Chapter 4: Our Little Bundles of Joy
"The wheels on the bus go round and round…" Haley sang, feeding Anthony another spoonful of the mashed banana.
Anthony laughed and she took this opportunity to put the spoon quickly in his mouth before he started resisting being fed again. Nathan was humming and walking around the living room doing nothing in particular.
"Here daddy, take your boy while I clean up" Haley said, kissing Nathan and handing him Anthony. Nathan took Anthony and walked to the edge of the breakfast nook to show him the "wa wa". Haley smiled and closed the door to the pantry. Suddenly the phone rang, and Anthony shrieked and pointed at the phone while Nathan shook with laughter at his son's reaction.
"Hello?" Haley said, trying to suppress giggles.
"My favorite tutor mom! How are you and my nephew?" Brooke said into the phone.
"Thanks for asking about me!" Nathan called, overhearing Brooke.
"No problem!" Brooke shouted back through the phone, causing Haley to hold the phone at arm's length.
"Hey, Brooke…what's new?" Haley said.
"Well…I'm 3 months pregnant" she said.
Haley's reaction was almost as funny as Anthony's. She jumped and shrieked loudly, which caused Anthony to start shrieking and Nathan to lose it again.
"What's the news, Hales?" Nathan asked, regaining his composure and shifting Anthony.
"Brooke's pregnant!" Haley mouthed frantically. "Oh my god, Brooke this SO calls for a girl's night out…without the alcohol, of course"
"Of course…this means sleepover time! Ooh, but you have a baby" Brooke said, sounding slightly dejected.
"Ah, my baby will be fine with his daddy…I don't know if this makes me a bad mother or what, but I need a break" Haley said, sounding skeptical.
"No, it makes you a good mommy…you know when you need a break!" Brooke said. "But I understand obviously if you can't…oh wait, brainstorm! Bring the baby…he sleeps through the night, right? And I figure both Peyton and I need the practice!"
"Good idea…I'll run it through Nathan, he may not wanna part with his boy"
"Aw, how sweet- beg, Haley, beg. Flutter your eyelashes, flip your hair- do anything!" Brooke said, half giggling, half serious.
"Hold on- let me ask"
"Hey baby, I have a question" Haley said, coming up to Nathan and hugging him.
"Uh oh, does it involve money?" Nathan asked jokingly.
"No…Brooke's having a sleepover and they want me to bring Anthony…baby practice. Good idea or no?"
"Sure, go for it! It's gonna be lonely tonight though…" Nathan said, pouting.
Haley kissed Nathan and ran back to the phone.
"Be there in an hour!"
"Great, see you!"
Haley quickly gathered all of Anthony's things…diapers, milk bottles, toys, snacks…everything he needed. Then, she called their chauffeur and instructed him to meet her with the Lexus in 25 minutes outside the door.
"Mrs. Scott, Braden is here" their maid announced.
"Thanks Brandy. See you later- take care of my man" Haley said, and hugged Nathan goodbye who held her an extra second longer before letting her go. He hugged Anthony and waved as they walked out. Haley turned around and mouthed "I love you" to Nathan before getting into the limo.
"Haley! Anthony! Peyton!" Brooke said, greeting everyone, who had arrived at the same time.
"Tonight is gonna be SO MUCH FUN!" Haley shrieked.
"I know! I'm so excited…it's almost like high school you know?" Peyton added in, half hugging Haley and tickling Anthony.
"Ok, come into the living room, guys. My broody will be chilling with us tonight…and then he'll go somewhere else in the house, right baby?" Brooke asked
"Right" Lucas said, and kissed Brooke. He hugged Haley, stole Anthony, and hugged Peyton before following them into the extended part of the living room which was their casual hangout.
"Your house is so big, you could get lost in it in a heartbeat" Peyton commented.
"Who are you to be talking, miss 3 spas and 2 toy rooms for Jenny?" Brooke said, hugging Peyton.
"I want the baby…" Brooke whined, taking Anthony from Lucas and giggling. Lucas shook his head and ruffled Brooke's hair. She smiled to herself and sat down with Anthony in her lap.
"So Hales...summarize the duties of a mother" Brooke said, half seriously.
"Well, I'm a firm believer in the fact that it comes naturally once you have a baby. Your instincts become stronger than reason, and they're to be trusted more. Like if you think something's wrong with your baby, but he's not hot or sick to the eye, trust your instinct. One time, Anthony wasn't behaving right, but he wasn't hot and he wasn't fussing very much, he was too quiet, and I immediately knew something was wrong. But you'll be fine Brooke, don't worry at all. I have complete faith in you. You will be too, Peyton. If I can do it, anyone can do it"
"I'm so excited…nervous, but excited. Like my life will never be the same again, you know? I'll never be able to do the same crazy things…I'll be a role model and like, it's kinda scary. I know I'm not a party animal anymore, but still…" Brooke trailed off.
"Well, it'll get easier. And you have to let the kids fend for themselves sometimes, too. You don't have to constantly entertain them; you don't have to constantly feed them…just do what's best for them. Oh, and let the dads do something. Nathan always complains that he hasn't changed as many diapers as I have…I don't think that's something to complain about, but…" Haley laughed.
"Well, Lucas will be changing his fair share of diapers" Brooke giggled and glanced up at Lucas. He shrugged his shoulders as in defeat.
"I know, Brooke would bury me alive if I denied her my fair share in raising our future son or daughter"
"So what are you hoping for…son, or daughter?" Peyton asked Brooke and Lucas.
"Well…I'm hoping for a girl, obviously. But you know, as long as the baby's healthy" Brooke said, emphasizing the last part.
"Same here…I want a boy, but as long as the baby's healthy…I could care less. Like I always say, healthy baby equals happy Lucas!" Lucas said.
"Baby, that made you sound really gay" Brooke said, giggling and shooting Haley an amused look.
"Yah, that did sound kinda gay, Lucas…" Peyton added, trying to keep a straight face.
"Thanks a lot, ladies, for building my self confidence" Lucas chuckled and kissed Brooke before meandering out of the room. He smiled to himself as he heard Brooke's sweet voice say softly "I love his butt". She sounded completely serious, too.
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"Alright, girl talk!" Brooke said, plopping down near the couch. Peyton and Haley formed a circle and got comfortable. Haley was rocking Anthony to sleep and singing softly to speed up the process.
"So…more like baby talk. I know that's all we've discussed but…" Brooke glanced at Peyton and Haley. "I'm really worried. Like what if I'm a terrible mother? What if my kid hates me?" Brooke said, finally voicing her worries like she wanted to- to her girlfriends, not to her already worried husband.
"Brooke…you'll be fine. Your baby would never hate you- you're too sweet. And you'll be an excellent mother. You're tough as nails, but sweet as hell. You'll be a good mommy, I promise!" Haley comforted.
Anthony fussed and scrunched up his face like he was about to start crying. "Here, hold Anthony…see how much you can calm him down" Haley said. Brooke reluctantly took Anthony and put him in a rocking position. She rocked him back and forth rhythmically, and his small eyes instantly began to close and flutter- he was falling asleep! In 5 minutes, Anthony was in a deep sleep and not to be disturbed.
"Kudos, Brooke- you got my baby to sleep in 10 minutes- you'll be great with yours" Haley said, hugging Brooke.
"Yah, Brooke…don't worry. And we're always there to help when things get rough, you know. Got your back! And plus…Lucas is too sweet and he'll totally help you" Peyton assured Brooke.
"Thanks, guys…that's really nice to know" Brooke sighed. She got up and walked into the kitchen to get the ice-cream. Now all the ice-cream eating she had been doingmade perfect sense. Brooke typically watched her weight, but now? She could care less about her weight, she was gonna be fat anyway- ice-cream time!
Brooke was about to walk back when she caught her reflection in a mirror. She stopped and looked at herself. Shoulder length brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a fair complexion. Everything was in its right place and on straight. She guessed that was what made her "pretty". She stared at herself, wondering who the baby was gonna look like. Was it gonna have Brooke's brown hair and Lucas's blue eyes? Or would it be the carbon copy of Lucas or Brooke? She wondered quietly to herself as she walked into the room.
But when she walked in, she was met with a surprise. Haley was talking to Peyton in a hushed, comforting tone.
"Brooke- Peyton's in labor"
Dun dun dun! I left a cliffhanger! tehe. I normally hate cliffhangers because the suspense kills me, but I left one for this chapter lol. Thanks so much for reading! Means a lot to me ;0)!