I've been meaning to post this for a while so I finally sat down and finished! Sorry for the wait. This is the last chapter before the epilogue. Thanks for sticking with me on this long journey. It's been fun :) Anyway, I hope y'all like it…
Thanks again for all of the kind words.
Shrill screams echoed through the silent air, surrounded in darkness. Haley was snuggled against Nathan's bare chest but soon sat up at the familiar sounds of her son crying.
"I got him.: Nathan spoke groggily, his blue eyes slowly peeling opening, adjusting to the light.
Haley smiled appreciatively. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, go back to sleep, babe. I love you." He whispered gently before placing a soft kiss upon her forehead.
"Thanks, love you too." She mumbled as she curled back into the bedsheets, tightly clenching his vacant pillow as part of his temporary absence.
A plaid pajama pants clad Nathan scuffled across the hall and into Jamie's room. Despite the time being 3 am, and utterly exhausted, a beaming smile caressed his lips.
"Hey buddy, what're you doing up?" He cooed as he picked up his bundle of joy. Immediately, Jamie's cries ceased when he was cradled in his Daddy's arms. His bright blue eyes mirrored Nathan's and his short blonde hair was scattered messily upon his scalp. His current onesie pajama set was one that Nathan had picked out- it was deep blue with a bright orange decal in the center.
"Oh man, you stink Jimmy Jam. Let's change your diaper." Nathan scrunched his nose as he carried his son to the changing table and slowly peeled off the messy diaper, soon replacing it with a fresh one from the mountain of diapers thanks to Lydia James and Deb Scott- they bought so many diapers, Nathan was sure the supply could last through three more babies.
"There you go Bud. You're all set, no more messy diaper." Nathan continued to talk to Jamie as if he could understand. The gurgling baby bounced in his father's arms, smiling contently. "Are you tired, huh?"
Jaime stayed silent, continuing to gnaw at his tiny thumb. Nathan knew it would be a struggle to get his son back to sleep so he gently swayed Jaime in his arms. "When you're older, you're going to wish you slept more. Especially if you're a baller like your Daddy. What do you think? Are you gonna play basketball? Or maybe baseball or football? How about all three? I can coach your basketball team. I don't know much about baseball but I can learn and we can play. I bet you'll be the best as whatever you do. Wanna know why? 'Cause you're a Scott, and Scott men are the greatest. You're also a James. They're pretty amazing too. Your Mom is the best. She's so smart, beautiful, caring, and funny. We're really lucky to have her. We love you so much buddy. You're my best little man." Nathan finished his rant and smiled at his now sleeping son. He placed a quick kiss on his chubby cheek and gently laid him in the crib. When he turned around he found Haley in the doorway with a wide grin.
"What're you still doing up?" He whispered, walking over to her quietly wrapping his arms around her tight waist.
"I couldn't sleep without you." She whimpered, resting her head upon his shoulder. "Plus I heard you talking to Jaime through the baby monitor…"
"Sorry." A frown curbed negatively upon his lips.
Her warm brown eyes collided like the sun and moon, noticing the concern drowning in his blue orbs. "No, it's okay." She gave him a sleepy smile. "It's okay." She repeated, "I love hearing your boy talks."
Nathan grinned, "Oh yeah?"
"Mhmm, it's very sexy." She whispered, playfully biting her lip.
A soft chuckle emit from Nathan's throat.
"Well we should get back to sleep before he wakes up again."
Haley slowly blinked as she ran her hand across his delicate chest. "Can you carry me, please?"
Nathan playfully rolled his eyes, never able to resist the infamous Haley James pout. He then swept down and lifted his wife bridal style in his arms. He watched her eyes flutter closed, falling asleep within seconds. Once they were back in their room, he laid her onto the king sized bed where she subconsciously grabbed for his arm. He soon scooted under the covers, wrapping her in his embrace which was his favorite part of every night.
The morning soon peeked brightly through the blinda. How was it that night felt like just two hours ago? Thankfully, Jaime was still asleep- as was Nathan- so Haley was able to get ready for the day with no interruptions. It was soon the end of summer which meant Haley would have to go back to teaching. Now that Nathan was no longer in the NBA he decided to stay home with Jamie while Haley was at work, then he'd coach the Ravens basketball team. Just recently, he contacted his old coach, "Whitey" Durham, who was retiring and wanted to give Nathan his position- who was eager to oblige. Nathan also began working for his old agent, Clay Evans, where he would fill out paperwork for scouting purposes. Luckily he was able to do all this from home so he'd never have to leave his son. Haley was a bit reluctant to go back, despite her love for teaching, but she knew Jaime was in good hands. Plus, there were still a few weeks left in her bubble of bliss, so she wouldn't worry just yet.
As she began to prepare her ritual coffee and pancake combination, the sound of her phone ringing reverberated off the silent kitchen walls.
"Hello?" She answered, pressing the phone between her ear and shoulder.
"Oh Haley bop! Good, you answered. How is my baby boy doing?" Lydia cooed through the phone line.
"He's good. He's sleeping right now. I swear that boy is all Nathan." A smile danced over her lips at the thought of how much her husband and son were similar.
"Well he certainly is a cutie." She mused. "Anyway, Deb and I are out shopping and we found the cutest sneakers for Jamie. What size do you think he is? A two?"
Haley dug her hand through her hair and laughed. Of course Deb and her mom were shopping at 8 in the morning. If they weren't shopping for Jamie, they were at her house taking pictures or calling and asking how he was doing.
"Uh, I think so." Haley answered.
"Okay, that's what I thought. He already has big feet! Another trait from his Daddy I'm guessing."
Even though no one was around to see Haley's embarrassment, she still hid her burning cheeks behind her hands.
"Mom." She scolded.
"What? It's true. You should be proud. Big feet means a big-"
"Okay mom! Stop. This is my son we're talking about!"
"Oh I was talking about Nathan, dear. What size shoe is he? A 13?"
"MOM!" Haley shouted, praying she didn't wake up her men.
Lydia chuckled, "I'm just teasing, Hales."
"Okay, but really, you don't have to keep buying stuff for Jamie." Haley spoke, desperately trying to change the topic. "He already has way too much and he's only two months old. Nathan and I don't want to spoil him."
"Oh nonsense. He's a Naley baby, therefore he deserves to be spoiled!"
Haley chuckled despite her caffeine withdrawal headache. "Right, of course, that's a perfect excuse." She mumbled sarcastically.
Lydia laughed again, "It's true. He's a perfect little baby."
"I can't argue with you on that." Haley smiled.
"Well listen, Deb and I are free all day and all night. You and hubby haven't gone out since Jaime was born. Why don't the two of you go out on a date or something? We can babysit free of charge."
Haley bit her lip, "Oh, I don't think that's a good idea. We don't want to leave Jamie yet."
"Bub, I know how to take care of a baby for a few hours. After all, I've raised six kids!"
"Yeah, and look how they turned out." She mumbled.
"Haley Scott, I resent that!" Lydia scolded.
She laughed as she took a long swig of black coffee, "Okay, sorry, I do trust you, I just can't bring myself to leave him yet. And I'm pretty sure Nathan would agree."
"That's not healthy. Don't be one of those suffocating mother's."
Haley rolled her eyes. Of course Lydia would say that. She barely ever parented at all. Obviously Haley didn't want to be strict with her son but she also didn't want to let him run a free-for-all. As of right now, he was just a baby and Haley couldn't bare the thought of leaving him- even with his grandmother's.
"I'm not suffocating him!" She retorted.
"You're going to have to leave him eventually. Why not go out for a few hours, maybe shack up with Nathan in a random parking lot? You can get started on the next Naley kid!"
"Jeeze Mom, is your head ever out of the gutter?" Haley groaned.
"You make it seem like it's a bad thing." Her quirky mother teased.
Haley sighed, "I'll think about it. Let me see what Nathan says."
"Tell him my idea about the parking lot. I'm sure he'd love that!"
"Okay mom, bye!" Haley sing-songed before hanging up with a groan.
"Hey babe, who was that?" Nathan asked as he strolled tiredly into the kitchen, smirking sexily at his wife.
"My mom. She wants to babysit Jamie tonight so we can have a date night."
Nathan's eyebrows raised, "Oh. What'd you say?"
"I said I'll think about it." She mumbled lamely, staring into her coffee mug.
Nathan tentatively walked over to the counter and placed his arm around her robe clad waist, "I think we should."
Haley was clearly taken by surprise, "Really?"
"Well yeah. Obviously I don't leaving our boy but we haven't spent quality time together in a while and I miss our date nights."
Haley looked into his magnetic blue eyes and sighed, "I don't know, baby…"
"We can just go out to dinner for two hours. Our mom's can handle Jamie. Come on, what do you say Haley James? I'll pick you up around 6 and I'll treat you to dinner. Just like old times."
Haley couldn't help but blush at the way Nathan's prominent smirk seemed to captivate her. She never could say no to his sexy smirk or beautiful blue eyes. She hated to leave her son but the thought of going out with her husband made her stomach bubble with excitement. He was right; it would be just like old times. Haley loved when Nathan would take her out to dinner. It was always an exciting and adventurous evening- something she felt was crucial for any relationship, especially to keep their burning spark alive.
"Oh alright, but if anything goes wrong, I'm coming home." Haley finally lamented.
"Agreed." Nathan's smirk stretched longer. "It's going to be fun. I can't wait."
"Neither can I. Now where's my proper good morning kiss?" She asked with a sultry tone, grinning questioningly.
"How could I forget?" Nathan chastised before bowing softly and capturing his wife's lips in a fierce lock.
"Mhmm." Haley breathed happily. "Good morning."
"Mornin'." Nathan croaked in his sleepy tone that sounded like sex to Haley's ears.
"You're right…" She said quietly, a light blush tinting over her cheeks. "I am so happy to get you alone tonight."
"You have my number on speed dial, right? I wrote it down just in case. Call me if anything goes wrong. Also, Jamie can't sleep without his blue blanket. It has basketballs on it. He throws a fit if he doesn't have it. Make sure it's not covering his face though. If he gets hungry, don't forget to heat up his milk. Not too hot, but not too cold. You have to test it first. He won't drink it if it's not the right temperature. Sometimes he cries because he wants to be held. If he doesn't stop crying, just call us and we'll come home. I hope he doesn't miss us too much-"
"Haley!" Lydia shouted over her rambling daughter, "Relax! Deb and I have this under control. Jamie is a perfect baby, and nothing will go wrong. Just go out with Nathan and have a good time. Try not to worry too much, okay?"
Haley breathed a deep sigh as she walked over to her son and peppered kisses along his face, "I love you so much Jaime. I'll be home soon, okay. Try not to miss us too much, and be good for Grandma Lydia and Nanny Deb."
Jamie merely responded with a tiny gurgle and half a smile- Haley presumed it was the infamous Scott smirk. She still couldn't believe he was a part of Nathan and her- a product of their unrequited love.
She blinked back her tears and watched Deb pick up Jamie to cuddle him closely to her chest. "Say bye-bye." Deb cooed.
"Bye buddy. I love you." Nathan gently rubbed Jamie's head before pressing a quick kiss on his temple. "C'mon Hales, we won't be gone long."
Haley bit her lip and nodded, turning away from her son. She knew she was acting ridiculous but this was the first time she would be away from Jamie.
Nathan sensed her trepidation and immediately encased her fingers with his. "Everything will be okay." He whispered breathlessly in her ear.
She nodded softly and let Nathan lead her to his car where he ever so kindly held the door open for her and proceeded to his own side. Before pulling away he reached into the back seat and pulled out a bouquet of purple lilies. "I know it's tough leaving him, but thank you for coming out with me tonight. You look beautiful." His eyes twinkled in the dusk blanket surrounding the car. "I love you Haley James-Scott."
Haley felt her heart throb with an invading warmth. "Thank you." She gushed, "These are beautiful. I love you, too."
Nathan grinned and met her over the console for a passionate kiss.
"So where are we going, hot shot?" Haley asked, pulling away after much needed air.
"It's a surprise." Nathan continued to smirk as he stepped on the gas and drove off to the restaurant.
"But babe…" Haley whined, "I hate surprises."
"You'll like this one though." He promised, his one hand on the wheel, the other still grasping onto Haley's.
"Do you think Jamie's going to know we're gone?" She mused, seconds later.
Nathan sighed, "He's fine, Hales. Try not to worry and just be here with me."
"You're right, I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. You're an amazing mother." Nathan spoke. "You're a natural. I couldn't do this without you."
"Well clearly." Haley joked. "You were an important role in making him."
Nathan smirked proudly, "And don't you forget it."
Haley giggled, "You're an unbelievable father. Don't ever doubt yourself."
"Like I said, I couldn't do this without you. We're a team, right?"
"Right." Haley beamed.
A comfortable silence settled among the couple before Nathan slowly halted the car once they arrived at the destination.
"Nathan, is this…?" Haley asked in a state of shock as she looked out the window and noticed where they were.
"The restaurant where we went as kids? Yup. Still the best milkshakes in town." Nathan announced. It was a diner on the outskirts of town, bordering Tree Hill and the next town over. Haley's parents never liked it when they came considering it wasn't in the best of areas, but Nathan and her would ride their bikes and sneakily meet up to buy milkshakes. When they entered high school the 50's style themed diner closed down, and they hadn't been back since.
"I haven't been here in forever! I thought it was closed. How did you find this?" Haley asked, still in shock.
"I went for a run the other day and noticed a sign that said it was re-opening. It's under new management, too. I saw it and immediately remembered how much you loved this place so I had to take you. I just hope it's as good as I remember."
Haley once again felt her heart soar with compassion. Nathan never failed to amaze her. He was always thinking of her and showing her how much he loved her.
They shared another intimate kiss before Nathan took her hand and lead her inside where he told the hostess about the reservation he made. The young girl smiled and told them to follow her where she brought the couple to a secluded booth in the corner- and obviously being the cheesy couple that they were, Nathan sat on the same side as his wife.
"Your waitress will be with you shortly. Have a great night." She smiled, handing them the menus and disappeared into the crowded restaurant.
"This place is great." Haley gushed as she took in the ambiance.
"Good, I'm glad you like it." Nathan replied. "And if you're comfortable with leaving Jamie a little while longer, I know this great drive-in movie theater where we could, you know…"
Haley blushed as she bit gently on her lower lip, "I don't know… let's take it one step at a time."
"Okay. I'm just glad I get to spend time with you outside of the house."
Haley giggled, "I know what you mean."
"I must say, I'm a bit jealous of our son. He's been hogging you." Nathan feigned sadness with an adorable pout.
"Aw, I'm sorry baby." Haley soothed his pout with a gentle kiss, only for it to be interrupted when the waitress asked what they'd like to drink.
Never really comfortable with PDA, Haley blushed and hid her warm cheeks behind Nathan's bicep.
"We'll just have two vanilla milk shakes, please." Nathan ordered politely, biting back a chuckle when Haley became embarrassed.
"I guess next time we'll go somewhere a bit more private." Nathan joked.
"No, it's okay. This is perfect." Haley's brown eyes glistened, as she held Nathan's captivating gaze, which she soon tore away when she thought she felt her cell phone vibrate. Immediately, she pulled it from her bag and frowned when it said no new messages.
"Hales?" Nathan questioned.
"Sorry," She muttered sheepishly. "I thought my phone went off."
Nathan gently grasped Haley's cheek and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Everything's fine."
"Maybe I should just call and check…"
"Haley." Nathan spoke, "Everything's fine." He repeated.
"You're right. I'm just acting crazy. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Nathan smiled, "I miss him too, but I've missed you more."
Haley rested her head against his shoulder, "Hmm, you're right. This is nice."
"Did Haley James just say I was right?" Nathan mocked with a teasing grin.
"Whatever, don't get used to it." Haley quipped, playfully punching his arm.
Nathan chuckled, "Well promise me for the rest of the night you won't check your phone unless we both hear it ring."
Haley thought about it, "Fine." She relented, "But if our mom's call and we don't hear it, I'm blaming you."
"Fine." Nathan smirked, "But if you touch your phone, I win the bet."
"What bet?"
"You'll have to come with me to the drive-in movie theater where I can do whatever I want." He smirked tantalizingly.
"Fine but if you touch your phone and I don't, then I win. And when I win, you have to do whatever I say."
"You're on, babe." They sealed the bet with another quick kiss- once again they felt like teenagers, unable to keep their hands to themselves.
Twenty minutes later, the couple's food and drinks had arrived as they let conversation flow comfortably amongst them. Haley was in the middle of scarfing down a cheeseburger when Nathan excused himself to go to the bathroom. While in the men's room, Nathan couldn't help but pull out his phone and quickly call his mom to check on Jamie.
"Mom? How's Jamie, is everything okay?" He asked as soon as she picked up.
"Jamie's fine. We just gave him a bottle of beer and now he's asleep." She joked.
"Mom." Nathan groaned, "Seriously."
"He's fine, Nathan. Quit worrying and go be with your wife. Lydia and I have everything under control."
Nathan sighed, "Okay but can you maybe not tell Haley I called?"
"My lips are sealed. Bye!"
While Nathan was in the bathroom, Haley found this to be the perfect opportunity to text her mom: "How's Jaime?"
Within seconds, Lydia responded, "He is gr8. Do not worry. Everything under control."
Haley smiled at her phone, "Okay, good, thank you. Also, don't tell Nathan I texted you. See you later!"
In the corner of her eye, Haley noticed Nathan was walking back so she threw her phone back in her bag.
"Hey." She greeted cheerfully.
"Hey, miss me?"
"You know it." Haley smiled flirtatiously.
Nathan scooted back into the booth and threw his arm around his wife. They once again settled back into their flirtatious banter before sharing a delicious slice of chocolate cake. Another twenty minutes passed, and they agreed to spend the rest of the night at the park-in movie theater. Before they left, however, Haley rushed to the bathroom while Nathan paid the bill and she called her Mom just to check on Jamie again. However, she grew extremely nervous when Lydia didn't answer. She decided to try Deb's phone, but panicked even more when she didn't answer either. Rushing out of the bathroom, she raced over to Nathan who was in the middle of showing the waitress pictures of Jamie on his phone.
"Nathan, we have to leave right now!" She demanded.
"What?" He asked with concern, "What happened?"
"I just called our mom's and neither of them are picking up. I think something's wrong…"
"Oh God." Nathan muttered, running his hand through his raven black hair. "Let's go." He didn't even realize he had won the bet, but threw the money on the table before taking Haley's hand and rushing out to his car. They nearly broke every speed limit in town as he raced home.
"Nathan, I'm really worried." Haley panicked as she hopped out of the Range Rover, hot on her husband's heels.
They both burst through the door expecting the worst, only to breathe sighs of relief when they saw Jamie asleep in Lydia's arms.
"Hey, you're home early." She whispered with a cheeky grin.
"Why the hell didn't you answer the phone?" Nathan accused.
"Is everything okay?"
Lydia rolled her eyes. "We turned our phone's off because the two of you were driving us crazy!"
"The two of us?" Haley questioned with the raise of an eyebrow. She gently ran her hand over Jamie's head, and laughed at Nathan. "Looks like I didn't lose the bet after all. You're a crazy obsessive parent!"
Nathan shrugged sheepishly, "I missed him…"
"I wouldn't be talking, Haley." Deb joked as she walked in from the kitchen. "You called two times and texted us seven times!"
"Ha!" Nathan smirked, "And I only texted them three times."
"We told you everything was under control." Lydia whispered. "You have the rest of your lives to worry about your children, believe me. Right now, just enjoy your time as a young couple."
"We can always try again next week." Nathan mumbled as he picked up his sleeping son, gently rocking him back and forth.
"Well, why don't Deb and I stay the night and take care of Jamie while you two head on upstairs and enjoy the peace and quiet."
The idea sounded like heaven.
Nathan grinned, "That could work."
Haley blushed at the idea of making love to Nathan with their mom's downstairs. "I don't know…"
Sensing her timidness, Lydia smiled reassuringly. "We'll put the tv on and won't hear a thing. If you want you can come downstairs and check on Jamie but he's asleep so try not to worry too much. Go take a relaxing bath or something."
Her and Nathan did have a huge jacuzzi in their bathroom… "Okay, what the hell?" Haley smiled, "Thanks Mom."
Nathan smiled in appreciation, "Yeah, thanks guys." He then lifted Haley into his arms as she let out a surprised squeak. Climbing the stairs with Haley in his arms, he swiftly shut the door behind them as his lips attached to her neck. They may not have been able to leave their son for too long, but at least they were ending the night together.
"I love you, Nathan." Haley whispered in a breathless moan.
"Me too, baby, always and forever."
Wow I hate ending chapters haha, anyway thanks for reading and next chapter is the epilogue! It's probably going to be a while until I get it up considering I plan on making it really long, but thanks for sticking around! :) You guys have honestly been amazing. I'm sad to end it, but I'm also excited so I can move on to my other fics. Thanks for everything.
