I wrote this story as a challenge for myself but I posted it for feedback on my writing. Reviews are always appreciated. Enjoy.
Oh - This will be Naley with Lathan later on, so be warned.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters. The song More Than Anyone is by Gavin DeGraw.
"Reveal a secret that nobody else knows about you." Nathan read. He looked up from Brooke's "serial date" card and smiled at Haley.
"Okay," Haley said, leaning forward. "When I was in second grade, I stole some candy."
"Come on, that's not a secret." Nathan laughed. "Tell me something for real."
"Okay. I have something I want to show you." Nathan smiled as Haley gave in and started walking, pleased that maybe now he would get to know her better. He swiftly caught up to her as she walked all the way back to her house.
"Gee, Haley, moving a little fast, aren't we?" he joked, trying to ease the tension. He received a glare for the remark and promptly shut his mouth, knowing better than to try again.
Haley unlocked the front door of her house and pushed it open. She entered and motioned to Nathan to follow before tiptoeing up the stairs as though afraid to wake somebody up.
"Haley, it's okay. Your parents aren't home – the car is gone." Nathan said softly, unsure why he was whispering. He jumped when suddenly a young girl appeared from a door to the left.
"Hi." whispered Haley. She handed the girl some money and added, "Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your night, Becky."
Nathan glanced at Haley with a questioning look on his face but she shook her head slowly and walked into the bedroom Becky had just come out of. When Nathan entered the doorway he stopped, aghast. The room was dark but he could tell it would be a soft, baby blue during the daytime. There were cows and moons on a border near the ceiling. Across the room, he could make out a white crib and above it a mobile, softly playing music.
"What –" he began, but Haley shushed him. She went over to the crib and leaned down. With three strides Nathan crossed the nursery and peered into the crib. Lying under a blanket lay a tiny baby, fast asleep. "Wow." Nathan whispered. "How old is he?"
"Six weeks." Replied Haley. "Nathan, I'd like you to meet Tyler James."
"Is he yours?" Nathan asked, unsure. He had never seen her with any boy but Lucas, and as far as he knew they were just friends.
"Now he is." Haley explained. "He's my sister's, but she couldn't handle having a baby and she left him the day he was born. I walked into the hospital in Charleston, where she'd had him, to see him and she was in her room, packing her bag. She handed him to me and said, 'Take care of him for me. Tell him I love him.' And she grabbed her bag and walked out, leaving me with her newborn son in my arms."
"Who's the father?" Nathan asked, curiously. Taylor was older than they were, but Nate had often played ball against older boys from the neighborhood.
"I don't know."
"Wow, Haley. And you're going to raise him yourself?"
"My parents help a little. But they took one look and said, 'I can't deal with another one. You're on your own.'"
"But you're still in high school."
"Yeah. My parents watch him while I'm at school and I work down at Karen's Café to earn some money. We put him in Lucas' old crib in the back and he just naps all afternoon."
"Who else knows about this?"
"Lucas does, he helps me out a lot. He tells me that he wants to be the favorite uncle that Tyler can always come to for help, or to be spoiled." She laughed. "And Karen knows, of course, she's helped out so much, and Keith, and my parents. And now you."
"Haley," began Nathan, "Why me? I mean, why are you telling me all this, showing me? It's not like we really know each other, right? And I've kinda been a jerk to you, and to Lucas."
"Well, it's like I said before, right? I like how you let me all the way in, past all the bluster that you give everybody else. I figured maybe I'd do the same. Let you share a part of me that very few people know about. My nephew – my son."
"Can I – Can I hold him?" Nathan asked, a smile lighting up his face when Haley nodded yes. It wasn't the cocky smile he gave everybody else. It was a real, honest-to-goodness smile. Gently, Haley lifted the sleeping baby out of the crib and placed him in Nathan's arms. Nathan held him tightly, pressed close against his chest, and rocked him gently. "He's beautiful." He spoke softly.
A light flashed past the window as Haley and Nathan heard a car engine and the slam of a car door. A key twisted in the lock and the front door creaked open. "Haley, we're home!" called a voice. Hurriedly, Nathan placed the sleeping baby back in the crib and Haley tucked the blanket around him.
But Mrs. James was still standing in the entryway at the bottom of the stairs and saw Nathan follow Haley out of her grandson's room.
"Haley!" cried Mrs. James. "I thought we agreed to keep it a secret!"
"You should go," Haley said to Nathan. "Thank you for tonight."
Haley…" he looked at her, not wanting to leave her alone in this position.
"Just go, Nate. I'll see you at school on Monday."
He nodded and went down the stairs, silently slipping passed Mrs. James, who glanced at him angrily before returning her glare to her youngest daughter. After Nate closed the front door behind him, he paused on the steps, listening to the angry voices inside.
"It's my decision, Mom, who I tell about him. And it's not like I did anything wrong here."
"Do you know what will happen if this gets out? What it will do to us?"
"What, Mom? We live on the edge of town, anyway. It's not like we have a high standing to protect. And what about your grandson, Mom? Do you want him to be ashamed of who he is?"
"But Nathan Scott? You had to tell Nathan Scott?" Nathan winced at Mrs. James' furious words, knowing she had a point. Although he would never tell Haley's secret, he had a reputation for trouble. And his family practically ran the town, after all. It just showed how much Haley trusted him, and how much Mrs. James did not. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his letterman's jacket and ran quickly down the rest of the steps, beginning his long walk back to his car.