The Bold and the Beautiful recap (Feb. 13): Douglas rejects his parents in favor of his aunt Steffy

Look, no matter how Steffy tried to temper it for Hope, Douglas did indeed reject his parents in favor of being raised by his aunt on The Bold and the Beautiful. There’s really no getting around that fact, now they all just have to decide how to move forward…once the shock wears off, of course. Currently, Hope’s devastated and Thomas is processing but veering toward frustration and anger since Steffy is entertaining the idea of taking her nephew in.

Be prepared for tension to continue to rise because if Steffy’s willing to give her nephew’s decision real weight, then she’s going to be a real force in ensuring his needs are heard and respected regardless of how his parents may feel about it. And that’s not even factoring in what the rest of their family has to say about his choice.

Far removed from this imploding discussion were Deacon and Sheila who were having their own dust-up over Deacon’s sudden change of heart regarding their relationship status. Sheila didn’t pull any punches as she told him in no uncertain terms that it will never happen, but I think the lady doth protest far too much and Deacon knows that.

Here’s the full recap of events.

What happened today on The Bold and the Beautiful?

Douglas’ decision to ask Steffy if he can live with her went over as well as you probably predicted, as in not well at all. At first his aunt didn’t know what to say which left Thomas, Hope, and Liam floundering on what to do. The judge accepted Douglas’ choice even though she, too, was shocked. Apparently, he can decide not to choose one of his parents and instead choose another person to be his guardian. Presumably, this means it fits the parameters of the agreement.

Everyone wanted to know if he truly understood that by picking Steffy he was asking her to raise him until he becomes a young adult, but he didn’t hesitate to say yes. While his parents expressed their love for him, as did Liam, that didn’t sway his decision as he responded in kind but explained that he likes being with his aunt, Finn, and Kelly.

Yes, his answer was the equivalent of a child stating their aunt is cool and they want to be around her more but if we’re to believe Douglas is as mature as they all says he is then this does go far deeper than liking the Cliff House and loving his extended family. Especially since he knew the choice would hurt his parents and he made it anyway.

Seeing his parents needed a moment alone with Steffy, the judge ushered Douglas out of the room and Liam went with them. Flabbergasted, and in Hope’s case nearing tears, all three tried to navigate what had just happened.

When Hope pushed for Steffy to set Douglas straight on this matter, his aunt wouldn’t. She’d told him that he had a home, but he interrupted that as her possibly telling him that he couldn’t come live with her. She’s very concerned about his feelings in this situation and doesn’t want to upset him. Not to mention, as she said to Thomas and Hope, this whole ordeal is one of their making.

While she didn’t state this specifically, I will, Thomas and Hope gave Douglas a difficult choice to make and not liking that choice doesn’t negate the fact that he made it. Hope is no better because she only went along with this because Douglas told her and Liam that he’d choose her, so this sense of betrayal she’s feeling and not articulating is her own fault.

Thomas stormed out the room after firmly asserting that he’s Douglas’ father in response to Steffy wrestling over whether, in the short term, it is best if her nephew stays with her. The conversation with Hope didn’t go much better as she cried in the face of Steffy not backing down from this option.

Hope would rather Steffy tell Douglas that he can’t come live with her, but Steffy isn’t willing to make her nephew feel rejected. Steffy believes that he’ll realize that he simply wants to spend more time over her house and that his real home is with Hope, Liam, and Beth. Considering Douglas didn’t miss being at the cabin when he was living at the Forrester Mansion, I don’t see how that plan is going to work out, but it could be one that Hope latches onto.

In any case, as his aunt and a fellow Forrester, Steffy’s going to ensure Douglas’ well being. It’s a promise she made to Hope, but it was clear that doing what’s best for him may not include him being with one of his parents like they want. She’ll have to talk about this with Finn first but he’s sure to be all for it.

Finn spent the episode catching up with his mom, Li, after Kelly showed her the drawing she’d made for her with Douglas’ assistance. Finn’s under the impression the stability Douglas is about to feel secure in is going to come from Hope and Liam, but the soap is indicating it could come from him and Steffy. Hope went on about Douglas needing a loving environment with routine and how child rearing is hard but Steffy’s also a mother and she’s doing a wonderful job herself, so it’s not like he’ll be lacking.

Finn did say that having Douglas over there felt right. Perhaps he’s meant to be a part of their family for awhile. Who knows, but the child has no shortage of people who love him that’s for sure. Can’t wait to see how this all unfolds this week.

Sheila rejected Deacon but are they really over?

Meanwhile at Deacon’s apartment, Deacon doubled down on his speech to Sheila about wanting to be with her. They two almost kissed before Sheila pulled out at the last minute. She was shook by his sentiment as he’d never been interested in going public with her before.

He said being without her made him realize how much he misses her. But Sheila countered with his near obsession with a life with Brooke. To his credit, Deacon did say that he’s through with that and that he doesn’t see Sheila as a consolation prize, she’s second to no one. She, however, didn’t believe him and isn’t willing to mess up the good thing she has with Bill.

As Sheila put it, she knows Deacon and he always wants what he can’t have. Right now, that’s her. He swears that’s not the case, but that’s not something that Sheila is willing to go out on a limb on especially when Bill could put her back in jail just as quickly as he got her out.

Sheila wanted to maintain her friendship with Deacon and asked him to stop talking to her about this because she’d have to cut him off but he wouldn’t stop trying to reach her emotionally. As a result she pushed Deacon away hard with her words, belittling him the way everyone else does, saying he doesn’t stack up to Bill and that he’s a loser, but it appeared to be a ‘flight’ reaction and her attempt at not throwing away what she’d worked so hard for (re: her freedom and a loving relationship).

Their scenes ended with Sheila fleeing the apartment and the two of them reminiscing about their time together. Sheila told herself that she needs to forget Deacon, but that’s going to be hard since it’s obvious she’s got feelings for him, too. I highly doubt these two are done with one another. Until next time, Bold fans. Stay beautiful!

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