket. He had a pair of light-wash jeans and he looked so out of place with his hands inside his pockets. Yet, when his eyes landed on me, his breath hitched.

"My God, Brooke, you look gorgeous!" he said as he walked to me.

I blushed as he took my hand. We heard the sound of a camera click followed by a flash of bright light. That was when we noticed Quinn.

"Oh, hi Quinn," I smiled at her awkwardly.

"You look stunning Brooke. I read the news but I knew all about it already, sorry! Haley Bob is a loudmouth!" Quinn laughed.

I chuckled, "Yeah, sorry about this last-minute change and pulling you out of the actual assignment you came here for."

"Oh, this is so much better than photographing a disinterested model! Shall we proceed?" she asked.

"Yeah, where do you want us?" I asked her, having learnt to follow the photographer's direction and vision. Besides, Quinn was Haley's sister. I trusted her completely.

"It's your engagement shoot. Pretend I am not here and just do what you want! Although, I will suggest we take some shots on the balcony first. The sun will be setting soon and we can get some great photographs," she said.

Lucas and I proceeded outside and we were so awkward in the beginning.

"Dad, if you get any stiffer, you will officially turn to stone," Sophia said, rolling her eyes.

"You know what Sophia, why don't you and your brother get in?" Quinn suggested. "Go put on something nice and join the pictures."

They both were quite surprised by her ask.

"Actually, yes! Please! Thanks, Quinn," I winked. "Actually, everybody! I want some family photos!"

Victoria rolled her eyes but smiled. The twins dashed to their rooms and emerged quickly given Victoria's insistent knocking. Sophia had put on a white dress and left her brunette hair to fly freely. A little makeup graced her face and she paired it with a pair of brown sandals to match my dress. Jamie was wearing black Clothes for Bro's shirt and blue jeans. I smiled more freely when they joined in. We did some with them, I tickled Sophia in one of them while Quinn shot images and caught her infectious laughter. Lucas ruffled Jamie's hair and he was rolling his eyes.

"Okay, kids step out!" Quinn said after we had plenty of poses. Now, Lucas was much more relaxed and we stood by each other. He faced me and we held hands, I showed the ring. Then he pulled it out and got on one knee again, making the kids holler excitedly. I stared at him lovingly in awe.

"Still a yes?" he asked.

"Always and Forever," I responded as he made me wear it again. He stood up and we kissed briefly.

The sun had almost set and it was getting dark so we went indoors. The family joined and we got a lot of sweet pictures. Lucas and I held Lilly between us and then she went on my hips while Sophia and Jamie stood behind us and tiled their heads to come out from the sides. Then Victoria stood near me while Karen and Andy were next to Lucas.

We were royally late for our flight back. Thankfully, we were flying private, so it wasn't like the jet would take off without us. Once Quinn was sure she had got a good amount of pictures, we bid her farewell and hastily packed and got ready for our flight. Sanjay stepped on it we left. Luckily, we had staff to deal with the mess and lock up.

We reached Tree Hill late, but the kids promised to wake up for school. Not bothering to unpack, we all just got to our rooms, ready to crash. I changed into a pair of boyshorts and paired them with Lucas' t-shirt and crawled into bed. Just then, I heard my phone chime.

"Wow, looks like Quinn didn't sleep either. She just emailed me the link to download all of our photos," I told Lucas who was just emerging out of the bathroom.

"Wanna see?" I asked excitedly.

"You really enjoyed it, didn't you?" he asked.

"An engagement photoshoot with you and our family, what's not to love?" I asked.

"You wish your dad was there too, don't you?" he asked me.

"Well, I'm sure he and his assistant are super happy, wherever they are," I rolled my eyes. "Don't kill my joy!"

I opened the link and felt my heart melt instantly. "My God, Luke! These are gorgeous!" I said, feeling my heart melt. Quinn had clicked so many pictures during the second part of the shoot after the twins stepped out. Lucas looked so in love with me. There were images of us stealing glances at each other, images of us looking at each other with love and admiration, my favourite was one where we were both looking at the ring and Lucas had his hands on mine holding me, hiding the ring almost as if teasing the viewer about a tantalising secret, the last rays of the sun framing us perfectly while my head was nuzzled in the crook of his neck. We fit so perfectly with each other. The pictures with the twins were breathtakingly gorgeous as well. The images where the two were laughing and all of us looked goofy were just so perfect despite being a little hazy.

"May I announce it?" I asked him.

"And let the whole world know that you're mine? Yes, please! But only if I get to announce it with you!" he said. Lucas had social media, but he barely used it. It was more of a requirement from his publishers so that he could connect with his readers. He had some personal photos from travels and some with basketball players he met with Nathan, but that was it.

"Which photos? Do we include the kids or keep their faces out of the public? The paparazzi will blur their faces till they turn eighteen in any images they take but what we post is on us of course. They have done covers for Baby Brooke," I asked.

"They're old enough, we don't need to hide their faces," he smiled.

I chose a couple of pictures, the first being Lucas on one knee followed by us staring at the ring and then a few with the kids and uploaded them on Instagram, adding Lucas to post with.

'This.

This person.

My past.

Our story of great triumphs and tragedy.

Comes my Future.

Him.

It took us time to learn.

But we did.

Now, we are ready.

We created a family together.

But we found our first families in each other.

Our families' pasts, overlap with our present.

We see a future on the horizon.

We choose it.

Together with our kids.

Them, eventually.

Ours.

You, Lucas Scott, are my favourite favourite.

This life and this family we have created together is my favourite.

I'm beaming.

I always knew but I thought I had lost my chance.

You gave me another.

Now I know.

This.

You.'

I posted it in the dead of night and Lucas cried upon reading it. I hugged him and turned off my phone, wanting to just be with him, in his arms forever.

"I've never felt a love so deep and felt so loved in return," he said while wiping his tears. "Also, are you sure you're not the writer?"

I cuddled into him, welcoming sleep and joy and peace.


"Hey, morning," Lucas said the minute my eyes fluttered open. He kissed my lips which made me wake up further.

"Morning," I smiled, already missing the softness of his lips on mine. "Wow, I've never slept better," I said, stretching my arms and legs to further wake up. "What time is it?"

"Nine. I woke up and sent the kids to school. We all agreed that you needed sleep. By the way, the kids want the link to the pictures. They and the rest of the world lost their mind upon seeing them. We got to send Quinn a thank you present," Lucas said, handing me a cup of coffee.

I took a sip and turned on my phone. Wow, the world was really leaning into our happiness with us.

You know the date of our previous anniversary is in four months. We could get married then," I suggested.

"Are you sure? It didn't work out that time," he said, scared.

"A date is just a date, Lucas. We make it work. You could spin a wheel for all I care," I replied.

"Good point. Fine, same date! When do the endless flowers, dresses and napkin talks start?" He rolled his eyes.

"Hmm… here's a good idea, how about I get married alone! You did this even the last time! You were so unhelpful and we didn't even plan a lot because the ceremony had only like twenty people!" I complained.

"I shudder to think what it will be like this time! You drove me crazy in planning for twenty!" He rebuked, making me scoff.

"Promise me right now that you're going to be present for planning everything or I'll delete the post and make you one of the most hated men in America!" I joked.

He crawled onto the bed where I was sitting and sat atop me, making me put my coffee mug on the table. He leaned in, making me push myself against the headboard.

"I promise to be a part of it all, Pretty Girl," he said. He kissed my face with each word that he uttered. "But no making me choose between two colours that look exactly the same like eggshell and cream and ivory and all that jazz."

He kissed my neck after that making me feel a flutter and giggle. "Yes, I promise!"

"Can we first go bust Lindsey?" he asked like a little kid tattling on his sibling.

I giggled but got up. "Yes let's get dressed and go! We have a meeting regarding the interiors today and I also want to check the progress of the office and now that we have a date…. We only have four months to plan the wedding!"

Lucas feigned boredom but he was excited too. I turned on my phone after we were both ready and scrolled through the comments and messages while Lucas drove us to the hotel.

"Wow, who knew the world would be so supportive of us? Everyone is pouring so much love! I feel all giddy! Is that what being engaged is supposed to feel like?" I asked him.

"Unfortunately, yes. Things have been so crazy, we haven't had the time to enjoy and truly feel our joys. Let's host a celebration!" Luke insisted.

"Yeah, we should. We can do it this coming weekend. Feel our joys!" I smiled. I could celebrate this guy all day any day. He was the dream, he was my dream. From that scared girl, he found at 16, here I was, an independent strong woman and it was only because of him. Without him, I would not have been here. I wouldn't have been on the face of this planet. I owed him my life. I would spend the rest of it trying to keep him happy.

We reached in and knocked on Lindsey's door.

"Got the confirmation you needed?" she asked us as soon as we entered. Her eyes were mocking us.

"Yes, we did get the confirmation we needed. That you are still a lying skeeving cheater who would stoop as low as paying a lab tech to tamper with a paternity test!" I cut right to the chase.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked, backing away.

"Cut the crap, Lindsey. We know that you paid the lab tech ten thousand dollars. That clearly means that the baby is not mine," Lucas said.

"Hmm, Lucas, how about we list her crimes? First, she said she assaulted you sexually. Next, she bribed you and demanded a figure for you, let's say she coerced you. Then there were the fake paternity tests, two of them, so if the information given by my lawyer is correct, doesn't that amount to tampering and fraud? And the bride to the lab tech. The guy at the lab will go down too for accepting a bribe and let's not forget the person who paid half the bribe amount, Samuel Cross," I counted on my fingers.

Lindsey looked stunned. If I didn't know any better, it looked as if she was about to go into labour that very moment.

"Did we miss anything out Lindsey?" I asked her. "Lucas, did you know that the sentence for rape is imprisonment for life? I haven't even counted the charges after."

"I didn't rape him, okay! I lied! I lied! I made it all up!" she cried. Lindsey had really begun sobbing vehemently. "Lucas and I never slept together that night. I made the whole thing up!" Tears fell freely from her eyes as Lucas and I both exhaled collectively.

"Why did you lie? Why make such tall tales?" Lucas asked angrily.

"You got everything and I got nothing!" Lindsey screamed. "Because of what went down with us, you changed publishing houses. The heads were so angry that I was the reason that they lost their star author. So I lost my job and I was editing Samuel's book and nobody wanted to take that up, so he lost his publishers too. Next, we find out we are having a baby. Around the same time, I saw you and Brooke kissing in the tabloids and combined, the two of you are loaded. I deserved that money! I lost so much because of you!"

"Can you listen to yourself? You lost everything because you cheated! You ruined this all on your own!" I put her in her place. "Luke, I'm done. I have nothing more to say. She is not worth my time or my energy. Do you want to report her to the cops? The lawyers can have her on multiple charges. Fraud alone will keep her imprisoned for a long time."

"Lindsey, you know if you would have just come to us and asked for help, saying that you needed some money, we would have given it to you, no questions asked. Why did you have to take such elaborate measures to lie? I won't report you. You are still pregnant. But, all I have to say right now is good luck. Come on honey, let's go." Saying that, Lucas put his hand on my back and indicated that we exit.

We left Lindsey in a strange site. She was angry and confused and also scared. I considered helping her. She had a baby on the way and neither of them had a job. I would have to ask my team to come up with a way to ensure that the donation would be used for the baby. Maybe I could send her a supply of diapers and baby items anonymously. Lucas would not approve of us helping her, so I would have to keep it from him.

We stopped for some ice cream on the way back home and then headed to the office building to oversee renovations. The place looked great. Next, Jake came over after the twins got home from school and we discussed interiors for hours. Everything was looking up… or so I thought.