A/N: Here's the next one. Thanks for all your responses to last chapter. It is very much appreciated. I hope you like this one. I know everyone's waiting for all the truth to come out, and it will, I promise. It's just gonna take a bit of time. Everything that is happening is slowly leading up to it so I hope you'll stick with it in the meantime.

nightfall: lol, hilarious. I was wondering...especially about the Jay Z reference. I was like, wtf? LMAO. Thanks for clarifying what you meant. LOL, too funny. Oh and yeah, I do think Brooke/Clay would fit nicely in this story for the reasons you said, but I've already set out the eventual couples in the summary and it wouldn't be fair to change them now. Sorry about that.

...

Haley crossed her arms over her chest, silently waiting for her husband's explanation. She was met with his own silence, apparently no explanation forthcoming. He simply stared ahead at the road, the guilty look on his face telling her more than he realized.

Even so, she wanted to hear what he had to say. She wanted his admission that he'd lied to her and, damn it, she wanted to know his reasons. But he wasn't saying a word, and that was not okay with her.

"Are you going to say anything?" she asked tartly.

He stole a side glance at her. If her harsh tone didn't tell him how upset she was with him, the grim line of her mouth did. And that look. Disappointment. Damn, how he hated that look. It made him feel about three inches tall, and he silently cursed her ability to cut him down to size without having to say a single word.

He quickly turned back to the road, his mind racing with possible excuses to tell her. He'd lost it, then found it, and then got rid of it? Lame. She'd see right through him. He'd forgotten he'd gotten rid of it so thought he'd lost it? Even lamer.

His mind went a complete blank, and so he did the only thing he could. He deflected. "You couldn't at least wait till we were home to pick a fight?" he asked, his tone sharp and accusing.

"I am not picking a fight," she retaliated harshly. "I want the truth. And why wait till we get home, Nathan?" she challenged. "So you can walk out if you don't like where the conversation's going, like you always do?"

"I walk out because I don't want to fight with you and because it keeps me from saying things you don't wanna hear."

"Or saying things you don't want me to hear," she countered. "Nathan, I want the truth and I want it now. What did you do with the credit card?"

He sighed in defeat, knowing she had him. There was no way around this. "I gave it to Peyton," he admitted.

...

"Ok, thank you. We'll be in touch," the interviewer said, her tone none too promising.

Peyton shook the woman's hand and left the building, her confidence shattered. She'd blown the interview, she just knew it. It was only a dishwashing position, but she was desperate and out of the dozens of places she'd applied, they were the only ones so far to call her. She needed the money, not only to live, but to pay lawyer's fees if she ever expected to get back into court. But she'd messed it up. She'd had too much riding on it and had been so incredibly nervous.

She walked toward her car despondently, her misery overwhelming her, taking its toll. She didn't know what else to do.

She just about reached her car when she heard someone call out to her. She turned in the direction of the voice with an irritable sigh. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. But a small smile reached her lips at the person who now ran to catch up to her. "Jake, hey," she greeted warmly, though not very enthusiastically. It was good to see him, but she didn't have the energy or the want to put up a pleasant, upbeat front.

She accepted the hug he gave her and even gave one in return. As down as she was, it still was nice to see a friendly face.

They exchanged mild pleasantries before she asked what he was doing in Tree Hill and whether or not Jenny was with him. She'd love to see her again.

"Nah, it's Nikki's week," he revealed. "I'm just here visiting my folks for the weekend."

Peyton nodded. "So you and Nikki have..."

"Joint custody," he finished.

"How's that working out?" she wanted to know.

"Pretty well, actually," he answered. "Yeah, I never thought it could work, but Nikki, she's matured a lot, and I guess I did too. We get along really well nowadays so it's better for Jenny in the long run."

"That's great, Jake. I'm happy for you."

He quirked a brow at her. She didn't look happy. "Well, how 'bout Sawyer?" he questioned. "She must be getting big."

At that Peyton's expression turned even more somber. "Yeah, she is," she replied simply. 'At least I assume she is,' she kept to herself.

"And Lucas? How's he doing?"

"Umm, good, I think. I honestly don't know," she said. "We're divorcing," she added upon his questioning look.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry to hear that," Jake returned sympathetically. "I really thought you two would make it," he said, silently wondering what had happened between them. "I guess we can't all be Naley, right?"

A non-humorous chuckled passed her lips. "Right," she remarked dryly.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

"It's a long story," she answered. Well, it wasn't really a long story, but it was one she didn't want to get into with Jake.

"Well, my parents are at work so I've got time if you're free for lunch."

"Thanks, but I was gonna head home and drown my sorrows in a bottle of tequila. You're welcome to join me but I plan on getting insanely drunk."

She thought that would throw him off but he accepted her invitation. She concluded that it wasn't so bad that he did. She could use the company. Friends were a rare commodity these days, and she could use the pick-me-up from someone who didn't see her as a cheating, home-wrecking whore.

Indeed, Jake Jagielski did not hate her. At least, not yet.

Upon further discussion, she discovered he'd walked into town so naturally she offered him a ride. He easily accepted and they both hopped in the Comet. She didn't even notice Mouth's car drive by on his way home for lunch, and Jamie waving at her from the passenger seat.

...

"Oh goodness gracious," Victoria Davis huffed. "If it's not one broody blond, it's the other. Are you and your equally parasitic wife taking turns pestering my daughter now?"

That was the greeting Lucas received when he walked through the doors of Clothes Over Bros. Before he could comment on it, Brooke came out from the back, her face the picture of fury.

"Mother!" she chastised. It was pointless, she knew. It mattered not what anyone said to Victoria.

"What, my dear?" Victoria asked innocently. "It was a simple question."

"It was an incredibly rude question."

"Oh, my bad," her mother said, her tone sugary sweet. "Please welcome to my daughter's ever revolving door," she mocked. "To what do we owe this most...expected...pleasure?"

Momentarily speechless, Luke looked at Brooke uneasily. He didn't know what he'd ever done to warrant Mrs. Davis' wrath, but he'd just go with what Peyton had once told him—that Brooke's mom was like that with everyone. That that was how she said 'hi'. "Uh, I was hoping you could take a coffee break," he said to Brooke, indicating the small coffee shop across the street.

"Why, of course she can," Victoria answered blithely. "It's not like she has a clothing line to run or tight deadlines to meet."

"Mom!" Brooke warned once again.

Victoria simply rolled her eyes. "Run along then, if you must," she said in her haughty tone before extending her arms to Sawyer. "Give me this one then. I highly doubt a coffee break would interest her in the least."

To Luke's surprise, Sawyer went right to her, and happily so.

"I'll just grab my purse," Brooke said, not surprised at all anymore.

...

Nearly home, Nathan flashed his wife another uneasy glance before sighing in aggravation. "Yeah, good thing I can't go nowhere because the silent treatment works so much better," he griped.

"I'm not giving you the silent treatment," she denied.

"Really?" he scoffed. "Cause you haven't said a word in twenty minutes."

"Maybe because I don't want to hash this out with you while you're driving," she spat.

"You're the one who wanted to do this here," he reminded her.

"Yeah, well I didn't expect it to come to this," she admitted. "I didn't think the lies would just...roll off your tongue so easily. What else have you lied to me about?"

Everything. "Nothing. Look, I would have been honest if I thought you wouldn't freak out, but I knew you would."

"So, this is my fault?" she challenged dully.

"I didn't say that."

"That's what I'm hearing," she countered. "Why would you even help Peyton against Lucas in the first place? Especially after refusing to help him when he came to us. He's your brother."

"Yeah, and he's also wrong," Nathan argued. "Peyton's not trying to take Sawyer from him. She just wants to stop him from doing that to her. You're a mother, Haley. I can't believe you're taking his side on this."

"I'm not taking sides. Lucas is hurting right now and it's because of Peyton..."

"So it's ok to use their two year old daughter as a pawn to hurt her back?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"That's what I'm hearing," he threw back her words. "What he's doing is wrong, Hales, and you know it," he added, pulling into their driveway.

"Maybe it is," Haley conceded with a sigh. "Or maybe you're wrong about his reasons. Maybe keeping Sawyer from her is not about hurting her at all. He could have other, valid reasons for doing so."

"Like what?"

"Like, I don't know, running off to L.A. to be with her lover instead of being home to actually take care of her daughter."

He frowned at her statement. "She went to L.A. to build her career," he defended. "And Lucas encouraged her to go."

"Uh huh, and her lover just so happened to be there too," she huffed in return.

They were inside the house now, and Nathan dropped the keys on the counter in frustration. Yes, he had just happened to be there. It's not like they planned for her to go to L.A. so they could start an affair under the ruse of her career. There really were great opportunities for her there.

But it's not like he could point that out. If he did, it would surely inspire more questions. Haley would wonder how he knew so much about it after outwardly denying knowing anything. "Sounds like you're doing a lot of guess work too," he said.

"Sounds like you're gonna defend Peyton no matter what she's done or who she's hurt, even if it's your own brother."

Nathan shook his head. "I just think it sucks that he's dragging Sawyer into it. None of this is her fault. She's completely innocent."

"She's also been completely fine," Haley snarled back. "She doesn't seem much affected by the absence of her mother. I guess she got used to it in the past months."

"What does that mean? You think she doesn't need her mother at all?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like, that, for now, she's fine. She's dealing a whole lot better than Lucas is, I can tell you that much. So why don't you take a minute to consider what he, your brother, is going through. He went from having this perfect little family and then had the rug pulled out right from under him because he had no clue that Peyton was anything but happy with him. On top of that, she won't give her lover's name. He knows nothing about this other guy or if Peyton plans to have him be a part of Sawyer's life. So excuse him if he's a little cautious. I think you might be too if you were in his shoes, but you're too busy defending Peyton to see Luke's side in all this. He is struggling right now and you know what? He could probably use his brother to talk to, but have you done that at all? Instead of taking up arms with the woman who caused all this, why don't you pick up the phone and call him? See how he's doing. Ask if he needs any help. Tell him you care. Anything. Brothers are there for each other, Nathan, even when they don't agree with the other's actions. And who knows? Maybe you could even show him how wrong it is to keep Peyton and Sawyer apart. Yes, maybe all he needs is support from his little brother to make him realize his mistakes and reconsider his choices."

Staring down at his shoes, feeling smaller and smaller by the second, Nathan took in every bit of his wife's angry rant silently. He felt like a little kid being reprimanded for misbehaving. Yeah, she definitely knew how to shrink a man. It didn't help that all she said made sense—if she knew the truth—and he had nothing to say in his defence.

He could apologize for helping Peyton, but that would just be another lie because he wasn't sorry and, indeed, still had every intention of providing the funds she needed to fight for access to her daughter. No matter what kind of picture Haley painted or how many excuses she came up for Luke, he still had no right to do what he was doing to both Peyton and Sawyer.

"Are you even listening to me?" Haley huffed angrily when it seemed Nathan had purposely zoned out.

"Yes, Hales," he replied with an exasperated sigh. "I heard every word. I think the neighbors might have too."

Well, that was certainly the wrong thing to say. She glared at him furiously, her own patience wearing thin. "Then say something," she fumed. It seemed tuning her out was his alternative to walking out, and she didn't like it one bit.

"I don't wanna fight anymore, Haley," he said. "It's like, all we've done the last few times I've been home."

"And whose fault is that?"

His, of course. Wasn't it always? Well, yeah, okay, this one really was his fault. That knowledge didn't make it any less frustrating though. "I said I'm sorry for lying about the credit card," he shot out. "How many times do you want me to say it?"

"This is the first you say it, actually," Haley pointed out. She knew because she'd been listening for his apology, expecting it to come swiftly. It finally did, but was shot out with so much rage that it could hardly be considered an apology at all. "As for how often, as many times until you actually mean it."

He growled in frustration. "I mean it," he said. And it was true. He did mean it. The lying part of it anyway. He didn't enjoy lying to his wife, but when there were things he didn't want her finding out, what choice did he have? "And I gave you my reasons for doing it. If that's not good enough, then I don't know what else I'm supposed to say. You're overreacting to something that's not even that big of a deal, like you always do."

It was all she could do not to slap him. She loved him, but still it was so infuriating to be accused of overreacting, and he did it a lot. "Well, apparently you thought it a big enough deal that you felt it necessary to lie about it."

"Because, like I already told you, I knew you'd freak out, just like you're doing now."

"Well, excuse me for expecting honesty from my husband."

"And again, I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can say so can you just drop it?"

His dismissive tone was irritating, but he was right. There was nothing else to say on the subject even though she still wanted to scream at him. But she knew her husband well enough to know that if she did that, if she pushed it further, he would walk out in the middle of the argument, whether she liked it or not. "Fine," she mumbled resentfully.

"Thank you."

"But no more lies, Nathan," she warned.

"Ok," he agreed, though that in itself was another lie.

"Ok," she repeated on a sigh. "Now go unpack and get ready. Lucas invited us over for dinner."

"Tonight?"

Another sigh. "Yes, tonight. He misses you, Nathan. He feels like he's hardly seen you at all the last few times you were home. Plus he wants you to know he has no hard feelings for not lending him money when he asked. He understands the position you were in, being friends with Peyton and all. Of course, he doesn't know you chose to help her instead..."

"What time is dinner?" he cut her off, not wanting to get into it again. He would have rather spent the night at home relaxing with his family tonight since it was his first night back, but the chill in her voice told him she was still pissed at him, and he knew he had to do something to get back on her good side.

He was also hoping to get a chance to see Peyton today to explain the mix-up about the credit card cancellation, but looks like that wasn't gonna happen. Haley said dinner was in a few hours and she wanted to get there early enough to help Lucas with the prep work. Apparently Mouth was going to drop Jamie off soon and Haley wanted to head to Luke's right after.

And so Nathan grabbed his bags and headed upstairs, intending to take a shower. He half expected Haley to join him. It was, after all, six weeks since they'd seen each other—been together—and they were all alone in the house.

But she didn't join him. She barely even reciprocated his kiss before he went upstairs. And that, more than anything, told him she was still upset with him despite having dropped the subject. Simply agreeing to a dinner he wasn't really up for wasn't going to cut it.

He took that opportunity to send Peyton a text telling her they needed to talk as soon as possible. He didn't like her thinking he'd withdrawn his help because she wouldn't sleep with him anymore. It was both frustrating and upsetting that she thought so little of him, and the sooner he cleared it up, the better. But he wouldn't do it by text. He wanted to do it in person, and yeah, he could admit to himself that may be an excuse to see her.

Meanwhile Haley stood rooted to her spot downstairs, surprised he didn't flash her his cocky smirk and suggest she join him in the shower. Why didn't he? Because he thought she was still mad? That didn't usually stop him, especially after so long of being apart and having the house to themselves.

...

"So, has Peyton been coming around the store?" Luke asked as they sipped their coffee. "I'm just asking because your mom said something about her and I taking turns."

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "She's come by a few times."

"To see Sawyer? Because that would be violating her restraining order, and my lawyer could probably use that in court."

"You'd really want to use that against her?"

"Why wouldn't I? The more she screws up, the better chance I have at keeping sole custody."

"But the chance of you losing it is minimal, right? Isn't that what your lawyer told you?"

"He did, but he also said there's a possibility she'll get joint custody."

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

"Brooke, we've been over this. Bouncing from one home to the next can't be good for her. Sawyer needs stability, and I can offer her that a lot better than Peyton can."

"Yeah. I hear you, Luke. It's just, it's sad, you know? I mean, shouldn't Sawyer know her mother? At least see her?"

"The lying, cheating bitch who gave birth to her?" he scoffed, surprising Brooke. Never had she heard Lucas call Peyton a bitch. "Personally, I think Sawyer's better off not knowing her," he continued. "But like we've also already been through, this is temporary. When the final court hearing comes up, Peyton'll get her way and be granted access, at the very least. In the meantime, she can stew in her mistakes. I'm not wasting my time feeling sorry for her when she's the one who broke our family apart. And if I can prove she's still trying to see Sawyer, ignoring the restraining order..."

"She hasn't," Brooke told him. It was a lie, one of several she'd been forced to tell lately. She didn't even know why she told this one. Lucas was right. Peyton had brought this all on herself. But still she couldn't erase from her mind the blonde's devastated expression when Brooke had refused to allow her in the store to see Sawyer. "She came to see me," she said. At least that part was true. Peyton hadn't even known Sawyer was in the store before she came. "And we just talked outside." Also true.

"So, you two are friends again?"

"I wouldn't say that."

"You know I'd be ok if you were, don't you?"

She nodded. "I know. But it's not about you, Luke. Well, it sort of is. I just don't like what she did. You deserved better than that."

"Thank you."

"You still love her, don't you?"

"What kind of question is that?"

Brooke shrugged, not elaborating. To her the question was pretty clear and needed no explanation.

She caught his eye, and he looked away as he answered. "I wish I could say no," he admitted softly. "I want to hate her and, at times, I think I actually do. Other times..." He trailed off, shaking his head as he tried to wade off his mixed emotions. "Well, I guess it takes more than a few months to get over someone you've loved since high school."

Brooke nodded in understanding, though the words broke her heart. "Yeah, I hear ya," she replied, hoping the disappointment she felt didn't come through in her voice.

"But I'm getting there," he said more optimistically. "Anger plus not having to see her constantly help. Hopefully by the time the permanent custody hearing comes up, I'll be over her, at least enough that I can be in a room with her without my heart breaking all over again."

She smiled sadly, sympathizing. She hoped so too.

"But anyway, I didn't bring you here to talk about Peyton. Are you coming to dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, of course," she returned, having already been asked. "You know I never refuse a home cooked meal."

He smiled gratefully. "Good. Yeah, Haley texted me that they're coming so, if you don't mind keeping her company while I steal my little brother away for a bit..."

"Oh, Nathan's home?" Brooke asked, suddenly feeling uneasy about this dinner.

"Yeah, just a little while ago," he answered, oblivious of her discomfort. "And that's another reason I want you there. Nathan and Haley tend to get a bit...mushy...when he's just back so..."

"Say no more," Brooke chuckled. "Ulterior motive noted."

He laughed with her. "Oh, come on, you know I love your company."

"Uh huh. Well played, Broody," she jested. "But you know, it would have been smarter to have the dinner tomorrow night, after the initial Naley mushiness is worn off." God help her having to sit through a dinner, knowing what she knows, and having to watch Nathan be lovey dovey with his wife, her friend.

"Oh, it doesn't wear off for a good week or two," he joked back. "And besides, it's too late. I already invited them and they've accepted, so it's done."

"Then I guess we'll just have to deal with the crazy lovebirds," she blurted, exaggerating her exuberance. "But right now I should get back to work before my mother pitches a fit."

He nodded. He should get going home anyway. He had a meal to cook. But he couldn't help feeling like he'd rather just sit here talking to Brooke all day. "Hey, I see my daughter's taken a strange liking to your mom," he said as they headed out of the cafe and back toward Brooke's store.

"Yeah, weird right?" Brooke laughed. "I thought kids were supposed to have this sixth sense about the presence of evil, but I guess not."

"I believe that's dogs," Luke replied uncertainly.

Brooke shrugged, equally uncertain. "You know what's even stranger?" she asked. "No matter how much she gripes, Victoria actually seems just as smitten with Sawyer."

"Well, can't blame her there," Lucas returned boastfully. "She is an adorable kid. I'm sure she could melt the heart of Satan himself."

"She has."

"Oh come on, your mom's not that bad."

Brooke let out a loud crackle of laughter. "She called you a parasite," she reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right. She is that bad."

"Uh huh."

"Then again, she called Peyton one too so she gets half a point in my good books for that."

They were still laughing when they entered Clothes Over Bros where they found Sawyer hanging on to Victoria's coat tails, so to speak. Lucas gathered her up, said his goodbyes and left.

"Dreadful man," Victoria huffed with a shudder once they were gone. "I sincerely hope you're not involved with him again, my darling."

"Don't worry, mother," Brooke returned caustically. "Lucas and I are just friends."

"Thank God for small miracles, though why you would choose to befriend him is still a mystery to me."

"Luke's a good guy, mom."

"I'll have to take your word on that, dear. God knows you're not going to listen to me anyway."

She left it at that and all Brooke could do was shake her head. There was no point defending Lucas, or anyone else her mother chose to harp on for that matter, because Victoria was Victoria, and it seemed everyone Brooke associated with was a target for her criticism, whether deserved or not. It was as Peyton always said; her mother hated all her friends. It had always been that way so it was pointless to get upset over it now.

...

"Jake Jagielski, I don't remember you being such a lush before," Peyton slurred as he held out his shot glass for more tequila.

Jake had to laugh. He'd been there all afternoon and had had two shots, going on his third, and one beer. And this was indulging for him. Yeah, what a lush he was. "Says the girl drinking straight from the bottle," he joked, watching as she tried to focus on pouring the fiery liquid into the tiny shot glass, finally tilting the bottle exaggeratingly high. It came out so fast, it spilled over the top of the glass, ran over the coffee table and onto the rug.

"Oops," she let out with a hiccupped giggle, grabbing a single tissue to soak it up.

He laughed again at the idea that she actually figured that would work. He pulled out several more tissues from the box. They soaked through in no time. "A towel might work better," he suggested.

"Oh, good idea," she said, but didn't move other than to tip the bottle to her lips.

"Ok, I'll get it," he teased when he noticed she wasn't going to. It seemed she'd already forgotten about the spill and started rattling off about the lettering on the label of the bottle. He vaguely heard her say she could draw that, but he didn't get most of it as he was still upstairs fetching the towel. But apparently that label was pretty fascinating as she was still talking senselessly about it when he got back. He wondered in amusement if she even noticed he'd left the room.

Maybe he should cut her off. She'd obviously had more than enough already. But when he suggested she slow down a bit, she scoffed at him.

"I warned you I was getting drunk today," she pointed out.

"You did," he acknowledged. "Mission accomplished, I'd say."

Large green eyes stared at him, her hazy mind taking a moment to register his words. "Are you saying I'm drunk already?"

"That's what I'm saying," he answered, reminding himself to keep the conversation simple so her inebriated brain could comprehend.

She shook her head, claiming she wasn't drunk enough yet because her head was still flooded.

Flooded with what, she didn't say, but he thought he could guess. "What happened with you and Luke, Peyton?" It must be something pretty bad to make her want to drink herself senseless.

"I can't tell you," she said with a pout to her lip.

"Why not?"

"Because it paints me in a really bad light and I don't want you thinking badly of me like everybody else in this stinking town."

"I could never think anything bad about you."

"No?" she asked, a hint of challenge coming through in her voice. "Not even if I cheated on my husband?"

His brows shot up in surprise. "Did you?"

"Yes. And before you go and say marriage is a sanctity that should be respected, I already know that, ok? I fell in love with someone else and I screwed him for three months before I told Lucas, and I'm paying the price for it now. I've lost everyone I care about, walked away from my job in L.A. and might be getting sued by them. Lucas hasn't let me see Sawyer in nearly two months now, I can't find a job other than my old one at Thud magazine, which pays shit, and I'm flat broke. I can barely support myself, nevermind come up with money for the custody battle. So that's why I'm drinking and that's why I didn't want to tell you, Jake. I don't need one more thing in my life going wrong or one more person thinking I'm this cheap whore who just screws people over. I fell in love. Is that so wrong? How long am I going to be punished for that and when is it going to be punishment enough? Because I seriously can't take much more."

"Wow," Jake said in awe. For someone who didn't want to talk about it, she had a lot to say. She got everything off her chest in one big breath. It had to be the alcohol she'd consumed that loosened her tongue. "First of all, I don't think you're a whore, cheap or otherwise, and second, I'm not here to judge you."

"Well, you're one in a very few," she said glumly.

"Who's the guy?" he asked curiously.

"I'd rather not say," she returned. If she told him that, then no doubt he would think the worst of her. Like everyone else did. "It doesn't matter anyway. It's over. He won't leave his perfect wife. Won't even tell her about me so here I am taking all the heat for something we both did while he lives free and clear and blissfully happy. It's so not fair," she whined, taking another large swig of alcohol.

"Well, you're probably better off without him," Jake stated firmly. "He sounds like an ass."

Peyton laughed because even though she was in a drunken stupor, it wasn't lost on her that Jake said he didn't judge her, but he clearly had no problem judging 'the guy' despite not even knowing who 'the guy' was. It kinda felt nice that Nathan was the one blamed for once even though he would never know it.

"He is," Peyton agreed. "But then he's not," she revised as she thought of their time in L.A. together. He could be sweet and charming too, and oh, how she missed him. "The truth is I'd be with him right now if he would leave Ha...his wife. After everything he's put me through and all the hell he's caused me, I still want to be with him. You probably think I'm pathetic."

"Like I said, I'm not here to judge." He really didn't know what to say. He didn't condone adultery, by any means, but everyone made mistakes. And plus she was already so upset and he didn't want to add to that.

"Thank you, Jake. You're as sweet as you were in high school."

"Aww gee, chucks," he joked in a put-on country twang. "Listen, my parents are gonna be home from work soon. Why don't I scour the fridge and see what I can whip up for you for dinner before I go?"

"No, you don't have to make me dinner. You already made lunch, and I so didn't invite you here to cook for me."

He chuckled because she hadn't invited him at all. Well she had, but not really. He'd more or less invited himself. "No big deal," he said with a casual shrug. "Besides, I like cooking for you. You're not as fussy as Jenny."

She laughed. And wobbled, despite the fact she was sitting.

"I guess I'm either walking or cabbing it, huh?" he teased lightly.

Another hearty laugh escaped her lips, well aware that she was in no condition to take the wheel. "You can always take my car and bring it back later," she offered. "After your parents go to bed."

"Thanks, Peyton. Maybe I'll do that," he accepted.

"Sure. I mean, it's not like I'm driving anywhere, right?"

"I hope not," he replied. "But will you be sober enough to drive later?"

"Sobering up is not a part of my plan for today," she admitted.

"So basically I'll be postponing my walk from now to tonight," he pointed out in jest.

But she was serious when she looked at him with those big, beguiling, green eyes of hers. "Well, I was kinda thinking you could stay."

...

Nathan wasn't thrilled to see Brooke's car when they pulled into Luke's driveway, but Jamie certainly was. "Yes, Aunt Brooke's here too," he exclaimed in delight from the backseat.

"That's not a surprise, is it, sweetie?" Haley asked from the passenger seat. "You know Aunt Brooke's been a good friend to Uncle Lucas, helping him out."

Nathan stiffened in the driver's seat. Was that a not-so-subtle dig at him for not helping Lucas? He'd always thought Haley's sharp tongue was cute when not directed at him. He still felt that way.

But then he thought maybe he was imagining that she was actually addressing him while speaking to their son, for when he turned to look at her, she wasn't looking at him at all. Could be he'd read too much into her comment because he was still on edge over her previous tongue lashing. Yeah, that was probably it.

He heaved a quiet sigh and killed the ignition. Either way his feelings about this dinner had just escalated from mild anxiety to severe dread.

Sitting through dinner with the wife and brother he'd betrayed, the former of whom was clearly still put off by him, was bad enough. Add to that the girl who knew just a little too much. and it instantly got ten times worse.

And wouldn't you know it, that's the moment Peyton decided to answer his text.

'Go to hell,' he read on their way to the door. Fitting words for the evening he was about to face, he thought with growing apprehension. But damn it, did Peyton have to make everything so hard? Couldn't she just agree to talk to him? He wanted her to know he'd still help her. Needed her to know it wasn't him who'd cancelled that credit card. He needed her to believe him and stop being so mad at him.

"Who was that?" Haley asked, cutting into his thoughts. Accusingly? No. She was just curious.

He'd never know what possessed him to answer that particular question honestly. Telling the truth on this one was pretty damn risky, diminishing his chance to get back on his wife's good side. But still he said, "It's Peyton."

The look she sent him was a cross between disapproval and disappointment.

"What? We are friends," he said defensively. "Or am I supposed to stop that too along with helping her?"

Haley heaved a deep sigh and muttered. "Considering how she broke your brother, I don't even know why you'd want to be friends with her."

"That's not fair, Haley. I would never ask you to stop being friends with Lucas if it was the other way around."

"Maybe it's not fair," she acknowledged. "But that's how I feel."

"Fine."

"Fine. Just try not to sing her praises in front of Lucas."

He rolled his eyes. Sing her praises? What the hell? "I won't," he said with annoyance. "I'm not an idiot."

"I wonder sometimes," she muttered cattily.

"Mom, Dad, please stop fighting," Jamie shot out. "Today is supposed to be a happy day."

The married couple looked at their son and both their cheeks flamed with shame, both well aware that this argument should not be taking place in front of him.

"You're right, baby," Haley said. "It is a happy day. We're sorry," she said for both her and Nathan.

"Yeah," Nathan agreed. "Sorry, buddy."

Feeling smug that his parents listened to him, Jamie nodded contently, and before anyone could say anything else, the front door swung open.

Jamie laughed now. "We didn't even knock, Uncle Lucas," he said with glee. "Were you looking out the window for us?"

"I sure was," Luke told his nephew. "That's how excited I was to see you."

Jamie shook his head, knowing better. "You mean my dad," he said. "Cause you see me all the time."

Lucas simply chuckled and didn't deny it. He gave Jamie and Haley a quick greeting hug and then faced Nathan. "Good to see you in person, little brother," he said, pulling him into a high-spirited man hug. He saw him a lot through his TV screen, but that wasn't the same. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, you too, man," Nathan said, the intense awkward feeling he always felt around his brother these days instantly setting in.

And the evening had just begun.