Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill
Author's Note: I know it's been a while. Here is Chapter 7 for my loyal readers.
Chapter 7
…I love you pretty girl…
…I need you to trust me, and believe me when I tell you that my heart is with you…
…I'm not the only guy you've ever slept with…
…Being a spiteful bitch and not telling me that I have a son!...
Brooke finally stirred awake. She couldn't stop thinking about Lucas; even in her sleep. She wondered how he could go from being so charming and caring to rude and ruthless. Those four years they spent apart had really done a number on him.
"Good morning mommy." Sebastian greeted her. He crawled up to her and kissed her cheek.
"Good morning Aunt Brooke." Jamie said also.
They were sitting at the foot of her bed, playing cards.
"Good morning guys." She responded back
"Jamie, Sebastian, breakfast is ready." Haley yelled from downstairs.
Brooke smiled as the boys hopped off the bed and ran down the stairs. She was so happy that Sebastian finally had a friend and she was happy to be here with the people she loved the most. She yawned and stretched before she got out of bed. Today was the store opening and she was so excited. She told Millie that she would meet her at the store to make the finishing touches, so Brooke got up and started getting ready.
…
Skills walked onto the river court, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He watched as Lucas attempted to make a shot before he spoke. "What's so important that I had to get my ass out of my warm bed this early in the morning?"
Lucas missed another shot before he looked at Skills. "Thanks for coming; I really need someone to talk to." He couldn't stop thinking about Brooke. Her face burned a hole in his memory and his heart.
"What's up?" Skills asked. He grabbed the ball and made a lay-up.
"I just found out something."
Skills looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Lucas didn't say anything.
Skills threw the ball back to him. "Uh, okay. Can I find out too, so I can go home?"
Lucas dribbled the ball and took another shot before he said, "Brooke had my baby. You still want to go home now?"
Skills raised his eyebrows in confusion. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "Hold up, pump your brakes, put it in reverse, back it up, and park it. What do you mean Brooke had your baby?"
"I mean that Brooke gave birth to my son."
Skills shook his head, trying to make sense of this. "I thought you were with P. Sawyer?"
"I am."
"What the hell Luke, you confusing me. So, when did you and Brooke get it on and poppin'?"
"Four years ago." Lucas said slowly. It just dawned on him that Sebastian is four years old. If Sebastian turns out to be his son, it would mean that he missed the first four years of his kid's life. What kind of father does that, besides Dan? Lucas felt a terrible feeling that rocked him to his core. He was filled with conflicted emotions.
"Damn dawg!" Skills said as he shook his head. "How did you find out?"
"When I got back to town from the book tour, I went to Nate and Hales' house. I'm talking to Haley and Brooke walked into the kitchen. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Then, the kid ran into the kitchen."
"You saw the little shorty? What he look like?" Skills questioned. They were sitting on the bleachers now.
"He kinda looks like me, I guess." Lucas self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. "But he's got Brooke's green eyes and her dimples." He smiled.
"So, what are you gonna do?"
"I honestly don't know. Every time I try to talk to Brooke, I always mess up. We can't even be in the same room together without us arguing."
"That ain't nothing but love, you know that right?" Skills told him.
"I'm with Peyton." Lucas stated.
"So. That don't mean that you don't still love Brooke."
Lucas sighed heavily.
Skills continued, "Think about it. You and Brooke argue and get all worked up because yall still have feelings for each other. Brooke left when we was still in high school right?"
Lucas nodded his head, trying to see where his friend was going with this.
"Yall never got that closure. So when you and her argue, those emotions come pouring out. So, what you need to do is talk to her."
"After our last 'talk' I doubt if she will ever want to speak to me again."
"Why not?" Skills asked.
"I called her a spiteful bitch." Lucas mumbled as he put his head in his hands.
"Aww naw man! You know better than that." Skills scolded him He was completely disappointed.
"I know I shouldn't have said that. I was just so angry at her. She left me without any explanation. And she's been keeping the child I didn't know about, away from me" Lucas tried to explain.
"Brooke made the decision to leave and have the baby. That's understandable. You're mad about that. That's understandable too. But, I don't care how mad and angry you get at her, you should always treat her with respect. You don't go around calling her bitches!"
"I know. And I wish I could take back what I said and how I acted. God, this is not supposed to be like this!" Lucas yelled out in frustration. He just realized something. "And I still haven't told Peyton. She's going to be so mad. And she's going to want me to get a DNA test, and she might break off the engagement…" He started to ramble.
"Uh, no offense Luke, but Peyton don't have nothing to do with this. This is between you and Brooke and little shorty. Man, what's the kid's name? I keep calling him shorty." Skills laughed lightly.
Lucas laughed too. "His name is Sebastian."
"Put all the nonsense aside for a second. Deep down do you think that Sebastian is your son?" Skills asked seriously. He watched as his friend struggled internally with his conscience.
"Honestly, I do."
"Are you gonna man up and take care of him?"
"Of course I am, but I'm scared out of my mind. How am I supposed to take care of him if I don't even know him? He doesn't even know me."
"You have to spend time with him to get to know him. But, you need to apologize to Brooke first." Skills told him. His cell phone started to ring.
"Haley James Scott, what's up baby girl?" Skills answered. Lucas rolled his eyes.
"Okay, cool. I'll be there." He said, and then he hung up. "What was that about?" Skills asked Lucas, referring to the eye roll.
"Haley and I aren't speaking. So, umm anyway, what did she want?"
"She invited me to the Clothes Over Bros opening tonight. Are you going?"
"I haven't decided yet. Brooke may not want me there, so I don't want to ruin her big night." Lucas said.
"Alright, I'm about to get up outta here." Skills said as he stood up.
"Okay, thanks man. I appreciate the talk. Who knew you could be so deep?" Lucas laughed.
"Well, you know I be getting my philosophy on." Skills bragged. They both laughed and bumped fists. After Skills left, Lucas shot around a little more, still thinking about what his friend said.
…
"Everything is perfect!" Brooke exclaimed as she looked around the store. The clothes were on display and her signature pieces were in its own showcases. The hardwood floors were polished to perfection. There was Italian furniture for the enhanced comfort of the guests. The waiters were setting up to serve drinks.
"And these are the mood lights to set the atmosphere." Millie said as she pushed the button. Smooth ambiance color lights slowly blended through the storefront. The lights were cool blues, sultry reds, sandy browns, mellow yellows, fresh greens, picturesque purples, etc. radiating through the room.
Brooke's smile grew even wider, as her eyes lit up from the colors. They weren't too loud or too harsh. "These lights are amazing. They're so calming. They're so settling. They're so-"
"Mediocre." Victoria said, cutting Brooke off. She walked further into the store and observed the rest of the set up. "I didn't fly all the way from New York just to see a stupid light show in a subpar boutique."
Brooke's smile fell from her face and Millie quickly turned the lights off.
Victoria continued. "How do you expect to sell high-end pieces when you're using tawdry furniture and 70's disco lights to attract customers?"
"I swear you have some type of alarm that goes off in your head whenever I'm happy." Brooke said to her mother. "And by the way, my furniture is not tawdry, you're nose job is."
"You're immature, Brooke. This joke of a store will never turn a profit." Victoria said harshly.
"We'll see tonight." Brooke simply responded.
Victoria turned around and walked out of the door, but not before she insulted the wait staff. Brooke sighed deeply.
"Don't doubt yourself boss. You're going to do great." Millie encouraged her.
"Thanks Mill." Brooke really hoped she was right.
…
"I feel like he's being distant." Peyton said. She and Bevin were having lunch.
"What are these crunchy things?" Bevin asked as she picked through her salad.
"Those are croutons. Anyways, Lucas hasn't been returning my calls. We haven't spent any time together since we got back. I just don't understand what's going on with him."
"Ha! Cruuue-tons!" Bevin laughed.
"Really Bevin?" Peyton rolled her eyes.
"Oh, sorry. But, maybe it has something to do with why Skills had to go talk to him this morning."
"What?"
"Skills got up this morning and said Lucas asked him to meet him at the river court."
"You don't think he's getting cold feet, do you?" Peyton asked. She told Bevin about the engagement, so they were having a celebration lunch.
"He should wear socks." Bevin said. Peyton shot her an angry glare. "Just a joke. So, are you going to Brooke's store opening tonight?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Huh?" Peyton was caught off guard.
"Brooke Davis. Our friend. Former cheerleader captain." Bevin explained.
"I know who Brooke is. I just didn't know she was back in town. How long has she been back?"
"A few weeks now." Bevin answered.
Peyton and Brooke's friendship was on bad terms, but Peyton secretly hoped that their conflict faded over the years they were apart. She was sad to know that her best friend was back and she didn't even know about it. Could she still call Brooke her best friend? And she could imagine how Lucas is feeling.
"Lucas!" Peyton thought out loud. She picked her phone up and called him.
"Hey Peyton." Lucas answered.
She was surprised. She thought it would go straight to voicemail. "Hey, I haven't heard from you in a while."
"Yeah, I, umm, sort of been busy." Lucas said nervously. Peyton was silent. "But I miss you though." He quickly said.
Peyton smiled. "I miss you too. What do you have planned for the night?"
"The publishing company wants me to look over a few documents, so I'll be home all night. What about you?"
"I'll be at TRIC recording with the band." She informed him. "But we should do something tomorrow."
"Okay, sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow." Lucas said.
"I love you." Peyton told him.
"Me too." He said, and then he hung up.
Peyton felt disappointed that he didn't say it back. "Come on Bevin."
"Where are we going?" Bevin asked curiously.
"We're going to get ready for the store opening."
Meanwhile
Lucas felt bad for not saying it back when Peyton said she love him, but he couldn't focus on that right now. His main focus right now was finding a nice suit to wear to the Clothes Over Bros opening.
…
Nathan was sitting on the stairs, putting his shoes on when Jamie and Sebastian approached him.
"Daddy who's gonna watch us?" Jamie asked.
"Grandma Deb is going to watch you. And I want you and Sebastian to be on your best behavior." Nathan told them. The boys just looked at him. "Okay, I want you guys to make sure that she's on her best behavior." He laughed. The boys laughed too.
"Okay daddy." Jamie said.
"Okay Uncle Nate." Sebastian replied.
"Come on Nathan. I want to get there to buy a beautiful dress." Haley said as she came out of the bedroom, fully dressed.
"My mom is not here yet." Nathan told her.
"Yes I am." Deb said, as she walked through the front door.
"Grandma!" Jamie said, running to her.
"Gosh! You make me sound so old. Call me Nanny Deb." Deb joked with her grandson as she hugged him tightly.
"Uncle Nate, why do old ladies want us to call them by their first names?" Sebastian asked.
"I don't know buddy. Why you ask?" Nathan tried so hard to keep from laughing.
"My grandma said I can't call her grandma. I have to call her Victoria."
"It figures." Haley mumbled.
"It's something us guys will never understand." Nathan said as he patted Sebastian's shoulder.
"Victoria is his grandmother?" Deb asked Haley. Haley nodded. "That means that Brooke is his mom?"
Haley nodded again. "It's a long story. But thanks for watching them tonight."
"No problem." Deb said.
"Alright guys, we'll see you later." Nathan said as he bumped fists with the boys.
"Be good." Haley said as she kissed their cheeks. She grabbed her purse and Nathan grabbed his car keys and then they left.
Clothes Over Bros
The store was full of celebs and the paparazzi were outside snapping away. Brooke was glad to see so many people show up to support her. She took some pictures with her friends. "Where's Bevin?" she asked Skills.
"She said she was coming with someone else." Skills told her.
Brooke wondered who Bevin would be coming with. She looked around. All of her friends were here. Nathan and Haley were standing by one of the showcases. Fergie and Junk were standing by the DJ booth as Mouth put another song on. Brooke saw Millicent staring at Mouth. She made a mental note to hook them up later.
"Brooke." Haley waved her over. "How much do you want for this dress?"
"For you, it's free." She told her best friend.
"No, I want to buy it."
"It's not for sale. It's a gift from me to you."
"Brooke…"
"Haley, I insist."
"Thank you." Haley said as she hugged her.
"No, thank you. I really appreciate you and Nate for being there for me and letting Sebastian and I stay at your house."
"You know we will do anything for you." Nathan said.
"I know." Brooke smiled. "But Sebastian and I won't be freeloading any longer because the house is ready. We'll be moving on Monday."
"We're going to miss you." Haley and Nathan said at the same time.
Brooke laughed. "I'm going to miss you too."
"I'm going to miss my little buddy. He always makes me laugh. You should've heard what he said earlier." Nathan said.
"What did he say?" Brooke raised her eyebrow.
Junk came over and interrupted. "Brooke, can you please introduce me to the Transformer girl?"
They all laughed at him. "Okay but first, don't call her the "Transformer Girl". Her name is Megan Fox. Second, don't be so desperate." Brooke told him.
"But I am desperate. She is so hot!" Junk explained.
"Well, don't let the desperation show." She said as she escorted him over to Megan.
…
"Have you sold anything yet?" Victoria asked her daughter.
"Everything is going fine mother, don't ruin it."
"Congratulations Brooke."
Brooke turned around and came face to face with Lucas. Before she could say something, she heard another voice.
"Hey Brooke!" Bevin's voice rang out, as she made her way over to them.
Brooke looked over to where Bevin was and she saw Peyton standing beside her.
"I see everything is going fine." Victoria said sarcastically.
Brooke closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
Please Review. Next Chapter Coming Soon.