This brief vignette is based on the YouTube challenge where a person 'pranks' their partner about wanting to have a baby.
. .
Haley Scott sat with her legs crossed atop her bed, a perfect view of her en-suite bathroom where her husband was currently brushing his teeth - shirtless. She smiled at the inviting sight.
"What's going on inside that pretty head of yours?" Nathan mumbled with a mouthful of toothpaste bubbles. He could feel her eyes on him.
"I wanted to talk to you about something…" Haley's teeth sank into her lower lip, chewing nervously at the rubber-like flesh.
Her apprehensive tone pulled at his attention. He spat the toothpaste into the sink, rubbed at the excess paste on his lips with the back of his palm, and slowly walked to join Haley on the bed. She watched with her wide eyes as Nathan gingerly sat at the edge of the mattress, then filled her lungs with a calming breath.
"What is it, Hales?"
"Well, I've been thinking…"
"That's never a good thing," a slanted smirk punctuated his words, eliciting a playful eye roll from his wife.
"I'm serious."
"Okay," Nathan nodded patiently, "what's up?"
She bit at the corner of her lip again, "I know we said we were finished, but I want to have another baby."
"Oh, wow, okay," he stuttered. Haley watched his eyes expand. Surprise swirled between the blue irises. She swallowed a laugh.
"What do you think?"
He scratched at the patch of dark hair lining the edge of his neck, "I don't know, I wasn't expecting that. You were really adamant that after four we were done."
"I know," Haley smiled, "but I changed my mind."
"Why? When?" Confusion settled like cement between the cracks of his face. They just had a very similar conversation not even two months ago. No more babies. Hell, she nearly convinced him to get a vasectomy.
"The other day. Quinn and I were talking and I started thinking about the future. And, well, I decided I want to have another baby. Like, now."
Nathan swallowed a hard breath of air. "Now? Babe, Jackson isn't even six-months yet."
"Yeah, but if in 10, 11 months, we have another one, he'll be over a year."
"Are you forgetting the fact we also have a fourteen-year-old, six-year-old, and a three-year-old?"
A dramatic pout folded over Haley's lip, "so that's a no, then, huh?"
He reached out to take hold of her hand, "I'm just really confused, Haley. Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Yes," she nodded hastily.
"But your last pregnancy you were miserable. You said, and I quote, 'I am never freakin' doing this again.'"
"Yeah," she drawled and rubbed at his chest, "but you always said you wanted to have a big family."
"Four kids and a dog is a big family," he chuckled, "plus, Lee counts as like, three other kids."
Haley giggled. Their three-year-old son was quite rambunctious and often made it feel like he multiplied himself. He was a hard kid to keep track of.
"But don't you want another little girl?" She looked up at him with her pleading brown eyes. He could never quite say no to the puppy-dog eyes - something their kids were quickly catching onto.
He released a slow breath, "I mean, yeah, another little Haley would be nice, but honestly babe, I think it's too soon."
"So what are you saying?" Her eyes glazed with the question.
"Maybe let's give it a few years before we have this conversation again," he tried to soften the blow with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Haley frowned, "I don't really want to wait. I think now is the best time. I hate having large gaps between the kids. I mean, my oldest brother is almost sixteen years older than me. I don't want that for Jamie."
Nathan studied her face, "you're serious? You really want to try for another baby?"
"Yes," she smiled, "I'm serious."
He nodded slowly, "okay, then."
Her eyes twinkled excitedly, "yeah?"
"Yeah," Nathan smirked and slowly crawled closer to her so that he could pin her down onto the mattress, "in fact, let's get started right now."
She started laughing and gave into his kiss before quickly swatting at his wandering hands beneath her shirt.
"Wait, wait," she protested with a heavy breath, "I was kidding!"
Nathan's fingers stilled against the warm, silky skin of her stomach, "what?"
"I don't actually want another baby, Nathan. That's insane."
He mockingly glared at her, "I knew it!"
She covered her mouth with her hands, "I'm sorry. Do you hate me?"
"No, but you had me going there for a second."
"I'm sorry," she rubbed at his chest and felt the beating of his heart. It was hers to keep forever, "Quinn and I came up with the idea. She was gonna do the same thing to Clay. We wanted to see your reactions."
Nathan shook his head and chuckled, "poor guy. He'd probably want another kid, too."
"Oh, like you didn't," Haley teased, "you caved so quickly."
"It's not the worst idea…"
"Don't even," she quipped.
"But you got my hopes up," he feigned disappointment, but the grin on his lips was a dead giveaway.
"No, I didn't. You were freaking out!"
"I was not," he argued lightly, "I just thought you were nuts."
"Yeah, until you said okay," she stuck her tongue out at him, "And I didn't even have to take clothes off to convince you!"
"Like you even need an excuse to get into my pants," his clear blue eyes sparkled like crystals in the pale moonlight draped across the windowsill.
Haley flashed him an enticing smile and grabbed at the waistline of his grey sweatpants, "oh, believe me, baby. I know."
"So, are we starting number five?"
"Let's talk about it in two years."
"Deal."
They sealed it with an intense kiss.
