TROUVAILLE | BROOKE DAVIS

one hundred and nine.

"It's been a month and no proposal," Haley says, "Is something going on?"

"Yeah, Sam's been bonding with her birth mom, and Brooke's unnerved by it. She goes and spies on them at the diner. Sometimes Victoria joins her," Parker sighs, "Proposing to Brooke right now would be so tone-deaf."

"You're right," Haley tells her, "I just hate this for you. I mean just when it seemed like everything was falling into place."

"That's life," Parker sighs, "Hey, I'm gonna swing over by my mom's before heading over to Lucas and Peyton's. I'll see you then?"

"Yeah," Haley says, "Everything's gonna work itself out Parker."

"I sure hope so."

Parker heads over to her mom's house, surprised when she finds her sister's car parked outside. She heads inside to find her mom and sister talking in hushed voices at the counter, while little Parker napped in her car seat.

"Hey," Parker greets her sister, hugging her.

"I haven't seen you in a couple of days. I was getting worried," Grace teases.

"Yeah, things have just been really tough at home," Parker tells her sister.

"Trouble in paradise?" Grace asks.

"A torpedo hit paradise and blew it to tiny smithereens," Parker says and Grace raises an eyebrow at her sister.

"What exactly is going on?"

"Well, I was planning on proposing to Brooke and I was telling Sam about it and she asked if Brooke and I would adopt her after we were married. But now her birth mom is back, and everything is complicated."

"Victoria Davis called me and asked if bad credit would work in a custody case," Jessica voices and both Grace and Parker look at their mother surprised.

"I want to propose to Brooke and I want to adopt Sam, but she's getting closer with her birth mom and I'm scared that maybe she might not want Brooke and me anymore."

"Parker," Jessica says, placing her hand on top of her daughters and giving it a light squeeze, "Sam loves you and Brooke. She looks up to the two of you so much, I honestly don't think that you have anything to be worried about."

"How can we compare to her actual mom?" Parker asks.

"You loved Sam without her being your flesh and bones. You gave Sam a chance when no one else did. Believed in her when no one else did. You and Brooke have done so much for her, there's no way that she's going to pick someone else," Grace states.

"I guess," Parker says with a shrug, "I just miss how things used to be."

"Let's talk about something happier," Grace says, "Julian and I are going to LA to introduce little Parker to his parents."

"You're taking my baby to LA?" Parker asks with a frown, "How is that supposed to make me happier?"

"Well, when I said happier, I meant for me," Grace says with a smile, "LA is warm and sunny."

"But Peyton and Lucas's wedding, you're gonna miss it," Parker says, "And Parker the Second can't miss her first wedding."

"We'll be back in time for the wedding," Grace tells her, "Want me to bring you back a souvenir?"

"You're being oddly insensitive right now," Parker says, "But yes I would like a souvenir."

___

"Why are we here?" Brooke asks as she looks around the department store Victoria had brought her to.

"Know thy enemy," Victoria tells her as she grabs a pair of ugly high heels, "These are your top competitor."