A/N: Part III. Am I now toying with the idea of a Part IV? Yes. However (and that is a very strong however) I make no promises. Enjoy!
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| Daydreamer
Sitting on the seat
Soaking up the sun |
All she's thought about all week is what she's about to do.
She's never wavered from her decision. Not for a second.
Her flight gets in before his, somehow. He's just coming in from Pheonix, and sure, L.A. is a little closer, but in true L.A. fashion, nothing is ever on time. Her flight was delayed 45 minutes, and she felt like screaming as she sat in her seat in coach with her carryon tucked beneath the seat in front of her. She wouldn't waste time with checking a bag, and she'd decided to buy a dress there.
She knows it's crazy. He hasn't told anyone, and neither has she, and she'd packed all her things into boxes and sent them to her father's address. She called him and told him she was coming home, and she could hear him smiling through the phone line. He'll be there to receive her things, but he's leaving for a job he can't get out of, so he won't be able to pick her up airport in a couple days when she gets in. She's not sure if that's good or bad.
He doesn't know she's coming in from Vegas.
He doesn't know she's coming in with a ring on her hand.
Her flight was torture. She didn't want to think and choose between snack mix and cookies. She didn't want ice in her water, and she didn't want to purchase a headset for only five dollars. She just wanted to get in the air, and touch down in Vegas and get everything underway.
She just wants to see him.
They'd agreed to meet in the main part of the airport, but they hadn't given any more specifics than that, and she's cursing herself for it now. What were they thinking? They needed to have an exact meeting point! Gate C by the book store, or next to the taxi stand. She's standing in a huge expanse of indoor space, and every head of blonde hair is catching her eye, and she's sure she looks crazy.
She asks herself for the millionth time today how they've even ended up here.
Someone bumps into her, and she spins around as quickly as she can. She wouldn't put it past him to greet her that way, and she won't lie, she'd kind of love it if he did. But this is an older gentleman with khaki shorts on and his socks pulled up to his knees. He apologizes and she mumbles something in return. She runs her hands through her hair and pulls it up off her neck, holding it in place with her fist as she closes her eyes.
Then she feels a hand on her hip, and she doesn't have to turn around to know that it's him. He kisses the back of her neck before she drops her hair and spins around in his arms. She throws her arms around his neck, and he laughs as his twine around her waist.
"I love you, I love you, I love you," she murmurs into his ear.
"You sure?" he asks before pulling away. "I thought I was going to have to fight that old man for you."
"Shut up!" she squeals, swatting his chest. She tries to pull away, but he won't let her go, and he just pulls her closer.
"I love you," he says seriously, locking eyes with her.
He presses his lips to hers, and it's all a little less crazy.
All week, all he's thought about is her, not that it's been much of a change from any other week. All he could do was ask himself why on Earth she was giving him another shot. He didn't dare say the words out loud, but he had to wonder if maybe she was thinking them, too. They'd had a couple really serious conversations, but they'd only begun to scratch the surface of a few of the things they needed to discuss.
But, like she'd told him, they had plenty of time to talk. 'How does forever sound?' were her exact words, and his legs almost gave out.
Forever sounded pretty perfect, if you asked him.
He's been on the road, and his editor, David, doesn't know the details of what's going on in Vegas. All Lucas told him was that he needed an extra couple days, and the company - willing to do anything to keep their young author happy - had obliged and moved dates around to accommodate him.
He tries to pull away from her again, but she squeezes him a little tighter, so he squeezes her a little tighter.
They're drawing stares from people in the airport, but she can't find it in her to care. They're a couple, finally, and they're in love, and they're getting married. If ever there's a time to stand in the middle of the airport wrapped up in each other, it's this moment, right now.
"I missed you," he says softly.
"Me too," she says. She moves away a little bit and presses a series of kisses to his lips and cheeks as he does the same to her.
"You're gonna get us kicked out of here," he says with a laugh when her hand slips beneath the shirt at the small of his back to sit just above the waistband of his jeans.
"It'd be worth it," she tells him, and he chuckles and reaches for her bag.
"Come on," he says, and she links her arm through his and leans against his shoulder.
She doesn't say anything, because she can't find the words to tell him how much she loves him, and how much she's missed him, and how happy she is that they're finally together.
They step outside and there's a car waiting for them. It's a luxury sedan that Lucas explains his publishers have paid for while he's in town. She slides in the back seat while he holds the door for her, and he sits next to her, and neither are surprised when they come together and their hands are intertwined and her head rests against him.
"What do you want to do first?" he asks as he checks his watch.
It's just shortly after noon, and the sun is high in the sky, and they really should take advantage of the day and stroll the Strip and experience Vegas.
All she wants to experience is him.
She leans up to speak into his ear, and a chill runs down his spine when her hand falls to the inside of his thigh.
"Hotel," is all she says.
She doesn't need to say anything more, and he's taking a shuddering breath and looking at her with hungry eyes.
They pull up to the Bellagio and she tells him it's too much. He laughs and tells her that it's all paid for by his publishers, and she says that it's a good thing, because they'll need all the money than can get their hands on to start their life together.
Their life together.
His girl is saying all the right things and she has no idea.
She can barely contain her annoyance - though Lucas is the only one who notices - when the bellboy insists on following them upstairs with their bags. All she wants is to spend time with her fiancée, and this overeager kid in a polyester suit is taking up precious moments.
Lucas places a bill in the palm of the guy's hand, and Peyton has her arms around her man before the door is even clicked closed. She's standing behind him and her hands are already working on the button of his jeans, and God, he loves her.
He turns around and they're on the bed and undressed in record time, and he finds it hard to believe that they've only really done this a handful of times. Well, a few more than a handful. But the point is, they haven't been doing this all along.
He runs his fingers along the line of her jaw, and his eyes lock with hers, and he tells her he's sorry.
"Luke," she whispers, shaking her head.
"Peyton," he says seriously, "I need to know that you forgive me."
"I already have," she insists, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek.
"I'm serious," he tells her, shaking his head.
"So am I," she promises. "So will you please just kiss me already?"
He closes his eyes and smiles, and intertwines his fingers with hers, and it's all a blur from there. It's perfect and wonderful, and they both want to remember every little thing, no matter how impossible that might be. She gasps his name and his head drops to her shoulder, and he knows that this is it for him. This is it for them. They'll always be together.
He falls asleep, something she knew he'd do from the last time they were together. He's on his stomach with the sheets gathered at his waist, and she pulls on the blue button down shirt he was wearing. She sits at the edge of the bed and just looks down at him, and she runs her fingers through his short, messy hair as she wonders how in the world they've finally come together, after all they've been through. She knows it's insane that they're here, but she doesn't care.
He's the only man she's ever needed, and she knows it'll always be that way.
She steps onto the balcony, and she sits on the chair with a glass of water in her hand and soaks up the desert sun. She should be sleeping, because she knows that once he's awake again, he'll be ready to go explore and play and...get married. But she's too excited, and there are too many thoughts in her head, and she just couldn't sleep if she tried.
He panics when he wakes up and she's not next to him, and once he's shaken the sleep from his mind, he realizes that it's a panic he loves.
Because she's supposed to be next to him.
He rolls onto his side, and that's when he sees her, all matted hair and glowing skin; endless legs and perfection as the sun beats down on her. He just hopes she's wearing something beneath his shirt, or the way her foot is propped up on the glass of the balcony will be quite revealing.
But he wonders what she's thinking. He wonders if she's thinking of him, or if she's thinking of nothing.
He wonders if just maybe, she's thinking this is the start of their forever.
He steps into a pair of boxers and walks outside, and he kneels beside her. Her hand runs through his hair and settles at the back of his neck, and neither of them says a word. They just sit there together, with his hand caressing her calf, and her fingers toying with his short hair in a way that sends a shiver down his spine.
But after 10 minutes, he can't hold his piece anymore.
"Please, please tell me that you have on underwear," he says pleadingly.
"Oh my God!" she cries, lowering her leg quickly. He winces when he looks up at her, and he notices the colour on her cheeks.
"That's it," he says. He stands and pulls her up by the hand, and he wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her feet off the ground and carrying her into the room.
"Lucas Scott, put me down right now!" she squeals.
"Or what?" he taunts in a low voice. He tries - in futility - to resist the moan in his throat when she wraps her legs around his waist, and he knows he really just needs to get used to her having the upper hand.
She'll always get her way with him.
"Or I won't let you marry me," she says, not at all seriously, and he kisses her until she's begging him to be her husband.
And that's a plea he'll gladly give in to.
| He is a real lover |
When they finally leave their hotel room, she's wearing a simple green sundress and her hair is swept up off her back, and he knows he's probably seen her look more beautiful, but he honestly can't remember a time.
She weaves her fingers through his as they walk, and he pulls her into the first jewelry store they come upon.
It's then that he realizes he'd forgotten all about the ring in his bag that he meant to give her. They got preoccupied and he didn't get down on one knee and explain the sentiment the ring holds and how much he loves her, and how he's known since his mother gave it to him that it was her ring.
But, he thinks, they have plenty of time for that.
She's clutching his hand like she's afraid to look at rings, and he can only laugh at her.
"Peyton, rings come with marriage," he reminds her.
"I know," she says with a nod of her head. "I just...we...we're in Vegas, buying rings and...It's just so like us to do something this insane."
He turns to her and brushes his lips against hers, and says, "you always did make me a little crazy."
"Stop that!" she hisses. "Keep the sexy literary voice to yourself while we're in public."
"I could start reciting Shakespeare right now," he says gruffly, holding her hips a little tighter.
"Well, I'm sure we wouldn't be the first to be arrested in Vegas for indecent exposure," she says, and he just laughs and shakes his head.
They look through the cases, and he explains that they need white gold, but he doesn't tell her why, though she looks at him questioningly at his adamant statement. They choose simple, traditional bands, and they contemplate getting them engraved, but they have a playful argument and they can't decide on what the rings should read, so they leave them blank.
"If anyone asks, there are just too many words to fit on one little band," he says, smirking as he looks at her.
"OK, seriously. Stop," she warns him, unable to hide the pink on her cheeks.
The salesperson just smiles at them, saying that it's not very often they get two rational, sober people in the store buying bands, and that their love is 'palpable'. Lucas kisses Peyton's temple as he slips the rings into his pocket and they head for the door.
"I need a dress," she announces as they step onto the sidewalk.
"Not for what I have planned," he growls, kissing the hinge of her jaw.
"For the wedding," she specifies with a laugh. "I didn't have anything white."
"Well, let's get you a dress," he says, smiling as he kisses her knuckles.
"You can't come with me!" she shouts. "That's...no. You can't. We may be eloping, but...you're not seeing the dress before the day."
"Today could be the day, Peyt," he says with a raised eyebrow.
"Well...you're not seeing it before...before we get ready," she says. "Just...You go play blackjack or poker or whatever guys do in Vegas, while I shop."
"I think guys go see strippers when they're in Vegas, babe," he says teasingly.
"Well, it could technically be your bachelor party," she tells him. She has to laugh at the shocked look on his face.
"You are the coolest wife ever," he says. "But...no. I'm not...I'll just grab a coffee and wait."
"And you are the coolest husband ever," she says upon hearing that he'd rather sip coffee than do what she'd suggested. She leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to his lips before skipping away from him. "An hour, tops! I promise!"
He's a little surprised when she comes rushing towards him 20 minutes later with a bag in her hands.
"That's it?" he asks skeptically. "You bought a dress in that amount of time."
"And shoes." She leans down to whisper in his ear. "And some lingerie for the wedding night."
He's pulling her back to the hotel as he tells her that tonight is the night.
She gets ready in the bathroom while he slips into his suit, and he paces the room as he waits for her to emerge. He doesn't know why he's so nervous, but he's got two wedding bands in one pocket, and an engagement ring in a box in his hand, and it all just feels too good to be true.
She stands in front of the mirror and nervously tucks a curl behind her ear. She smooths out her dress and takes a deep breath, and all she can think is that none of this makes any sense. It doesn't make sense that she flew to Vegas or that he's in the next room. It doesn't make sense that she's just barely 21 and she's standing in a white dress, about to marry a man she's never really been in a proper relationship with.
The only thing that makes any sense to her is that they're together, and so she'll ignore the rest. She's moments away from all she's ever wanted, and so one last look in the mirror, and she pulls open the door and steps into the room.
And that's when Lucas starts to tear up.
The dress is simple - just strapless and cut to the knee, with a crimson red satin sash around the waist that ties in the back - but it's so her that a lump forms in his throat. She's his bride. She looks beautiful, and she's just the most perfect thing in the world, and she's all his.
"Lucas," she says softly, smiling and placing her hand on his cheek.
And the way she says his name sometimes...
She doesn't expect him to drop to his knee and open the black box she hadn't noticed he was holding.
She really doesn't expect to recognize that ring.
"Lucas, what...?"
"Peyton, I love you," he starts, shaking his head gently at how simple and right it all is. "And I think I've always known. You've given me so much, and...I feel like I don't deserve it..."
"Luke..."
"But I love you," he repeats. He notices the tear trailing down her cheek, and he knows it's the good kind. "And I've somehow convinced you that we're meant to be together."
"We are meant to be together," she says with a smile.
"So, will you marry me?" he asks, though they both already know the answer.
He just wants to do this right. Well, as right as they can when they're eloping. He wants to propose with the sentimental ring and the proper words, and he wants her to cry as she says;
"Yes."
He stands and gathers her in his arms, and she rests her forehead against his as he slips the ring onto her finger.
"This is the ring Keith..." she starts, toying with the band of the ring with her right hand.
"Yeah," he confirms.
"It's perfect," she whispers, and presses her lips to his.
"You're perfect," he insists. He kisses her again, and he pulls her a little closer to him, just trying to etch the memory of this moment in his mind. "Let's get married."
And so they do.
They have a complimentary gourmet meal at their hotel after the wedding, and then Peyton miraculously wins $500 playing Roulette, though she really has no idea what she's doing. They quit while they're ahead, and go back to their hotel room like they've really been wanting to do since the ceremony.
They spend the next two days - well, one and a half, if you take out time for Lucas' book signing - in their hotel room, eating only from room service with the blinds drawn and as little clothing on as possible.
She flies back to Tree Hill after their three day whirlwind marriage and honeymoon. He's clutching her hand as they stand in the terminal, and he runs his thumb over the rings on her finger.
"This sucks," he pouts.
"Honey," she says, tilting her head to the side, "it's not even two weeks."
"We just got married!" he reminds her needlessly. "I just want to be with you."
"You will be," she promises quietly.
"Forever?" he asks with a smirk.
"Absolutely," she confirms before kissing him gently.
"You gonna be OK?" he inquires as her flight is announced on the loudspeaker.
"Yeah," she says convincingly. "I'll just go to North Carolina and wait for you."
He's reminded for the millionth time that she's absolutely perfect in every way that counts.
In every way.
"OK," he whispers. He kisses her again, and closes his eyes as he presses their foreheads together.
"Go make us some money," she teases, patting his cheek as they walk towards her gate.
"Oh, so I'm your sugar daddy now?" he says with a raised brow.
"One of us has to have a career path, and since it's obviously not me..."
"Hey," he says, stopping and taking both her hands in his again. "It'll all work out. I promise."
She kisses him again and pries her hands from his to pick up her bag.
"I love you, Lucas Scott," she says with a smile as she backs away from him.
"I love you, Peyton Sawyer."
"It's Scott!" she shouts, handing her boarding pass to the attendant at the gate.
He closes his eyes and shakes his head, and he waves at her as she disappears down the corridor.
They've done this too many times, he realizes. She's always walking away from him, and they're always saying goodbye in airports.
But this time, they'll also say hello in one in a couple weeks.
| Of making up the past and feeling up his girl
Like he's never felt her figure before |
When her plane touches down in Tree Hill, she feels that sense of happiness and home and comfort that she's missed since she's been away. This has always been her home, even when she didn't realize it.
Her cab pulls up to Lucas' house, and she feels just a little strange. Karen and Lily are traveling with Andy, and though Karen was a little shocked when Lucas called her and told her he'd married Peyton, Lucas let the two women talk, and soon enough, they were both crying. Karen was happy for them, so long as they were serious about each other, and it was clear, in that long phone conversation, that they were. She assured Peyton that it was fine if she stay at the house until Lucas returns from his tour, then they'll go to Gilmore and live together there.
But she's never been in this house without him, and when she steps through the door to his bedroom, it all feels too quiet. The house feels huge and empty, and though in her heart she knows she might just belong there, it's really easy to feel like she doesn't.
She calls him like she said she would, and she gets his voicemail like he said she would, but she tells him she got home safe and that she loves him.
And then it hits her that she has no one else to call.
Other than Nathan and Haley, who she and Lucas had agreed to tell together, she doesn't have a friend to call and share the news with. She doesn't have family in this town, or high school friends she's kept in touch with. She can't call Brooke, and she probably wouldn't if she could.
She sets her phone on the table next to Lucas' bed, and she sheds her clothes and draws herself a hot bath. She pulls on one of his old tee shirts and realizes there's no food in the house other than a few bottles of water and some stale cereal. She feels like an impostor.
But then she sees the rings on her finger, and she smiles to herself, and she thinks that just maybe this is where she's belonged all along.
She orders Chinese from her favourite place, and she listens to some of Karen's jazz records as she looks through old photographs of her husband - and it's still totally weird to call him that.
Countless photos of him with his mom and Keith. He's a 10-year-old with a little Haley James. He's a 13-year-old clutching a basketball, or a junior in his Ravens uniform for the first time. She sees herself in the background of that photo, and she smiles. That was the night he told her that her art mattered. That was the moment she really let herself start to feel for him; to fall for him.
There are photos of him and his brother, and of him and his sister, and of him with the River Court guys.
She's surprised to come upon three whole pages of photos of her and him together, and she smiles to herself. Maybe Karen knew it all along, too.
Lucas calls her that night, and they talk for an hour, like they didn't just spend three days together. He speaks in a low tone when she tells him she's laying on his bed in his shirt, and he tells her that she's fulfilling fantasies without even knowing. They say I love you before they hang up, and she falls asleep on what has always been her side of the bed.
She bumps into Deb at the grocery store the next day, and she tucks her left hand into the pocket of her jacket as they chat. Deb tells her to come by Tric or the café, and that if the young woman wants to tend bar or pour coffee, she'd be happy for the help. Peyton insists she'll be by, and then explains she's staying at the Roe home until Lucas returns. Deb excitedly asks if Peyton and Lucas are together, and Peyton doesn't confirm or deny it, but the blush on her cheeks tells the older woman all she needs to know.
She hesitantly slips off her rings the next day just after noon when she gets bored in the house, and she heads for the little café in the middle of town. She dishes out sandwiches and makes coffee, and she and Deb joke and laugh, and Deb tells Peyton she's glad she's come home, and that she never really thought Peyton belonged in L.A.
It seems everyone knew that but her.
After a week of being alone, it all starts to get to her. She wants him with her, and it's silly, but every little noise has started to scare her. She's gotten less and less comfortable being in his house alone, and she's tried everything to distract herself. Books and music don't work, and neither does drawing. She helps out at Tric one night, but she comes home to a dark, empty house, and she's back to where she started out.
She calls him late that night, and he's in Minneapolis. She knows he'll be in bed, but she needs to hear his voice.
"Hello?" he grumbles sleepily.
"Hi," she says softly.
"Peyton? What...? What's going on?" he asks worriedly. She can tell he's already been woken completely, no doubt just from panic alone.
"Nothing," she says, trying to smile. "I just missed you."
"I'd believe you if you weren't crying," he tells her seriously. "What happened?"
"Nothing," she assures him. "Really, I'm fine. I was just...This house...Tree Hill...it's not the same without you here, and I feel like...like I shouldn't be in this house."
"You belong in that house," he says sweetly. "My home is your home."
"But you aren't here," she says, and though she's trying hard not to make it sound like an accusation, it still comes out as one. "Sorry, I don't mean..."
"Hey, I know," he says. Just the fact that she knows he's smiling puts her at ease. "I'll be home in a few days."
"I know," she whispers. "I just love you, that's all."
"I love you, too," he says softly.
"Go back to sleep," she insists as she wipes her cheeks. "I'm sorry I called so late."
"You don't ever have to apologize for calling me, Peyton," he says, and she laughs a little. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, OK?"
"OK," she says. "Bye, Luke."
She hangs up and takes a deep breath, and then blows out the candle next to the bed.
Suddenly it doesn't seem so dark and empty in this house alone.
He gets home a day early, and he scares the hell out of her when he walks into the house quietly and wraps his arms around her while she stands in the kitchen doing dishes. She screams, then swats his chest, then kisses him as he laughs at her reaction.
The chore is quickly forgotten, and he's pulling her towards the bedroom within minutes.
And what she's learned since Vegas, and what she's reminded of every time he kisses her, is that every time they make love, it feels like the first time.
And if that never goes away - that tingle in her spine every time she feels his fingertips trail down the bare skin of her side - she thinks that would be just fine with her.
| A jaw dropper
Looks good when he walks
He is the subject of their talk |
The drive to his college town and the little house he shares with Nathan and Haley is quiet, but not because he wants it to be. She's nervous, he can tell, but he knows - and she probably knows, too - that if anyone will understand the choices they've made, it's Nathan and Haley. Those two are in no position to judge anyone's rushed marriage.
"Hey," Lucas says as they pass the city limits sign, "take a breath, OK? You're scaring me."
"I just haven't seen them in...what, almost a year and a half? And now we're married, and...God, my ex-boyfriend is my brother-in-law, Luke!" she says desperately. "I have a nephew. A nephew!"
"Peyton," he says, shaking his head as he weaves his fingers through hers. "It's just Nathan and Haley. You know them. It's not like you're meeting anyone for the first time."
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, and she raises their hands to kiss his knuckles. He's right and she knows that she's just overreacting.
Moments later, they're pulling into the driveway of the house, and Nathan and Haley are on the porch when they hear the car doors slam.
Lucas didn't tell Peyton that Nathan and Haley don't know she's there.
"Peyton!" Haley cries, rushing down the steps with Jamie in her arms. "What are you doing here? What's going on? Why are you with this idiot?"
Peyton sees Nathan smile and shake his head as she wraps her arms around Haley, and his eyes move to the ring she knows he's already caught sight of.
"Because...because," Peyton stutters, glancing at Lucas.
"Because...we need to go inside," Lucas states. He looks to his brother, and Nathan just nods his head.
Lucas carries their bags up the steps and Peyton walks into the house she's never been in before, but she'll call home for the next little while. She grasps Lucas' hand as they join Nathan and Haley in the living room, and Haley's eyes go wide when she sees their joined hands.
"Finally, you two get it together!" she states.
Nathan doesn't say a word. He just pulls his son onto his own lap and out of his wife's arms, because he knows she's about to freak out.
"Actually," Lucas says, looking to Peyton with a smile, "we got married."
Nathan smiles, and Haley's jaw drops and she shakes her head slightly. Peyton bites her lip nervously and holds up her left hand, and Haley takes a deep breath and rushes forward to hug her best friend and her sister-in-law.
"Seriously?" she squeals, taking Peyton's hand in hers. Tears shine in her eyes when she recognizes the ring, and that prompts the same from Peyton. "Oh...wow. This is..."
"Yeah," Peyton whispers.
Nathan comes over and the men share a hug, then he pulls Peyton into his side and kisses the top of her head.
"Welcome to the family, Sawyer," he says with a smile, and she rolls her eyes at him. "We all knew it'd happen someday."
They talk about Vegas and the ceremony, and Lucas shows photos they took from the day. They eat pizza and drink wine, and Jamie sits on Peyton's lap and twirls her curls around his little fingers. Lucas kisses Peyton's temple as she recalls her week and a half with only Deb as her ally in their hometown, and they share Karen's reaction to the news, which no one is surprised was favourable. Haley insists that Karen has always had a soft spot for Peyton, and they often talked about the two blondes' inability to just admit their feelings to one another.
Peyton shadows Lucas the next day as he runs his practice and returns calls and emails in his fancy head coach's office. He's missed three games in the two and a half weeks since he's been away, and he's missed it. They have a game the following night, and Peyton can't wait to see him in action again. She heads home as he goes to his afternoon class, and she and Nathan have a little time to chat one-on-one while Lucas and Haley are out.
They entertain Jamie and talk about how it all came together. He asks her if she can really forgive Lucas for sleeping with Brooke, and she raises an eyebrow and reminds him that Haley forgave him for sleeping with Brooke. She tells him the same thing she told Lucas; that the two of them weren't together, and hadn't made any promises, and as much as it hurt, he really didn't owe her anything. He tells her that Haley said the same thing to him, and they both laugh at their messed up history. She asks if Haley and Brooke have kept in touch, and he says that they haven't heard with Brooke since a few months after she moved to L.A. Peyton's not surprised.
Peyton isn't a jealous woman. Well, not usually.
But as she and Haley sit in the stands surrounded by girls who are there only to scout attractive players, she has to clench her fist when she hears them making vulgar and suggestive remarks about 'Coach Scott'.
"Peyton," Haley says softly, "I'm married to the star player. I know."
"Could they be more obvious?" Peyton hisses. "God."
"The ring means he doesn't care," Haley reminds her.
She knows it's true, so she sighs dramatically and rolls her eyes, and she clutches hands with her friend at tip-off, and they take turns holding Jamie.
They both rush onto the court after the win that sends the team to the playoffs, and Peyton flies into Lucas' arms and kisses him with her feet raised off the ground.
He doesn't question it - he'd be crazy if he complained - but later when they're laying in bed and he brings it up, she shrugs her shoulder and tells him that he's a hot commodity.
He tells her he doesn't see anyone but her, and kisses her until she believes him.
She thinks that maybe she always did.
| He would be hard to chase
But good to catch, and he could change the world
With his hands behind his back, oh |
Lucas and Nathan win their second Division II title in as many years, and Lucas is named coach of the year, and he thanks his wife in his acceptance speech. She blushes from her place and she feels those butterflies in her stomach that she can remember feeling as a teenager.
She's his wife.
For so long, she was his friend. His buddy. The girl he'd go to for advice about his relationship with someone else. Somehow, they've passed all that, and she's the one wearing his ring. She's the one who falls asleep next to him every night, and she's the one he loves.
But it's not all easy.
He's busy with classes, and she couldn't start so late in the semester, and after a long talk with Lucas, she decides that she'd be crazy to start school now anyway. It'd mean that she would have to stay for two more years after he's done, and they both want to return to Tree Hill sooner rather than later.
So she gets a part time job at a local art supply store, and she schedules her shifts around Nathan, Haley and Lucas' classes so that she can take care of Jamie when none of them can.
The truth is, Peyton feels a little out of place as the only one in the house not getting an education. Lucas and Haley talk about the philosophy class they share, and Nathan talks about the business courses he takes.
And she sells paintbrushes.
But it's just temporary, and once they're back in Tree Hill, she'll decide what she wants to do with her life.
Nathan and Haley are on their weekly date night, and Lucas has a study group he can't reschedule, so Peyton's home with the little boy she loves too much for words. He calls her aunt Peyton, and he's recently started telling her that he loves her, and her heart melts every time she hears it. Of all the things she does, taking care of Jamie is the easiest - second only to loving Lucas.
Lucas knows Nathan and Haley are still on their 'date' when he doesn't see their SUV in the driveway, but he really doesn't expect what he walks in on.
He expects laughter and Thomas The Tank Engine, or Sesame Street, or Peyton trying to explain why one colour in the 64 pack of crayons is better than the other to shade the grass.
Instead, he walks in to complete silence.
She's laying on the sofa with Jamie's little body tucked into her side against the back of the couch. Her hand cradles his tiny arm and the light bounces off the rings on her finger. Jamie's got his little hand splayed on her collarbone.
And the both of them are smiling in their sleep.
Lucas is transported to a time in the future when the blonde baby in her arms will be theirs, and he feels his heart constrict in his chest. This is just almost the perfect picture. Almost.
He kneels next to the sofa and runs his hand over Jamie's head as he kisses Peyton's forehead. She makes that little sound she always makes when she's just woken up, and she blinks a few times and smiles a little wider.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep," she murmurs softly, feathering her fingers through her nephew's hair. She really didn't, she's just been really tired lately.
"It's OK," he says, smiling at her. "How was your night?"
"Good," she tells him. "We had mac and cheese and watched The Little Mermaid."
"Uh oh," he laughs. "Don't tell Nathan."
"Oh, come on. It's harmless," she says, looking down at the little boy in her arms.
"Here," Lucas says, hooking his hands beneath the boys arms. "I'll put him down."
He takes the boy down the hall, and Peyton feels a tear forming in her eye as she watches him with the toddler in his arms.
And the onslaught of emotions over something so simple has her admitting that maybe there's more to the fatigue and how tempermental she's been lately.
Lucas steps back into the room and drapes his arm around her as they sit on the sofa.
"So I have news," he says, before she can talk to him about the very thing that's had her close to hyperventilating for the last five minutes.
"Oh yeah?" she asks.
"They just green-lit me for another book," he says, and her eyes go wide as she smiles. "I know the last one just came out, but I have officially been signed for another one."
"Luke!" she says excitedly, wrapping her arms around him. And now she's crying again. "That's so great."
"Hey," he says as they pull away and he sees her tears. "What's this?"
"I'm just happy for you," she says.
But he's not buying it. She wipes her face and avoids eye contact, and when she looks up at him again, she knows he's caught her in her lie.
"Tell me," he demands seriously.
"I was just thinking...I've been...not myself lately," she says softly, looking down at their hands. "I've been really tired and moody."
"You don't have to tell me that," he says with a smirk, and she glares at him. "So?"
"So..."
"Oh," he says, interrupting her as he finally clues in. "Are you...Are you late?"
"Well, no," she says softly. "But I'm not...not till next week, and I just feel...I feel it."
"I hate to tell you, honey, but...it doesn't work like that," he tells her. He realizes it's stupid, though, because who is he to tell her how she feels? "We should...We should go to the doctor."
"Yeah," she whispers. "I'm just kind of freaking out right now."
"Hey, it's OK," he assures her. "We'll deal with it."
"Deal with it?" she asks, pulling away from him a bit.
"What? No!" he says loudly, before remembering there's a sleeping child in the house. "No. I meant...That's not what I meant. It's way too soon for this, but...we can handle it, Peyton."
"Way too soon? Lucas, we're married," she reminds him.
"I know that, but I'm not done school, and...It's...this is fast," he says, hoping she'll see his side.
"Well, maybe if you're lucky, we won't have a baby any time soon," she says angrily, getting up and walking to their bedroom. She closes the door behind her, and he's left wondering what the hell just happened.
She's crying as she packs some of her things into a bag, and she doesn't even know why she's doing it. She can't get through this without Lucas, but she's ready to run away from him because she's scared, and she's blowing things out of proportion.
But all she can do is wonder why he's not excited.
Why is he not even at least smiling a bit at the prospect of them having a child together? Why does he seem terrified? He's supposed to be her rock. He's supposed to be the strong one who points out the silver lining, and all he did was voice all her fears. He didn't sooth her like he normally does, and he didn't tell her it would all be alright.
Or did he?
Either way, she didn't hear it, so he obviously didn't try hard enough.
So she pulls on her jacket and she grabs her keys.
It's no surprise that he's standing right outside their bedroom door when she pulls it open, and he looks at her like she's tearing his heart out when he sees the bag in her hand.
"What are you doing?" he asks urgently. "Where are you going?"
"Tree Hill," she says simply, brushing past him.
"Wait," he insists, grabbing her elbow, which she wrenches from his hold. "Don't just walk away right now, OK? I...we need to do this together."
"Do what together, Lucas? Find out if our baby is about to ruin your life?" she seethes as she stuffs her feet into her shoes.
"I never said that!" he says angrily. "I never said anything like that!"
"You didn't have to," she tells him. "I just...can't be here right now, OK?"
"Why not? Why can't you be with me so we can...God, I just need you," he says, standing in front of the door so she can't leave.
"I..."
"You need me, too," he insists. "Whether you want to admit it right now or not."
"I need the Lucas Scott who would hold me in his arms and tell me he's here for me. Not the Lucas Scott who's worried about how my problems affect his life," she says, and a tear falls down her cheek.
And he stops for a moment, wondering if he's really the guy she just described.
He's not, he realizes, and he'll do anything to prove it to her.
"This baby," he says, placing his hand on her stomach before she can move away, "is not a problem. And it's not yours. It's ours."
She really wants those words to make everything OK again.
But they just don't.
She kisses his cheek and moves away from him.
"Peyton," he says desperately as she pulls the door open.
"Maybe this is all too fast. Marriage and...all of it," she says, wiping her face. "I love you, Lucas. I just...I need to not be near you right now."
She's out the door and he doesn't say anything else to try to make her stay.
| You can find him sitting on your doorstep
Waiting for a surprise
And he will feel like he's been there for hours
And you can tell that he'll be there for life |
Lucas waits an excruciating hour for Nathan and Haley to return home.
One hour, and he spends the entire 60 minutes trying to convince himself that he isn't losing her again.
He's halfway out the door as soon as they step inside, and when Nathan calls after him, all he says is that he's going to Tree Hill. When Haley peers into Lucas and Peyton's empty room, and there's no sight of Peyton in the house, she knows that Lucas is going after his wife.
Both Nathan and Haley have to wonder what happened in the few hours since they left Jamie in Peyton's care.
Lucas drives far faster than he knows he should. In fact, at one point, he has to force himself to slow down. But he just needs to get to Tree Hill and talk to Peyton and somehow convince her that he's the man she needs him to be. He is that guy, even if he doesn't do the best job of showing it sometimes.
It's late when he pulls up to his house. It's after midnight, and he knows she isn't there, since her car isn't in the drive, but he runs through the hall anyway, just to be sure.
He doesn't even bother getting back into his car. He just starts running through the dark streets of their hometown towards the little bungalow her father now owns. He knows it's stupid to run as hard and as fast as he is, and if she could see him, she'd scold him for pushing himself so hard.
So he slows down.
He slows down because he's no good to her if he's not around for her, and it hits him in that moment that it's not about him. None of it is about him. It's about them. Him and her, and any baby they might have between now and...forever.
She's not mad at him because she's scared and he wasn't saying the right things. She's mad at him because he was really only thinking of himself. He didn't ask how she was feeling or what she was thinking or if she'd be OK if they did have a baby. He immediately hates himself for it.
He walks the rest of the distance to the house. He's her husband, and he won't leave her, and she deserves more than his selfish actions and words.
So he'll stop.
He'll stop running, and he'll stop thinking of only himself, and he'll stop that little voice in the back of his head that's telling him to doubt that the two of them can get through anything together. They've already been through more together than any other couple he knows, and there's no reason to believe that they can't handle anything else that comes their way.
And during those last few blocks, all he can think is that Tree Hill is the perfect place to raise a baby. He finds there are tears in his eyes at the prospect of being a father, because he wants to be a father. Whether that happens in nine months or nine years, he'll be OK. He'll be a great father, and she'll be a great mother, and he'll hold her hand and say all the right things any time she needs him to.
And then he's knocking on the door of the house her car is parked in front of. The lights are off and he doesn't know if Larry's home, but he doesn't give a damn. He keeps knocking and saying her name until the porch light switches on and he hears the lock click.
"Luke," she says tiredly.
Her eyes are puffy and she looks exhausted, but he notices when she rubs her eye that she's still wearing her rings, and he breathes a sigh of relief. He's not sure why he thought she'd take them off, but he's thankful that she hasn't.
"Peyton...I..."
"You're sweating," she observes worriedly. "Why are you sweating? Where's your car? Did you run here?"
"No! I...yeah, part way...but I walked the rest of it," he says quickly. "I just..."
"What the hell are you thinking?!" she cries before lowering her voice when she recalls what time it is. "You could have...God, Lucas, you're...This is exactly the problem!"
"What?" he asks confusedly. He knows she's about to say all the things he's been thinking the entire distance from his house to this one.
"I told you I can't be around you right now, and you just went and ignored me. No surprise there!" she says, throwing her hands in the air. "You just do what you want. All the time, Luke!"
It's a blanket statement and she knows that, but something flashes in his eyes that lets her know that maybe he feels it's true.
"I'm going to close this door," she warns him in an icy tone. "And we'll talk when I'm ready to talk."
"Peyton..."
"Go home, Luke."
She closes the door, and he sits himself down right there on the porch and leans his back against the side of the house.
Home is where she is, so he'll be where she is.
The porch isn't the most comfortable place he's slept. His legs go numb, and he's pretty sure there are a lot of animals walking around in the dark, and it's not exactly warm. But he curls his arms beneath his head and he grabs a couple hours of sleep because there's nothing else to do. He won't plead with her any more to talk to him, since she's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want to right now, and he'll respect that even if he doesn't like it.
He wakes as the sun rises, and he shivers. It's cold out. It's really cold out. Neighbours are looking at him like he's crazy, or a vagrant, or like he's casing the house and going to break in, but he offers friendly waves and says hello to people that pass.
And he'll sit right there on the porch looking like a crazy person as long as it takes.
Peyton wakes up and hears a conversation going on outside the door, and when she checks the time, she sees that it's 7:30. She has no idea what's going on, but she peers out the window and she sees her husband talking with Whitey Durham on the steps of the house.
"...The thing is, son, women are gonna do whatever they want," Whitey says with a smile, patting Lucas on the back. "You just have to trust they know what they're doing. And you know what? They usually do."
"She's really mad," Lucas sighs.
"Oh, I remember her temper," Whitey says, and Peyton laughs to herself as she eavesdrops. "The first months are the hardest. You'll sort it out."
"Thanks, Coach," Lucas says.
"Just don't screw it up even more," Whitey warns sternly. "You better have one hell of an apology for that girl. I swear, I don't know what the hell's wrong with you Scott boys..."
She closes her eyes as she wonders the exact same thing, and heads to the kitchen in her pajamas to make some coffee.
Lucas can hear Whitey's words ringing in his ear. He sits on the front step, trying to think of the perfect words to say to her to prove that he isn't just doing what he wants, and that even if he is, all he wants is her. Certainly she can't hold that against him.
He's so lost in thought that he almost doesn't hear the door open behind him. He just stares at her the as she puts the mug of coffee in his hands and drapes the blanket around their shoulders while she sits down next to him.
"I was an ass," he says softly. He has to resist the urge to cry out in victory when she rests her head against his shoulder.
"You're freezing," she observes. "I can't believe you stayed out here all night."
"I'll always be here for you, Peyton," he promises, taking her hand in his. "I can't be someplace you aren't."
As soon as he's said it, he thinks it's the most imperfect thing he's ever said, and if his professors hear him say something so strange, they'd certainly reconsider passing him.
But then she kisses his cheek, and he doesn't care about double negatives or conventionally constructed sentences.
"I'm sorry," he says softly. "I didn't even...How are you feeling?"
And that was exactly what she wanted all along. Just some indication that he wasn't just thinking of himself and his own future. She knew on some level that he would always have her in his mind, but he hadn't shown that when she needed it most, so it had been hard to believe.
"I'm sorry I walked out," she says, and he shakes his head to let her know that he doesn't need her apology. But she still wanted to say it. "I'm...scared."
"You don't have to be scared," he says with a smile, turning his body to hers a little bit. "We're Lucas and Peyton, OK? We can do this."
She really wants to smile, because he has such strong faith in them. But being an unemployed, married, pregnant 21-year-old was never quite the picture in her mind.
And then he looks at her as he holds her hand and toys with the rings on her finger, and she realizes he's right. They're Lucas and Peyton. There's no reason to believe they won't be alright, no matter what.
"If I'm pregnant, Luke..." she says, her voice trailing as she looks down at their hands.
"Then our baby will be beautiful."
There's a confidence in his voice that puts her at ease, and that's exactly what she's been searching for.
"She will be," she whispers.
"She?" he asks with a smirk.
"Yeah," she says, looking up at him with a tear in her eye. "A daughter."
He kisses her gently, like it's killed him to have gone so long without kissing her. And she lets him kiss her, because it has been killing her to have gone so long without kissing him.
"Let's get you off the porch," she says, and he laughs. "You're creeping out the neighbours."
| Daydreamer
With eyes that make you melt
He lends his coat for shelter |
She decides to stay in Tree Hill for a couple days. She assures him she's not mad at him, and he believes her. Her father is coming home for the weekend, and Lucas has finals coming up, so she tells him he should take advantage of the quiet and study while she's away.
The doctor won't have the results for a couple days, but Peyton tells Lucas she'll let him know as soon as she gets the call. She kisses him before he gets into his car, and she wraps her arms around herself while she watches him drive away.
And she already hates being without him.
She spends a full day with her father, but he can tell that she misses her husband, so he tells her to get out of his house and go home. He says he'll see her soon anyway, and she kisses his cheek as she smiles and runs to pack her things. She calls Lucas, but he insists she wait until the morning to drive back, and she can't argue with him; he won't let her. She tells him he's being stubborn, but she agrees, and she can hear the smug smile he wears when he says 'good.'
She's halfway between Tree Hill and Gilmore when she gets the call from the doctor, and she's in a daze the rest of the drive. She should have pulled over. She should have stopped the car and processed it and tried to decode her reaction.
The truth is, though, she doesn't really have much of a reaction yet.
"Hey, Peyton," Nathan says, looking away from the game on the television when she walks through the door.
"Lucas in our room?" she asks.
"Yeah," Nathan says, wondering what's with the lack of a greeting and why she's white as a sheet. He can only shake his head when she heads down the hall without another word.
Lucas is reading on his bed when she walks into the room, and she closes the door behind her. He puts down his book and smiles at her, and she lays down next to him without a word.
"What's wrong?" he asks knowingly.
She looks at him and smiles, and she kisses him.
"Nothing," she says. He's about to question it, so she speaks before he can. "We're going to have a baby."
He freezes for a moment, and then she sees a smile she's never seen before, and she's tearing up as he pulls her into his arms.
"Really!?" he asks excitedly, his eyes shining as it sinks in. "I mean...Really?"
"Yeah," she says as her chin trembles. "The doctor just called."
"I love you," he says, placing his hand on her stomach. She places her hand over his and she kisses him when she sees the shimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. "God, I love you."
"You too," she whispers. "Can we really do this? We've only been married a couple months, Luke."
She knows the answers to the question, and it wouldn't matter if they weren't married at all. They're having a baby, and she is terrified, but in a really good way.
"We can," he insists, brushing the tear from her cheeks. "We are."
"I'm still scared," she admits quietly. "I don't...I really don't know how to do this."
"Me neither," he says, kissing her temple. "But we'll figure it out together, OK?"
She lets out a sigh and leans over to kiss him sweetly.
There's the man she loves.
"OK."
Everyone takes the news surprisingly well. Karen cries and tells them she's too young to be a grandmother, but that she can't wait to hold her first grandchild. She insists that she and Andy are there for them no matter what they need. Haley tears up, and Nathan offers happy congratulations. Jamie doesn't quite understand the concept, but is blissfully happy since everyone else around him is. Larry had been aware of the possibility, and tells Peyton that she and Lucas have his support no matter what.
They move back to Tree Hill for the summer when classes let out, and they find a note on the coffee table of Lucas' home from Karen, telling them that the house is now theirs, and they should consider it a wedding gift. Peyton cries and blames it on the hormones, but they both know she would have cried either way. Karen Roe is nothing if not generous.
They're strolling the beach one night and playfully throwing around baby names. Lucas suggests William, Charles, John, and Jerome for a few of his favourite authors, and Peyton suggests Dee Dee, Johnny, Jimmy, and Robert for a few of her favourite musicians.
They don't talk about girl's names, because they both honestly believe they'll have a girl, and joking about the name doesn't seem right.
Peyton has Lucas' sweater draped around her shoulders, and his arm around her waist. What she's learned in the few weeks since they've been back, is that she really, really loves Tree Hill.
"I want to stay here," she says softly, almost holding her breath as she waits for his reaction.
"Yeah?" he asks absently.
"It's home, Luke. I know you have school and stuff, and it's all...complicated, but...I want to raise our baby in our home," she insists, and he turns to her when he sees that she's completely serious. "I don't want the first year of her life to be in a rental. I want those memories at our house, Luke."
"I'll transfer here," he says with a shrug.
She stops walking and he turns so he's standing in front of her.
"You'd do that?" she asks, in awe that he's so willing to give it all up. "What about coaching? What about Nathan and Haley?"
"Coaching is just...a perk," he tells her. "And if anyone would understand, it's Nathan and Haley."
"I can't ask..."
"You didn't ask," he says, smiling as he pulls her into his arms. "I'll call the university here tomorrow."
She leans forward and kisses him, and he makes a sound when she catches him off guard. She's surprised he'll do this for her - for them - but it's really a no brainer. He agrees with everything she said anyway, and he won't be away from her. It just makes sense.
"I hope our baby gets your eyes," she says softly, resting her forehead against his.
"Why?" he asks in confusion. "I love your eyes."
"Oh, you have no idea how beautiful you are, Luke," she says, completely seriously.
"Stop," he scoffs.
"No," she says with a slight laugh. "I'm serious. I...you're gorgeous. Our baby would be lucky to have your eyes."
"Well, if the rest of her is like you, I'll be OK with that," he says, brushing his lips against hers.
"Even the temper?" she asks jokingly.
"Especially that," he insists. "I can't see your daughter not having a little sass in her."
"Our daughter," she corrects, slipping her hand into his as they resume walking.
And it hits him again that he's married to the love of his life, and she's carrying his child.
He really doesn't know what more he could ask for.
| Plus he's there for you when he shouldn't be
But he stays all the same, waits for you
Then sees you through |
"Sure, Luke. Stare at the shirt. That'll make it fit," she says harshly, pulling the tight cotton up over her head and throwing it at him.
Pregnancy looks good on Peyton.
Peyton doesn't think so.
In fact, she's not exactly the most joyful expectant woman ever.
It's been nine months of Lucas trying to placate her without speaking to her patronizingly, and at least six months of listening to her complain about her wardrobe - or lack of.
Lucas, of course, thinks she's beautiful, and she believes him every once in a while. Her figure has filled out, though she's still slender legs and arms, and she doesn't even look pregnant from behind. Her cheeks are pink and her hair shines, and she looks just...sweet.
But it's an interesting juxtaposition to her actual moods, which have been pretty volatile.
Lucas transfered to the local university, and took on an assistant coaching job with the Ravens, and has been there for Peyton through every weird craving or crying fit over her water being too cold. He'll never forget how she rushed into his practice the morning the baby kicked for the first time, or how they'd both just smiled at each other when they found out the baby is a girl.
But now she's a week overdue, and they both just want it to happen already.
"Here," he says, pulling a top from the closet that he knows will fit her. He caresses her arm and kisses her temple as he places the fabric in her hands, and then he notices her start to tear up.
"Sorry," she manages when he looks at her with a helpless expression on his face. "I'm just...sick of being pregnant, Luke."
She sits down at the end of the bed in just her jeans and bra, and it's all he can do not to yell and tell her how gorgeous she is. He kneels in front of her and places his hands on the outside of her thighs.
"Honey, any day now, OK?" he promises. "Any day, and then we'll get to bring her home."
"How come you're so calm," she pouts, and he just chuckles and wipes her cheeks.
"I'm not. But I need to keep you calm," he tells her. "I'm just as impatient as you are."
"Why isn't she ready yet?" she asks, laughing at herself as soon as she's said the question.
"She's already as stubborn as you are," he says, and she swats his arm.
They hear the front door open, and Lucas stands, leans down and kisses Peyton's forehead, and pulls his own shirt over his head.
"That's mom," he says. "You sure you're OK for a couple hours while I run to this meeting?"
"I love that you assume that anything is going to happen," she says in frustration, reaching for his hand so he can help her up.
"What happened to positive thinking?" he asks, watching as she pulls on her shirt.
"Everyone else can be positive. I'm going to keep being the mean one. Maybe that'll scare her out of here," she says, and they both laugh.
She kisses him goodbye and sits down on the sofa with Karen, and the two women talk for a while about anything but babies and pregnancy.
It's not even an hour after Lucas has left that Peyton's water breaks.
| There's no way I could describe him
What I said is just what I'm hoping for |
Thankfully, the labour goes more smoothly than the rest of the pregnancy, and Peyton jokes that the girl took her time getting ready to come out, then wanted to rush it. Lucas tells Peyton the baby is exactly like her already, and she tells him she'd hit him if she didn't have their daughter in her arms.
Anna Haley Scott has clear blue eyes and fine blonde hair, and she's already got a temper.
Lucas and Peyton learn in the first week that Anna's home that she has her schedule, and she likes to stick to it, and she'll scream until she's red in the face if she's not fed right on time. Lucas is smitten and Peyton feels like crying every time she sees him holding their daughter and hears him mumbling to her about whatever it is he talks to her about.
After two weeks, Peyton has to beg Lucas to start going to every class - not just the 'vital' ones - and to practice.
He doesn't want to leave his girls, and Peyton loves him for that, but he needs to finish college. It's already been hard enough for him, dealing with a pregnant wife, and now that he has the added bonus of midnight feedings, he knows he'll have to work twice as hard to get the same grades.
But he wouldn't change it for the world.
Coming home to his wife and daughter is always the best part of his day.
He steps through the door after his after-school practice, and Peyton's got the baby in one arm and the phone wedged against her shoulder, and Anna's crying for the bottle Peyton's desperately trying to prepare with one hand. Lucas walks to Peyton and takes the baby from her arms, and she shoots him a grateful look and he kisses her temple. Peyton finishes the bottle and hands it to Lucas, and he feeds Anna while Peyton disappears into the bedroom to finish her call.
She comes out into the living room five minutes later to see her husband gazing down at his daughter as a college basketball game plays in the background. Anna's little fingers splay over his large hand, and Peyton can only smile.
He always swoops in like Superman just when she needs him to.
"She's already a daddy's girl," Peyton muses from the doorway, and he turns his head and smiles.
"That shouldn't surprise you," he tells her as she sits down next to him and tucks one leg beneath her. It's then that he notices the tears in his wife's eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I was just totally overwhelmed, and you come in and it's like everything's under control. When you aren't here, I feel like a madwoman trying to do everything," she says, unable to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.
"No one said you had to do everything on your own," he tells her, brushing away her tears with the back of his index finger. "That's what I'm here for."
"But...That was Deb on the phone, and she wants me to manage Tric," she says sadly. "And I want to do it, and she says I can just come in whenever I'm ready. But...I don't think I'll ever be ready."
"Peyt, it's only been three weeks," he reminds her, holding Anna against his shoulder and patting her gently on the back.
He's such a natural that it scares Peyton sometimes.
"You don't have to go to work right away," he says. "The advance on my book is coming through, and we have savings. We're good for a while."
"I know," she says softly, running her hand over Anna's soft hair. "I just can't ever see myself leaving her."
"You going to work doesn't mean you're leaving her," Lucas insists seriously. He knows there's more to it, and what she says next confirms it.
"I just want to be a good mom," she admits, just above a whisper.
"Peyton," he breathes out, shaking his head. "You already are a good mom."
She just rolls her eyes and leans over to kiss him, and mumbles a thank you against his lips. He can say the simplest things to her, and somehow make her believe him every time.
"Gimme," she says, holding out her hands to take Anna from him.
Lucas just laughs and carefully passes the baby to her. He kisses Anna's forehead, and smiles fondly as Peyton gets up and starts down the hall to the nursery.
"How'd I get so lucky, huh?" she asks the little girl in her arms.
He can only shake his head in wonder.
She's his wife, and she's given him a perfect daughter, and they've started an amazing life together.
And she thinks she's the lucky one.
| But I will find him sitting on my doorstep
Waiting for a surprise
And he will feel like he's been there for hours |
Anna's first word is Dada, and that doesn't surprise them, but Peyton still pouts about it.
He took classes all summer long so he would actually graduate early, and he's been staying home with their daughter while Peyton works at the club during the day. Of course, her hours are flexible, but she still feels like he gets more time with Anna, though they both know that's all in her head.
Lucas' second book - actually the first one he wrote - is an even better seller than the first, and that was all without a book tour. He'd refused to do anything that would take him away for more than a day at a time. Peyton tried to get him to reconsider, but she secretly loved that he wouldn't. He's up for the Ravens head coaching job for the upcoming year when the current coach retires; they all say he's a shoe-in.
The changes Peyton has made at Tric have upped traffic and bar sales, and brought in more reputable bands. She's good at what she does, and she loves every second of it.
She just hates being away from Lucas and Anna, even if she is only just across town.
She pulls her new black sedan into the driveway of the house, and she sees her two favourite people in the world waiting for her on the porch. She has no clue how Lucas would know she'd be home now, but she's learned not to question the things he does; he just always seems to know, and she loves him for that.
"Hey baby girl," she sings as she steps up the walk.
Anna's toddling down the pavement with a few daisies in her little fist, and she holds them up to her mother.
"We picked flowers," Lucas states with a smile as Peyton lifts their daughter into her arms.
"I see that," she says. "Hi."
"Hi," he mumbles as he kisses her softly. "You'll never guess what happened today."
"Another 'accident' with paint on the kitchen table?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.
Earlier that week, she'd walked into the house to see Lucas and Anna covered to their elbows in yellow, blue, and red finger paints. The only problem was that you would have thought they had forgotten paper all together, judging by how much paint was on the table.
"No," he says boyishly. "She said another word."
"Another word!?" she asks the little girl in a goofy voice that has her giggling that little laugh that melts both her parents' hearts. "What was it?"
"Mama," Lucas says, laughing when Peyton's jaw drops.
"What!?"
"I was carrying her down the hall and she saw the picture from our wedding day," he explains. "She put her hand on the glass and just blurted it out."
"Without me even there," Peyton says with a pout.
Sometimes Lucas has to ask himself who the little girl is. She hits him every time he says something like that, though, so he usually keeps it to himself.
"Can you say mama?" Lucas asks encouragingly as they all sit on the porch swing. "Come on, baby."
Anna just curls up against Peyton's chest and stays absolutely silent.
"She thinks I'm just a picture," Peyton mumbles.
"Babe," Lucas laughs, draping his arm around her. "She'll say it again. Just give her time."
Peyton nods and runs her fingers through Anna's straight blonde hair, and leans her head against Lucas' shoulder as their daughter sits on her lap.
"How was your day?" she asks him, just as she always does.
"Good," he says with a nod. "I got some pages written. She was awesome. Napped when she was supposed to and everything."
"So any word on the next book?" Peyton asks.
They've been waiting to hear from Lucas' publishing company whether they're optioning him for a third novel, and the call is supposed to come any day now. She assumes he'll tell her as soon as it does.
But apparently not.
"They called a couple hours ago," he says with a smile. "Book number three is slated for edit next year."
"Lucas!" she squeals, making Anna giggle at her tone and how quickly Peyton has her arms around her husband. "How is this...? We're only 23!"
"I'm aware," he says with a laugh as she settles into his side again.
"We're 23, and we're married and we have a perfect daughter. And you're a best-selling author," she finishes.
"And you're an incredible mom, and a successful businesswoman," he says in that tone of voice she loves. He leans over and speaks in her ear after pressing a kiss to the hinge of her jaw. "And you're amazingly sexy."
"Easy, mister," she warns, glancing down at Anna, who's playing with one of the daisies in her hands.
"You're in trouble once she's asleep," he warns her, and her cheeks flush as she takes a deep breath.
"What are you making me for dinner?" she asks, desperate for a subject change.
"It's already made and waiting for you when you're ready," he says, and she just lets out a breath and shakes her head. He's quite the Mr. Mom. He stands and reaches out to pull Anna into his arms. "Come on, little girl. Let's let mommy go change."
And that's when she says it. As soon as she's perched on Lucas' arm, Anna softly says those two little syllables.
"Mama."
Lucas looks over to Peyton, and she's smiling widely and out of her seat within seconds.
"Give her back to me!" she demands, making Lucas laugh as Peyton takes their daughter again. "You said it!" Anna giggles when Peyton kisses her cheek repeatedly, and then turns back to Lucas. "I never thought I'd love anyone more than you."
"Me neither," he says softly, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
| And I can tell that he'll be there for life |
They get ready for bed that night, and the smile hasn't left Peyton's face all evening. Lucas kisses the back of her neck and her shoulders as she sits at the edge of the bed and rubs lotion over her hands and arms.
"I can't believe she finally said it," she says, ignoring to his advances. "I swear, I could have cried."
"Mhmm."
"And...she's got such a perfect little voice, you know?" she points out. "Maybe she'll be a singer. Or...she could be a writer, and she'll have that great reading voice like you do."
"Mhmm."
He changes up his tactics and slips the strap of her nightgown off her shoulder, trailing his fingertips along her collar bone.
"And maybe I'll just keep talking and pretending I don't feel how amazing your hands are on my skin," she says, thinking he's not paying attention to a word she's saying.
"You could try," he growls as he nips at her earlobe.
"Lucas," she says, turning around to face him, "I'm trying to talk about our daughter's future, here."
She's smiling, so he knows he's not in trouble.
But he's still not exactly getting what he wants.
"And I'm trying to get laid," he grumbles, laughing when her jaw drops. He flops back onto his pillow, and raises an eyebrow at they way she eyes the strip of flesh between his tee shirt and boxers.
"Don't you want to hear me talk about Anna all night long?" she asks teasingly, straddling his lap and letting her hands fall to his chest.
"I love her," he says softly.
"Mhmm." She shifts on his lap and he stifles a groan he knows he doesn't need to stifle.
"And I love to hear you talk about her."
"Mhmm" she says, pushing up the cotton of his tee shirt.
"But I love making love to you," he insists, sitting up and placing his hand on the back of her head to bring her lips to his.
"Baby, you always say the right things," she murmurs as he kisses her neck and pushes her nightgown up over her body.
And then they hear Anna crying through the baby monitor next to the bed, and Lucas throws his head back.
He immediately identifies that as a mistake, since he gets to view his insanely beautiful wife as she sits on his lap, and that only makes it even more painful that one of them has to leave the room. When she reaches for her nightgown and tugs it back over her head, he knows that it's her. He doesn't know if he'd feel any better had he been the one to leave, but he certainly misses her when she climbs off him and sets her feet on the ground.
He lays back against the pillow again and lets out a sigh as he watches the satin shimmer on her body, and she turns to him before she walks out the door.
"Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"The beauty of having our first baby so young? Is that we have plenty of time to make more," she purrs.
He smiles at her and she winks, and all he sees are her legs until he can't see her any more.
| And I can tell that he'll be there for life |
"Did you hear all that?" she says when she walks back into the room and and closes the door behind her.
In the beginning, they each used to forget about the baby monitor, and so Peyton would hear Lucas every time he'd read to Anna and tell her all about his favourite books. And Lucas would hear Peyton tell Anna all about her daddy and how wonderful he is. It eventually just became another way for them to tease each other. Lucas will be reading or writing, and he'll hear Peyton making fun of him, and he can only shake his head.
He's laying back against the pillow with one arm behind his head as he reads a copy of Hamlet he's had as long as she's known him.
"You mean her just saying 'Mama' over and over again?" Lucas says with a smirk. "And you squealing like a little girl? Yeah. Heard it."
"Wasn't it great!?" she says excitedly, rushing towards the bed and settling against his side. She pulls the book from his hands and closes it without marking the page, just like he always scolds her for.
"Great," he says, doing his best - and failing - to ignore the way her body presses against his.
"Can you imagine when she starts really talking?" she asks, trailing her fingertips down his side and toying with the bottom of his shirt.
"Baby, you need to pick one thing to focus on, here," he tells her as he places one hand on her hip. "And I really want it to be me."
"Yeah?" She kisses along his jaw line and he pulls her onto his lap to mimic the position she was in earlier.
"Uh huh." He watches intently and his mouth goes dry as she pulls her nightgown off her body again.
"And why would I do that?" she teases, leaning down to speak against his lips.
He can manage only one word, and the way she kisses him lets him know it's the right one.
"Anniversary."
"Is that why you were being so nice to me today?" she asks coyly, shivering beneath his fingers as he runs them down her back.
He'd made breakfast in bed, sent her flowers at work, made dinner, and given her a simple necklace she'd had her eye on for weeks and had not-so-subtly told him that it would be the perfect gift.
"You say that like I'm not nice to you every day," he points out, smirking at her. He flips them over so she's beneath him, and he brushes the hair from her face with the tips of his fingers.
"I kind of like you," she says as she clutches his bicep.
"That's a good thing," he growls, kissing her heatedly, and inwardly smiling at the noise she lets out.
"You don't have to tell me that," she muses.
"I love you, Peyton," he says softly, and she smiles against his lips before he moves to that spot just below her ear that she loves.
He says it all the time. Probably 10 times a day, not that she'll ever complain.
"Hey Luke?"
"Yeah?" he asks, pulling away from her to look into her eyes.
"Promise me you'll never stop saying my name like that," she says seriously, and he smiles and closes his eyes before he presses his lips to hers.
"I promise."
----