Chapter Nine: Surprises That Change Your Heart
Nathan didn't truly understand why Haley didn't invite him back to her apartment during the extra month that his wife was away, but he didn't question it. He also was skeptical of how good a mother Taylor was to Natalya if Natalya was always with her aunt Haley, but he went along with it. He wanted to see the baby. He was falling in love with her. He was falling in love with both of them.
Haley had been able to get Nathan out of the house weeks previously when Peyton and Taylor had arrived back
"Haley-bub! We're back! Did you miss us?" asked Taylor, crashing through the door.
"Terribly. Hey Peyton," said Haley softly and carefully.
"Hey. I missed this place," said Peyton, catching Haley's eye. Somehow they both knew they were going to be okay.
"I missed you guys. So how'd it go?" she asked.
"Good. Dad has a new girlfriend," said Peyton.
"You had a man here," accused Taylor suddenly.
"What?" asked Haley, sharply taking in her breath.
"You did. I can smell cologne. There's way more dishes in the sink than even you could have possibly managed. You look guilty," accused Taylor.
"I do not. You're paranoid," said Haley lightly.
"Am not. Was it Nati's father?" asked Taylor eagerly, going it to greet her niece.
"It better not have been. Didn't he like ignore you when you told him about her?" asked Peyton, eyeing Haley suspiciously.
"I never told him," admitted Haley.
"God, you're such a tard sometimes. So was he here?" asked Taylor.
"No! I was alone all weekend! Me and Nati hung out and I painted my room. I had a good time," said Haley. Peyton and Taylor looked sideways at each other for a moment and silently communicated.
"So if he was over, did he find out about her?" asked Taylor eagerly. Haley rolled her eyes and wondered if her big sister had ever really listened to her in her entire life.
"Ignoring you now. So Tay, why is it that you'll go visit Peyton's parents and not ours?" asked Haley.
"Because ours are the devil. And they'll fawn over Nati, and sympathize with your hard, hard life and treat me like a whore," said Taylor frankly.
"Instead of treating you like a slut, as they ought to," said Peyton. Taylor thwacked her lazily.
"Funny, funny girl. I'm not the one with the baby though…" said Taylor.
"Hey! I've only ever been with one guy!" defended Haley.
"What? You haven't had sex since you broke up with Nati's daddy?" asked Taylor in interest.
"Not talking to you now," said Haley, getting up and beginning to wash the dishes in the sink.
"You're still sleeping with him!" accused Peyton.
"Shut up. And we're going out," said Haley in annoyance, scooping her daughter up and putting her in her stroller.
Nathan welcomed the two of them into his apartment an hour later.
"When's Brooke coming back?" asked Haley anxiously.
"Not for a few days. She's having a great time," said Nathan.
"Good," responded Haley uncertainly. Nathan reached into the stroller and gently took Natalya into his arms.
"Don't worry," he said.
"Nathan, if you do divorce Brooke and if we get really together, how do I know you won't do the same to me?" asked Haley, staring at her shoes.
"Haley, Brooke has cheated on me before. You stab my back I stab yours, right?" he said. He tilted her chin upward and kissed her lightly.
"You're freaking me out a little bit here," joked Haley.
"Please, not in front of the child. Speaking of which, I got her something," he said. He pulled a fluffy stuffed dinosaur out of a shopping bag and put it by the baby, who giggled happily.
"It's adorable. It looks too expensive," said Haley critically.
"Hush, you. She's about to nod off, is it okay if we leave for a second?" asked Nathan. Haley glanced backwards at Nati.
"Uh, yeah. Why?" she asked, as Nathan took her hand and began tugging her gently toward the bedroom. She sat down on a vanity, one which she hoped instantly did not belong to his wife.
"Uh, hold your hair," he requested. Haley gasped in shock and fear when she saw him approach with a small black velvet box.
She felt the familiar electricity when his fingers brushed the back of her neck, fastening on a necklace. She gasped slightly when she released on her hair and it fell down again, cascading along her back and he saw the beautiful gold necklace with the small heart charm that he'd fastened around her neck.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"You're beautiful," he said.
"That's not remotely corny. Oh my God Nathan, thank you so much. I love it," she said. She twisted around to kiss him.
"I'm glad you like it," he said sincerely.
"I do. Honestly, I do. But you're married…" she protested.
"It's over, remember? Come here," he said, his desire for her suddenly overwhelming him. She stood, and they fell onto the bed.
"Hey, this isn't… her bed, is it?" asked Haley awkwardly.
"No. It's down the hall," he assured her, stopping the flow of words from her mouth by pressing his lips on hers.
For once the call of Natalya didn't stop them as they passionately made love. Even if the baby had screamed, nothing could stop the way they were beginning to feel about each other, and how they desired to express it.
Luckily, they were back in the living room playing with Nati when Brooke arrived suddenly back home.
"Nate?" she called through the door. Haley stiffened and cast Nathan a look of terror. He tried to silently calm her while his wife came through the door, proceeded by her many suitcases, which were carried by their butler.
"Brooke, you're finally back!" he said weakly. He stood up from the floor to greet her, kissing her cheek.
"Yeah. I had a great time. Hey, um… Haley, who's this?" she asked, leaning down to smile at the baby.
"Hi Mrs. Scott. I'm just here to drop off some files for Mr. Scott. This is my niece, Natalya," she explained hesitantly.
"She's beautiful. Lovely eyes," commented Brooke. Haley cringed and cast a surreptitious look at Nathan: Natalya was blonde and fair skinned, but she undeniably had her father's eyes.
"Thanks. I mean, I'll tell Taylor you said so. Did you have a good time when you were away?" asked Haley.
"Yeah, it was great. Oh, she's precious," said Brooke, as Natalya smiled her wide, almost toothless grin.
"I'll be going now," said Haley. She picked up Natalya from the floor and put her back in her stroller.
Brooke stared calculatingly after Haley as she left.
"So, did you see Lucas at all?" asked Nathan.
"Once or twice," she lied easily.
"That's good. Brooke, we need to talk," he said. He dropped down onto the sofa, and she sat across from him.
"Okay," she said.
"Look, we both know that this marriage isn't working out for us anymore. Any love we have is just from the past, and we can't make our lives work on that. So I think we should consider…" he began. She shushed him.
"Nathan, I know what you're trying to say. And a month ago, I'd have agreed with you. But I have news. News that I'm fairly sure will change you mind," she said, her eyes sparkling.
Author's note: I have been receiving some skepticism about the constant adultery in this story, and I just want to say this: I don't condone it remotely. I think it's despicable. I don't think people who practice it deserve happy endings. Anyway.
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