"Nathan," she said softly, making him turn to her.
She couldn't read the expression on her face, and it scared her a little.
"Well?" she asked urgently.
He set the phone on the counter and braced himself with his hands, trying to digest the information. He knew it was torturing her that he wasn't speaking, but he just couldn't yet.
"Nathan!" she cried in frustration.
He let out a breathy laugh of almost disbelief when he looked at her again, and then he smiled, and she bit her lip in anticipation.
"It's Wilmington," he said softly, watching her eyes light up. "I'm going to play for Wilmington!"
"Oh my God!" she shouted, rushing towards him and flying into his arms.
He laughed and lifted her up off the ground a little as she held onto him, and he could practically feel the excitement radiating off her. He loved her for that.
"Are you serious?" she asked after several long moments of just standing in his embrace.
As if he'd joke.
"That was the GM of the team there," he explained. "He said he would have called sooner, but he was fighting with a couple other GMs over me."
"Of course he was!" she chirped happily, making him laugh. "Oh my God! You have to call everyone! Jamie, and your dad. And Luke!"
"Baby, calm down," he said with a chuckle, pulling her back into his arms. "I just...need a bit of time to process this."
"Aren't you excited?" she asked, moving away from him to look into his eyes. They were sparkling like they always did when he was feeling too many emotions for his heart to handle. She was happy that she'd seen that look before.
"I'm...I can't even..." he stuttered. His hands trailed down her arms and he wove their fingers together. "I did it, Peyton."
She could only nod, because she felt the tears coming to her eyes, and when she looked to the ground, he tilted her chin up with his index finger and kissed her chastely on the lips. The tears spilled over, and he wiped them away as he smiled down at her.
"I love you so much," he said softly.
"I love you, too," she whispered.
"Stop crying," he insisted with a smile, making her laugh weakly.
"I'm sorry. I'm just...So proud of you, Nathan," she said, placing her hands on his hips. "And this dinner smells amazing."
"Well, I'm glad you think so," he said, moving away from her and turning back to the stove. "Because I really, really hate losing."
"You should just trust me on all things hockey. Stick to basketball, baby," she teased, wrapping her arms around him from behind. She rest her cheek against his shoulder blade and felt him chuckle against her.
He would definitely stick to basketball. That was guaranteed now.
"You gonna be attached to me all night?" he asked, running his hand over top of hers.
"You gonna complain about it?" she asked, pulling away from him, only to have him drape his arm around her shoulder and force her to curl into his side.
"Not at all. But you know," he started in a low voice, turning so she was pinned between him and the counter, "you could do something for me. I mean, since I made the team."
Her arms made their way around his neck as he placed kisses along her collar bone.
"Such as...?" she tempted, tilting her head to the side and melting into him a bit. Suddenly, she really didn't care about dinner at all.
"Such as," he said between kisses, "your end of the bet."
"Mr. Scott," she purred in mock surprise, toying with the hair at the back of his neck with one hand, and grabbing a fistful of his shirt in the other. He groaned against the hinge of her jaw upon hearing her call him that. "What about dinner?"
"I'll be fast," he promised, pressing his hips to hers and making her let out that sound he always loved.
"You're never fast," she countered, making him smirk against her lips as he kissed her.
"You gonna complain about it?" he said, repeating her words from minutes earlier as he slipped his hands beneath her shirt.
She took a deep breath and locked eyes with him as he waited for the answer he really didn't need. She bit her bottom lip subtly and looked at him through her eyelashes, shaking her head as she began undoing the button of his jeans.
"Not complaining," she whispered before he kissed her again.
Things quickly became even more heated, and when she pulled his tee shirt over his head, revealing that incredible body of his, she pushed him away with the palms of her hands on his chest, and began walking away.
"Are you kidding me?" he grumbled.
"Are you coming?"
She raised an eyebrow as she said the words, letting him know that what he deduced from that question - however many ways he was interpreting that - all of them were true.
"Fuck yes," he answered, looking away from her only to switch off the stove.
She giggled as she started towards the stairs, and the sound turned into a moan when he walked up behind her and pressed his body against hers, kissing her neck as they walked.
----
By the time they actually sat down to their dinner, it was nearing 8:30. He was wearing just a pair of red basketball shorts, and she had pulled on one of his button-downs with just her underwear. It had been hard to let her leave the room, no matter how hungry he was.
He knew he had calls to make and people to see, but he was kind of liking the evening with her to celebrate and let everything sink in before talking to everyone else. So as they talked over dinner, he told her that he'd go see Jamie the next day before the boy left for school, and then stop in to see Lucas, Deb and then Dan later in the day. He had it all sorted out, and they could move on to lighter topics.
"You know what's not fair?" Peyton asked with her eyes narrowed, pointing her fork at him accusingly. "You lost the bet, but you got to...collect...first."
"Sorry, baby," he said with a prideful smirk and a shrug of his shoulders.
"No you're not," she said, making them both laugh. "But this dinner really is amazing."
"Oh yeah? Does it make make up for 'collecting' second?" he teased, taking her hand.
"Actually, I have to admit, I didn't mind having to give in first," she said with a smile, taking a sip of her wine.
"Oh, I could tell," he mumbled in a low voice. She just shook her head at him and propped her foot up on his chair next to the outside of his thigh.
Concentrating on things would be far, far easier if her boyfriend wasn't so damn sexy.
He knew, by the way she was looking at him, that if he didn't stop saying things like that, they wouldn't make it through their meal. And if she didn't stop looking at him like that, they wouldn't make it through either.
"Stop it," he commanded.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"That!" he laughed, taking in every little detail about every little thing she was doing. "That sexy eye thing with the little smile and the...NO! Don't you dare bite your lip."
But when had Peyton Sawyer ever followed anyone's orders?
And so when she moved to coyly reach for her wine glass, he stopped her and tugged the collar of the shirt she was wearing, and brought her in for a searing kiss.
"OK, I'll stop," she said against his lips as he brushed them against hers once more.
"Uh uhn," he mumbled. "Don't stop now."
"Nathan, we're in the middle of dinner," she said with a laugh, pushing him away gently.
"You started it," he pointed out seriously.
"I know I did." She watched as his head rolled back and he let out a groan. "But I'm going to finish my meal first."
"And then you'll finish me?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
She just dropped her jaw in shock as she shook her head. He was the most arrogant guy sometimes, and if she didn't know him so well, she would have almost been offended. But the reality was that that's what she loved so much about him. He was self-assured and confident, and just so perfectly Nathan.
Not to mention, he looked so happy and relieved and somehow more relaxed and lighter, having gotten the news that he'd made a team.
"I love you," she said, turning back to her meal.
"Wow," he laughed.
"What?"
"I make a really out there innuendo and you tell me you love me," he said, smirking as he rest an elbow on the table.
"Nathan?"
"Hmm?"
"Stop talking," she insisted quietly, laughing when he held his hands up in surrender.
They were quite for a few moments, just enjoying their meal, which was, if he could say so, pretty amazing. He'd have to thank his mom for that later.
It hadn't quite hit him yet that he'd made a team. And it was the one he'd wanted to make, too, being that it was so close to home, and also the second place team in the league at the moment. He knew it would still be an upward battle; fighting for a roster spot and proving himself all over again. But this was the start, and it was a confidence boost he needed.
Peyton dropped her fork onto her plate and ran her hands through her hair as she smiled, and he had to question what was going on in that head of hers.
"What?"
"I just...I can't believe it," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I can believe it because you're amazing, but I just...It's all so...God, Nathan, you're playing again."
"I know," he said softly.
"You realize that this is incredible," she stated. "Last year, you were in a wheelchair."
"I know."
"And you just...you did it," she said, reaching for his hand.
"I know."
She just laughed, because she could tell he hadn't really processed it yet. She knew he was excited and happy, but she knew that he didn't really believe it yet.
"How are you feeling?" she asked seriously.
She watched the smile break on his lips as he ran his thumb over the inside of her wrist. He looked down at their hands, and he realized that the only thing that would ever make him even happier, would be if the hand he was holding was wearing his ring.
But it was too soon for that, and he knew it.
But eventually...
"I've got everything," he said softly, meeting her eyes again as she smiled.
"Me too," she whispered.
"Yeah?" he asked, though he knew the answer.
"Yeah," she insisted, nodding her head.
"How did...How did we get here?" he asked, almost bewildered.
When he thought about it, it was all surreal. The way their lives had turned out, with so many twists and turns and broken hearts and hardships, it was kind of amazing that they were both still standing. Still standing and happy. It was almost hard for him to imagine a time when he didn't have her; when he wasn't with her. He knew that, had they stayed together when they were younger, things would have been completely different. He knew their separate paths were necessary to make them the people they were - to make them perfect for each other.
"Funny how life works out," she mused, reading his mind.
He just nodded and leaned forward again to kiss her.
And he realized he'd never get sick of kissing her.
Maybe it was too soon to be thinking of forever. But he still was thinking of forever.
And it all centered around her.
----
Jamie was excited. Nathan told him the next morning, and Haley stood there, bringing her hand to her mouth when she heard the news. She almost cried. She knew how hard Nathan had worked and how much it meant to him. She threw her arms around him and congratulated him like any friend would do.
The little boy couldn't stop asking questions. He wanted to go to every game and watch practices and get a jersey with his name and number on the back. Nathan told him that the first game he played would be in a week's time, and that Nathan had special seats reserved just for them.
Dan had smiled a genuine, proud, fatherly smile. He hugged Nathan, then Peyton, and they all talked about practice schedules and game days, and Nathan said that he had a ticket set aside for his 'debut' game. Dan had pursed his lips and said thank you, knowing that he was finally back in Nathan's life for good. Peyton thought she saw a hint of a tear in the man's eye, and that didn't surprise her in the least.
Lucas and Lindsey were thrilled, naturally, and Lucas said he expected complimentary seats to all games, and a shout out to the Ravens in any on-air interviews.
Brooke squealed and threw her arms around Nathan, telling him that he'd finally lived up to her 'Superstar' nickname for him.
His first practice was on a Saturday when he had Jamie, so the boy stayed with Peyton while Nathan went to 'work'. They both wished him good luck, and he kissed both their foreheads at the door before driving away.
"Alright, Jamie," Peyton said, looking down at the blonde as she rest her hands on her hips. "Time to get dressed."
"What are we doing today?" he asked as they started up the stairs.
"Well, I was thinking that we could call your mom and aunt Brooke and see if they wanted to come over," she said, glancing at him to gauge his reaction. All she saw was a smile.
"And do what?" he asked.
"Anything!" She stepped into his bedroom behind him and walking to the closet to pull out some clothes. "This one?" she asked, holding up a tee shirt, and tossing it to him when he nodded.
"Anything?" he asked.
"Anything," she confirmed with a laugh.
"But you just talk about daddy and Chase all the time," he pointed out, making her chuckle.
"Well, maybe we won't do that today," she offered. "Maybe we'll order some pizza for lunch from our favourite place, and...I don't know...Make cookies or something."
"Cookies!" he cried excitedly.
"OK, get dressed," she insisted with a chuckle. "I'll go call your mommy and Brooke."
"OK!"
"And brush your teeth," she said seriously, watching as he groaned and rolled his eyes. "Promise me."
"I promise," he grumbled.
She laughed again as she tugged the door closed behind her and headed back down the stairs. She was kind of getting comfortable with what Nathan referred to as the 'almost mom' thing. She still wasn't trying to replace Haley - she knew she never would, and didn't want to - but Jamie listened to her, and they got along, and she loved him. She already kind of thought of him like a son. She hadn't told anyone that, not even Nathan.
"B. Davis," Peyton greeted when Brooke picked up. "What are you doing today?"
"Nothing," Brooke said nonchalantly. "Chase is getting in some hours in the air...Or whatever he calls it. Anyway, he's flying. So...I'm not doing anything."
"You want to come over and make cookies with me and Jamie?" Peyton asked, already knowing the answer.
"Hell yes!" Brooke cried.
"OK," Peyton laughed. "Could you call Haley?"
"I'll just pick her up."
"You don't even know if she's around!"
"Yes, I do. I called her earlier and she was grocery shopping. We were going to meet up later anyway," Brooke said.
"OK. I'll see you in a bit. I hear little footsteps, so I've got a boy to entertain for a while," Peyton said.
"You are so freaking maternal," Brooke scoffed.
"What?" Peyton asked with a laugh. And how had Brooke known exactly how she was feeling.
"You love that kid," Brooke stated.
"So do you!"
"But you are like...It's just different," Brooke said simply. "And you know it."
"Yes, I do. Now get off the phone and go get Haley," Peyton instructed, changing the topic.
"Alright! Bye!"
Peyton hung up the phone just as Jamie climbed up onto the stool at the counter in the kitchen.
"I brushed," he stated before she could ask. She just laughed and nodded her head. Maybe she was getting the hang of this 'almost mom' thing.
"Good." She reached into the cupboard for a recipe book, leafing through the pages. "What kind of cookies do you want?"
"Umm," he said pensively. "What's daddy's favourite?"
"Peanut butter," she stated.
And something so simple as that made her realize just how well she knew Nathan. She could answer such a trivial question without missing a beat. Something about that spoke volumes about her relationship. And what made her even happier, was knowing that he would have been able to do the same thing.
"Let's make those!" he said with a smile.
"OK. Well, why don't we wait till Brooke and Ha...your mom get here," she said, laughing off her slip up. "We'll have lunch, then make cookies, and that way, when dad gets home, they'll be fresh out of the oven."
"You're smart," he observed.
"Well, thank you."
They talked for a while, waiting for Haley and Brooke, about Nathan's practice, both wondering how it was going and what Nathan was doing. Jamie spoke of basketball and plays just like Nathan had as a young kid. She could remember him on the playground, talking to she and Brooke like the two girls should care about the sport as passionately as he did.
When Brooke and Haley stepped through the door, all they heard was laughter coming from the kitchen.
"Well, well!" Haley cried out, hugging her son from behind. "Looks like someone's having fun already."
"Peyton thinks daddy is beating everybody on his team," Jamie stated.
"And you don't?" Brooke asked, taking the seat next to him.
"Yeah, but she doesn't know as much about basketball as me," he laughed.
"Hey!" Peyton cried. "I do too!"
"Honey, you're talking to three cheerleaders," Haley pointed out seriously. "We know about basketball."
"Do you think they dunk in practice?" he asked, seemingly accepting his mother's comment.
"I don't know. Probably," Peyton said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Can we not talk about basketball?" Brooke asked seriously. "Or flying airplanes, or running record labels and clothing companies?"
"What else is there?" Haley asked with a laugh. "This is Tree Hill. That's pretty much all we've got."
They all laughed again, because it was kind of true. If you took all those subjects from the conversation, they weren't left with much.
"Can we order pizza now?" Jamie asked.
"Oh my God, I'm starving," Peyton said desperately, reaching for the phone to dial the number posted on the fridge.
She placed their order while Brooke and Haley talked to Jamie, turning her attention to them again when she'd hung up the phone.
"So, making cookies huh?" Brooke asked with a grin. "I thought that was more of a 'Leyton' thing."
"I swear, that stupid book...," Peyton said with a laugh.
"What's a Leyton?" Jamie asked curiously.
"Oh God," Peyton groaned, as Haley and Brooke laughed.
"Well," Haley started, "you know how your aunt Brooke is crazy?"
"Hey!" Brooke cried.
"Uh huh," Jamie said.
"Hey!!!" Brooke turned to Jamie and glared at him, making him giggle.
"Brooke likes to make up a lot of funny names for people. So she called your uncle Lucas and Peyton 'Leyton' when they were dating. Like a mix of their names," Haley explained.
"What was your nickname?" he asked.
"Tutor girl," Haley said fondly.
"What about daddy?"
"Superstar. Boy toy. Jacka..." Brooke rattled off.
"Brooke!" Peyton cried, making Haley smile at her appreciatively.
"What's a boy toy?" he asked with a furrowed brow.
"You know what?" Peyton asked. "Question time is over."
The three girls all laughed again, leaving Jamie very confused. He didn't understand girls, and he didn't know how anyone could.
They managed to eat an entire extra large pizza between the four of them, each of the women making Jamie promise not to tell anyone they'd done it. He didn't know why they'd asked, but he agreed to keep it a secret.
Then they started in on cookies. Brooke and Haley teasingly watched Peyton each time she measured anything, making her roll her eyes at them and threaten Lucas with bodily harm for writing about her 'mishap' with the salt. Her culinary skills had improved drastically, and she promised herself that the next time they had Lucas and Lindsey over for dinner, she'd bake chocolate chip cookies, just to prove to them all that she could.
They made two batches, for some reason, and soon, nearly every surface in the kitchen was covered with either dirty dishes, or cookies cooling on wire racks.
Jamie had eaten a few too many, and so when Brooke turned up the radio as a song she loved came on, she insisted that he move to the music with her to get rid of some of his excess energy.
When Nathan walked in, Haley was sitting at the table, laughing at her son, Brooke had her arms in the air as her hips moved to the music, and Jamie was was wearing a little apron, dancing with Brooke in the kitchen.
"Oh my God, what are you doing to my son?" Nathan asked, semi-seriously, moving over to where Peyton was standing at the counter.
"We're making you your favourites," Peyton said softly, for only him to hear as the other two women focused on Jamie.
"You're my favourite," he said in a low voice, leaning over to speak into her ear.
"You want a hot cookie?" she asked.
She saw the glimmer in his eye, letting her know that he was about to turn that into an innuendo.
"Don't," she demanded.
"What?" he asked with a laugh, though he knew he'd been caught.
"Eat this and be quiet," she insisted with a smile, handing him a cookie. That glimmer came back and he raised an eyebrow, making her hiss his name and tell him to behave.
He took a bite of the cookie and made a sound in appreciation of how good it was. He knew better than to make a joke about her baking skills, knowing she'd probably already gotten enough of that from the two other women in his kitchen. And clearly, the cookie was proof, though by now he didn't need it, that she was actually really great in the kitchen.
"Daddy! How was it!" Jamie asked excitedly.
"It was great," Nathan insisted. "I'm not a starter or anything, but I'm on the team."
"And that's what matters," Brooke insisted seriously, smiling at him.
"That's right," Haley concurred.
And again, Nathan had to ask himself how he got so lucky. He was standing next to Peyton, who had her arm resting on the counter behind him, just barely grazing his back, and to incredibly wonderful and brave women in his kitchen, supporting him in everything. He had an amazing son who, albeit was a little bit of a goofball at that moment, was more than he could ever ask for.
Haley and Brooke left about an hour later, and after Jamie was in bed that night, Peyton brought a few more cookies upstairs for him to eat while she straddled his back and rubbed his shoulders, as was their tradition after a tough practice or workout. He made a crack about enjoying the fresh baking and massage, and how he definitely wouldn't complain if he had that to look forward to every day.
"You know this is it, right?" he asked seriously after a while.
"What?" she asked confusedly.
"You and me," he clarified. "This is it for me."
She moved off him and lay down next to him, and he wasted no time moving so he was laying on top of her. He gently brushed the hair from her temple as he gazed down at her, still - always - in awe of how stunning she was.
"You're it for me," he repeated, making her smile.
"Good," she said softly. "Because I can't even...I don't want to think about not being with you."
"You don't have to," he insisted. "I promise."
She'd heard a lot of promises in her life. Heavy words and phrases from a lot of different people.
That was the only one she ever really believed.