Hey guys! Sorry for the delays in updating but I have some awesome news to share! I am officially a lawyer! I got the results two days ago. Thank you so much, guys who wished me luck during exam season and waited patiently for me to squeeze in writing time. I'm grateful for your prayers and wishes.
Brooke woke up to a hard jab on her side. She got startled and bolted upright before she remembered where she was.
"This boy really does cartwheels in bed!" she said to herself when she saw her son sleeping beside her. She smiled and pulled the comforter a little higher to ensure that he was snug like a warm bug.
Feeling the need to pee, Brooke stepped out of the covers and in a sleepy haze, she began to walk outside towards the bathroom. A quick yawn escaped her lips as she rubbed her eyelids and walked outside. Suddenly, she let out a whelp as she bumped into something hard and fell onto the floor. Scrambling back to her feet, she saw that she had bumped right into Lucas' hard chest. Oh God, she was wearing no pants! She was only in Lucas' shirt with no pants and she had fallen! What if she had flashed her underwear? Lucas was still standing upright. He bent down and grabbed her hands to help her to her feet. Brooke flushed a deep shade of red as she stood there awkwardly and tugged the t-shirt to make it stretch as low as she could. 'Jessz, relax. You worked as a stripper, you took his virginity, he has seen it all,' she thought to herself in an attempt to calm herself down.
"Hi, what are you doing awake at this hour?" she asked instead, pretending that it was all casual and normal, just like she did when she walked up the stage of the strip club.
"I was actually planning to go to the River Court and get some practice. I begin coaching as soon as we get done with Lorelai," Lucas replied and that's when Brooke noticed the basketball in his hand.
"Oh, what time is it even?" she asked.
"Early, about 5:30," he replied.
"Why are you awake?" he asked instead, ignoring Brooke's no pants predicament. Yet, he couldn't help himself and took a few tasteful glances. Brooke's slender legs looked like they went on for days under his old shirt and she looked like she was teasing him.
'No, get your mind out of the gutter' he thought, chastising himself. He had just always loved seeing Brooke in his clothes.
"Jamie kicked me. I was just going to use the bathroom and go back to bed," she said, pointing towards the bathroom door.
"Oh sorry," Lucas replied, stepping to the side to clear the way for Brooke to walk.
Brooke gave him an awkward smile and clambered to the bathroom, locking the door as she looked at her flushed face in the mirror. Boy, that was awkward!
Once she exited, she expected Lucas to have gone but she found him in the kitchen, brewing coffee for himself instead. She stood outside the kitchen and watched for a moment.
"You're stressed about today, aren't you?" she asked, folding her hands at her chest and looking at him sharply.
"Huh?" Lucas asked, now it was his turn to be startled.
"You're really worried about meeting Lorelai," Brooke repeated, more as a statement this time than a question.
"What? No!" he replied, calling Brooke's statement ludicrous. However, Brooke continued to stand where she was and raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "How can you tell?"
"Basketball practice at the crack of dawn…. You do that when you're worried," she replied knowingly. "You did that before the SATs, finals and before big games."
"How did you even know that? I thought I was pretty discreet about it. I don't remember doing that when we were dating," he said because it was the truth. Who would leave the bed when you got to cuddle with Brooke Davis?
"Not when we were together. When I was living here and you returned home, I would hear the shuffling early in the morning and see you. Besides, I was homeless so much here, I slept in my car quite a few times and it was scary so it wasn't like I slept well. I'd park near the River Court and see you. I was too mad at you to come to you considering I couldn't stay with you or Peyton after what both of you did to me. Anyway, that's the past now but try to not stress too much about Lorelai, you have that stress knot poking in your back again like you did when you were stressed in school. The last time it was so prominent to me was when your mom had Lilly and before that when Keith…" she trailed off.
"You used to give me back rubs after Keith to relieve my stress. I remember," he replied.
"Hmm," that was all Brooke could say.
"I mustn't have felt good to sleep on the couch with that pain," Brooke winced empathetically as if she was feeling the pain.
"I won't lie, it wasn't," Lucas replied honestly, as he rubbed his neck to stop the throbbing.
"I could try to relieve the knot like I did back then," Brooke offers.
"No no! I'll be fine. I'm sure some movement will do the trick," he replied courteously.
"Or you could pull it and make it worse with basketball. Besides, I don't like the fact that you're taking on my stress. Lorelai and Sam are supposed to be my knot to detangle, pun intended," she joked. She didn't wait for a reply and walked to the medicine cabinet to get some pain-relieving gel. Returning to the kitchen, she stood behind him.
"Come on, pull your shirt off," she instructed. Lucas did as she asked him to and quickly grabbed the hem to lift the cotton fabric over his head.
Brooke couldn't help but appreciate his toned body. The coaching gig was keeping him in shape although he had to keep it light due to his HCM. She quickly spurted some of the minty gel on her fingers and dexterously rubbed his back where the knot was bothering him. Lucas writhed and danced under her fingers as he ground his teeth through the excruciating pain.
"Why don't you take the bed now and sleep? I'll turn Jamie towards the other side and pray that he doesn't kick you in the gut. I really wonder how Sam manages to sleep next to the guy! I can take the couch," Brooke offered once it was certain that Lucas' pain had subsided significantly. He arched his back to crack it and moved his neck which was definitely less stiffer than what it had been.
"Thanks for this, Brooke," he greeted, genuinely feeling better. She always knew how to instantly make him feel better.
"Hey I mean, if I go pantless, the least you have to do is let go of your shirt," she tried to make a joke but only embarrassed herself more. She mentally kicked herself for saying that and quickly made her way back to the bedroom.
She worked on shifting Jamie to one corner of the bed instead of hogging the entire area and making some space for Lucas. "There you go!" she whispered after she had managed to get Jamie comfortable and facing away from Lucas.
"No, you should take the bed," he answered with chivalry.
"Lucas, I sleep on a couch every day and it is lumpier and stiffer and harder than the one you've got here. I've got the practice, trust me, I'll be fine. Let me just attempt at tying those pants to my waist again in case your mother wakes up," Brooke said to him as she grabbed the sweats lying on the floor and walked out of the room without waiting for a reply from him.
Since Lucas felt so relaxed after his massage, he was actually drowsy and had no strength to argue with Brooke. He let her do what she wanted and got under the covers beside Jamie. He sat for a moment and watched his son sleeping. His son. It still felt so strange at times when for a moment his brain would forget and suddenly he would remember and he'd feel all the butterfly flutters all over again! It felt marvellous. Lucas left a soft feather kiss on his chubby cheeks and smiled. Even his kicks would be priceless and if he was being completely honest, he wanted to get the experience of the kick too!
Lucas awoke later in the morning to someone shaking him fervently. He opened his eyes and saw the same baby blues staring back at him.
"Oh hi Jamie, what time is it?" Lucas asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"I don't know. I can't read time," Jamie shrugged. "Where's Mama?"
"She must be right outside. Let's go see her," Lucas said before shuffling out of bed and collecting Jamie in his arms. He carried him out and saw his mother in the doorway giving him a stern look.
"Why is she sleeping on the couch instead of you?" Karen asked a little rudely.
"I was sleeping out but the couch is too small to fit me and we were both awake early in the morning. I was planning to go to the River Court but she traded places with me instead," Lucas rambled sleepily while placing Jamie down. The boy spotted his toy basketball and got busy dribbling it around the house allowing the two adults to talk. "All Brooke had was a couch to sleep on out there and at times before, she didn't even have that."
Karen sighed and handed Lucas a cup of steaming coffee as the pair walked into the kitchen and settled at the table. "It's so strange to see her like this. I remember when she lived with me and the amount that girl could spend in a week. She used to take advances from me all the time to go shopping without a concern about working to earn it. I find it really hard to believe that this is the same girl."
"Yeah, you don't even know half of it yet, maa. I'm just glad that we found her. Now, if things with Lorelai go well, she can put New York behind her once and for all," Lucas spoke his thoughts out loud.
"I'm really proud of you for stepping up the way that you are. You truly are doing good by her and Jamie and I know Brooke is grateful to have you too. It takes a village to raise a kid. I only managed because I had Keith by my side every single day," Karen praised him.
"Brooke has Sam to help. I'm not really sure what I'm doing. Of course, having a sister is not the same as having a dad, but they were managing fine without me," Lucas said, allowing his insecurities to surface.
"Hey, all of them are better off because you're in the picture and you know it. I don't know what was going on in New York but the way both of you talk about it ominously, it had to have been pretty bad. Brooke would be living without her friends, without any support with the fear of never getting Sam had it not been for you. She may not say how grateful she is but know that she definitely feels it. She must feel guarded about having to share Jamie with you. I know just how protective I was about you. Being a single mom can do that. Just give her time and she will open up at her time. Believe me," Karen advised.
"I wish you could move here. I could really use your help and advice," Lucas said, missing his mother tremendously.
"I'm only a phone call away and I will keep flying down. Besides, I'm here right now!" Karen replied and hugged Lucas tightly.
Soon, Brooke emerged into the kitchen while holding Jamie's hand. She was floating and tripping all over Lucas' baggy clothes.
"Good Morning Brooke. Looks like the little monkey woke you up," Karen greeted as she plated up breakfast for everybody.
"What smells so good!" Brooke marvelled as she inhaled the aroma of freshly cooked breakfast.
Karen chuckled and placed plates stacked with pancakes in front of each of them. Brooke and Jamie smiled as they said a little prayer and dug in.
"I didn't know you were religious, Brooke," Karen remarked. She had seen her do it before every meal.
"I don't know if I would call myself religious. I'm more grateful. When you have starved while pregnant and don't know what you're going to do or how long you're going to have to go without food and when you're so crunched and your child is hungry so you give them whatever little you had kept as your share… when a stack of pancakes presents itself, I like to thank God and not take it for granted." Brooke remarked. Jamie picks it up from me, so now it's a little ritual to say thanks before eating.
Both Karen and Lucas squirmed after hearing Brooke's confession. They would never be okay hearing about what Brooke had had to endure even if they had heard the tale before.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys uncomfortable. I just wanted to say that I'm grateful for the food and kindness that you two have offered me," Brooke said, reading their grim expressions.
"You're family, Brooke. We are always going to be here for you," Karen said but Brooke didn't believe her. Her parents were family too, weren't they? They were supposed to be there for her too and they hadn't so much as tried to check once whether she was dead or alive. Yet, she kept her thoughts to herself.
Once they had eaten, Lucas quickly got dressed for the day and then drove Brooke and Jamie to her home so that they could get dressed too. Haley, Nathan and Karen wanted to spend time with Jamie so they were all babysitting him while Brooke and Lucas would go meet Lorelai.
Brooke got dressed in the best outfit she had. The fabric was cheap, but it was stitched well enough to not look like it. Then she pulled out Lucas' engagement ring from the box she had secured in a locked drawer of her cupboard and slipped it on. She flexed her fingers a few times to acclimate to feeling the metal band there and pretend like she was used to having it around her fingers.
Once Brooke was ready, she walked into Jamie's room and Lucas had managed to get him ready for the day. He was in a blue and white striped t-shirt and navy blue shorts. The clothes brought out the colour of his eyes. Brooke smiled watching her boy. He was worth every struggle, there was no doubt about it.
"Hey little man, are you ready for your big family day?" Brooke asked him, giving him a big kiss on his blonde hair.
"Yes! You look really pretty mama!" Jamie replied and tried to get his hair back in place that his mother had messed up.
"Thanks, baby! You do too. Now, remember to be good, okay," she coached him as they went downstairs to leave.
Jamie rolled his eyes the same way Brooke did and picked up his basketball while following his parents downstairs. The couple dropped Jamie at Nathan and Haley's and drove off to the social worker's office. Karen was going to go over to Haley's directly.
Once they were at the office, Lorelai greeted them warmly. "It's so great to finally meet both of you. I also want to commend both of you for agreeing to do such a noble act. These kids need good homes, support, and structure. There is going to be a tonne of paperwork and scrutiny and although I will try my best to expedite matters, it can be a long and cumbersome process. Don't worry, we are on your team though and we will do our best to get you prepared and ready to adopt Samantha. Let's first get you started with the paperwork."
With that, Brooke and Lucas were given stacks of forms. They sat in a private room together and laboured over what to write. It asked about their financials and net worths, Brooke did not know what she was supposed to put in there and left it blank. It asked about their medical histories and Lucas felt a pang putting in that he had HCM. When the questions about their families came in, they both struggled. Keith had drawn adoption papers but he had died before the process could go through. He still was Dan Scott's son, the same Dan Scott who was in jail for murder and Brooke knew that her differences with her parents were irreconcilable as well.
"Lucas, I'm officially terrified," Brooke admitted. They hadn't even filled out the part about whether or not they were married, opting to leave that bubble for the end.
"Yeah, me too. It's like giving a surprise pop quiz for a subject you never took," Lucas replied, sharing her feelings. "What do we write for the reason we want to adopt?"
"We love her and care for her and want to keep her safe, give her a real home. We want her to know that she is capable of being loved and we want her to know that she is our family forever - that she is irreplaceable," Brooke spoke honestly. "At least that part of our Application is the complete truth. They will let me adopt her right?"
"Yes, of course. Nobody cares about Sam more than you do and they can see that too! It's obvious to everybody how much you genuinely love that girl," Lucas encouraged her.
"Thank you. You did always have a way with words. You always knew exactly what to say to me when I needed to hear something," Brooke said, allowing a crack in her armour.
"Oh please don't bring up the embarrassing speech I gave in that storm during a blackout," Lucas said, rubbing his face to hide his embarrassment.
"No, actually I was remembering the time you helped me with my speech Student Council President. You gave me John F Kennedy's speech which was all about courage. I expected people to vote for me because I was pretty and popular but you said people would believe that I was more than just a pretty body, that I could be courageous. You said that everything I needed to say was already in my heart. You have no idea how much those words helped me in the last three years. I needed the reminder sometimes that I had more worth than just a pretty body. Things were as intense as they would ever be and I needed all the courage I could muster to go with the motions," she admitted, leaving Lucas flabbergasted. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to find the right reply, but what was he supposed to say?
Brooke didn't wait for him to say anything and shifted her attention back to the forms. Once they had filled them all out, she checked them twice to ensure that their stories matched and that they hadn't left any room for them to question them or their intentions.
They called Lorelai and scrutinised their forms. They saw her go through the applications and mark things. She asked for clarity regarding some matters which the two provided.
"Uhh, Lorelai, how long do you think it will be until we can get Sam down here?" Brooke asked boldly just as they were about to leave the office.
"I love how you're assuming that you're getting her custody but I can't assure you anything. Processing can take time between a few weeks to a couple of months as well. I will call you though once we have verified everything," Lorelai replied with a little bit of smugness for Brooke's taste.
"Umm, Loerlai, I have a few loose ends that I need to wrap up in New York, you know pack and get things ready for the move, pull Jamie out of school and things. Is it okay if I fly down there while the application processes? I'll fly down as soon as you need me," Brooke requested. She didn't want to jeopardise the adoption by making it look like Lucas and she lived apart.
"That's completely fine," she agreed.
"Whew!" Brooke said, clutching her sides and bending down as if she had a stomach ache once she and Lucas had walked out of the adoption office. "Lorelai is scary. Should we call Nancy and ask her to put in a good word?"
"I don't know. I've never been through anything like this. I really don't get it, how do those scums get their foster licences? The system is so warped!" Lucas was at the deep end just like Brooke was.
"Beats me, but I really truly cannot thank you enough for this. I would have never even reached this stage without you," she replied. Lucas came close and enveloped her in a tight embrace, rubbing her back.
"Anything for you, Brooke Davis," he replied.
"So how does it feel being back in Tree Hill after three years?" Lucas asked her as they walked to where their car was parked.
"Strange, surreal, like time had paused and suddenly somebody hit play again. It's so easy to settle back into this life, I thought it would be harder. I guess it will be for the kids though, they've only seen the big city life.
"Is there any place you want to see or go to relive some nostalgia before we head to Nathan and Haley's?" Lucas asked her. "You haven't had a moment to yourself in three years where you got to decide what you wanted to do. Is there anything adult Brooke has yearned for?"
"I have no regrets, truly. I guess some people might let it wear on them, the lack of freedom, privacy, and space, but I don't mind it really. I like my life like this - warm… safe… loved. It's what I wished for, mostly. I wished and prayed for love and I got that with Jamie and Sam and if that means forsaking time, freedom… agency, it's a good bargain," Brooke replied.
Lucas felt a surge of emotions at that moment. 'Wow!' he kept thinking to himself. If he had to have a baby with anybody, he was glad that it was Brooke. She was indomitable and selfless. Lucas drove towards Naley's residence while Brooke left text messages for Sam since she would still be in school. Five minutes later Brooke's phone was ringing and lo and behold, it was Sam.
"Samantha Walker, you're supposed to be in class right now! Where are you?" Brooke chided on the phone.
"In the bathroom at school. I saw your messages and I had to call you so I told the teacher I thought I got my period and ran out. Tell me everything!" Samatha was just as stern on the phone as Brooke was.
"We filled out the paperwork and they said they would start vetting it soon but there is no guarantee on time. We just need to sugar Nancy to try and get her to discreetly try to get Lorelai to speed things up," Brooke answered, knowing that it was futile to get the scared teenager to go back to class. She would just be scared and worried and wouldn't concentrate anyway.
"I'll call Nancy after school," Sam said quickly.
"No honey, after a week. We don't want to annoy them. We literally just stepped out, let the papers hit the stack before you try to get them at the top of the pile," she answered patiently, understanding where Sam was coming from.
"Fine, but did she like you? Did she believe your fake engagement? Lucas didn't blow it, right?" Sam asked warily.
"No, nobody blew it. We have a child together, we dated each other twice. We know how to make it look convincing," Brooke rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry," Sam replied, finally mellowing down.
"I do have some good news, I'm coming home soon. I'll be back on the first flight I get," Brooke said and although Sam didn't say anything, we knew that she was beaming on the phone.
"Damn, I was just getting used to not having to play legos every day," Sam said sarcastically instead.
"Sorry champ, glory days with Liz are over. I'll text you once I have our tickets booked. Now stop worrying and head back to class," she coaxed gently.
"Okay," Sam replied and cut the call.
Lucas on the other hand felt horrid. Brooke was leaving and she would take Jamie with him. He missed all of them tremendously when they weren't around. He didn't even know how long it was going to take for the applications to process meaning he didn't know how long until he got to see Brooke and Jamie again. Hell, he missed Samantha too. He wished there was a way to keep her there longer but he knew that letting her go back to Sam was the right thing to do.
"I'll book tickets for the two of you once we pick up Jamie. You can pack, or leave everything at the house, it is your house and I'm expecting that you will be back very soon," Lucas said demurely.
"Yeah, thanks," she replied, although her reply was bleak at best. She didn't want to go back either. She had quit her jobs and there was no certainty when the paperwork would get approved. What had she done? She should've just taken some sick days. How had she been so foolish to outright quit? Her mind went back to what had led to that decision. Jamie. How she had let him be babysat by two girls who were high. How he deserved better. What would she do if it took months to process? What would she do if her application got rejected? What were her chances of pulling this off? A million to one.
Her mind went back to the day her parents found out that she was pregnant. How she had fought for his life and how easy it had been. How she had vowed to love him and protect him, no matter what. She would do just that. She had to.
"Hey! How did things go with the social worker?" Haley asked as soon as she had opened the door.
"Hey, Haley! Hard to tell. We've put you down as a reference so you better give us a stellar review," Brooke replied with a large fake smile.
"Hi Jimmy Jam, you had a good time with everybody?" Brooke asked once she found Jamie who was playing on a PlayStation 5 with Nathan.
"Mama! Uncle Nathan has PS! I've been beating him at it all day!" Jamie yelled excitedly.
"Yeah, Nathan was so excited to get someone new to play with. He is bored of beating Lucas and Jamie actually beat Nathan fair and square. He was not going easy on him," Haley remarked.
"Hey! I have won many times," Lucas replied, feeling wounded.
"Yeah, how many times have you won since we got the game?" Nathan joked.
"Once, when you were sick and came home last month," Lucas mumbled, making everyone laugh.
"Dad, can you and I play a round?" Jamie requested.
"Yes," he replied and took the controller from Nathan's hand.
"Jamie is so cute. I'm glad Nathan was in Tree Hill for this. Since it's his first time playing in the NBA, he is trying to be as serious and dedicated as he can," Haley shared with Brooke.
"I am really proud of both of you and everything you two have accomplished. I mean Nathan got drafted right out of college, although no surprise there, he practically flies on the court and you… well, no you have been Teacher Girl for the better part of a decade at this point!" Brooke mocked Haley whose eyes widened.
"Well, I'm glad I will have you and Jamie to keep me company while Nathan is away. Ooh, we could take him to NBA games once the matches begin! He will love it so much! He gets to meet the players and boast that his uncle is on the team," Haley dreamed.
"Yeah, he really will love that so much! But I don't know how long it will be before it happens. Application processing can take a while and there is no guarantee that they will approve us. We're actually heading back. We were going to grab Jamie and book tickets for our return," Brooke said.
"Already? No! We just got you back," Haley whined.
"I know, but I need to get back to Sam. It's going to be harder to pull Jamie away now that you have shown him the coveted PS!" she said.
"Stay for lunch though, please. Jamie helped me cook. I must say, Brooke, he is much better than you in the kitchen," Haley mocked her former roommate. "We didn't need to air out the kitchen even once and how many times did we have to do that at the apartment?"
"Speaking of… any idea what that building is up to? Do they still rent out flats?" she asked.
"Gosh, it has been so long since I have thought about that place. But yeah, the building is still standing and I am not completely sure but I'm pretty certain they still rent. It's incredible, isn't it? Nathan got emancipated and started there and now look where he is," Haley smiled.
"Hey, he didn't do any of that alone. The boy didn't even know the meaning of the word emancipation, let alone spell it and do it. You got him here. It may be his shoe contract that paid for the house but he wouldn't have the shoe contract without you," Brooke said.
Haley hugged her tightly, "Man, I really hope they see just how awesome you are and give you Sam quickly so that you can move back home soon!"
"I am praying for the same thing. I appreciate all of you for this. Getting Sam wouldn't have been even a distant dream, let alone a possible reality without all of you guys." Saying that, the two hugged again.
"Woohooo!" They suddenly heard Jamie scream and punch the air happily as he did a winner's dance. Lucas' face, although sour, looked very amused.
"You sure Jamie isn't my kid, Brooke?" Nathan joked and high-fived Jamie. Brooke rolled her eyes, glimpses of the sex tape flitting through her mind. She looked at Haley who was laughing too. She was glad that that wasn't a sore subject anymore.
Karen was the most upset that Brooke was leaving. "How long are you here for, maa?" Lucas asked her as they ate lunch together.
"I spoke to Andy and he said that he and Lilly are fine. I can stay as long as I like and I would like to see everything go through and Brooke return with Jamie. I'd like to see more of my grandchild too," she answered sadly.
It broke Brooke's heart to upset the extremely young grandmother. "I am so sorry Karen but I have to go back."
"Yeah, of course, you have to. I just wish I could see you and Jamie," she sighed.
"Maybe we can go visit her next week?" Lucas suggested but it was directed more towards Brooke than Karen.
She smiled and nodded her head. Brooke knew that it wasn't fair to Karen to keep her away from her grandson and Lucas had every right to fly in to see them. She owed that much to him since she couldn't bring Jamie to Tree Hill, at least not yet. She just had to keep all meetings at the hotel or public settings, strictly away from her dingy apartment. Brooke could manage that. She knew that Karen had deciphered her living situation wasn't ideal. Yet, she wasn't willing to add pictorial context to it.
"You could also meet Sam! You'll love her," Lucas said like a proud dad which made Brooke feel woozy. Yes, he was pretending to love and care for her to the social worker and he knew that Lucas was courteous enough to not ostracise Sam when he came to hang out with Jamie, but that was it. Her mind went to those secret places which were almost like a sin for her to visit.
She imagined being the girl who got the boy and the baby, that the pretence they were weaving was in fact a reality. That she and Lucas would get married and they would get Sam and it would be wonderful and perfect. That she would leave her past behind and yet Marty's words rang in her head like an iron bell. Once you were in that line of work, there was only going deeper and further down towards the bottom with no way back up and out.
She shook her head, needing to remember that none of it was true. She was a stripper, she was a teen mom, she was broke and the boy she loved only ever cared about her best friend. She just wanted to be able to somehow become debt free from Lucas Scott because she did not like that hanging over her head even one bit. Child support was one thing and buying her childhood home was ridiculous. Maybe she would just rent out the apartment to show him how much she disliked his actions.
She had to take this one step at a time. The processing could take months. Why had she listened to Lucas and quit her jobs? What was she going to do once she got back? She knew a girl at the strip club who worked in janitorial services at the hotel, maybe she could ask her if there was someone required part-time and although she didn't want to go to the club, it was never too difficult to get bachelor parties. She just needed to talk to the hotel managers who would hook her up with gigs. Yeah, that would work for now.
They said their final goodbyes and went to Brooke's new house. Lucas booked her a ticket while Brooke packed her and Jamie's belongings. Jamie kept sneaking some of his new toys into their bag and Brooke didn't have it in her to say no to him. So she pretended like she didn't know what her toddler was up to and let him take them. Jamie was humble to have only picked two or three anyway.
She hated the extreme tastes of life that he was getting. Luxurious houses and fancy games in Tree Hill with his dad and uncle and then apartments with no heat, frugal dinners with no shine and lustre in New York. For a moment, she actually considered allowing Jamie to continue living with Lucas and Karen while she waited hopefully in New York with Sam. Yet, the words stuck in her throat and she never offered. She knew that she was being selfish but she simply couldn't. She remembered the story about the two mothers fighting over the kid they claimed to be the son and the King's verdict that the child be cut in half and how the real mom refused and said that the other woman could have her child but he not be hurt. She knew that love meant letting go. She knew that a real mom would want what's best for their child. Every rational thought meant giving up and letting her kid have a good life. But when did rationality ever stand a chance against the gargantuan force of emotions? Certainly not that day. Brooke stayed mum while Lucas drove her and Jamie to the airport.
Jamie hugged and squeezed Lucas in a goodbye hug once it was time for them to start proceeding towards the security checks. Lucas didn't want to let go of his son either but he knew that he had to, for the moment. He would do anything he took to get him into his life full-time, he vowed to himself.
"Umm, goodbye, Lucas. Let me know if you and Karen are really coming to New York," she said awkwardly, refraining from hugging him.
"I will. Also, here," he said, pulling out a piece of paper. It was a cheque. "It's child support. I owe you child support for three years but I know that after the house stunt, you will castrate me if I bring it up. I googled child support laws and the State of New York says that I need to pay you 17% of my income for one child and 25% for two. This is exactly 17% of my income and once my name is on the papers regarding Sam, the amount will increase to 25%."
Brooke was stunned as Lucas lifted her hand for her and put the cheque in her palm. "Lucas!" she said incredulously.
"Look, I know you and I know that the minute you return to New York, you're going to start spiralling and want to return to your deeply shitty jobs. There's also the fact that something happened which you aren't telling me. I don't want that to happen. This is 17% from coaching the Ravens and last month's profit at Tric. Also, Andy will be calling you tomorrow to discuss opening a clothing company again"
"What!" she screamed so loudly that the people surrounding her at the airport stopped to stare at them.
"Now Boarding Flight 1174 to New York," the system blared.
"You should go. We'll talk more tomorrow. Call me the minute you reach home so I know that all of you are safe," Lucas instructed and pushed Brooke and Jamie towards the metal detectors. Brooke turned back to look at him with a forlorn expression on her face as they made their way through security.