I'm Not Your Husband!

Chapter 10

Nathan was evading several of his sisters questions when his phone rang. Quickly fished his cell from his pants, giddy with anticipation.

"Hey." He sighed. "Miss you too." He continued.

"Oh, you're holding out. You sooo have a girlfriend." Nikki scoffed, snatching the communications device.

"Hi! This is Nathan's sister." Nikki panted, running down the hall to the bathroom and locking herself inside. "So do you really like my geeky brother or are you trying to take his money?….. Cause if that's the case, don't waste your time. I will kick your ass and send you on your way before I let you play him!"

The laughter on the other end surprised Ms. Scott. Her brows knitted, but before she could berate the woman on the other end some more, she spoke.

"Trust me, Nikki. Nathan is definitely old and "big" enough to fight his own battles now. Stop being the protective sister, he can handle his own business."

"Do I know you?" The raven haired woman wondered rudely, vexed and ignoring Nathan's continue rapping and shouts to "give me my damn phone, Nik!" at the door.

"Nicole Debra Scott! I'm going to cry and not speak to you for another ten years! How could you forget about your bestest friend in the whole wide world?" The blond on the other end pouted.

Wide eyed and giddy with happiness, Nikki squealed. "Haley!"

Three hours and a half later, Nikki came out of the lavatory to find Nathan seated in the hall. He rose just in time to catch his cell phone. "You'll probably want to put that on the charger." She and Haley had talked until the battery was minutes from dying and Hales could barely keep her eyes open. "She'll call you in the morning, Loverboy."

Nathan followed his slightly pissed sibling into the living room and took a seat in the arm chair across from her perch on the sofa.

"I was going to tell you." He murmured softly.

"When? After you two were married with a mortgage and kids?"

"We're not even a couple, yet." Nathan explained.

"Haley's version doesn't sound that way. She adores you."

He shook his head in disagreement. "Haley likes to play with my head. She doesn't want anything serious with me."

"Omg!"

"What?"

"After all these years, you're still scared of her. You're in love with her!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Am not!"

"Are So!"

"I'mmm nnnnot in love, Nik! …… What do I have to be scared of? We're only friends."

"You don't have sex with you friends, Nathan. You're not that type of guy, hell your more like a prudish girl." Nikki said brutally honestly. "Besides, you two were always into each other."

"Oh and I get Haley showed that through hating and torturing me when we were kids?" He added sarcastically.

"She couldn't rationalize her feelings for you then." His sister surmised.

"Thank you, Oprah!"

"It's true. She was my best friend…..Her feelings for you unnerved her and she rebelled." Nikki confessed.

"But she treated Mouth like crap too." Nathan added confused.

"Honey, Mouth was just weird. He really creeped us out." She shivered, wincing. "Teenage girls can only take some much."

iHaley James into me/i He thought aloud, shaking his head. "No way."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Like you weren't gone for her. You treated her like a princess."

"I'm a nice guy." He shrugged off.

"Maybe so, but she's the only girl's name I've ever heard you call out in your sleep, lot's of times, Buddy……. Besides, I know you kept a picture of her in your wallet all through high school and college."

Nathan blushed, furiously. "Stop playing matchmaker, Nik!"

"It's too late for that now. You really move fast. I didn't think you had game, Little Brother."

"We're twins, Nik." He grounded bothered by her remarks. "And why the hell can't I have game!"

She dismissed his ego. "I thought you were into your boss?"

He threw his head back, she wasn't going to let this go. "I was. This thing with Haley just came out of the blue and threw my ass for a loop…….. I know it's not going to last so why get my hopes up." He worried, raking his fingers through his hair. "I'm not letting her …. never mind." He looked away, studying the picture of Kelly Clarkson on the cover of the Glamour magazine on the coffee table. She was hotter as a brunette.

"Wait…. There's something you're not tell me." Nikki observed, very in sync with her twin.

He threw his hands up in defeat and told her. "There's another guy."

Nikki frowned, puzzled. Haley hadn't said there was anyone else. "Like what a boyfriend? Yours or hers?"

" Hey! Of course it hers, you idiot!"

Nikki raised her hands defensively. "I'm just saying. It's been a long, long, long… time since you had a woman. Maybe……

"Maybe, no!" He sneered. "Damn can a man have a dry spell." He muttered to him self before moving on as his sister batted her eyes. "As I was saying!…… I wouldn't consider him a boyfriend."

"Please God don't say a husband. You couldn't handle being the other man, Nate. You would be like Deuce Bigalow, American Gigolo." She cracked herself up, but Nathan didn't think she was the least bit funny.

"Well, he'd marry her tomorrow if she would say yes. Asshole!"

"And Haley wants him too?"

"I don't think so….. I don't know, maybe….. I don't trust the jerk. He's always been smooth."

"Smooth? And creamy too? Is his name, Yoplait?" She request before eating a handful of popcorn.

"I don't know which ones lamer, you or your jokes….Although yogurt would be so bad right now." He said dryly. "My competition has the be Cincinnati Bengal's' quarterback, Lucas Roe."

Nikki nearly choked, coughing for a moment. "You're kidding?"

Her brother patted her on the back. "Apparently, they hooked back up in college and had a thing for a while. Then a few weeks ago they were reunited by some of my companies business. Luke has an endorsement with us and she's working with him. He also realized just how much he missed and needed Haley. Now, he's stalking her like she owes him money." He said with disgust.

Nikki found Lucas irrelevant from the way Haley had spoke of Nathan, but obviously her brother was intimidated. "So what are you going to do about him?"

"Me?…. It's her choice."

"Only if you give her one, you idiot!" She snapped in frustration. " She wants you, but she is not going to wait around forever for you to decide if you want her. Haley's not the lay her and leave her out to dry type, even if she comes off like that sometimes." Nikki instructed before going to her room to let her brother think for a while.

Nathan woke up Friday morning when the sheets flew off him and the cold central air conditioning blew on him. He groused, reaching blindly for the comforter and covering back up.

Again the bedding was thrown off his t-shirt and gym short clad frame.

"Get up, Uncle Nathan!" Jenny insisted, but he ignored her, curling up on his side and putting a pillow over his head.

He had spent most of the night thinking of Haley, which lead to a 2 am cold shower. An hour later, he realized it's effect had only been temporary. Then, he went for a jog to clear his head and loosen his boxers. Upon returning, he showered the slickness of a humid Carolina summer night off him. He was too exhausted to think, let alone about Haley. He quickly fell asleep. Now, at 8:30 am, he didn't care how cute his niece was, she had to go!

"Mommy! He wont get up!" Jenny shouted loudly as Nathan tightened the pillow around his head.

A stunned Nikki Scott barged into her guest room. Not only was her brother still in bed, but his suitcase sat empty in the partially opened closet and his items still filled the room. He had a flight in a little over four hours and he still hadn't packed. This was completely out of character.

She jerked the pillow from him, handing it to an observant Jenny.

"Nathan, did you forget your flight leaves at 12:45?

"No. I cancelled it. I'm staying until Sunday." He informed. "Can I get some peace and quiet now?" He huffed, sitting up to pull the covers over him again.

Nikki took the other pillow from the bed and whacked him with it. "You looser. You're afraid to face Haley. You're worried she moved on to Lucas while you were gone." She thwarted him again, then let Jenny get a few licks.

Shielding himself with his long arms, he defended. "I just want to spend some extra time with my family. Stop hitting me! …..It's not about Haley. I swear."

Jenny and Nikki eyed him and he relented his guard only to be smack a couple of times with the pillows by each beauty.

"You suck at lying." His sibling glared before trying to strike him again, along with the assistance of her daughter.

He caught each pillow as they swung simultaneously and took them from the little girl and slender woman.

"Well, I guess he'll just have a roommate for the weekend, huh Jen?" The mother ruffled her daughter's un-Scott like blond mane before taking the child by the hand and leading her to the door.

"Ummm…. You didn't tell me someone else was coming to visit." he tugged one of the pillows under his head, trying to get comfortable.

"Haley didn't want you to think she was following you up here when she and I made her reservations Wednesday night. I wasn't suppose to mention she was visiting until you were at the airport on your way back to Florida. Oops. "

Before she got out the door, Nathan was standing in front of her, blocking the exit. He was winded and his eyes large with panic. "Haley!….. Haley James is coming here? Today?"

His sister folded her arms, giving him the familiar Scott smirk. "Her plane arrives a half hour after yours was suppose to depart. Jenny leaves for her dad's this evening. We're going to have a girls weekend."

Nathan put his face in his hands, pacing in front of the door like an expectant father who's wife is in labor. What was he going to do? Why was this so hard? He had planned on seeing her in Florida, thought she would pick him up from the airport. Apparently, he hadn't been a priority.

But he was the one that changed his plans. He never asked her to pick him up and he avoided her calls since Nikki found out about their relationship several days ago. He knew she was going to be pissed. He chewed on his finger. His sister and his niece sat on the bed watching him with curiosity as he continued to pace.

"Why is Uncle Nathan acting silly, Mommy?" the girl giggled.

"Because he's a dork and he's in love," she whispered too loudly.

"No I'm not!" He stopped walking to argue with his sister.

Nikki ignored him, getting up and walking with Jenny towards the door.

"Who's he in love with…..Jessica Simpson?" The child asked as they past her mother's brother. "She's so pretty, Mommy and I like all her songs." Jenny gushed over her favorite celebrity.

"No, Honey. It's not Jessica." Nikki laughed. "You'll see, Funshine."

They both strolled out of the room .

Nathan slammed the door behind him before marching back over to the bed and diving across it. What the hell was he going to do?

"I still don't see why I have to come with you to pick up Hales. You could at least let me stay in the car."

Nikki shook her head, her brother was still terrified of itty bitty Haley James. "One, it would have been rude for you to stay at home or in the car. Two, you really want to see her and you know it. So know I don't have to worry about you constantly calling my cell for the play-by-play."

Nathan gave her the finger and she punched him in the arm playfully.

"Is Ms. Haley really pretty like she was on that picture you showed me, Mommy? She has hair like mine." Jenny questioned innocently, but Nathan didn't needed to be reminded of how beautiful she was.

"Why don't you ask your uncle?" Nikki teased and stuck out her tongue at her brother, swinging hands with her daughter as they made their way through the Raleigh-Durham airport.

"You think you're so cute!" Nathan rolled his eyes and stopped at a newsstand for some Big Red gum. He could hear the squeals from his sister and giggles of Haley coming from the nearby concourse. The blonds' voice gave him chills as he stuffed a piece of gum in his mouth and tried to fix his hair. His heart raced as his pace sped up. Until that moment, he hadn't realized just how much he had missed her …… how her smile lit up a room, how her eyes made him weak in the knees…… how much fun and spontaneous she was. Why had he shut her out? They had incredible sex and he wasn't ashamed to say he wanted her again an often, but could he measure up The Great Lucas Roe? Could he ever truly be enough man for a woman like Haley James?

By the time, he came out of his thoughts, Haley was standing in front of him and Jenny was tugging at his cargo shorts. He bent down to hear the little girl, his eyes never leaving Haley curvy body in the flowered sundress and wedge heels.

"Ms. James is nice and pretty, Uncle Nate …..like Jessica Simpson (so the girl was obsessed). Can she be the woman you're in love with?" She whispered eagerly, bouncing so her pigtails danced around her. From the mouth of babes. He groaned. Damn!

"Oh, yeah. Nathan's still here……..This morning, he cancelled his flight and decided to stay before I could tell him you were coming….. I was going to call you, but I didn't think you would mind since you two are practically a couple." He heard Nikki explaining their predicament to her best friend. He was going to choke her! "It's cool… right Hales?" Then she turned to her brother with a mischievous glint in her eye. Nathan gritted his teeth, beneath a phony smile. "You should have seen how excited he got when we told him the news about your visit this morning. Isn't that right, Jenny?"

"Yep." The child laughed. "He jumped out of bed." She agreedtruthfully, having no clue about the implications she had just made.

Now Haley had the same devilish look Nikki had recently shown Nathan. "No problem. I'm sure Nathan and I can handle sharing a room for a few hot summer nights……Right, Honey?"

"Hales.." He was ready to drop to his knees, beg forgiveness and explain his bad behavior, but she turned her attention to his sibling and niece.

"How about us girls go get my luggage, while you get the car?" She pointed to him like he was a servant and all he could do was nod.

Haley cut the distance between them, giving him a lingering kiss on the cheek. He thought of turning his head, so she would get his mouth instead, but he couldn't gauge her mood at this point. He couldn't risk her kneeing him in the groin or something worst in this crowded public facility. "Thank you, Mr. Scott." She said cordially, almost too politely as she backed out of the embraced, keeping eye contact for several seconds. Nathan didn't know what the hell was going on in her head, but her calling him "Mr. Scott." Definitely wasn't a good sign.

Finally, the threesome headed to baggage claim, his sister looking back to give him the biggest Cheshire cat grin and place a "L" shape on her forehead with her fingers as he went the opposite way heading for the parking deck……

Pamela