The Search for Something More
Chapter 21 - Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said the Last Time I Saw You
Sorry for the delay but man this was a long chapter. I just can't stop gushing about the premiere, I loved the Naley obviously. My God, EVERY scene was gold and too many lines to talk about and gosh I can go on about them. I loved Brooke in there too and the intro and the references to Lucas. :Sigh: I mean the only negative thing I can pick on was the showing the last scenes in the season 7 finale and how the first 20-30 min seemed to lag but I mean I felt like every scene we got with naley was quality, like I said too many too count, I can go on with them. With the great Naley we got, I just had to do a one shot, "Lady Rabbit Sex." To those who sent me love regarding that story, thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it and I enjoyed writing it. If you haven't read it, please do.
Anyways, I am finishing up this chapter while in Wilmington. I actually wrote part of it in the original Karen's cafe in the premiere. I got to see many of the filming sites and tour the set and I met the actors playing Julian, Mouth and Chase. I'll do a little recap of my trip below. This story is closing in on the ending. The amount of chapters left is still unknown but I'm not beating around the bush any more and just going balls out in this story, as you can tell by the long chapters. Like I said, this chapter is massive and I tried my best to correct any spelling/grammar so please excuse any I missed.
Enjoy and please review! Again your reviews mean everything to me so please let me know if you're still reading ! lol. Enjoy !
"Brooke, why are you dragging me here?" Haley complained as her two friends flanked her and directed her through the streets of Tree Hill.
"Because." Brooke replied matter of factly.
"That's Brooke way of saying that you need new clothes." Peyton added.
"Not just any clothes, hot semi slutty lingerie." Brooke's eyes sparkled. "Now that the doc gave you the greenlight, we need to do what we can."
Haley knew it was a bad idea letting them go with her to see her doctor. What was worst was that they nagged her for hours about what the doctor had to say. Haley didn't want to tell them but they finally forced it out of her. Brooke insisted that they go for a shopping trip. Haley wondered why she let these two drag her into these things.
"Brooke, I'm pregnant!" Haley protested as they entered one of Brooke's favorite lingerie store.
"You're pregnant there, not a nun and we cant have you in those granny panty of your's." Brooke replied.
Peyton snickered. "I hate to admit it but Brooke is right."
"God help me if you two are agreeing on things." Haley mumbled.
. . . . .
Lucas and Nathan stood outside for the longest time, long after Dan Scott had driven away and dropped a bombshell on them.
"What're we going to do?" Nathan turned to his brother.
"Shit." Lucas shook his head. "We have to get tested." Lucas replied a second later.
"Fuck." Nathan clenched his fist. "What about the baby?"
"I know."
"Haley's going to freak." Nathan started to panic.
"Just wait a second." Lucas put his hands up. "Let's not jump to conclusions."
"Did you not hear what Dan said? There's a 50 percent chance that we have that hyper whatever disease he has."
"Exactly, 50 percent, which means there's a fifty percent chance that we don't have it. We can't rush to conclusions."
"Shit, Luke, what am I going to tell Haley?"
Lucas thought for a moment. "We don't have to tell her anything.. at least not yet."
"What're you talking about?"
"Let's not worry Haley until there's something to actually worry about."
"But Luke."
"Nate, you weren't there when she found out her mom was sick. She was devastated. Imagine how she would react now. I don't want to leave her in the dark but its not about her anymore, it's about the baby and I don't want Haley to be stressed any more than she needs to be. "
"You're.. you're right." Nathan nodded.
"But we still need to get tested and the baby." Nathan added.
"Yeah, but I think we're good with the baby." Lucas started to reason.
"What're you talking about?"
"When Dan was born, when we were born, they didn't do as many tests on the fetus as they do today. You know all those check ups at the doctor's, they do more than measure the size of the baby, they look for all sorts of disease."
"And if the baby has the same disease as Dan, they would've caught it already?"
"Exactly but we need to talk to your doctor.."
"Shit it's Sunday too, the office is closed."
"Then call first thing in the morning."
"And what about us? We can have this disease our whole lives and not even know it."
"Look, we'll get tested and take it from there." Lucas tried to stay calm as the two came up with a battle plan. Lucas was actually glad Nathan was here. If he was by himself, he would've been freaking out. Call it the big brother instinct in him because it was easier for him to worry about his little brother than it was about him at the moment.
"Of all the things Dan can say to us." Nathan muttered and shook his head.
"I know." Lucas replied softly.
Nathan looked down on the ground, his hands a little shaky, thinking about the magnitude this latest news can cause. Growing up, he had no fear. Even getting thrown out of the window, he managed to stay strong but this was different. This wasn't about him anymore, this was about his family, the family than he and Haley were creating. This time, Nathan Scott had everything to lose.
"I'm.. I'm scared." Nathan softly admitted.
"Me too." Lucas let out a shaky breath. "Me too."
. . . . . .
"Brooke, I'm not buying that." Haley looked at the barely there nightgown.
"Who says it's for you?" Brooke winked and tossed it into her own pile.
"What do you think of this?" Peyton stepped out of the dressing room wearing a leopard print top.
"Raaawwr!" Brooke gave her best cat call. "I must say P. Sawyer, you look almost as hot as me."
"Yeah, I do look pretty hot." Peyton surveyed herself in the mirror. "Jake is going to flip."
"He's going to be doing more than that." Brooke snickered.
"You guys are so bad." Haley laughed as she surveyed a nearby rack.
"No way Haley James, put down that." Brooke demanded.
"What?"
"Yeah Hales, put down the robe." Peyton added.
"What, it's cute?"
"So are the other two robes you picked out." Brooke pointed out. "But then again, if you're not going to be wearing anything underneath the robe."
"Brooke, I don't feel comfortable in those skimpy outfits and remember what the doctor told me, I need to feel comfortable." Haley pointed out.
"She has a point." Peyton turned to Brooke.
"I didn't say you needed to be skimpy, just sexy." Brooke tapped her finger on her lips and started walking through the racks.
"Voila, how about this?" Brooke held the garment up.
"That's actually cute." Haley took it from her hands and held it up against her. It was baby blue silk baby doll dress that went just above the knees. The top was loose, which was good considering her baby belly. Haley then went to look at the price tag.
"Take it back."
"What? I thought you said it was cute." Brooke asked.
"Did you see the price?"
Brooke flipped the tag over to see. "It's only $300.00."
"Only $300.00!"
"Oh Hales, it's not like you can afford it."
"Did you miss the part where Nathan and Lucas are camping with Dan just so they can give me my house back?"
Brooke took the baby doll dress and placed in Haley's pile. "You know what I mean. I'm sure Nathan can afford it."
"I'm sure he can but I can't." Haley took the garment back.
"Oh I see where this going." Peyton added in. "Her and Nathan haven't had the talk."
"What talk?" Haley asked.
"Hales, I know you and Nathan said you were taking things slow but I mean, you guys have been spending all your time together, I know Nathan is taking care of all the medical bills."
"Guys, Nathan is not my sugar daddy. You know my sister Taylor congratulated me on the baby."
"Umm.. okay?" Brooke looked at Haley curiously.
"She said congratulations on getting knocked up by an NBA star and then she asked me to borrow a hundred bucks." Haley deadpanned.
Brooke and Peyton couldn't help but laugh.
"It's not funny." Haley sighed. "Look guys, you are right. Nathan and I said we would take things slow and in some ways we are. I mean we haven't even been intimate with each other since, well you know." Haley looked down at her belly. "But we're also constantly together, whether I'm at his place or mine. I mean we're practically living together and I know we're serious but I don't know just how serious.. if that makes any sense." Haley took a deep breath. "And the whole thing with the baby too, it just complicates things. I mean I'm in no position to afford this baby on my own. Shoot I can barely afford supporting me."
"Hales, you've had a lot of things happen and it's not your fault you couldn't finish school." Peyton replied. "But Hales, take it from me. Jake and I still do this dance around Jenny."
"What do you mean?" Haley asked.
Peyton paused. Ever since Nathan came back into Haley's life, she had let Brooke do most of the talking. She never really gave her two cents to Haley but she figured her friend can use the guidance, especially now. In the end, all she wanted was for Haley to be happy with or with out Nathan. "Well Jake and I are serious and I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with him but neither of us are ready for marriage. Yet we have Jenny to consider and I would love to be her mom but at the same time I'm not.. well not yet so it does get complicated because it's one thing for me and Jake to get lost in each other but its another thing to have Jenny think of me as her mom when it's not guaranteed that Jake and I will be together. Jake and I are both getting settled into our careers and for all you know, I might get shipped out to New York or LA and I can't expect Jake and Jenny to follow me."
"Yeah but you and Jake have been going out for like forever."
"My point exactly but I don't think either of us are ready for the next step, at least not now. I see the dance you and Nathan are doing as well. Have you guys even talked about the future .. and not about the baby but as in you two."
Haley looked down.
"I thought so. But let me ask you this, take away the pregnancy, do you see a future with Nathan?"
"Yes." Haley nodded with confidence. "And you're right, Nathan and I have avoided some of the heavy topics. I mean we haven't even discussed what'll happen after the baby is born. I mean Nathan has the crib set up at his place, does that mean I'm moving in. Does he want me to move in? What about the Seattle? I just.. I just don't know."
"Hales, Nathan might be totally clueless but that boy loves you. As much as I hate what he did to you, I can even see that." Brooke added.
"I .. I just wish we didn't have to face all these things so soon." Haley rubbed her belly and knew that time was something she didn't have.
"Well you and Nathan need to discuss things." Brooke replied. "Well at least after you get laid." Brooke snatched the baby doll dress and dropped it into her pile.
"Brooke, what're you doing?"
"Think of it as a present from me. I mean P. Sawyer isn't going back home for a few days and Nathan comes back tonight, one of us at least deserves to get laid."
"But isn't Lucas coming back too?"
"Like I said at least Haley will get laid." Brooke quickly replied.
"Wait, hold up Brooke. I thought you and Lucas were.." Peyton was about to say more before Brooke interrupted her.
"NO, we are not. And before you say anything more, I'm not even sure if I want it. I mean, I think Luke is great. But we're not in high school any more."
"Well Nathan and I aren't either." Haley added. "Look, I know you had a rough patch with Lucas and believe when I say that I can relate but at the same time, it can turn out to be really great. I may not have thought this was how I was going to end up but I'm grateful for it regardless."
Brooke smiled and gave Haley a hug. "Thanks tutor.. mom.. but me and Lucas aren't epic like you and Nathan."
"First, Nathan and I aren't epic." Haley held her hand up, seeing that Brooke was about to protest. "And even if we are, that doesn't mean you and Lucas can't be."
"Well, what if I don't want to. I like Lucas, I do.. and we've had our flirty moments but look at what P. Sawyer just talked about with her and Jake. I'm trying to set up my business too and right now that's number one. I don't think I'm ready for a serious relationship.. with anyone." Brooke added.
"Fair enough." Peyton chimed. "That doesn't mean you still can't get some." Peyton teased as she smacked Brooke in the ass.
Haley shook her head. "You two are horrible."
. . . . . .
Haley looked at her reflection in the mirror as she pulled her hair up. She glanced through the bathroom doors and found Nathan with the same dazed look he had all night. When she arrived at Nathan's, he and Lucas were already back. She was happy to get her house back, but she was also worried about what the weekend has done to them. She didn't want to push either of them, she knew how difficult this weekend must've been on both of them. Still, Nathan had been very quiet all night and Haley debated whether or not to breach the topic.
She decided it could wait and slipped into bed and joined Nathan. However, after an hour, Haley was still wide awake. Even though Nathan was right next to her, she felt like he was a million miles away.
"Ok, what is it?" Haley turned around to face him.
"Huh?" Nathan asked, taking his eyes away from the ceiling. The ceiling that has somehow captivated him ever since he laid down.
"You're thinking too loud, how can I sleep?" Haley smiled and rubbed her thumb against Nathan's cheek.
"How do you know even something was wrong? You had your eyes closed this whole time."
"You think I need eyes to know when something is bother you." Haley pointed out. "Plus you've been silent and brooding all night."
"I was not brooding."
"Yes, you were. Dye your hair blond and I would call you Lucas."
"Hey, I take offense to that." Nathan pouted.
Haley giggled. "Now, why can't you go to sleep?" She ran her hand through his head.
".. . ."
"I know this weekend must've been hard for you and Lucas. Thank you for doing this for me."
"Not like you need to thank me but you're welcome." Nathan leaned over and kissed Haley on the lips. "And you are right, this weekend was .. difficult." Nathan said carefully.
"Dan that bad?"
Nathan shook his head. "No actually, which I guess is part of it."
"What do you mean?" Haley asked confused.
"There was moment on the trip where we forgot all about all the crap Dan put us through and it was like a glimpse into what could've been. And then now is Dan is dying and.." Nathan sighed. "I don't know if it makes much sense." Nathan was worried sick over the health of their baby but knew that this wasn't the time to talk to Haley about it.
"It's okay Nathan, I can only imagine how hard this is for you."
"Look, would you hold it against me if I said I don't feel like talking about it?"
"No, but remember I'm here if you need help."
Nathan wrapped his free around Haley and pulled her close to him. "You're already helping." He kissed the side of her temple.
"Now, I feel like a complete jerk. I didn't ask you how your weekend was? Did you have fun with Brooke?"
"You can say that."
"Uh oh, what happened?"
"Peyton also came."
"Oh what did the terrible twosome do to you now?" Nathan laughed and Haley was happy to see Nathan in a better mood.
"Oh nothing but.." Haley paused.
"But what?"
"Umm.. next time we see Doctor Anderson and if he gives you a funny look. It's all my fault."
"Huh?"
"I went to see him yesterday and.."
"What? Is everything okay?" Nathan said panicked.
"Yes." Haley quickly answered. It was cute how over protective he was. "I just had a personal question.. well I got too personal."
"I don't get it."
"I went to ask him about sex."
"But we are having a boy." Nathan misheard her.
"Not that sex.. sex sex."
"You went to see our doctor for sex!"
"No!" Haley said frustrated. "I asked him about sex between you and me sex. To see if I'm healthy enough for it."
"Oh." Nathan's eyes went wide. He wasn't expecting that but not like he was complaining at the moment.
"And I may have let it slip that I was worried about the safety of the baby cuz you've got a you know." Haley waved her hand about. "And I didn't want to you to poke the baby." Haley was fuming red at this point but at the same time, she couldn't help but not laugh at the situation.
"What?" Nathan was confused. "I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing."
"I know, I'm horrible but good news, you won't hurt the baby."
Nathan smirked. "Even with my humongous …"
"Uhh.." Haley interrupted and groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have to told you."
Nathan laughed. "Come here." He pulled her close to him again. "So you're really thinking about having sex?"
"Yes." She admitted in a low voice. "I mean haven't you?"
"You do know that when we wake up in the mornings that it isn't the remote that's between us right?" Nathan grinned and then he became more serious. "But I didn't want to push it .. or push you. We said we would take it slow."
"Haha.. slow.. We've done a good job at doing that huh?" Haley deadpanned.
"What do you mean?"
"We're taking it slow but we're together constantly. Aside from this weekend, we've been together, not that I'm complaining or anything but at the same time, there's still some things we haven't talked about.. or cleared up."
"Like what?"
"The baby.. us.. us and the baby."
"Well we can talk about that now if you want. I have a feeling both of us have been avoiding it because we are quote unquote taking it slow."
Haley nodded and took a moment to gather her thoughts.
"What're we going to do about the baby? Is he going to stay here or my house? Both."
"What do you want?"
"I don't know." Haley admitted. "How about you?"
"Well I want the baby to stay here. I want you to stay here."
"You want me to move in with you?"
"Yes, of course I do but I don't want to push you into it. I'll move in with you if that's what you want. You asked me how I feel and that's the truth. I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you into moving in with me because that is the last thing I'd ever want."
"But this is your house."
"Our house." Nathan clarified.
"Nathan, you know what I'm talking about."
"If you want, I can sign half of it to you." Nathan took a deep breath. "Like I said Hales, if you want to, the offer stands but if you feel that's it's too much too soon then I won't hold it against you. I love you and I want you to be with me because you want to be not because of what I want."
"I don't feel like you're not pressuring into anything. You've haven't and I thank you for that." Haley paused. She had a feeling Nathan wanted her to move in with him but it was good to know for sure. Part of her was still hesitant and another part of her was saying to go ahead and do it. She had missed him so much over the weekend.
"If I haven't told you lately, I love you Nathan Scott.. I'm in love with you." She caressed his cheek. "It's nice after all this time."
"It's everything after all this time." Nathan said softly and looked into her eyes and any shadow of doubt in Haley got swept away.
"I want to move in." Haley said softly.
"You what?" Nathan wasn't sure if he was hearing things. This was too good to be true.
"I want to move in with you." Haley spoke louder.
"You will?" Nathan's eyes lit up.
Haley nodded, unable to hold back her smile. "Yes.. yes I will. But maybe we don't have to move all my stuff so soon… besides we need to make space in the closet." She teased.
"There's plenty of space in the closet."
"Oh please, you have as much clothes as Brooke."
"First you compare me to Luke now Brooke. You wound me Haley James." Nathan mocked.
"Well get used to it cuz I'm going to be around more."
Nathan laughed. "Good!"
"And when you go back to Seattle, we can work something out too." Haley replied. That was another thing that was worrying her and this was as good of a time to bring it up as any.
"About that." Nathan cleared his throat. "I'm trying to transfer?"
"Transfer?"
"Yes, some place closer.. Charlotte actually."
"Really?" Haley's eyes went wide.
"Yes, really."
"But.."
"No but's Hales. This is something I've been thinking about for a long time and it makes sense. Tree Hill is home and you have family in the area, your friends.. plus Lucas is here."
"Wow, I don't know what to say."
"Say that you're happy about it." Nathan bit his lip.
"No, I am I just.. I know this is a big thing. Didn't you win the championship with Seattle? I just don't want you to do something you'll regret."
"I told you before Haley, I choose basketball over you before. I won't make the same mistake again. Besides, I like being back home. I love being with you and as much as Lucas is a pain in my side, I want to be near him too. This weekend showed me how much I've missed out .. with Lucas.. with my dad.. I don't want that with us or our son."
Haley was so overcome, she couldn't trust herself to speak. Instead, she did the only think she can think of. She kissed him. And he kissed back. Her hands raked over the skin of his bare chest and stomach, before reaching down to the hem of his boxers. Tugging at it to indicate that she wanted it off, Nathan pulled away from her and looked deeply into her brown eyes.
"Are you sure?" He said softly.
Haley nodded as she reached for the hem of her shirt and slowly lifted it up. Once she removed her shirt, she was left only in her boy shorts and bra. Once she felt the cool air hit her skin, she suddenly realized how naked she was and how big she must look to him. Instinctively, she covered her torso with her hands.
"I know I must look like a whale."
Nathan shook his head. "You're beautiful… absolutely stunning." He leaned in and kissed her and wrapped his hands around her back and unhooked her bra. He pulled back to just stare at her, his mouth dry and eyes filled nothing but love and adoration. Haley smiled back and the way Nathan was looking at her had her filled with a new sense of confidence. She felt sexy but most of all loved.
Their lips locked once more and Nathan shifted a bit to pull down his boxers. His flesh, already hard as rock, pressed up against her belly, making Haley's temperature rise. Nathan reached towards her own shorts and slowly pulled them off.
"Umm.. how do you want to do this?" He asked, not really sure how to position themselves.
"Lean back." Haley pushed his shoulders so now he was leaning against the headboard. She straddled herself on top of him. His hands wrapped around his waist and slowly guided her over him.
"Ahh.." She moaned out as their bodies rocked in slow movements. Nathan was careful not wanting to hurt Haley or the baby.
"Faster." She gasped as she gripped his shoulders and rocked her body harder against his. Nathan rocked his hips harder, going along with Haley's pace. When Nathan moved his lips from hers down her neck and onto her breasts, she nearly lost it and rocked her body harder against his. Nathan pulled back and their lips locked once more and after a couple of minutes, their bodies both exploded in pleasure.
Haley collapsed onto Nathan and he held her and their baby as if they were the most precious thing in the world. They stayed in each other's embrace for a while, basking in the after glow.
"How do you feel?" Nathan asked softly.
"I feel amazing." She whispered against his neck. "I feel loved.. I feel like your's." Haley sighed contently. "It feels good." She nuzzled against his neck and started to drift off to sleep.
"It does feel good." Nathan agreed and held her close.
. . . .
The next morning Haley felt the bed shift and her body reacted to the feel of Nathan not close to her.
"Where you going?" She said sleepy eyed.
"Going to brew some coffee. Stay here and rest. I'll bring you up some breakfast." Nathan whispered over to her and kissed her forehead.
Haley just sighed in content. "Hmm.. sounds wonderful."
Nathan smiled and reached down to grab his boxers and his cell phone. He went downstairs to the kitchen started to brew himself a cup of coffee. He also took out some eggs and fruit he had in the fridge. Grabbing his phone, he stepped outside to get some privacy.
"Hello, Dr. Anderson, thank you for taking my call." Nathan was glad the office was open already.
"Nathan, what can I do for you?"
"I have a question about the baby."
"Okay."
"The tests, you guys run. Do you check for genetic defects?"
"Generally speaking yes we do."
"How about heart defects?"
"There's a lot of heart defects that can occur with the fetus. Based off test results and your and Haley's history, your baby is as healthy as can be."
"Look doc, I just found out something. There is a history of HCM in my family and I'm worried about my son."
"Hmm.. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the thickening of the myocardium from a genetic defect. The tests performed on your baby would have found any thickening of the myocardium." Dr. Anderson pulled up Haley and Nathan's file. "I'm looking over the past sonograms and as far as I can see everything looks normal."
"Thank God."
"Now, Nathan, HCM is a serious thing and while I am confident your baby does not have it. We should still double check on your next appointment, now that we know what we need to look for. The blood tests would've picked up any mutations that would lead to HCM but we should do it again just to be clear." The doctor switched his phone to the other ear. "Now, I assume you are going to get tested."
"Yes, I will but I'm just worried about the baby."
"When you guys come in this week for your next check up, we can do an extra blood sample and send it to a cardiologist just to cover all our basis."
"Thank you doctor but Haley doesn't know this. I want to tell her myself and I don't want her to worry about something that we don't know for sure."
"Normally, I would not agree but given the circumstances, I know how worrisome Haley can be and that sort of stress is not good for her or the baby. I will keep this between us but and we can do the tests without her knowing. She already knows that she will routinely need to go through them anyways but once I get the results back I am legally bound to tell both of you."
"No problem doc. I want to get tested first before telling her."
"Ok Nathan and thanks for calling."
"No, thank you." Nathan sighed in relief and went back inside.
Hearing Haley come down the stairs, Nathan turned to her. "I told you I was going to bring breakfast to you."
"Yeah." Haley rubbed her eyes. "But I had to pee and then my mom called."
"Oh."
"Yeah, about that." Haley leaned over the counter. "Remember, how I told you she's coming home."
"Yeah?"
"Well, she's coming back today."
"Today?"
"Like tonight."
"Wow." Nathan started feeling a little nervous.
"Don't worry hun. You'll be fine."
"Yeah but to her I'm probably still known as the heart breaker who knocked up her daughter."
"Yeah about that.. umm.. if anything, just remind her, you got her house back."
"Dammit." Nathan sighed.
. . . . . . .
Nathan left Haley's room with another box full of her items. He dropped it off to his car and then pulled out his cell phone. He was so happy that Haley had decided to move in with him. Thrilled actually. He was so glad they finally talked through some of the issues bothering him and glad that she told him about Charlotte. He would've liked it if it was a done deal already but he was still waiting for it. It all felt surreal. As happy as he was, there was still a lingering cloud over head.
He dialed Lucas' number and groaned out in frustration when it was Lucas' voicemail. He hated voicemail but with Lucas not replying to his calls or texts, he figured he'd leave a message this time.
"Luke man, give me a call, I found a place for us to get tested. Call me back so we can schedule."
Hanging up, he made his way upstairs back to Haley's room.
"Do you want this in the car?" Nathan asked, picking up a black shopping back.
"No!" Haley quickly went over and snatched it from him. "I can bring it."
"Why?" Nathan looked curiously. "What's in the bag?"
"A surprise." Haley said coyly.
"What kind of surprise?"
"Well, lets just say Brooke and Peyton took me shopping?"
"Really?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"And if you're behaved, I might just wear it for you." Haley smirked.
"What if I've been bad?" Nathan pulled her close to him and groped her but.
"Behave mister!" Haley pointed her finger at him. "Besides my mom should be.."
DING DONG
"Oh she's here!" Haley clapped excitedly and quickly left the room and went downstairs to open the door.
Nathan heard Haley squeal from upstairs as mother and daughter reunited. Taking a deep breath, Nathan started to descend the stairs.
From the corner of her eye, Lydia saw Nathan coming down. She pulled back from her daughter to face Nathan.
"Nathan." Lydia commented.
"Mrs. James." Nathan put on a smile. "Welcome back home."
"Yes.. a home that I didn't know I almost lost." Lydia turned to Haley. "But it seems I have you to thank."
"It wasn't a big deal." Nathan shifted from his spot.
"I have dinner waiting for us." Haley announced, wanting to break up the tension. "Come on mom, I want to hear all about Matt and I want to see pictures of the kids."
Nathan sent her a thankful look and followed them.
. . . . . .
Nathan stayed quiet for most of the dinner, letting Haley and Lydia do all the talking. They gushed over the pictures Lydia had taken of Haley's brother and his family. They also talked about Haley's own pregnancy and Nathan was relieved that Lydia was excited to be a grandmother again.
After dinner, Nathan offered to clean up while Haley helped her mom get settled back into her room.
"Thanks for doing the dishes." Lydia called out.
"No problem." Nathan said over the sink. "Where's Haley?"
"She's feeling a little tired so she's taking a nap."
"Oh."
Nathan continued washing the dishes as he saw Lydia take out the kettle. "Would you like some tea Nathan?"
"Yeah, sure." Nathan replied. He figured this was as good of a time to talk to Lydia and he had a feeling she wanted to talk to him.
Nathan put the last dishes away and turned around to find Lydia sitting on the table with two mugs in front of her. She motioned for him to join her and he sat down across from her.
"So I passed by Haley's room. It's full of boxes."
"Yes. She's going to move in with me."
"Are you sure that's a wise move?" Lydia questioned.
"Yes." Nathan replied. "Look Mrs. James, I know you must hate me.. shoot I hate myself for what I did to your daughter. I'm sorry for what I did. There's no excuses but I love your daughter and for some reason she loves me. She's going to be an amazing mom and I'm the lucky one that gets to be the father."
"You know Nathan when I first met you, I had a really good feeling about you. Sure, I've heard about your reputation but there was just something about you and I saw the way my daughter would light up around you. When you left, it was hard for her. My heart broke for her. She's been through so much Nathan."
"I know. And I promise you Mrs. James that I won't make the same mistakes."
"I know you have good intentions Nathan but please don't make promises you can not keep."
"I'm not." He said resolutely. "I made mistakes and I'm doing my best to make up for it."
"I know you are Nathan." Lydia leaned back and sighed. "It would be so easy to hate you but seeing my daughter come alive these past few months, I know it's because of you and the baby. At the end of the day, if you make my daughter happy then, what else can I hope for?" Lydia took a sip of her tea.
"Thank you Mrs. James."
"Ahh.. please call me Lydia.. I know I'm old, I don't need to feel it."
"Okay Lydia." Nathan laughed. "There is something you should know, something I wanted to tell you."
"What is it?"
Nathan reached behind his neck and unclasped his necklace, around it was a diamond ring. He took the ring out and slid it towards Lydia. Lydia didn't look surprised but she did have a curious look on her face.
"You know for a NBA star, I would've thought you would spring more for the rock." Lydia commented.
"I was thinking of changing the rock out before asking her."
"And when would that be?"
"I don't know." Nathan replied honestly. "I wanted you to know where I stand and what my intentions are with Haley and even if there wasn't a baby, I would still be coming to you with this."
Nathan took a deep breath. "The truth is, I've been carrying that ring with me for years. Even in my darkest hours, I could never get rid of it because when I saw it, I can only see it on Haley's finger." Nathan paused. "I'm in love with your daughter, Lydia. I've been in love with her since I was 16 and at 17 I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her but at 18, something went wrong and I let her go for all the wrong reasons. Now that we're together again, I .. I don't want to make the same mistakes. I don't want to waste any more time. Haley is it for me and I am hoping for your blessing."
"What if I say no?"
"Then I'm sorry you don't trust me. But I want to spend my life with Haley if she will have me."
"Don't you think this is a little too soon?"
"It's never to soon to be in love." Nathan replied which elicited a smile from Lydia. "But I don't know when or how, I just know that one day, I will go down on one knee and ask her."
Lydia laughed. "Oh lord, if Jimmy was here right now."
"I know, I'd probably be a dead man."
"You probably would be." Lydia smiled. "Look Nathan, I appreciate the gesture but you don't need my blessing. It's Haley's decision to make." Lydia took a deep breath. "And I will support her in whatever she decides to do. I'm not getting any older Nathan and my cancer might still return. I don't have the luxury of time. I look back and I've lived a wonderful life and I miss my Jimmy so much. If I go now, at least I can look back with a smile. I want that for Haley. I want that lifetime of happiness that Jimmy gave to me. And while it's so easy for me to turn you away, I can't because I know my daughter.. I know she loves you. You know, I remember when Jimmy asked my parents blessing, oh they were livid. They thought we were too young and that he wasn't worthy of me. Ever after giving them 6 grandkids, they never fully accepted Jimmy as my husband. I loved my parents to death but it hurt. I don't want to do the same thing to my daughter Nathan. As much as she's my baby girl, she's probably the wisest out of all of us. I trust in her."
"Thank you Lydia, you don't know how much that means to me."
"Like I said Nathan, I'm in remission now but that can all change in a blink of an eye and I need you to promise me.. promise me that if you are serious about this that you will take care of my baby girl. She's my last one." Lydia said with tears in her eyes.
"I promise." Nathan replied without any shed of doubt. "I promise that I will always love her. I will always protect her." Nathan swore.
To Be Continued . . . . .
Like I said, I am currently updating this story while in Wilmington. It's a trip I've been meaning to go on and now that I am here, I wonder why I never came sooner. It will most likely be the last season and it was good to come here and visit the sights while the show is still going on. I don't think it would mean as much if it wasn't. Either way, it's been an emotional trip esp after seeing the premiere and all the sights. I mean, they have been filming here for SEVEN years now, if the show extends into 2011 then that would be eight. It's absolutely amazing that the show has lasted this long and that my passion and love for the show only keeps on growing. I've also met a few fans. I don't think I'll get to see the cast actually filming which is my main goal. However, I did meet Austin and lee who were so nice. I also met Stephen briefly. I was able to get my picture with Austin and Lee. I def. felt a little dazed when I saw them and didn't know what to say at first. The meeting was short but they were very nice. If that's all that I get from this trip, in terms of meeting people from the show, then mission success. I would've liked to have met James, Joy and Sophia of course but we'll see. I figure that can be a second shorter trip when I know for sure they are filming on location. Like I said, I've been beating myself around the bush for not coming sooner and so if I know they are filming for sure then my but is coming down here ASAP. The good thing is that I got the lay of the land and saw many of the filming sites both old and. I really felt like Tree Hill came alive during this trip. I also toured the set and went into Naley's house, both the living spaces, naley's bedroom, spare bedroom and jamie's room. I also went to Tric, Mouth's apartment and Brooke's house. I also talked to some staff who gave some insightful knowledge. Seeing the river court in person as well as the market street docks and just a ton of sits, :sigh:. I can go on but my trip to Wilmington is not quite over yet. I'll probably post a more detailed account of my trip later when I am back home. But it's definitely a very bitter sweet feeling I have right now. The season has only started and I feel like I am already losing a friend. I may have watched the show from season 1 on and off but I never really got into it until the season 4 dvd came out in late 2007. I remember one weekend watching the whole series from season 1-4 and although I watched many of the episodes previously, but seeing it then, it was like watching it for the first time and the rest as you can say is history. So while the show has been on for 8 seasons, I feel as if it's much shorter than that and like I said, I wished I came sooner, esp since for the past few years, I lived somewhat close to Wilmington, now I'm much farther away and of course I would've loved it to have come while CMM and HB were still on the show. Anyways, thanks for listening to my rant and reading this story.