"Hey I'm glad you came." Haley opened the door revealing her sister and her best friend. She had called them immediately after Charlotte and Nathan had left.
"Hales are you ok you look like you've been crying?" Her sister asked concerned. Brooke had always been there right next to Haley with everything she ever chose to do. She was always thanking Brooke but it was never enough.
"Yea. Ok um- Nathan and I, I think were back together." And after that one botched up sentences the three girls had cried their eyes out for hours on end. There were tissues spewed out all over the living room, and in between them were three girls and their tear stained faces and puffy eyes.
Nathan had taken Charlotte to Central Park that day, they had climbed the rocks and eaten hotdog on the sunny patches of grass. After lunch Nathan had bought his daughter a pair of shiny patent leather mary-janes that she had fallen in love with from the Stride Right window.
They were now waiting in lobby of the apartment building for the elevator when the door opened again revealing Jake, Jenny and Lucas.
"Hi Jenny." Charlotte stated quietly holding on to Nathan's finger. Nathan did one of those lame guy hug handshake things while properly congratulating him.
"Lucas." Nathan said noticing his brother's presence with an icy cold glare and a nod.
"Nate man, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Lucas asked twiddling his thumbs in a nervous fashion. Nathan looked down at his daughter, remembering what his own brother had said about her only two nights ago. How could someone say those things about my Charlotte? He thought to himself, then figuring- if I get to punch him…I can stomach talking to him.
"Jake, take her upstairs for me, and tell Haley I'll be a minute." Jake nodded as Nathan bent down to Charlotte's level.
"Ladybug, I'm gunna go talk to Uncle Luke for a second, k?" Nathan kissed her forehead and started to get up when her felt his daughter's little hand on his arm. "What is it?" questioning concernedly due to the sad expression she was wearing.
"Mommy said you loved me 'berry,' 'berry' much, but you were on vacation. Your coming back right?" hearing his little girl say those word made his heart break into a million pieces time ten.
"Ladybug, I'll always come back. I promise." Nathan looked at his brother's guilt stricken face, ad continued out side from him.
"I'm glad your talking to me." Lucas stated sincerely.
"I figured I would come if it ended in me breaking your face." Nathan sneered
"Ok I deserved that. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about what I said to Haley…and Charlotte. Ya know she's all you little brother." Finishing in a light laugh
"You have some nerve man. If I remember correctly she's your best friend. And ya she left but, that was seven years ago man." One could observe that he was truly disgusted with his brother.
"Ya she LEFT seven years ago! Not even with a good bye. She was supposed to be my best friend! How could you just forget all of that?" Lucas was now receiving dirty looks from random people walking on the side walk.
"She gave me a kid Luke. She said she did it for me, and because I love her. God I love her. I forgave her a long time ago for leaving." He sated those words with such grace and emotion that Lucas was taken a back. Nathan was right. Haley had done what she thought was best and it probably wasn't easy for her. Nathan left his brother standing dumbfounded on the side walk as he went back up stairs.
"Mommy!" Charlotte squealed when she saw her mother talking to Brooke.
"Hey babe. How was your day? Where is your dad?" Haley gave her a hug and started to scoop up the used tissues from the coffee table and threw them away.
"I had lots of fun. And look! He bought me new shoes!" Charlotte lifted her leg and put it on Haley's knee to reveal her prized positions. "He's outside talking to uncle Luke." And just like that she was off playing with Jenny and her toy horses.
Brooke had come back with Peyton from the bathroom after yet another episode of morning sickness, even though it was almost four thirty in the after noon. They came in to the kitchen and immediately accompanied her in rummaging through the cabinets.
"Gosh we went shopping three days ago. Were in the hell did all the food go?" Haley sighed, just then they heard the elevator bell ring signaling some one was getting off.
"Hey" Nathan greeted Peyton, Brooke, and then Haley. A few minutes later Luke came up stairs "So what are we eating for dinner?" he questioned.
"Well we have beer, water, ice, and Doritos, take you pick." Haley answered with a sarcastic smile. Everyone just laughed at the display before them.
"Ok, how bout we just go out? There's a new place opening down on the corner of fifth and sixteenth. It's supposed to be really good." Everyone agreed, and left to change and decided to meet back there in a hour and a half were a car would drive them. Peyton had arranged for a sitter to come to watch the two girls. Little did they know how interesting this evening would be.