"Hey Brooke, all set for Tree Hill?" Andy asked when Brooke knocked at his hotel door early in the morning. He was taking her there to get work done for incorporating Clothes over Bro's. They were looking at manufacturers as well as office spaces. Once they had manufacturing down, he wanted to take her to major cities and look at retail store spaces. The clothes would be sold in New York, Los Angeles and Miami with an online store to ship all over the country to begin with. Brooke was stunned. She could barely make rent of my Queens apartment, she didn't know how she could pay for prime commercial real estate in these major cities but Andy trusted her and was willing to put in the capital.
"Oh Brooke, one day you will expand to global fashion capitals. I see your designs in Paris, Milan, London, maybe even New Zealand. These three locations are just the beginning," he had said to her, making her head spin.
Everything was sorted. Sam was going to stay with Lily and Karen at the hotel. Lucas had had another couple of meetings that week with his publishers in New York so it was good that he was in the city. The publishers had made their first round of notes and Lucas was having long meetings and conversations to keep the tone of his deeply personal book as authentic as he could. So, Lucas was going to be in the city with Karen for the first half of Brooke's Tree Hill trip and then fly down and stay there for the other time because he had to get back to coaching. His vacation was stretching too long.
Andy was staying at his gigantic property in Tree Hill and had graciously offered for Brooke and Jamie to stay there with him. Karen and Lucas had offered their house as well, although each of them had also told her that it was probably best if she stayed in her own house so that Jamie could get familiar with the space. They thankfully hadn't brought this up in front of the kids. It felt so surreal to Brooke. She had gone from living in a women's shelter to a bad apartment in a seedy neighbourhood to having three houses to choose from, one being a mansion and one being a property covering half the ground in Tree Hill. Andy's backyard had a river flowing if she remembered correctly. Brooke rejected all those offers and picked another. She was going to stay with Nathan and Haley. They had offered when they got to know that she was coming down with Jamie and they wanted to spend time with their godson. Nathan was going to be in Charlotte for most of the time, but he promised to drive down at every chance he would get and definitely spend the weekend. Jamie didn't know but, Nathan had wanted to take me and Jamie down to Charlotte for a day and he was sad that it wasn't basketball season for him to take him to a game, but Brooke gently asked him to wait, because it wouldn't be fair to Sam and she didn't want her to miss out on any of the fun. Brooke prayed that she would have her there with her by the time basketball season would roll. Nathan had agreed.
"I am but these two aren't," Brooke said to Andy when he had asked her if she was ready for the trip. Jamie was passed out in her arms and Sam was kneeling on their bags, begging for a bed. Andy stepped aside to let them in. Brooke had made the pull out the previous day when she had her shift there and Lily was sleeping on it comfortably. Sam looked at me, asking if she could go and lie besides her. Brooke nodded her head and watched her get in and pass out within seconds.
"Sorry, she is grumpy without her 8 unobstructed hours of beauty sleep," she joked.
Andy chuckled and saw her affectionately. "Samantha is a great girl. You are just what she needs. The way you're giving her love and structure, it's pretty cool," he said to her, making Brooke smile as she watched her.
"Yeah, it's all thanks to Karen. She is the one who taught me what a parent is supposed to be like. Sam and I were so alike, it was insane. It's a good thing Sam doesn't know about it," Brooke replied.
A memory played through her mind. Sam had just come to stay with Brooke and she would do all sorts of crazy stuff to drive her over the wall. She would sneak out in the middle of the night to drink and party and just not show up for a whole day sometimes, making Brooke so worried about her. One day, while she was sneaking out, Jamie woke up and she took him with her. They went to a party. Brooke woke up to use the bathroom and checked in the kids' bedroom and saw Jamie missing. Her heart leapt out of her mouth. She called Sam but did not get a hold of her. So, she ran out and asked some creepy guys on the streets where she could find a party and score some dope. He told her about the junkyard where she found Jamie and Sam. Sam was having a beer and Jamie was playing with some glow in the dark sticks, completely clueless about how unsafe he was. Brooke got so furious, the most furious she had ever gotten. It was the first time that she had seen Sam cry because she realised that she had put a baby in jeopardy. She literally pulled Sam home by the ear and as soon as they got there, Sam started packing her two pairs of clothes up.
"Cleaning up isn't going to get you out of trouble," Brooke had said snarkily. She was so annoyed at the teen, she could rip somebody's head off. The nights she hadn't come, Brooke had spent waiting for her, been late for shifts at the club and had to take Jamie with her because Sam had not shown up, it was all getting to her. She was so close to giving up on the delinquent. Yet, she knew where she came from, she had been the rebellious teen seeking attention, so starved for love that they would do anything for attention.
"I know there's nothing I can say other than I'm sorry. I do these stupid things sometimes. I really am sorry, though. You were nice to me, but I'm just not worth it," Sam had said, crying and stuffing her books in a backpack.
"And where do you think you're going?" she asked sternly.
"I don't know," came Sam's meek reply. She really didn't know where she would go for the night. She had royally messed up in the one place where someone paid attention that wasn't inappropriate.
"You're grounded," Brooke quickly completed, making Sam jerk.
"You're not kicking me out?" she asked, surprised. What did Brooke mean by grounded. You break a rule, you get kicked out, that was Sam's normal and she had broken over a dozen rules that night. She was grateful Brooke hadn't pressed kidnapping charges on her for taking her baby with her. That was a stupid decision on Sam's part.
"No. And I hope that someday, you stop acting surprised when you hear that. Now go to your room," Brooke barked. Sam obeyed and closed the door behind her, leaving Brooke to plop on the couch and hold her temples in frustration.
"I'm really sorry, Mama," James said to Brooke, getting onto his mother's lap. He was so tiny and young, he shouldn't have been there.
"It's okay, Jamie. It's not you I'm mad at," Brooke replied, a small smile sneaking past her lips. She could never stay too mad with her baby in her arms.
"It's Sam, huh?" he asked.
"Yeah. But I am a little bit mad at you. You should have told me that you were leaving the house tonight. You can't trust people when they're bad," Brooke said, her emotions getting the better of her.
"I know. But Sam's not bad," he said.
"I don't know about that, buddy," Brooke was so confused. How did one help someone who refused to be helped?
"She's not. She's nice. I think she's just afraid to show it," Jamie replied, breaking her heart.
Brooke pulled her son closer in her arms and just held him for a while. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."
Brooke entered and saw Sam sitting on the bed looking confused. She looked straight at Brooke the minute she entered.
"Can I just say about the party-" Sam began to apologise again but Brooke cut her off.
"Sam, I am so pissed off right now. We'll talk after I put Jamie to bed. You can wait until then," Brooke replied in a stern tone, scaring Sam.
"I'm sorry, Jamie," she said and walked out of her bedroom to wait on the couch for Brooke.
Brooke emerged ten minutes later.
"You're still pissed?" Sam asked, seeing her stoic face.
"Mhmm and you're still grounded," she concluded.
"Fine. I've never been grounded before. So, what's your version of grounded?" she asked which made Brooke jerk up and transport her to the time she lived with Karen. She hadn't been grounded before either. She had been drifting from her friends, at least that's what Bevin told her. So she went to a party and Karen was upset that she had been drinking. Plus she never showed up at the cafe as she had committed and she blew the advance that she got from Karen on makeup or shoes or something stupid. She remembered arguing with Karen about never being grounded before and arguing that Karen was not her real mom, but Karen did not care. Since Brooke was her responsibility, she would have to obey her house rules. Brooke felt so much grace and love and respect for her back then that she hadn't given up on Brooke, but continued to teach her patiently and kindly. It was the second best gift Lucas had given Brooke, a person to model a good mom. Anna had also been that for her, but she had been gone when she and Peyton were so young.
"Well, I've been thinking. One week for exposing a 2-year-old to depravity, another week for sending me on a wild goose chase and we're gonna tack on another week for underage drinking in a junkyard!" Brooke replied, scrunching her nose.
"That's it?" Sam asked, finding the grounded thing easy.
"You are not supposed to be happy about this!" Brooke replied, surprised. Her reaction to being grounded the first time had been so different. She was getting ready to go on a run and applying makeup in case she ran into a cute boy. When Karen asked if she was forgetting something, she remembered answering lip gloss. Not her brightest or proudest moment. She was so embarrassed by her teenage behaviour. Then Karen had gone ahead to teach her what chores were. Brooke thought she had to pick one punishment, but she was required to complete the list! She argued that she hadn't come there to be a cleaning lady but Karen was so prepared to parent a teenager, she didn't even flinch. Instead, she stuck Brooke with a job to repay the money she owed her.
"No, I just thought that… you know what, never mind," Sam replied.
"What did you do? Sam! This is not over, young lady!" Brooke yelled when Sam began to walk to her room.
"Didn't think it was, old lady," she said with a chuckle.
"Don't kill the child. just don't kill the child!" Brooke repeated to herself to keep her temper in check.
"Where did you get lost?" Andy asked Brooke.
"Oh nothing, sorry. Should we head?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah, but Karen had asked me to wake her and let her know when we were leaving.
"Uhh, why don't we let her rest? It's crazy early. Send her a text that we're leaving," Brooke suggested. She did not want to meet Karen. Truth was, she was doing all it took to hide from her.
When Brooke had emerged from the pool and the family plus Liz had gone back down to the hotel room, Karen had dragged Brooke to her room to talk.
"Hey Brooke, umm, what was Jamie saying about you working and getting ready for work out there? You and Lucas got so scared and pulled him to the corner. Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly, making Brooke's breath hitch.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, oh yeah, yaa, yeah! Uhh, everything is great!" Brooke said, struggling to find words. She did not know what to say to Karen.
"Then what was Jamie saying and why were you and Lucas so worried? Are you keeping something from me?" Kare asked, nothing fitting in.
"Jamie thought I was working at the hotel. He wanted a day with me and was worried that I would return to work. I pulled him to the side because I was worried about the staff figuring out that I, the staff, was using hotel amenities, nothing else. Although, most of the staff here take naps in vacant hotel rooms. It was just that Karen. Lucas and I were afraid I would lose my job. Nothing else," she lied.
"You work part time right?" she asked.
"Yeah, but I still appreciate the work. I don't want to be fired," Brooke said, hoping it was enough to satisfy Karen's curiosity.
"Why suddenly when you came in a swimsuit?" she continued to interrogate.
"Who knows? I don't understand 2-year-olds sometimes. They say whatever they're thinking, whenever they're thinking it. Don't think too much over it," Brooke replied. Karen nodded and Brooke finally let go of a breath that she had been holding. That was officially too close.
Andy thankfully agreed and texted Karen before taking Jamie from Brooke's arms and carrying him down to the car he had booked to take him to the hotel.
"Are you the whole family's stripper?" The Manager whispered in her ear when he saw her walking down with Andy who had already reached outside and was calling the driver to come to the front gate.
"Hmm," Brooke replied, pursing her lips and exiting the hotel, giving her suitcase to Andy to put in and helping Jamie into the car.
"Jamieeee! Hiii!" Haley screamed when she opened the door for Brooke and Jamie. Andy was dropping them over and then going to his own place. They would get to work after lunch.
"What no hello for me?" Brooke asked, smiling at seeing my best friend.
"Mmm, mehh," she replied and picked Jamie in her arms. Brooke giggled and followed her inside. The three of them waved Andy goodbye before closing the door.
"I was so excited to meet you that I made some cookies for you. They are baking but they will be done in ten minutes. Would you like some?" Haley spoke to him while Brooke lugged their bags inside. "Do you need some help with those?"
"Nahh, I got it, just tell me which room is ours so I can put these away," Brooke replied.
"Upstairs, second door to the right," Haley replied, her attention not leaving Jamie for even a moment. Brooke laughed and went upstairs. By the time she got back down, Jamie was sitting on the kitchen counter with a cookie in each hand. He looked so happy, it was great to see him beaming that way. There was some magic in Tree Hill air undoubtedly.
"Did you save any for me or did the cookie monster eat them all?" Brooke asked, joining them in the kitchen.
"The cookie monster ate them?" Jamie tried.
"You stop after you finish the ones in your hand, okay?" Brooke instructed.
"Fine. Mama, will Sam be able to come here with Dad? She had loved Aunt Haley's cookies too," Jamie asked. "Also, Tree Hill is awesome!"
"It really is awesome, isn't it? But about Sam, I'm afraid not, buddy," Brooke replied sullenly.
"Why not?"
"It's complicated but Grandma Karen and Daddy are with her and hopefully by God's grace, she will come here soon. You know God loves to listen to kids praying for the benefit of others. When you pray and wish good for another person, they materialise very quickly. Why don't you send a quick prayer up for our Sammy girl?" Brooke suggested. She wanted to raise Jamie to be a loving, kind, generous kind who cared about other people's plight, who wished them well and prayed for the joy of others.
Jamie scrunched his eyes closed and stayed that way as his lips twitched into a smile. "Done!"
"Now, for that, because you were so caring, you get a reward. You get to pick what we do until lunchtime," Brooke offered.
"Will Aunt Haley be with us?" he asked.
"You bet! Aunt Haley is here with you all day," she smiled.
"School?" Brooke asked.
"Took an off. The sub will figure it out," Haley shrugged.
"Hales," Brooke whined.
"Until you live here permanently with my godson, I don't care. Also, any word from the adoption agency?"
"Nada."
"Any idea when they will get back? I mean Nathan and I tried but the way they ambushed us…" Haley tried to explain herself.
"I know. It's not you guys' fault. You did everything that you could. It's just complicated," Brooke replied, feeling dread.
"Yeah," Haley sighed as well.
"You sure you're okay with babysitting him while I meet Andy's team to incorporate COB?" I asked.
"Of course I'm more than okay. We love you and Jamie, Brooke and we love helping you and your family. It's just like how you love us and would be there for us in a heartbeat," Haley replied. Brooke pursed her lips, struggling to take the love and compliments.
"Did you decide what you want to do?" Brooke asked again, looking at Jamie.
"River Court?" he asked.
"With Mom and Aunt Haley? Do you want to wait for your dad and Uncle Nathan to come to Tree Hill and take you instead?" Brooke asked, surprised to hear his answer.
"No! We'll go there again when they come," Jamie said.
"Fine. We'll go," Brooke said.
Haley drove the three of them to the court. It was sunny, but it was not too warm or humid. Brooke buckled Jamie out of his carseat and he jumped out with his ball. The three tried to play basketball with him, but they were all hopeless in front of the ten feet net. Haley couldn't believe that she was playing at all. She never played with Nathan or Lucas. When she accompanied them to the court, she would simply go up the stands and watch. Nevertheless, the girls were having fun, working out with Jamie and his boundless energy. They did manage to make a few shots, and by few, they made one single shot during the game and danced on the court, not believing that they had made it. It was Brooke whose basket went through the net and the only reason it did was because she imagined herself standing with Lucas in front of the basketball machine in the arcade. She could feel Lucas' arms on her waist, correcting her stance, the way he had spread her feet and moved her arms to adjust the ball. She focused on the black box and watched the ball fly and go through the net.
"How did you do that?" Haley asked, impressed.
"Beginner's luck," Brooke called it.
When it got too hot and tiring, Brooke and Haley took Jamie to the pier to take a stroll. They drove by the beach and promised that when Lucas and Nathan came to town, they would spend a day at the beach.
"Do you and Nathan use Dan's beach house?" Brooke asked. "I assume that he still owns it."
"Yeah, he does still own it but no. We never go there. I don't think that we have since whenever we threw whatever last party there in High School. Deb got the house that they lived in in the divorce and we go there occasionally when Deb visits, but she usually just stays at our place. We haven't even thought about the beach house," Haley replied.
"Where is Deb these days?" Brooke asked.
"She divides time between here and California to be closer to her family, you know her parents, her brother," Haley informed her.
"Ooh, what is Hot Uncle Cooper up to these days? Does he still visit Tree Hill?" Brooke asked.
"Why? You still wanna date him?" Haley replied, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe. Is he still as hot as he was? Race car driver? Single?" Brooke continued to interrogate.
"And still too old for you?" Haley asked.
"Hey, we're out of High School now. Four years is nothing," she joked.
"Yeah, he is still a hot race car driver and single, at least last I heard but no, he hasn't visited in a while. I haven't seen him for longer than I haven't seen you," Haley informed.
"Oh well, maybe when I go to California to scout retail places," Brooke replied.
"Do you want to look more locally instead?" Haley asked.
"Who's even around this place anymore? Didn't everybody leave after college?" Brooke asked.
"No. Mouth, Skills, Junk and Fergie live together in an apartment. Tim is still here. He delivers our pizzas, it's weird. He and Bevin have a son together…. Named Nathan who is also the godfather. We don't see much of him, but he's around. Bevin works at a store in the mall selling makeup."
"Wow, but I'm not gonna date any of them," she replied. 'Or anyone for that matter.' she thought to herself but didn't say out loud.
"You can take the girl anywhere, but Brooke will remain Brooke," Haley joked but it made Brooke really uncomfortable as she squirmed. "Did you date anyone in New York?"
"No, I've been kinda busy working and being a mom," Brooke answered.
"Really? Four years and nobody?" she asked.
"Nope," she replied.
"Interesting. I thought Nathan and I had a really boring college life since we were married, but we attended some parties and did some damage," Haley joked. "Hey you know what I just realised, you might actually be able to attend our graduation. Since we just finished college and took all these jobs… the ceremony still hasn't taken place. Jamie can watch his dad get his diploma. Lucas worked so hard while in college since he was working as Whitey's assistant coach. Then when we graduated, Whitey retired from working and Lucas took the job to coach the Ravens and decided to go ask Peyton to marry him. Damn, to think that we literally just came out of college, it feels like a lifetime has passed us already."
"It really will be cool for Lucas to have Jamie there. What's umm, what's Peyton up to? Since she just got done with college too?" Brooke asked.
"She's taken an internship with Sire Records in LA. She works in the mailroom right now, but she believes that she can grow big out there," Haley filled her in.
"Do you still talk to her? Keep in touch?" Brooke asked.
"We spoke often while we were in college because Lucas, Nathan and I shared an apartment and Lucas would call her and check on her every few weeks. So, we knew what was happening in her life and how she was. The three of us would come to Tree Hill during breaks and Lucas tried to coax her to come, but she didn't because she said that she did not have any family to visit and she was always busy. I haven't spoken to her since Lucas' proposal."
"Okay, did she seem happy? Doing well?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah, she did. She was excited when she got the acceptance letter for the internship. She was finally living her dream of the music world, but Lucas wasn't too happy because he believed that she deserved more. I mean she produced the Friends with Benefit cd and got so many bands out here. Lucas said that she was wasting her time at the record label working the mail room," Haley said. "You seem to still care about her."
"Of course I still care about her. I think about her every single day and I probably will for the rest of my life. She's - she's my best friend even despite it all. Also, Lucas isn't wrong. P. Sawyer is talented. So… after he helps me with COB, I can expect him to fly down there and get her to Tree Hill to start her record Company? Courtesy of Andy's billion dollar fortune?" Brooke asked.
"Come on Brooke, it's not like that," Haley replied.
"How is it not? I mean, it's Lucas. He has to be the white knight. Mark my words, once he has Jamie in Tree Hill, that boy is going to go back to LA, get Peyton to marry him and start a record label in Tree Hill," Brooke said. "I wish that it works out for them, really, but she is going to think I've trapped him with a baby and then gone even further with Sam and I have her ring with me. I'm scared of what happens after Lucas is done with this project to save me. We all know how he moves on to the next Damsel in Distress."
"You could always beat him to the punch and talk to Peyton yourself, come clean the way you did with us," Haley suggested.
"Are you out of your mind? I never wanted to tell Lucas because truth be told, I never wanted to tell Peyton!" I confessed.
"You couldn't keep the secret from Lucas living in New York, how will you keep it a secret from Peyton especially when you are so sure Lucas will woo her to marry him and return to Tree Hill?" Haley asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Brooke remained silent, not having an answer for her.
Over a week passed by quickly. Brooke spent the mornings with Jamie, showing him Tree Hill. She took him to all the spots she loved visiting, showing him everything about the place. They had a ritual. She and Jamie would drop Haley to Tree Hill High. Brooke and Jamie would go on a little adventure and then, once Haley's classes had ended for the day, they would pick her up and drop Brooke to Andy's house. The paperwork was coming well. Andy and Karen had been firm about her using the building owned by Karen for her cafe for her office and she had acquiesced.
Thanks to Andy's connections and business acumen, they were jumping through all the hoops fairly easily. Brooke couldn't believe how fast everything was happening. She had met potential manufacturers and was reviewing their work, making her designs come to life. Brooke was dipping her toes in the entire process, spending hours talking to them, explaining her vision, choosing the fabrics, trying to see who was listening right. She had once realised how incorrectly a manufacturer was stitching clothes and had sat on the sewing machine herself to give them a quick tutorial to get it right.
Brooke had also met the Tree Hill boys. Haley invited them for dinner one day and they all came over to meet her and Jamie. They all loved to call him little Luke and were so grateful that they finally had an excuse to play water gun battles, because it was for the 2-year-old. All of them were still in their peak frat boy college phase. Mouth was interning at the news station while Skills was assistant coach of the Raves, coaching full time currently as Lucas was in New York. Junk was working in accounts while Fergie was working on getting placed to work for a video game company. Jamie was having the best time of his life with the boys. They took him to the River Court and hung out with him at their apartment. Brooke now even had her mornings to work on launching Clothes over Bro's. Mouth had also agreed to revamp and relaunch her website as he still owned the domain name. Brooke had earlier been afraid that Sam would feel neglected since Jamie was enjoying life in Tree Hill but that had not been the case. Sam was being pampered by Karen and Lucas in New York and Lily adored her just as much as Jamie did. She had big googly eyes for Sam, replacing Lucas with her. She did not have to make beds as housekeeping did the job, she had access to room service, a TV and school was closer than ever so she could sleep till late and be out with her friends till later in the city. Karen had also apparently been feeding her with stories about Brooke since Sam kept trying to dish the truth. She had begged Karen to keep her history under wraps though. She wanted Sam to make better choices.
"Hey Lucas, how are you?" Brooke asked Lucas, answering his call. She had had a long day of work with Andy. She had returned to Haley's house really late and seen that Jamie had already been fed and put to bed. Brooke had stayed at the office space overseeing renovations of what would be the Clothes over Bro's office. When the workers had left, she had stayed back trying to work out kinks in her design to support the actual fabric. When Brooke had returned, she was grateful to be able to prop her feet on the coffee table and sip on a glass of wine that Haley had offered her. Brooke never drank when she was in New was never any alcohol in the house that Sam could steal. She was always busy working and parenting and needed to be in her senses for that and she didn't have the time or money to waste on a drink. So, when Haley poured her a glass, she felt great accepting it and simply relaxing. Haley was sitting beside her by the fire with a drink of her own in her hand. The two best friends had been catching up, thought it was more Haley talking as Brooke was still keeping her in the dark about her life in New York.
"How are things going there? Jamie slept alright?" he checked in.
"Yeah. I was at Front and Grace all day, actually. Mouth took Jamie to the station with him and then Haley picked him up when she was done with school. She took him to the park and she fed him dinner and put him to bed. The kid didn't even miss us or request to call us goodnight. It's official, he loves Aunt Haley more than mom and dad," Brooke filled him in.
Lucas chuckled at the end of the line. "I'm actually calling to let you know that I finished my meetings with the publishers. Now, they have given me the edits they need with a deadline but I can make them from Tree Hill as well. So, I'm flying there tomorrow morning and Nathan is taking the day off and coming down as well so that he can spend 3 days with us."
"Oh my God! Jamie will be so excited. He has been dying for you guys to come over and play on the playstation with him. Also, he wants to go to the beach with everybody. What time are you going to get here?"
"Early, I think I will be there before he wakes up. A day at the beach with him sounds so incredible. Has he ever been to one?" he asked.
"Yeah, he has. New York is filled with beaches. He loves going there but it's more him and Sam that go there without me when he is bored of Central Park on the weekends. They just go there, run around in the sand, dip their toes in the water and come back. I'm usually off working those days," she replied. "I think I have some pictures of Jamie on the beach in the scrapbooks I gave you," Brooke replied.
"I'll have to go through them. I used most of the images to decorate your place in Tree Hill that I never got to properly go through them," he replied.
"Oh yeah. You can go back and look at them once you're here. I assume that you have a key to the place. It is your house," Brooke asked.
"No. I gave you the key and its copy. I didn't think it was right to keep a key. It is your place, Brooke," he said, making Brooke groan.
"You paid for it. You own it. Keep a key. I insist. Honestly, keep them both. I really think you should sell the place and return Andy's money, save your advance," Brooke tried.
Brook was met with silence at the end of the line. "Please Luke, really. The mansion is unnecessary," she begged.
"I'll see you at Haley's early in the morning. Goodnight Brooke," he said instead and cut the call.
I grabbed my temples in frustration as I put my phone down. I looked at my glass and gulped it down quickly.
"All okay, B?" Haley asked.
"That boy is too stubborn for his own good sometimes," I said to her and shook my head, trying to find a distraction.
It was early, but Brooke shook Jamie up to wake him. She was already dressed in a sundress that she had designed as a part of the new line. She was wearing a prototype to see how well it worked if she wore it for a day. She wanted her clothes to be comfortable.
"Five minutes, please," Jamie said as soon as she shook him and rolled to face the other side.
"But look, somebody came and left this mess," she said, trying to entice Jamie to open his eyes. Jamie got curious and peeped out, trying to pretend that his eyes were still closed so that his mom didn't know that he was interested. He opened them wider when he saw a trail of toys. He saw a pail in the centre of the room and a shovel by the door.
"What is this, mama?" he asked, still in a sleepy haze.
"Why don't you go find out?" she asked.
The curiosity got the better of Jamie and he hopped off the bed. He followed the pail and shovel to reach a towel in the steps and he could spot a ball at the landing. He went down and saw a basket before turning to enter the living room where Nathan and Lucas yelled 'Surprise!'
Jamie squealed and ran to Lucas who lifted him up in his arms. They were both so happy to see each other, it amused Brooke to no extent to watch them that excited.
"No excitement to see me?" Nathan asked and Lucas swung him from his arms, throwing him in the air as if he was a basketball and Nathan caught him. Jamie squealed from fear and then from excitement.
"Again! Again! Again!" he begged. Nathan grinned as he eyed Lucas who opened his arms ready to catch his boy.
Nathan swung him a few times to get some momentum and then flung him back to Lucas who caught him. Jamie was laughing as he felt butterflies in his belly.
"When did you get here?" he asked.
"A few minutes ago. Now we have a very special day planned for us. Can you guess where we are taking you?" Lucas asked him.
"The Beach!" Jamie guessed.
"Yes! How did you guess that?" he asked.
"Because of all the beach toys on the floor," he replied with a giggle.
"You're way too smart, Jamie Scott! Now how about we get ready and get on our way?" he asked. Lucas took him up to get him ready while Haley kissed Nathan to welcome him. Brooke went to the kitchen to get everybody some breakfast and then collected the toys she had strewn and placed them in a beach bag that she had loaned from Haley.
"Hey Brooke, it's so good to see you. Hope you're comfortable here," Nathan said as he gave her a hug. He was much taller and larger than she remembered. Basketball practice was treating him well.
"Hey Nate. Yeah, we're really good. Thanks for hosting us," she replied. Soon enough Jamie came bounding down the stairs, ready in a pair of shorts and a shirt. Brooke confirmed that he had put on sunscreen and she double checked if she had some more in her bag along with a hat for him. Satisfied, they ate a quick breakfast and drove off.
It was early, so the beach was filled with morning joggers and seagulls finding food. Jamie was running in the sand with Nathan while Haley had gone in kid mode herself and was busy burying Lucas in the sand. Brooke was watching it all and just soaking up the sun. She missed Sam dearly at that moment, she wanted to call her but the girl would be in school.
Brooke sent a prayer to god, hoping to hear from the adoption agency soon. It was like she was in divine connection, because at that moment, her phone rang.
"Hello Ms. Davis, I'm Lorelai from the adoption agency. We had a family drop out for their home inspection this afternoon and can pencil you in. I know it's last minute but I wanted to check if you and your family were available?" she said.
"Yes! We are!" She practically yelled on the phone, earning the attention of everybody around her.
"Amazing. Text me your address to confirm and I'll meet you there at 2:30 p.m.?" she asked.
"Yes! Thank you!" I said before ending the call.
"That was Lorelai! She wants to do the home inspection today!" I screamed.
"Oh my God! That is incredible!" Lucas said, running up to me. My hands were shaking from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I still couldn't tell whether it was a good or bad thing that this was happening.
"She needs to confirm an address. Uhh! What address do I give?" I asked Lucas.
"Obviously your house on Ocean Avenue! The house is ready for her. We have a room for Jamie and Sam and us. There's only one thing missing in the place," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"Hey Nate, could you take a picture for me please," Lucas asked him.
Nathan and Haley could not understand what Lucas was saying. Why did he suddenly want a picture? Lorelai was meeting with them that afternoon!
"Shouldn't we go ensure that the place is ready? Call Andy and just go through the stories we have told her and what we will tell her? Brooke, you have carried the engagement ring with you, right?" Haley asked.
Brooke looked at Haley and nodded her head. She agreed with her.
"Yes, in a minute. We need to sell the place to her and the idea that we are a couple that is engaged," he said and grabbed Jamie in his arms. "Brooke, come here. We don't have a family picture."
"Oh my God!" Brook replied. She had taken a hundred images of Jamie with Lucas on her phone but she did not have any of her and Jamie with Lucas. He was right. She needed to hang a large picture of her family above her bed.
Brooke stood by Lucas who had Jamie in his arms, but she felt really awkward. She was keeping a respectable distance from the two.
"B, we need to sell it," he replied and grabbed her waist to pull her close. Brooke almost slipped as he suddenly pulled her and flung her arms around his neck to steady herself. Jamie and Lucas were laughing while Brooke was draped around his shoulders. Nathan clicked away, capturing those candid moments. Brooke was looking at Lucas with a funny but cute whelp and Lucas was holding her so securely with one arm while balancing his kid with the other. Nathan and Haley couldn't help but look at each other as they clicked the pictures, there were obvious sparks out there. Brooke steadied her balance and unaware that they had taken any pictures, voluntarily stood closer to Lucas. She allowed his hand to loosely circle her back and even gently leaned towards him. Jamie smiled, enjoying being photographed with both his parents.
"Nate, Haley, do you think you can get those printed and framed and meet us at Brooke's house? Be there for us? We'll grab all our things and get to that house to make it look presentable and yet like we live there. The closets are bare, the pantry is unstocked, even the bathrooms don't have any products in them," Lucas rambled.
"Haley can get the pictures done because you're right, you need a family picture and you need some engagement pictures as well. Brooke, any chance you carried the ring to the beach with you?" Nathan asked.
"Actually, yeah. It's in my purse. I never took it out of my bag," she replied, albeit extremely shyly.
"Perfect! The two of you got engaged on the beach because it's Brooke's favourite place," Haley directed, making Brooke blush 20 shades of red.
"Luke, you ready to get down on one knee?" Haley asked him.
Brooke bit her lip but went to her purse to pull the ring out. The ring she found so exquisite and beautiful that she was mildly jealous that it wasn't actually hers to keep but belonged to her best friend. She handed the ring box to Lucas who took it and placed it in his pockets. The pair moved closer to the water. Wind blew their hair as they heard the sounds of the waves crashing.
Brooke didn't know what took over her, but she bent down and wrote Marry Me in the sand. Lucas kinked his eyebrows at her as he saw her do that.
"Every girl deserves some decor, Luke," she replied.
"This looks incredible. Are you guys ready?" Nathan asked. Both of them blushed as Lucas got down on one knee. Brooke had to pretend to be surprised, but as he held her hand and looked lovingly at her, she didn't have to pretend. She felt her toes curl and her heart flutter. She could feel a billion butterflies ready to burst out of her belly as his watery blue eyes met her hazel-green orbs. She felt herself get swept in the connection. She couldn't stop looking even if she tried. Their hands linked together that way felt like their collective energy was what was powering the sun. Brooke blushed and gave a smile as Lucas pulled out the engagement ring box. Her face shone with a hundred beautiful and dazzling emotions.
"Brooke Penelope Davis, would you do me the honour of marrying you?" he asked her as he opened the ring box.
Brooke smiled and allowed him to lift up her left hand and slip the ring onto her finger. Lucas got up and without the two of them realising, they hugged each other, needing it to allow them to experience the flow of emotions they were going through.
"Kiss her!" Haley screamed suddenly, breaking the reverie the duo was lost in.
"What!?" Brooke screamed, jumping away from Lucas' arms. "No!"
Nathan groaned at that moment. Why the heck had his wife intervened and ruined the moment. A few more seconds and they definitely would have kissed. Heck, a few more minutes and they probably would rip each other's clothes on the beach.
Unfortunately, the moment had passed. Nathan had taken pictures while Haley had video-recorded the entire proposal.
"Okay, let's plan," Lucas said, shaking his head to relieve the light-headedness that had settled in from proposing to Brooke.
Brook cleared her throat and stood at a respectable distance herself, but she was sneaking glances at Lucas every few seconds. Glances full of love and endearment.
"Okay, umm, let's start off by going to Nathan and Haley's because all our cars are out there. Hales, you run to the photo studio and get the images printed and framed. Brooke, take my car. You pack all of your and Jamie's things to fill up and then go to my house and grab some of my clothes and things to add to this home. Nathan, you and I are going to go to the Bed Bath and Beyond to get home essentials and then go to a grocery store and grab some items for the kitchen and bathrooms. I'll call Andy on our way. We can get this done by 2:30!" he instructed.
Everybody agreed and began to pack their belongings on the beach.
"What! We just got here!" Jamie argued, expecting a full day at the beach.
"Yeah, sorry Jamie, but remember how you prayed to get Sam to Tree Hill?" Brooke asked the toddler who nodded his head. "God just listened to your prayer and if we convince the nice lady whom we are going to meet this afternoon, she might let us move Sam here to Tree Hill with us."
"Then what are we waiting for! Let's go!" Jamie said and ran towards the car, making the four adults laugh.