Life Changes
The blanket around him shifted and she caught a view of his chubby little arm, bent slightly as he nestled further into her side. She was amazed at the ferocity of love she felt for him, this new little person with his bright blue eyes and soft brown hair. He made a sound, one of those perfect baby noises and his eyelids fluttered.
She could spend hours watching him, and nearly felt like she had. All the baby books told her she should take advantage of his nap with one of her own, but she just couldn't tear her eyes away from his face. The nose and chin that she saw whenever she looked at her husband, the lips that she saw mirrored in her own face. Pressing her lips to his cheek, she breathed in that clean baby scent and settled farther into the pillows, not willing to put him into his crib, not yet.
"Hales." Nathan's voice was soft from the doorway. He smiled at them both, his eyes wandering over Jamie's form in her arms. She watched as his grin deepened as he walked further into the room to stand beside the bed.
Lifting her mouth up to his, she giggled as he nipped playfully at her lips before kneeling beside her. "I was just watching him sleep. I don't think I've seen a more beautiful baby. I know every mom says that, but in our case, it's true." She grinned at Nathan as she ran her hand over the soft, downy hair of Jamie's head.
Nathan smiled, sticking out his hand to tuck the blanket more firmly around Jamie. "You're definitely right about that. When I look at him, I wonder how we could have waited nine months to meet him. He's perfect." He leaned forward to kiss Haley's temple. "Lucas just called to see if I wanted to play a quick game at the river court. Skills and Fergie are meeting him there. I thought I could grab some dinner on the way home, that way neither of us has to cook. Do you want me to take Jamie with me so you can get some sleep? I know you've been up with him most of the night."
"That's sweet of you to offer Nathan, but I'm enjoying spending time with him. I think I'll take a nap in a minute anyway. But I'd love it if you brought home dinner. And we're already running low on diapers. It probably wouldn't hurt to pick some up." Haley smiled serenely from Jamie to Nathan.
Nathan nodded, moving to stand once again. "Alright. I shouldn't be too long, and I'll have my phone with me if you think of anything else we need." He kissed her once more, lingering over her mouth before heading out the door. Minutes later she heard the soft click of the front door shutting from downstairs.
Shifting, Haley stood slowly to move Jamie into his crib. Even though Deb had given them a separate room to use for Jamie's nursery, they hadn't yet been able to move him from their room. They'd only been home a few weeks and were just getting comfortable. She'd always believed herself to be a fairly maternal person, but being a new time mom came with a whole list of worries. It seemed she could never turn her mind off completely.
Flicking on the bedside baby monitor, Haley grabbed the other set as she walked quietly from the room. She paused at the doorway to take one long look at Jamie before she moved downstairs. She was halfway to the kitchen when she heard the brief knock before the front door was opened.
"Hello?" A familiar voice called from the entryway, clearly trying to keep their voice quiet.
Haley pulled at her hair, tucking the stray hairs behind her ear. "Peyton?" She moved from the kitchen towards the front door.
"Hey, Mama Scott! How are you feeling?" Peyton grinned happily at her, quickening her steps to pull Haley into a tight hug. "How's the new mom? How's Jamie?" She pulled back to run her eyes over Haley's face.
"I'm good. A little tired, but I expected that." She smiled quickly. "Jamie's wonderful. He's perfect, if I do say so myself. I can't quite believe it. I can't believe I'm a mom. It's all still a little surreal."
Peyton slid her arm around Haley's waist to give her a quick squeeze. "Well motherhood looks good on you Hales. I saw Nathan on my way over, he said you should still be awake. I hope I'm not interrupting a nap. I'm sure you want to take advantage of any moment you can sleep."
"No, not at all. I'd much rather have the company. I can sleep later." Haley moved towards the living room, setting down the monitor before plopping down on the couch. "I've been kind of out of touch lately, so fill me in. What's been going on with you and Luke?"
Peyton grinned and settled in beside Haley, "Nothing. And it's been perfect. But I came here to visit you, I want to hear about you. We can talk about Lucas any other time. Now tell me about that little baby up there."
Haley sighed, "I don't think I can put into words how much I love him. He's better than I could have ever imagined. He looks just like Nathan and he's got those Scott eyes. I just want to hold him all the time. I don't even mind when he cries in the middle of the night, because I know I get to spend time with him." Haley laughed, "I know that will get old real fast, but for now, I just want to be around him all the time. I can't quite believe Nathan and I have a baby. I mean, we spent nine months reading books and taking pre-natal classes, but none of it quite prepares you for all the feelings you get when you finally meet him."
"I don't think anything can prepare you for it until he's actually here. But with a mother like you and a father like Nathan, he's already luckier than most kids." Peyton smiled.
"Thanks Peyt." Haley laid her head back against the soft pillows of the couch. "Nathan's been wonderful. He was always nervous about this, and I was too, more than I let on. But he's really settled into being a new dad. He changes his diaper, he rocks him to sleep, I didn't even think about how it would feel to watch Nathan interact with Jamie. It's been overwhelming. I walked in on Nathan rocking him the other day and I started to cry. It's amazing to see Nathan with his son. Our son."
"I'm so happy for you guys. You have been so good for each other, and now to see you with Jamie. It's amazing to see how far you have come over the last two years." Peyton smiled. "If you had said that Nathan would be married and have a baby, or that you and Lucas would be some of my best friends, I don't know what I would have said. But I love you both. I just can't believe we're all going our separate ways in a few weeks. Lucas keeps telling me we'll be fine while I'm in L.A. but it's hard to not want to leave."
Haley nodded, "I know how you must be feeling Peyton. Everything's changing so fast with us graduating and people heading off to college, but this internship is the best thing for you to start a career in music. Trust me, sometimes the hardest decisions made are the ones that take you away from the people you love. But I know you and Luke will be able to stay together. You've waited this long to be together and even if it's coming at a time with a lot of transition, it's doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do. Lucas knows that too. He wants you to pursue this."
"I know. I'm the one with the doubts. Luke has been great. He's so encouraging." Peyton sighed deeply, her hands running briefly along the hem of her t-shirt. "But I feel like I'm cheating the both of us out on our time together. I know we're strong enough to make a long distance relationship work, but the thought of not seeing him everyday, well, it doesn't make L.A. sound very appealing right now. Part of me wishes I was going to school with the three of you."
Haley grinned, her brown eyes flashing. "I really am lucky to be able to go to school with my husband, my best friend and my brand new baby. When everything happened with Duke, Daunte, and Nathan's scholarships it was hard to believe we'd be going to school as a family. Nathan was so worried that college was no longer an option, not to mention playing college basketball. He even went to work with Skills' dad for a day." Haley took in a deep breath. "You should have seen him Peyton. Head to foot, covered in dirt and grease. He looked so defeated, so broken. I hated seeing him like that, seeing him like that and knowing there wasn't anything I could do about it. Thank goodness for Whitey. Since Whitey invited Nathan to play for him, he's been on cloud nine."
"Well I think part of that good mood is you and Jamie. Nathan's been ecstatic since he first laid eyes on that little boy. You guys make a beautiful family." Peyton bumped Haley's shoulder playfully.
"Thank you Peyton." Haley smiled softly. "You know, I really will miss you when you're in L.A. I can't believe you're leaving in a few weeks."
Peyton's eyes turned sad. "I'll miss you too. I don't think I realized how much I was going to miss everything around here. Just be prepared for late night phone calls, telling you all about the bands I see at the local clubs."
Haley grinned, "I look forward to it. You're really going to have a fantastic time. Most people work a long time to get this opportunity. I know when you come back, it'll be because you're ready to go out on your own. Music's in your blood, you understand it better than most. And I can't wait to listen to the bands you discover."
"Just as long as the next time you get in the studio it's for my label." Peyton stuck out her hand, her fingers extended.
Haley took her friend's hand and laughed, "Deal."