At Brooke's house, Hope vowed to support Brooke in saving her marriage. Hope started to leave the house, and Brooke asked where Hope was going. Hope said she was going to see the one person who might be able to make it right with Ridge.
At Il Giardino, Sheila said Deacon should be thrilled and celebrating the end of Brooke's marriage. Deacon, however, could only concentrate on how heartbroken Brooke had to be. Deacon spotted Hope on her way into the restaurant, and he shooed Sheila out of the place.
Sheila pretended to go but returned to listen behind a wall as Deacon and Hope talked about how devastated Brooke was, believing she'd lost Ridge forever. Sheila grinned and left.
Deacon said he believed that Ridge was just off having one of his epic tantrums. Deacon jokingly thanked Eric and Stephanie for not course-correcting that within Ridge. Deacon believed that Ridge would be back because that was what Ridge always did. Hope conveyed that the other love of Ridge's life was in town, and she and Ridge had spent the night together.
"For real?" Deacon replied. Hope said it was why she was there. She said Brooke really wanted to save her marriage, and that was why Hope wanted to talk to Deacon. He didn't know what he could do. Hope replied that he could talk to Ridge and convince Ridge not to give up on Brooke.
Deacon asked if Hope seriously wanted him to talk to the hothead who never listened to reason and who'd attacked Deacon the last time they'd been in proximity to each other. Hope believed that it would send Ridge the message that Deacon really didn't want Brooke. Hope said Deacon wanted Brooke to be happy, and Hope asked him to save Brooke's marriage.
Back at Brooke's house, Brooke sent a message to Ridge, pleading with him to talk to her. To Brooke's chagrin, Sheila arrived, claiming to be in the neighborhood. Brooke said she was busy, and Sheila quipped that Brooke was working on another failed marriage. Brooke ordered Sheila to get out, raging that she was in no mood.
Sheila asked if Brooke was in the mood to threaten Sheila or get in her face to say she'd have no place in Finn or Hayes's lives. Brooke looked confused. Sheila said Brooke hadn't known what she'd been talking about. Sheila taunted that one of them was losing a chance with a loved one that day, but it "sure as hell" wasn't Sheila. She said that Ridge was going back to Taylor where he belonged.
Brooke didn't want to listen to Sheila, but Sheila persisted, saying Ridge deserved someone like Taylor. Sheila asked if Brooke was surprised that Ridge would be drawn to such goodness. Sheila imagined that it had to feel amazing after the years Ridge had spent...
"All the years that he spent with me?" Brooke asked. Sheila stated that Ridge had been gone one night. She asked if Brooke could imagine Taylor making out with someone else. Brooke said she'd been drunk. Sheila retorted, "'I only cheat on my husband when I'm drunk.'"
Brooke replied that she wasn't a drinker, and she didn't know what had happened or what had made her drink. She asked if Sheila knew what it felt like to be out of control. Brooke refused to let one drunken night ruin what she had with her husband.
At the cliff house, Ridge sat down on the sofa, and Taylor, Thomas, and Steffy gazed lovingly at him. Steffy was proud of Ridge for finally realizing it was where he belonged. Taylor reminded her children that it was a complicated situation. She said that they could be happy, but they had to remember what it meant for Ridge and Brooke.
Thomas could see the respect and admiration for Taylor in Ridge's eyes. Thomas said she was what Ridge needed. Thomas wished Phoebe could see them together. Thomas understood the power of Ridge's attraction to Brooke. He said it had been there for years, but it didn't excuse the pain and abuse. Thomas thanked Ridge for seeing that and giving himself the life he deserved.
Thomas and Steffy left, and Taylor guessed that Ridge's head was spinning. He admitted it was, but he felt safe. He didn't know what had happened, why Brooke had started drinking, why she'd spent the night with Deacon, or why she'd throw everything away.
Taylor could hear the pain in Ridge's voice. She didn't expect him to stifle his feelings. She didn't expect anything but for him to be there in that moment while they figured it out. She said they could spend time together and find out where it might lead.
Taylor said it had been great to be in Ridge's arms and to kiss his lips. Taylor didn't know where they would go from there, but she'd support Ridge no matter what. She said he'd never doubt or question her love for him. She wouldn't betray him or let him down. Ridge kissed her.
At Carter's place, Paris stroked Carter's face and urged him not to feel guilty. She said Zende was dating Sequoya, and if Sequoya was a better match for him, he deserved the chance to figure it out. Paris added that she was figuring out a lot herself, and she kissed Carter.
Carter pulled away. Sure that Zende was thinking of Paris right then, Carter advised her to go to Zende. Paris questioned whether Carter really wanted that, but he asked why she'd risk the future she could have with Zende. He said she could have prestige, opportunities, and connections. Carter thought she'd be crazy to give it up for him. Paris told him to call her crazy.
Carter uttered that Paris had no idea of how much he wanted to kiss and touch her. However, he challenged that even though they could be good together, it didn't mean that they should be together. Paris asked him not to make her give up before they'd started. He insisted that they had to put a stop to it before feelings got hurt. He said he'd never been able to make a relationship work. Paris thought it might change with the right woman. She wasn't saying she was the one, but she was throwing her hat in the ring. She believed they owed it to themselves to try.
Carter wasn't willing to hurt Zende the way Carter had hurt Eric, nor did Carter want Paris to risk her future. He persisted in believing that he wasn't worth it. Paris insisted that he was and said that he just hadn't seen it yet. The two began kissing again.
Carter murmured that they had to stop. Paris asked if that was what he wanted, and their kiss deepened. Sultry music played as they sat on the couch and began undressing each other.
At Il Giardino, Hope requested that Deacon talk to Ridge and try to save Brooke's marriage. Deacon said Ridge despised Deacon, and Deacon had the bruises to prove it. Hope replied that Ridge shouldn't have done that. Deacon believed he could have taken Ridge out easily, and Deacon warned that Hope's idea wasn't a good one.
Hope explained that Brooke was trying to get Ridge to see that her loyalty was to him, not Deacon. Hope didn't know what else to do. Deacon didn't enjoy being the issue and said he hadn't arrived in Los Angeles to complicate Brooke's life. Hope believed him and wished she hadn't been a part of driving a wedge between Brooke and Ridge. Hope felt the need to take some responsibility for it. Deacon said he should, too, and he agreed to talk to Ridge.
In Brooke's cabin later, Hope told Liam that she'd asked Deacon to speak to Ridge on Brooke's behalf. Hope wanted Deacon to convince Ridge that the night with Brooke had meant nothing. Hope wondered if she'd made a mistake. "Maybe not," Liam replied, but he asked her to remember what had happened the last time the two men had been together.
At the cliff house, Taylor reminded Ridge that there were no expectations. She said that "this" was his home, and she and the kids would always be his safe place. Ridge felt safe and stable there, but he was running the gamut of emotions. He was sorry he kept bringing up Brooke. Taylor said he didn't have to be sorry because he was processing things. He wasn't sure that he was processing it, and it didn't make sense to him that it had all gone wrong again.
Taylor didn't want to leave, but she had a "paying" patient waiting for her. Ridge jokingly offered to pay Taylor. Taylor stated that Brooke had sabotaged her marriage again, and they might never know why Brooke had drunk. The answers might never arrive.
Later, Ridge was in his office when, to his shock, Deacon arrived. Ridge picked up the phone to call security. Deacon said he was there to do something he hadn't thought he'd do in a million years. Deacon was there to convince Ridge to go back to Brooke. Ridge put down the phone and strode up to Deacon, asking if he'd arrived there to tell Ridge about his wife.
Deacon knew that Ridge thought Deacon was the worst guy on the planet, "blah, blah, blah," but Deacon insisted that it had been one kiss. It didn't matter to Ridge how many kisses there had been and if it had been underneath or on top of the covers. It had still been a betrayal. Deacon said Ridge had already forgiven Brooke and could do it again.
Ridge thanked Deacon for saying what Ridge could and couldn't do. Deacon called Ridge a "stubborn son of a bitch." Deacon insisted that it had been a drunken kiss, and Brooke had stopped Ridge and Deacon from "beating the hell" out of each other. Deacon asked why Ridge couldn't let it go but then figured Ridge just didn't want to let it go. Deacon said Ridge couldn't have run back to Taylor any faster if he'd been Usain Bolt.
Deacon conveyed that he'd heard all about it, but it hadn't been from Brooke. He hadn't seen Brooke, but he felt that Ridge needed to. As much as Deacon hated to admit it, Brooke wanted Ridge and only Ridge. Ridge called Deacon a piece of work. Deacon told Ridge that he could be mad at Deacon; however, Ridge shouldn't do what he always did -- run back to Taylor, crying.
At Brooke's house, Brooke had had enough of Sheila and ordered her to get out of Brooke's house. Sheila said that Brooke hadn't shown Sheila an ounce of compassion, and Brooke would finally learn what it was like to lose someone she loved. Sheila was sure that Ridge was tired of all the excuses. Brooke asserted that she wasn't making excuses and had taken responsibility for what had happened that night, but it didn't involve Sheila whatsoever.
Flicking Sheila's nose, Brooke ordered Sheila to stop sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Sheila warned Brooke that if she touched Sheila that way again, it would be the last time Brooke did it. Sheila thought she could say the same for Brooke and asked who Brooke was to try to keep Sheila from Finn and Hayes as if Sheila was the town pariah.
Brooke said she'd been saving them from Sheila's influence. Sheila scoffed at that, since Brooke had gotten caught kissing Deacon while her husband had been stuck in a blizzard. Brooke replied that, unlike Sheila, Brooke owned her mistakes. Brooke still didn't know how or why that dormant side of her awakened, but she'd done all she could to make sure it didn't materialize again.
Sheila said it was too little too late. Ridge had gone back to Taylor, and Brooke's destiny with Ridge was over. Sheila chuckled as she roughly patted Brooke's shoulder and left.
In Taylor's office later, Taylor was ending a call with a patient when Brooke arrived. Taylor told her not to show up unannounced. Brooke thought it was no secret why she was there; after all, Taylor always had Brooke "pegged" and all figured out. Brooke said Taylor should know how fiercely Brooke fought for what she loved, and Taylor should know that Brooke would never let Taylor steal Brooke's husband away.
Brooke sat down, and Taylor said she understood that Brooke was upset. Taylor wished things had gone differently. Taylor recalled that they'd talked about being friends. Brooke thought that was ironic, since Taylor had gone on to make out with Brooke's husband. Taylor admitted it but didn't think Brooke was in a place to judge. Taylor said it was consistently the same pattern over and over.
Brooke said she wasn't there for a therapy session. Taylor asked why Brooke consistently ruined what she had with Ridge. She said that it was usually with some guy Ridge hated. Taylor added that Brooke had told Douglas to forget what he'd seen. Taylor said Brooke could benefit from some help.
Brooke said she might, but she'd benefit most if Taylor kept her hands and lips off Brooke's husband. Brooke asked if they were really doing "this" again. Brooke regretted the night with Deacon, but she'd been under the influence. Brooke thought Taylor would understand being an alcoholic because Taylor was a professional, but instead, Taylor had taken advantage. Ridge had needed time to cool off, but Brooke believed he would have returned to her that night.
Taylor said Ridge hadn't. Brooke believed it was because Taylor and her children had pounced, not giving the man one second, trying to keep him away from Brooke. Taylor tried to speak, but Brooke said that what Taylor was doing was wrong, and she'd be the one who'd wind up hurt, because Brooke loved her husband and wouldn't let him go. Brooke "sure as hell" wouldn't let Taylor interfere in Brooke's marriage.
At Carter's place, the naked Carter and Paris sat together in a chair beneath a blanket. He asked what they'd done, and she said it was the same thing they'd do again. They kissed, but he still didn't think they should be doing it. She asked him to give her one reason not to. He couldn't. She said it was because they weren't doing anything wrong, and they should stop thinking about anyone but the two of them. They kissed again.
Later, the naked Carter and Paris made out all over the living room. They tried to go upstairs but wound up having sex on the sofa. They curled up together, and Paris said it was the best ever. He agreed. She asked him not to feel guilty. She stated that they were free, and there was nothing to keep them from being together.
Seated in chairs that faced each other in Taylor's office, Brooke accused Taylor of biding her time until the time had been right to "move in on Ridge." Taylor called Brooke's version of events "very convenient" because it made Brooke look like a victim. Taylor refuted Brooke's claims that she had sought to destroy Brooke and Ridge's union, adding that it was Brooke's "secrets and lies" that had done that.
Brooke firmly stated that she was Ridge's wife. "Ridge took off his wedding ring," Taylor responded as she leaned forward. Brooke accused Taylor of getting pleasure from the dissolution of Brooke and Ridge's relationship. Taylor admitted that she had never stopped loving Ridge, but she noted that she had "never wished harm" on Brooke's marriage.
Brooke said that she wished she could take back the events of New Year's Eve. She remained unconvinced that Taylor was what Ridge truly wanted. "You should enjoy it while you can," Brooke said as she wiped a tear from her cheek. Brooke stared coldly at Taylor and reminded her, "Ridge will come back to me, Taylor. He always does."
Brooke rose from her chair and walked to the door. She paused, turned toward Taylor, and smiled. "He loves me... and you know that," Brooke said before walking out of the office and closing the door behind her.
In the cabin, Hope wondered how Deacon and Ridge's conversation was going. Liam worried that having Deacon plead Brooke's case to Ridge might not have been the best idea. Hope called Ridge and Brooke's situation "a nightmare" because it seemed like history was repeating itself.
At Forrester, Deacon demanded that Ridge listen to him because he claimed he was "trying to do [Ridge] a solid." Deacon urged Ridge to forgive Brooke and "not fall back into old patterns" by running off to Taylor. Ridge blasted the notion that Brooke should be forgiven because she'd been drunk at the time that she'd kissed Deacon. He also took issue with Deacon having spent the night in bed with Brooke.
Ridge also lashed out at the way that Brooke had taken Deacon's side when she had broken up their brawl at Il Giardino. Deacon argued that Brooke had "a good heart" and had simply stepped in to prevent them from killing each other. Ridge thanked Deacon for helping him see that he needed "stability" in his life, something he did not have with Brooke. "Maybe it is too late for you and Brooke," Deacon grumbled as he turned around and walked out of the executive office.
Later, Ridge was working on a sketch, and he sighed deeply and snapped the pencil he'd been using in half. Hope knocked quietly on the door before stepping inside and closing the door. "I didn't want any of this, but here we are," Ridge told Hope. Hope urged Ridge to fight for his marriage and not turn his back on Brooke. Hope shared that she was the one who had sent Deacon to talk to Ridge. Ridge understood and referred to Hope as a "loving daughter who wants to clean up her mom's mess."
Hope apologized for the way that her need to have her parents in her life had inadvertently caused trouble for Brooke and Ridge. Ridge was somewhat surprised by Hope's statement because he said that he believed that Hope would welcome the opportunity for Brooke and Deacon to get back together. "My mom loves you," Hope replied. She pleaded with Ridge to look into Brooke's eyes "and see the love" that she had for Ridge. If he did, Hope was certain that Ridge would be able to forgive Brooke.
At the beach house, Steffy and a shirtless Finn were home alone, and Finn wanted to take "full advantage" of that time. Finn kissed Steffy passionately, but Steffy pulled away and said that they needed to stop because Taylor could return home at any moment.
Steffy hoped that Finn had not started to regret having Taylor live with them. Finn said that he understood how important it was for Steffy to have her mother close. The pair lay down together on the sofa and talked about Steffy's childhood. Steffy shared that she had always liked the "mutual respect" and love that her mom and dad had had for each other.
Taylor returned to the cliff house and found Steffy in the kitchen, baking cookies. Taylor told Steffy that Brooke had paid her a visit. Steffy assured her mother that she had nothing to worry about because Ridge was done dealing with Brooke.
Brooke returned home and looked at photographs of her and Ridge. She was surprised when Deacon dropped by unexpectedly. Deacon told Brooke that he was sorry that she was going through such a hard time because she did not deserve it. Brooke didn't necessarily agree. She reminded Deacon that they had shared a bed together on New Year's Eve, a bed that she and Ridge slept in as husband and wife.
Deacon pointed out that Brooke hadn't even known that he had been in her bed until the following morning. Deacon suggested that Ridge should "man the hell up" and work things out with Brooke. Brooke said that she was willing to do whatever it took to patch things up with Ridge.
"I want you to see your worth. You deserve to be respected and cherished and loved... unconditionally," Deacon said, his words causing Brooke to tear up. Deacon told Brooke that she needed to consider moving on to "a man who has always loved" her and would never let her down. Deacon said that Brooke probably believed that man was Ridge, but Deacon said that it was not Ridge and might have never been Ridge. "But that man does exist, and he's standing right here in front of you," Deacon said softly.
At the cliff house, Steffy advised Taylor not to let Brooke undermine Taylor and Ridge. Taylor said Brooke was fighting for her marriage, but Steffy contended that Brooke had thrown it away.
When Thomas arrived, Steffy said Brooke believed Taylor was trying to seduce Ridge away from Brooke. Thomas claimed it was Brooke's playbook, not Taylor's, and Brooke just couldn't handle the fact that Ridge was with them, not her. Thomas and Steffy persuaded Taylor not to listen to Brooke because Taylor was an oasis for Ridge. They could see the love in Ridge's eyes for her.
Thomas and Steffy said that Taylor had given Ridge a way out. Taylor didn't want to see herself as "a way out." They claimed she knew what they meant. Taylor said she and Ridge were taking it moment to moment, and they'd see. Steffy said she knew Taylor had been hoping for it -- not that Taylor needed a man to fulfill her or anything. Thomas thought it had to feel pretty perfect.
Taylor said that family felt perfect, and family meant everything to her and Ridge. Thomas hoped things could settle down because Ridge had finally figured out that he wanted Taylor. Thomas believed that no one would get in the way of that, no matter how hard they tried.
At Forrester, Hope tried to reason with Ridge about Deacon and Brooke. Hope could see that Ridge still loved Brooke, and she said Brooke was in love with Ridge. Hope asked him to let that be enough to be able to work through things. Hope asked Ridge not to make an impulsive decision to throw it away without even trying. Hope wasn't excusing Brooke's behavior, but Brooke was getting help, so that something like what had happened wouldn't repeat itself.
Ridge said that everyone was proud of Brooke. Hope asked why he couldn't stand by Brooke like he had when he'd gone to her support meetings. He stated that it wasn't the same thing. Hope insisted that there was no other man for Brooke but Ridge, and there never would be.
Ridge appreciated Hope taking responsibility for her part in things. Hope said that Ridge wasn't wearing his ring, but she didn't believe that he could give up on Brooke Logan so easily. Hope was certain that part of him knew there was a way back for him and Brooke. Hope stated that a helicopter, a Vegas wedding, and his meddling kids hadn't stopped them yet. She asked why "this" should. She said Brooke and Ridge had made vows, and their love had overcome a lot. Hope said it was being tested, but she asked him to let love it overcome that, too.
Later, Ridge was working on a dress with the model Petra. Steffy and Taylor arrived, and Petra congratulated Ridge and Taylor. Ridge didn't know why, and Petra revealed that Thomas had talked about his parents reconnecting. As Petra left, Taylor said she'd have a talk with Thomas.
Ridge looked troubled, and Steffy guessed Brooke had been pressuring him. He said it hadn't been Brooke. "This time," Steffy murmured and reminded him that he'd been right to say that enough was enough with Brooke.
In Sheila's hotel room, Sheila reveled in what she'd done to Brooke and Brooke's reaction. "If you only knew the truth, Brooke. But you never will," Sheila said. Keith arrived as Sheila opened her door to leave. He assumed the hotel was satisfactory for her. It appeared that she'd taken up residence there. He guessed she was going somewhere.
Back at the cliff house later, Thomas was on the phone with someone about a house. The call ended, and in walked Sheila. She was sure he'd been expecting someone else. He said he'd been expecting Amelia with the kids. Sheila explained that she'd called Taylor's office, and they'd said Taylor was at home. Thomas, who didn't know why Sheila wanted to talk to Taylor, asserted that Sheila was not welcome there and should go.
"I'm not welcome here?" Sheila asked. Thomas doubled down on it, saying his family had been separated in large part because of what Sheila had done; she'd shot his mother, which had pushed Taylor away and caused Ridge to lean on Brooke. Thomas reasoned that none of it would have happened if it hadn't been for Sheila. Sheila admitted that she'd done terrible things, but she was no longer that person. "According to you," Thomas said.
Sheila said it was according to Taylor, too. Thomas stared in disbelief, and Sheila said she might be pushing it, but Taylor was trying to give Sheila a chance. Sheila asked Thomas to do the same. Thomas refused, saying his parents had suffered long enough due to what Sheila had done. They finally had a chance at happiness. Thomas wouldn't let her in or let her mess up anything and said she should get out of their lives forever.
Scoffing, Sheila claimed that the demise of Brooke and Ridge and the reunion of Thomas' parents were because of Sheila. She said Thomas should be welcoming her and thanking her, not banning her from the family. "After all these years, your mother finally has a chance with Ridge because of me, Thomas! Me!" Sheila yelled.
At Brooke's house, Deacon implored Brooke to see that she needed a guy that didn't bail on her or run into the arms of his ex when things got tough. Ridge needed to grow up, stop pitting Brooke against Taylor, and stop putting conditions on his love. Deacon believed that a man who truly loved Brooke would never do that. "You need a man like me," Deacon concluded.
Deacon asked Brooke to think back to how amazing they'd been. He said they could have it again, and he'd give her total devotion and loyalty; he'd be the man she could count upon no matter what. He didn't want to pressure her, but he wanted her to look at where she stood. He pointed out that Ridge had all but abandoned Brooke for Taylor. "Deacon, please," Brooke replied.
Brooke said she understood what had happened and that Ridge was finding comfort with Taylor and his other family. "But in time..." she said. Getting that Deacon wanted her to move on, Brooke said that even if she could do that, Ridge would always have her heart. She was sorry. She said she and Deacon had an incredible daughter and would always be connected by that; however, Ridge would always be Brooke's soul mate and destiny.
Brooke didn't know why she and Ridge were being tested again, but it had all started that night she'd drunk and lost control, doing things she wouldn't have done otherwise. She didn't know why she'd started drinking. Deacon didn't know, either, but he was still concerned about her commitment to Ridge, especially since Ridge was moving toward Taylor. Deacon told Brooke that he'd do anything for her, and he'd always be there for her. Brooke thanked him, and he left.
Later, Hope arrived and told Brooke that she'd tried to talk to Ridge. Brooke hoped Hope had had better luck than Deacon had. Hope replied that Ridge still loved Brooke. Brooke loved him, too, but she just didn't know anymore. She said she'd always fight for their marriage, but it had hit her how much pain and disappointment she'd caused Ridge. She asked how she could have done it to him. Hope replied that it hadn't been intentional.
Brooke felt that she needed to be brutally honest with herself. "Maybe I'm not the right woman for Ridge. Maybe he'd be better off with Taylor," Brooke uttered. Hope hated to hear Brooke talk that way. Brooke said her choices were the reasons Ridge would end up with Taylor. Brooke said she was responsible -- no one but her.
At Il Giardino, the Spencer men had a meal together. Bill wasn't surprised that there were problems between Brooke and Ridge -- or that whenever things went bad, Brooke took the blame. "Like it's her fault that Forrester can't stick around, tough things out," Bill said. In his view, it had been "just a matter of time" before Ridge had pushed the eject button.
Liam conveyed that it was taking a toll on Brooke. Bill didn't believe that Ridge thought Brooke wanted Deacon and said it was just an excuse to run back to Taylor. Wyatt said things had been a little rocky before Taylor had returned. Bill asked when things weren't rocky and insisted Brooke deserved more than she'd gotten from Ridge, who'd always let her down.
Liam and Wyatt could see why Bill viewed it that way. Bill said it was the truth; He aid Forrester was a deadbeat, just like Deacon, but Forrester had never been held accountable. Bill asked where Forrester got off making Brooke feel like a failure when he was the one who'd quit -- again.
Wyatt said Bill acted like Brooke hadn't seen it coming and asked if she hadn't been worried about Taylor being back. Liam explained that Brooke hadn't been until Ridge's kids had started pressuring him to reunite with Taylor. Bill said it had given Ridge another excuse to bail on Brooke. Bill asked how many times Ridge had left Brooke hanging for Taylor.
Wyatt noted that Brooke and Ridge had gone through similar things without it affecting their marriage. Wyatt reasoned that they were working through the "Deacon thing." Bill responded that they had been until Taylor's presence had given Ridge a reason to bail out. Liam said couples could only weather so many storms, and Hope believed it was the final nail in the coffin. It was "so weird" to Liam that Brooke had inexplicably decided to blow up her whole life.
At Forrester, Ridge and Taylor were grumbling about the office gossip about them, thanks to Thomas. Max arrived. He'd heard that something was going on between Ridge and Brooke. Ridge claimed that it was fine, and Max gave Ridge some proposals. Max was trying to get the guys to go to "Bikini" later and asked Ridge to put a bug in Carter's ear about it.
After Max had gone, Ridge said people were speculating. He didn't want it to get back to Brooke or impact Taylor. Taylor said she was fine, but Ridge replied that Brooke wasn't. Taylor asked him not to feel bad about caring how Brooke felt. Taylor thought it was one of his best qualities.
Ridge said Brooke felt as if he'd abandoned her. Taylor said he hadn't and had been there for her drinking. Ridge didn't know why Brooke's first choice had been to lie to him after all they'd been through. He asked why any of it had happened in the first place.
Taylor conveyed that she couldn't tell Ridge what to do, but she could be there for him while he went through it. He was glad that she was. Taylor said he didn't want to hurt anyone, and she didn't want to see him hurt. Taylor noted that he had his family to support him, and Brooke had her family to lean on. Taylor advised him to take it a moment at a time, and they hugged.
At Brooke's house, Brooke contemplated whether she could make it right or if she should accept Ridge with Taylor. Hope asked if her mother would just give up and let Taylor have Ridge. "If she's gonna make him happy, yeah," Brooke replied. Brooke didn't know what else to do. She'd hurt Ridge and let him down. Brooke said it might be time to stop and set him free.
Hope suspected that Brooke was punishing herself. Brooke didn't know what had happened. Hope returned to blaming herself for inviting Deacon back into their lives, but Brooke said she'd poured the vodka, drunk, and not told Ridge the truth. She'd lost him because of it.
Brooke reasoned that if she didn't know why it had happened, she couldn't promise Ridge that it wouldn't happen again. Hope said Brooke was going to meetings. Brooke explained that she meant what had happened with Deacon. She wondered if it was a pattern she was bound to repeat. Brooke said that Taylor might be the right woman for Ridge, after all.
Hope didn't believe that and didn't think Brooke did, either. Brooke replied that Ridge believed it. Hope stated that Ridge had said he'd always love Brooke. Hope didn't want Brooke to throw years of experiences away as if Taylor's potential was more than the life Brooke had built with Ridge. Hope said she'd been the one who hadn't seen the danger in inviting Deacon to the party. Brooke replied that she should have told Ridge the truth from the start. Hope urged Brooke to talk to Ridge and said it wasn't too late.
At the cliff house, Thomas wondered what Sheila was talking about. Sheila asked if it was hard to believe she could do anything good, but he quipped that she hadn't done so her whole life. Sheila asked if he really thought that Taylor's luck had miraculously changed after years of playing second fiddle to Brooke. Sheila insisted that the reunion had happened because of her.
Thomas stated that everyone knew what had happened. Brooke had kissed and slept in the same bed as Deacon, and that was the reason Taylor and Ridge were spending time together. Thomas asserted that his family didn't owe Sheila "a damn thing," and she'd had nothing to do with it. Sheila asked him why he thought Brooke had gotten drunk in the first place.
Thomas sensed Sheila was implying that she'd had something to do with it. In Sheila's view, Brooke had gotten exactly what she'd deserved. "Or shall I say, 'what she ordered'?" Sheila said. Thomas recalled that Brooke had ordered non-alcoholic champagne.
"Huh...non-alcoholic. Really?" Sheila asked. She hadn't known one could get drunk off that. Thomas asserted that Brooke hadn't lied about the champagne, and Hope, who'd been there when it had been delivered, had said it hadn't been the real stuff.
Sheila bet Brooke had guzzled it down. Thomas gleaned that Sheila was saying there had been alcohol in the bottle, and he asked if she'd spiked Brooke's drink. Sheila laughed, asking how she could do that when she hadn't even been there. He recalled her saying Brooke deserved it and had ordered it. He asked if Brooke had had real champagne without realizing it.
In Sheila's silence, Thomas asked, "I'm right, aren't I?" Sheila replied that the alcoholic had fallen off the wagon. To Thomas, it sounded as if Brooke had been pushed. Sheila asked if she'd driven Brooke into Deacon's arms. Thomas sensed that it had been part of Sheila's plan to sabotage Ridge and Brooke and split them up.
Just then, Ridge called Thomas. Ridge wanted his son to meet him at the office to go over designs. Thomas said he was in the middle of an unscheduled meeting. He'd discovered something unexpected and needed more time to dig into it. Ridge ended the call with Thomas with the feeling that Thomas was being cryptic, which was never good.
Back with Sheila, Thomas asked how Sheila had gotten Brooke to drink. He knew that Sheila hadn't been there but had been the one to set it in motion. Sheila claimed that Brooke had set it in motion and had known that threatening Sheila would cause harm. Sheila believed that Brooke was paying the price, and Taylor was reaping the benefits.
Sheila decided that she deserved some gratitude because, for the first time in years, Taylor had an opportunity with Ridge. Sheila didn't think Thomas wanted to interfere with that. Sheila told him not to give Brooke a way back to Ridge. Sheila said if Thomas kept quiet, he'd have the family he'd always dreamed of. "Don't tell Ridge. Just don't do it," she said.
