Chapter Nine- Wedding Song
Haley woke up on Sunday morning with a smile on her face because it was finally the day of the wedding. All her planning the past few days was finally going to come together in just a few hours. She smiled as she felt Nathan's chest rising and falling against her back as he breathed deeply, spooned up behind her. It made her laugh that they had a huge king sized bed, but somehow they had woken up the past two days entwined together and barely taking up half of the bed.
Yesterday had been an interesting day- trying to spend time with Nathan while trying to finish last minute plans and also trying to keep him from seeing Brooke and Peyton. Haley figured now would be a good time to run down to their room and go through the schedule for today. She reached down and did her best to carefully remove Nathan's arms from around her. He rustled slightly, but then rolled onto his other side without waking.
Haley did her best to silently grab her robe and walk out of the room. She covered her eyes as she opened the main door, slightly blinded by the bright lights of the hallway. As quickly as she could, she walked down the hall and around the corner and knocked on their hotel door.
Haley was surprised to see Peyton answer the door and she quickly got into the room, shutting the door behind her. "Peyton, I thought we agreed that only Lucas could open the door!"
"Relax, I looked in the peephole first! And besides, Lucas and Brooke are still in bed."
"Oh, Peyt, I'm sorry you got stuck rooming with the two of them. So, have you heard any strange noises or anything like that?" Haley joked.
"Haley: first of all eww! And second of all no- they have both respected the fact that I'm sharing a hotel room with them."
Haley laughed. "Or they at least respected you quietly."
"Haley!" Peyton exclaimed as she sat back down at the table to finish her room service breakfast. "You know, if you hadn't got us this nice hotel room I'd be kicking your ass right now."
"Oh, wouldn't you like to try," Haley said, taking a seat at the table across from her.
"So how's your sex life?" Peyton asked, trying to get back at Haley.
"Peyton!" Haley exclaimed, picking up a cloth napkin and throwing it at her friend.
"Hey, I don't have one so I need to live vicariously through my friends." Peyton stated the obvious.
"Yeah, well you used to have sex with my husband so live vicariously through someone else's." Haley said, joking with Peyton. "Seriously, though, the past two nights have been the most amazing of my life."
"I haven't really had the chance to sit down with you lately so I forgot to ask- what happened with your little last minute pick up before we left Brooke's house?"
Haley hadn't let Peyton in the room when she took the pregnancy test, because no matter how much she needed her support- she didn't want anyone knowing before Nathan did. Peyton has respected her privacy and space, as she always did, and waited patiently for Haley to tell her when it was right. But curiosity had started to get the best of her.
"Well, I guess you get to be the first to know that in nine months there will be a little James-Scott running around, terrorizing Tree Hill."
"Oh Haley!" Peyton shot out of her chair and ran to Haley, picking her up and pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations!" Peyton calmed down and pulled back, "Wait, this is a good thing right?"
Haley laughed, "Yes, it's a very good thing. It was rather unexpected, but so many amazing things in life are. Nathan was a little scared at first, mainly because he doesn't want to end up like Dan, but then he became so excited and happy and he's going to be such a great dad."
"Yes he will- there's no way in hell he will turn out like Dan. I mean, he was never THAT much of an ass."
Haley laughed again, giving Peyton another squeeze before pulling away. "You're such a good friend, Peyton, I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Probably lead a very boring life," came a voice behind them.
Haley and Peyton turned to see Lucas walking towards them, in only his boxers. Haley shot a look at Peyton and the girls quietly laughed to themselves. "What is all the screaming about out here?" Lucas asked. He turned towards Haley, "Congratulations for what?"
"Well, I guess you get a congratulations too," Peyton said, giving him a pat on the back.
"For what!" Lucas asked again.
"Well, because I'm going to be a mommy and you're going to be an uncle." Haley plainly stated, not sure how Lucas was going to react to the news.
"Seriously, Hales? That's awesome!" Lucas said, sweeping her into his arms and gently lifting her off the ground. "Well, it is a good thing right?"
Haley smiled, as Lucas was the second to ask her that, and hugged him tighter. "Yeah, it's a really good thing."
He placed Haley back on the ground and pulled back, suddenly looking a little worried. "Does Nathan know yet?" he asked hesitantly.
"Of course he does- he was the first person I told!"
"Okay, good. How's he doing?"
Haley laughed, "He's doing really well. He's just as excited about this baby as I am."
"Wait did I just hear right," they heard Brooke say as she ran into the room. "Do I finally get to make booties?"
They all laughed and Haley nodded her head. "Yes, Brooke, you finally get to make us booties. But we don't know which color yet."
"That's okay, I'll just make both!" She pulled Haley into a tight hug and squealed in her ear. "Congratulations- you guys both really deserve it!"
"Thank you so much, all of you. Well, now that you guys all know, I'm going to get back to our room. Lucas- you want to come get Nathan in about twenty minutes?" Haley asked.
The plan for the day was to have Lucas take Nathan to play basketball for about two hours, giving the girls enough time to get everything ready for the wedding. Lucas was then going to tell Nathan that they had to shower to meetHaley for lunch- and that he had to look nice because they were going to a more upscale restaurant. That way Nathan wouldn't be wearing his usual warm up shorts and a t-shirt to his second wedding. Which really wouldn't bother Haley, but she didn't want him feeling out of place among her and all of their guests.
"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll just eat something and then be down to pick him up."
"Okay, see you guys in a little bit!" Haley walked back to her room and quietly opened the door, wanting to climb back into the bed with Nathan for just a few more minutes. Much to her surprise, he wasn't in bed at all, but sitting on the couch waiting for her.
He stood up and walked over to her as she shut the door behind her, placing his arms around her waist and kissing her forehead. "Hey, where were you? I missed you when I woke up?"
"Oh, I was just talking to Lucas and making sure that he was still playing ball with you today." She kissed one of his cheeks and then the other.
"You know, why don't you come with us? I really don't want to leave you here all alone and we're probably going to be there a few hours." He responded to her kisses by leaning forward and softly kissing her neck.
"Nathan, I'll be fine here, and besides it'll be nice to relax for awhile. Order some room service and watch a movie or two- it'll be nice for me." She reached her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer towards her.
"Well then, how about I stay here with you and we do a different kind of relaxing."
Haley laughed as Nathan playfully tickled her sides and gently pushed him back. "Nathan, you told Lucas you would go out with him. Like you said, it will only be a few hours and then we'll have the whole evening to ourselves."
"You know, it's really nice that Lucas has given us our space the past two days. I wonder what he's been doing."
"Oh, I'm sure he's kept himself busy," Haley responded, silently laughing to herself. Soon enough Nathan would find that Lucas hadn't been alone the past two days…
"Alright, well I better go get changed. When I get back though, you better be waiting for me in that bed naked."
Haley laughed as he turned to walk into the bedroom, yelling after him, "In your dreams!" Because truthfully, she wouldn't be here when he came back.
Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door and Haley opened it to see Lucas on the other side. "Come on in," she said, stepping aside so that he could walk into the room.
Nathan stood up from the couch where they had been sitting and shook Lucas' hand. "Ready to get your ass kicked, man?"
"It's so comforting to know you'll always be cocky, Nate." Lucas turned to Haley, "Alright, Hales, see you in a little bit." He winked at her before turning back to Nathan. "Well, let's go get this over with, I want to make it painless for you."
Nathan laughed and gently pulled Haley into his arms, kissing her sweetly on the lips. "I'll see you in a little while, and remember what I said."
She laughed and kissed him back. "Yeah, yeah, get out of here."
He gave her a devilish grin and lightly tapped her behind before grabbing his bag and leaving the room. Haley shut the door behind him and waited five minutes before calling Peyton and Brooke and telling them to come down to her room. She also called room service and ordered a large serving ofchocolate chip pancakes because she was absolutely starving, and she was also eating for two now. Not a minute later there was a knock on the door and she opened it for Peyton and Brooke. There arms were full due to the fact they were carrying the three dresses, the shoes, and a ton of makeup and hair supplies.
Brooke walked into the room and turned around towards Haley. "Ready to get beautiful?"
Haley was nervous and she couldn't stop pacing, but it at least felt somewhat relaxing to feel the sand between her toes. The ceremony was less than a half hour away- the priest would be here any minute and Nathan would be here in about twenty. She wanted everything to run smoothly, but most of all she wanted Nathan to be happy.
"Haley Bub, you're going to dig yourself a grave if you keep walking back and forth in that same spot." She heard a voice say behind her.
Haley turned around to see her parents and she ran straight into their arms. "Thank you guys so much for coming, I don't know what I would have done without you!"
"There's no way we would have missed it," Jim James said. "But you'll never guess who we ran into in the parking lot."
Lydia and Jim moved aside so that Haley could see who was standing behind them and she was surprised at what she saw. Dan and Deb had made it. Dan was sitting helplessly in a wheelchair and Deb was standing behind him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Scott, I'm so glad that you came!" Haley pulled Deb into a hug, so excited that they had made it. "Nathan's going to be so happy when he sees you two!"
Deb pulled back and looked Haley over. "Not as happy as he'll be when he sees you. Haley you look beautiful- almost like you're glowing."
Haley smiled at that comment. No matter how badly she wanted to tell their parents, Nathan and Haley had decided to wait a week or two before they said anything about the baby. Besides, neither of them knew how their parents would react to the news. One step at a time, Haley thought to herself.
"Deb's right, Haley, you look absolutely stunning. Nathan's really lucky to have found you."
"Wow, thank you, Mr. Scott." Haley turned back to her parents and laughed at the look on their faces. They both seemed just as surprised as Haley to hear those words out of his mouth. "Why don't you all go take a seat? It looks like the priest just got here and Nathan should be coming very soon. So get comfortable and maybe get to know each other a little."
"That sounds nice," Lydia said, giving Haley another hug. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, mom."
After another ten minutes of pacing, Brooke ran up to Haley clutching her cell phone in her hand. "Lucas just called and gave the five minute warning! They're going to be here really soon!"
Haley's stomach fluttered and she took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. "Okay, let's get everyone in their spots!"
Nathan was very confused. "Luke, why are we here? I know there aren't any nice restaurants along this part of the beach."
"We're just making a quick detour," Lucas answered as he pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. "Besides, I think you'll really want to see this."
"No, Luke, I really just want to see Haley."
"Nate, just get out of the car!" Lucas followed his own directions and got out of the car, walking a few steps into the sand. He looked to the right and he could see the chairs set up and everyone all ready for the ceremony to start. If he hadn't been a part of this whole thing, he wouldn't have been able to tell what was going on from here. It was exactly the way Haley had planned it. Lucas just started walking, knowing that Nathan wouldn't have any other choice than to follow him, which he hesitantly did.
"Luke, come on man, what are we doing?"
Lucas didn't answer and Nathan continued to follow him down the beach. They were headed towards a group of people, most of which were sitting while a few stood at the front end. Nathan was curious to know what was going on, but he would much rather be on the way to lunch with Haley. "Lucas, I mean it, we're going to be late."
"Nathan, don't worry, you're not late," Lucas responded, still not stopping.
Nathan was starting to get really pissed off until he started to get close enough to see that he knew these people in front of him.
His body instantly stopped in the sand when he realized it was Haley standing in front of all their family and friends. She looked absolutely beautiful and Nathan suddenly found himself being reminded to breathe. "Lucas, what's going on?" he asked, finally finding his voice.
"You're getting married again, what else does it look like?" Lucas patted him on the back and nudged him gently in Haley's direction. "She's waiting for you, man."
As Nathan got closer he looked around at all his friends and family. Brooke, Peyton, Haley's parents, and even his own which was a real shock. He took a few more steps forward and finally looked up to meet Haley's eyes with his own, just as a single tear fell down his cheek. No one had ever made such a gesture towards him in his whole life, and it was the most moving thing he'd ever experienced. He walked faster towards her, partly to get to her faster, but mostly because he felt like an idiot walking down the aisle.
Haley's heart melted as he came nearer and she noticed tracks of tears on his cheeks that mirrored her own. She hadn't truly felt calm until she saw him standing at the other end of the aisle, the look of genuine love on his face. As their eyes connected she felt as though they were the only two on the beach.
Nathan finally stood next to her and took both of her hands in one of his, gently wiping away her tears with the other. He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Haley, how did you? When did you?" He took a deep breath to compose himself. "This is absolutely amazing. God, I love you."
Haley laughed and kissed him back. "I love you, too, and I'll tell you everything later."
"Are we ready to begin?" the priest asked.
Haley and Nathan both nodded their heads in agreement. Nathan quickly looked around at all their guests. Peyton and Brooke were Haley's bridesmaids, of course, and Lucas and JR were standing behind him. Nathan laughed at seeing JR there, but he had told Haley that he had been like a replacement Time. He turned back to Haley, not wanting to take his eyes off of her for the rest of the ceremony.
The service was going pretty fast and suddenly they reached the vows, which Nathan realized he wasn't prepared for at all.
"Haley has prepared her own vows and would like to say them now," the priest announced.
Haley smiled at the worried look on Nathan's face. "Nathan, it's okay," she whispered to only him, taking both of his hands in hers. "Just listen to mine and when I'm done you can either say something or not say something, it's up to you." She sighed and cleared her throat, flashing him a confident smile.
She spoke so that everyone could hear her this time. "Nathan, we have been through so much together, and I know that everyone says that, but we really have. I wouldn't change any of it, not even the difficult things, because it was those things that made our relationship stronger. A year ago if you would have told me that we'd be here today, I wouldn't have believed you, but I'm so glad that we are. I love you more than I've loved anything else in my whole life, and even though it scares me sometimes, with you I'll always have enough faith to just jump. I can't wait to continue our journey through life together and to share many more wonderful years with you. I could love you forever."
Haley nodded at the priest as Nathan laughed at their personal little inside joke. The priest looked over at him, waiting to see if Nathan would say anything. At first he was a little apprehensive, considering he had nothing prepared, but suddenly the words justcame to him.
"Haley, I once told you that I would always protect you, and I've never meant anything more. I would do anything for you and I never knew the meaning of true love until you came into my life. Together I know we can face anything that may come our way. No matter how big the obstacle, with you right beside me I know we'll be able to get through it. You changed me and made me into a better person and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. It is your belief in me that causes me to make the decisions I do, and with you they are always the right decisions. I can't wait to share this next year with you, and no matter what unexpected things come our way," he paused and winkied at only her, a small mention of the baby that only she understood, "just know that I will always love you and I'll always be here for you."
Nathan knew what came next and he didn't wait for the priest to say anything, just took Haley in his arms and kissed her. There was laughter behind them, but they stayed in the moment together and deepened the kiss. When they finally broke the kiss, Peyton and Brooke started clapping behind them and everyone else joined in. Nathan and Haley started laughing and waited as the priest said a few parting words. When he finished Haley planted another kiss on Nathan's lips and then turned to their family and friends. "There's going to be a reception at our hotel so if you see Lucas he'll give you the directions." She turned back to the priest to thank him and laughed as Nathan grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side.
"Haley, I can't believe you did all of this. When did you have the time?"
"Well, I just kind of threw it all together..."
They laughed and he pulled her into his arms. "God, you're amazing. This is the best thing anyone's ever done for me and I have no clue what I did to deserve you."
"The jury's still out on that one." Haley laughed and stood on her tip toes so that she could give him a kiss.
"Hales, Nathan, let's go! Everyone's waiting for you two lovebirds!" Lucas called from a few feet down the beach, his arm around Brooke.
Haley pulled back and giggled as Nathan placed a sweet kiss on her nose. "Alright, Mrs. Scott, we shouldn't keepour family waiting."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Nathan placed his arm around her shoulders and Haley placed hers around his waist. "You know you look absolutely beautiful right now." he said, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"If you keep saying things like that we are never going to make it to the party."
Nathan stopped walking and pulled Haley into his arms. "That would be fine with me." He leaned down and started kissing Haley's neck.
"Nathan!" she laughed as he hit a tickleish spot. "Seriously, they're waiting for us. I promise you we can do this later, when we have the whole hotel room to ourselves. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait."
Nathan laughed and kissed her once more. "Oh, I know it will be. I love you so much, Hales."
Haley put her head on his shoulder as they walked the rest of the way to the car. "I love you too, Nathan"
Haley couldn't help but feel that now everything was perfect. They had their love, family and friends, and a baby on the way. There was nothing more that they could possibly want or need. She wasn't afraid to face the future anymore; she was back to feeling confident and it felt good. This ceremony had been a way for them to start their marriage all over again, to forget the pain in the past and to move on with a new lease on life. And what an amazing lease it was going to be...
I've been having dreams and visions
In them you are always standing
Right beside me
I reach out for your hand
To see your arms extending
Outstretched towards me
For you I don the veil
By your light
Others pale by comparison
I place my faith in love
My fate in this communication
I've been having dreams and visions
In them you are always standing
Right beside me
I reach out for your hand
To see your arms extending
Outstretched towards me
To you I give my pledge
I honor all that's good
In this life we're living
To think not only of myself
But of the greater union
Can I get a witness
There is salvation and rapture for the lonely
Can I get a witness
Bless this day sacred and holy
Sacred and holy
I've been having dreams and visions
In them you are always standing
Right beside me
I reach out for your hand
To see your arms extending
Outstretched towards me
With you I am revealed
All my shame all my faults and virtues
Behold body mind and spirit
Heart and soul devoted all to you
Can I get a witness
Bless this day sacred and holy
Sacred and holy
-"Wedding Song" by Tracy Chapman
Hope you guys enjoyed this part- hopefully I'll have Chapter Ten up soon. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful feedback. I love writing and I love knowing that it's being enjoyed! So keep sending the reviews and I'll keep sending the chapters! You guys are all the greatest!
Kylie
