Chapter Eighty-Six: A Little Farther Away From Me

Author's note: So last night I didn't check what I was posting, and I ended up posting a chapter ahead of where we are, so that's why it made absolutely no sense. SO sorry about that, hopefully this'll clear things up.

"Will you be around tomorrow?" asked Haley, when Brooke prepared to round up her sons to leave.

"No. They're not finishing the remodeling until next week, but we're going down to the Vineyard for a long weekend," said Brooke.

"We haven't gone on vacation since the Hamptons last summer. That's nice. Next week? Finally," said Haley.

"Yeah. It's been forever, I can't wait to unpack. I hate being homeless," said Brooke, jokingly pouting.

"I know. It'll be better soon. Bye," said Haley. She and Brooke exchanged pecks before she walked off with Devon and Hayden.

Haley sighed as Nina began to howl. She was a much less compliant baby than Eve, who was slowly beginning to throw tantrums more often to draw attention to herself.

"I got her!" she heard Nathan call. Haley suspected that he'd have to bring her downstairs anyway, as Nathan didn't have what it took to feed her. But she relished the silence while it was hers.

"Mommy?" came a cautious voice from the door. Eve ran in and snuggled with her mother on the couch until Nina and Nathan came in, the former in dire need of milk. Haley sighed as Eve hopped off of her and stared with her big blue eyes. Supporting Nina with one arm while she fed her, Haley used her other to stroke Eve's curls until her father took her on his knee and began to tell her anything he could think of to distract her from her woes.

XxxxxxX

As Nina's scream once again cut through the silence, Haley resisted the urge to call Ryan to take care of her, just so she could get some rest.

Rocking her slightly, she cradled her in her arms and began to wander through the upper story of their house until they got back to her room. She paused at the bathroom door as she heard a shriek of excitement, her arms now empty.

Haley smiled when she walked in to find Nathan bathing their eldest in the huge bath tub. He'd rolled up his sleeves to avoid getting soaked, but the splashes coming from the tub were not easily deterred.

Haley made a shriek of alarm as a spray of water jetted out of the tub and hit her directly.

"Princess," he said accusingly.

"Evil."

Haley dropped down to the floor beside him and shed the shirt she was wearing, revealing a white cotton camisole.

"Hey baby," she said contentedly.

"Hey. Wait, you were talking to her?" asked Nathan teasingly. She playfully shoved him with her elbow.

Haley slowly began to wash Eve's fine dark hair. There was nothing of her in her daughter. Eve was all Nathan.

Later, she watched as Nathan dried off Eve with a towel. Haley brushed out her hair, and the two of them put her to bed before collapsing onto their own.

"I don't think I've ever been more tired," she said.

"You look great," he assured her.

"Sure. Because I'm not house sized anymore but my boobs are enormous," she said. He smirked.

"Yeah. I'd kind of noticed," he joked, laughing as she slapped his shoulder.

Haley frowned as Nathan rolled on top of her, remembering the one thing that she'd forgotten to tell him.

"Wait."

"What?" he asked, his lips inches from hers.

"Uh, I went to see Dr. Jenkins today," she said reluctantly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. It's no big deal, I just went on the Pill," she said.

Nathan propped himself up on top of her and stared down in surprise. They'd had shoddy birth control measures over the last two years. He hadn't really minded. He figured they'd continue in this manner until they reached the desired number of kids. Which was apparently two.

"Why'd you decide to now?" he asked slowly.

"Babe, you know I love Nina. And Eve. I wouldn't give them up for anything. But I think two is plenty. More than plenty. We were run off our feet today," she said defensively.

"What, you didn't think it was necessary to consult me?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't it was necessary for you to tell me what to do with my body," she said, her voice tightening.

"This isn't just about you, Haley. This is about us. And you can't deny there's an us. You admitted it. There's always going to be an us," he said angrily.

"Really? I don't remember signing away to be an us for always. In fact as I remember it, my contract is up pretty damn soon," she reminded him.

"You said…"

"I said what, Nathan? That I'm yours? That my body belongs to you, and always will? That was you, if I remember correctly," she said.

Nathan could handle Haley loving him. He could handle her hating him. But this was a gray area. So he used his all purpose solution.

Haley wasn't exactly surprised when their passionate argument turned into something else much more passionate. Something else entirely.

She tried to keep it bottled up, still afraid to show him what he could do to her, but eventually it became too much. He smiled in satisfaction as she called out his name, moaning in satisfaction as he thrust inside of her again and again.

As soon as he was finished, as both of their orgasms ceased, he got off the bed and left her abruptly. She scowled at his retreating form.

Never could she reconcile with herself that the man she loved, passionately and painfully, could cause her so much hurt.