The first big love never fades!

It can't go on like this!

When his mother came into his office, visibly upset, Ridge let the box disappear under his desk in a flash.

"Ridge, this can't go on like this! Brooke was with us for a long time last night, crying her eyes out at your father. You two had another big fight and then you stormed out of the house and never came back. Why can't you just get along with Brooke?! After all, you two want to start a family and build a life together. So there must be a way for you to be reasonable with each other and not constantly be at loggerheads!"

"You don't have to tell me that, Mother! I'm not the problem here! Brooke disappointed me deeply yesterday when she stood on Dads side again, and I'm not willing to go along with that any longer! Surely they told you about their great plan?" Stephanie sighed.

"If you're talking about the neighbor's property.....Yeah..Your dad told me."

"Good, I'm sure you're just as unenthusiastic about this idea as I am. Because you know exactly what it means!"

Stephanie avoided his gaze. She was indeed less than pleased with Eric's plan to buy Ridge and Brooke the property next door. Just like her son, she feared this closeness would tempt Eric to spend his days with Brooke and their baby all the time. Moreover, she was terrified he would take even less notice of her than he did at the moment. Ridge guessed from her face what was going on in his mother's mind. 

"Please, you gotta understand me, Mother! I want to live with Brooke and raise this child with her. But for months now I feel like I'm doing everything I can to fight for this relationship and I get nothing in return from Brooke except demands. And I'm not willing to put up with that any longer. And I'm certainly not going to live in close proximity to Dad with her. This would be a living hell for all of us and I think it's impossible of Brooke to have let Dad lull her back in, contrary to our agreement. We both agreed that a little distance would be for the best and just because Dad votes against it, she flips and feels compelled to stick by him and it's been going on for months now. I'm done!"

"But you do love Brooke!" tried Stephanie to soften him. "Then you need to understand her position and reach out to her. You're only making things worse by resisting. You're pushing her right back into your father's arms and bringing them closer together. You don't want that, do you?"

"Of course not! I love Brooke and the baby!"

"All right then! Don't forget, we also have an agreement!"

"Yes, I know Mother! But all these last months I have really been trying my very best to please everyone! You! Dad and Brooke! But I exist too and I have my own strong feelings and I'm tired of always giving in and swallowing what Dad and Brooke decide!"

"What do you wanna say?" his mother asked nervously.

"I see only one chance for Brooke and me. That we move into our dream house as planned and make clear arrangements with Dad and that's exactly what I'm going to tell Brooke when I see her. And then it's up to her what she decides. If she loves me, I might as well expect some compromises from her too!"

Stephanie didn't have a good feeling about this. On the one hand, she could understand her son and yet she feared his firm stance would make the story even more complicated. She was about to retort something, but Ridge choked her off.

"It would be great if you'd leave me alone. As you see, I have work to do. Besides all this fuss, we still have a company to run!"

Stephanie reacted irritated. She wasn't used to being practically shown the door by her son. But she realized there was little she could do with him at the moment.

As soon as the door slammed behind his mother, Ridge took a deep breath and plopped down in his chair, exhausted. He was quite disappointed in his mother for showing so little compassion for him. Apparently, her own marriage and happiness and the prestige of the family weighed much more for her than his personal luck.