Back for an update! Wow! All of the feedback I have been receiving for this story is overwhelming and so deeply appreciated. It makes me feel better knowing people are enjoying this story. Sometimes, I get hard on myself worrying it's not as good as I want it to come out and stuff like that. So thank you again for the all of the reviews and story alerts I'm receiving. And even if you aren't reviewing, I do appreciate you following and hope you continue to enjoy the direction I choose to take this story. I have to admit that this is kind of a filler chapter, and there's not a lot of Naley in it. I apologize for that, but MORE NALEY/SOPHIE is to come. And I'm not too sure about this chapter anyway. I kind of rushed through writing it and didn't give it my best focus. It's so/so, in my opinion. But I hope you guys still enjoy it. :)
As always, a special thanks to naleyluv, rosepetal16, illicitencounters, Ellie, Steffsche, chase the memories, lnoir , seaofwords22, othfan48, JamesLover23, Sophiaaaaa, kaya17tj, C, and Samantha (I hope the chapter ended up showing up for you—once I read your review, I erased the chapter and re-added it so I hope it came out okay. Thanks for informing me of that.) for your wonderful reviews. Thank you so much for taking the time to review. I love the feedback!
So, has everyone else been watching their One Tree Hill DVD's like I have been? LOL! I'll tell you, between my Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill DVD's my DVD player is probably exhausted. :) In my defense, when you're pregnant and sick and don't have to work, it gets rather boring sitting around the house doing nothing.
Anyway, I'm sure you guys don't care about my life. LOL! Enough rambling and onto the reading….
August 28, 2011
The ear piercing sound of an alarm clock echoed in the room as Nathan turned from his back to his stomach and buried his face into the pillow. Letting out a groan, he finally pushed himself from the bed and turned off the irritating sound. Sleepily, he made his way out of the bedroom, through the hallway, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. The house was dark and hard to see where he was going. Add in the fact that he was still half asleep and it was a recipe for disaster. Sure enough, he ended up walking straight into a hard object on the ground and stubbing his toe. "Damn it!"
Haley awoke suddenly to the sound of his loud explicit and shot up in her chair. "What's wrong?" She asked in a panic. She looked up and noticed a figure in the dark holding his left foot and jumping back and forth slightly. She once again heard him mutter a different explicit.
Nathan felt the pain subsiding slightly and found the light switch flicking it on and noticed Haley sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen with some books on the table in front of her. "Did you sleep in here?"
At that reminder, Haley felt how tense and sore the muscles in her neck and back were. Bringing her hands up around her neck, she massaged and rotated it in hopes to alleviate some of the tension. "Yeah. I must have fallen asleep."
"What are you reading?" Nathan asked coming to stand next to her and picked up one of the six books she had laying on the table surface in front of her. "What's Going On In There: How The Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life." He read and proceeded to read the covers of the other five books. "Catching up on your reading, Hales?" He joked.
"Funny." She deadpanned.
"Why are you reading this stuff anyway?"
"Umm, maybe because I've never had a baby before, and I don't really know the first thing about them." She answered.
"You're a nurse." He pointed out.
"And? Just because I'm a nurse doesn't mean I know how to raise a baby." She said incredulously. "What time is it anyway?"
"4:45."
"Are you serious? I am so tired." She complained.
"Really? I feel okay."
"Yeah, well you weren't the one who woke up three times in the middle of the night with Sophie, were you? Nope, that was me." She bit out. She gathered her books together and pushed them towards the center of the table before standing up. "And would it kill you to put on a damn shirt?"
Nathan watched as she scoffed in disgust and moved around him and walked towards the refrigerator. He stayed rooted in his spot and smirked.
It's been seven incredibly long days since he and Haley had taken "temporary" custody of Sophie. While they technically and legally had full custody of her, a judge appointed a social worker for their case to check up on them sporadically. Something Nathan wasn't too keen on. Why should they be watched like a couple of incompetent idiots? To some degree, he understood but at the same time, he didn't. Sophie was Lucas and Brooke's daughter, and they named them. There shouldn't be anything more to it.
He and Haley had agreed that at least for the next month, they would stay in the house. Neither wanted to but decided it would be best for Sophie. Since Lucas and Brooke's passing, Haley had taken some much needed time off of work. And basketball wasn't an issue right now considering he was more in the off-season. All of his work, he's been lucky enough to conduct from Tree Hill so far and shouldn't be a problem for the time being. He did, however, have to fly to Charlotte this morning to finalize one new player contract, but he'd be back the following morning. He had to admit that it was going to be nice to get away for awhile-even for just a day.
Nathan watched as Haley rummaged through the refrigerator in search of what he presumed something to drink. His presumption was correct as she pulled out a carton of orange juice and proceeded to pour herself a glass. He didn't even try to hide the fact that he was openly checking her out. Why should he? She was the one standing there in a short pair of black shorts with a pink tank top showing off her figure. Last time he checked, his eyes still worked.
"What?" She bit out in irritation. "Can you please quit looking at me like that?"
"Am I making you nervous, Hales?" He said huskily while making his way over to her.
"More like annoyed and disgusted."
"I think you like it." He challenged just as he stopped now standing directly in front of her. "Admit it. It's okay if you do. I'm a hot guy. You're a hot girl. We could have some fun together." He taunted placing his hands on her hips slowly pulling her closer into him. Gosh, he loved getting to her. With everything that's been going on, it's been a long time since they've been normal around one another. Her face was all flushed, and he knew she was growing more and more agitated.
Haley laid her palms flat against his chest and gave him a good, hard push away from her. "Didn't I warn you not to touch me?"
Nathan chuckled as he stumbled back. "That's it, baby. Keep fighting it. That just means more sexual tension to work off later, if you know what I mean." He said winking at her.
"You're a pig."
He just smirked in response. "Well, as fun as this is, I have to take a shower. My plane leaves in a couple hours."
"Thank God." She mumbled.
"You know you're going to miss me." He called out as he left the kitchen.
Haley rolled her eyes in annoyance. He was so frustrating. She knew he did it just to rile her up and annoy her, and it worked. And was it so hard to put on a shirt in the mornings? Every morning he came waltzing out either wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants or his boxers or some basketball shorts. And he always sported his stupid smug smile. Okay, she gets it. Everyone gets it. He's hot with an amazing body. He doesn't need to flaunt it the way he does. He does have an amazing body. Complete with rock hard abs and a very nice v-shape pelvic…Haley quickly rid herself of those thoughts and chastised herself for even thinking them. This was Nathan she was talking and thinking about.
She quickly took a gulp of her orange juice when the sound of Sophie crying sounded through the baby monitor. "Right on time." She groaned before setting down her glass and tiredly headed up the stairs.
Nathan stepped out of the shower feeling more awake and refreshed. He dried his body and hair off before dressing in a pair of jeans and pale blue polo he laid out before his shower. He styled his hair quickly and splashed on some cologne before grabbing his suitcase. He was just about to descend onto the first step when he heard Haley's voice coming from Sophie's room. He left his belongings near the staircase before heading down the hall. He arrived in the room as Sophie immediately smiled at the sight of him. "Hey, Soph." He greeted taking the little girl out of Haley's arms. "Are you going to be good while I'm gone? Of course, you are. You're just a perfect little angel."
Her innocent giggles filled the room causing instant smiles to emanate from their lips.
"What time are you going to be home tomorrow?" Haley asked.
"I think my plane leaves at nine in the morning."
"Well, we're going to have to figure out some things for next week, because I'm going back to work on Monday. I mean should we find a babysitter or see what Keith and Karen have scheduled?"
"Why? I'm going to be home." He pointed out confused.
"Are you sure you can watch her? It's not like you've done much except for playing with her. It's been me who's doing all of the work." She reminded him.
"And it's been you who's allowed that." He countered smugly.
"Yeah, well, I'm tired and not in the mood to argue with you. Besides, you'll just do everything wrong anyway so I might as well just do everything myself."
Nathan laughed. She was so dramatic about everything. If anything, it was her fault that he barely contributed. She was the one who was so spastic about everything and pretty much chastised him when he tried to help. Bitch-mode was once again in effect. He swore the girl was PMSing every day of the year. He had no idea how they were going to survive living together. It has only been seven days, and they were already driving each other insane. "Quit your bit…complaining." He corrected realizing Sophie was still in his arms.
Haley glared at him. "Whatever. So you're okay to watch her then?"
"Yes, Haley, I am okay to watch her. I'm not an idiot." He retorted and heard her mumble 'that's debatable' but ignored her comment turning his attention back to the little girl. "She's crazy, Soph. CRAZY!" He whispered.
"Are you in a hurry? Would you care if I went and took a shower real quick?"
"Just as long as you hurry. I know how you women seem to take your sweet time." He said before turning to look at her with a smirk. "Then again, it's you, and I'm sure you'll only need a couple minutes considering…" He added looking her up and down.
"God, you're such an as…" She stopped herself and simply turned around.
"Ooh, be careful there, Haley." He taunted.
"Bite me." She bit out and continued to walk out of the room.
"Gladly." He chuckled.
"A baby?"
"Yup." Nathan answered.
"A baby? Like a little live talking human?"
"Well, not talking yet but yup." Nathan repeated.
"Dude. That's…"
"I know." Nathan said. "I don't know, man. What the hell were they thinking?"
"So, what exactly does this mean? I mean, are you moving to Tree Hill permanently or are you bringing the baby back here with you?" Clay asked.
Clay Evans has been Nathan's agent for the past four years-pretty much since Nathan graduated from Duke University and was drafted into the NBA. After Nathan blew out his knee two years ago, Clay still kept him as a "client" so to speak. He acted more like a scouting agent for the team-travelling and looking for new potential players.
"Honestly, I don't know. We agreed to at least stay in Tree Hill for the next month, but after that, I have no idea. Once the season starts, it's going to be almost impossible to stay in Tree Hill. That's way too much traveling for me." Nathan answered.
"Then just come back here. You have an extra bedroom. You have like three extra bedrooms."
"It's not that simple." Nathan said.
"Why not?" Clay asked confused.
"Well, I don't think moving is something Haley would be too keen on."
"Right. Haley. I forgot about her. Is she hot?" Clay asked.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Nathan questioned.
"Nothing really. Just wondering. You forget I've never met the girl nor have I ever seen a picture of her. I'm guessing she's hot, though. Any friend of Brooke's-yeah, she's hot, right?"
"Clay." Nathan said in annoyance.
"It's a simple question, Nate. Is she hot?"
"Fine, yes, she's hot. Are you happy now?" Nathan asked rhetorically.
"I will be when I meet her in person."
Nathan rolled his eyes. If Haley thought he was a man whore, then she's never met Clay. He was ten times worse than he was and definitely didn't hide the fact. In fact, he was proud of it. And if Nathan had it his way, he would rather keep Haley away from his friend. "Can we forget about that? I think we have more pressing matters at hand."
"True." Clay agreed. "Like have you hit it yet?"
"Clay."
"It's a fair question, man. You guys have been living together for a week and if the girl's hot and knowing you, then I'm guessing you have." Clay stated.
"Not that it's any of your business, but no. I haven't 'hit it' yet. And I'm not interested in her. She's nothing but a bitch. I swear, one of these days, I'm not going to control myself with her. If she were a guy, I would have decked her by now."
"Damn, Nate. Tell me how you really feel." Clay joked.
"Look, can we just not talk about that? I've got enough going on in my mind right now, and I don't need to be thinking about that."
"Fair enough. Look, maybe she would be willing to move up here." Clay suggested.
"You clearly don't know Haley." Nathan said. He knew there was nothing in the world that could convince Haley to leave her job or even Tree Hill in general just to move somewhere which benefitted him. How did he know this? Because if the situation was reverse, he wouldn't do it for her. "The good news is that I've got a month to think about it." Nathan added.
"Well, for the first time, I can say that I do not envy you." Clay said before the two busied themselves with the work ahead of them. It was four hours later when they when they finally decided to take a break and order in some Chinese for lunch. "Nate, I never told you how sorry I am for what happened." Clay said.
"Thanks."
"How are you holding up?"
"I don't know." Nathan said with a sigh. "It's weird, and it almost feels like it hasn't completely sunk in yet. I find myself reaching for my phone to text him and suddenly realize…"
Clay watched his friend and remained silent. He knew Nathan was still taking things pretty hard and hadn't really dealt with it all. He noticed it in his appearance which was more disheveled than normal. He still had dark bags under his eyes indicating his exhaustion due to lack of sleep. His complexion was paler than usual as well.
Nathan wasn't one to really open up and talk about his feelings. They've been business associates and friends for just over four years now, and he felt like he still didn't really "know" Nathan. It was never an issue between the two of them, because he also had some skeletons so to speak hidden in his closet as well. He understood the need and want to keep things to himself. And they were friends. Close friends at that even. They worked together. They went out to bars and clubs together. So it wasn't really a big deal that they never truly confided in one another. And Clay had a feeling that Lucas was the only one Nathan did in fact confide in. Since he lost him, Clay had to admit that he was worried for his friend.
"Everything happened so fast. I mean, one second I'm on my motorcycle driving to Tree Hill for the weekend. I stopped at a rest stop to grab a quick drink and snack and received the call. After that it was kind of a blur. I didn't really have a thought in my mind except driving as fast as I could to get to the hospital. And then the next thing I knew, I was holding Haley in my arms. And now, I'm raising his kid." Nathan continued.
"Nate, are you sure about this whole baby thing? I'm not trying to convince you not to do it, but it's a baby. I feel like you and I are pretty similar in terms of our personalities, and I know I could never do what you're doing. I know you love that little girl, but this is going to completely change your life." Clay said gently.
"You just don't get it. At this point, it's not really about me and my life. It's about my family. It's about Sophie. I can't turn my back on her or Lucas. Not now. I'm not naïve enough to think my life is going to return to normal, but I also know that I can't simply brush this aside. I can't. In a way, I feel like I owe it to my brother and my niece. And I feel like I owe it to Haley as well."
Clay looked at him confused with that last statement.
"I know Haley. And I know there's no way she would have not taken Sophie. When I say that Haley and Brooke were close, I'm not just saying it. They were like inseparable and closer than any other two people I had ever known. She would feel like I do in terms of letting Brooke down and turning her back on her. I don't think it would be fair of me to just forget about it and move on while she was fulfilling the one wish Lucas and Brooke had for us. They named the both of us. And whether we like it or not, we're stuck in this together." Nathan explained.
Haley had just finished up five loads of laundry. She surveyed the dining room table which was completely covered in piles of clothes. There were a couple piles of Nathan's clothes. A couple piles of her own clothes. A couple piles of towels of various sizes. And finally, there were about four piles of Sophie's clothes. "Who knew babies had so many clothes?" She asked rhetorically out loud.
She glanced at the clock where it read twenty minutes after six. Sophie had fallen asleep close to an hour ago, and Haley had no idea how long with would last. Sophie's sleep patterns were so irregular leaving no guessing room as to when she would awaken. This past week, Haley had developed a new respect for stay at home moms. Between taking care of Sophie, the never-ending laundry, the dishes, cooking, and just in general cleaning the house, Haley was exhausted. She could almost safely say that this time was worse than when she was taking care of her mom and working two jobs. At least during that time, she was able to get a minimum of four hours of sleep in. She was quickly learning now, though, to sleep when Sophie slept which was difficult considering the housework or sometimes being too wired to sleep.
She also hated being here. She hated living in their house. Everything was a constant reminder and memory of them. The furniture, the pictures, the smell…everything. She felt like she could break down at any moment. She knew she had to stay strong for Sophie, but it was really hard sometimes. Everyone kept telling her it would get easier with time. But what did they know? And if that is indeed true, then how much time were they talking? A day? A week? A month? A year? It would be so much easier if she knew when she was going to "get over" losing her best friend one day and the next day raising a baby.
She has also been feeling kind of guilty. Kind of. She knew she's been a little bitchier than normal towards Nathan. She would never admit that to his face, but she could admit it to herself. Maybe that would help ease some of the guilt. Considering their history, it was just so easy to take out her frustrations on him. Not to mention, the living together made it even easier and unavoidable. She was tired and still dealing with the emotions, and she constantly felt on edge. The only thing keeping her from apologizing to him was the fact that he never took her crap. He dished it out right back at her. And in a way, she was glad for that. The alternative would be apologizing, and she'd rather never have to apologize to Nathan Scott.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She tiredly made her way towards the door and swung it open.
"Hey, Foxy."
"Hey, Peyton. Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?" Haley asked.
"I just thought you could use some company. Jake told me that Nathan's gone for the night…"
"Well, he's not exactly good company even if he was here." Haley quickly interjected.
"There's the Haley James I know and love." Peyton joked and felt mildly satisfied as her brunette friend actually let out a small laugh. She couldn't remember the last time she saw a smile on her face. She held up her two hands. "I brought ice cream and The Hangover. I figured you could enjoy a good comedy right now."
"You didn't have to do that, Peyton."
"But I wanted to. Besides, I could use some time away from Jake and Jenny." The blonde stated.
"Leave one child in one household just to come to a different one in another household." Haley teased.
Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for the little ones."
Haley stepped aside allowing for Peyton to come inside. "Sophie's asleep right now, and I really have no idea when she's going to wake up. Hopefully, not too soon, though." Haley said as the two girls grabbed a couple spoons, popped in the DVD, and made themselves comfortable on the couch.
"I remember those days." Peyton stated. "I don't know if this is any conciliation for you, but Sophie wise, I kind of know what you're going through. When Jake and I started dating, Jenny was just a baby. Well, you remember." Peyton said as Haley nodded. "It was quite the transition since our relationship basically consisted around her. It took a lot of time to get comfortable with and get the hang of 'having a baby'. I'm not going to feed you that 'it gets better with time' crap. I mean, it's definitely true, but I also know it won't do you any good to hear it right now. Besides, this whole situation is so much more than just having a baby. And since there really aren't any right words for me to say to you right now, I'm going to simply say this. I'm here for you. No matter what you need, day or night, I'm here for you. Nathan, too. And everyone else is, as well."
"Thank you, Peyton. And honestly, those are the only words I can handle hearing right now." Haley said with nothing but gratitude.
It was an hour into the movie when Haley glanced at the clock. She couldn't believe Sophie has been sleeping for two hours. Not that she was complaining whatsoever, but she was waiting for her peacefulness to suddenly evaporate. Her phone vibrated alerting her of a new text message. Nathan.
How's Sophie?
"She's fine. Sleeping."
And that was all. He never responded back with a "goodbye" or "have a nice night" or "see you tomorrow" or even a simple "okay". She wasn't so surprised, though. This was Nathan she was dealing with.
Nathan walked into the house and set his suitcase down on ground before walking through the foyer. He noticed how strangely quiet the house sounded. "Haley!" He called out while checking the front rooms and finding nobody there. He headed up the stairs assuming they were in one of the bedrooms but once again found no one there.
He headed back downstairs and into the kitchen grabbing a bottle water out of the refrigerator before heading into the living room. It was then that he saw Haley passed out with her body sprawled out along the length of the couch. A slight panic grew within him as to where Sophie may be and crouched down so he was eye level with her. "Haley." He whispered but nothing came. "Haley." He repeated more forcefully.
The next thing he knew, her fist collided with his face causing him to stumble back falling flat on the floor.
Haley jumped unexpectantly when hearing her name being called. She sprung up from the couch as her focus shifted to her right hand which she felt a mild pain in. "Ow! What the…" She turned and saw Nathan sprawled out on the floor holding his eye. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm fantastic." He bit out sarcastically.
"I'm sorry. You startled me, and I…it was just a reaction." She apologized climbing off of the couch and heading down to him. "Here, let me…"
Nathan pushed her hand away from him. "I think you've done enough."
"Just let me see it, Nathan."
"No, it hurts." He complained.
"Oh my gosh, you are such a baby. Who knew Nathan Scott could be such a pansy?" She baited.
"Fine." He huffed and removed his hand.
Haley tried to stifle her laughs but couldn't. There was a small scratch right at the corner of his eye and the area surrounding it was all red.
"I'm glad you find this amusing."
"I'm sorry, but this is funny." She defended and watched as he pushed her away from him and hastily stood up from the floor heading into the bathroom near the utility room. She was hot on his heels, though. She continued to watch him as he ran a wash cloth under some water before holding it against his injured eye. "What exactly do you think that's going to do?"
Nathan glared at her through the mirror before focusing back on his eye. He saw her leave out of the corner of his eye. It was just a couple minutes later when she returned.
"Turn around." She ordered.
He begrudgingly obeyed and watched as she placed a zip-lock bag of ice gently against his injury causing him to wince slightly at the first contact. The cold did make his eye feel a little better. "Thanks." He mumbled as she nodded. "Even though it's your fault." He added.
Haley rolled her eyes. "Next time, don't startle me." She countered in a playful voice.
"Next time don't fall asleep on the couch." He joked and smiled as she chuckled. "So, where's Sophie?" He asked remembering everything prior.
"Peyton and Jake offered to babysit. Jenny has been asking about her and wanted to play with her for a bit." She answered with a content sigh which Nathan definitely caught.
"Happy about that?" He questioned as more of a statement.
"Yes and no. I mean, I miss her like crazy, but I'm so tired."
"And bitchier than normal." He mumbled under his breath and let out a painful wince when he felt her push the ice further against his eyes in retaliation. "See what I mean." He pointed out.
An apology was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't force herself to actually say those two simple words. She would not give him the satisfaction. "Did you get all of your work taken care of?" She asked changing the subject.
"Yup. I'm all yours for the next month." He said. He took a discrete glimpse of what she was wearing-a short pair of denim shorts and a yellow ribbed tank top layered over a white ribbed tank top. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun. A smirk formed from his lips as he placed his hands on her waist. "Have I told you how hot you look today?" He asked huskily. "Because you do."
"Is there a reason why you act the way you do?" She questioned with an agitated sigh.
"Not in particular. Mostly I just like to rile you up."
"Whatever. It's not working." She lied.
"Oh, I think it is." He challenged. Two could play this game.
"No, it's not. I think you're losing your touch, Nate."
"Really?" He questioned as she nodded. Smirking even more, he added more pressure to her waist and brought her in closer so she was flush up against his chest. He heard her gasp in surprise and what he hoped and guessed were other reasons. Leaning in until he was hovering outside of her ear, he whispered huskily, "What were you saying?"
Haley shivered at the feel of his hot breath against her ear. She inhaled a sharp, inaudible breath and closed her eyes. But just as quickly as that happened, she snapped them back open and shoved him hard on his chest. "Get away from me!" She warned and pushed herself further out of his embrace as he started laughing. "Why do you have to be so damn frustrating?" She exclaimed walking out of the bathroom.
"It's a gift." He laughed as she flipped him off. "You know you want me, Haley James." He called out.
Let me know what you think! I hope to have another update up soon. :)