"Jamie's coming home today!" I screeched gleefully while shaking Lucas awake. Lucas smiled too, as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes .
"Our son's coming home!" he said equally enthusiastically. We hugged each other tightly, feeling like we were on a musical high at a concert. "Let's get ready and get the car loaded."
I nodded my head and followed his instructions. I took a shower first and got ready, while I was doing that, Lucas grabbed his shower as well. We went to Sophia and Madison's room to wake them up. The house was bustling. Jake and Peyton were going to drive to the airport to receive our friends and then make their way to my ranch. We had rented another car as we had Nathan and Haley's family as well as Millie and Mouth joining us. Lucas and I were first going to go to rehab to pick Jamie up and then head to the ranch. We estimated to reach around the same time. Everyone was excited for the vacation. The ranch was large, spanning acres. I hadn't had the time to remodel much of it since buying it, so except changing the furniture and adding a fresh coat of paint, the ranch stood as it had been. We had grounds to horse ride, I was the mum who actually got my kids ponies. There were RV's, and a pool with a hot tub, games and things. It was the perfect spot for all of us to relax, hang out and get everything ready for our wedding.
Once we emerged down for breakfast, Jake was already loading bags in the trunk. "How can one tiny human need so many things!" he groaned as we walked in and wheeled out 2 other bags. Lucas and I giggled as we watched him. Anna was crying in Peyton's arms as she was trying to get her to latch on her bottle.
Lucas grabbed a cereal box while Sophia grabbed a banana. I brought out ingredients of a smoothie bowl, offering to make one for everyone.
"I can't believe it's vacation time! Jenny is flying in and she wants to babysit Anna so I get to be the best bridesmaid to you and I get to relax with my friends! I love this," Peyton said when they walked out the door. They had to get to the airport, so they were leaving before us.
We ate breakfast, loaded our things and cruised through the highways to get my son. Once we were there, we waited at the reception desk for our son to sign out. When he did come out, I jumped from my seat and began running towards him to give him the biggest bear hug. He had bags in his hand that he quickly let go of to match my embrace.
"Hi my baby! You look good! How do you feel?" I asked.
"I feel good! Hi Maddie," he replied, blushing. His eyes never left Madison as he grinned from ear to ear seeing her. I felt upset for a moment that he hadn't cared for me but how could I compete with puppy love? He walked up to her and gave her a tight hug. Then he made rounds to greet Sophia and Lucas.
"Good son," Lucas said, slapping his back and bending to schlep some of his bags to the car. Once we got his luggage sorted, we went back inside the facility. Since Jamie was a minor, we got to meet with his advisor.
"Jamie did very well. He was determined to get clean, he had a few low moments, but we managed to help him with the right tools and techniques. He made wonderful progress. However, we can never be too cautious. We would strongly recommend that he join an NA group and attend meetings regularly. He should also get a sponsor. Also, both of you should be vigilant. Check his room and bags from time to time for drugs, administer a random urine test once a month. We're not saying that Jamie might relapse. It's simply that the longer it takes to get help, the harder recovery is and the chances of relapse become greater. All in all, you should consider yourself fortunate. He seems keen to turn his life around. He has support and dreams to accomplish. Most of our relapse victims don't have those. Also, please don't get overbearing and stifle your child. Some parents can be such hawks after a stint here that a child feels suffocated and goes hunting for a fix with twice the speed. Keep things as normal as you can. Love and support from family go a long way for addicts." We thanked the advisor and signed Jamie's release forms. Once all the formalities had been completed, we hugged Jamie one more time before leaving for the Ranch.
Lucas bust out his 90's music collection and we began to vibe with the music. The kids were singing with us and it was like a mini party. I was totally here for it. Halfway through, all 3 babies fell asleep in the backseat. Lucas lowered the sound of the car's music system. I looked behind and smiled.
"Remember the days when they only fell asleep in a moving car?" I reminded him.
"Those are the parts of early parenthood that I do not miss," he replied, looking at them in his rearview mirror. "They look cute right now, calm - no sassiness in their language."
I leaned across the seat to look at them and took a picture. Lucas was right, the three of them did look cute.
"Hey, where have you guys reached?" Peyton asked me over a call. "The kids and all of us honestly are hungry. Where do you want to stop for lunch?"
We gave them our location and realised that we were only ten minutes away from them. We checked for places to eat online and stopped to grab a meal. They were already in the restaurant when we arrived. The kids stirred in the back when the car halted on the asphalt.
"We reached?" Madison asked tiredly.
"No, we're grabbing lunch first. Come on, everybody is inside already. Jenny can't wait to see all of you," I answered. They smiled at the prospect of meeting the family and got out of the car. It wasn't difficult to find everybody. My people were at the largest table, making the loudest noise in the place.
A chorus of Hey's greeted us when we walked towards them. I hugged Haley and Nathan before sliding in the booth beside them. Everyone settled into easy conversations, a lot of it being about the wedding. Haley and Millicent had come prepared.
I didn't want a wedding planner for the event. They never fully got your vision and as a designer, I was used to the visuals being absolutely 100% perfect. Hence, I only wanted to rely on myself for it. I had contacts with vendors and things. A wedding was not too different from a glorified fashion show when it came to party planning and decorations. Only the theme changed and of course, it was a big deal for Lucas and I. We were proclaiming our love for each other to the world. We deserved a celebration after everything that we had been through.
The girls and I got trapped quickly into the idea pit for the wedding as all of us got on our phones and began throwing out ideas. It was a little overwhelming. I knew my colours and I had a few details in place like the outfits and jewellery for me, Lucas and our whole bridal party. "Guys, no what we're doing right now is ridiculous. I have a lot of what I want figured out. We're going to drive to the ranch and y'all are going to give me a night. I'm going to get everything that I already have in place sorted and make a list of the things we still need to plan. Once we have the list narrowed, Peyton, Haley and whoever else is helping gets on creativity and ideas and things we might have forgotten. Millie, I need you to solely handle ordering all of it. You have the contacts of all the vendors we use for our shows and parties, you have to get them to send samples and promise to give us what we need on the date we need it."
"CEO Brooke is out everybody! We're going to witness a wedding of a lifetime here!" Haley commented.
"You bet you are!" I joked and dug into the food that I had forgotten had been brought in by the wait staff.
We reached the ranch while the sun was still up high in the sky. It was California Summer day. None of my friends had been to this property as it was a relatively recent buy. Only the kids and I had used it when I had come here for work on the weekend. Peyton had a key to the ranch in case she and her family ever wanted to use it, but with Peyton being pregnant and a mom to a toddler, the opportunity had never presented itself. Maybe it would if Anna took an interest in horseback riding.
"Oh my god, Brooke! This place is gorgeous," my friends said to me once we stepped into the massive gates. The place had an earthiness to it, but it didn't make you feel like you were in the wild west. The place was cream with a brown tiled roof, the front had 4 poles to support the entrance. The landscape was lush green and the pathway was cobbled. The insides were a mix of vintage meets modern. I had paired a large red leather couch with a vintage table. There was a vintage looking table in front but if you clicked the remote, it pulled out a tv system. The kitchen was all wood with an actual pizza oven. The back of the house had a den and a section had a piano and a few guitars for house parties. Upstairs, there were a series of bedrooms. The backyard had an outdoor cookout place for roasting smores with a couch and some armchairs. A pool and jacuzzi was placed a few feet ahead. There was a stable triangulating the area which had been converted into guest quarters as well. A narrow road emerged between the house and the stable which opened to the massive grounds used for ATV racing and horseback riding. The stables in the back housed the animals as well. We had a few dogs, a cat, some chickens and a beehive in addition to the horses. I had hired help of course to look after the animals and tend to the house and plants.
First everybody picked their rooms. Jamie, Soph and I already had designated ones. I made it clear that Madison was only to bunk with Sophia. Once everyone was settled, Jamie declared that it was too hot, so the teens changed to their sw. He emerged down where Millie and Mouth were stocking food we had brought with us in the refrigerator. Haley had cranked the AC in the living room and was sitting by herself in the corner with the guitar. I saw everyone from the upstairs bannister. It made me smile. Lucas was taking a nap. Jude and Lydia were putting on their floaties with Nathan's help so they could hang out with their super cool teenage cousins. Nathan was on watch duty and Peyton and Jake were tending to a hysterical Anna.
I took a round of the house and watched everybody, asked them if they needed anything like a good hostess, brought out towels from the pool house for the teens as they seemed to have forgotten. I spotted some pool floats and enlisted the help of one of the house upkeep staff to inflate them for us.
I also inflated some balls and asked the staff to put on the detachable volleyball net in the middle of the pool. The kids were goofing around, so they didn't care for organised sports but I wanted it to be ready for them just in case. Once I was certain that everybody was having a good time, I went to the study on the ground floor and locked myself in there. I went through the dresses and the jewellery designs, making a few trivial miniscule adjustments to them. Next I ran the events through my head, listing down everything I saw - Food, Flowers, decorations, chairs, rings, anything I could think of. I went through our fashion show checklist and added some more details like gift bags, seating charts, room allocations. It really wasn't all that different. We had to handle hotels and flights and commute of the attendees of my fashion show, just like the wedding. I went online and began researching other checklists. I needed to pick a cake, a menu, handkerchiefs, and cutlery. It was a big project. Once I seemed to have a list, I began to research. My colours were all earthy. Brooke Davis' signature colour after all was Red. I imagined what I wanted the venue to look like. We had a gazebo in the Hampton house which was big and beautiful. It had a large yard space around it and it was close enough to the ocean to hear the waves crash. I figured that was the perfect spot. I imagined Lucas and I standing there, the place decorated with flowers, our friends seated on chairs to witness the ceremony under a canopy of twinkling fairy lights. We would need a marquee for the reception and the Tennis court could be used to erect that. Once I had the list ready, I emerged out and saw that it was dark outside.
"Hey B, you were really holed up in there," Peyton said to me when she saw me poke my head out of my study.
I blushed and nodded my head, "Yeah, but I got a good amount of work done. I have lists and ideas, I need to get Lucas' opinion about these things and then we're all set! We can start booking things and checking them off the list. Where is everybody?"
"Outdoors. We decided to have a bonfire night. Dinner is outside. We wanted to come and get you but honestly, we were a little too terrified to disturb your flow," Peyton joked. "I just came back inside to grab another bottle of water. Come on, you must be starving." With that, Peyton slung an arm around my shoulder and started to direct me outdoors.
"Hi babe, glad you finally joined us," Lucas said, kissing my cheek when he saw me. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek in return. He handed me a plate of food and I smiled wide. My husband was so adorable.
I sat next to him as the fire raged in front of us. Peyton had brought out the portable speakers and she was playing some mood music. Jake and Haley were in the corner, each with their guitars on their laps, talking music and laughing, their plates of food - forgotten. I liked being surrounded by my friends this way.
"What are you thinking about, Pretty Girl?" Lucas asked me, looking into my eyes.
I turned to face him and smiled, "I was thinking about how grateful I am for this. I had money and success in New York, but that is worth nothing in comparison to this. Having you and the kids around me everyday, being surrounded by our friends, having so many people to lean on, who love you and support you unconditionally truly is a gift."
Lucas leaned ahead, grabbed my chin to tip my face up and gave me a kiss. I smiled, feeling it warm my belly much more than the food on my plate. Almost everybody except me was done with dinner, so Haley and Jake began to sing a duet. We tapped our feet and snapped our fingers to the music, enjoying the backyard concert.
Lucas offered his hand to me and my eyes grew wide. Yet, I felt a flutter in my belly so I accepted his offer. I put my palm in his and both of us took up from our seats. He pulled me close to his body, so close that I could rest my head in the crook of his neck. He held me close while I draped my hands around his neck. We swayed to the voices of Jake and Haley while our friends began to whistle at us. It didn't matter though. I was in heaven. When the song ended, I captured Lucas' lips in a deep kiss. Our friends hooted again at the spectacle and Lucas and I parted with a blush.
"It's cute how mushy you two are," Haley said before her and Jake began the next song. It was a fast track, so everybody got up to dance. We laughed at Nathan because he couldn't dance to save his life.
"Bro, I'm so glad that your kids took after Haley in that department. You should stick to basketball," Lucas said between our dance after watching Nathan dance which honestly made him look like he was constipated. Soon enough, it was time to put the kids to be, so Nathan and Haley took them upstairs. The rest of us collectively cleaned the kitchen and then hung out in the living room. The older kids were outside playing soccer.
The next morning, we all went to the back. Jude and Lydia began screeching when they entered the stables and saw the horses. I smiled, feeling accomplished as an Aunt and Godmother. The stable hands got the horses out and saddled them. While they were doing that, I took the kids to the chicken coop. They were clucking and fluttering. One of the helpers led my dogs to us and they began wagging their tails gleefully upon watching me. I bent down to pet them, talking to them like they were my babies. Jude and Lydia were a little scared by their excitement, but I calmed the dogs down and then told them the right way to pet them. One of the dogs licked Jude's hand and I laughed as he ran to Haley holding his arm out sicily. Haley, the prepared mom, brought out a wetwipe from her bag and wiped his arm. The boys got on the horses first, Jude riding with Nathan. They went around the house slowly at first before giddying up and taking a trail that one of the stable boys was leading them through. Us girls spent some time feeding the animals.
"The views from up there are incredible, Brooke!" Mouth exclaimed once the boys returned from their trail.
"I know, California is a pretty cool place," I smiled. It was now time for the girls to get on. The helpers managed to get everybody up. However, Millie was terrified. She did not trust the horses. I coaxed her to ride with me, promising her that I knew what I was doing. She agreed. Lydia rode with Haley and all of us followed the stable boy for a round. I kept a slow pace as Millie was clutching me tightly. This horse was my favourite horse. Since he was caramel coloured, I had named him Caramel. Sophia and Jamie had got to name their horses too. Soph had a white one named Starburst and Jamie had a mix of black and white that he named Ranger. There was one brown horse whose colour was the exact colour of my natural chocolate locks, so the kids named that horse Penny after Penelope to mock me. One was called Shadow because it was Misty grey and the last white one was Pegasus. Pegasus was the wildest of the bunch, although she had tamed down quite a bit thanks to the efforts of the workers.
Our help and guide showed us plants, birds and animals along the trail. Caramel was a really calm horse and Millie eased up and began to enjoy the trail. Since most of my friends were new riders, we had taken the slow easy path. I on the other hand loved to go on one of the open swift trails at the crack of dawn. I would definitely go the next morning.
By the time we got back, the boys had already taken the ATV's out for a ride. "Girls, can we maybe begin working on Wedding Planning? I showed Lucas everything last night and he loves it, so we can begin!" I asked. A chorus of yesses came my way and we went inside to begin. I connected my laptop to the TV and told them what I had in mind. I had sketched the images in my head, complete with the gazebo and the flowers. The only thing I didn't show them were the dresses. I wanted those to be a surprise for everybody.
"Oh my God, Brooke! This looks gorgeous!" Haley replied, amazed by the scene I had drawn.
"Okay, Item 1 is easy. Hales, will you sing for us for our first dance?" I asked.
"I'd be honoured!" she replied as a single tear slipped from her eyes.
I told her what Lucas and my Song was and she promised to sing it for us. Jamie and Sophia were our best man and maid of honour. Haley, Nathan, Peyton and Jake were our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. Jude was the ring bearer and Lydia was our Flower Girl. Millie began to make calls, calling our party planners and renting the furniture we would need. Next we called the decorators and told them about my vision. We sent the sketch to them and they promised to recreate it. Third were the florists. I sent them an image of the kind of arrangements I wanted as well as flowers I wanted. They promised to go to the location, scout the place and give me what I wanted. Every call had only one common factor, they needed to see the venue once so that they could promise delivery, especially given our close deadline.
"Mills, is there a way to gather everybody and get this done with?" I asked. "We'll have to go soon because we can't do it otherwise? Lucas is giving me his guest list tonight, I still have to make mine and we need to send the invites now!"
"Brooke, let's finish calling everybody right now. These vendors get their biggest business from your parties. They will manage your deadlines. After we call everyone, we will sit and make your guest list. We'll take a print of all the contacts on your phone and my work phone. Then we can simply tick and cross the names out. If you don't have their phone number, they aren't important enough to be called at your wedding. I'll have the final list collated by Calliope. You design the invites like you do for the fashion shows and I'll get them printed, sealed and mailed in two days' time. Then, I can fly down to New York and get the vendor confirmations," Millicent answered steadily.
"No, you're here on vacation too! You should be riding ATVs with Mouth!" I complained.
"I'm here as your friend first and you told me to come prepared for wedding planning. I've kept our party planners on edge for a while. They knew that this event was coming and so have I," she answered.
"You truly are the best!" I said and thanked her. "Okay, what's next?"
We went through everything and made the calls. Millie noted down the info on her laptop to maintain a list of whom she had to contact. She handed me a list of all the people I could invite and gave me a pen to cross out the ones I didn't need to call. Lindsey was the first name I crossed off the list. Then she got busy sending email confirmations with our vendors and checking their feasibility. Since Clothes over Bro's was New York based, most of our parties were held there and I had hosted quite a few of them at the Hamptons house. So, we knew who could come and do it. The biggest factor was the marquee installation and guest stays. Millie looked into the neighbouring properties to rent. The contact list was helpful. I used pink to strike the names, blue for yes and purple for maybes. Once I handed the list back to her, she clipped it in her binder and I went on to design wedding invites. Peyton and Haley were going through the extensive food menu list our caterers had sent. I had already texted my go-to hair and makeup artists so that was sorted. I had sent the designs of my jewellery, the bridesmaids jewellery and Lucas and my wedding bands to the jewellers we were tying up with too. I only had earrings with all the dresses, but they were each bespoke. My shoes and clutch were customised too, although those I had given my friends in the industry to design.
Once the boys returned, I dragged Lucas to sit with us and pick a date to fly to New York for the cake and food tasting. I made Millie print a list of his contacts so he could do what I had and give me a guest list. I showed him the wedding invite I had been working on. I asked him what he wanted to do the Night before and he suggested that we have a Party with a theme. As challenging as it was to plan a wedding, reception and a night before party, that too a theme party, I was up for the challenge. However since the invites were to be sent soon, I pestered him for a theme. The wedding was more on the lines of what I preferred, so I wanted the Night before to be his ultimate fantasy.
"I don't know Brooke. I want it to be a little low on elegance and a little higher on fun," he said.
"Luke!" I grumbled. "I can throw a bloody country western wedding if you tell me to but you need to tell me what you want!" I groaned. He was beginning to get on my nerves.
"That's not a bad idea! Let's do that!" he answered.
"Do what?" I asked, hoping that what I was thinking was untrue.
"Country Western," he replied with a smile.
"You know that I was joking about it, right?" I asked.
"Hey, I like the idea! Cowboys hats and boots! That is low on the elegance and high on the fun! Thanks Brooke!" he said before giving me a quick kiss and getting up.
"What did I just get myself into?" I asked my friends as I continued to stare at Lucas walking and remained like a statue, not wanting to unfreeze. Haley and Peyton slapped their hands to their heads knowing that this wouldn't end well.
"So what do we do now?" Millie asked, unsure what the plan of action was.
"Either we match Brooke's elegance with a Cowboy theme or stop the wedding planning as Lucas isn't going to budge from this now," Haley filled her in.
"I'm stuck with this, aren't I?" I asked.
Peyton pulled my head to rest in the crook of her neck and patted it, mouthing a yes. Cowboys? Really! How was I going to tell Zendaya to come to our party wearing Cowboy fringe? Ugh! I went on the internet and put in the words elegant cowboy wedding. The first few pictures were disastrous and a thing of nightmares, but some of them had the brides in beautiful white dresses with Cowboy boots and white hats. The grooms were in suits with a hat and bolo ties. I could make that work. I checked what was written underneath the picture - Elevated Cowboy.
"I know what to do! First, let me finish the invites. Send me the collated list, Lucas and I will veto out whom we don't want from each other's lists and get the invites to print. I can plan this shindig with Brooke Davis elegance!" I answered.
I showed my friends what I was referring to and we all got to work again to plan that along with the wedding, reception and after party.
"Lucas, let's go over the final guest lists together," I said, entering the game room where he was playing Fooseball with Nathan.
"Good timing Brooke, I was just about to beat his ass!" Nathan commented.
"In your dreams, little brother," he said before walking outside with me. "So, how's the night before planning going? Can I help?"
"You did enough with the theme," I said, rolling my eyes. "We're doing Elevated Cowboy. So there is your country west but it's still sophisticated black tie. The girls can wear gowns and boots and cowboy hats, the boys better ease up on the fringe and none of those spurs on my hardwood floors please! I will make you personally redo my floors if I see them!"
"Yes Ma'am!" he answered before sitting with me.
We ran through the list and weighed our opinions. "Babe, Stella Mcartney, Jimmy Choo, Monique Lhuillier, Reese Witherspoon and the list goes on, along with your employees? Are we really required to call everybody?"
"The designers are friends and its better to be friends than competitors. Monique is hand embroidering my bespoke clutch and Jimmy is making my heels! The celebrities are friends and clients who have been with me since I was a newbie designer and how can you even question my employees and their families. If my mom wasn't walking me down the aisle, it would be Sanjay or Mr. Harvey or Larry!" I complained.
"Brooke, it's too many people," he complained. "I haven't even invited people from my new publishing house."
I huffed but acquiesced. I went through the list again and struck out a few names, but realised that they would feel bad that I invited the others and not them, so I rubbed the strike off. "Sorry Luke, your best bet is that they're busy and RSVP no." I gave Millie the final list and she promised to have the invites sent promptly.
Lucas and I were discussing what we wanted to serve for dinner when Sophia emerged inside the room. She looked distressed. She was wearing only a bikini which was still wet. Her hair was a tangled mess. Her eyes were bloodshot red and she looked like it was taking every ounce of her strength and courage to not crumble.
"Sophia! What's wrong?" I asked and rushed quickly to her side. I looked around in search of a wound but there were none.
"Mom!" she screamed and jumped into my arms, crying hysterically. Her wet bikini was making me wet as well, but that wasn't important right now. I needed to know what had upset my daughter this much.
"Can we please talk alone?" she asked, looking at her father from the corner of her eyes.
Lucas' face turned visibly sour at the mention of that. "Soph, you can talk to both of us about what's wrong. We'll help you."
"Please Dad! I just want to talk to Mom right now," she requested.
Lucas still felt hurt but he left our bedroom and closed the door behind us. Sophia was shaking. I went into my bathroom and got her a few towels. Wrapping her hair and body, I looked at her to see that she was crying.
"Baby, what happened?" I asked. My eyes instantly lay on her flat stomach. Was she? No, no, they had been safe! But so had Lucas and I!
"Mom, Zack cheated on me!" she cried.
"What!" I asked, finding that equally unbelievable.
"I was really missing him and I wanted to do something nice for him. So I called Zayne, his brother to help me out with a surprise. Zack loves the Chocolate Chip Cookies from this place in Florida so I had Zayne get them and surprise Zack with a bag on my behalf. I venmoed him the money and asked him to have me on video call when he gave Zack the bag. Imagine my surprise when he opened the door and I found him in bed, having sex with Allison, his ex-girlfriend from Florida," she said and burst into tears again.
"Oh God! I am so sorry, baby," I said sympathetically, feeling horrible for my daughter.
"I just screamed on the phone and cut the call. He tried calling me a few times but I didn't have the guts to answer any of them," she said while continuing to sob. "I am such an idiot for trusting him!" I pulled her into a hug and let her cry, her snot and tears made the back of my t-shirt wet but it was okay.
"What am I supposed to do, Mom?" she asked.
"Dump his ass! He is a tool for doing that to you! He can't disrespect you that way!" I answered, a little too loudly. I was pissed, alright.
"There's something more, Mom. Uhh… he and I, uhh… God, this is scary," she stuttered. "He and I had sex with each other." she finally blurted out. Although I knew this, hearing the confirmation from her mouth made it all too real and I didn't have to act surprised. It was only then that I realised that I was in denial when Peyton had told me. "We slept together when you and dad were on the fritz and you were suicidal and shit and dad was busy chasing a ghost! Jamie was high somewhere and I was suddenly responsible to take care of everybody. Zack offered me comfort and he was so great with me that I took it and let him sleep with me. We were safe. You don't have to worry. We used a condom and when we got here, I told Aunt Peyton about it who got me on birth control. Don't get mad at Aunt P, I made her promise not to tell you. I have had a period since as well, so you really don't have to worry!"
I looked at her, just stared at her. My child, the one I was entrusted to protect. "I am sorry that I was such a bad mother that you had to find other avenues for comfort. I never ever meant for that to happen. I understand that dynamic all too well and I wouldn't wish that on even Lindsey. I am so sorry that I did that to you. I am so sorry that Zack broke your heart and I am so sorry that there isn't much I can do to help you in this situation." I kissed her forehead with love.
"What am I going to do now?" she asked.
"You're going to call him up, listen to what he has to say. Then you're going to dump his naked ass and then we're going to eat a tonne of ice cream," I said.
"Do I have to call him?" she asked.
"I hate leaving anything unfinished. This closes a chapter and gets you to flip the page. Trust me, it is important to break relationships with some level of closure," I advised.
"Are you upset with me for losing my virginity or not telling you about it even though you told me to tell you if I was headed in that direction?" she asked timidly.
"No, I understand. I didn't exactly make it easy for you to talk to me. I'm really truly sorry, Princess," I apologised.
"I love you so much, Mom!" she said and hugged me tight, almost getting on my lap.
"I love you too! Now, let's get you some clothes," I answered and walked into my closet to give her something of mine to wear. She was grateful as she stripped out of the bikini that was sticking to her body and put on my sweats.
"Can you be here with me while I call Zack?" she requested.
"Of course," I replied.
"Also, please please can you not tell Dad?" she begged.
"Oh, your dad can never know!" I answered, finding it hysterical that she had to request me about it. "I'll tell him that you and Zack broke up, but for the rest of it, my lips are sealed."
She thanked me and grabbed her phone. I saw her hands shiver as she called him. She put the phone on speaker and let it ring. He picked up on the second ring.
"Sophia! Thank God you called back," he replied, sounding relieved. Sophia had already begun crying again after hearing his voice. "Please don't cry! I am so sorry! It was a mistake! You're the one for me! I am so so sorry! I wasn't thinking. It just happened." Sophia's sobs became even more frantic just like Zack's excuses.
"Goodbye Zack. Don't ever call me again. We're over," she replied and cut the call. She stared at me as her face shrivelled up again and the shock left her body and realisation hit her that it was, in fact, truly over.
"I got her to lie in bed with me and I played with her hair like Lucas played with mine to make me fall asleep. She was cuddled to my side like a baby monkey. Eventually her sobs stopped and her breath evened out. She was asleep. I tucked the covers and put her bikini and towels in the hamper for a wash. I emerged out to find Lucas clutching the railing outside the door, looking at the living room.
"Hey, how is she? What happened?" he asked. That was Lucas' little girl, his most precious treasure. Of course he was pacing outside our door.
"She and Zack broke up. Zack kissed his ex-girlfriend Allison in Florida. It's her first love and first breakup, so she was really upset. She wanted to ask me for advice on what she was supposed to do and if all men were lying cheating dicks!" I fibbed and fabricated.
"What did you tell her?" he asked.
"That all men were in fact, lying cheating dicks," I said, mocking seriousness.
"No! I mean what she is supposed to do!" he replied with irritation in his voice.
"I made her call him and dump his ass," I answered, challenging him that he didn't expect better.
"I want to punch that boy right now! How could he kiss my daughter and then even think about kissing another girl! How could he hurt my little girl!?" he screamed, needing justice. If only he knew what else had happened. He would personally fly to Florida to castrate the boy.
"How is she? Does she need anything?" he asked.
"No, the crying wore her out. She fell asleep. Just keep the fridge stocked with ice cream. When she wakes up, she's not going to feel like doing anything but it's important that she keeps herself busy with some activity or the other so she has distractions and isn't spending all her time thinking about him. Try suggesting things to do with her. I'll take her horseback riding early in the morning on the high trails. That fresh morning breeze on your face, the speed of the horse, it will do her good," I said.
"And wedding planning?" he asked.
"Sophia and Jamie first, always!" I said. "But she is asleep right now, so do you want our flowers embroidered on our handkerchiefs or our initials or something else that defines us?" I asked him.
He laughed and shook his head, "Come on, you can show me how it's supposed to look and I'll give you my opinions."
Sophia woke up around dinner time and came down looking for me. The girls and I were busy making seating charts for my rather star-studded affair. I didn't bother asking her how she felt. It was obvious that she would feel like shit. So, I began asking her opinions on who should sit where. Before we knew it, all of us were deep into it and Sophia was positively distracted.
At night, I heard a knock on the door. I stirred and walked to open the door. "Hey bug, what's wrong? Madison snuck into Jamie's room. Don't freak out. They aren't sleeping together, I promise. So, please don't rat me out. I was feeling lonely, can I sleep with you and Dad or am I interrupting something in which case I'm going back!"
"No, you're not interrupting anything. Your dad passed out after all the wedding prep. I'm quite certain, this is how it's going to be until our wedding night," I joked. "Come, climb in bed."
She got in and I leaned facing her. I kissed her cheek and closed my eyes to go back to sleep.
"Mom?" she asked after a few minutes.
"Hmm?" I responded but still kept my eyes closed.
"Thanks for being so cool about everything. I love you," she said and gave me a hug. I patted her bottom as if she was 3 months old and whispered, " I love you too."
I woke Sophia up at 6 am. She groaned at the intrusion but I was adamant. "Come on, get ready. We're going for a ride. Just you and me."
"Up the High Trail?" she asked, getting excited.
"Yep!" I replied, already in my jeans and t-shirt. I slipped on a cardigan and as she got out of her bed and went to her room to get dressed. I put on some boots and met her outside. We walked to the stables, hand in hand. It was chilly outside, but we liked the cold breeze hitting our faces. Our helper was there, bright and early, but we decided to saddle our own horses. It is only after you learn to take proper care of a horse that you're eligible to ride it, our trainer and stable helper had taught us. We fed them some hay and lettuce before saddling them and bringing them out. I helped Sophia up and then our stable boy helped me get on. Before we knew it, we were riding up the high roads at a fast speed, feeling the cold air slap our faces and fill our lungs.
I looked at Sophia and she was smiling too. I felt so alive at that moment. I felt happy. Not everything was perfect, but everything was good. And good was enough.
We reached the peak of the trail and got stopped to see a magical sunrise. I looked at Sophia, she seemed content. She and Jamie and Lucas were my suns. Their love my sunshine. I was blooming in their love and it felt pretty dang amazing!
