Chapter 381: Master Bedroom Raven Hill

Saturday, February 4th, Night (Eastern Standard Time)

Nathan found this week very overwhelming, with it starting with his brother, cousin, niece, and daughter-in-law getting honored and ending with him going to have to ask a woman for a DNA test of her son. Now lying in bed, he rested against the head broad. He moved around a bit and fluffed the pillows. Slowly, he pulled the covers up to his waist.

"Did you talk to Lucan today?" Haley asked from the bathroom.

"Yes, and he seemed anxious about talking about that time of his life," Nathan said.

"In what way?" Haley asked.

"It seemed he was on the outs with the rest of the band while recording The Black Count album," Nathan said.

"That makes sense; he was more Kat's friend than Brian's, plus they worked together well," Haley said.

"I guess," Nathan said.

Haley came out of the bathroom, shutting the light behind her. Arriving at the bed, dropping her robe, she climbed into bed, joining Nathan. After moving a bit, she got comfortable, finally adjusting the covers over her body.

"Did he confirm or deny if Brian knew her?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, he confirmed her story and that it was during the right period," Nathan said.

"So, we know what we have to do," Haley said.

"Yes," Nathan said and nodded solemnly, "We do," he paused and sighed, "I've asked her to come over tomorrow so we can talk about it."

"You've been taking very well," Haley said.

"How else am I supposed to take it?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know," Haley said.

Nathan sighed again, "We've always known Brian was loose with his morals, but I'm getting tired of these tests," he said.

"So am I, Nate," Haley said, and shrugged, "We knew early on when Brian struck out on his own that he would maintain his libertine lifestyle."

"What's interesting is I learned a new term today," Nathan said.

"What term did you learn?" Haley asked.

"Simp," Nathan said.

"You just learned that term, Nate?" Haley asked.

"I spend most of my time with young kids," Nathan said.

"Who got called a simp?" Haley asked.

"Gabi," Nathan said.

Haley nodded, "I can see Gabi being a simp for Brian. How? I don't know how she would put up with Brian and his philandering?" she said.

"I guess she tied her worth to Brian, and he liked the unconditional love," Nathan said.

Nathan turned to look at Haley, and he kissed her good night. Haley rolled over on her side and turned off the light on the nightstand.

"Nate," Haley said.

"Yes?" Nathan asked.

"Have you thought about what would happen if her son is Brian's son as well?" Haley asked.

Nathan sighed, "Well, first met the boy," he said.

"That's one way to look at it," Haley said, "But seriously, we need a plan."

Nathan sighed, "Just because she was an exotic dancer back then, that doesn't mean she's one, now," he said.

"Just because she was a sex worker doesn't mean I'm against her. I just want to make sure if he's our grandson, he'll be well taken care of," Haley said.

"As I was saying, she could've moved on from that job, but what's important is how the boy is cared for," Nathan said.

"So, we're on the same page there," Haley said.

"Yes, we are," Nathan said.

"My one question is…." Haley said.

"If he's Brian's, we'll just do what we did with the other kids," Nathan said.

"That goes without saying. What I was saying was, my one question is, why wait nine years to approach us about her son wait?" Haley asked.

Nathan shrugged, "Only thing I could think of is she needs money," he said.

"That would be my guess, but we shouldn't assume anything," Haley said.

Nathan nodded, "You're right," he said.

Haley sighed, "I remembered when the first woman knocked on our door claiming her child was yours," she said.

Nathan looked at Haley. "Yeah, I just took a picture with her at a club. The only reason I went out is that we had a day off and I was bored. I was young and dumb, just thought I was doing something nice for a fan," he said.

"Yeah, I kicked you out of the bedroom," Haley said.

"I remember," Nathan said.

"Ashlyn's faced this how many times?" Haley asked.

Nathan shrugged, "A few times over the last eleven years. James also tries to stay away from the limelight," he said.

"A lesson he learned from you," Haley said.

"I think Ashlyn has a lot to do with it a well," Nathan said.

"Ashlyn's good people, but I wonder why she never settled in when she moved to Miami," Haley asked.

"My take is Ashlyn's a small-town girl, and well, we know Miami isn't a small town," Nathan said.

"I guess," Haley said.

"Next week, I'm taking the grandkids to Rachel's," Nathan said.

"It's that time already?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to try and have Rachel take them two nights this month," Nathan said.

"Just don't overdo it on Friday night if Rachel will take them," Haley said.

Nathan yawned. Haley moved to her side and pulled the covers tighter around her body. Nathan slid down the headboard, resting his head upon his pillows. He pulled the covers close to himself; with his free hand, he shut off the light.

Lying in bed, Nathan stared up at the ceiling. After a few minutes, he turned his head to look at the alarm clock on his nightstand. The numbers had changed, but they only reflected two minutes had passed. Nathan rolled onto his side to talk to Haley, but he noticed her breathing was deep and regular; she's already asleep. Nathan next rolled back onto his back and stared at the ceiling for a few more minutes, or so it seemed, as he looked at the alarm clock and barely had another minute had passed.

Fitfully, Nathan laid there, starting to count things on the ceiling. That's when the bedroom door creaked and slowly opened. The pale moonlight backlit the small frame in the door. For a passing moment, Nathan wondered if death wasn't a giant figure but a small one.

Nathan's eyes studied the figure in the door. They had hair that went past their shoulders. The body was pretty formless from whatever they wore, and there's something tucked in their arm.

"Lacy?" Nathan asked.

"You're awake, Papa Nate," Lacy, his six-year-old granddaughter, said.

"Yes, and a better question is why are you awake?" Nathan asked.

"Chester had a bad dream," Lacy said, referring to the ancient stuffed rabbit that was her bedtime companion since she found it. The stuffed animal once belonged to her Uncle James.

"So, Chester woke you up?" Nathan asked.

"Un-huh!" Lucy said.

"So, what does Chester want?" Nathan asked.

"He wants to sleep with you and Nana Haley because he's too scared," Lacy said.

"Okay," Nathan said and felt that he wasn't going to win a debate with his granddaughter. Lacy nodded, came over to the bed, climbed into it, and found a place between Nathan and Haley. Soon, Lacy was sound asleep, and Nathan was still staring at the ceiling.