Chapter Sixty-Six: Confidante
Author's note: I'd like to shout out to my "regulars"-those of you I can count on for a review every chapter (or for most of the chapters). Ali-Chan1, beachiegall, CCScott23, jeyton4ever, iftheyonlyknewthetruth, lilmonkeygirl31, lysster8312, TommyQismine, luv24+alias, anime4U2, Ababy99, anarchist278, brookenlucas12. Thanks so much, I really appreciate it. And so sorry if I forgot your name...
"Babe, take Devon. He's just too heavy," said Brooke. In a practiced motions, they switched their sleeping sons. Taking a covert glance around the airplane, Brooke swiftly unbuttoned her shirt and brought Hayden to her breast as he began to whine.
"Haley and Nathan really don't need two kids under three in their house right now, do they?" said Lucas, laughing.
"Who does?" she asked. He put his hand comfortingly on her arm.
"It's been months since we've seen them. I heard they redid the house and everything. I can't wait," she said eagerly. Lucas looked sideways at his wife and smiled.
"Me neither. Too bad Leigh couldn't be there," said Lucas. Brooke subtly wrinkled her nose. She'd never understood her husband's connection with prickly, misunderstood Leigh.
As Hayden fell asleep in her arms, Brooke laid her head on his shoulder and finally began to sleep as well until they landed in New York.
After the private jet landed, they were escorted into a company car, which drove them to the Scott townhouse. When they arrived, Lucas lead Devon up the steps by the hand, and Brooke carried a still sleeping Hayden.
"Haley?" called Brooke into the still house. Nathan came down the steps first, looking weary.
"Luke. Brooke. It's good to see you," he said. As Nathan hugged his brother, Devon fell back shyly. Brooke handed Hayden to Lucas, and Nathan gratefully hugged his sister-in-law.
"Are you okay, Nate?" she asked worriedly.
"Yeah. Haley'll be down in a sec," he said. After a moment Haley did appear, heavily pregnant on the magnificent staircase. The other three Scotts smiled as she ascended them as gracefully as she was able.
"Wow, they've gotten so big. Brooke, I missed you," said Haley honestly, awkwardly embracing her best friend and her brother-in-law.
"We missed you too, kid. You look great," said Lucas.
"Let's go sit down," said Nathan, putting an arm on his wife's back to lead the six of them to the living room. Haley resisted the temptation to shake him off.
The four of them arranged themselves around the coffee table. Haley leaned against Nathan on the couch, attempting to get comfortable.
"The house looks great," said Brooke, remembering the dark, somber place she'd spent so much of her time at.
"Yeah. If it was like this when we were young I wouldn't have wanted to leave at eighteen," joked Lucas.
"Is Peyton coming? And Jake and Ryan?" asked Brooke. Haley laughed.
"You'll be lucky if you see Peyton while you're here. But Ryan and Jake should come soon. You should see them, they operate like a single unit," she said.
"What, they're together?" asked Lucas, instantly turning on his protective brother feelings.
"God no. Just close. Um, I want to go to bed now. Brooke, come on, we'll talk," said Haley, accepting Nathan's hand as he jumped up to help her rise.
The two girls walked along the corridor. Brooke looked suspiciously at Haley. Despite having two boys, Brooke was basically the same slender, fashionable beauty she'd been in high school. Haley somehow was infinitely different.
With ease after her own pregnancies, Brooke settled her in to bed.
"I have something I have to tell you," said Haley.
"What is it? Something with Nathan?" she asked, instantly concerned.
"Of course. It's always him," said Haley bitterly.
"What? Honeymoon's over?" asked Brooke sympathetically.
"God, if it ever started. We've never exactly been conventional," she admitted.
"Well duh. He's him, you're you, of course-," Brooke was abruptly cut off by Haley.
"Not like that. We only were ever married for convenience. I needed money, and he said he needed a trophy wife for his image, so we got married. And had all this sex, and I got pregnant. And it all seemed fairly ideal, until I found out he was in love with me all along," said Haley. Brooke took a moment to absorb this.
"So what's the problem? You can live happily ever after now," said Brooke.
"I'm not in love with him," said Haley.
"Please. No one can pine like you and not be in love. It's impossible. You're in denial. And pissed off because he lied," said Brooke.
"I'm not. I mean, I can't be. I want to be in love with him. Desperately. I mean, I keep waiting for it to happen and it just keeps not happening. I'm carrying his child. It kind of makes the whole thing more permanent," she said. Brooke frowned.
"You could be so much worse off. You have a man you loves him. You're going to have a baby," said Brooke.
"I just feel so lost. I can't trust him any more, and I don't have Peyton, and Ryan is too blinded by love to think of anything but her pain, and Jake is too blind, and you're across the county," said Haley.
"I wish I could be here with you," said Brooke fervently.
"I need you. So often, I wish us back in the old days. Remember the four of us? The five of us, I guess? We were all so close. Now Peyton doesn't return my calls, you and I are married, Jake has two beautiful blondes in love with him," said Haley.
"I remember."
"It was easier. But I guess nothing could have made those days stay," said Haley.
"I used to wish sometimes that they'd never come to Tree Hill. I don't anymore," said Brooke. She smiled at Lucas as he passed the open door.
"I can't. Not with the baby on the way. God, I can't believe that after all this time I'm about to give birth to Nathan Scott's child," said Haley in amazement.
"Yes you can. We all can believe. You've always known, haven' t you? That your futures were intertwined?" asked Brooke.
"I said so once, to Ryan. On what was going to be the eve of my wedding, before Hayden was born. Poor Ryan. Some days I think she's worse off than us," said Haley.
"It's pretty odd, that the three Scotts came to Tree Hill that summer and ended up falling in love with three of the five of our set. And Davis, with Peyton," said Brooke. Haley glanced sideways at her friend.
"God, you know you're desperate when you wish Davis Ryan would come back to town to sort out our mess," laughed Haley.
After a moment, Brooke joined her. Because sometimes, all you could do was laugh.