A/N: Thank you for the reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.
Chapter Eighteen
Haley was getting ready to go home for the day when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up and gave Nathan a wide smile. "So how did the doctor's appointment go?" she asked. "Are you going to have a son like you thought you would?"
It had been a couple of weeks since Nathan's and Rachel's conversation about the trade. To Nathan's surprise, Lucas was willing to move back to their old house without complaint. Despite all the memories he had in the house, he had never wanted to move out in the first place. Once Nathan heard that Lucas was willing to cooperate, he arranged the trade with Rachel. They then had spent the next couple of weeks moving things around.
However, there had been a little bit of a complication with Brooke moving in. Nathan had agreed to the arrangement until Lucas and Brooke started dating. He didn't believe that it would be a good idea if they lived in the same house. So Brooke stayed in Haley's house.
Nathan paused for dramatic effect before he announced the news proudly. "Yes, the doctors confirmed that I will have a son."
Haley could see that behind the happy face, he was still sad in some way. "What's wrong?"
Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "As much as I'm thrilled that I'm going to be a father, I wish my mom and stepdad were here to celebrate the news with me. My mom would have loved being a grandmother. She couldn't wait until I had kids. I just didn't think I would follow in my parents' footsteps by divorcing. At least both of them were willing to settle their differences and focus on raising me."
Haley tried to cheer him up. "You don't need Rachel. There are plenty of other people who are willing to help you raise your son," she replied. Nathan knew that she had a point. "So how are you planning to celebrate this wonderful news?"
Nathan gave her a wide smile. "I want to take you, Lucas and Brooke out to dinner tonight." Haley tried to smile in return. However, he could see that she was hesitant about her answer. "Don't worry. It's not a date. It's just two friends going out to celebrate." He then noticed Haley's face. "What's wrong?"
"You're going to have to go without me," Haley told him. "I have other plans tonight."
Nathan was about to respond when they heard a knock at the door. He turned around to see who it was and was surprised to see Clay. He had never shown up at the school before. Nathan was about to ask him the reason he was there when he came to a realization. He finally managed to find his voice. "You two are dating? When did this happen?" he asked, trying to hide his disappointment.
"It happened right after the Christmas holidays," Clay told him. "Haley wanted to keep our relationship private. I completely understood since I don't like rumors and gossip myself. We're sorry that we didn't tell you sooner, but you were so busy with your big move and Rachel."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Nathan told him. He knew that it was best to change the subject. "I know you two have plans tonight, but I would love it if you guys can join us for the celebration." Clay looked at him confused. "I found out that I'm going to have a son."
Clay gave him a smile. "Congratulations. And the dinner sounds like fun. Just tell us the name of the restaurant and we'll meet you there." He then turned to Haley. "Is that okay with you? I'll take us out to eat another time."
Haley nodded in agreement. They then exchanged good-byes before Nathan left the room. He didn't want to stay there any longer. He went to the gym where his players were waiting for him. Nathan focused on getting them prepared for the upcoming game. He knew that was the only way to get his mind off the disappointment that Haley was dating someone else.
After practice was finally over, Lucas quickly changed his clothes before he helped his brother clean up. "I take it that you asking out Ms. James didn't go so well," Lucas asked him. "Did she make that same old excuse again? Or did you chicken out?"
Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "I don't want this to get around school, but Ms. James is already dating someone else." Lucas looked at him surprised. "It's Clay."
Lucas couldn't believe his ears. He never thought that Ms. James would end up with Clay Evans. "How the hell did that happen? And why the hell would she choose Clay over you?"
"Because I took too long in asking her out," Nathan replied. "But maybe it's for the best. After all, we are coworkers. It wouldn't be right for us to go out with each other. After all, you're her student. And so are most of your friends. You might want special treatment because your brother is dating your teacher."
"I wouldn't," Lucas insisted before he had a thought. "But Tim and the others probably would." He then realized that he just proved Nathan's point. "I still think you should ask her out once she is available again."
Nathan tried not to laugh. "What is with you trying to get me and Ms. James together? Why is she better than Rachel?"
Lucas gave him a look. "You know why. She hasn't lied to you like Rachel did. I'm surprised it took you this long enough to figure out that she was only after our money. I can't wait until you get rid of her for good. It's too bad that it won't be until way after Jamie is born. He will be attending preschool by the time the divorce is finalized."
"Our divorce won't take that long," Nathan assured him. "As long as Rachel still agrees to our arrangement, the divorce will be finalized in a few months."
"Do you really think she won't try to sue you for custody again?" Lucas asked.
"Rachel isn't the one who we should worry about," Nathan replied. "It's her mother. I've tried telling her that she will have plenty of chances to visit her grandson, but she doesn't believe me."
Lucas groaned. "So even if Rachel doesn't want custody, I would still have to spend the holidays with her mother?"
Nathan laughed. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. But it will only be a few times a year. So that's not so bad. You can do that for your nephew, right?" Lucas nodded his head. "Good. Now go and spend some time with your girl. I can finish up." Lucas gave his brother a grateful smile before he said good-bye and left the gym.
That evening, the five of them had dinner together before Nathan and Haley allowed Lucas and Brooke to leave and go off on their own. They promised to be back home by curfew. Clay waited until they were gone before speaking. "Lucas has done quite the turnaround, hasn't he?"
The two guardians nodded in agreement. "They both have," Haley replied. There was an awkward silence before Haley spoke again. "Well, I should get going too. I have a lot of work to do and I want to check on Jewel and Roxy. I'll see you two later." She quickly said good-bye before she left the table.
Clay noticed the look on Nathan's face. "Are you okay?" he asked his friend. "You don't seem like yourself."
"I'm fine," Nathan quickly replied. "I just had a long day."
Clay wasn't buying it. "Are you still upset that I didn't tell you about dating Haley right away?" There was no chance for a response as he continued. "I'm really sorry about that, but Haley wanted her privacy. She is already dealing with crap from her boss, but then you already know that."
Nathan shook his head. "It's not that." He tried to come up with a legitimate excuse. "It's just that I don't think you are right for Haley."
Clay tried not to laugh. "Look, I know that her last boyfriend was a jerk, but I know how to look after her." Nathan started rambling on about the differences between Haley and Clay when his friend stopped him. "Whoa, it sounds like to me that you don't want me to date Haley." Nathan was about to deny it when his friend gave him a look.
Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "You're right. I don't," he admitted, avoiding admitting his true feelings about his friend.
Clay was about to respond when he came to a realization. "You wanted to ask Haley out on a date, didn't you?" He again didn't let Nathan respond. "If I would have known that, I wouldn't have asked her out."
"It's not your fault. I was under the impression that she was still trying to get over Julian," Nathan replied. "And I just got separated from Rachel. It wouldn't look good if I was dating Haley already. Besides, we're coworkers. It would be bad if we were dating. And I don't think she feels the same way about me."
"I can always ask her for you," Clay reminded him. "And I promise that I will be subtle."
Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So you're going to ask your girlfriend how she feels about another man? I don't think so. Just forget I said anything. She is obviously happy and that is all what matters for me." He changed the subject and Clay knew that he wasn't willing to talk about it any longer.
The next day, Haley was taking Jewel for her afternoon walk when she saw a familiar car in her driveway. She wasn't happy when she saw that it was her boss. She didn't know why she was there, but she knew that the conversation wasn't going to be good. However, Haley was prepared to fight for Brooke.
Haley took a deep breath before she walked up to her house. She gave her guest a friendly smile as Victoria turned to her. "Victoria, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you today?"
"I'll just cut to the chase. I would like to have my daughter returned to me," Victoria replied. She didn't even let Haley protest. "Everything has been checked out and I'm allowed to have my daughter back. And if you refuse to cooperate, I will do well on my threat."
Haley wasn't planning to back down. She glared at her. "Then do your worst because I'm not letting Brooke go home with you."
"Well, I guess that you should start looking for another job then because you're fired," Victoria told her. "And after I win the court case against you, you won't be allowed anywhere near my daughter ever again."
Victoria was about to leave when Haley spoke again. "You don't scare me, Victoria. You may think you have the whole town on your side, but you really don't. And once everyone realizes the monster that you are, you won't have anyone left except the people who you have paid off."
"As I said before, you don't have any proof that I have abused Brooke," Victoria replied. "Even if you did, Brooke will never testify against me. Neither will anyone else. So I wish you luck in trying to find anybody who wants to go up against me. I'll see you in court." She didn't say anything else as she returned to her vehicle. Haley just watched her drive off before she went into the house. She attended to Jewel for a minute before she grabbed her phone. She had some phone calls to make.
