No matter how much Haley had assured Nathan that they would be okay and that she wasn't going to leave him or take Jamie away from him, it was hard to believe it. He was certain if it wasn't for the shooting, she would not have gotten to such a place of contentment so quickly. Nathan didn't exactly want to be happy that they nearly lost two people they cared about. But if it put things into perspective for them, once again, and made them look at life with renewed gratitude, then that was nothing to complain about. After spending another day with Clay and Quinn, joking that they could have saved on hospital fees by using one room since Quinn didn't leave Clay's side, they were home again. He and Haley kept an eye on Jamie, wanting to be there for him if he had questions or worries, but he was a tough kid. And, generally, he believed it if he or Haley told him things would be okay. They never liked lying to him. They'd agreed from before he was born that they would never lie to their children. They endeavoured to be honest and make sure their children trusted them. So, the fact that Clay and Quinn were in the clear meant they could all rest easy. They had also decided to tell Jamie he would be getting a little brother or sister, and he had been delighted. He had then asked a number of questions about how babies are made. They hadn't quite expected to have the talk with him yet, but they did their best, and it at least lightened the mood between them a little.

Nathan stood outside Jamie's door now, listening to Haley finish reading him a book before bed.

"Mom? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"You know how you and Dad tried to talk to me about how babies are made?"

Nathan was a little grateful he wasn't in the room. Haley had a way with words that he just… lacked. He had fumbled his way through the conversation earlier, and Haley had been there to save him from saying anything incredibly stupid or misleading.

"Yeah?"

"My friend Allison at school. She has two dads. How does that work?"

There was a pause. The timing could have been better, but Jamie couldn't have known.

"Well, when someone has two dads or two moms, it doesn't quite work the same. Allison's Dads adopted her. But that doesn't change the fact that they love each other and they love her with all their heart just like your dad and I love you." Haley sighed. "Some kids have two moms. Some kids have two dads. Some kids have just one mom or one dad. Other people have grandparents or other relatives that look after them. Everyone's family looks a little different, and that's okay."

"That makes sense," he said with a slight yawn. He was a curious kid; he might have questions tomorrow, but, to nobody's surprise, he was unfazed. It made Nathan smile. "Night, Mom."

"Night, kiddo."

After tucking him into bed and switching off the light, Haley came into the hallway, a little startled to find him there. He smiled at her, and she blushed.

"What?"

"I remember one of the first things that drew me to you was your kindness," he said fondly. "How accepting and open you are of everyone around you. It… it means so much to me that you try to pass that on to Jamie."

She shrugged. "Of course. I want him to be a good person."

Silence followed. He had so much he wanted to say. He wanted to pour his heart out to her. He wanted to get on his knees and tell her again how sorry he was for being unfaithful. She took his hand and led him back to their bedroom.

"Nathan, I've thought a lot these past couple of days about what's happened. And…"

"I don't want you to brush it aside because of the shooting," he insisted, cutting her off unintentionally and trying to get ahold of his word vomit. He felt guilty that he was somehow 'getting away with this'. "There's still more for us to talk about.-"

"Honey…" Haley cupped his cheek. "I wasn't going to go there. What I wanted to say was…" She sighed. "If… if something ever happened to me — and I know we hate to think about these scenarios, but we do have to. If something ever happened to me, I would want you to have Clay in your life and in Jamie's. I… I know we have friends and family there for us, but… I mean it. If something happens to me, I want you and Clay to be together."

He shook his head, unable to accept such a generous blessing. "Clay has Quinn-"

"Quinn knows everything, Nathan. She and Clay broke up months ago. They're just staying together until he's ready to come out because he's a public figure, and so are you."

Nathan bit his lip. God, Clay really did go out of his way to sacrifice everything for him. He really did love him with all of his heart. And hearing this only made Nathan's affection for him grow. Given that he was still considering slowing down his career or making a change… he would really love it if the chance arose for Clay to live authentically.

"My point is, he's our family. And he's important to you. He helped you learn something important about yourself, and I don't want you to have to pretend it doesn't exist. We can talk about it more. I… I don't want you to have to live a lie."

Again, he was so taken aback by Haley's understanding here. She wasn't pretending it didn't happen, but she wasn't fixating on it, either. She didn't see the affair as a personal attack on her, like many women in her position would. She understood that it wasn't that he didn't love her anymore or that his feelings for her had changed. There was just space in his heart for someone else, and she honoured that.

"So… so we're okay?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, we are."

How had he gotten so lucky? Nathan pulled her in for a kiss, feeling tears sting his eyes. She reciprocated eagerly, her hand lacing through his hair.

And as her hands came to his shirt buttons, Nathan decided then and there that he would show her how grateful he was to have her.

Because life was short, and if he didn't take every opportunity to show the people in his life just how much he cared about them, then what was the point?