Chapter Twenty-Nine: Those to Come


Author's note: So I decided to post tonight when I realized I hadn't in eleven days... Sorry about that. I havent' been writing lately, I'll try and catch up soon. Hope you enjoy this, I'll try and write a better one over hte weekend.


"It's unbelievable. I go over there to pick up my kids and he still treats me like I'm a teenager who can't resist him," said Haley in disgust.

"Well you did make out with him," said Seamus reasonably.

"True. But accidentally, and I did leave. And what's he trying to prove, anyway? He's trying to get me back and that in itself was basically what broke us up."

"It's all he knows. Sex was the only constant you guys had, and he's just looking for some kind of normalacy," said Seamus.

"I am, too. Just without him," said Haley.

"You know it's not going to happen, kid," he said kindly.

Haley scowled at him as Kade ran into the room and she lifted him into her arms. After their incident at his office Haley had driven quickly the house to take the kids from Heli, who were now with her at the apartment.

"He's grown a lot," said Seamus, glancing at the child in her arms.

"He's just like his daddy," said Haley wistfully. For a second, she wondered how much like him she was. If her perfect youngest child would grow into a man, a man capable of hurt and pain beyond reason. It didn't seem likely, but she never had warmed to the idea of releasing more Scott men into the world.


"We need to move."

Ryan raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"To New Jersey, maybe. We need a bigger place," said Jake.

"Then we'll get a place here," said Ryan, not liking the idea much herself.

"We're going to have three kids. You can't raise three kids in Manhattan all at once," said Jake.

"Lots of people do," she said.

"And we have to change doctors. Don't trust her," said Jake warily.

"So what? She's my doctor," said Ryan in annoyance.

"Don't you start," he said.

"Excuse me? Stop being such a drama queen. I'm going to have to squeeze two babies out of me and you're worrying about our apartment? We managed before," she said.

"You're getting a c-section," he reminded her. Ryan rolled her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath before

"Has anyone ever told you that you're insane?" she asked.

"All the time, why?" Jake glanced over his shoulder and wandered over. She smiled as he took both of her hands, loosely linked with hers, and kissed her softly on the lips.

"It's okay. I don't want you any different," said Ryan.

"Minx." Ryan slung her arms around his neck and began to pull him down on top of her, onto the couch, but he stopped her.

"Safety first," he said. Bending slightly, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

Ryan stared into his eyes after they'd finally collapsed onto the bed together, exhausted.

"What?" he asked, running a finger down her cheek, carressing her even features.

"You're never going to stop loving me, are you?" she asked, looking not nervous, but finally confident.

"Try and stop me," he said.

Ryan responded to the kiss he layed on her lips, his own burning with passion. Her eyes reluctantly slid open and saw the blinking red numbers on her nightstand, and she pushed him off.

"Damn it, I have to go. We're supposed to go to Vera Wang and then to Barneys to get shoes and then possibly to register," she said in annoyance. He fell back on the bed and laughed.

"Aren't I supposed to register with you?" he asked mockingly.

"You actually want to? Don't worry, I'll get all the boring stuff out of the way and then we can pick out china patterns," she said. He raised an eyebrow at her logic, but said nothing. He watched as she climbed out of bed and walked to her closet to get changed for her afternoon.

"Where's Jamie? She's probably confused as hell about all this," said Jake. Ryan frowned guiltily, remembering the many recent occasions when they'd given in to Haley and Brooke's eager offers to babysit their daughter and give them alone time.

"Brooke's. She was going to bring her over when she came," said Ryan.

"Do you think she notices anything different?" asked Jake.

"Why? Have I gotten fatter?"

Ryan Scott turned doubtfully to examine her naked body from a side angle in front of the mirror hanging on the closet door. Smiling, Jake climbed out of the bed. He wrapped his arms around her.

Ryan smiled at her two sisters-in-law when they arrived a few minutes later, leading her daughter by the hand.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Hey Ry. Go away, Jake. Haley has dirt to dish and she was waiting until we were all together," said Brooke bluntly. Ryan laughed at the lack of surprise in his face, remembering with a slight pang in her heart how very long they'd all known each other. He led Jamie off by the hand, and the three girls made their way back down the stairs.

When they got into the company car, Haley sat across from Ryan and Brooke and abruptly shut the window to the driver's seat.

"I almost had sex with Nathan," she revealed.

Ryan held out her hand, and Brooke dropped a folded up twenty dollar bill into it.

"When?" asked Brooke eagerly.

"Why?" asked Ryan, looking more disgusted than eager.

"Last night. He called me over to his office so I could pick up the kids. I should have suspected something, but..."

"So what's with the almost thing, then?" asked Ryan.

"Oh, Deb found us. I'm glad she did, we don't need to get into all that again," she said.

"Except for the fact that it's obviously going to happen," said Brooke, reaching into the minibar and pulling out a bottle of tequila. "You know what's good about not breastfeeding? This."

"You know what's not so good about being pregnant?"


The three of them dropped into chairs in the fitting room after giving Ryan's details to an attendant. Brooke turned to Ryan.

"I forgot, with Haley's news. You had an ultrasound, didn't you? How did it go? You actually pregnant?" she asked.

"Yeah. For sure. Twice."

Haley took this opportunity to spit out the gulp of water she'd taken a moment earlier.

"Seriously? Twins?" she demanded. Ryan nodded, a smile touching her lips.

"That's..."

"Amazing? Terrifying? A whole lot of dirty diapers? Yeah, I know," said Ryan. Brooke and Haley, sitting on either side of her, put their arms around her.

"You'll be fine. Both of you," said Haley reassuringly.

"I know. Jake's wigging, but it's kind of adorable," admitted Ryan.

"He's a great father," said Brooke.

"All of them are."

Haley raised her eyebrows meaningfully at Brooke, who ignored her gaze.

"Which one of you is the bride?" asked a woman, walking in to the room they were waiting in. Haley and Brooke pointed at Ryan, who rose with a smile.

"That'd be me. But we need to look at bridesmaid's dresses as well, for these too," said Ryan.

"Really?" asked Haley, looking touched as Ryan sat.

"Of course. Who else would I ask? You guys are the best friends I've ever had," she said honestly.

"Does having us here mean that we're not going to be stuck in anything that looks like it could also work as a birthday cake?" asked Brooke suspiciously. Ryan and Haley, who looked close to tears, rolled their eyes.

"That was the idea."