"I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart."

― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John

Chapter 14

January 25, 2007

"Haley? Are you going to answer or not?"

After Nathan had found her spilling out her guts, Haley had returned to the kitchen in silence. She hadn't said a word since Nathan had asked her, and that was making him very nervous.

"Nathan—"

"Wait a second. Before you solidify this decision, I want you to know that you're not obligated to say yes if you really don't want to do this," he said. He still knew it would kill him if she said no.

"Nathan," she began again, "you are an amazing person, and I feel so lucky to have you in my life, especially as someone I can call mine." She reached out to take his hand. "And I want you to know that I love you. A lot. Too much, even."

He retracted his hand from her grip. "You don't have to sugar-coat it or feel obligated to stay, Haley. I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be sorry!" She took a moment to think of her next sentence. "I just don't feel ready for this again. Not yet. And I love you, and I want to get there someday, but not now. I don't want you to think that I love you any less, though," she assured him.

She examined him, but his face remained unwavering. She sighed and got up. "I think we just need some space, away from each other. I think I'll go stay with Brooke for a couple of days."

"I can't believe it. She said no," Lucas said quietly as he was hanging around Peyton's house.

Peyton, who was cutting up vegetables at the time, preparing for dinner with her fiancé, looked up, stabbing the big knife into the soft wooden cutting board. "She said what?" she asked, some anger present in her voice. "Where is she so I can go kill her?"

Lucas looked at Peyton in surprise. She always knew the girl was a wild card but didn't realize how volatile she could be. "I thought you and Haley were friends."

"Yeah, but Nathan is basically my brother with blue eyes that stands at six-one. Giant brother trumps friend every time," she explained.

Lucas laughed and shrugged. "I guess I see your point."

"Bros before hoes," she said before continuing to cut the vegetables.

"I would also agree with that, but Haley isn't really a—"

"Could you stop being so politically correct, Luke, and just smile and nod?" she snapped comically before going back to chopping.

He put his hands up in surrender. "Don't shoot me, Peyton," he told her.

"I'm sorry, but I get very defensive over family. You know I'd be the same way over you, or Brooke even Rachel," she reminded him.

"Jake?" he asked, inquiring about her husband.

She shrugged. "He never gets involved in trivial stuff like this, but he can fend for himself. He's smart. I trust him to be a grown-up about these things," she said.

"So you're more protective over us than your fiancé?" he asked.

She stopped cutting to look up and throw him a very sarcastic look. "No, Smart-Ass. I'm just saying, Jake, is so far removed from this kind of drama that it doesn't really matter. There's no secret child of his, no shady ex-girlfriends, nothing of that sort," she said.

"I'm pretty sure you could take them if you needed to. The ex-girlfriends, I mean."

"Oh, if any of the ex-girlfriends got in our business like Lindsey is doing with Nathan…someone would need to bail me out of jail," she warned.

Lucas laughed. "I'll take note and make sure not to cross you."

"That's probably a good idea, Broody."

"Brooke, I just feel really awful. What if this is the wrong thing to do?" Haley inquired as she and Brooke sat down for some tea and coffee.

Brooke sighed as she put some sugar in her teacup. "Oh, Haley…if you're so concerned, you should talk to Nathan about this. I know he knows you care about him very much. If you really aren't ready to be engaged, you did the right thing by saying no. Just because you said no doesn't mean you have to leave," Brooke reminded Haley.

Haley bit her lip in nervousness, anyway. She took a sip of her coffee, and then put it down. "It just bothers me a little bit. I need to tell you something, Brooke, and you need to promise not to tell anyone. Really, all roads lead back to Nathan. Don't tell Rachel; she'll tell Nathan. Peyton will tell Jake, who'll tell Nathan. You can either tell Nathan or tell Lucas, who will tell Nathan, anyway," she said.

"I swear, Hales. I won't tell anyone," she promised.

Haley sighed. "I met up with Lindsey the other day before Nathan asked me, and she told me something really important. It's making me feel really sick, not telling anyone about it." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Lindsey told me that before Nathan engaged to her and they broke it off, she was trying to get pregnant."

Brooke began choking on the tea in her mouth. "Pregnant? Lindsey? I'm interested to see how their offspring would turn out…it's satanic spawn," she said. "You know, mixed with Nathan's great genes," she added when Haley shot her a poisonous look.

"I don't think Nathan ever knew, but the very thought that his last potential-fiancé was doing something like that…added onto how horrible my last engagement went…it's all too much for me to deal with right now," Haley explained.

Brooke nodded in agreement, turning to her tea. "All of that, in addition to the fact that as Peyton's maid-of-honour, you have the pleasure of planning her wedding. You don't need a second one," Brooke reminded her.

Haley pressed her palm against her forehead. "Shit," she cursed. "I totally forgot about that." She sighed. "I love Peyton, but how much of a bridezilla do you think she'll end up being?"

Brooke shrugged. "I think it depends on what you're planning out. On certain things, I think she'll be worse than others. The photography, she'll be really picky and bitchy about. On stuff like the dress or music or whatever? I doubt she'll care. The bride-to-be might just request a string quartet at the ceremony, but other than that, I doubt she'll make a show of it all," Brooke told her.

Haley nodded, hoping this would be a lot less painful than she anticipated it to be.

Brooke turned back to Haley. "I know you said no, but did he show you the ring?"

Haley shook her head. "He just asked me. I don't even know if he had a ring."

Brooke put her chin on her hands, sighing, though she knew that he did have a ring. "I'm sure it would've been beautiful," she said absentmindedly.

"I'm sure," Haley said with melancholia filling her voice.

It had been such a long time since Nathan had gone to a bar to forget. He had gone for leisure, for a beer, to meet someone there.

Never had he felt so hurt before that he felt no other means of coping than to just drink up and forget.

He supposed, at times like this, it wasn't completely crazy to wish you had never been in love in the first place. Those were dangerous thoughts. The fear they instilled in him was horrible. But they were still there in the recesses of his being.

He sighed as the alcohol began to take effect and he felt his head begin to pound like a hammer on a nail. The pain only increased as time went on.

It struck him, subconsciously, that people never really thought about what would happen if their sweetheart rejected their proposal. They were too busy thinking about the white-picket-fence, the cats and dogs, the kids in their future. Never once did it go through a hopeful person's mind that they could be given a no.

He also supposed that this was because it rarely ever happened. In all the movies and books and TV shows, the girl always said yes. There was some sappy, cheesy, romantic proposal grown women would swoon over which the person in question could never even fathom reject. When had there ever been a movie where the guy gets rejected?

Maybe one or two. And he was pretty sure those were flops.

And what was supposed to happen to the couple after she said no? Were things supposed to be forgotten and resolved, then go back to the way things were? Was that even possible? He assumed that was the reason why so many couples broke up after a proposal gone wrong; it was simply too awkward for the relationship to continue.

But he didn't want to lose Haley. Even in his inebriated state, he could tell how much he wanted to turn back time and take back that proposal.

"Hello," said a voice from behind him.

And even though he was getting very drunk, he could still remember that voice and all the horrible memories it stirred.

Haley surfed through the channels on Brooke's TV. "I'm glad you paid the cable bill this month, Brooke," she said as Brooke took out some cookies from the cupboard.

Brooke sat on the couch beside Haley as she settled on reruns of Friends. "Lucas was nagging me about it. He told me for being totally on time with all of my bills this month, he would pimp out my phone. He did something that lets me make free calls to China."

Haley raised her eyebrow. "Why would you need to call anyone in China?"

Brooke laughed. "Hales, who cares? It's freaking China. Do you know how much it would cost to be on the phone for like two seconds to someone in Seoul?" she asked.

Haley examined Brooke. "I'm impressed that you've even heard of Seoul, but that's not in China," she said.

Brooke shrugged. "It's still cool. When I'm bored, I type in random Chinese numbers. People there get a lot more confused when I say random words in Spanish over the phone. What do they speak there again?"

"Cantonese or Mandarin," she answered.

Brooke nodded. "I'm sorry about what happened with you and Nathan, but I'm honestly kind of glad that you're here," she confessed.

"Don't you have Lucas?" Haley asked as she picked up a cookie.

Brooke smiled bittersweetly. "It's not the same as having you around. You're like a sister to me," she confessed.

Haley smiled before the two girls gave each other a hug and turned back to the show they were watching.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly to the green-eyed snake before him.

The blonde crept slowly to her ex, who was obviously feeling very vulnerable. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," he responded with a slur. Even though his eyes were glazed over and cloudy from the alcohol, a clear sadness was depicted in his blue irises, the windows to his soul.

She sat down next to him anyway. "Are you okay? Is there something wrong between you and Haley?" she asked, portraying sincerity.

He was very reluctant to believe it, however. "You don't really care. You don't have to pretend. You just want things to end badly between the both of us," he said venomously.

She sighed. "Just remember that I'm still here, Nathan. When things don't work out—"

"If things don't work out," he amended.

"When things don't work out," she continued, ignoring his interjection, "you need to know that I'll be here, just like I've been waiting to do for you. Just remember that, Nate. I've known you. I feel like I've known you for a long time. You've barely known Haley a year. You've been dating for like eight months. How is she supposed to love you more than I will?"

"Because she knows how to love more than you do. You just know how to be loved."

Haley looked out of the window and into the rain. The heavy, melancholia and gray which coloured the outdoors expressed her mood perfectly.

She sighed and turned back to the room. Things were the same as how she left them, but things were still very different.

There was no going back now.

She gulped as she looked around their apartment, some bittersweet memories returning to her quickly.

She looked around one final time, the only noise being the pounding of blood in her ears and the rain tapping loudly outside. She got a good look before she turned back into the bedroom.

Brooke examined her baby pink nails as she waited for other girls to arrive. Peyton was meeting with the consultant in the changing room, so as of now, she was by herself. Rachel and Haley should've been arriving sometime soon.

While she was sitting in the waiting room, she looked around, thinking of her beloved Haley and Nathan—Naley, as she liked to call them. She looked around at the several dresses, thinking of the one Haley might wear.

She was immediately drawn to this beautiful ivory-coloured mermaid gown. It was covered in simple lace. Brooke thought it would look gorgeous on Haley, especially with the heavenly silky champagne cinching her waist and breaking up her long frame. Brooke could see Haley walking down the aisle now.

Brooke frowned as she stepped away, pulling her fingers from the celestial fabric. It was a shame that nobody would ever see Haley looking that beautiful.

Brooke knew Haley, almost all too well. She knew that if Haley wasn't ready to get married now, she likely never would be. She had known Haley for such a long time. She was always one to play it safe. She didn't feel safe anymore.

And it was all because of that ass, Clay.

Brooke scowled as she sat down on the couch. She wondered if Clay ever realized just how selfish he was being right now. Not only had he destroyed Haley's heart, impregnated her, but now he had the audacity to come back and ask for such a selfish, rude and utterly disgusting favour from her. It made Brooke's skin crawl. If she got the opportunity to see him now…she didn't know what she'd do, and that thought honestly scared her. In the end, she was one of Haley's best friend, and nobody's feelings mattered any more than hers in this equation; her heart was the most valuable thing on the line.

At that moment, Brooke's reverie was broken, because in sauntered Rachel, and Haley.

"Where is the bride-to-be?" Rachel asked.

"She's getting dressed now," Brooke answered flatly. Uncharacteristically, her voice was devoid of any indicator of her normally bubbly persona. This was picked up by Haley and Rachel, who didn't bring it up.

Across the waiting room, they could both hear a door open. Out walked Peyton, who seemed to be blushing slightly. The girls looked at her expectantly. She was wearing a pure white dress with a sweetheart neckline, a purple ribbon with organza flowers on it, and the skirt was composed of tulle ruffles. It was pretty but…not really Peyton.

"Do you like it?" Haley asked her as Peyton turned and looked in the mirror.

Peyton gave a half-smile as she thought it over. "It's really pretty but…it's not amazing. What do you think?"

"It doesn't look like you really love this dress," Rachel said.

"Can you really see yourself getting married in this?" Haley asked.

Peyton thought of it for a minute as she bit her lip. Finally, she shook her head. "No."

They waited for another ten minutes as Peyton selected and got dressed in the next gown. This one was an all-lace cap-sleeved, A-line dress. Brooke frowned as soon as she saw it on Peyton.

"This one makes you look frumpy and does not flatter," she commented immediately.

Rachel made a face at this one, while Haley bit her lip. Peyton had to agree with the general consensus.

It wasn't until Peyton had left to try on the third dress that Haley had finally opened up.

"I need to tell you guys something," Haley began softly.

"Are you pregnant?" Rachel asked, hoping to lighten the mood, though she knew that all three of them knew what Haley was about to say. Suddenly, pregnancy didn't seem so undesirable.

Haley gave a small laugh before shaking her head "no." She took a deep breath before she continued. "Nathan proposed to me," she announced.

Brooke and Rachel feigned surprise as best as they could. (Haley had asked Brooke to act surprised, so none of the girls would feel as though she were keeping things from them).

"And I said no," she added.

Rachel's heart dropped. It was one thing to hear about it from Lucas; it was an entirely different sensation hearing it from Haley, herself. "Why?"

Haley sighed. "I wish I could say why, but…all I know is it doesn't feel right. And I don't want to drag him into a one-sided marriage."

"But you guys are staying together, right?" Brooke inquired optimistically.

Haley sighed once more. "I hope so. I moved back today, but…I haven't seen him since he asked me and I turned him down," she explained.

Brooke opened her mouth to make a comment, but at that moment, Peyton stepped out in the next dress. It was a strapless pearl-colored dress. It was a moderately full skirt. The neckline was embellished with beautiful silver detailing. The same detailing was on the hem of the dress, following even through the train. The whole look was pulled together by a matching silver sash, which sat right on Peyton's waist.

"This one is amazing, P. Sawyer," she commented.

Peyton smiled. She turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She seemed to like it. Rachel also thought that it was pretty. Haley, however, was indifferent.

"Hales?" Peyton called out, searching for something from the stoic blonde behind her. "What do you make of this one?"

Haley shrugged. "It's pretty but…it looks off on you. Like, it's nothing I ever pictured you wearing on your wedding day. And you don't like it. You're not driven to tears," she said.

"Hales!" Rachel hissed.

"No, no. She's right. But what if I never find the right one?"

"Peyton, Jake isn't going to care what you're wearing. You could wear a potato sack for a dress and he'd still find you gorgeous in that hideous piece of burlap," Brooke informed her, shuddering at the thought of the brown, drab fabric.

Peyton let a small, enthusiastic smile cross her face. "Really?" she inquired sweetly.

Brooke nodded, pacifying her.

"I'm going to try on another dress, but I do like this one," Peyton told them.

They all nodded, watching as Peyton went off.

Rachel finally turned to Haley. "Please don't shut Nathan out. I know it's hard to deal with something like this when you have so much going on, but he wants nothing more than to help you, Haley," she reminded her.

Brooke piped up. "Rachel is right, Haley. Nathan is a wonderful listener. He's not going to judge you because of what that asshole suggested you do. He'll defend you if Clay ever comes back."

Haley sighed. "It's not just that. It's just…I'm scared. I'm scared of marriage. I've finally gotten over my fear with love, but marriage? It's…harrowing to just think about. It always ends so badly," she explained.

"But it won't end badly, because Nathan actually loves—"

She stopped mid-sentence upon seeing Peyton walkout.

This next dress was it. It was the one.

It was an open-back, sleeveless white dress with lace and a mermaid silhouette. This one was quite flattering. Brooke smiled as soon as she saw this one.

Haley bit her lip to keep from squealing as she saw Peyton. She forgot about what they were just talking about and focused all her envy on how beautiful Peyton looked.

"This is it, Peyton. I swear," Haley announced.

Peyton turned around and looked into the mirror. Even without the makeup and the hair and everything, she had to admit, the scene was like something out of fairytale little girls dreamed about as soon as they could grasp the concept of a princess. Her consultant quickly went to go get an artificial bouquet of roses and a veil for Peyton to try on.

"Now, that's a dress."

Haley walked in the door, breathing in the scent of pine needles.

Haley slipped into something more comfortable and made some tea with honey. She sat on the couch, watching TV absentmindedly until she heard the door open.

Her tea was practically drained, so it didn't matter when she placed the cup haphazardly on her lap. She turned to look at Nathan.

"You're back," he said, not containing his smile.

She gave a slight smile and nodded. "I'm back," she repeated.

"So…does this mean…?" he began, not wanting to insinuate too much, for fear of making her run again.

"I want to make things work. But I'm not entirely sure I'll ever be ready to be that serious, Nathan," she said gently.

No matter how softly, how quietly, how sweetly she said it, it would always break his heart into a thousand pieces. "So you never see anything more than us just being boyfriend and girlfriend?" he inquired.

She sighed. "Nathan…I…I don't know. I just have so much going on right now with the wedding and Lindsey and—"

"What about her?"

Haley bit her lip. Nathan caught onto her worry and sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her small frame and hoping to comfort her. "Haley, has she talked to you recently?"

She didn't know how to respond. Yes, and she wanted to carry your adorable, blue-eyed babies. No, perhaps Yes, and I'm pretty sure she'd like it very much if I dropped dead so she can claim you as hers, and maybe this time, she'll actually succeed in deceiving you and conceiving your adorable, blue-eyed babies.

Ugh, Haley! What is with you and these Nathan-Lindsey babies? It's almost like you want it to happen.

"Haley?" Nathan inquired, seeing that there was something clearly very off about her.

"I can't lie, she has, and she's told me a lot about your relationship, and it makes me uncomfortable. I know about you getting very close to proposing, and that, on top of my last failed engagement, and just my pragmatic, pessimistic view on love all equates to me not being ready to do this," Haley explained.

Nathan laughed, finding her in this frazzled state to be adorable. "Can you please just come here? I've missed you. And you know what? If that's all you ever want to be, I'm fine with it. I'll take as much of you as I can get. I can't imagine my life without Haley anymore," he insisted.

Haley smiled before kissing him on the lips.

Brooke pulled out a purple gel pen as she began to jot down notes in Haley's wedding planning book. The golden blonde in question was taking the day off from being the maid-of-honour to play not-housewife (or as Brooke liked to describe it, pacify her boyfriend for a day so the subject of marriage wouldn't come up again. That usually involved a lot of sweet talks, maybe some dirty talk, and maybe even sex. Brooke figured that Nathan would probably just take the day with Haley and be pleased. He was so sweet), which meant that Brooke was filling in.

She sat across from the bride, groom, and their daughter, while her own boyfriend was playing something on his phone. Brooke kicked him in order to get him to put away the phone.

"So, first thing's first; when have you decided you want to get married?" Brooke asked, readying her pen over the silky, creamy pages in the book.

Jake and Peyton exchanged a glance before Peyton answered. "We really want to get married on the twenty-fifth of May," she answered.

Brooke nodded. "May twenty-fifth. That's a nice summer—"

"It's the twenty-fifth of May, and it's still spring," Peyton interrupted tersely.

Brooke had honestly never seen her friend get so worked up over a date, so she just nodded, continuing. "Okay, then. Um…have you had any thought as to where you'd like to have the wedding?"

"We're still not really sure. What do you think, Brooke?" she asked sweetly.

Brooke raised an eyebrow, as did Lucas, whose attention was now caught by the tension between the two women. "I don't know?" she said cautiously. "Isn't that something you and Jake should discuss?" she inquired.

Jake took Peyton's hand. "I told her that it doesn't really matter to me. I'm fine with whatever she wants."

It took everything in Brooke's being not to swoon at Jake's sweetness (despite Peyton's bitchiness). "Luke, you should really take notes from Jake and Nathan," she teased.

Lucas was about to formulate a smart-ass reply, but his girlfriend cut him off. "Okay, so we'll sidebar the venue for now. The next thing she wrote down…" Brooke's eyes scanned down the big checklist Haley gave her. "How many people are you thinking of inviting?" she asked.

"We wanted to keep it pretty small. Friends and family, right?" Peyton asked, looking over at Jake, who nodded in agreement.

"You guys are too cute," Brooke commented. Lucas rolled his eyes slightly. Luckily for him, Peyton and Brooke never noticed.

Haley took a calm sip of coffee and put it down as soon as she saw Nathan walk up to her.

"Do you want to have breakfast together?"

Haley nodded with a small smile crossing her face. "Sure."

Several minutes later, Haley cleared her throat as she watched Nathan prepare them both breakfast. "We need to talk about what you asked me before I left," she announced.

He sighed. "Haley, we don't have to talk about it at all—"

"No, we do. I need you to understand that I'm not saying no because of you. I feel like you still don't get it. None of this has to do with you. It's all because of me, okay? I can't deal with being married on top of Lindsey and Clay—"

"What exactly about Clay? You said it was your last engagement, but—"

"You're not convinced," she filled in for him. He just nodded. "I know. That's because it's not the truth."

He looked at her, puzzled.

"It's not the whole truth, anyway. I mean, our engagement does bother me, but he's been back recently…" Haley began, trailing off.

Nathan looked at Haley expectantly. Hoping she'd finish her sentence. "What do you mean by 'he's been back recently?" he asked anxiously.

Haley bit her lip. "I may or may not have seen him recently…about our son," she said.

"Is that all? He's been asking you about him?"

"Well…" she began, "there's more. He kind of…um…"

Nathan stared at her as Haley attempted to choke out the rest of it.

"He might've…asked me…um…" She looked up at Nathan's pleading, curious eyes. She sighed turning away from him. "He asked me if I would have a baby with him."

Silence. It was dead silence, except for the sound of eggs sizzling in the frying pan.

Finally, he spoke. "So, let me get this straight: your ex-fiancé, who you found cheating on you, came into this apartment—our apartment—and asked you to have a child with him?" he questioned evenly, but Haley could tell that his blood was boiling.

"Basically," she answered meekly. She observed him, trying to decide on how angry he was. "Nathan, don't do something you're going to regret."

"But Hales—"

"Nathan," she interrupted in a warning tone, "don't you dare confront him about this. I'm dealing with it."

"Then why are you so calm? Haley, this is a really big deal. He's arrogant and an ass and…are you okay?"

She shrugged. "I mean, it fazed me, but once I got over the initial shock and told him off, it didn't really bother me. Except for when he continues to call me."

Haley!

"He's still bothering you?" he demanded.

"Nathan—"

"No, Haley. This is serious. He's harassing you, and you're basically letting him get away with it. Why won't you do something or at least let me do something?"

She let out a bitter laugh. "Like that's a better idea. I let you do something and then I'll be charged for solicitation of murder," she said.

"You can at least go to the police," he suggested.

"And tell them what?" she demanded. "I don't think he's actually breaking any laws yet," she reminded him.

"Obscene phone calls are a misdemeanour, I think. You could at least get a restraining order," he suggested.

She looked up at him somewhat sadly. "Do you really think that if he's that determined to have a baby, a piece of paper is really going to keep him away?"

The thought of Haley having another baby with Clay made him sick. "You're not doing it, right?"

Haley stared at him with her mouth agape. "Now it's my turn to ask you: are you out of your freaking mind? Why in the world would I want to have a baby with him?"

He shrugged meekly, looking down and away from her. "I don't know…I just thought…maybe you have baby fever or something."

"So I would ask you if you wanted to have a baby, not him," she replied.

He looked up at her, really happy with her answer. Soon, another thought crossed his mind. "Wait, you don't want a child right now, do you?"

She looked at him for a moment. "Yeah, I want kids. Like fifty. Right this second. I think maybe I should go rob an orphanage or something now," she answered sarcastically.

"I'd appreciate less of the sarcasm," he responded as he finished cooking their breakfast.

"I'm sorry, but it's just a Haley-trait. I can't shake it. It's like second nature," she retorted with a smile.

"I don't know about you, but I am very worried about Haley and Nathan," Brooke said absentmindedly as she watched Peyton shuffle through racks of bridesmaid dresses. Brooke thought they ranged from atrocious to hideous to downright repulsive.

Peyton nodded. "I am, too. And poor Nathan. I know Hales is going through a lot but she's pushing away the one person who would do anything in the world for her. She needs him. He needs her," she said.

"Poor Haley! I know Nathan is going through a lot, but God is Haley going through hell and back. She's getting harassed by her ex-boyfriend and her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend and now she has to plan your wedding."

Peyton looked back at Brooke, her eyebrow raised.

"Bless your heart, Peyton, but I already want to kill you and I've been filling in for Haley for like two hours. She has to deal with you for another six months," she explained.

Peyton accepted this. "I'm just worried that she's going to push him away to the point of no return. He's a golden retriever, but his loyalty will only go so far. And then, Haley will be even more devastated. We have to get her to realize he's the only one who will help her out of this rut," she explained.

"This is just a phase; it'll pass, eventually," Brooke agreed.

"But we have to hope it'll pass before he leaves."

Brooke felt her stomach do a bit of a somersault before she turned back to what Peyton was focusing on. "So what do you think you're going to put us in?"

Peyton sighed. "Well, the detailing on my dress is silver, so I thought that the main colours in our wedding would be silver and navy. I'll be in silver and white. I want to find Anna a cute little navy flower girl dress with a silver bow or something like that. And then, for you girls, I want you all to be in navy dresses."

Brooke smiled. "Well, this is certainly my even. What kinds of dresses do you think you'll put us in?" she asked.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I was thinking about putting you all in different dresses, but the same colour. I know how you find being in the same dress as someone else is a fashion faux pas, and I kind of hoped it would please you," she told Brooke.

The brunette nodded in approval. "I like it, Peyton. You know, I think you're learning a thing or two from me. Are you going to let us pick out our own dresses, or are you going to basically pick them out for the four of us?" she asked.

"I think I'll give you guys guidelines and then I'll just give my stamp of approval," Peyton said.

Brooke smiled. Okay, maybe Peyton wasn't such a nightmare after all.

Haley sat, watching the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet. She was cuddled in a blanket as she watched the iconic balcony scene.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East…and Juliet is the sun."

Haley turned to see Nathan standing behind her. "I didn't know you quoted Shakespeare to make girls swoon," she said, trying to ignore the color rising to her cheeks.

"Who said I was trying to make you swoon?" he teased. "I'm kidding; I am."

She shook her head. "Be still, my heart," she answered sarcastically.

"Do I have to recite the whole scene for you to be impressed?" he inquired.

She paused the movie, shifting her body so she was staring at him. "If you can quote even fifteen lines of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, I will do whatever you want me to do."

He looked at her, deciding whether or not to take this bet. "Okay, fine." He cleared his throat before proceeding:

"Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief

That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

Be not her maid since she is envious

Her vestal livery is but sick and green,

And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off.

It is my lady. O, it is my love!

O, that she knew she were!

She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that?

Her eye discourses; I will answer it.

I am too bold. 'Tis not to me she speaks.

Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,

Having some business, do entreat her eyes

To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

The brightness of the cheek would shame those stars

As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven

Would through the airy region stream so bright

That birds would sing and think it were not night.

See how she leans her cheek upon her hand.

O, that I were a glove upon that hand,

That I might touch that cheek."

Haley was glad she was sitting, or she may have fainted as he placed his hand on her cheek.

"Ay me."

"O, speak again, bright angel," he added for good measure.

She nodded numbly, impressed that he quoted Romeo so effortlessly. "What do you want?"

He thought about it for a moment. There were so many things he'd love to force Spencer into doing for his own amusement, but there was one thing he really wanted right then and there.

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take."

Before she could question it, she felt his lips upon hers. It was a very chaste kiss.

"Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged," he whispered to her.

She blushed, playing along. "Then have my lips the sin that they have took," she responded.

"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged!" She couldn't help but laugh at his dramatization. "Give me my sin again," he pleaded.

Obediently, she did as she was told. "You kiss by th' book," she said softly, quoting Juliet again.

"Would you like me to stop?" he asked, finally breaking character.

She was still before she shook her head. "Not at all."

She embraced him willingly, hearing his heartbeat. She had missed him so much and was just happy to be back. She was hoping things would finally go back to the way they were.

Haley touched the soft sheets enveloping her and her boyfriend gingerly. She looked over her shoulder at him, to find he was still sleeping sweetly. Whispers of a smile played on her lips. She pecked him on the cheek, waking him up.

"Hales? What are you doing up so early?" he asked, his voice half an octave lower and raspy due to him being only half-awake.

"Early? It's already nine," she commented, glancing briefly at the clock.

"I don't wake up until ten on the weekends," he replied.

She scoffed. "Well, excuse me for wanting to go out with my very sexy boyfriend for breakfast before noon."

"You want to go out?" he asked.

"Or stay in—it really doesn't matter. I just want to eat breakfast with you," she said.

He sighed after he glanced at the clock. "Give me fifteen minutes to take a shower and stop sleep-walking."

She smiled in victory.

Lindsey stared at the box of memories before her. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.

She let out a shaky breath as she recalled all of the memories. On the top was a sweatshirt she had kept from him. She held it close to her as some kind of calming act. She proceeded to sift through old memories.

The next thing near the top of the contents was a framed photo of the two of them, which one of their friends likely took. All of her friends would usually comment on them being such a good looking couple. While she didn't disagree, she was certain which one of them was more attractive.

Setting that aside, she went on in the box, taking out a black journal. Well, it wasn't just a journal. It also had a calendar in it. She recalled telling him several times that she was going to a friend's place when she was really heading to the OB/GYN, who would give her tips on how to increase her fertility. She wrote down all the tips, the dietary suggestions, and the things to avoid in that book, along with marking the days where she was at peak fertility.

She put it aside. She also pulled out cards and letters from him. All of them were sweet and probably completely cheesy, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Thinking about it more, this was probably what she missed the most about him, and this was what she wanted back. She wanted back that hopeless romantic.

Unfortunately, it had been too little too late. His heart had already been claimed by someone else. She knew it was wrong, but she felt betrayed. He wanted to marry her. Spend the rest of his life with her. Now, he was ready to take such a leap of faith with someone else?

The more she thought of his new girlfriend, the more her blood boiled. She knew that this new girl had never done anything to her, except prevent her relationship with Nathan. But jealousy bubbled within her. She wanted whatever it was Nathan so lusted for in Haley.

What kind of name was that, anyway? Haley.

Lindsey tugged at her dirty blonde hair, holding her head in her hands. Her head began to pound the more and more she thought of them, so happy together.

What even possessed her to say no, anyway? She had been so stupid! He was wrapped around her finger; he was hers right then and there. She had the perfect opportunity and she blew it.

Now it was all over.

Her thoughts brightened as she remembered. There would always be a special place for Lindsey in Nathan's heart. She was certain of that.

Haley poured herself a glass of water when the phone went off. When she saw who was calling, she was very mad Nathan wasn't home.

"What do you want?" she answered venomously. She knew if she didn't answer, he wouldn't stop calling.

"Hey, Haley!" he began eagerly.

"You can cut the crap, Clay. What do you want?" she repeated.

He sighed. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"About your proposal? No, thank you."

She was about to hang up before Clay cut her off. "Wait, Haley! Please don't. I'm not going to talk to you about…what I asked you before."

She didn't hang up, but she didn't speak for a moment. "I'm listening," she said finally.

"I just want to talk. And I want to apologize, too. Can we meet up somewhere?"

She crossed her arms. She wondered whether she should talk things out with him and let him apologize. Then again, she knew if she said no, he would probably harangue her to no end. It was probably better to get this over with now.

"Well, when do you want to meet?" she asked.

Haley spotted him sitting by himself. She reluctantly and cautiously made his way toward Clay, who was sitting solemnly, waiting for her. She sighed as she sat down across from him. She wasn't here to play games.

"You were really vague on the phone; what exactly did you want to talk about?"

"I kind of wanted to talk about you and me."

Haley tensed at that immediately. She wasn't really prepared or expecting to talk about this. "What about you and me?" she asked cautiously.

"How we broke up…why we broke up," he said.

"We broke up because you were cheating on me, with dozens of different women," she answered belligerently.

He sighed. "Alcoholism?"

She looked at him with surprise. "Alcoholism? Are you trying to tell me you're an alcoholic?"

He shrugged. "Not exactly. I mean, you know I had a problem with alcohol."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Well, I saw a therapist and I haven't had a drink in a while. I don't know if you noticed it, but I tried not to drink when you were around," he said weakly.

"It didn't keep you from drinking altogether," she countered.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know." He ran his hands through his hair. "What am I supposed to do, Hales? I just know anything I try to tell you will be in vain, anyway. You found someone else. I can't take back the things I did to hurt you."

She was silent for a moment, her expression unchanging. "No, you can't. Out of everyone in my life, you're the person who hurt me the most, because I trusted you and I was ready to take a vow to be faithful to you forever and you couldn't even hold out for one night. Out of all the disappointments in my life, you were the biggest."

After silence between the two of them, she let out a shaky breath. "But for some reason, I'm going to accept what I think is an apology here. You've…changed. Grown-up, I think."

He nodded. "You leaving really made me think. How did you find out anyway?"

At the moment, Haley realized that Clay wasn't there when she discovered he was cheating. In fact, the last time she saw him prior to when they spoke about their son was when they went on their date in Paris. Haley had found out while he was running something along the lines of an errand.

"I found a girl in your room, wearing next to nothing. I figured that you don't hide business partners in your suite, especially half-naked. I just…threw the ring and got out of there as soon as I could. I left while I knew you'd still be in Paris because…I didn't want to see you. Especially not when I found out…about…about…" she said, beginning to stutter on her words.

"When did you take a test?" he asked quietly.

"While we were in Paris. Right after I found out, actually." She wiped away a runaway tear. "I went to the store to find out for myself. It kind of just solidified what I already knew, which was that I wanted to leave."

He looked more crestfallen than he had in the entire conversation. "You were sure?"

She nodded. "I know that usually makes most people want to stay but—"

"—you're not like most people."

She looked at him in surprise. She nodded. "Yeah. I just knew that I didn't want to be with you, even with the baby. I needed to leave, so I just took my things and was…gone," she explained quietly.

"I still don't get why you left like that. It was like you were never there. You gave me nothing to remember you by."

"Maybe I didn't want to be remembered," she snapped back, anger rising in her voice. "Why did you need to remember me, anyway? You could've turned any of those whores into your wife, so why did you choose me?" she asked bitterly.

"Because there was something special about you," he said.

"It's all a freaking ploy, Clay!" she exclaimed. "It's a ploy," she repeated. "All you're doing is trying to make me believe this bullshit reason why I'm so special. I'm not. I'm just a girl you met in college who you tolerated and your parents liked, whose parents liked you. You decided it would look great on your profile that you have an Ivy League graduate wife who comes from a wealthy family, so I was fit for the job. That's what happened. You don't have to pretend anymore. Stop pretending."

Before he could get a chance to stop her, she was halfway out the door.

This was it.

This was the moment she had been anxiously awaiting for so long. She had been doing everything in her power for this: eating all the right things, countless ovulation tests, making him do the right things, and all for this.

She tore away the brown paper bag, reading the instructions carefully.

After preparing the test, she sat, nervously waiting. It was the longest three minutes ever, but it really allowed her to think.

She had been disappointed before. Several times, actually. Still, she wanted this so much. She wanted a baby. Even though she was a bit anxious about becoming a mother, she still wanted this more than anything.

He would be happy, right?

Yes, she was sure he'd be happy. He was just that kind of person. He'd be a great father; she just knew it. And this baby would be so loved.

She rubbed her stomach, willing for there to be a baby there. Maybe, just maybe she'd get lucky this time. Maybe things would finally go right.

The timer went off, and she anxiously picked up the home pregnancy test.

As she stared at it, she felt tears swelling in her eyes. After so many attempts, she had finally gotten her one wish. She was pregnant, and they would finally be this happy little family she always dreamt about.

I enjoyed reading what you guys liked and did not like about the previous chapters. I apperciate the feedback! I don't know what to say anymore. I kind of feel like this story is starting to drag, but that's just me, and I have like no self-esteem. This is a real issue. For obvious reasons, I didn't make the last section italicized, even though it may just be in the past. I can't disclose. I knew if I did/didn't italicize, it would be kind of obvious as to who the girl in question is (and that's my secret for now). I know I said I wouldn't be updating this story until the end of this week or next week, but I did have some free time today so I took the opportunity and wrote this chapter and the next. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Chapter 17 won't be posted until everything in my life is sorted. Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter. Any sort of feedback is welcome as long as you aren't leaving nasty comments!

naley12: thank you!

thibbs65: yes, yay! I hope Haley does not believe what Lindsey what she's saying. Lindsey seems to be a calculated, and manipulative, ya know? I hope eventually Haley comes to her senses and realize Lindsey doesn't have her best interest at heart. I hope you're not so upset with Haley's answer/decision. I promise one day, Naley will get engaged and married, just not right now, as it is too soon. I can't wait for Jamie either he will make the story far more interesting.

dianehermans: thank god lol. I am glad you don't hate me! Me too, but I hope you enjoyed the bit of brucas we did get in this chapter, more will come soon!

With that being said, I don't know when I'll update next, but hopefully, it is soon.

Thanks for reading! Until next time! ~Sidney