Quinn tries her seduction but Bill calls her bluff by having Alison crank up the air conditioning. She asks if his office is soundproof. She understands what she needs like no other woman. He says yes she is sexy and smart, but he will never do anything about it because he is marrying Brooke. He doesn't want to be embarrassed. She says this goes deeper than that. She told Wyatt a long time ago that he was dead to keep her from obsessing over him. And there are no exceptions when it comes to Brooke. She will always go back to Ridge. He says perhaps he will end up being a fool but it will be worth it as Brooke is worth it. Ridge holds Brooke's engagement ring and says she cannot marry Bill. He wants her to thrive and his son around good people and that is not Bill. So it's that simple, he cannot let her marry Bill Spencer. He says it is not fair for her to reach out to another man because he was not available. He will help her find somebody else. He only wants what is best for her. She thanks him but says what is best for her is Bill. Ridge takes off with the ring. Wyatt and Hope discuss how weird this is, their parents marrying each other .a Logan woman and a Spencer man, just like them. He kisses her. Wyatt calls out Quinn for her mood. She says it has nothing to do with his father. He says he saw her face at the meeting, and he knows how her mind works. Ridge ends up in Bill's office and tosses him the ring and says Brooke won't be needing that any more ..or him. Bill quips that at least he let her keep her finger. Bill points out that Ridge left Brooke time and time again and now his OCD kicks in and he can't stand Brooke with another man. Ridge says he is not going to allow Bill to be RJ's stepfather. He also points out that Bill is wearing a toy sword necklace around his neck. That is ridiculous, and even the clothes that he wears and he is not going to let his son be around that. Engagement is off. Bill says he sort of admires Ridge for just popping in and out but things have changed. Ridge says that he is not going to marry Brooke but she will always be in his life. That bond can not be broken. Bill says he wonders if Katie knows how he feels as he knows he will get a lot of dirty looks. Katie chose to end the marriage, not him. He's sorry that Ridge doesn't find him an appropriate father to RJ. That is their obligations to be good role models. When he and Brooke marry, RJ will be just down the hall. If he has a nightmare he will walk in and see him in bed with his mother. So Ridge needs to accept that and get over it. Now get out of his office, he has work to do. Ridge hauls off to hit him but Bill gets the first punch in and they end up mauling each other on the desk .just as Brooke walks in and shouts to stop it.
Brooke: Ridge, please. Just give me my ring back. Ridge: You can't do this. You can't marry Spencer. Brooke: That is not up to you. Ridge: Of course, it's up to me. It's our son! I don't want Spencer influencing him or -- or you. Come on. You deserve better. I can't let you go. Brooke: [Sighs] [SCENE_BREAK] Hope: [Sighs] God, I cannot stop thinking about it. Wyatt: What? About our parents? Hope: I mean, it's crazy, right? Wyatt: Yeah. But it's not exactly a surprise. They've been -- they've been working hard to be together. I mean, it makes sense that a proposal is the next step. Hope: [Chuckles] Wyatt: Spencer man, Logan woman. Talk about a match made in heaven, right? Hope: [Chuckles] [SCENE_BREAK] Bill: What are you doing? What is this? Quinn: It's a better option. Bill: Put your coat on. Quinn: But it's so hot in here. If anything, I was thinking of taking more off. Bill: Alison, do me a favor. Crank up the air conditioning. [SCENE_BREAK] Hope: Your mom's gonna be okay, right? Wyatt: With the engagement? Hope: Mm-hmm. Wyatt: Uh... well... Hope: I mean, it's not like she was actually interested in Bill. Wyatt: Hmm. Hope: Or no. Was she? Wyatt: It's hard to say. I mean, it's -- I'm not sure if my mom knows how to be interested in someone. But if she were... it would definitely be my dad. Hope: Even though she hates him, told you he was dead, and never wanted you to meet him? Wyatt: She's complicated. [SCENE_BREAK] Quinn: What's the matter? You scared to have a little fun? Bill: You know I'm engaged. Quinn: So let me be your bachelor party. Bill: I'm committed to Brooke. Quinn: Well, we could be quiet. [Loudly] Is your office soundproof? Bill: You're not hearing me. Quinn: Oh, I'm trying to help you. I understand what you need better than Brooke ever could, and don't pretend that she or any other woman excites you the way I do. Bill: It is ridiculous to compare. What I want from you, I don't want from Brooke. Quinn: [Gasps] Then you do want me. Bill: No, that's -- what I'm saying is, who wouldn't? You're beautiful and smart, sexy as hell back in the day and more so now. But I will never do anything about it because I'm marrying Brooke. [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: You can be so frustrating. Ridge: I'm doing my job as a father and as the man who will always love you. Brooke: Don't say that. Ridge: You know it's true. I know we can't be a couple anymore, but we're never gonna stop caring about each other. Brooke: You're engaged to Katie, and you're moving on with your life. And I'm engaged to Bill, so there's nothing that you can say to change that. Ridge: Hey, I want you to thrive, and I want our son to be around good people. Brooke: Bill is a wonderful person. There's no woman lurking around the corner, no Taylor or no Caroline, no private poetry readings with my sister. It's all about me. Give me my ring back. Ridge: I can't do that. I can't let you marry Bill Spencer. [Birds chirping] Ridge: You can't marry Bill. He's beneath you. Brooke: The great Ridge Forrester is unavailable, so that means I have to settle for somebody who really means it when they say they love me. Ridge: That's not fair. Brooke: [Sighs] You and I have been through so much through the years, and we've really managed to hurt each other. But there is no reason for a relationship to have to be like that, so difficult and so... disappointing. Bill has shown me that things can be different. Ridge: They will be different, but... someone else, please. I'll help you find somebody. Katie will help you. Brooke: [Scoffs] That's great. So now you're my personal dating service. Ridge: We care about you, and I want to make sure you're on the right path in life, where you're -- you're happy and it's good for you and for R.J. Brooke: It is good. It's... [Sniffles] It's great. Ridge: I only want what's best for you. Brooke: Thank you for caring. But what's best for me is Bill. Ridge: No. It'll never be Bill. Brooke: Ridge. Ridge, wait! Wait! Where are you going?! [Sighs] [SCENE_BREAK] Bill: I don't want to make a big deal out of this. And I don't want to embarrass you. Quinn: I'm not embarrassed by us. That's you. Bill: Quinn -- Quinn: You're the one who wants to keep us a secret. Bill: For obvious reasons. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. Circumstances have changed. I'm with Brooke now. I don't even know why you would want to pursue this. You don't like me. Quinn: [Scoffs] Why do I have to like you? I don't like anybody except for our son. This goes deeper than that. Do you know why I told Wyatt you were dead? So I could bury you in my mind. Otherwise I would have obsessed over you, and I wasn't willing to live that way. Bill: So stop obsessing. Quinn: [Scoffs] Bill: You said you would keep our secret if I gave Wyatt my last name. I have done that. Now, what more do you want? Quinn: You. I know you're with Brooke and you're committed. But think about it before you marry her. Are you really making the right choice? I mean, you've already had one failed marriage to a Logan. Bill: Brooke is nothing like her sister. Quinn: No, she's 10 times worse. She's been disappointing men for years. Why? Because she always goes back to Ridge. Yes, they break up now and then, but they always get back together. You're a smart man, Bill. Don't be a fool in thinking that you're gonna be the exception. There are no exceptions where Brooke is concerned. But hey... if you really want to marry her, well, then, why don't you just explore your options? Maybe have something lined up for when it fails. Bill: I don't need to explore anything. Brooke is it for me, and I really need you to understand that. If I end up looking like a fool in the end, so be it. It's worth it... because she's worth it. [SCENE_BREAK] Hope: I think your mom's gonna be okay with the whole engagement thing. Wyatt: [Chuckles] Hope: I mean, she acted pretty weird when my mom announced it, but, eh, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Wyatt: Whoa, hey! Whoa! What are you saying about my mom? Hope: Nothing. I'm not saying anything. Wyatt: Okay, well, she did take it pretty well. But that could be either a good thing or a terrible thing for everyone. Hope: [Sighs] I think generally most people will be happy for them. Wyatt: Uh, Katie won't be. Hope: She'll try. Wyatt: Ridge? Hope: Ohh! That's a whole other story. He is not going to like it one bit. [SCENE_BREAK] Bill: Hang on. I need you. Yeah, listen, Liam's aware of the deadline. I'm gonna be checking in with him anyway. Yeah, of course I'm gonna be checking my e-mails. Just -- just not every five minutes, all right? This is my wedding. Thanks. I appreciate it. Hey, so, uh, I asked for a year's worth of figures. I get three months. What am I supposed to do with that? Really? Boy, you have way too much time on your hands. All right, I'm gonna get back to you. I have a, uh, minor annoyance I need to deal with. What now? Ridge: Don't hang up on my account. I'm just here to drop something off. Here. Brooke won't be needing that anymore. Or you. [SCENE_BREAK] [Birds chirping] Wyatt: You think Ridge knows yet? Hope: Probably. Wyatt: It's probably a good thing that he wasn't in the meeting when Brooke was showing off the ring. Hope: I don't know. It might have been good to have a group around, that way it could temper his reaction a little bit. Wyatt: Even though he's engaged to Katie? Really? Hope: I don't think it's a jealousy thing. Wyatt: Hmm. Hope: I know that he doesn't want to be with her, so... Wyatt: He just doesn't want her with my dad. Hope: Exactly. And it involves R.J., you know, so I get it. Wyatt: You know, I-I know that you don't like him very much. Hope: Wyatt, I'm -- I'm not trying to trash your dad right now. I'm not. It's just -- I think for Ridge, Bill would be the last person he would want to be R.J.'s stepdad. Wyatt: Oh, is that all? Hope: I'm putting my foot in my mouth, aren't I? Wyatt: Yes. Yes, you are. But you know what? It is adorable. Quinn: Ooh! Ooh, ooh! Don't mind me! I'm gonna grab a few things and be on my way. Hope: No, no, no. It's okay. Uh, stay, because I have a meeting to go to anyway. Um... Quinn: Okay. Hope: Are you okay? Quinn: Why wouldn't I be? Hope: You know, earlier with... you know what? Never mind. Never mind. Uh, I will see you both later. Wyatt: Hey. It's dad, isn't it? [SCENE_BREAK] Bill: Well, at least you let her keep her finger. Ridge: You're not marrying Brooke. Bill: What'd you do? Did you drug her? 'Cause I know she didn't give this to you voluntarily. Ridge: Brooke gets confused sometimes. She makes bad decisions. And hey, I may not be her husband anymore, but I will always make sure she gets back on track. Bill: Poor Katie. This is happening even faster than I predicted. Ridge: Meaning what? Bill: Well, you don't want Brooke, but you can't handle her being with someone else. I mean, you've dumped her, what, time and time again, and you go make these promises to other women, Katie just being the latest. Then Brooke finds someone better, and your obsessive-compulsive disorder kicks in, and you have to start whispering all that destiny garbage in her ear. I mean, you just can't help yourself. Now, Katie -- I mean, you do understand that she actually believes that you're going to marry her. Ridge: This has nothing to do with Katie. Bill: It's nothing to do with you. Brooke wants to be with me now. Accept it. Live up to what you've done with Katie. Marry her. Make a beautiful life with her. Or you know what? Better yet, don't. Pursue Brooke. Go after her. Wine her and dine her and, you know, do all of that nonsense you used to do. I dare you. Because now she has someone who loves her just for who she is. She is done with dealing with the instability of being with you. Ridge: I don't want to get back together with Brooke. I'm starting a life with Katie. Bill: Right. Whatever you say. But Brooke should be alone? Ridge: No, she should be with someone who loves her and someone who's worthy of her, someone who's worthy of my son. Bill: Hmm. Ridge: And that's not you. I'm not letting you be his stepfather. Bill: Oh, really? You're not? Ridge: A part of you has got to understand that. I mean, look at you, the way you're strutting around with that permanent smirk on your face. And who has headshots of himself in his office? And don't even let me start on the shirt, 'cause that's reason enough not to marry you. Bill: Listen, number one, that's a good picture. Number two, this is a nice shirt. I'm sorry you don't like it. Well, you know, I should remember that you are a designer. Ridge: Wow, man. You are funny. For very, very short periods of time. But no woman's gonna want you permanently, and no man is gonna want you looking after his son. You have a toy sword dangling from your neck. It's ridiculous. And my son is not gonna take life lessons from a cartoon character. Engagement's off. [SCENE_BREAK] Quinn: I don't know what you're talking about. Wyatt: Your mood. Quinn: Well, if I am in a mood, it has nothing to do with your father. Wyatt: Hey. [Clears throat] Where did you go after the meeting? Quinn: Had errands. Wyatt: Hmm. At Spencer? Quinn: Maybe. How did you know? Wyatt: Mom, I saw your face when you heard about the engagement, and I know how your mind works. You went to go see dad. You tried to convince him not to marry Brooke. Am I right? Quinn: [Sighs] [SCENE_BREAK] Bill: You know, I do find you entertaining. You kind of amuse me. I'll go as far as to say I kind of admire you. The way you can just pop out of town over a text message gone wrong, claiming to be the injured party, and then you pop right back in, you lead Brooke on yet again as if nothing has changed. But, you see, everything has changed. You can't dictate who Brooke is going to marry. In fact, you can't dictate anything in her life. Ridge: Well, I don't have to justify why I did what I did to you. All you have to know is that I came back and I've changed for the better. The only thing that didn't change is how I feel about Brooke. We're not married anymore, but I'll always be there for her. And what are you talking about dictating something? I'll always have a say in anything that has to do with my son. If I think Brooke is doing something that'll hurt him... Bill: Oh, boy, you got to be kidding me. I mean, you have hurt Brooke more times than I ever could. The good news is, she's done with you. And so am I. Ridge: See, this is something you just don't understand. We're not married anymore. That's in our past. But we're never gonna be done with each other. This kind of bond can never be broken. Bill: [Chuckles] Wow. Have you, uh, have you shared with Katie that -- that you and Brooke have this bond that will never be broken? 'Cause I'm telling you right now, that is not going to go over well. You're gonna get some serious dirty looks. Ridge: Katie understands my history with her sister. It's not gonna affect our relationship. Bill: Well, just keep telling yourself that. That's -- that's gonna work out well for you. Ridge: It is gonna work out well. I'm a very different man than you. Bill: What is your definition of a man? Because honestly, I can't imagine how you can even call yourself one. Just a little boy. Man gives his word and he lives by it. A man is loyal. Ridge: Loyal like you? Bill: Oh, I have been completely loyal to Brooke, which has been a very different experience for her. Ridge: So you get to pick and choose when to be a man. 'Cause with Katie -- Bill: I was loyal to Katie, as well. Ridge: Hmm. Bill: She chose to end the marriage, not me. And as far as R.J. is concerned, you know, gee, I'm sorry that you don't feel that I'm an appropriate stepfather for him. But, you see, he's not just yours. He is Brooke's, as well. And I'm gonna give you my word, my word that I will raise him as I would my own son, and I would expect the same from you when it comes to Will. You see, we're all gonna be parents, and that is our obligation as such. We need to set good examples. Ridge: You're not an example to anybody. You're not gonna be anywhere near my son. Bill: Well, for all intents and purposes, that would be our son, right? Because I'm going to be his stepfather. I'm going to marry Brooke, and I will take that responsibility very seriously. I will be there for R.J. Ridge: Stay the hell away from him. Bill: How am I gonna do that? I'm gonna be sharing a bedroom with his mother, right? If the kid has a nightmare, he's gonna walk into my bedroom where my wife is. I mean, that's just the way that it works. Now, listen, I've had enough of you, all right? This is my office. I have work to do. Now get out of it! Ridge: [Groans] Brooke: Stop! Stop it!