Chapter Three


Brooke was aghast as she stared at the man lounging on her bed. “Ridge? What the hell are you doing here? Who let you in here?” She dropped her purse to the floor. “You have to go! You have to go now!”
“Not until we clear this up.” He said as he sat up. “Logan you misunderstood things, I love you, I want to marry you!”
“Well I don’t want to marry you! Not now! Not ever!” She shouted. “Now get out of my bedroom and out of my house. Or do I have to call the police?”
“You’re not going to call the cops Logan, you know you’re not.” He got up and walked up to her grabbing her hand. “Now let’s talk this out and fix things.”
“Nothing can be fixed, it will never be fixed. Ridge what you did is unforgivable. You are in love with my daughter! A girl you called your own. You’re sick! You’re sick and disgusting and I want you to stay away from me and away from my daughter! Do you understand me Ridge? Do you?” She pulled her hand free from him. “And don’t touch me! Don’t you ever touch me again!”
“I was wrong, it was a mistake, I was confused.” He weakly protested.
“Confused? About what Ridge? Which Logan woman you wanted in your bed? Well if I have any say and Eric has any say, you won’t have any of us.”
“Brooke it’s you, it’s only you, it’s always been you.”
Brooke looked at him with tears streaming from her eyes. “All my life Ridge, I’ve waited to hear this all my life. But now the words are meaningless. They hurt me. They insult me. I’ve never been good enough for you, you’ve never been able to come through for me. I really believed this time would be different. All the obstacles were gone. Our time had finally come and still you let me down.”
“I won’t let you down again if you just give me a chance to prove it.” Ridge begged.
“It’s too late.” She sadly answered. “It’s way too late.”
“Logan please.” He begged.
“Don’t call me that Ridge.”
“Logan? I’ve always called you Logan.”
“It’s inappropriate now. We’re not lovers, we’re not even friends.”
“We are, we’re all that and so much more. You’re going to be my wife, I am not going to give up until that happens Lo, Brooke.” He corrected himself.
“I am NOT going to be your wife Ridge. Get that through your thick perverted head! I’m not ever going to marry you Ridge! Never!” She looked at him with disgust. “How did you get in here Ridge? How long have you been here?”
“All night.” He confessed. “Where were you Logan, um Brooke?”
“Where I was is none of your concern. Who let you in?”
“We were all concerned about you. We were all waiting for you.”
“Rick knew where I was.” She answered him.
“He wouldn’t tell us, I was worried. Brooke I love you, I know I hurt you but we can work this out. Please give me the chance to prove how much I love you.” Ridge took her hand again and looked at her with a sincerity that she hadn’t seen in years and she was so tempted to put her doubts aside and let him in. She had loved him for so long and so deeply but she also couldn’t forget the words she had heard or the looks she had seen between Ridge and her daughter. She shook off his hand once more.
“No! No Ridge, even though a part of me will always love you, what happened this time can’t be repaired. This wasn’t just you choosing another woman, it was you choosing my daughter! My little girl Ridge! Do you have any idea how sick that is?”
“I didn’t choose Bridget over you Brooke. I was confused. You know everything I’ve been going through, you have to understand my head was a mess.”
“It wasn’t in Portofino.” She said softly. “It wasn’t when we made love or when we were together in Big Bear.”
“I wasn’t confused about you, just about me. Please try and see that. If it takes the rest of my life I will prove to you that you’re the only woman for me, the only one.”
“No!” Brooke walked to the other side of the room. “I don’t want to hear this! I don’t believe you! You’ve always been able to sweet-talk me with your pretty words, but your words are empty Ridge. You were never there when push came to shove. I’ve never been able to count on you. Now I want you to go. I need to be alone, I need to find some peace.”
“Don’t you believe I love you?” He asked.
Brooke gave him a thoughtful look before she spoke. “No Ridge. I think you think you love me, it’s convenient to love me. You don’t have Taylor, you don’t have Caroline so good old reliable Brooke will do………..for now. But once the perfect, proper woman comes along, the one your mother approves of, you’ll drop me so fast I won’t know what hit me. I can’t do that anymore. I can’t play these games. I’m not a stupid young woman in love with a dream anymore. It’s over Ridge. Go home.”
Ridge looked into her eyes and knew he needed to back off, at least for now. “I’ll leave now, but it’s not over Brooke. We will be together. I will win you back.”
“Goodbye Ridge.” She said as she looked down.
“Brooke?” Ridge said softly. “Please try to forgive me.”
“Goodbye Ridge.” She repeated without looking back up.
Ridge sadly walked to the door. He opened it, looked back at Brooke and then left, closing the bedroom door behind him.
“Goodbye my love.” Brooke whispered. “Goodbye.”


Eric had left not long after making his announcement about Ridge and Bridget. At first Stephanie was in denial, she wanted so badly to believe that Eric had been hallucinating or that he had exaggerated the situation to punish her, but deep down she knew neither was the case. She had seen it growing with her own eyes and she had warned Massimo over and over how dangerous his game was becoming. Now she was waiting for Ridge to return. She didn’t know what she would say to him, but she knew she had to put an end to the nonsense forever. The children had all awakened early and she had persuaded Catherine to take them to the local pancake house and then to an amusement park. The more normalcy the better. They were already confused by the aborted wedding and she had no intention of letting them hear anything that she would be saying to their father. “And after I talk to you Ridge, I will see you too Bridget.” She said aloud. She looked at the clock, again wondering where Ridge was. “That fool couldn’t have changed her mind, not after what Eric saw, unless she doesn’t know.” She shivered, although it was a warm, summer day. Her coldness was from fear and foreboding, for herself, her marriage, for Ridge and even for Bridget. “How did it all come to this? That bitch, that’s how. If she hadn’t whored herself to Deacon Sharpe none of this would ever have happened, in fact the whole chain of events might have changed everything.” She sighed and picked up the framed photograph of her daughter-in-law. “Taylor, oh Taylor, how much we all need you.” She turned at the sound of the heavy door opening. Wordlessly she watched her son enter. He acknowledged her with a nod and headed towards the stairs. “Hold it right there.” She warned him.
Ridge stopped and turned towards her. “I want to check on the children, I’ll be right down.”
“Catherine took them out. Come over here. I have coffee.” She walked to the thermal coffeepot and refilled her cup, then poured him one. “Where were you? As if I even need to ask.”
“I was at Brooke’s.”
“All this time? Don’t tell me you’ve worked it out.” She let out an exaggerated sigh.
“Brooke was out, I waited for her. She’s not talking to me.” He explained with a frown. “But that will change, I am going to marry her.”
“Before or after?” Stephanie asked.
“Before of after what Mother?” He asked with annoyance.
“Before or after you have sex with her daughter.” She stunned him. “Don’t look so shocked, your father told me what happened. Does Brooke know?”
“Nothing happened!” Ridge jumped at his own defense.
“That’s not what your father says. What the hell is wrong with you Ridge? How stupid can you be?” She slammed down her china cup, almost shattering it. “You took her clothes off her! You did things with her in her mother’s own house?”
“Are you concerned about Brooke?” Ridge was confused.
“I don’t give a damn about that slut, but I do care about Bridget! No good can ever come of this Ridge. You must stop it immediately. I am not making a request, I am making a demand.”
“It was a mistake, it won’t happen again.” Ridge said sheepishly.
“You make sure of that.” She frowned at him. “So now what? Now what happens to this family?”
“Don’t make out like I caused this Mother. It all started over forty years ago with you and Massimo Marone!” Ridge shouted at her. “Brooke, Bridget, Dad and I are the innocent victims in this! We’ve all been played like puppets!”
“You know that I had no idea Ridge! I never would have done that to you, to your father!” She protested.
“You knew you slept with him! You knew there was always a chance! And you knew how he would react when he found out!” Suddenly Ridge looked around his home. “What happened here?” He asked in shock.
“What do you mean?” She innocently replied.
“The flowers, the decorations, where are they?”
“We had them removed. Certainly they were no longer appropriate. You don’t think you’re going to have a wedding now do you?”
“Brooke and I are going to be married! You can count on that!”


“Hello Darling.” Jackie Payne greeted her son as he returned to The Shady Marlin. She walked up to him and gave him a warm embrace and a kiss.
“Mom. I didn’t expect you. What are you doing here so early?” He asked.
“And I was going to ask where you had been out so early or is Massimo Marone working you that hard already?” From her smile he knew she was at least half teasing.
“I was talking a friend home.” He smiled and scratched his beard.
“A female friend?” She asked as her blue eyes sparkled.
“Mother, you are incorrigible.” Nick laughed.
“Well?” She drew out the word to at least three syllables. “Was it?”
“As a matter of fact, it was.”
“I knew it!” She grinned.
“But!” He stopped her. “She’s just a friend, someone who was down in the dumps. We had a few drinks, she had a few too many, she slept on my couch and I took her home when she woke up.”
“On your couch Nicky? Why on earth didn’t you give her your bed, or share it?” She added with a lilting laugh.
“You’re on quite a roll aren’t you.” He sighed. “She fell asleep on the couch so I covered her and let her sleep, that’s it. End of story.”
“Who is she?” Jackie prodded. “You know I won’t give up until you tell me.”
“You don’t know her.” He answered. He walked to the stove and turned on the burner under the kettle. “Coffee? Tea?” He offered her.
“Answers darling.” She said as she put her arms around his waist. “Is she special? Do you think you’ll see her again?”
“I’m having dinner with her.” Nick confessed.
“Do tell. Where are you taking her?” Jackie let go of him and sat down.
“She’s not in the mood to go out, she’s cooking for me.”
“Oh Nicky, you can’t expect a woman to cook for you for your first date!” She scolded him.
“First you want me to take her to bed and now you’re talking first date. Make up your mind Mom.” He laughed. He took out two mugs and put two tea bags into them. Then he reached for a long, thin cigar. He placed it in his mouth and struck a kitchen match against the stove and lit it. “Besides.” He continued though teeth clenched around the cigar. “She says she’s a good cook and I could use a home cooked meal.”
“I’ve deprived you darling.” She clucked. “But don’t worry, now that I’ve moved to LA, we can have a lot more dinners together, that is if your lady friend doesn’t monopolize all your time.”
“My lady friend, as you call her comes with a fiancé.” He told her.
“That’s not too promising.” Jackie said sadly. “First you’re attracted to that Brooke Logan and she gets married and then the next woman you like is engaged. I think you need to broaden your horizons.”
Nick looked up at her with a squint. “She didn’t marry him. She walked out on the wedding and got drunk with a friend.”
“It was she? Your friend is Brooke Logan?” Jackie asked him. “Now this is getting very interesting. Tell me more darling and don’t leave out a single juicy detail.”


Brooke had just downed two more aspirins when Rick and Amber joined her in the kitchen. “Mom! When did you get home?” Rick asked as he gave her a hug.
“About an hour or so ago.” She said with a tentative smile. “I’m sorry if I worried you last night.”
“Well I wasn’t too thrilled with you spending the night with some guy you just met, especially after what just happened with Ridge. This guy, this Nick, he didn’t try anything did he?” Rick grilled her.
“Now who’s the mother and who’s the child.” Brooke said with a laugh.
“It’s nice to see you still have a sense of humor.” Rick frowned. “But I’m serious.”
“And so am I Rick.” Brooke told him in a stern voice. “But I don’t want you to worry or to jump to conclusions and knowing Stephanie, when she finds out she’ll fill all your heads with stories. I went to Las Olas and I was sitting there alone when Captain Payne came in. He sat down and we talked and then he asked me to come back to his boat. Rather than making another scene on my wedding day, I decided to go with him. He’s a very nice man, very understanding, very patient, very kind.”
“But Mom, you don’t even know him. Why did he want to take you back to his boat?”
“Because he’s a nice guy like your mom says.” Amber told her husband. “I’m glad you had someone to talk to.” She said to Brooke with a smile.
“It was nice. It was nice to just get away from everything, even for just a few hours.” Brooke agreed. “Anyway, I had a few drinks and no dinner and I started to feel lightheaded and dizzy. Nick went up on deck for a smoke and I lay down on his couch. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was waking up the next morning. But I am sorry I worried you and I’m sorry for leaving you with Hope.”
“She was a little angel.” Amber said proudly. “And Brooke, you deserved some time on your own, you had a terrible day.”
“Thank you Amber, I appreciate that.” Brooke told her daughter in law. “So what did you two do last night?”
“Mostly we waited for you.” Rick told her. “Ridge was here, so were Dad and Bridget.”
“Ridge AND Bridget?” Brooke asked.
“Mom, maybe you should sit down.” Rick told her.
“I know about them, that’s why I called off the wedding Rick. I know that they’ve shared some very strange feelings, I know Ridge kissed her.” She sighed. “I had hoped that I had gotten through to them and that they would both put an end to it all. But I guess I’m just not that important to either one of them.”
“Mom, what they’re doing, it’s gross, it’s really gross and I think they both need serious help.”
“Ridge was waiting for me when I got home.” Brooke announced.
“What? I told him to leave!” Rick was livid.
“He didn’t. He was sitting on my bed waiting for me.” Brooke explained.
“I’ll kill him!” Rick said angrily.
Brooke grabbed Rick’s arm. “It’s alright honey, it’s not your fault and no harm was done. He just wanted to talk to me. Maybe it’s best he was here, I think he understands where I stand now, at least he should.”
“Did he try to change your mind?” Rick was flabbergasted. After what he had witnessed he couldn’t even begin to understand Ridge.
“He says he still wants to marry me.” She said in a meek voice, almost embarrassed.
“You didn’t say yes!” Rick proclaimed.
“No. I didn’t say yes.”
“Mom you’re thinking about it, I can tell.” Rick nervously looked at Amber.
“I have to admit, he got to me. He seemed sincere and sad.” Brooke began.
“Mom no! You can’t! You can’t trust him!” Rick protested. “You can’t go back to him, there are things you don’t know.”
“I’m not going back to him honey. Yes, he affected me, but I’ve loved him almost my entire life Rick, but what he did, it was something I just can’t get past and I can’t excuse. I hope someday Ridge and I can at least be friends again, but what we shared, it’s over. It’s very hard on me Rick because I can’t just turn off a love this strong. It hasn’t died, it’s been so very damaged but it’s still in here.” She gestured to her heart. “Just give me some time and I promise I’ll get better.”
“Mom, about Ridge, there’s something you need to know.” Rick looked at Amber again but Brooke held up her hand.
“No Rick, I know just about all I can handle. If someone else saw them or he told you something or Bridget declared her love for him, well I just don’t want to hear it. It’s over, Ridge is going to end it and that’s the last word I want to hear on the subject.”
“Your Mom is right.” Amber told her husband. “Nothing is going to change anything, let it rest.” Then she turned to Brooke. “Maybe Rick and I can do something special for you and Hope tonight, I can make my chili, I know you like it.”
“That’s so sweet of you Amber.” Brooke smiled. “But I already promised to make dinner tonight.”
“No one is going to hold you to that Mom.” Rick put his arm around Brooke.
“I think Captain Payne might, I invited him.” Brooke said with the first genuine smile Rick had seen on her since the wedding.


Nick threw down the shirt and picked up another. He took a sniff, frowned and it joined the three others on the floor. “I have got to do some laundry.” He said to himself with a laugh. He reached into his closet and grabbed another shirt, this one finally passed the sniff test. He held it up in front of him. “This’ll do.” He said with another scratch of his beard. “Hmmm doesn’t match the pants. The things I have to do to please a woman.” He pushed thing back and forth until he found a pair of khaki’s that met with his approval. With a glint in his eye he headed to the bathroom to shower. “Okay Brooke Logan, let’s hope you like what you see.”


“Thanks honey.” Amber smiled as Rick handed her a glass of iced tea. She shaded her eyes and looked at little Eric playing near the steps to the pool. “Eric, do you want to go in?” She asked her son.
“In a bit Mommy, I’m playing.” He proudly showed her his toy truck.
“Okay baby, just tell me when you want to go in and I’ll take you.” Then she turned her attention to Rick. “Do you really think we should tell her? It will only hurt her more and she says it’s all over.”
“For now, until he worms his way back and he will Amber, he always does.” Rick said angrily. “Besides, Budge is messed up. She needs to know that too.”
“It was pretty disgusting.” Amber agreed. “But I think you’re wrong about Brooke this time. She’s already dating someone else.”
“It’s not a date, she’s making dinner with a friend, she’s trying to keep herself busy so she doesn’t totally break down. I don’t blame her for that, but it is awfully fast.”
Amber chewed on her cuticle and frowned. “Do you think so? Maybe it’s just about time. I mean I know she loves Ridge but damn that man has hurt her a lot. Not that she’s innocent or anything.” She added. “I just think it’s cool that even after this last disaster she lands on her feet and already has a guy crawling after her.”
“Maybe.” Rick said, but it was obvious he didn’t believe it.
“I’m still shocked about Deacon. That was so unlike Brooke.” Amber laughed.
“I can’t believe that either, but again Amber, Ridge was the one who put her in the frame of mind to make that mistake.” Rick was forever his mother’s most staunch defender.
“So you think we should make ourselves scarce tonight? Give her privacy?” Amber wondered. “Maybe we can take Eric somewhere fun.”
“Yeah, but let’s not stay out too late, in case Mom needs us.”
“Your Mom can handle herself, but okay, we won’t stay too late.” Amber agreed. “I think I’ll take Eric in the pool so we have plenty of time to get ready. You,” She pointed at Rick. “You get to decide where we are going.”


At about twenty minutes to seven Brooke was having major doubts about the upcoming evening. She was second-guessing herself on every sentence of their conversation as it replayed in her brain. She had been too open with him, she had bared her soul. She barely knew Nick Payne, though he had been very kind to her, still it was too soon and she was too raw. She reached for her phone to call him and cancel but ended up just holding the receiver in her hand. “I don’t even have a clue to his number or his address.” Brooke sighed to herself. She knew she could call Marone Industries but the day she asked for help from anyone there would be the day hell froze over. “You’re stuck Brooke. Now what?” She asked herself. Sitting down on her bed she felt the tears filling her eyes. “I haven’t even looked to see what I have in the house to cook. I haven’t changed, I haven’t done anything. Why did I agree to this? Why?” She got up and opened her closet. After staring at nothing for about five minutes she grabbed a peach floral sundress and pulled it out. She took a quick shower, pulled her damp hair into a ponytail and slipped on the dress. Then headed down to the kitchen, praying that Marta might have guessed at her predicament and started dinner. But before she could make it into the kitchen the doorbell rang. “Nick.” She sighed. “Oh well, he’s just going to have to understand. We can do this some other time, that’s what I’ll tell you.” She walked to the door and opened it. Her mouth opened in shock as she stared at the man in front of her.
“You like?” He smiled from his now clean-shaven face. He reached up and rubbed his cheeks. “Cause to be honest, I feel kinda naked, so please, lie and tell me it was worth it.”
“Nick.” She finally managed. “I, I.” But words wouldn’t come as she stared harder.
“That bad huh?” He frowned. “You see, that’s the danger, sometimes what’s hidden underneath is more of a disappointment than what you have in the first place.”
“No.” She stopped him. “You’re so handsome.” Then she blushed at her words.
“Well that’s a relief.” He handed her a small bouquet of flowers. “So, are you going to invite me in or are we eating here on the steps?”
“Oh, come in, please come in.” She said as her blush deepened. She led him inside her living room. Nick inspected everything as he looked around.
“Nice place.” He told her. “Pretty big for just you and a little baby though.”
“Um, Rick and Amber and little Eric live here too and Bridget used to and.”
“Hey, you don’t owe me any explanations.” Nick told her. He sniffed at the air.
“What? Is there an odor?” Brooke crinkled her nose.
“No, more like a lack of one, not odor, um, aroma?” He smiled. “What’s for dinner?”
“Oh Nick, I’m sorry.” Brooke apologized. “I was tired, I napped and well, I just forgot about dinner. I’m sorry, maybe we can make it some other time?”
“Where’s the kitchen?” Nick asked as he looked around to see if he could figure it out. “This way?” He asked with a point.
“Um yeah, but I really didn’t make anything.” She told him. “You see, maybe today was a mistake.”
“Come on.” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Go? Where?”
“The kitchen. We’re going to make some dinner together. I’m sure we can scare up something in a house this big.”
“But Nick, I was going to be on my honeymoon, I don’t even know what we have.” Brooke meekly protested.
“And your son and his wife and child? Your daughter? They weren’t going to eat while you were away?” He questioned her.
“Don’t be silly.” Brooke found herself laughing. “Yes, I suppose we can find something, but I’m really not good company.”
“You're fine company. But I’m hungry and since we gotta start from scratch I say we get things moving. Agreed?” He asked with a grin. “Unless you want to go out? The offer is still good.”
“No, let’s see what we can find.” Brooke finally agreed.
With her hand still in his she led him into her spacious kitchen. Nick took one look at the huge refrigerator and laughed. “If we can’t find anything in there then there is no hope for us.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Brooke smiled and let go of his hand. “But I’m sorry I let you down.”
Nick turned her to face him. He looked her deeply into the eyes. “You haven’t let me down Brooke. It’s time you stopped beating yourself up over anything. I was the one who pushed for this, maybe you weren’t ready, maybe I should have waited a few days, but I wanted to see you again, so I didn’t. But don’t you blame yourself.”
“You’re so different from other men I know.” She sighed.
“Different from Forrester you mean, yes, I am.”
“Just don’t expect too much from me Nick, I’m raw and I just don’t know what I have to offer anyone.”
“Maybe.” He said pulling her close to him. “Maybe, just maybe, I have something to offer you.” And with that he pulled her into a soft, tender kiss.

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