We pull into the driveway at Dan and Deb's house with unspoken words still
remaining inside of each of us. "Do you think that for today, we can just
act like everything's okay?" He questions me. If looks could kill, I'd be
dead. "Seeing as I never even saw this one coming?" He spits venom at me.
"Fine. Whatever. But it's over Nathan. I'm not going to keep doing this with you." I warn him one last time as I plant the all too familiar fake smile on my face and step out of the SUV. I open the back door and pull Bella carefully from her car seat, standing her on the pavement beneath us as I reach for the paper bag of groceries we brought along. We're greeted almost instantly. Cameron instantly attaches himself to Nathan's legs, admiring his older brother. A shy voice comes from behind me. "Hi Hay- yey." I turn around and look into the innocent eyes of three-year old Danielle. "Hi Izy-Bey-ya."
I give the little dark haired, brown eyed girl a kiss on the forehead and the smile up at my boyfriend's mother. "Hey Deb. Hey Danni." I give the little girl a peck on the forehead.
She puts Danielle down in the grass. "Here, let me take that for you." She offers, reaching for the grocery bag in my arms. "Hey sweetheart." She says, leaning down ever so closely to catch a glimpse of her granddaughter.
I glance down at her protruding belly. "It's okay, Mrs. Scott. Really." I keep a grip on the bag at the same time reaching down to pick up Bella. "Nate? You wanna take this please? Or our daughter?" I snap, motioning towards Bella and the bag of groceries. I watch as Mrs. Scott flinches at the tone I've used with her son. At least she doesn't not see the problems. "Is everyone else here?" I ask, but she's too distracted by her granddaughter to respond. Nathan and I walk to the back yard together, not really speaking as Deb follows behind with Bella in tow.
"Could you please not do this today Haley? Please?" Stepping through the fence I see that everyone else is already here. Lucas, Brooke and their one-month old, Nicholas. Karen and Larry and their five-year old twins, Madison and Mitchell. Payton and Jake are there with Jenny, their two year old daughter Mikayla and it's obvious that they've been to work on their third. Keith and his girlfriend are there with her daughter, Alicia. Jennifer, Nate and Lucas' cousin and her husband, Mike. And Deb's sister Tina and her husband Tim are also present for this bound-to-be dreadful family reunion.
I drop the bag of groceries on the nearest picnic table and run up to my long-time best friend. "Luke!" He embraces me warmly. It's been quite a while since we've last seen each other- almost a year. Asides from a few photos, I've never seen their son and they have never seen Bella.
"Tutor-girl! You're looking fine!" My best girlfriend tells me, also offering a hug. "It has been way too long since I've see you. We're going to have to do something about that." Even though we talk on the phone on a regular basis, it's just not the same.
I offer her a light smile and before I have time to realize what I'm saying I just speak what's on my mind. "Well, after Bella and I get our own place you guys will have to come visit." I don't even have time to realize what I've said as I hear the gasp escape from her as her eyes widen. My smile sinks as well as my mood.
"What happened?" She asks, pulling me into her arms as the tears start to re-form in my eyes. I just shake my head, not even knowing really how to describe what has happened. She notices how visibly upset I am but tries to lighten my mood. "I do have some good news for you! Luke was just offered a job in Chicago. He's going to take it." Her cheery self does help to lighten my mood and I'm thankful for my friends.
"Congratulations Luke!" I offer, sinking back into my best friend's arms.
"Thanks Hales." He puts me at arm's length, trying to get some idea of what's going on. "They offered me the position as head lawyer in Chicago for the new firm they're opening up. Are you sure you're okay Hales?" He's always been extremely protective of me.
I glance around, trying to spot Nathan in the crowd. Noticing that he's over talking to his grandfather and keeping busy with Cameron, I decide now is as good a time as any. I try to hold back the tears, but I know it's only a matter of time until they start again. "I'm leaving him. I can't live this way anymore you guys." I take a deep breath, not wanting to mess up what I'm trying to say. "He's never home. When he is, all we do is argue. It's always something."
Brooke sends Luke a look, letting her know she's got it from there, wanting Luke to keep Nathan occupied long enough to keep him away from the present conversation. "I'm sorry Haley. It's got to be hard on you, with the baby and all." She holds me as I cry lightly.
"He doesn't even want to admit we're having problems Brooke. That hurts the worst. If he'd at least recognize what's going on we might be able to work through it." I sob quietly. "He's after me all the time. Nothing I do is ever right, ever good enough. It's like I'm just there for him to take advantage of me. I can't do it anymore."
She just holds me, not urging me to speak anymore. She knows how hard it is. She's been through it with Luke. The difference is they were able to work past their differences. To move on and have a great life together. For some reason, I don't see that happening with Nathan and me. Instead she just holds me and offers her deepest sympathies to me. "That's a gorgeous little girl you've got there." Her eyes shine and I can see already how much she'd like a daughter of her own to dress up as a little princess.
"Thanks Brooke." I glance over at Isabella who is sitting on her Papa's lap smiling proudly. "She means the world to me. I wouldn't trade that little girl or the new baby for anything in the world." My heart sinks as I realize how the rest of Bella's life is going to play out. She's not going to see much of her daddy with his basketball career and never ending meetings. He's going to miss her first words, her first real steps, her first day of kindergarten. The list goes on and on but it upsets me too much to have to think about all that right now. Deep down, I know that what I'm doing for her is going to be for the best in the long run. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Nate."
"Fine. Whatever. But it's over Nathan. I'm not going to keep doing this with you." I warn him one last time as I plant the all too familiar fake smile on my face and step out of the SUV. I open the back door and pull Bella carefully from her car seat, standing her on the pavement beneath us as I reach for the paper bag of groceries we brought along. We're greeted almost instantly. Cameron instantly attaches himself to Nathan's legs, admiring his older brother. A shy voice comes from behind me. "Hi Hay- yey." I turn around and look into the innocent eyes of three-year old Danielle. "Hi Izy-Bey-ya."
I give the little dark haired, brown eyed girl a kiss on the forehead and the smile up at my boyfriend's mother. "Hey Deb. Hey Danni." I give the little girl a peck on the forehead.
She puts Danielle down in the grass. "Here, let me take that for you." She offers, reaching for the grocery bag in my arms. "Hey sweetheart." She says, leaning down ever so closely to catch a glimpse of her granddaughter.
I glance down at her protruding belly. "It's okay, Mrs. Scott. Really." I keep a grip on the bag at the same time reaching down to pick up Bella. "Nate? You wanna take this please? Or our daughter?" I snap, motioning towards Bella and the bag of groceries. I watch as Mrs. Scott flinches at the tone I've used with her son. At least she doesn't not see the problems. "Is everyone else here?" I ask, but she's too distracted by her granddaughter to respond. Nathan and I walk to the back yard together, not really speaking as Deb follows behind with Bella in tow.
"Could you please not do this today Haley? Please?" Stepping through the fence I see that everyone else is already here. Lucas, Brooke and their one-month old, Nicholas. Karen and Larry and their five-year old twins, Madison and Mitchell. Payton and Jake are there with Jenny, their two year old daughter Mikayla and it's obvious that they've been to work on their third. Keith and his girlfriend are there with her daughter, Alicia. Jennifer, Nate and Lucas' cousin and her husband, Mike. And Deb's sister Tina and her husband Tim are also present for this bound-to-be dreadful family reunion.
I drop the bag of groceries on the nearest picnic table and run up to my long-time best friend. "Luke!" He embraces me warmly. It's been quite a while since we've last seen each other- almost a year. Asides from a few photos, I've never seen their son and they have never seen Bella.
"Tutor-girl! You're looking fine!" My best girlfriend tells me, also offering a hug. "It has been way too long since I've see you. We're going to have to do something about that." Even though we talk on the phone on a regular basis, it's just not the same.
I offer her a light smile and before I have time to realize what I'm saying I just speak what's on my mind. "Well, after Bella and I get our own place you guys will have to come visit." I don't even have time to realize what I've said as I hear the gasp escape from her as her eyes widen. My smile sinks as well as my mood.
"What happened?" She asks, pulling me into her arms as the tears start to re-form in my eyes. I just shake my head, not even knowing really how to describe what has happened. She notices how visibly upset I am but tries to lighten my mood. "I do have some good news for you! Luke was just offered a job in Chicago. He's going to take it." Her cheery self does help to lighten my mood and I'm thankful for my friends.
"Congratulations Luke!" I offer, sinking back into my best friend's arms.
"Thanks Hales." He puts me at arm's length, trying to get some idea of what's going on. "They offered me the position as head lawyer in Chicago for the new firm they're opening up. Are you sure you're okay Hales?" He's always been extremely protective of me.
I glance around, trying to spot Nathan in the crowd. Noticing that he's over talking to his grandfather and keeping busy with Cameron, I decide now is as good a time as any. I try to hold back the tears, but I know it's only a matter of time until they start again. "I'm leaving him. I can't live this way anymore you guys." I take a deep breath, not wanting to mess up what I'm trying to say. "He's never home. When he is, all we do is argue. It's always something."
Brooke sends Luke a look, letting her know she's got it from there, wanting Luke to keep Nathan occupied long enough to keep him away from the present conversation. "I'm sorry Haley. It's got to be hard on you, with the baby and all." She holds me as I cry lightly.
"He doesn't even want to admit we're having problems Brooke. That hurts the worst. If he'd at least recognize what's going on we might be able to work through it." I sob quietly. "He's after me all the time. Nothing I do is ever right, ever good enough. It's like I'm just there for him to take advantage of me. I can't do it anymore."
She just holds me, not urging me to speak anymore. She knows how hard it is. She's been through it with Luke. The difference is they were able to work past their differences. To move on and have a great life together. For some reason, I don't see that happening with Nathan and me. Instead she just holds me and offers her deepest sympathies to me. "That's a gorgeous little girl you've got there." Her eyes shine and I can see already how much she'd like a daughter of her own to dress up as a little princess.
"Thanks Brooke." I glance over at Isabella who is sitting on her Papa's lap smiling proudly. "She means the world to me. I wouldn't trade that little girl or the new baby for anything in the world." My heart sinks as I realize how the rest of Bella's life is going to play out. She's not going to see much of her daddy with his basketball career and never ending meetings. He's going to miss her first words, her first real steps, her first day of kindergarten. The list goes on and on but it upsets me too much to have to think about all that right now. Deep down, I know that what I'm doing for her is going to be for the best in the long run. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Nate."