Kinda a long one... enjoy!
Chapter 15: Crazy Little Thing
The summer breeze swept in threw the open bedroom window, and the smell of light rain wafted in. Her carefully chosen ivory curtains fanned out from the disturbance before they gently settled back down. She stirred as she felt the humid rush of wind blow her wild hair into her face. She noticed the sheets she had washed the day before surrounded her mostly naked body, and the scattered articles of clothing they had been wearing the day before.
"Momma? Daddy made us food." The curly brunette four year old whispered from the doorway. She balanced a bowl of cereal with two spoons in her two small hands, touching her tongue to her upper lip in concentration.
"Mmm, Lucky Charms huh?" She stretched and pulled the blankets over her body. "Come sit up here with me, baby."
Nathan came in shortly after the small girl, clutching his own bowl of cereal. "How great did I do at cooking?"
Haley whispered into her daughters ear and nodded in agreement, "We approve. Doughnuts would have been better though."
"Well, I felt like cereal." He defended as he sat down on the bed next to them.
Haley once again whispered in her daughter's ear and they giggled happily, "You were just to lazy to go to the store." She accused correctly.
He kept quiet and focused his intentions on eating his breakfast, moments later he mumbled, "It's raining..."
"Excuses, excuses." She shook her head, smiling. He tilted his head to the side and gazed at her lovingly.
Megan looked up between both of her parents, "Dis is boring. I'm gonna go color." She hopped off the bed and ran out of the room.
Nathan smirked, "Mmm, alone at last." He moved his body closer to hers and trailed warm kisses down her bare neck.
"What time did you wake up this morning?" She giggled quietly.
"Too early." He mumbled into her neck. She took their bowls and put them on her bedside table. "I'm still hungry..."
"Your bowl was empty though." She declared, confusion etched into her face.
He smirked again, "Hungry for you." He wrapped his arms around her and in one swift motion, he flipped her on top of him.
"She's just two rooms away, Nate." She scolded.
"We can be quiet." He crushed his lips to hers.
-.-
"Life is really perfect for us, isn't it?" Lucas whispered, tucking a strand of his wife's hair behind her ear. They sat curled up on their oversized chair watching some romantic movie that normally she would have loved. Today, however, not so much. Brooke rolled her eyes and pushed away his hand.
"Yeah Luke, because barfing up my breakfast and then getting too dizzy to finish my research paper is what I call perfect." She bit back sarcastically. Lately, she found herself getting more and more annoyed at every little thing he did. Didn't he understand the theory of personal space anymore?
He sighed, "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that we're lucky. We have each other forever, and a baby on the way." He cooed into her ear and it made her extremely irritated.
"Whatever, Lucas. Just watch the stupid movie." She shook her head.
He sent her a questioning glance before placing his hand on her stomach and went back to watching the movie. She looked down angrily at his hand over her expanding abdomen. For a while, she just gritted her teeth and tried to fight the infuriation welling inside of her. Normal Brooke didn't get upset over her husband's hands over her body. In fact, Normal Brooke loved it. Yet, it was becoming increasingly evident she was not her normal self. Trying as hard as she could, Brooke couldn't ignore it and focus her attention on the sappy movie in front of them.
Apparently, Lucas could, which fueled her anger even more. In the movie he was so intently watching, the man -who she observed had the 'I'm going for the just woke up look, after a few hours of getting ready' look- kissed the rather unfortunate looking woman very passionately. Brooke found it repulsive. She looked over at Lucas who was back to staring at her dreamily. He must have gotten her death glare mixed up with her mischievous smile or something because he emulated the movie and went in for a deep kiss. Brooke wasn't having it and pushed him forcefully away.
"I need to be alone," she threw over her shoulder as she stomped off, "don't wait up."
Lucas cursed and let out an angry, extended breath as he let his head drop back onto the chair. He sat like that for a while before he decided to call the office. His two month break was coming to an end and on July 15th he'd be back to catering to whiny college ball players every need and being hassled by their pushy parents.
Immediately, he wished he hadn't called. Joshua Hallenbeck was Duke's number one prospect for next year. He was just entering his senior year of high school this fall and already schools from all over the country were bowing at his Nike clad feet. According to his boss, Joshua was leaning toward the Purdue University, which of course put all of the blame on him.
"He's from around here, I'll bet half my paycheck that this kid has been dreaming to go to Duke since he was in diapers." Lucas grunted into the phone.
"He lives closer to UNC and besides, that's no indication of where he wants to go now! Get on it Scott!" His boss snarled on the other side.
"Come on, Kevin. I just got married, and I'm not supposed to start work for another few weeks." Lucas pleaded, sounding extremely desperate and a lot like the whiny high school players he works with.
"So? We all have our personal crap at home. My youngest just got married to a man that I hate, but that doesn't mean I'm complaining to Coach K! Pull it together, son!" Lucas heard the click of the phone then a dial tone. Why had he called again?
-.-.
"Peyton?" Jake's voice called to her threw the bathroom door, "Are you taking Jenny with you?"
"Mmm Hmm." Came Peyton's muffled response as she tried to apply her favorite lipstick: Luscious Rose. "If you need me too."
"If you don't mind. Lucas called for an emergency game of pick up or something, and Jenny's too tired from being up so late last night to run around the Rivercourt." He said, searching hopelessly for something to put on. "Where are all of my basketball shorts?"
"I did the laundry this morning." She told him. He rolled his eyes.
"So what am I supposed to wear!"
Behind the door, Peyton shrugged. "Pull something out of the washer and put it in the dryer."
"Great, just great." He mumbled.
She shook her head. "Don't get angry at me because you let your dirty clothes pile up." She heard their bedroom door slam and she bit back her laugh. Men. Wasn't it raining anyways? Why would anyone want to play basketball in the rain? Stepping out of the bathroom, she went to her closet and pulled on her jeans and an old black and white band tee. For the fifth time that morning, the phone rang.
"Hey Brooke." Peyton dead panned into the phone.
"God, you sound so excited." Brooke's voice bit out on the other end.
"Brooke, sweetie, this is the fourth time you have called. Now I'm sorry you and Lucas are fighting, but can you please stop calling me?"
"P. Sawyer! Your best friend is in need of you and all you can think of is yourself!" Brooke cried.
"Brooke, I'll meet you in the mall, like planned, at one o'clock. Until then, leave me alone. It's only an hour." Peyton hung up the phone and knew she probably would hear about that for the rest of the day, but she really didn't have the time to listen to her complain if she was going to meet her at the mall. "Jenny! Get dressed!"
-.-.
"Meg?" An excited male voice whispered behind her. She swivelled around in her seat and a wide grin spread across her face.
"What did ya get me!" She whispered back, although unsure why they were whispering, as she ran into his embrace.
He shook his head. "I haven't even unpacked yet, don't be so greedy." She scolded playfully and she gave him a very confused grin.
"I forgot you don't know what that means. Alright, uh. Greedy means always trying to get more, I guess." She nodded to signal that it was good enough of an explanation.
"Momma's sweeping. I'm apposed to be napping too." A serious look crossed her face, baby face. "Shh. Don't tell."
The man chuckled. "I won't. How about we go downstairs and make some lunch. Airplane food tastes like feet, not that I'd know what feet taste like, but I imagine something like airplane food." Megan took the man's much larger hand and followed him down the stairs.
"Ya think momma will be mad?" She asked innocently.
Now it was his turn to look confused, "About what?"
"You don't cook so good. You get messy. Momma don't like messeies."
The man laughed again. "We can order a pizza then." The young girl clinging to his hand had to fast walked to keep up with his long strides.
Megan nodded feverishly. "Yes, yes, yes!" She squealed.
"Shh! Meg, don't wake your mom." He quieted her and she cowered and put a finger to her mouth.
"Sowry."
He ordered the pizza, took her hand again, and led her to the couch.
-.-.
Jake stepped out of his car and immediately wondered why he was here. The light drizzle hit him and made him instantly feel disgusting. Why was it that a hard rain felt better than a mist?
"Hey man." Jake and Lucas greeted each other.
"Dude. It's raining, why in the hell did you call me out here?" Jake complained, he really didn't feel like getting sick.
Lucas sighed, "I didn't realize it was raining when I called. It's just... Brooke's been acting weird today. She keeps getting really angry at me, pretty much for nothing. I don't understand."
"She's pregnant." Jake stated the obvious, unsure of what exactly Lucas didn't understand.
Lucas nodded. "I know, I know. I just feel so helpless though, ya know?"
It was then that Jake started to laugh. "Yeah, I do know. You just gotta roll with it."
"You're laughing at me." Lucas scoffed. "Some friend you are."
Jake laughed harder, "Spread the word, dinner tonight at the café. Think you can manage that without feeling helpless, Luke?" He howled, unsure of exactly why it was so funny to him, and got back into his car, leaving a stunned and slightly angry Lucas in the rain.
-.-.
"Peyton!" Brooke complained, "I want this dress!" She was starting to act like a petulant child, stomping and banging around, and Peyton had just about had enough. She had Jenny, and that was enough.
"Yes, and you can get it when you buy maternity clothes like we came for." Peyton told her, taking the slinky green dress from Brooke's clutches. The store screamed party girls and Peyton wondered why Brooke wasn't embracing what she was about to become: a mother.
"Fine." Brooke mumbled, stalking out of the store. Peyton grabbed Jenny's hand and set down the dress.
"Come on Jenny, " Peyton whispered. "Aunt Brooke is going to keep us in shape with all of this running around."
They entered a maternity store and Brooke stood in the doorway. "THIS is what I have to wear?" She asked, disgusted at the thought.
"Brooke?" Peyton stopped her, grabbed her shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "What in the world is wrong with you?"
Brooke smiled weakly. "How good of chance is it that if I say 'nothing' you'll believe me?"
"Less than zero."
Brooke took Peyton's hand who quickly reached for Jenny and she led them to a couch near the dressing rooms. "I'm not sure. It's just like, at first I was scared about the baby, then I was super excited. And now, I get angry every time I'm reminded about it. God, that sounds so horrible." Brooke bit her lip to keep from crying. Peyton shook her head.
"Nah, it doesn't. You're just scared." Peyton had always been her rock. Thank god for best friends.
Brooke's voice shook, "Wwhat if I can't be a mother, Peyton? What if I'm not good enough?"
Peyton laughed airily. "Trust me. You can. Being a mother, it's hard, yeah, but everyone messes up. Remember Jenny's hair cutting fiasco last year? All you really have to do is love them, unconditionally. And you B. Scott, are very good at loving." Peyton said, and Brooke chuckled. "What? Why are you laughing?"
"'You are very good at loving,' do you know how sexually that sounds?"
Peyton wiggled her eye brows at her. "So?" She said in a deep, manly voice.
"Ew. P. Sawyer, I'm married! I can't do those things with you anymore!" Brooke said, trying to keep a straight face and not break the joke. Ah, but she couldn't. The girls broke out in a howl of laughter and many expectant mothers gave them confused and lingering stares.
"Come on, let's do some damage on your credit card bill."
-.-.
After receiving Lucas's phone call, Nathan pressed a kiss on Haley's forehead and got dressed. He looked in Megan's bedroom and a rush of panic flew over him when he found it empty. "Megan! Meg?" He called into the house. He took the stairs two at a time and was relieved to hear the television on in the family room. However, he was surprised to find a man he didn't know holding her while they shoved pizza in each other's face.
"Hi daddy!" Megan chirped excitedly and Nathan saw the man tense.
"Hey, Meg." He called back, keeping his eyes on the man the entire time.
The man nodded, "You're Nathan?" He stood, licked pizza sauce off of his lips, and extended his hand. "I'm Owen, Haley's brother."
Nathan wasn't sure if he should be worried. "Hey, yeah, I'm Nathan." He confirmed tentatively, shaking his hand.
"Don't screw it up." Owen told him simply, but Nathan had understood.
"I love her." He replied.
Owen nodded. "I figured." So, apparently Owen wasn't much for talking. "Want some pizza?"
"Yeah, sure. Lucas called though, we're all having dinner together at Karen's Café at seven." Nathan informed him dutifully.
Owen shrugged, "I eat a lot. I'm going to go unpack."
He left Megan and Nathan alone and for a moment Nathan felt extremely uncomfortable. He felt like he was suddenly unneeded. The little blue eyed girl looked up at him expectantly and he smiled.
"Do you like Uncle Owen, daddy?" Megan asked, mouth full of pizza.
Nathan sat down next to her on the couch and grabbed a slice, "I don't really know him."
They sat and watched the television for a while, a calm rushing over the both of them, "You and mommy swept a lot today. Is mommy still sweeping?"
"Yeah she is. We were tired. Did you nap well?"
The small brunette broke out into giggles. "Yeah."
He looked over at her and smirked knowingly, "You didn't fall asleep, did you?"
She shook her head, "Uncle Owen came. We watched tv. I like him."
"You should, he's your uncle."
She nodded and fell silent again for a moment. "Do you like mommy?"
He looked up at her in complete surprise. He considered the question, unsure of how she felt about them. "Yeah, I really do."
"Does she like you?" She asked again, snuggling closer to him.
"Yes, she does." He confirmed, eying her carefully.
Megan yawned, "Good. I like mommy and you." A wide, goofy grin spread across his face and he kissed the top of his daughter's head.
"So do I. So do I." He whispered to himself.
-.-.
"And so the man says, "Yeah, I do want the car, in chocolate with vanilla interior." I look around and I say, "Hey buddy, this is a dealership, not an ice cream parlor." Dan's joke was apparently funny if you heard the whole thing because the table roared with laughter as Haley and Nathan walk in hand in hand, followed by Owen carrying Megan. The laughter died down and everyone greeted them.
"Owen. How've you been?" Lucas asks, standing up to reach across the table and shake his hand.
He nods, "I'm still living aren't I?"Lucas laughs, that's a very Owen answer. Unpredictable as ever, the fourth eldest James child comes and goes as he pleases, and certainly never upholds any rules or laws. Even for a twenty nine year old lawyer.
"Everyone ready to eat?" Karen asks and the greeting rustle settles down. They order their usual and Peyton takes the time to look around at her friends. Nathan whispered something into Haley's ear and she did her best to stifle the giggles that were rising in her. Brooke and Lucas were more than back on track and seemed to have scooted so close to each other that Brooke was practically on top of him. Every so often both of the couples would swap a peck on the lips or forehead. She looked over at Jake who was scolding Jenny on her table manners. Jenny pouted and refused to take her elbows off the table. Jake sighed, gave up his efforts, and turned back to Peyton. He smiled sloppily and her heart fluttered.
"You okay, you seem kind of sad?" Jake asked quietly, rubbing her back.
She shook her head and placed it on his shoulder, "I'm fine now."
Lucas finished telling Owen of their wedding and how he wished Owen could've made it. Owen just smiled and nodded, "I was working on a case."
"How about you O, how's Carrie doing?" Haley asked, intertwining her fingers with Nathan's.
He moved around the salt and pepper shakers in front of him, "I don't really know. I think she may have left me." He shrugged indifferently and Haley's eyes bulged.
"How would you not know something like that!" She exclaimed and Nathan kissed her hair to calm her. Brooke tried not to, but rolled her eyes at how sickeningly sweet they were being towards each other. Probably why they didn't answer the phone this morning, they were having sex, Brooke figured.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her in two weeks, I keep getting home late because of the big case we just wrapped up, and I don't really talk to her anymore. She stopped calling and trying, and so did I. It's a big house though, she might have been there and I didn't even know." Once again, he talked like he didn't care, and he really didn't care. Love was long gone in his relationship with his girlfriend or six years. By now, they should have been married, but he just didn't feel right asking when he knew he didn't love her. It wasn't fair to her.
Haley nodded and smirked, bending over to whisper in his ear, "Does this have anything to do with Meredith?" Instantaneously, Owen's body tensed, just hearing her name still sent shivers threw his spine.
In true Owen fashion though, he played it cool, "Meredith's probably married by now. I haven't spoken to her since I left for college."
"You haven't, but I have." Haley's eye's twinkled. "She lives here now, I just found out they hired her as a science teacher for next year." Haley cleared her throat and Owen's pale face got even paler. "You know, Tree Hill needs lawyers too."
He snapped his head at her in shock, wanting desperately to say something to prove his sister wrong, but nothing came. "This chili looks good doesn't it?" The old James subject changer. It brought back fond memories.
She went back to her macaroni and cheese and left him to eat in peace. After they were finished, Nathan practically begged Haley to leave by kissing her so hard she thought she would go dizzy. "Alright. Stop, That's just gross." Brooke finally unleashed. "We get you're together. Save it for the bedroom."
"Brooke!" Peyton exclaimed, jabbing a finger at Jenny and Megan. "Little ears!"
"Pfft. When they stop making out for them to see, then we can talk about ears." Brooke said, pointing first at Nathan and Haley then to the girls.
"I kinda gotta go with Brooke on this one. We're happy you two are happy, but we really don't want to see that." Jake agreed, and Haley cursed. Usually Jake was the one that backed her up.
"Come on guys, it's not like we aren't the same way." Lucas reasoned, thank god for Lucas, "Haley endured a long time watching us make out at dinner. Leave them alone."
This once again enraged Brooke, "Lucas! You're supposed to be on my side!"
Lucas smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Come on crazy, let's go get some ice cream."
"God, I love you!" Brooke grinned and landed a big sloppy kiss on his lips.
"Good night everybody, Jenny, say goodbye." Jake said and Jenny yawned a bye and snuggled deep into Jake's chest.
Owen, who held a sleeping Megan in his arms, spoke up, "Let's go before you guys start another fight."
Hope you guys enjoyed it.
Up Next: Owen's Last Few Days
Lucas is back at work..
July's end brings a somber note on... whom?
Shout outs:
coupling-all-the-time: You say "Oh my god!"alot, just an observation. I was planning on bringing Mike back, but it just didn't fit with the storyline like I had expected it too. I'm glad your enjoying my story. I loved your review!
HaleyandNathan23- I like you, you recieve more brownie points. Sidenote, brownies sound really good right now. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter. It was sort of all over the place, but I had to fit it all in.
Sw33t Lavender- ;) I think it's progressive as well. Their family unit gets tighter soon, but then, what goes up, must come down, right?
deli41321- What is with all of the numbers in your screen name? Please share...there are alot. Anyways, I'm super glad you like the story. Brooke is getting there, still angry at Nathan, but she'll thaw pretty soon, you'll see. Thanks for reading
RoseRows- Okay, this update took a little longer, but it was a long chapter, I had alot to fit in. I know it was all over the place, but hey, I like messes. I didn't WANT to take forever and a half, however I do take a small amount of pleasure in having people beg for me to update. Is that wrong?
YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!