2007
Tree Hill, North Carolina
Jake Jagielski trembled a bit as he unlocked and opened the door to the house. One of the perks of living so close to the coast was the mild weather. Summers could be torturous but winters, when other states reported knee deep snow and below freezing temperatures, the coastal North Carolinians simply threw on a jacket and tried not to complain about 35 to 40 degrees at night. But the month of February had been particularly intense for everyone. Both the days and the nights had turned dramatically cooler and Jake couldn't remember a winter cold enough to warrant the house thermostat being turned up sky high. Stepping into the Sawyer residence he shared with his girlfriend and daughter, the feeling inside wasn't much warmer.
He fumbled downstairs in the darkness. He opened the fridge and devoured the roast beef sandwich that had been left for him. Afterwards Jake skimmed through the mail. It was late but the house was still unusually quiet. From that he could hypothesize that the girls were in bed and that Larry was out to sea.
It was a comfortable living arrangement and always had been, if not an adult one. Before their first real kiss, before they had officially started going out or had declared their love for one another, the Jagielski's had moved in and like a ready made family, the crib in which Jenny slept had been placed in the corner of the room not far from the bed her father shared with Peyton. The sexual tension had always been there but it had remained platonic for the most part. Then they had realized their growing feelings and agreed to take it slow, starting off by Jake and Jenny temporarily moving out so the couple could be free to just date like most high schoolers their age. But that arrangement had lasted all of a month and the pair moved back in the very night after Jake and Peyton consummated their relationship on what would have been the day Keith Scott married his alias girlfriend, Jules.
Together they were a happy family, then Nikki had come back and ruined it all. Events quickly spiraled out of control. Threats, custody battles, court orders. Jake had ended up in jail as he had sent his baby to what he thought was a safe location. But Nikki had found her like she always seemed to and Jake had fled, leaving a devastated Peyton behind. The blonde had resigned herself to losing her true loves forever but senior year, both had returned…for good.
"You're home late."
Jake looked up and smiled.
"Hey. I had work and then I just started that new class for second semester."
The woman nodded.
"Good for you. How is that all going by the way?"
"Fine. I mean, it's hard and sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in a million different directions but it's okay. My credits are building up so hopefully if I score a decent grade in this course, the University will accept me full time next year."
"Oh, Jake, that's great. I mean it. I'm really proud of you."
His body involuntarily shivered again.
"Thanks. Why is it so cold in here?"
"You want to know the truth?"
"Give it to me."
"I know funds are tight for both of you and let's just say my daughter is too proud to ask her father or me for a loan to tide you guys over until you get paid. I've noticed her trying to cut costs around here on the energy and water bills and even with groceries.
Jake sighed, hanging his head.
"Ellie, about that…"
Elizabeth Harp was the biological mother Peyton had found out about a year and a half prior. Initially discovering her adoption had only added to the turmoil of her already angst filled teenage world but eventually she had warmed up to the idea. The two women had become close, building a bond over so much shared common ground. It was Peyton who had convinced Ellie to continue treatment for her breast cancer.
During that time, Larry Sawyer had finally decided to cut back on his workload and spend more time running the business from a small office in Tree Hill opposed to some boat out in the middle of any one of the four oceans. When he returned full time, life and his home had changed. His love for his daughter allowed him to change with it. He had been skeptical about Ellie but relented and invited her to move in while battling her disease. And although most fathers would have thrown a fit to find their 17 year old daughter's boyfriend and baby living in the house in their daughter's room, for Larry it was an ongoing situation that just worked. Peyton, wise, mature and responsible beyond her years, seemed to be handling it just fine. So he stepped back and embraced the new extended family. And things had been great ever since. The five lived together as friends and a family of sorts with Peyton in college, Jake working full time and taking classes part time, a cancer free Ellie freelance writing, and Larry running the family business, while occasionally indulging in the best part of the job…returning to the waters. And together, they all took care of little Jenny.
"Is everything okay?"
"No", he finally shook his head. "Look, I hate doing this. I feel like a real loser but Peyton and me…well, the checking account is sort of overdrawn. I don't want to ask but…"
Ellie put her hands up.
"Say no more. I'll float you a small loan and we'll keep that info between us. Pay me back whenever you can. And uh, as far as the heat? I just turned it up. It should be kicking in pretty soon. Larry left a check for the bill."
Jake nodded and sighed with relief, hugging his girlfriend's mother.
"Thanks, Ellie. I mean it. You're the best."
"I know", she joked.
"I swear I'll pay you back as soon as I can. You're a real lifesaver. Don't know what we'd do without you. It seems like no matter what, we can always count on you."
He then hurried upstairs and quietly opened a door. In the bedroom dimmed with a Sesame Street nightlight, slept his three year old daughter. Jake smiled as he kissed Jenny's forehead and straightened her covers. On his way out he closed the door and winked as he saw Ellie retreating to the mini apartment the men had made for her out of what once was a dusty old attic. Then he entered the bedroom he shared with Peyton. She looked so beautiful, even in sleep. He admired her for a while, staring so hard until her eyes finally fluttered open.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she managed a small, tired smile as she yawned and stretched long arms.
He peeled off his clothes until he was left in a wife beater tee shirt that clung to every muscle and boxer briefs.
"Because I love you."
She turned back the bed and patted to the empty space next to her.
"You might want to hurry up and get in before you catch pneumonia."
He gratefully accepted the invitation.
"I know what you're up to", he said, as he pulled her in his arms.
"Oh?"
"Heck yeah. You deliberately let the house freeze up like an igloo just as an excuse to cuddle in bed with me."
Peyton grinned.
"You busted me. It was totally for that…and the fact that we're dead broke."
Jake sighed.
"What about the emergency cash fund?"
"I used what was left of that last week when I had to take Jenny to the doctor. Those drops for her ear infection cost a fortune."
"My health benefits upgrade next month. At least then our prescriptions will be covered."
"Thank God. But until then, it looks like we're up the creek without a paddle. Damn, Jake. I hate this. I'm so tired of always being broke, babe."
He held her close, kissing her forehead.
"I know. Me, too but it won't always be like this. I promise. We'll finish school and get kick ass jobs and then we'll get married and buy a big house of our own. There will be a big yard for Jenny to run around and play in and we'll have lots of rooms for all those babies we're gonna have."
Peyton raised an eyebrow.
"Babies? Exactly how many babies are we talking here?"
He shrugged.
"Five. Then with Jen, that will give us six, a nice even number."
"How about one? Two sounds like an even better number."
Jake smiled in the darkness.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Yeah. Hell, right now we can barely take care of the one we already have. We can't even afford a loaf of bread."
"We're gonna be okay. I, um, something came up. It won't be much but it looks like I'll have a little bit of cash to tide us over for a few weeks."
Peyton buried her face in her boyfriend's chest.
"Do I even want to know where this money came from?"
He stared at the ceiling.
"Probably not."
"Then I won't ask."
"That's a good idea."
They looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"God, I love you", she finally sighed.
He stroked her face.
"I know you do. You'd have to to give up your life like you have."
"Give up my life?" Peyton repeated with a frown.
"Yeah. I mean, look at Brooke. She is living in New York and modeling and designing clothes. She's meeting all kinds of people and doing all kinds of cool things. Then there's Haley. Yeah, she might be settled down but at least she got out of Tree Hill and after graduation from UVA, she's gonna get to live the good life and travel all over the country. Our friends are doing amazing things and you could have been right there with them, happy and carefree. But you chose Jenny and me. You chose the hard route."
Peyton sat up and looked right at him.
"You know the only thing you just said that remotely made sense is that yeah, I chose you and Jen. That's true, Jake. I did. I did and I don't regret that choice. Given a million other opportunities, I'd choose the same thing a million more times. It's because I want to and because I love you both. You're my life. We sure as hell aren't carefree but I'd like to think we're happy. I hope you are because I know I am. I love my life. I hate the struggles but I deal with it because it's just a part of growing up and I know it won't always be this way. But I say I'm pretty damned lucky. I have the guy of my dreams who I'm crazy in love with. I have a wonderful, beautiful daughter who amazes me and teaches me every single day. I have a great and understanding father who means the world to me and I have a second chance with the woman who not only gave birth to me but turned out to be my best friend. What more can anyone ask for? Yes, Brooke and Haley have super cool lives and it works for them but I don't need their life and I don't want it. And out of all the awesome things you just mentioned about them, you neglected to mention the best parts, the most solid parts. Lucas and Nathan. Because without those two, without love, none of that other stuff would mean crap for Brooke and Haley. The same goes with me. Nothing is more important than my friends and my family. You give me the jet set life and if you guys weren't apart of it, I'd be miserable."
He stared at her.
"You're pretty incredible, you know that? When did I get so lucky?"
She leaned down and kissed his lips.
"When did I?"
"I love you, Pey. I mean that. I love you so much. You and Jen are everything.
Peyton smiled in the darkness.
"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. This is what I want. It's where I want to be. All I'll ever need and want is already right here in this house. I don't have to go out and explore the world. You know, right now there are six billion people in this world, six billion souls. And four of the most beautiful are right here with me."
Jake looked soulfully into her eyes.
"Six billion people, huh?"
"Yep."
"Wow. That's a lot. Six billion people in this world", he repeated as he pulled her shirt over her head and pulled her into his arms. "And sometimes, all you need is one."
