"Well well well, the prodigal son has returned," the man said with a creepy smile.
"Hello Dan," Lucas replied.
"What brings you here and who is this guy?" Dan asked with a sinister smile on his lips. He hadn't had any visitors in the four years he had spent in jail. This was definitely new for him.
"I am Mr. Andrews, Mr. Scott's Attorney. We are here because we need you to sign this particular document," the Lawyer replied and opened his briefcase to pull out an envelope and a pen.
Dan smiled again as he pulled the documents towards him and began scanning the contents. "This is an affidavit that states that you were not involved in Mr. Scott's life and had no part to play in his upbringing financially or otherwise," Mr. Andrews explained.
"Why should I sign these?" Dan asked coyly. He was in the mood for games. Who knew when he would get visitors again, if he even would. He missed the outside world.
"Because it's the truth!" Lucas screamt and slapped his hand against the table, startling Dan and the Lawyer.
"Okay, I will sign these on one condition," Dan said.
"What do you want?" Lucas asked, ready to give him anything at that point.
"You tell me exactly why you need me to sign this Affidavit," Dan replied. He shrugged his shoulders, made an innocent face and put the pen down, tapping his fingers on the table as he waited for Lucas to reply.
"No, you don't get to ask that. You don't get answers. You don't deserve answers! You took away the only man who I have ever known to be a father. You haven't been a father to me for even a day. This is the truth, and you are going to sign it," Lucas demanded.
"And I agree with everything that you just said. You are right, but that still doesn't explain why you need a legal document to prove it. You tell me why and I will sign the papers, it's that simple," Dan replied.
Lucas was angry. He was frustrated. He wanted to pull his hair apart and asphyxiate Dan with his bare hands. Dan was enjoying himself and the reactions that he was receiving from his son.
"How is my other son, by the way, and that wife of his? Are they still married?" he asked instead.
"You're dead to them," Lucas replied all too quickly.
"We get cable here. I heard the news that my son got drafted in the NBA to play for the Bobcats. He is going to start this season," Dan said proudly.
"I am not here to make small talk, Dan! I have never asked you for a single thing in my life until this day. This is the first and only time that I am asking you for something, so can you just this once be a decent human being and sign the damn papers?" Lucas asked.
"I think I am being very reasonable, Lucas. All I am asking is that you tell me why you need legal proof that I didn't claim you?" he stuck to his stance. He was calm, deadly calm.
"Okay, fine. I am adopting a child and the adoption agency was asking Mom questions about you and although you didn't contribute a concern or a cent to my life, you have always found ways to jeopardise it. This affidavit is a precautionary measure for that, and if the adoption agency calls, you are going to tell them exactly the same thing - that you had no part to play in my life," Lucas finally admitted.
"Wow, I did not see that coming. Are you married? Are you and Peyton having trouble conceiving?" he asked.
"No, you don't get the details. You told me that you would sign it if I told you what I needed the affidavit for. You got your answers, Dan. Now, it's time to hold your end of the bargain," Lucas replied.
Dan was impressed. He smirked and picked up the pen, admiring Lucas' tenacity. He scribbled his name on the papers and passed them to the lawyer who was patiently sitting at his spot. Mr. Andrews put the papers back in his file and inside his briefcase and the two of them began to make their way out.
"Tell my son that I said hello and apparently both my daughters-in-law. I would love to meet the kid that you're adopting once I'm out of prison," Dan remarked. Lucas couldn't help himself. He flung back towards the chair where Dan was sitting and grabbed his collar. "Hey! You stay the hell away from my family!" By then, the guards had already arrived to break the fight and were pushing Lucas out.
"Is this enough?" Lucas asked his lawyer once they were out of the prison.
"Yes, it is. I will get this attested by the Court and then you can submit this to the adoption agency," he replied. Lucas shook his hand to thank him once again and they walked to their cars.
He sat in the car and sighed. Dan had sucked every bit of energy he had inside him.
"Come on people! We still have to pick up Liz and then go to Karen's hotel!" Sam screamt as she stood near the door of their tiny apartment. She tapped her foot impatiently while Brooke was tearing through the apartment looking for her house keys. Jamie was putting on his shoes and it was too early in the morning for there to be so much chaos.
When Sam realised that things were not quickening, she huffed and went ahead to help. She opened the fridge door and moved some things around until she located the missing keys. Dropping them in Brooke's hand, she sighed and kneeled in front of Jamie, tying his shoelaces for him. "Can't you two do anything without me?" she asked sarcastically.
Brooke laughed before opening the door and ushering her kids out of the apartment. "Are you excited for Six Flags, Jimmy Jam?" Brooke asked him excitedly once they had moved out of the shady neighbourhood and into the subway.
Jamie shrugged his shoulders but his eyes didn't light up the way she expected them to. "Hey baby, what's wrong?" Brooke asked.
"Dad was supposed to come with us! He just left suddenly to go back to Tree Hill. He didn't even say when he was coming back," the toddler whined.
"Jamie, come on. You know that he had to go to deal with an emergency. He is there so that we can move there with him soon. He wishes to be here with you too," Brooke replied.
"But what is he doing there?" he asked yet another time.
Brooke wished she had an answer to his question, but she didn't. "I'm sorry, little man, but I don't know. Now come on! It will still be fun, you have me and Sammy and Grandma Karen," she said in an attempt to appease him.
"Yeah, but it's not the same," he sighed. Brooke felt sorry, but she didn't know what wild goose Lucas was chasing in Tree Hill and how he planned on remedying the situation. All she could do was hope that he would figure a way out. They hadn't told Sam what was going on. They collectively agreed that it would only scare the teen who was known to act out in irrational ways. So, Lucas had an emergency regarding Tric that he needed to fix and that was why he was in Tree Hill.
The three of them reached Liz's house and she was waiting for them under her building. Sam's face brightened on seeing her friend. She was so excited to be able to do something fun with her best friend.
"Hey Liz, are you excited?" Brooke asked her.
"Yes, I am Mrs. Wheeler," she replied. Liz knew her as Norma Wheeler, Sam's foster mother. Uh oh, she would have to ask Karen to lie and call her Norma all day. Brooke cringed upon even thinking about that. Sam seemed to be thinking the same thing as she looked at Brooke apologetically. Brooke reciprocated with a shy smile and a wink.
The party made their way to Karen's hotel and Brooke waited outside, sending Sam to the reception to let Karen know that they were downstairs. Karen must've been ready because she came down pretty quickly.
"Hi Brooke and hello beautiful babies," she greeted happily.
"Brooke?" Liz scrunched her nose quickly.
"Karen never liked the name Norma, so she decided to give her a nickname which is Brooke. She has been calling her Brooke for a really long time, so if you hear it, don't get confused," Sam blurted out while her face was flustered by the lie she was spinning.
Karen was equally confused and so was Jamie. Liz looked at me as if asking me to confirm Sam's bizarre tale. I gave her a fake smile and nodded my head. Liz seemed to be okay with the justification and hailed a cab for them to take to the bus stop.
Liz and Sam sat on the other side and Jamie took the window seat with Brooke and Karen beside him. "What was that about?" Karen asked.
Brooke rolled her eyes and whispered, "Another lie. Everybody in Sam's life thinks that I am Norma, her foster mother. That's the only way I get to go to her school and be there for events and PTA's and things. Sam is technically under the care of Mike and Norma as per State records, so I have a fake ID by her name. They will obviously never show up at her school for her, so it's easy. I just have to be Mrs. Norma Wheeler to her friends."
Karen nodded her head in understanding but also sighed, tired by the smoke and mirror world Brooke had erected that she was slowly piecing together. Brooke could only hope that she never completed the picture, especially the part that involved her dancing naked for the pleasure of strangers.
"Whoa this is so cool!" Sam remarked once they showed their tickets and entered the amusement park.
"Okay, I know that the two of you will want to go on rides on your own, but there are rules. Sam, I want your live location on. If I call you, you answer the call, no wandering out of the property and meet us at 1 pm at the Boardwalk for lunch. Am I understood?" I lay down the law.
"Yes Nazi! Have fun with the dweeb, Byeee!" Sam yelled and pulled Liz away.
"Are you ready for Kingda Ka?" Liz asked as the two girls stood in line for the rollercoaster.
"More than ready," Sam said with an air of sassiness.
"This is one of the tallest and fastest rollercoasters in the world," Liz informed Sam. Sam looked up and she had to keep looking up. She shielded her eyes from the sun to see the topmost peak of the coaster. It was high and it was fast. She gulped and felt her stomach lurch as she saw the tiny roller coaster cart slowly make its way up before hurtling down at full speed. She could hear the screams of the riders even from flat ground.
"Liz, the line here is massive. Skull Mountain has half the wait time. Why don't we circle back to this one?" she suggested. Liz shrugged her shoulders in agreement and the girls went on the ride. Meanwhile, Brooke and Karen were doing kiddie rides with Jamie.
"Andy and Lily will get here in three days. Lily is really excited to meet Jamie and play with him. They're born not even a year apart," Karen said with a wide smile. "And Andy said that while he is here, he is going to get your Company incorporated. He keeps marvelling at the designs you sent him. He truly believes that you are a profitable investment, not because you're family."
"Yeah, he was telling me that he and I should take a trip to Tree Hill for a few days and finalise on a factory to mass produce. He asked me to sew a prototype to show them exactly what I wanted the clothes stitched and then they could give us samples. Once we have that, it's all about opening a store," Brooke said with a fake chuckle.
"You should definitely take that trip to Tree Hill with him. The only reason that Tric actually came to be was because Andy helped me with the plans and licences," Karen replied while they waited in line for one of the rides.
"But how? Jamie already missed school and even if I get him to miss some more, what about Sam?" Brooke asked helplessly. Her eyes quickly darted towards her son who was running circles around her and Karen while they waited for the queue to move.
"I'm here," she replied as if it was the most obvious thing. "I won't suggest that you keep Jamie here with me. You can't be that far away from him for the night. He needs you, but Sam can stay with me and Lily at the hotel. For all we know, Lucas might still be in Tree Hill," she sighed. Karen missed her son as much as Jamie missed his dad.
"You have to go and do this Brooke. It's the best thing for all of you," Karen replied. "I'm here to hold down the fort for Sam. If she doesn't want to move out of your house, Lily and I could stay with her at your place too. I could make her some homemade meals and she wouldn't have to pack and lug her things to the hotel," Karen offered.
Brooke's eyes widened. "No! I think Sam really loves hotel living. She gets room service and pool benefits. Plus, it's closer to school so she gets to sleep in longer. I am sure that Sam would prefer the hotel," Brooke quickly added it in.
"Oh, alright," Karen replied. The previous round of the ride ended and finally the lines moved ahead for their turn.
"Finally! Come on! Let's go!" Jamie said and sprinted ahead, pulling his mother behind him.
"Are you girls having fun?" Karen asked when they met up for lunch.
"Yeah, we did all the slow rides, now all the fast ones are left," Liz replied excitedly.
"Uhh, Liz, how will we go on the fast ones right after lunch?" Sam asked her.
"No Sam! You complained that the lines were too long so we should go on them after lunch. We'll wait for an hour, but after that we are going on Nitro and Kingda Ka! Wait, are you scared?" Liz asked her with an incredulous expression on her face. "This will be the very first thing that Sammy is afraid of! You weren't even terrified to walk inside the cemetery last Halloween!"
"Wait, what cemetery? What walking, Samatha?" Brooke quipped.
"No, it was just a casual talk about who would be afraid to walk inside the cemetery on Halloween. We definitely didn't do it. Did we, Liz?" Sam replied and widened her eyes towards Liz.
"Oh no! We wouldn't do that Mrs. Wheeler! Who is crazy enough to go to a cemetery at midnight on Halloween. How would we even sneak out?" Liz corroborated.
"Samantha, you better no do anything crazy and both of you, it is okay to be scared of a few things. If you don't want to ride the rollercoaster, it's okay. You could do some rides with Jamie," Brooke replied.
"No, Norma. I am not afraid of a stupid rollercoaster. We'll go after lunch," Sam replied. She was determined but in the bone-headed way. Brooke knew this Sam all too well. She was going to show them that she was truly unafraid, even if it meant that internally she was freaking out.
"An hour after lunch," Brooke laid the rules. "And Sam, I mean it. There is no need for a rebellious showdown of your fearlessness."
"I am not afraid, Norma," Sam said deliberately to annoy Brooke. Brooke knew that it was futile to fight. So she gave up. All she knew was that she was going to be there standing on the ground waiting and watching for the entire duration of the ride.
Once they finished lunch, they played some arcade games to ensure that they didn't hurl their lunches. Jamie had fun because he could play those with Sam and Liz who weren't going as easy on him as his mother and grandma were.
"I wish Dad was here. He would've won me the big prize," Jamie voiced his thoughts.
"Hey, mom can win it for you too!" Brooke whined. She was just as capable as Lucas and Jamie needed to remember that.
"Oooh, Brooke's claws are out!" Sam laughed.
"You call her Brooke too?" Liz asked with confusion.
"Yeah, I mean, it's a far better name than Norma, don't you think?" Sam replied, realising her mistake.
Brooke rolled her eyes and bent towards the boy. "What prize do you want, sweetheart?"
"The elephant," Jamie replied, pointing towards a stuffed plushie.
"Alright," Brooke said. The game was basketball. Lucas would definitely be far better at the game than her. He would win that plushie easily. Yet, she wanted to prove it to Jamie that she was just as good. Also, a part of her wanted to prove it to herself even more that she was just as good. Brooke paid for the ride and steadied her hands as she clasped the ball. She prayed that all those days and all those hours that she had goofed around with Lucas at the high school gym and at the River Court would pay for this moment. She silently berated herself for only trying to entice Lucas into making out with her every time he tried to teach her how to dunk a ball through a stupid hoop.
"Okay, you got this," she whispered to herself and got her hands ready to swing the ball and aim for the hoop.
"You need to spread your feet a little and try this angle," somebody said from the back as he moved Brooke's hands to adjust her aim.
Everyone froze at the sudden sound. Brooke's eyes widened with shock as she turned around to see none other than Lucas Scott standing behind her, super close to her.
"Hey guys," he said with a smile.
"Dad! Dad! You're here!" Jamie screamt and hugged Lucas' legs. Lucas' heart melted and he lifted him up in his arms to give him a proper hug.
"Yes, I'm here. Did you miss me?" he asked. "Hi mom!"
"I am so happy that you could make it here for this day. Jamie was really missing you," she said, her eyes shining with affection for her son.
"So very much!" Jamie replied and hugged him right back. "I was just telling Mama that you would be able to win me that Elephant!" Jamie pointed towards the toy that he wanted.
"Hey, I think that your mom has a better chance of winning that for you. Let her show you," Lucas said. He placed Jamie down and returned to the spot where he was originally standing - right behind Brooke, so close that they were almost touching, that he could hear her breath hitch due to their proximity.
"Ready to be coached this time? Or would you rather make out?" Lucas whispered in Brooke's ears, making her skin erupt with a million goosebumps. She clutched the ball in her hands even more firmly to get her bearings.
"Mmhmm," she whispered back. Jamie was looking at Brooke, but he couldn't hear his Dad coaching his mother.
Lucas placed his hands on the back of Brooke's waist and corrected her stance. He told her to part her feet and concentrate on the black box of the hoop. Tilting her shooting hand with the slightest action, Lucas whispered in her ear again, "Now close your eyes and shoot."
Brooke did just that. She didn't think too much. She willed herself to trust the ball and her coach. Letting the ball fly out of her hands, it swished through the air and passed through the hoop with a clean swoosh. Brooke opened her eyes just in time to see it go!
"Whoa! Mom! You did it!" Jamie yelled as the girl manning the counter handed Jamie the elephant. "Thank you!"
Brooke gave him a smile before turning towards Lucas. She gave him a nod of gratitude, thanking him silently for coaching her and making her look cool in her son's eyes. Lucas reciprocated with a smile to say that what he did was nothing.
"Wow, who knew that your foster parents were so in love with each other and hot too," Liz said to Sam. Obviously she was seeing 'Mike' for the first time.
Sam couldn't help but agree with her. Those two were an explosion of fireworks together. Their chemistry was off the charts. "Yeah, they've got the hots for each other, alright."
"But come on! Time to get Fearless Sam out! It's Rollercoaster time!" Liz said and pulled Sam out of the arcade and towards the ginormous tin structure.
"Sammy, are you sure?" Brooke asked her.
"Yes. But, will you come with us?" she asked. "Lucas too?"
"Sure," both of them replied simultaneously like Siamese twins.
Jamie obviously couldn't go and stayed down with Karen and the young parents joined Sam and Liz in the line. It also gave Brooke the perfect opportunity to discreetly ask the questions that she had been yearning to ask.
"Hey, so uhh, how did it go regarding Tric? Did the work you wanted to do get done?" she asked cryptically.
"Yes, I drew up some legal documents and got the requisite signatures. Once the Court approves them, we can file them and they should clear out the matter," Lucas replied.
Brooke heaved a sigh of relief which drew Sam's attention. "Wait, did you go to Tree Hill because of some hitch in the adoption?" she asked, choking her tears.
"No honey, the work really was regarding Tric. The only reason your mom was worried was because I have listed Tric as one of my major income streams. She was worried about the agency questioning that due to some discrepancy they found, but I went there and smoothed things over. Everything is fine, our finances are clean," Lucas made up.
"Oh, okay," Sam replied and tried to calm herself down from the frenzy she had worked herself up to.
"Don't worry baby girl, we will do everything that we can to have you!" Brooke replied. Sam wondered if everything included actually going through the fake engagement and getting married but she kept her thoughts to herself.
The lines kept progressing ahead and finally, it was their turn. Liz, Brooke and Lucas stepped towards the seats but Sam didn't. She was trembling with fright.
"Sam, are you okay?" Lucas asked, stopping from getting in the car and returning to where the soles of Sam's feet were stuck to the ground.
"Y-yeah," she stuttered. By then Brooke and Liz had also stepped out and gone back to the side, allowing those next in line to take their places.
"We don't have to do this if you're scared, baby girl," Brooke said to her, wanting nothing more than to protect her daughter.
"It just doesn't make sense. I have lived in foster homes my whole life. I have faced the worst of the worst! I can do the scariest of dares without batting an eyelid. Why does a stupid rollercoaster scare me?" she yelled in frustration.
"Yeah, you're right. You are fearless Sam and you are right, you shouldn't be afraid of a rollercoaster," Lucas said. Brooke immediately jumped in to cut him, wanting nothing more than to tell Lucas off, but he raised his hand to silence her. "If you stay afraid of this ride, you are giving this rollercoaster power - power over you and nothing and nobody should have any power over you."
Sam looked at him with a hint of fear in her eyes. She knew that Lucas was right, but it still didn't give her the courage to actually get onto the rollercoaster. Brooke was eyeing Lucas too, not sure where he was going with this.
"Do you want to be able to get on this ride?" Lucas asked Sam who give him a weak nod.
"That's half the battle right there. I tell you what's the easiest way to face your fears? Holding the hands of someone that you trust. Do you trust me, Sam?" he asked her and offered his hand to her.
Sam looked at him for a moment. She really looked hard. Then she weakly placed her tiny hand in his. "You won't let go of my hand?"
"Not even for a moment," Lucas promised her.
"And it is safe?" she asked.
"Yes, it is," he assured her.
Brooke was stunned by the interaction. Lucas had really stepped up for Sam. If she was in his shoes, she would have coddled her and talked her down the stairs, far away from the ride. But Lucas had her facing her fears instead.
When the rollercoaster cars arrived for them to get it, Sam had clutched Lucas' hand in a deathgrip. She was leaning towards him as if his body would protect her from any impact if the coaster crashed. Brooke continued remaining silent and took the seat beside Liz.
The ride began and the car was going at a slow pace as it scaled upwards before the big drop and 360 degree loops. Sam was squinting as she tried to hide behind Lucas' shoulders.
"It's coming! It's coming!" Sam shrieked and dug her nails into Lucas' skin.
"I'm holding your hand, Sampson. It's going to be alright-Aaaaah!" Lucas yelled as the ride caught speed and began to lunge towards the ground. Sam was clutching Lucas' arms and screaming at the top of her lungs.
Everything was happening so quickly that Sam did not have ample of time to react. Soon enough the cars screecheed to a halt and Sam finally opened her eyes and let go of Lucas' hand.
"You did it, Champ! How do you feel?" Lucas asked her proudly.
"Incredible! Exhilarating! I can't believe that I just did that! Thank you so much!" she said and lunged to give him a hug, shocking Brooke, Lucas and herself. As soon as her body made contact with Lucas', warning alarms started blaring inside her mind. Years of foster training and experience had taught her that men were predators and only after one thing. She had to stay away because if she didn't they would say that the girl came on them. She quickly moved away and looked down at the ground, ashamed at herself for her actions.
"Anytime, Champ," Lucas replied and made no effort to move coser to the girl. He had heard enough from Brooke to know what would be playing in Sam's mind.
The little party started walking back to where they had left Jamie and Karen. Sam and Liz walked ahead, followed by Lucas and a baffled Brooke. Did Sam and Lucas just have a moment? She felt a pang of jealousy but then her mind began to see the good. Sam had faced her fear. She was healing from the invisible scars left by her previous foster homes. Sam would never hug anybody, let alone an older man. Lucas could definitely be a broody uncle in Sam's life. She appreciated him.
"By the way, why didn't you ever tell me that Mike was so hot! Sucks that he is absolutely in love with Norma."
"Liz!" Sam chastised her crazy best friend.
"What? Don't you find him attractive? How did you win the lottery to get such young good-looking parents?" she asked. "Jamie is going to grow up to be one good-looking dude."
"I think you left your head up in the clouds during that rollercoaster ride," Sam laughed. They spotted Karen and made their way towards her.
"Did you do it? Did you have fun?" she asked.
"Yeah, I did with Luc- err - with Mike's help. It was a lot of fun!" Sam replied.
Karen gave a confused look but followed it up with a knowing smile, understanding Sam's use of Mike. She was learning so much about their lives, but there was still so much to unearth. Brooke and Sam were still as tight-lipped as ever about their experiences in New York and they were shutting off any attempts Karen made to visit them at their place in the city.
Around closing time, Jamie was spent. Lucas was carrying the toddler in his arms who was dozing in his father's secure and sturdy arms. Sam and Liz were quiet too, the day having tired everybody out.
"Hey, did you have a good day?" Lucas whispered to her, leaning towards her to keep his voice soft.
Brooke looked at him with confusion for a moment before smiling, "Yeah, Jamie got to have a day in the life of a normal kid, do things he sees his friends do. Sam is opening up to people, to trying new things, to facing her fears. Both my kids are so happy, so yes, I will chalk this up to be a great day. I know that it is all only because of you, so thank you Lucas Scott and thank you for making me look cool in Jamie's eyes. I know that you could have won him that elephant facing backwards with your eyes closed and thank you for coming and figuring the Tric stuff. You need to tell me what happened though. How did you handle it? He doesn't know anything, right?"
"You have been pretty discreet about your life, maybe it's my turn to keep you in the dark," Lucas teased her.
"Lucas Eugene Scott, tell me everything or I will pinch you!" Brooke warned him.
"Why are you always so violent, Davis!" Lucas whisper-yelled as Brooke took the tiniest flesh of his arm between her fingers and pinched it hard. "I'm carrying your kid in my arms! You don't want me to drop him."
"No, you're carrying our kid in your arms, so there is no way that you will drop him," she replied with a giggle.
"Who knew an amusement park could get your spirits up? These were probably the first five seconds since I met you that you haven't donned a serious look on your face," Lucas remarked.
"It's not the park, Broody Boy," she replied and silently thought to herself, 'It's You.'
The way Lucas had stepped up to be Sam's father and the way he had run to Tree Hill and dealt with his father to ensure that Sam was taken care of had Brooke's head spinning. Plus, he made Jamie so happy by surprising him at Six Flags. Both her kids were thriving so much with his presence. They would in Tree Hill too.
Just then an ominous thought entered Brooke's mind. It would hurt them twice as hard once Peyton was back and Lucas was giving all his time and energy and attention and affection to her. She felt her stomach drop. Why were the good things so temporary? She got the grim serious look back.
"Darn, it's gone! It really was too good to be true. But let me tell you, Happy suits you, Brooke Davis. You always were my Cheery. Oh my God! You have become Broody too!" Lucas mocked her, making Brooke roll her eyes.
"No, I don't brood constantly as if I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I don't sit in corners for hours thinking about the futility of things and whatever other deep and contrite thoughts that run through your brain," Brooke put him in his place.
"Wow, even their banter is cute. Are they this adorable even at home?" Liz asked Sam, who were watching the duo banter with each other as their voices grew louder once they stepped from the serious to the ridiculous in their conversation. "I am so happy that you have them, Sam. It absolutely sucks that getting adopted by them equals leaving New York and moving to a boring town, but they are so great with you and with each other. You deserve getting a happy family of your own."
"Yeah, it truly is great," Sam replied. She had a new hope lingering within her. She wanted to be Lucas' kid too all of a sudden. Yes, Brooke was enough. More than enough, but Brooke with Lucas was fireworks. It was magical and unfortunately too good to be true. However, that was a disappointment Sam could live with.
Once Liz was dropped off with her family, they walked to Karen's hotel. "Thank you so much for today, Karen. It was amazing spending the day with you and watching the kids that happy," Brooke said.
"Oh, I had a blast myself. Although, I am beat. I am going to head upstairs. I hope to see all of you tomorrow?" she asked.
"I have a shift and it's Sunday, so these knuckleheads will wake up late. Maybe Sam can get Jamie to drop by later on and they could start swimming lessons with Lucas?" I suggested.
Sam had a wide smile on her face. A new thing to try, a new fear to face with her pretend dad and Karen. Yes, she loved the idea. "We'll be there!"
"It's settled then," Brooke smiled. She took Jamie from Lucas' arms and whispered to him, "Stay awake. I am going to call you once the kids fall asleep and then you are going to tell me everything that happened in Tree Hill."
Lucas grew stiff but nodded his head. He wasn't sure how Brooke would react to what he had done. He hoped that she didn't take it the wrong way.
Once they were home, Sam quickly changed and got ready for bed while Brooke changed a passed out Jamie into his pyjamas. She tucked him in bed and stroked his cheek lovingly. Once Sam emerged from the bathroom, Brooke waited for her to get into bed herself. She was leaning against the headboard, scrolling on her phone as she saw kids from her class reacting to the stories she had uploaded to her Instagram.
Brooke went towards her and sat on the other corner of the bed. Sam looked up at her and put the phone down. "I am so proud of you for riding that rollercoaster, although not so proud about lying to me about visiting cemeteries in the middle of the night." Sam blushed but kept quiet.
"Thanks for everything, Brooke. Even Liz was saying that you and Lucas are giving me a pretty great life and she is right," Sam said with appreciation.
"It isn't me though. It's all Luke and Karen. I could never give you Six Flags and Swim sessions. I just need you to know that I am all for you having a relationship with Lucas. Seeing you and him at the rollercoaster, you deserve a father figure and he is the best for it. I just have to warn you that don't get heartbroken once Peyton is back in the picture and you start seeing him less. He will always be there for you, I am sure about that. He is still there for me after all those years of me lying, but I need you to know the truth. Jamie is too little to understand and I hope that he is also too little to expect."
Brooke had just warned her about the insecurities Sam was already harbouring. She felt a pang to her heart but she quickly caught her bearings. "Don't worry, I know."
"Sam, no. I am not asking you to shut him out. I am just asking you to not expect anything from him. Enjoy learning how to swim, have water fights, go on fearless adventures, just don't expect the next one to come. I am sorry that I am doing this, it's just…" she replied with a tone of helplessness.
"Yeah, I understand. He is pretending to be my Dad. He isn't going to materialise as one. Got it. I'm really tired, I think I am going to sleep," she said. Sam put her phone away and shifted to lie in bed. Brooke tucked her in and kissed her hair.
"I love you, Samantha," she replied.
Sam didn't look at her but she nodded her head and closed her eyes. Brooke sighed, she knew that she had upset the girl, but better now than a few months later when she was deeply invested in the idea of a relationship there wasn't a good chance of her having.