Lucas couldn't take his eyes off his phone. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Haley's stern voice. "Would you stop staring at your phone? She's not going to call and cancel last minute. You all have been preparing for this moment for the last two months. You earned the right to spend the time with your son without supervision. And it's the perfect time since it's your birthday this weekend."
Lucas let out a heavy sigh. Haley was right. It had been a fun summer getting to know not only his son, but Brooke's family and friends. It was clear everyone in her circle really loved Ethan, and they were protective of him. Most of them were willing to welcome Lucas and get to know him except for Victoria. Lucas was grateful she was never one who supervised the visits. He really didn't want her to ruin his time with Ethan with her criticism.
"You have nothing to worry about," Haley assured him. "I have seen the way you are with him, and you are going to do great."
Once Nathan and Haley were able to move in their new house and get settled, they were able to meet their nephew for the first time. There was an instant bond between the three of them, and Ethan was thrilled to have another aunt and uncle in the family. Although, he was a little disappointed that he still didn't have any cousins to play with.
"Thanks, Hales. I hope so because I would hate to mess it up on the first try," Lucas said.
Haley gave him a look. "How are you going to mess it up? You already know what your plans are. You are taking him to the library for story time, and let him check out as many books as he wants. And I'm sure he will want ice cream for dessert."
"I think you're forgetting that I'm going to have him the whole weekend," Lucas said. "I know Saturday afternoon is my birthday party, and I'm grateful she has given me permission to let me take him to the party. But it still means I'm going to have to find some way to entertain him for the rest of the weekend, especially if he doesn't want to go to the library."
Haley laughed. "It certainly wouldn't surprise me if he has had enough books to read. Maybe your mom and Keith will have suggestions. After all, they are the experts." She nudged Lucas. "Speaking of Keith and Karen, they're here."
Lucas followed her eyes towards the entryway next to the security line. He gave them a wide smile as they noticed each other. He and Haley got up from their seats as Keith and Karen made their way through the crowd. They approached the two and embraced them in tight hugs.
"I'm so glad you're here. You don't have to stay the whole week though," Lucas said as he pulled away from his mom and took his turn with Keith. "I'm sure you have interviews to do."
Karen gave him a wide smile. "Are you kidding? I'm not going to pass this opportunity to meet my grandson."
"Besides, Mouth's wedding is next weekend, and we have accepted the invitation," Keith said.
Lucas had almost forgotten about Mouth's wedding. "Well, the feeling is mutual. I told Ethan all about his grandparents, and he's very excited to meet you tomorrow. Just to let you know, he's expecting presents."
Everyone laughed as they headed towards the baggage claim. Lucas proudly showed off photos of him and his son. He had a story with every photo. He didn't stop talking about Ethan the entire time as they left the airport and they headed into town.
They quickly dropped off the suitcases at Nathan's and Haley's house before they headed to Tree Hill Café for breakfast. When they walked into the café, they were able to find an empty table. They were handed menus before there were suggestions thrown around. After a few minutes, everyone was ready and Lucas went up to the counter.
"Good morning, Lucas," Shelley said as she glanced at his party. "Brooke told me that your parents were coming to town."
Lucas nodded. "I assure you that they are just here for a visit. They aren't here to interview Brooke for my mother's talk show."
"Good because you won't only suffer the wrath of Brooke, but you're going to have to deal with me too," Shelley said as she placed her hand over her bulging bump. "I don't care if I'm pregnant or not. I'm not going to let anyone hurt my friend or my daughter's best friend."
It took several coffee visits before Shelley was comfortable enough to tell Lucas about her friendship with Brooke. They had been close friends since high school and lost contact after graduation. They were able to reconnect when they found out they were in the same Lamaze class and their due dates were with days of each other. Ethan and Zoe were born three days apart, and they had been best friends ever since.
It was only then Lucas made the connection between Shelley's daughter and Ethan's best friend. The little boy had spent hours telling him about his best friend Zoe. He didn't care if she was a girl nor he was afraid of getting cooties. He was just happy to have a best friend.
"I got the warning the first time," Lucas said. "But I still think we should probably wait to fight until after your baby is born. When is your due date again?"
"The baby is supposed to be a New Year's Day baby," Shelley said. "Brooke has already offered to take care of Zoey when the time comes to go to the hospital."
"You two have really looked out for each other, haven't you?" Lucas asked.
Shelley nodded. "Now what can I get for you and your guests?"
Lucas rattled off the requests before he returned to the table.
His mother and uncle couldn't stop smiling at him.
"We can't tell you how proud we are of you to step up and be a father to Ethan," Karen said proudly.
"I have to give credit to Haley," Lucas said as he glanced at his best friend. "She reminded me that I should stop blaming Brooke for what happened in Las Vegas. It was just as my fault as it was hers. As soon as I saw a photo of Ethan, I knew he was my son. And I wanted to get to know him."
"How is Peyton handling all of this?" Karen asked. "We know things were rough in the beginning, but we haven't heard an update about you two in a while. Is everything okay between you two? Is she still in Savannah?"
Lucas let out a heavy sigh. He knew that question was coming. "Yeah, it hasn't been easy with me flying back and forth here to spend time with Ethan. Lindsey wasn't happy with me since she thought it was a distraction from my writing. I was lucky that I managed to finish the final draft of the book within the drama of finding out I had an estranged wife and a son. But I'm hoping it will all change now that I have joint custody of him."
Keith smiled. "That's right. It's your first weekend with him without any supervision. Are you feeling nervous? I remember the first time your mom left me with you overnight. You wouldn't believe how many times she called me to check up on you."
"I think you're exaggerating," Karen defended. "I only called you once or twice. I trusted you with Lucas."
"Hey, I don't blame you," Haley said. "You were a new mom. If I was a new mom and I was leaving my child for the first time, I probably would have done the same thing."
There was no response from Keith or Karen. They knew better than to ask Haley about the kid department. They were willing to wait until Nathan and Haley made an announcement instead of asking them about it every time they would come for a visit.
With his mom and uncle finally there in Tree Hill, Lucas forgot about the possibility of Brooke calling to cancel the weekend. He enjoyed his time with his family as they ate a delicious breakfast. Lucas and Haley then gave Keith and Karen the grand tour of Tree Hill before dropping them off at Nathan's and Haley's house.
Keith and Karen wanted to spend more time with him, but he wanted to go back to his new house and make sure everything was ready for his weekend with Ethan. He had gotten plenty of advice from his mom and uncle to give him ideas of activities he could do with Ethan over the weekend.
It didn't take him long to return to his house. He managed to find a house in the same neighborhood as Nathan and Haley. It had plenty of space for him, Peyton and Ethan including a backyard where Ethan would be able to play.
As the minutes ticked down, the fear of Brooke canceling the plans at the last minute returned. However, his fears disappeared when he heard the doorbell ring. Lucas ran to the door and flung it open.
On his doorstep was a smiling Ethan. Lucas embraced him in a tight hug as Brooke hurried to catch up with her son. They greeted each other as Brooke walked into the foyer. Lucas kept his attention on Ethan as he proudly showed off a painting he had done for him in preschool.
Lucas smiled at Ethan before he glanced at the drawing. "Thank you, buddy. It looks awesome. This will go perfect on the fridge." Ethan led the way to the kitchen and picked out a magnet for the painting.
Lucas helped Ethan put it on the fridge. "Good job. Now do you want to see your bedroom?"
It wasn't the first time Ethan had been to Lucas's house. He had been there before to choose which room he wanted as his bedroom. However, it was the first time he would see his bedroom complete with furniture and toys.
Ethan happily followed Lucas up to the second floor. Brooke was right behind them. When Lucas opened the door, Ethan gasped in surprise. His eyes lit up as he walked into his bedroom. "Mommy, it's a T-Rex!" he exclaimed happily.
Lucas had turned the room into a dinosaur themed bedroom. He even bought a stuffed T-Rex that was sitting on the bed. That caught Ethan's eyes right away.
Lucas smiled proudly. "What do you think? Do you like it?"
"I think he loves it," Brooke said as Ethan jumped on his new bed. She immediately stopped him. "Whoa, buddy. I know you're excited, but I don't want you jumping on your bed."
Ethan made a face, but he did what he was told. He crawled over to the T-Rex and held it tightly to his chest. "Thank you, Daddy."
"You're welcome, buddy," Lucas said. "Why don't you play for a few minutes?" he asked. Ethan hurried to check out his toys before Lucas finished his sentence. "I'm going to have my hands full with him, aren't I?"
"He has been very excited to spend your birthday weekend with you," Brooke said as she pulled out a piece of paper from her purse. "Here is everything you need to know to take care of him for the weekend." Lucas opened his mouth to protest, but Brooke didn't let him interrupt. "It wasn't my idea."
Lucas knew exactly who she meant. "Victoria?"
Brooke nodded. "It has nothing to do with you," she said. "She makes that list for anyone new who is going to be watching Ethan for the first time. I don't think it's necessary, but my mother is very overprotective of her grandson. All you need to know on there is the emergency numbers and his bedtime routine." Brooke glanced around the room. "Oh good. You already have a nightlight for him."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't going to let him sleep in the dark. And I will make sure he doesn't stay up too late." There was no response from Brooke. He gave her a comforting smile. "Look, I understand you're nervous about leaving him with me, and you can take all the time you need to say goodbye to him. But don't worry about him. I can handle it."
"It's okay, Momma. Daddy will take good care of me," Ethan said as he returned to his parents.
Brooke embraced him in a tight hug. "You're my brave little boy." She gave him a kiss. "Be good." The sweet moment was interrupted by a noise. Brooke pulled her phone out of her purse. "I have to go." She turned back to Lucas. "Please call me if you have any trouble. Day or night. I'm only a phone call away."
"I will," Lucas promised. "I have your number. If I can't reach you, I have Julian's number. And you're welcome to stop by my birthday party tomorrow. I know my parents will be here, but you don't have to stay long."
Brooke smiled. "That's very nice of you, but I don't think I'll be able to make it. Millie's and Mouth's wedding is next weekend, and there's still a lot to do before then including Millie's bachelorette party. In fact, I need to go to do my maid-of-honor duties now."
"Matron of honor," Ethan corrected.
His parents laughed as Brooke gave him another kiss. She embraced him in another hug. "I love you."
"I love you too, Momma," Ethan said.
Lucas and Ethan, still clutching the dinosaur, walked Brooke to the door. They waved goodbye as she headed back to her car. They watched her as she left the driveway before Lucas finally closed the door. He set Ethan down on the ground before he closed the door.
Lucas put Victoria's list in the kitchen before he turned to Ethan. "Alright. Are you ready for a fun weekend?" he asked. Ethan eagerly nodded his head. "Then let's go unpack your stuff and then we can get started."