At Forrester, Hope was thinking of Brooke, who had said Ridge deserved to know the truth. Steffy arrived wondering if there was trouble with Hope. Steffy felt sorry for Hope, who had Brooke as a mother. "Excuse me?" Hope replied, and Steffy revealed that Brooke's secret was out.
Hope pretended not to know what Steffy was talking about. Steffy brought up Deacon being at Brooke's house for New Year's Eve, but Hope claimed that it was hardly a secret. Steffy added that Brooke had left things out about that night, but it had all been cleared up. Thomas, Taylor, and Steffy knew all the details, and Taylor had told them to Ridge.
Steffy said Brooke had been unfaithful to Ridge. Hope replied that Brooke regretted the choices she'd made that night and still didn't know what had triggered the drinking. Steffy quipped that Brooke had thrown her sobriety away -- and her marriage along with it. Hope hoped Ridge could forgive Brooke. Steffy said Ridge was fed up. He'd forgive the drinking but not the cheating.
Hope conveyed that Steffy was not in a place to judge after doing regrettable things. Steffy said it kept happening decade after decade. She said that at some point, Brooke had to hold herself accountable. Brooke had spent the night with Deacon while Ridge had been stranded in a snowstorm. Steffy thought it would be the last time Brooke betrayed Ridge.
Hope could see where it was headed with the "your mom this. My mom that." Hope didn't want it to turn into another Logan versus Forrester debate. Steffy said Hope didn't because the Logans always won. Hope denied that was true. Steffy replied that it was, and Brooke had Steffy's father -- or so Brooke thought. Hope realized that Steffy was hoping it broke Brooke and Ridge up.
Steffy was tired of watching her father struggle with a woman who always had one foot out the door. Hope replied that Ridge was the love of Brooke's life, and Brooke had had one bad night fueled by alcohol. Steffy claimed it was more than Deacon. It was the back-and-forth with Eric and Thorne, and the mistakes Brooke had made with Bill. Steffy claimed the list of affairs was a mile long, and they couldn't pretend it wasn't the case.
Hope replied that she could think of a few instances when Taylor had hurt Ridge, but Hope didn't want to keep score or exchange tit for tat. She wanted their parents to handle it themselves. Steffy said Ridge would handle it by kicking Brooke out once and for all. Hope said it wasn't right to wish for the ending of Ridge's marriage. Steffy claimed to want Ridge to be happy.
Hope guessed Steffy thought Taylor was better for Ridge than Brooke was. Steffy sang Taylor's virtues and claimed that Brooke wouldn't be looking at another man if she loved Ridge. Hope asserted that Ridge loved Brooke. Steffy didn't understand why, especially when there was another woman he could turn to. Frustrated, Hope asked if Steffy ever held Ridge accountable for all the times he'd left or all of his indiscretions, "or does he always get a free pass?"
Steffy said her father didn't claim to be perfect. "Oh, and my mom does?" Hope asked. Steffy claimed that they all knew how manipulative Brooke could be, but Hope said to stop bashing her mother. Hope asserted that Brooke would never do anything like that again. Steffy was sure that Ridge would drop Brooke and return to Taylor, where he should have been all along.
At Brooke's house, Brooke figured that Taylor was there to rub things in Brooke's face. Taylor claimed to be concerned "on so many levels." Brooke replied that if Taylor had been concerned, she would have given Brooke the chance to tell Ridge herself. Taylor said not to make her the bad guy. Brooke insisted that she'd been about to do it, but Taylor had beaten Brooke to it.
Brooke wasn't proud of what she'd done. She was ashamed, but she refused to defend herself to Taylor, of all people. Brooke said she didn't owe Taylor that. Taylor replied that Brooke owed it to Ridge, as well as fidelity. Brooke stated that she and her husband would work through it together, and they didn't need Taylor's help. It had been a kiss, a moment of weakness that Brooke took responsibility for. Taylor asked if that was because Brooke had gotten caught.
Taylor claimed to understand alcoholism but felt that Brooke's actions spoke for themselves. It was a pattern that had been going on for years and years, according to Taylor, who pointed out that Brooke had kissed Bill. Brooke replied that it wasn't a therapy session, and she wasn't one of Taylor's patients. Brooke didn't feel she needed analysis. Taylor claimed Brooke did and asked if Brooke saw the theme. Brooke didn't know what Taylor was getting at.
Brooke thanked God that she didn't have to answer to Taylor. "Just yourself and Ridge," Taylor replied. Agreeing, Brooke said she'd been over it a thousand times but still didn't know what had happened that night, what had gone wrong. She figured that the mental health professional in the room ought to have more empathy. Taylor claimed to be trying.
Brooke affirmed that Deacon had spent the night. There had been only one kiss, and none of it would have happened without the alcohol involved. Brooke hadn't been in her right mind and didn't know why she'd taken that first sip. Taylor said she had done it to have an excuse to cheat on Ridge.
Brooke stated that Taylor was wrong about that. Brooke asserted that it was her life and her marriage, and none of it had to do with Taylor. "You feel like you have the right to come in here and lecture me," Brooke stated. Taylor said that she and Ridge had children and grandchildren together, and she'd always care about his well-being. Brooke snickered, sure of that.
Brooke told Taylor that Brooke hadn't drunk to give herself permission to get with Deacon. Something unusual had taken over Brooke. Taylor quipped that it hadn't been Brooke's conscience. Brooke believed it had been different, and she hadn't felt a pull like that toward alcohol in many years. It had had control over her. Taylor said Brooke was making excuses.
"I don't care what you think, Taylor. And I'm really sick of your judgments through the years," Brooke responded. Brooke said that Ridge understood and trusted her. Brooke said she hated to disappoint Taylor, but Ridge had said it and also promised to work through it with Brooke. Brooke was sure they would be fine. Taylor asked where Ridge was.
At Il Giardino, Deacon got off the floor, figuring he'd deserved Ridge's punch, but he warned that Ridge would only get one for free. Ridge stated that Deacon had violated Ridge's wife, marriage, and home, but it ended that day. Ridge asked what Deacon had done to Brooke -- if he'd drugged her or spiked her drink. Deacon asserted that he'd done nothing.
Ridge accused Deacon of going after Brooke and getting her to drink. Deacon denied it, saying he'd tried to get her to stop. Ridge disbelieved that, but Deacon surmised that Brooke had already been drinking by the time he'd returned for his phone. He admitted that he'd eventually joined in. He was sorry about that, but he hadn't spiked Brooke's drink.
Ridge asked what had happened and how Deacon had wound up kissing Ridge's wife. Deacon explained that he and Brooke had been alone unexpectedly. They'd talked about the past and gotten caught up in the memories, and they'd kissed once. Ridge replied that Deacon had gotten Brooke drunk and taken her to her bed. "And then what happened?" Ridge asked.
The thought of Deacon in Brooke and Ridge's bed with Brooke sickened Ridge. Deacon was sure it would be a lot easier if Ridge believed Deacon had done something criminal. Ridge quipped that everything Deacon did was criminal. Deacon replied that he hadn't forced Brooke to do anything. Ridge said Deacon had taken advantage of a compromised Brooke.
Deacon asserted that he and Brooke each had been drinking, and there was no victim. Deacon said Ridge could blame Deacon, just not Brooke. Ridge blamed Deacon for everything. Deacon said he'd held back on kicking Ridge's "ass" for Brooke and Hope's sakes, but they weren't around. Deacon warned Ridge to get out of there or make a move.
Ridge charged Deacon, knocking him into a supply shelf, and a brutal fight began. Ridge and Deacon slammed each other into the walls, breaking holes in them. Deacon kicked a broom in Ridge's hand, breaking it in two. Ridge contemplated using it as a weapon. "Really?" Deacon asked, and Ridge tossed it aside to resume the fistfight.
Deacon was distracted when he heard Brooke's voice outside the room. Ridge took the opportunity to beat Deacon to the ground. Brooke arrived just as Ridge threw a glass vase at Deacon. Hurriedly, Brooke separated the men. Kneeling by Deacon, she asked if he was okay. She told Ridge that it was she. She'd been drunk, and Deacon hadn't done a thing.
"He didn't do a thing? He didn't do a thing!" Ridge yelled back.
In the storage room at Il Giardino, Brooke threw Ridge off of Deacon and said it had been all her. Deacon hadn't done anything. Ridge tried to go in for another hit, but Brooke stopped him, asking what was wrong with him. Deacon requested that Brooke help him up.
Ridge thought it was funny that Brooke had rushed in there, and first thing, she'd checked on Deacon. Brooke denied she was doing that. She was trying to keep the men from tearing each other apart. Ridge asked what kind of man drank with an alcoholic just so he could slither into her bed. Ridge asked what kind of woman defended a man like that.
Deacon guessed they'd established Ridge's anger. Ridge stepped toward Deacon again, but Brooke pushed Ridge back. Ridge asked why she "does this." He said that Deacon had ruined her life "almost twice," and Ridge couldn't see how Brooke could defend Deacon. Brooke replied that she didn't want the men fighting; it didn't go any good.
Deacon replied that nothing had happened, and he asked if that didn't count for anything. Brooke told Ridge how sorry she was about what had happened. She didn't know how it had happened, but she had to own it. "I don't. I don't want this. I can't take this anymore," Ridge replied.
Brooke pleaded with Ridge to know that she took full responsibility for that night. Ridge replied that she hadn't because she hadn't told him what had happened. She told him that it was because she'd known how he'd react. She'd known that he'd be hurt and angry and would go after Deacon. "Poor Deacon. Is he going to be okay?" Ridge quipped.
Brooke replied that she didn't want her husband or Hope's father to end up in the hospital. She stated that Deacon had done nothing wrong. Ridge asked what that phrase meant to her. Brooke wished she knew why she'd drunk, and she wished that she could take it all back. Ridge did, too.
"But you said that you still love me. You said that we can get through this," Brooke replied. Ridge affirmed that he did love her, but she'd been with Deacon. He said they'd had to find it out from a little boy. Ridge asked what he'd do with that. Brooke said she just wanted him to be able to forgive her. She couldn't imagine her life without him. She wanted to work through it and get past it together.
Ridge said he'd told Brooke that he hadn't wanted that fool in their lives. Brooke yelled that nothing had happened, and Ridge roared that Deacon had slept in Ridge's bed. Deacon tried to speak, but Ridge roared at him, too. "Ridge, please!" the sobbing Brooke cried.
Ridge sardonically apologized for yelling at her boy and asked why he couldn't have a "please." He said he'd begged Brooke not to let Deacon be around. Brooke replied that she'd tried to support her daughter, but Ridge asked how making out with Deacon was supporting Hope. Ridge asked why he wasn't enough for her. Brooke replied that he was the only man she loved.
Ridge stated that it was that way unless Bill flexed at Brooke -- or that clown Deacon professed his love. Ridge said he very much loved Brooke, but it hurt. She apologized and said she'd never meant to hurt him. She was angry and ashamed. She didn't know what had made her drink. She needed him to forgive her. She couldn't live without him.
Ridge replied that Brooke had chosen Deacon over Ridge. Brooke insisted that she hadn't. Ridge stated that she'd let Deacon into their home and bed. There was nothing sacred, and it was gone. Ridge loved her, but he was tired. He couldn't do it anymore. Brooke asked Ridge not to go, but he walked out of the storage room.
Brooke screamed at Ridge, begging him not to walk out. Deacon watched Brooke sob and ask why.
In the CEO's office, Hope continued to insist that it had just been one mistaken evening, but Steffy believed that Brooke's hold over Ridge would be at an end. Hope knew that Steffy blamed Brooke for Ridge leaving Steffy's family; however, Ridge had chosen to leave, and Steffy was underestimating Ridge's ability to forgive Brooke. Steffy said Brooke had gotten bored and had shaken things up by cheating on Ridge. Steffy didn't know how Hope could overlook that.
Hope replied that Brooke had relapsed after years of sobriety. Brooke's judgment had been impaired, and Brooke didn't remember half the night. Steffy claimed it was no excuse for making out with Deacon. Hope asked if Steffy would be so high and mighty after making regretful mistakes. Steffy said it could have been avoided because Brooke had ignored Ridge's warnings.
Hope told Steffy to blame Hope because Deacon had been there for his daughter. Steffy refused to let Brooke off the hook and doubted Ridge would, either. Steffy told Hope that she was wrong about Deacon. He hadn't changed and was a snake, but Brooke had opened the door to that train wreck. Hope replied that Brooke had done it for her.
Steffy emphasized that Brooke had gotten drunk and had had Deacon spend the night in Ridge's bed. Steffy said it was embarrassing that Hope was defending it. Hope replied that, ultimately, Steffy's opinion didn't matter; only Ridge's did. Hope hoped Ridge would forgive Brooke. Steffy wondered why that time should be any different. Steffy said Ridge wouldn't get any respect from Brooke, but he always would get it from Taylor.
Steffy sensed Hope had disdain for Ridge, but Hope said she loved Ridge. Steffy asked where that love had been when Ridge had warned Hope about putting her faith in Deacon. Hope said Ridge had judged Deacon on the past. Hope was judging Deacon on the present, and it was working out for them. Steffy said it was too bad for Ridge, whose heart would be broken.
Hope was sorry that Ridge was hurt. She was sorry her mother had fallen off the wagon with Deacon and sorry that she'd pushed too hard to make everyone let Deacon in. Steffy advised Hope to go on a campaign to get her parents together because Ridge was done with Brooke.
In Taylor's office, Taylor was thinking of her last talk with Ridge when Sheila entered, beaming that the "psychic" Taylor had returned home at the right time. Taylor was confused, but Sheila continued, calling herself Team Taylor, and expressed how happy she was for Taylor. Sheila knew all about Brooke's infidelity and said it could only benefit Taylor.
Sheila pitied Ridge for all he'd gone through with Brooke. Taylor didn't feel comfortable bashing Brooke with Sheila. Sheila said that it was Taylor's "job" to stay neutral, but Sheila felt that she was only telling the truth. Sheila claimed that Taylor knew better than anyone how many times Brooke had cheated on Ridge, and Ridge had taken her back just for her to do it all over again.
Taylor replied that Ridge made his own choices, but Sheila said he probably wished he hadn't made some of them. Sheila believed Ridge should have stayed with Taylor. Taylor thanked Sheila. Sheila said that Taylor was calm but had to be very excited that her wish would be true. Taylor asked what wish, and Sheila said anyone could see that Taylor was still in love with Ridge. Sheila was confident that Ridge and Taylor would find their way back to each other.
Taylor decided to be very clear with Sheila; Taylor wasn't a homewrecker or out to break up Ridge and Brooke's marriage. Sheila replied that the beauty of it was that Taylor didn't have to; Taylor could simply wait for Ridge to go back to her arms. Sheila again praised Taylor's timing and desired to sit at Taylor's feet and learn. Taylor insisted she'd returned because she's missed her kids and grandkids. Sheila said that Taylor had returned at a precarious time in Ridge's marriage, and his destiny might not be with Brooke.
Taylor replied that Brooke had made a mistake. Taylor said Brooke had been drinking; she was an alcoholic and didn't know what she'd been doing. Taylor's phone chimed. After she'd gone to answer it, Sheila laughed to herself, well aware that Brooke hadn't known what she'd been doing. Sheila stated that one thing led to another, and all the pieces were falling into place.
After ending her call, Taylor pondered what had been the trigger with Brooke. Sheila asked if it could have been Deacon. Taylor acknowledged that it could have been. She didn't know and said they might never know. Sheila asked if it really mattered. The damage had been done, as far as Sheila was concerned.
In the living room of Brooke's house, Hope was furious that Taylor had butted into Ridge and Brooke's marriage. Liam reminded his wife that Brooke and Ridge had overcome "challenge after challenge after challenge" in their relationship.
A somber Brooke returned home and, after a lot of coaxing, shared that she had been able to tell Ridge the truth. She added that, unfortunately, she had only been able to do so after Taylor had spoken to Ridge. Hope asked if Ridge had listened to Brooke's side of the story. Brooke nodded but confessed that she was not sure that it had made much of a difference.
Brooke fought back tears as she commented on how she had let Ridge down. Brooke told Hope and Liam about Ridge's theory that Deacon had spiked her drink. Brooke continued to deny that Deacon would have done something like that. Brooke was still at a loss to explain what had suddenly spurred her urge to drink.
Brooke told Liam and Hope about Taylor's visit and Taylor's claim that Brooke had chosen to drink as a way to give herself permission to be with Deacon. She then shared that she had happened upon Deacon and Ridge fighting at Il Giardino. She said that everything had "shifted" when she had professed Deacon's innocence to Ridge. "He told me he loves me," Brooke said. She added, "But then he told me that he couldn't take it anymore." Tears flowed freely down Brooke's cheek as she expressed her fear that she had lost her "soul mate."
Liam and Hope urged Brooke not to give up on Ridge, but Brooke indicated that when Ridge had walked off, he had given every indication that their marriage was over. Brooke worried that if Ridge had gone to see his "other family," then Steffy, Thomas, and Taylor would "pile on" and make things worse. Brooke decided that she needed to speak to Ridge.
At the cliff house, Steffy and Thomas continued to vent their frustrations over Brooke and Deacon spending the night together, even if it was "fully clothed and over the sheets." They both agreed that there was ample evidence to support Ridge leaving Brooke and reuniting with Taylor.
As Thomas and Steffy talked, Taylor returned with news that, according to Brooke, Brooke and Ridge's marriage remained intact. Steffy and Thomas doubted Brooke's claim and said that they would only believe it if Ridge told them himself.
A bloodied and bruised Ridge arrived at the cliff house, and Steffy and Thomas immediately realized that Ridge and Deacon had to have gotten into an altercation. Ridge lumbered over to the sofa and grimaced as he sat down. Taylor handed him an ice pack to put on some of his bumps and bruises.
Steffy wasted no time in urging Ridge not to forgive Brooke's wrongdoing. Thomas added, "Let what Brooke did with Deacon be the final straw." Taylor asked her children to dial it down, but her request went unfulfilled. Steffy insisted that she would not allow Ridge to be continually hurt by Brooke.
Ridge stunned everyone by revealing that after he and Deacon had finished pummeling each other, Brooke had defended Deacon. Thomas called the move "classic Brooke Logan." Ridge announced that he had told Brooke he "can't do this anymore." Steffy told her dad that she knew it was hard for him to walk away from his marriage. Taylor quickly interjected that Ridge had not said that. Steffy asked her dad if he'd ended things with Brooke.
"I had to," Ridge replied. Steffy extended condolences to Ridge but suggested that walking away from Brooke might be a positive thing. She hugged her father and thanked him for returning home to his family, a family that would never let him down.
As Steffy rattled off a list of reasons why Ridge should stay away from Brooke, Thomas noticed that Brooke was calling Ridge's cell phone. The phone's ringer had been silenced, so no one else noticed. Thomas quickly placed a towel over the phone so that Ridge would not see the incoming call.
When the call went to voicemail, Brooke left a message for Ridge, telling him that she refused "to give up on us and our life together." She urged Ridge to call her back.
At Il Giardino, a battered Deacon gazed around at the mess in the storage room and grimaced upon seeing himself in the mirror. From the doorway, Sheila said he'd either gotten hit by a bus, or someone really didn't like him. As he swept up glass with the broken broom, Deacon murmured that he wasn't in the mood -- in fact, the less he talked about it, the better.
Being a nurse, Sheila offered to take a look at Deacon. Deacon said it was nothing, but she guessed he'd run into Ridge's fist. Deacon claimed that he'd held back for Brooke's sake and reasoned that the best thing a fighter could do at times was to not fight. Sheila berated him for not taking the chance to knock Ridge down a peg. Deacon replied that, in martial arts, one used an opponent's momentum against them and let them defeat themselves.
Sheila asked where Brooke was. Deacon didn't know. All he knew was that, earlier, Brooke had defended him. Sheila didn't think fighting was romantic. He replied that Brooke hadn't thought so, either. Brooke had rushed in, pried Ridge off of Deacon, and said Deacon hadn't done anything wrong. Sheila was thrilled to hear it. Deacon added that Ridge had said Deacon had violated Brooke and had lured her up to her bed; however, Brooke had taken the blame. Sheila asked how that had gone over.
Deacon replied that Ridge had made it all about him and had accused Brooke of choosing Deacon over him, and it was all because she hadn't gone along with Ridge's lies. Sheila quipped that Brooke was an angel, but Brooke wasn't there patching Deacon up. Deacon replied that Brooke had gone after Ridge, who'd walked out on her.
At Brooke's house, Brooke explained to Liam and Hope that Ridge had said they could work through things, but Ridge had gone after Deacon. Brooke had found them fighting, and she'd stopped Ridge from pounding Deacon. She disclosed that Ridge couldn't believe that Brooke had defended Deacon. She said she'd gone too far and made a terrible mistake.
Brooke stated that Ridge had been in pain and had said he couldn't do "this" anymore. She said he wouldn't pick up his phone. She wondered why he wasn't taking her calls. She tried phoning Ridge again, to no avail. After leaving another message, Brooke decided she wouldn't just sit there and lose the man she loved. She was going to find Ridge, and she knew where to look.
After Brooke had gone, Hope told Liam that Ridge had walked out before, but he'd also returned. Liam guessed it was how destiny worked. Hope felt that it wouldn't be solved by text messages or phone calls; Bridge and Ridge needed to look each other in the eyes and talk it out. Hope said Brooke hadn't been defending Deacon and had just wanted the fight to stop.
Liam figured Ridge had to see that. Hope was worried about what Brooke was walking into at Steffy's. She couldn't forget the things Steffy had said about where Ridge belonged and who he should love. "Yeah, that's..." Liam said. Hope hoped Ridge remembered his love for Brooke.
At the cliff house, Ridge said he hadn't arrived there to cause drama. Thomas and Steffy believed that Ridge was there because he knew they heard him and respected his feelings. Thomas stated that Ridge knew where he should be, and he didn't need to go back over there for Brooke's manipulations. Thomas insisted that Ridge stay there with "our family."
Thomas offered to get Ridge more ice and slyly collected Ridge's phone as he scooped up the old ice pack. As Ridge insisted to Taylor and Steffy that he'd had to do something because he was certain Deacon had done something to Brooke, Thomas was in the kitchen, deleting the voicemail Brooke had left Ridge. Steffy wouldn't let Ridge make Brooke out as a victim.
Returning to the living room, Thomas said Brooke had defended Deacon. Steffy believed Ridge had let Brooke off the hook, and Brooke had thanked him by telling him to leave Deacon alone. To Steffy, if Brooke couldn't give him a modicum of respect, Brooke didn't deserve a life with him.
Steffy said that Brooke had betrayed Ridge. "Steffy..." Taylor replied. Steffy said Brooke hadn't rushed into Deacon's arms, but she'd taken Deacon's side and had made Ridge the bad guy. Taylor replied that violence never solved anything. Taylor conveyed that it was Ridge's life and choices. She went to check on the baby, and Steffy said Taylor didn't want to be in the middle.
Ridge felt it was because he had to do "this" on his own. Thomas and Steffy pledged to be there for him and not judge him. They claimed that they accepted that Ridge loved Brooke; however, Brooke would never change or commit herself to him the way Taylor could. Ridge's phone vibrated in Thomas' pocket with another call from Brooke.
Later, Thomas and Steffy were telling Ridge that Taylor wouldn't get in the middle of it or tell Ridge what to do with his marriage. Thomas figured it was obvious what to do. He said his father hadn't gone home for a reason, and instead, had gone to them. Thomas said that Brooke was a big part of Douglas' life and Hope's mother, but Brooke was hurting Ridge.
Thomas didn't know why Ridge couldn't see that the person in the other room would never betray Ridge the way that Brooke had. Thomas checked Ridge's phone and saw a text from Brooke, who was on her way over there. Thomas decided to leave for some fresh air.
After Thomas had gone, Steffy said Ridge had heard from Thomas and would hear from her. Ridge sighed. He knew what Steffy would say. He realized that Taylor's appearance had brought out a lot of emotions for his kids, but it had nothing to do with his situation with Brooke.
Steffy responded that Ridge didn't need to be in that cycle. He sighed as she asked if he was tired of the lies and secrets and sacrificing his happiness for Brooke. He said it wasn't what he was doing. Steffy claimed it was why Thomas had stormed out. Thomas was done watching Ridge absolve Brooke. Steffy called Brooke a serial cheater and claimed that Brooke had had her head turned by Ridge's brother, Ridge's father, and Bill.
Ridge got that Steffy was angry and frustrated; he was, too. Steffy was angry with him and asked when he'd get off the merry-go-round. She claimed he did everything the Logans wanted and bent over backwards for them, even if it made him miserable. Steffy asserted that Brooke would never be committed and loyal the way Taylor could. Steffy said Taylor had worked hard to get over him and had thrown herself into work. Steffy asked what he was doing.
Taylor returned and stopped Steffy, saying that Ridge wasn't doing it to hurt his kids. Steffy insisted that Ridge needed to hear her. Taylor tearfully smiled as Steffy asked how Ridge didn't realize that Taylor was an amazing woman who loved him. Steffy asked why he kept rejecting a loving person and choosing Brooke "over her." Taylor smiled at Ridge through her tears.
Outside, Brooke arrived, and Thomas met her out front. Brooke said she needed to see Ridge right away, but Thomas replied that Ridge didn't need to see her. Thomas told her to go home and wait for Ridge there, but she replied that it was too important. Thomas reasoned that Ridge would have gone to her if he'd wanted to see her, but he'd arrived there to be with Thomas, Steffy, and "our family." Brooke asked what Thomas was doing and ordered him to get out of her way. Blocking her path, Thomas refused to let her anywhere near his father.
At Il Giardino, Deacon nursed his wounds as he worked at the bar. Sheila noted that Brooke had seen him as the victim and Ridge as the bullying aggressor. Deacon claimed that he'd stopped fighting because he'd thought seeing it would hurt Brooke more than taking it would hurt him.
Deacon said Ridge thought Deacon had targeted Brooke, but she'd picked up the bottle herself. Sheila insisted that Brooke had drunk on her own, and she asked how Ridge thought Deacon had pulled off spiking Brooke's drink. Deacon guessed he'd been waiting around with a flask for just the right moment. Sheila felt that Ridge should know Brooke would taste the difference.
Agreeing, Deacon said Ridge was blinded by hatred, and Deacon would never do something like that to Brooke. "Spike an alcoholic's drink? Who would do something so cruel?" Deacon asked, and Sheila flashed back to doing just that. "Who indeed..." she replied.
Sheila doubted that Brooke and Ridge would last much longer. She said it would be the end of an era. Deacon figured anything was possible. Sheila said he'd finally get his chance with Brooke and have a fairytale reconciliation. He replied that he'd be there for Brooke. Sheila bet he would, but in the event that Brooke turned him down, Sheila said she could give him something Brooke never could.
At the cliff house, Taylor coyly gazed at Ridge as Steffy implored him to make a life with Taylor and the family he never should have left behind. Taylor understood Steffy's view but said Steffy was putting too much pressure on her father. Steffy said she was trying to take the pressure away.
Taylor responded that Ridge was going through a lot as it was, and it was complicated enough. Steffy replied that it was exactly why Taylor was the woman for him. Steffy told Ridge that Taylor loved him and would put him first and never cheat on him. She said his future was standing before him.
Steffy offered to give Taylor and Ridge time alone to talk. Taylor demurred, but Steffy said it could be the most important conversation her parents would ever have. As Steffy left out the back, Taylor said that no matter how old kids were, they just wanted their parents together.
Ridge remembered how he and his siblings had beamed like little kids when their parents had reunited. Taylor was sure Steffy and Thomas would feel the same. "There's no pressure here, Ridge, from any of us, okay?" Taylor claimed. She said she just wanted what was best for him, and she stated that he was the only one who knew what that was. He thanked her and asked for her honest opinion about his marriage. He said he needed that from someone he trusted.
Taylor said Brooke didn't deserve Ridge. Taken aback, he asked why. Taylor said there were many reasons, but the main one was her pattern of turning to other men. She said Brooke had no regard for anyone's feelings and did whatever she wanted, as long as she begged for forgiveness and took full responsibility, knowing things would go back as if they'd never happened.
Ridge said he'd asked for the truth, and it was hard to hear. However, he said it was important to him to hear it. Taylor knew that it was hard to hear it about someone he believed in, but after all those years, it was just who Brooke was. She said Brooke would turn to other men in a moment of weakness. Taylor decided that she wouldn't tell him what to do. She said it was his life and his destiny, but when it caused him confusion and pain over and over, it might be time to ask why he deserved it.
Taylor said she'd always be honest with Ridge, even if it was difficult. Ridge said his head was spinning, and things just kept happening over and over again. Taylor knew what it was like when someone one loved was hurtful; it felt like one's world was falling apart. Ridge said he had heard what his kids wanted. They wanted him home, and he'd thought that was with Brooke.
Ridge wasn't saying that what he and Taylor had had hadn't been amazing. It had been -- until Sheila. Taylor replied that he'd moved on. "But you didn't," he replied. Taylor conveyed that she never would. He'd been her husband, and she'd returned to a life that had no longer been there.
Stroking Taylor's face, Ridge asked if the kids could be right. He wondered if he should be with someone who'd always been there for him. Ridge moved in to kiss her, but she stopped him, saying she couldn't go through it again. She asked what he was saying. "I want to come home, if you'll have me," Ridge replied. Taylor pulled him in for a kiss.
Outside the cliff house, Thomas continued to bar Brooke from seeing Ridge. Thomas conveyed that she'd thrown it all away for one drunken night with Deacon. Brooke revealed that she'd been questioning why she'd drunk, but Thomas didn't think it mattered. She decided that if Thomas wouldn't let her in, Ridge would come out.
Brooke called Ridge, but his phone rang in Thomas' pocket. Appalled, Brooke deduced that he was the reason Ridge wasn't responding to her. Thomas told Brooke it was time to go. She couldn't believe Thomas had taken Ridge's phone and asked if Thomas really thought he could keep her away from her husband.
Thomas asserted that he had to, and Brooke could save her excuses and tears for the next guy, because Ridge was with the family and woman who actually cared about him. Thomas told Brooke to accept Taylor as Ridge's future. Brooke asked if Thomas really believed that, and he replied that Taylor wouldn't "sleep with the guy he hates most in the world."
Brooke quipped that she didn't deserve Ridge and was the most horrible person in the world. She said she'd been hearing that since before Thomas had been born. It didn't matter to her and Ridge because they knew they belonged together, no matter how many hurdles were in their way. Thomas replied that sleeping with Deacon wasn't a hurdle. Brooke ordered Thomas out of her way, but he asked if she'd push him off the cliff again. Brooke vowed to never give up on Ridge.
Later, Thomas was making sure Brooke had gone when Steffy approached. She was surprised to hear that Brooke had been there but glad that he'd gotten rid of her. Steffy was sure Brooke had sent many texts, too. Whipping out Ridge's phone, Thomas said Ridge wasn't taking calls or texts. Steffy said it was nicely done. They agreed Ridge needed time to figure out what he wanted. Steffy added that Ridge was with Taylor right then.
At Brooke's house, Hope was concerned about Brooke showing up to an empty house, since Ridge hadn't answered his phone. Liam said Brooke had been confident that Ridge was at the cliff house. Hope said he'd better be, and the sooner Brooke and Ridge worked it out, the better.
Liam asked Hope to try not to worry, but she said it already felt like her mom's marriage was ending. Liam sensed that Hope was about to blame herself, and he wouldn't let her. He insisted that it would work out, and Brooke and Ridge wouldn't let that thing get between them. Hope hated that Ridge believed that Deacon had plotted to get Brooke drunk.
Understanding it himself, Liam said Ridge had already been highly suspicious of Deacon, and the one night Ridge had been out of town, the incident had gone down. Hope believed Deacon and said Brooke did, too. Liam figured that Ridge couldn't handle Brooke's defense of Deacon, and that was why they were in that situation. Hope still didn't understand why Brooke had, after all the years of sobriety, given in to temptation.
Later, Brooke arrived home. She was flustered as she explained to Liam and Hope that Ridge had been at the cliff house, but Thomas hadn't let Brooke talk to Ridge. She said Thomas had also had Ridge's phone. Brooke said Thomas and Steffy were trying to keep her away from Ridge to give their mother a chance to plead her case. Brooke felt as if her marriage was slipping through her fingers, since Ridge was stuck in that house with Taylor.
