Going to the Chapel
By Brynne
Part 2
“Are you sure we want to write our own vows?” I ask Nathan for about the hundredth time. He is so sure that this is exactly what we need to do, but me, I don’t know. Of course, he was the one who came up with an amazingly thoughtful and loving proposal, so he knows he can do it. Me? I’m not so positive I can pull it off.
“Yeah, of course,” he nods, “It’ll be a nice, personal touch, don’t you think? Besides, there are so many things I want the world to know about how much I love you. What better time than our wedding to say them, right?”
Smiling, I know I can’t argue with that. “Okay, you’re right, we need to say our own vows,” I agree, inwardly cringing. I just don’t know what I’m going to say to him in mine.
“Good, so that’s settled,” he grins, “And I picked up my tux today, so that’s ready to go, too. I think I’ve got all my stuff done. How’re things coming along for you, my little perfectionist?”
“Oh, Brooke and Peyton came along with me to the bluff today, and we got a few things finalized there. Luckily for me, Brooke is really pushy and knows how best to showcase her pretty side, and Peyton is an artist, so we think we’ve got things figured out really nicely,” I smile, shaking my head, “It’ll be nice, Nathan.”
“I know it will,” he grins, “It could rain locusts, and it would still be about the nicest damn wedding ever, if you asked me.”
“If it rains locusts, clearly that is a sign that the wedding is not meant to be,” I laugh, “And we’re calling it off immediately! And don’t jinx us by mentioning the ‘R’ word.”
“What? Rain?”
“Nathan, don’t!” I exclaim, smacking him on the arm lightly, “I told you not to say it! Not to! That – that thing is the last thing we need to have at our outdoor wedding!”
“Hay, even if a hurricane blows in, it won’t matter,” he sighs, “We’ll still be having this wedding, and that’s all that counts, right?”
“Nathan, you spent $8000.00 on a wedding dress for me. I think wanting a dry day to wear it on is not too much to ask?”
He blanches at the amount. “This whole wedding thing is, ah, a little on the pricey side, isn’t it? I signed a slip for the caterer yesterday, and I almost choked on my tongue.”
“Hey, look at it this way, at least we’re doing this on an NBA player’s salary, not a teacher’s salary,” I point out, shrugging, “Things would still cost the same then, right?”
“Ha, I think we might have found a few corners to cut if we didn’t have as much money to work with,” he reasons, rolling his eyes, “But it doesn’t matter. I’m just glad I can give you the wedding of your dreams.”
“That would just take you, you know.”
“Now you tell me!” he groans, shaking his head, “Next time we do something, we’re going to work on that corner cutting thing, right?”
“Oh, sure, absolutely,” I agree, “That is something I’m good at.”
“Then we’ll have to keep Brooke and Peyton away,” he notes astutely, “They’re bad influences on you. They probably told you how pretty you looked in the dress, hormonal Peyton probably even cried, and that’s how you ended up with a dress that costs enough to feed a third world country for a week.”
“I can take it back,” I point out, “Trade it down for something else, something less expensive.”
“No, no, no,” he denies, “Brooke told me you look really hot in it, I’m not letting you take it back. I’m just giving you a bad time.”
“I love you, Nathan Scott.”
“I love you, too, Haley ‘almost’ Scott,” he winks.
When he got so cheesy, I still can’t pinpoint – but I like it.
~*~
“I can’t believe you have to leave today,” I whine, pouting for all that I’m worth, “Why do they have to have all these exhibition games in Japan, anyway?”
“I don’t know, baby, but I am sorry,” Nathan apologizes for about the thousandth time, “If it were up to me, I’d at least stay on this continent for these games. Um, but you do realize that I’ll be traveling a lot during the season, right? More than for college.”
Laughing, I nod to reassure him. “Of course I know. But this is for two weeks! Two weeks is so long, and I checked the schedule, and none of the other road trips for the season are that long. Plus, we just started all this wedding stuff, and it sucks that you aren’t going to be here for it. Maybe you should take away the credit cards,” I wink.
“Nope, you get whatever you want,” he grins, pulling me to him, “Anything and everything that makes you happy and makes that day special for us.”
“Hey, I thought you were all Zen about not needing material possessions to be happy. That we just needed each other, or something,” I giggle, kissing him lightly on the lips, “What happened to that?”
“That’s still true,” he agrees, “But this wedding stuff seems like a girl thing, and I know how that goes.”
“Are you calling me frivolous?”
“No, not at all,” he protests, “Just saying you women seem to like the big weddings, the fancy dresses, all that stuff.”
“Well, it will be fun, don’t you think? To have a beautiful, gorgeous formal wedding?” I prod, even though I already know that he thinks so.
“Yeah, it will,” he grins, “Hey, you know that. This is my wedding outline we’re following here, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember,” I grin at the memory. That was one of the sweeter conversations we had, him describing what he thought our wedding would be like, and it is only fitting now to live out those plans.
“I’m going to miss you,” he sighs, “This is such a mess, me leaving now. Not only am I leaving you with the wedding plans, but we don’t even have a house here yet. I should stay until we get that settled.”
“Nathan, the agent can fax you the papers if they accept our offer,” I remind him, “So you can sign them, even from Japan. It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, but you’ll want to start moving in right away, and I won’t be here to help you with that. That’s not right.”
“Baby, it’ll be fine. I’ll wait until you get back before I do anything that even resembles moving, okay?” I promise him.
“Damn, I know. I just wish we’d found the house a little sooner so that we could be more settled now and not still here in this condo.”
”Maybe the wait will make the house just that much sweeter,” I suggest, winking at him, “Besides, we will have so much fun christening all of those rooms.”
He grins at that. “Yeah, we really will, won’t we? You know what? I have to leave in about a half hour.”
“I know,” I sigh, trying not to pout anymore and make him feel even worse.
“It’ll fly by, probably,” he says, to reassure both of us, “It’ll seem like I was barely gone when I get back.”
Even though I know that isn’t true in the least, I smile and nod, trying to give him what he needs. “And when you’re back, we can have really great reunion sex, hopefully in our new house assuming the deal goes through.”
“It’ll go through,” he states confidently, “We offered a little over the market value, and like Bob the Realtor said, it’s been on the market so long, they’re desperate to get rid of it by now.”
“I can’t believe that no one has snatched it up,” I muse again, smiling happily, “It’s the perfect house.”
“Baby, there probably aren’t a whole lot of people who can afford a place like that, right?” he laughs, “We do have an advantage in that area.”
“We’re so lucky,” I agree, leaning against him, “I can’t believe how much we have sometimes. How did we get this lucky?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty convinced that you’re my good luck charm,” he grins, “I mean, no one can dispute how much better my life has been since you and I became an official couple.”
“Mm, I don’t know about that, but I’ve been happier than ever since we finally came to our senses. No, since you came to yours and woke me up.” Shaking my head ruefully, I sigh. “I swear, if you hadn’t noticed me in class that day, I’d have sat in the back every day avoiding you, and who knows where we’d be?”
“I know where we’d be,” he smiles.
“And where is that, oh, great clairvoyant one?”
“Right here. Having this same exact conversation, only we’d have found each other a week later or a month later or even a year later. But it would all come back to this. Every path would’ve led us here.”
“Nathan, that’s so sweet,” I sniffle, wiping a spontaneous tear away, “God, I can’t believe how romantic that was.”
“I’m getting good at that stuff, aren’t I?” he grins proudly.
“Yeah, you are,” I laugh, “So good you could be having sex practically all the time if you had the energy.”
“Hey, don’t tease, I might just find that energy,” he winks, pulling me close to him, “I wish we had time now.”
”Nathan, we spent all morning in bed!” I protest, laughing at his advances, “Besides, baby, we don’t have time. You have to go.”
“I know,” he groans, “God, Japan. Can you believe that?”
Shrugging, I kiss him again. “What can you do, though? This is why you get paid the big bucks, babe.”
“Guess so.”
There’s a honking outside, and we both sigh, knowing that it is the cab he called to come pick him up. “Well, I guess that’s that. I wish I could’ve come with you.”
“Me, too. But you’re still new there, we don’t want to mess that up yet, right?” he smiles, kissing me once again.
We walk outside together carrying his bags, and the cabbie takes over and loads them in the trunk. “So, call me when you get there?”
“I’ll call you during our layover in Vancouver,” he promises, “And then I’ll definitely call you again when we land in Tokyo, baby. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” I smile up at him, trying to be positive about this, and not come across as the big baby I’m currently feeling like. “Have fun, take lots of pictures, okay?”
“I will,” he grins, “I’ll email them to you.”
Nodding, I clutch him tightly when he takes me in his arms again. He kisses me a few more times, and then sets me back, touching his fingers to my lips once before getting in the cab and leaving.
Two weeks. When did that become the longest time ever?
~*~
“Have you chosen a song for your first dance yet?” Peyton asks as she walks through the door, a large bottle of water resting on the top of her pregnant belly.
“Nope, not yet,” I sigh, “See, this would be so much easier if we had a song, right? I told him we should have a song, but he said we didn’t need one. He was so wrong.”
“Okay, calm down, jumpy, I’ll see if I can’t find something perfect for the two of you, okay? It won’t even be too cheesy, I swear.”
“Aw, Peyt, you’re the best,” I grin, moving to her side so I can hug her. Crouching down, I pat her belly. “And hi little prince or princess. It’s your Auntie Haley! I’m so going to spoil you rotten!”
“Fantastic,” she sighs, “Between you and Brooke, this kid is going to turn into a total terror. Take pity on me and don’t let Brooke teach him or her too many bad things.”
“You should be more worried about me,” I laugh, “Brooke has Jenny, so she knows already having been through with Jake what things are appropriate for kids and not. I don’t have that.”
“Please, Brooke taught Jenny to put on makeup when she was three,” Peyton points out, scoffing in frustration, “And when she was four, she taught her how to flirt. She had lesson plans and everything. I think that was the cause of one of their breakups that year.”
“Okay, when you’re right, you are most definitely right,” I concede, “Brooke definitely has less sense and more bad things to teach any kid than I do.”
“Exactly,” she agrees wholeheartedly, “Now, what kind of music are we talking here? Cheesy instrumental, sappy 90’s whine music, arena rock love ballad, something classic like the Beatles or Stones? Give me something to work with here, Ms. James?”
“Oh, I think I can trust you to pick that one out for us,” I smile, shrugging, “Like I said, there’s really nothing that jumps out at me, so do your worst!”
“How about Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding’?” she suggests, winking at me, “That’d be fun, right? I’d love to see Nathan try and dance to that.”
“God,” I groan, “There’s a nightmare waiting to happen. So we’ll be sure to put it on the playlist for the reception.”
“You’re evil,” she laughs, clapping her hands in delight, “Terrific. See, that almost makes the pain and agony of having to walk down the aisle on Luke’s arm worth it.”
“You’ll be okay with that, right? If you want, I’ll shuffle the lineup around so you don’t have to walk with him,” I offer.
”Oh, hell no!” she protests, “And give Brooke or Lucy the satisfaction of taking my place? Not to mention him the satisfaction that I wouldn’t walk with him? Hell no!”
“Okay, okay, it was just an offer,” I laugh, holding my hands up.
She rolls her eyes. “Okay, so songs. What about something totally cheesy like ‘After All’?”
“Sing it,” I command, even though I know what song she’s talking about. When she starts singing, I crack up, shaking my head. “No, no, I was kidding, not that one. I can’t believe you didn’t choke on your words when you suggested that.”
“Well, I think I threw up in my mouth a little, if it makes you feel better,” she says, making a grossed out face, “I’ve got some other suggestions comparable to that one, if you need to laugh.”
“No, thanks, that’s okay,” I laugh, “You choose something wonderful for us, and I’ll be eternally grateful.”
“Okay, something wonderful,” she nods, “I can do that.”
Glancing at my watch, I sigh. “Okay, I have to meet Brooke and Lucy at the bluff again to go over a few things that they want to suggest. See you tonight?”
“Yeah, of course,” she agrees, waving as I turn to go. Just as I’m about out the door, she calls for me to stop. When I turn around, she grins at me. “How do you feel about Snoop Dogg?”
“Peyton!” I scream warningly, flipping her off when she cracks up laughing at me.
With friends like these, it’ll be a wonder if things go right with this wedding at all.
~*~
“Hello?” I answer the telephone, annoyed that the paperwork I’m trying to finish up for work keeps getting interrupted.
“Haley, hello!”
“Uh, Dan, hi,” I respond, confused as to why he’s calling. You can’t tell me he doesn’t know that Nathan is in Indiana right now for a game. Please, the more some things change, the more others stay the same. And Dan Scott’s interest in his son’s basketball is one thing that will always stay the same.
“Did you see the game tonight?”
“Oh, no, I actually taped it. I’ll try and watch some of it before I go to bed tonight,” I tell him, still confused.
“Well, be sure and watch the end!” he advises, “Nathan scores the game winning basket. The first of many times in his career, I’m sure.”
“That’s lovely,” I smile to myself. I’ll have to call Nathan and congratulate him. He’d be impressed that I watched. “I’ll definitely watch that part.”
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m calling,” he notes, hopefully getting to the point, “It isn’t often that I call to chat.”
“Well, I have to admit, I am a little curious,” I agree, picking up the can of Diet Coke I have sitting in front of me.
“I was wondering if we could talk about future grandchildren,” he says, and I have to hold the phone away from me as I start choking on the soda, “As I’m sure you’re aware, I’ve managed to amass something of a small fortune. Or not so small, I suppose. I just opened my eighteenth dealership on the eastern seaboard. If all goes right, we’ll be opening ones in Texas and Louisiana soon, too.”
“Um, Dan, I’m not really sure how this pertains to me,” I interrupt, completely clueless – and not just a little freaked out – by his bringing up of grandchildren. Shudder.
“Trust funds, Haley. I’m setting up trust funds for the children that you and Nathan will have. Now, what do you think? Will it be three? Maybe four? It’d be good for me to know, that way I’ll have a better idea how to divide up the business, as well.”
Whoa. I’ve been abducted by aliens and am now in some alternate world, because there is no way we’re having this conversation. Too weird. No! He’s been abducted by aliens and replaced with a pod person! Of course, why didn’t I think of that sooner?
“Well, I don’t think we’ve really set a number yet,” I tell him hesitantly, “It might be one of those things we figure out as we go along, I’m not sure.”
“Okay, as soon as you do, let me know. The children that you and Nathan create will be my heirs. And assuming Lucas ever gets in gear and marries, his children, too.”
Uh, what about his child with Peyton? God, please don’t tell me he’s excluding that baby? I could string him up myself.
“Yeah, if we decide to plan it out, I’m sure we can let you know,” I tell him, rolling my eyes. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask about Peyton’s baby, but if they haven’t told him, I do not want to be the one who breaks that bit of news.
“Great, great. Do you think you’ll start having them soon? This is something that is very important that I settle, you understand. So the sooner we can take care of this, the better.”
“Oh, my God, you aren’t dying, are you?” I burst out, horrified.
“What? No, don’t be ridiculous,” he laughs, “But I’m hoping for grandchildren, and it’d be nice to have some before I’m too old to do things with them.”
“You’re not exactly what I’d call old, Dan,” I assure him, “In fact, you probably have more energy than I do some days.”
“Nonsense, I’m getting up there. But regardless, I want grandchildren while I’m young enough to enjoy them and give them good memories of me. And since Luke is obviously in no hurry, and we’re probably lucky you and Nathan haven’t already started – oh, you aren’t, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Right, well, you and Nathan are my best bet.”
“I see. Well, I’ll keep that in mind, and I’ll let Nathan know as well.”
“Thank you, Haley, I’d appreciate that. You take care. You might want to look into a multi-vitamin, just to prepare your body for pregnancy.”
Ew. Can we say gross? Dan Scott, my fiancé’s father, speaking of preparing my body? I’m traumatized.
“Ah, well, I’ll do that. Thank you for the advice,” I manage to choke out, unable to refrain from cringing.
This is the horrifying family that I am marrying into. Oh, my God.
~*~
“Six days, six days, six damn days!” I squeal as I run into Peyton’s room, jumping on the bed that she’s still sleeping in.
“Oh, my God, Haley, what the fuck is wrong with you?” she mutters, glaring at me.
“Um, Peyt? Is there something you want to tell me?” I ask, frowning down at my hands, “Why is the bed wet?”
At that, she bursts into tears. “My water broke, and now I’m going to have this baby before the wedding, and then my dress won’t fit, and now I have to see Luke, and I don’t want to, and this is going to hurt so much, and damn it, what am I going to do?” she wails, sobbing so hard I’m afraid she’s going to hurt herself.
“Peyt, calm down, baby,” I beg her, “Look at me, take deep breaths.” Since everything went down with Luke, I’ve been her birthing coach, and I’ll be in the delivery room with her. “Okay, how long ago did your water break?”
“An hour,” she sighs, still wracked with the sobs, “And I went and took a shower, but then I didn’t know what to do, so I just got back in bed after I dried my hair.”
Okay then. Nathan will flip if I’m this out of it when we have kids. Probably wouldn’t let me have more than one in that case.
“What about contractions, honey? How are those so far?”
“They hurt,” she wails, “And I’ve been having them since last night. Now they’re about five minutes apart.”
“Peyton!” I exclaim, about ready to lay into her. If she wasn’t sobbing so hard already, I just might. “Okay, we have to go to the hospital right now,” I insist. God, she’s such a mess, I can’t believe this.
“I don’t want to,” she sobs, “I just want to stay here. Maybe the baby will decide to wait and come later. I don’t want to have this baby, Hay. I don’t want it.”
“Um, Peyt, I hate to burst your bubble, but once your water breaks, you’re going to have to have him or her, okay? We really need to go to the hospital, and if you won’t get your ass up and come with me, I’m calling an ambulance.”
“But I don’t want to have to ride in an ambulance,” she whines, her face going white as another contraction besieges her. Offering my hand, I cringe when she grips it with all her might.
“Okay, no ambulance,” I nod once it passes, “Come on, get up then. We have to go now, babe, okay?”
Nodding, she lets me help her to her feet, tears still pouring down her face. I don’t think they’re from the pain so much as the frustration and fear and worry that she’s feeling right now.
“It’ll be okay, baby,” I promise her, getting out my cell phone to call Nathan. “We’re going to take good care of you, Peyt.”
“No Luke,” she sobs, seemingly struggling for air, “I don’t want him there. Please, don’t call him, Hay!”
“I promise, I won’t,” I’m quick to agree, not sure what saying otherwise would do to her, “Let me just call Nathan and the girls, okay? They’ll want to know you’re in labor, Peyt. Brooke is going to want to be there, and you’ll want Lucy there, she brought lots of presents.”
“I – I like presents,” she sniffles, taking deep, gasping breaths, “And I want them there. Maybe not Nathan because he’s a pain in the ass, but the girls, I want the girls there.”
I laugh a little, hugging her. “Nathan will want to be there, babe. He’s going to be the uncle, and he’s going to love this baby so much. So am I, you know that, right?”
She nods, laughing a little with me, which is reassuring. “I know, I love you guys. Even Nathan, even though he’s a jerk.”
We get her to the hospital, and the nurse takes one look at her and starts yelling for a wheelchair. They rush us straight into the delivery room, only to yank me back out to get washed up and in the scrubs for the birth. I barely have time to call Nathan and have him call everyone else, including Luke, because I know she doesn’t really want to deny him this experience, she’s just scared, upset, and angry with him.
“I can’t have a kid, Hay,” she says again, repeating one of her claims from earlier, one that I’d chalked up to as just one of those things you say when you’re really upset, but don’t hardly mean at all.
“You are going to be a great mom, Peyton,” I promise her, “You have nothing to worry about. This baby is so lucky to have you.”
“How can you say that?” she yells, “I don’t know the first damn thing about kids! I don’t know what they like, I don’t know what they need, and I don’t even know how to hold them so their heads don’t fall off!”
“Peyt, come on, it’ll come to you. You took the classes, you know what to do. And if you have questions, hon, that’s what the nurses are here for, right?”
She shakes her head, sobbing again. “I can’t do it. I don’t even know if I want to do it anymore. Maybe some people aren’t supposed to be parents; maybe I’m one of those people.”
”Don’t say that,” I sigh, shaking my head, “You’ll be a wonderful mother. And you’ve got all of us here to help you in any way you need, you know that. It’s going to work out great, Peyt. I promise.”
I feed her ice chips, hold her hand, and keep her hair out of her face, and when Brooke and Lucy get here, they pester the nurses until they’re allowed to clean up and come in, then rush in, overwhelming the overly fragile Peyton.
“Hey girly!” Brooke greets her, “You’re almost a mama!”
“Shut it, Brooke,” Peyt growls at her, “Don’t remind me of that right now.”
“Okay,” Brooke mutters, “Hasn’t the epidural kicked in yet?”
Lucy goes up to talk to Peyton, which is a good idea since Peyton hasn’t known her long enough to bitch at, so I drag Brooke over to the corner of the room.
“No epidural,” I explain, “She was already dilated six centimeters by the time we got here. If you can believe this, she laid in the bed where her water broke for hours afterwards, just sitting there. Just slept and cried. Her contractions were five minutes apart when I found her.”
“What the fuck is wrong with her?”
“She’s depressed, Brookie,” I sigh, trying not to cry, “God, what if it doesn’t pass once the baby is born? What if she can’t shake it?”
“I don’t know,” Brooke sighs, shaking her head, “Um, I’m going to go give the guys an update. They’ll want to know what’s going on.”
“Is Luke out there?” I ask, knowing full well that he is.
“Yeah, of course, you know he wouldn’t stay away from this. It is his kid, too, even if he’s a jerk and she wishes it wasn’t.”
“I know,” I sigh, “God, I wish she’d let him come in here. She could really use him now. You know that when it comes down to it, those two are best friends. Just like you and Jake are.”
“And you and Nathan,” she finishes, nodding.
“Exactly,” I agree, “I don’t know, Brooke. It’s tempting to suggest it, but I don’t want her to kick all of us out of there. You saw how she was, she’s completely out of it.”
“Yeah, she’s a wreck, Hay,” she notes, watching her out of the corner of her eye. “I’ll let the guys know what’s up, okay?”
Nodding, I watch as she walks out of the room to find everyone else and get them updated. Walking back over to the bed, I try and think of ways to approach her with the suggestion of letting Luke in here to witness this. I can’t think of any way that won’t set her off, though, so I don’t ask her about it.
When it gets close to time, Lucy leaves the room, citing the urge to vomit at the copious amounts of blood, leaving just Peyt and I with a bevy of nurses and doctors. “You’re doing great, Ms. Sawyer,” one of the nurses holding her leg in the air encourages, “Just keep breathing, honey.”
“Hay?” she calls to me, and I lean down close to her face.
“What’s up, sweetie?”
“Get Luke, okay?” she pleads, “He’s here, right? You lied when you said you wouldn’t let him know, right? I need him now.”
“Yeah, I’ll go get him now, Peyt, you hang on, okay?” A nurse comes out with me, telling me that she’ll take Luke to get scrubbed up so he can be in there.
When I come out into the waiting room, everyone jumps up, asking questions all at once. Everyone except Luke, who just stands there staring at me, waiting for me to say something. “Come on, Scott, if you want to see your baby born, you better get your ass in there,” I smile at him, and he lifts me in his arms, twirling me around before following the nurse down the hall.
I go with them, not sure if Peyton wants to be completely without crutches when Luke is around yet. Once we’re both sanitized, the nurse rushes us back in there, and guides Luke to take up holding one of her legs. I go back to my job as hand holder, smiling as she and Luke do their intense staring thing that they think is so romantic, but is really just sort of nauseating.
They keep staring at each other, neither saying anything. Just staring. The doctor is giving Peyton all sorts of instructions, but she’s so lost in Luke that they don’t even seem to be penetrating. Finally, I shake her hand a little, snapping her out of the daze. Blinking, she looks up at me.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
She nods. “Yeah, fine, as fine as one can be when they’re giving birth to a baby with no anesthesia, right?”
“No anesthesia?” Luke yelps, “But what about the epi – the epidural thing?”
“Too late,” the doctor tells him, “She was already dilated six inches, the contractions were way too close, and it would’ve been a danger to the baby if we’d given it to her.”
“Oh,” he murmurs, looking at her with such concern that it is actually a little touching. Nathan better be this nice to me when we’re in this position. Actually, he better not dump before I get in this position because I doubt I’d be as forgiving as Peyt has apparently decided to be.
Rolling my eyes, I’m about to offer to let Luke be the hand holder when she grips my hand tightly again, screaming as another contraction takes hold. “Oh, my GOD!”
I’m trying not to scream myself, but she really does have a helluva grip on my hand. Tight enough that tears spring to my eyes, anyway.
“Breathe, Peyt,” I coach her, even though one of the nurses has long ago jumped in and taken that job over, “You’re doing so great, babe!”
“Yeah, you’re doing really well,” Luke encourages her from the end of the bed, smiling at her, “Oh, is that – that’s the head! I see the head!”
I sort of want to look, but mostly I want to stay up here safely away from any ookiness that is going on down there. To think, there was a time when I thought I wanted to go premed. Good thing that never came to fruition.
“Oh, it’s getting close!” I smile at her, almost jerking back when she makes an Exorcist face at me.
“Get this baby out of me!” she screams in this scary, not-Peyton voice.
Luke and I just look at each other wide-eyed, neither of us stupid enough to say anything. The doctors ignore her altogether. They’re probably used to this type of thing.
“Okay, you’re doing great, Peyton,” the doctor tells her, “We’ve got one of the shoulders out. Just one more push, and we’ll know if we need to get out the pink or the blue, okay? Just one more!”
“Come on, Peyt, one more!” I assure her, “You are doing so great, just one more. And then you’ll get to hold your pretty little baby. Come on, one more!”
She does, and after that is a whirlwind of activity as the doctor announces that it’s a baby boy with ten fingers and ten toes. Peyton is crying like she was when I first found her barely more than an hour ago, and tears are even cascading down Luke’s cheeks. Bringing my fingers up to my own, I find that they’re wet with tears of their own.
Luke cuts the cord, wiping the tears out of his eyes after making the doctor assure him that the cutting won’t hurt Peyton or the baby. Once that’s done, they lay him on Peyton’s chest, and at first she doesn’t touch him, but then she brings her hand up to lay the tip of one finger across his as he wails away.
“Oh, my gosh, I have to go tell everyone,” I babble, feeling like an intruder as Peyton and Luke continue making eyes at each other. “He’s beautiful you guys!”
“Thank you, Haley,” Peyton says, grabbing my hand again as the nurse picks the baby up to be cleaned up and given the Apgar test. “For everything, for being here, for calling him even though I told you not to. I love you, so much.”
“I love you, too, babe. You were amazing in here,” I smile, fresh tears running down my face, “I’m really proud of you.”
She mouths a thank you to me, and as I turn to go, Luke pulls me into a hug, whispering his thanks as well. “I know you’ve done my job for this, and Nathan told me she wasn’t making it easy on you. Thank you for being here when I couldn’t.”
“You’re welcome,” I whisper back, “You guys are my friends. Of course I’m here. For all three of you now.”
“Three of us,” he smiles, pulling back and wiping tears away. “Three of us.”
Rushing out to the waiting room, I wipe the tears off my face, jumping into Nathan’s waiting arms. “You have a nephew!” I squeal, throwing my arms around his neck, “And he’s perfect, all blue eyed and blonde hair, what there is of it! All his fingers and toes, he’s gorgeous!”
“And Peyton, how’s Peyton?” Brooke asks impatiently, tapping her toes on the linoleum floor in a rather irritating fashion.
“She’s – I think she’s okay. She looked so happy when she touched his little, tiny hand,” I sniffle, tearing up again.
“No,” Nathan states flatly, shaking his head.
“No what?” I ask.
“No babies for a year or so, I think we should wait a year. Maybe get a puppy first. And then we should time it to be born around the end of the season. There’s a lot to think about here,” he says seriously.
Laughing, I nod in agreement. “Okay, we can plan it out, if it’ll make you happy,” I smile up at him, “Uncle Nathan.”
“Uncle Nathan, that sounds pretty good,” he grins, “When can we see him?”
“Yeah, I want to see him, too!” Brooke and Lucy both chime in, Jenny adding her voice to the chorus as well.
“I don’t know, do I look like I work here?” I smile, “I almost passed out just thinking about going down to see the baby crowning.”
“And she picked you why?” Brooke mutters, pouting into Jake’s shoulder.
“Brooke?” Jenny says, tugging on Brooke’s hand, “Will you and Daddy have a baby soon? I want a little sister.”
Brooke blanches, looking helplessly at Jake who just shrugs, swallowing uncomfortably. “Maybe someday, kiddo, when we’re married,” Brooke answers her, managing to paste a smile on her face.
“You’re getting married?” Jenny squeals, jumping up and down, “Can I be flower girl like I am for Hay and Natie?”
“’Natie’?” Nathan repeats, glaring at Lucy, who just smiles and shrugs innocently at him, “Jake, don’t let her near Jen anymore, she’s a bad influence.”
“We’re getting married?” Jake asks, looking at Brooke intently, “I thought you didn’t want to get married.”
She shrugs. “Well, I’m not traditional in a lot of things, but if we’re having a kid, we’ll damn well be married first. Fair warning.”
“Okay, then,” Jake nods, looking dazed.
“What a weird day,” Lucy laughs, stating the current situation pretty damn succinctly.
Well, this changes things – new dress for Peyton, we’ll have to find someone to hold the baby. Oh, whatever, who cares? This is a great day! Definitely not a day to worry about something like a wedding.
It’ll all work out find in the end. It always does.
~*~
The new house is a mess. Neither of us cares a single bit, though. It’s been only a week since Nathan got back from Japan, and he’s tired from the games and traveling, and I just want to spend this night with him, completely uninterrupted from things like which of the couches should go in the living room, and which should go in the so-called TV room, as Nathan has dubbed it.
Tonight is just about us, being together and relaxing, lying out on chaise lounges next to the pool. Soaking up the last bit of evening sun before it sets for the night. It’s nice to be so lazy, so carefree, just being out here baking in the oppressive Southern heat, together.
“We should be in the pool,” he murmurs from beside, reaching out to graze my hand with his. “It’s damn hot here, Hay. Even this time of year, it’s hot.”
“I noticed,” I smile, “We could use those floaty chairs that Luke gave us. Test them out or whatever. No blow-up required.”
“No splashing, though,” he smirks, knowing full well who would initiate splashing, “Come on, let’s get in there. The water will feel good.”
“Please, it’s almost as hot as the air, Nathan,” I laugh, “Pools have heaters, not cooling systems.”
“Yeah, yeah, just get in here,” he demands, pulling a couple of the chairs in, boosting himself into one of them.
“You’re so bossy sometimes, superstar,” I tease, “Did I tell you I TiVoed all your games for you?”
“Only about a thousand times, baby,” he grins at me, anchoring the chair so I can hop onto it, “And did I tell you I love you and appreciate you for it?”
“Only about ten thousand times, darling,” I smirk, kicking my chair away from his, “But it’s sweet, I like it.”
“You going to tell me again how much you missed me?” he asks, arching an eyebrow at me as he kicks his chair towards mine.
“Oooh, fishing for compliments, Mr. Scott? How very insecure of you.” I tease, pushing off away from him again, laughing when he follows.
“No, I just want to make sure you confess. It has got to be a sin for a person to love another person as much as you love me, right?”
“Mmm, and he’s cocky, too,” I giggle, scooping up a little water to pour over my chest, deliberately taunting him, “Go figure.”
“You know I’m cocky,” he grins, winking lasciviously, “And you know I’ve got the proof to back that claim up, too.”
“I love it when you speak in dirty innuendos,” I laugh, sliding off the chair into the warm water, reaching behind my neck to untie the top of my bikini. Once it’s off, I toss it onto the brick patio, smirking to myself as it slaps down. After that, the bikini bottom quickly follows. “Now, this is nice.”
“Yeah, it is very nice,” he agrees, leaning back in his chair, his eyes on me.
“Are you coming in, or do I need to dump you out of that chair?” I ask, sinking down so the water covers the tops of my breasts, my hair fanning around in the warm water.
“I don’t know, I might need a little incentive,” he winks, “This chair is pretty relaxing. And I don’t know if what you have in mind would be considered relaxing in the least.”
“Well,” I drawl out, swimming over to him, holding onto the side of the chair, “If I did all the work, would that be relaxing enough for you? You could think of it as a welcome home present.”
“It’d be rude to turn down a gift,” he murmurs, groaning as I slip my hands up his legs, pushing off on the bottom of the pool to float him over to the steps.
“Yes, it would. Come in the water with me,” I invite, grabbing his hand and pulling him to me as he slides off the chair.
I sit him down on the third step down so that his chest is out of the water, and then I move to straddle his legs. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I shiver when his hands come up to brush my hair back over my shoulders, grazing against the tips of my breasts.
Grabbing his hands, I push them back down to his side, telling him without words to keep them there. Leaning forward, I press my lips to his, lightly at first, and then more firmly, teasing my tongue across his, waiting for them to part in invitation. The second they do, I delve in, needing to taste and feel all of him.
Sliding my hands down his chest, I pull away from his lips so that mine can follow the path of my hands, stopping where the water hits.
“Not going any lower?” he smirks.
“Depends,” I wink.
“Oh yeah? On what?”
“Mm, on how good you’ve been maybe. Or on how good you’re going to be?” I suggest, “I don’t know, the terms are negotiable.”
He just grins at me, waiting for me to make the next move. He loves it when I get aggressive with him, dictating the tempo and terms. Dropping my hands down, I move them along the waistband of his shorts.
“Those have to go,” I inform him as seriously as I can, considering that being naked and pressed up against him in a warm pool in our backyard is a serious distraction.
I back off of him so that I’m standing in the waist deep water. When he lifts his hips, I lean forward and slide the shorts down and off, tossing them to join my bikini on the patio near the lounge chairs.
“That’s better,” he grins, and I nod in agreement as I move back onto his lap, not protesting this time when his arms come up and around me.
It is so unbelievably easy to let myself get lost in him as our bodies press together, to get lost in us. When I’m with him, I could forget everything, let everything go.
It’s just that good.
~*~
“I guess I really will need a new dress for the wedding,” Peyton says softly to me, not wanting to wake up her son, who is sleeping in my arms.
“Yeah, I guess you will,” I agree, “And this one is going to need a fancy little suit to wear, too. I bet Brooke and Lucy are already on that.”
“They probably already have a dress for me,” she sighs, “You know, at least when I was still pregnant, there was a reason for me having a big gut. Now I’ll just look fat.”
“You will not,” I deny, laughing softly, “You’ll look gorgeous. Like a glowing, happy new mother.”
“Can I ask your opinion on something?” she asks as I lie the baby back down in the bassinet he was brought in in.
“Yeah, of course you can.”
“It’s about me and Luke,” she warns, sighing. “He looks like him, doesn’t he? That was the first thing I thought when that nurse laid the baby on my chest. How much he looks like Luke.”
“He does,” I agree, smiling as the baby reflexive grips my finger in his, “He looks like a kinder, gentler Luke.”
She smirks at that. “So, do you think there is any chance that Luke and I can work things out?”
“Honestly? I didn’t at first. I figured that things had just run their course, that you two had had your day in the sun, and this was it. All over.” Glancing at her, I see how much that hurt her. “But I don’t think that anymore, Peyt. He’s your best friend, right? Not me, not Brooke, him. And that’s good, that’s like, this amazing basis for a wonderful relationship. Now you have this beautiful little guy who gives you every reason in the world to at least see if you can fix things.”
“So, you think it’d be worth it to try?”
“Yeah, I do. I know you love him. And I know he hurt you. Ultimately, I think you need to do what is best for you, but if you ask me, that’s probably giving it a try,” I smile kindly, patting her hand.
“Oh, shit, Hay, your hand is still bruised from me squeezing it,” she moans when she notices it, “God, I feel so bad about that.”
“Don’t worry, it barely hurts,” I laugh, “Besides, it was worth it to see this little guy come into the world. Hey, I get to be godmother, right?”
“Who else?” she grins, hugging me back when I lean over and wrap my arms around her shoulders.
”Excellent.”
This changes things, her having the baby now, but it is for the better. Anyone who would think otherwise would be crazy. I haven’t seen her this happy in months, and it seems like me and Brooke’s fears of her depression continuing post-partum were unfounded, thank goodness. Maybe now we can get our broody, but not completely depressed, Peyton back with us.
And hopefully now she won’t be as uncomfortable at the wedding, having to walk with Luke.
~*~
“Whoa,” Nathan protests, looking at the list I’ve come up with for the things we need to do today, “I don’t even know what language that is.”
“Sommelier, Nathan. It’s French. For wine expert, I think. Anyway, it’s the guy who the caterer recommended seeing to choose a wine selection for the reception,” I explain, linking his hand with mine.
“And speaking of the caterer,” he continues, “Why do we have to visit these so-called confection experts? Why can’t the caterer whip up the cake?”
“Because the caterer isn’t a baker. There’s a difference.”
Shaking his head, he sighs. “This is like being on Martha Stewart. Of all the things I needed to know, a caterer’s limitation is not one of them. Now that’s going to take up worthwhile space in my brain,” he complains.
“Like there was something there in the first place,” I tease, pulling him along with me.
“Hey now,” he grins, “I’m here with you for this girl stuff, you could at least be nice to me, right?”
“I suppose,” I concede, laughing when he pulls me into his side, “I can try, at least.”
“Ah, that’s my girl.”
“Girl?” I complain, “Don’t I at least warrant a woman by now? Maybe a fiancée? Future wife? Anything but girl?”
“What’s so bad about that?” he laughs.
“It makes me sound like I’m your daughter or something,” I explain in exasperation, “And somehow, I doubt that’s what you’re going for.”
“Gee, how’d you know?” he deadpans, his fingers playing in my hair, “Okay, so I’ll stop that if you can get Lucy to stop calling me Natey Boy.”
“Ugh, no can do. You know Luce, she never lets go of a nickname,” I sigh, “Guess I’ll be ‘girl’ forever.”
“Forever my girl,” he teases, nudging me in the side gently.
”Okay, Paula Abdul, can’t you come up with a better quote than that?”
“Hey, I thought you liked the pop cult stuff,” he mock sighs, getting all dramatic, “See, I just can’t keep up with you. Which is sad, because I’m playing in the NBA, and your idea of exercise is the walk from the couch to the fridge. Or occasionally skinny dipping out in the pool.”
“Nathan,” I interrupt, “We’re here. This is the first of the bakers that we’ll be seeing today. They’re going to have samples of all their different flavors of cakes, so don’t eat too much. We have two other places to go. Stick to specialties.”
He starts laughing at that, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I’m on cake restriction. You really are evil.”
“Hey, I resent that! It was just advice, good advice at that, for you not to stuff yourself! But hey, knock yourself out, it’s your belly.”
“I don’t know, I thought you claimed that part of me last night,” he whispers in my ear, “When you were playing with the can of whipped cream.”
“Mmm, I get the outside, but the inside is all yours still,” I smile at the reminder.
“Oh, sure,” he laughs, “Take the good parts.”
“You know, I have to admit,” I sigh, changing the subject, “That I really don’t want to keep waiting to become your wife. It seems like so far away.”
“I know,” he agrees, as we stand outside the shop, “And hey, my Vegas offer is still on the table. I’m ready if you are.”
“Do not keep tempting me with that,” I laugh, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the door, “Because I might just take you up on it one of these days, and then think of all the non-refundable deposits we’ll be out of.”
“You know, I probably could find a way to not care all that much,” he winks as we walk over to the counter, and I tell the girl we’re there for an appointment. Looking around, his eyes grow wide. “Holy shit, Hay. This place is insane.”
Glancing around, I almost start to laugh at him, but he’s right. There are portraits of twelve tier cakes decorated with sugar sculptures in ten different colors and shapes as complex as a bird of paradise. There are others, too, beautiful cakes that look like gifts, others that look like baskets of flowers, each flower made out of frosting, but somehow looking completely real down to the droplets of water clinging to the leaves.
“Haven’t people heard of simplicity?” he mutters, and it’s pretty clear that this place is out. “They don’t even look like they taste good, Hay,” he continues to complain, not noticing when the manager comes out to meet with us.
“I assure you, sir,” the man says very formally, his manner stiff, “That all of our creations are not only beautiful to the eye, but beautiful to the palate.”
“Uh, right,” Nathan agrees sheepishly, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “Sorry about that.”
“Do not worry yourself over it,” the man continues, so snobby I want to smack him, “Come. Let us delight you with our masterpieces. I am Frederick, by the way.”
“Hi Frederick, I’m Haley, and this is Nathan, my fiancé.”
“Yes, so I gathered,” he mutters.
As we follow him into a private room, Nathan gives me a pointed look, and I just shrug at him. What can I do now? I didn’t know the guy would be a raging snot. If I had, there is no way I’d have brought Nathan here. He handles these types of people so poorly as it is.
We sample a few of their specialties, which are admittedly very good, and then we get out of there as fast as we can. Nathan mimics the guy on the way to the next place, making me laugh. “Hay, are you sure that eloping is out of the question? Picking a cake has got to be harder than picking one of the chapels there!”
“You know, eloping isn’t such a bad idea,” I say slowly, “I mean, we could go to Vegas, get married, and then still have this wedding for our friends and family. They wouldn’t even need to know we got married before that, if it came right down to it.”
“You mean it?” he asks, grinning wildly at me.
“Well, sure,” I say slowly, thinking about it, “Why not, Nathan? We want to be married, we’re ready to be married, why not just go and get married?”
Letting out a whoop, he grabs me around my waist, lifting me up against him. “Can we go now?” he asks eagerly.
“Don’t you have practice?” I laugh, wrapping my legs around his waist, “God, maybe we should just get a license here and go to the justice of the peace.”
“We’d have to wait if we wanted to do that,” he sighs, “Come on, I’ll call in with a stomach flu, we fly to Vegas, spend the afternoon and night there, fly back in the morning, and no one will ever know.”
When he sets me down, I start digging around in my purse, cursing myself for upsizing to this mammoth bag that I inevitably fill with enough things that I could live out of it for about a month. “Yes!” I laugh, finding what I was looking for.
“What?” he asks, trying to see in the purse, “God, you have a lot of shit in there, Hay.”
“I know,” I grin. “Here. My phone. Call and see if you can miss practice because of the ‘stomach flu’.”
Of course, they tell him it is fine, that they’d actually prefer him not being there, for fear of him spreading it to the rest of the team. So, everything is clear, and we have about 24 hours to get to Vegas, marry, and get back here before his practice tomorrow.
“Let’s go get married!” he grins.
We’re getting married!
~*~
“Hey, look who the cat dragged in,” Lucy shouts from the couch as I walk into the living room. In the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, she’s sitting there with Dan, sharing a bowl of popcorn with him. “Mr. S here was just telling me about all the trouble that you, Luke, and Nathan got in where you were just bitty things. Didn’t know you had it in you, James,” she teases.
“Oh, yeah, that was me, wild child,” I laugh, flopping down beside her, “As if it wasn’t their fault all the time, getting me into the trouble.”
“How’s my grandson?” Dan asks, smiling fondly. Peyton finally managed to do something right by him, and gave him a grandson that he’s already obviously in love with.
“He’s perfect still,” I smile, “Just a little doll.”
“Well, since there are a few hours left for me to visit, I think I’ll head over there now. Do you girls need anything?”
“No, thanks,” I smile up at him, waving as he walks out of the room. Once he’s out the door, I turn to Lucy. “God, you could charm the pants off a priest, you freak.”
“What? He’s not so bad. He doesn’t like Peyton very much, though, does he?” she notes, shaking her head.
“Nope, not so much,” I sigh, “But she’s terrified of him, and he knows it. If she told him to fuck off or go to hell just once, he’d respect her a lot more.”
“Oh, yes,” she agrees, a twinkle in her eye, “Nathan told me how you earned his father’s respect. Very well played, Miss James.”
“How I try,” I laugh, rolling my eyes, “No, I was just mad on Nathan’s behalf, and I said so. I didn’t even really think about it, just did it. I can’t believe Nathan told you about that. He’s such a brat.”
“Well, it worked,” she shrugs, smirking at me, “So, how’s Peyt really doing? Still being a little kinder and gentler towards Luke?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I sigh, “She asked me if I thought he was worth another chance, and I told her that I wouldn’t have thought so a week ago, but now maybe I would. It really isn’t my place to say, right?”
“What a mess,” she shakes her head, “Well, come on. Let’s go get dressed for going out tonight. Brooke will have a fit if we’re late, you know that right?”
“Of course I know that,” I laugh, “I’ve known her since I was fourteen. I’ve got that figured out by now, believe me.”
We go upstairs together, doing each other’s hair and makeup, and it feels like I’m a freshman in college again, just starting to date Nathan, trying to get dressed with Luce’s help to impress him. She was good at that; he was usually impressed when she dressed me.
“Where are we meeting her?” I ask, fighting back a yawn.
“Um, she said something about a ‘trick’? She said you’d know what that meant,” Lucy shrugs, pulling on a jacket over her tube top.
“She means Tric,” I smile, “It’s this club that opened when we were in high school. It was all ages then, but it is over-21 now.”
“Well, thank goodness!” she exclaims, “I’d hate to be one of those women who pick up some sixteen year old kid who somehow manages to pass as twenty-two or twenty-three, only to find out how wrong I was when the cops showed up on my door with his angry mother behind him!”
“I didn’t know you’d started picking up anyone at bars,” I laugh. Lucy was never one to sleep around. Hell, if she hadn’t told me point blank otherwise, I might’ve assumed she was still a virgin.
“Oh, I haven’t,” she assures me, “But if I wanted to, it’s good to know that I don’t run the risk of getting a minor.”
“You’re so weird,” I laugh at her as we run down the stairs together.
“Yeah, but you love me anyway, and you know how damn lucky you are to have me in your life,” she grins cheekily, winking at me.
“I am a very lucky person in general,” I confirm, “And you are part of that luck. Getting paired up with you in the dorms was one of the best things that ever happened.”
“Except all the Nathan stuff, right?” she laughs knowingly.
Well, of course he tops the list. He is my husband, after all.
~*~
“I can’t believe we’re doing this!” I exclaim as we get out of the cab at the hotel we’re staying at for the night. It is huge and majestic, everything a place in Vegas that you’re staying at while you elope should be. “This place is gorgeous!”
“So are you,” he grins, paying the driver, “Come on, let’s go check in and ask about chapels that they recommend. The sooner we get married, the sooner we can come back here for a little honeymoon action.”
“Nathan, I’m so excited,” I laugh, linking my arm through his, practically dragging him through the lobby, “I cannot wait to be Mrs. Nathan Scott!”
He stops abruptly, setting the one bag we packed down and picking me up. “I can’t wait for that either. It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for this, Hay.”
“For me, too,” I agree, suddenly even happier that we decided to forgo tradition and come here to do this. “This is perfect.”
“It’ll be even better once we figure out where we’re getting this done,” he decrees, and I nod in agreement. Setting me down, he picks up the bag and we make our way to the desk and check in. Nathan asks the clerk for suggestions on chapels, who not only points out that the hotel has two, but also tells us that there will be a list of various chapels in the room, as well as brochures.
“Nathan, what are we going to wear?” I ask when we get up to the room, trying not to laugh. I can’t believe we didn’t even think of bringing a dress and at least some slacks for him.
“They have boutiques here, let’s go down and pick things out. You can get something pretty and white, and I’ll get a suit. I need a new one anyway for post-game interviews,” he points out, “This is good timing. Hey, don’t worry, it’ll be perfect. We could get married in bathing suits, and it’d be perfect.”
Grinning, I nod. “You’re right, it doesn’t matter what we wear. This is just about us saying those vows and becoming husband and wife officially.”
“Here, take the card and go get a dress, Hay,” he says, grabbing his wallet out, “I mean, we could get married in jeans, but why should we? You go get a dress, and I’ll go get a nice suit. That’ll be nicer than just showing up in jeans.”
Nodding, I know he’s right. “Look at the pictures in these brochures. These places look like they may have dress codes,” I laugh.
“Let’s pick one and schedule our time,” he suggests, “That way we’ll know when we should be there. It’ll be easier that way.”
“Yeah, good idea,” I agree, flopping down on the bed with the brochures, “Let’s see if we can do it here in the hotel. It is close and convenient, the pictures make it look really pretty, and they take lots of pictures and provide flowers and music and everything like that.”
“Good, more things that we didn’t think of taken care of for us. I like that,” he grins, lying down next to me, “Here, give me the phone, I’ll call and see if I can set something up.”
I pass the phone to him, listening as he schedules time for us in just over an hour. Leaning on his shoulder, I try not to think about how we’re going to have to rush to get back here and ready in time. It doesn’t matter anyway, but we should’ve given this a little more thought and planned it out. Having two crazy and hectic weddings cannot be good for one’s stress levels.
“Okay, we have an hour,” he repeats when he hangs up, “You can get dressed there. The lady said that they have people who will do hair and makeup, and since we get all those pictures, you might want to go for it.”
“Nathan, what are you saying?” I gasp, smacking him on the rear, “I can’t believe you said that!”
“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that,” he laughs, rolling away from me, “I was just saying.”
“You’re a brat, you know that?”
“Well, you do like to remind me of it as often as possible, so I guess, yeah, you could say I’m aware,” he grins, brushing his nose against mine when I roll on top of him.
“Mm, we have to go. You should come with me to pick out my dress,” I tell him, “We can find something that you like, too.”
“Hay, as long as you’re in it,” he promises, “I’m going to love it. Besides, we aren’t doing anything very traditionally here, so let’s at least not see each other until the ceremony, okay?”
“I hate it when you’re right,” I grumble, moving off the bed, “Okay, we’d better hurry, Nathan. An hour is not much time at all.”
“Hey, I bet I can shop faster than you,” he grins, probably right, “You better be there on time, or we’re getting a cab and going through one of those drive-thru places. I’m not even kidding, Hay. We came to Vegas to get married, and we are going to get married tonight!”
Laughing, I just nod. Like I’m going to disagree with that? Not a chance in hell.
“Nathan, we’re getting married if I have to knock you up and drag you down the aisle myself,” I assure him. “You’re sure about this, right?”
“Never more sure of anything in my life,” he says solemnly, wrapping his arms around me, “I want to be your husband, Hay. I want this.”
“Me, too,” I grin, “Let’s go then!”
We go our separate ways once we get to the lobby and get suggestions on where to go for clothes from the concierge. The boutique I end up in is ridiculous, and the dresses are so outrageously priced I almost choke on the piece of gum I’m chewing.
I end up choosing this dream dress that I never would’ve imagined myself in. It’s something I’d guess that Brooke would really like, but the second I see it, it feels like it is calling my name. It is fancier than I’d figured on going for this; I pictured an ivory silk, cocktail length number, something very sedate and simple, and this is anything but.
This little bit of fashion heaven is strapless with a fitted bodice, which is common enough. But the floor-length skirt is ruched into layers with silk ribbon-edged tulle that sweeps across the floor. It is whimsical and romantic, perfect for a quickie wedding in Vegas.
The salesgirls find shoes to go with it, and gives me plenty of advice on how to have my hair done as I’m flying out the door. If there’s one thing I’d hate to be late for, it is this. Particularly since it sounds like if we aren’t on time, we don’t get married.
I get to the chapel waiting area with about twenty minutes to spare, and I’m sent into a room to have my hair done. There isn’t a lot of time, so it is twisted up into a messy, Bohemian looking bun with lots of loose face-framing tendrils left down. It looks nice, and fits perfect with the dress.
As time draws near, I pace impatiently back in forth in the small room, smiling ruefully when the girls who did my hair laugh at my eagerness.
“It’s just so sweet,” one of them insists, “Can you imagine being so in love that you would pace waiting for the wedding to start?”
“Hello, I’m married!” the other reminds her, holding up her ring finger. Oh, my gosh, we don’t have rings. Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit. Okay, you can get married without rings, right? Sure, that’s not important, I mean, we have the license, we have everything else, we don’t really need rings.
Oh, shit, how could it not be important? The officiate is going to ask for rings, and we won’t have them. He’ll still have to marry us, right? I wish I could talk to Nathan right now, and ask him what we should do about this.
Looking around the room, I try to see if there is anything we could use as makeshift rings, but I’m coming up empty. Snapping the gum in my mouth, I spit it into the garbage can, and inspiration strikes.
“Gum! Do either of you have any gum? With the foil wrappers?”
They look at me like I’ve lost my mind for a minute before one goes behind the counter and grabs a purse.
“Got a bad jaw,” she explains, “Never leave home without at least two packs.”
“Would you mind if I had two pieces?” I plead, ready to get down on my knees and beg for those damn pieces of gum. Actually, I’m about ready to whip out my checkbook and start throwing out numbers, if need be.
“Uh, no, that’s cool,” she agrees, pulling out the gum, “You got a bum jaw, too? I don’t know a lot of other people who chew two pieces at once.”
Grinning, I open the wrappers, tossing the gum into the trash. The girl who gave it to me makes a scoffing noise, and her coworker starts laughing, catching on to what I’m doing. I quickly fold them into long, thin strips, perfect for wrapping around fingers.
“No rings,” I explain, “So I’m doing the old elementary school gum wrapper trick. Think the person performing the ceremony will notice?”
“Awesome,” the one who figured it out laughs, “I’m sure he won’t notice. Or if he does, he wouldn’t say anything. We’ve had people use rubber bands, string, ribbon, one guy even talked his bride into cutting off a few chunks of hair and they tied those around their fingers. That was weird.”
“Well, thank God for gum wrappers,” I joke, shaking my head. Hair? I love Nathan, but ew. I don’t think so.
“Oh, you’d better get out there, your ceremony starts in two minutes. Good luck! Congratulations! You have the prettiest dress we’ve seen in here in a month!” she giggles, waving me out of the room. The other one just watches, looking like she’s still trying to figure out the gum wrapper thing.
It’s only about a thirty second wait before someone comes over to me, assuring that I am in fact Haley James and that I am here to marry Nathan Scott. I guess it saves embarrassing mix-ups of having the wrong bride coming in for the wrong groom.
“Good luck,” the lady smiles as she shoves me to the entrance, handing me a huge, heavy bouquet of roses to carry.
Bouncing excitedly on the balls of my feet, I can’t keep the smile off my face. When I see Nathan, standing there waiting as anxiously as I am, tears spring to my eyes. I can’t believe we’re doing this, but it feels so perfect that I know it is right.
He looks perfect, standing there grinning at me in his new suit. Not even caring, I walk as fast as I can to him, ready to do this. Ready to be his wife, for all the good and bad that it entails.
The ceremony is quick and traditional, but it still can’t go fast enough for me. All I want now is for the man performing the ceremony to proclaim us man and wife, and give us permission to kiss. Because I really want to kiss him right now.
“Do you Nathan take Haley to be your wife – to live together after God’s ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” he answers almost before the last word is out.
“And do you Haley take Nathan to be your husband – to live together after God’s ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” I agree, my eyes clouding with tears as I stare up at Nathan.
The ring exchange is priceless – when Nathan realizes that this was the one thing we didn’t think of, he looks so confused I have to bite my lip not to laugh. And when he starts laughing when I pull out the gum wrappers from the top of my dress, I can’t help but join in.
“What token of your love do you offer? Would you place the rings in my hand?” He smiles at the wrappers. “May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go – may they always return to one another. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place that many will find there a friend. May these rings on their fingers symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts.”
Turning to Nathan, he places one of the strips of foil in his palm. “Nathan, in placing this ring on Haley’s finger, repeat after me: Haley, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed.”
Taking my left hand in his, Nathan wraps the piece of foil around my ring finger gently. “Haley, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed.”
Once the ‘ring’ is on my finger, I lift my hand to brush the tears off my cheeks. Turning back to the minister, we wait expectantly as he places the second piece of foil in my hand. “Haley, in placing this ring on Nathan’s finger, repeat after me: Nathan, you are now consecrate to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed.”
I take his hand, squeezing his fingers gently and then wrap the temporary band around his finger, twisting it tightly before repeating my vows. “Nathan, you are now consecrate to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed.”
The minister continues on with his part. “May you always share with each other the gifts of love – be one in heart and in mind – may you always create a home together that puts in your hearts – love – generosity and kindness.
”In as much as Nathan and Haley have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family and have pledged their faith – and declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring – are now joined.
”You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other’s best friend.
”What – therefore – God has joined together – let no man put asunder.
”And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Nevada and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth.”
It’s all a blur to me, up until the second the officiate says the words I’ve been waiting for: “You may now kiss the bride.”
Grinning hugely, Nathan scoops me up so I’m at face level with him, kissing me so sweetly that my heart feels like it is going to burst. When he sets me down, he keeps his forehead on mine, our eyes locked together. He is all that I can focus on. His touch, his smile, his eyes, he is all I see, even when my eyes are closed.
~*~
Nathan follows me from the kitchen out onto the patio, muttering angrily under his breath. When he finally catches up to me, he sighs. “Haley, I don’t get it. Why do we have to have a rehearsal dinner? Why do we even need a rehearsal period?”
“So that people know where to walk, stand. What to say. The little things like that,” I explain for the five hundredth time.
“We’ve done this before, I think we have it down by now,” he reasons, “And everyone knows what happens at a wedding. Follow the aisle, stand in front of the crowd, repeat what the minister says, and bing, bang, boom, married.”
“’Bing, bang, boom’?” I repeat incredulously, shaking my head.
”Um, maybe not quite like that, but you get the idea. Besides, what does having a rehearsal have to do with providing food for all the attendants and their guests, as well as all of our families? That’s the part I’m having trouble with.”
“It’s a tradition, Nathan,” I explain again, fighting a yawn. You’d think a girl would be entitled some sleep during the week leading up to her wedding, but apparently not. Of course, having one of your best friends give birth doesn’t help there, either.
“Everything is a tradition,” he gripes, “Seems to me it’s just another way for people to get more free food out of us.”
“Oh, my God, is that what your problem is? Jesus, Nathan, I’ll make the fucking food myself if you want!” I shout, “If that’s what it takes to get you off my back about this, I’ll somehow find the time to throw together an Italian feast for forty people, okay? No problem, I’m sure whoever sets the clock will be accommodating and add twelve hours to a day for me!”
“Jesus, Haley,” he mutters, rolling his eyes, “I’m not trying to get you to make the food. I’m just trying to understand the point in all this.”
“Well, you know what? I’m tired. I’m stressed. I’m worried about Peyton and Lucas. Having to deal with you in a pissy mood ragging on me because of a rehearsal dinner, which, by the way, still a tradition, is not helping matters!” I tell him, dissolving into tears at the end of it.
He stares at me blankly for a minute, and then springs into action, pulling me into his arms, apologizing. “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know,” I cry, “It’s okay. I’m just being a baby. I’m so tired, Nathan, and so much is happening. I’m just overwhelmed.”
“Yeah, I know,” he sighs, “Come on, let’s go upstairs to our room and just lie down for awhile and relax, okay? I’ll hold you and rub your back.”
“I love you,” I sniffle, tightening my arms around him, “I really am sorry for the freakout.”
“Hey, no problem,” he smiles, kissing my forehead, “It was cute.”
“It’s not cute when I cry,” I correct him, laughing a little.
“Come on, let’s lie down. Holding each other would be good for both of us right now, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” I agree immediately, snuggling against him as we walk through the house, “I miss having quiet time alone with you, Nathan. This is hard.”
“Only five more days, though,” he smiles, shutting the room door behind us, “And then we’ll be on our honeymoon, without a care in the world.”
“That sounds really nice,” I admit, collapsing against him, “Just you, me, an Italian hotel room, the Mediterranean, and a few bottles of good champagne!”
“See? It’ll all work out,” he grins, pressing a kiss into my hair.
It usually does.
~*~
“Gum wrappers,” he laughs, shaking his head like it is the oddest thing he’s ever heard of, “This is like getting married on a playground, Hay! Look at us with the expensive outfits using tinfoil gum wrappers as rings.”
“I couldn’t think of anything else!” I exclaim, laughing with him, “And it is one thing to ask a girl you don’t know for a couple of sticks of gum, but I couldn’t possibly ask for two rings!”
He shakes his head, leaning back against the wall of the elevator. “God, I didn’t even think of rings. You must have wanted to kill me when you realized, huh?”
“Are you kidding?” I scoff, smiling when he takes my hand as the elevator doors open on our floor, “I love this about us, Nathan. I love that we so have to get married immediately that we don’t even think of dresses or tuxes or rings or flowers. I love that we have this urgency after almost four years together. That’s such an amazing gift.”
He grins at me. “It’s still kind of bad, though, that we don’t have real rings.”
“I guess it’s good that we’re having a second wedding then!” I laugh.
“Ah, so there is a point to us going through a million times as much hassle for a second wedding, got it,” he smirks.
“Hey! There are other reasons, too!” I protest, “Like me getting to dress up in my beautiful dress and look wonderful for you. And you in a perfect tux looking perfectly hot, so much so that I might have to drag you off for a quickie between the ceremony and the reception.”
We get to the door of our room, and he stops, looking me over. “I don’t know, Hay, I think that dress right there is pretty perfect. It’ll be hard to top it.”
“You like it?” I ask softly.
“It looks amazing on you,” he confirms, “It’s perfect. It isn’t what I pictured you choosing, but you look magical. It sort of reminds me of your prom dress. Remember that night?”
“Remember it? I couldn’t forget it if I tried! But this dress isn’t like that one at all, honey.”
“Yeah, it is,” he argues, looking me up and down again, “Okay, maybe not. But that whole night, all I could think of was how perfect you looked, how amazing you were. How much I wanted you. That’s all I can think of now, too. It’s been five years, and I want you just as much now as I did then.”
“See?” I grin, “That’s exactly how I feel. What we have, it is so special, Nathan. It’s a very beautiful thing, and we’re just amazingly blessed that it is like this for us. Because I don’t think it is for a lot of people.”
“Oh, I could’ve told you we were special,” he grins cockily.
Laughing, I pinch him on the arm. “No, I mean it! Come on, think, Nathan,” I implore him softly, wanting him to see this for what it is, “I know we say it all the time, but we really are lucky. We found each other, we found our way to each other, and we’ve made it into this amazing, miraculous thing. It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” he smiles. “So, do I get to carry you over the threshold here?”
“Yeah, you do,” I smile back at him, “But you still have to do it again when get back home. So don’t think this covers that.”
“I think I can manage a second time,” he assures me, bending slightly to scoop me up in his arms, “You ready, Mrs. Scott?”
“I am so ready, Mr. Scott!” I beam excitedly at him, laughing as he practically kicks the door open and runs through it.
He heads for the bed, but I squirm, stopping him. “What? Honeymoon time, right?”
“Can we dance first?” I request.
“You want to dance with me?”
“You’re my husband, aren’t you? I have the pictures to prove it! Just one vertical dance, and then we spend the rest of the night getting horizontal,” I promise, my arms automatically lifting to wrap around his neck.
“Don’t we need music?” he chuckles when I start swaying against him.
“Nope, this is perfect,” I sigh, laying my head against his chest, “Everything about this is wonderful. You’re wonderful, this dress is wonderful, saying the traditional vows was wonderful.”
“These tinfoil rings are perfect,” he winks, inspecting his. “You know, I still can’t believe that we forgot real rings. We could go find some now, if you wanted.”
“Maybe we should wait on those until we have the formal wedding,” I offer, “That way neither of us gets caught wearing them.”
“You want to wait?” he pouts, “You know, I kind of want to slip a ring, a real one, lovely though these are, onto your finger, Hay.”
“Maybe we could wear them on chains for now?” I suggest, warming to the idea, “I just don’t want to think of the explanations we’d have to go through if someone caught us with wedding bands on.”
“Fair point,” he smirks, still swaying to the non-existent music with me, “We can do that. I’d like to do that.”
“This has been a good day,” I grin, tightening my hold on him.
“The best,” he agrees. “So, honeymoon time?”
As he starts dragging me towards the bed, I shriek his name, laughing. “I can’t believe you! We were having a moment!”
“We’ll just move the moment to the bed,” he grins.
Well, I can’t argue with that!
~*~
“Hey, you,” Nathan whispers in my ear, startling me, “Whatcha thinking about?”
Turning, I wrap my arms around him. “I was thinking about my husband, actually.”
“Yeah?” he grins, “Anyone I know?”
“Oh, you might’ve heard of him once or twice. He plays in the NBA!” I squeal in the annoying voice that so many of the groupies seem to have, “He’s like, so hot.”
“I think I might be jealous, then,” he laughs, kissing me on the cheek. “Hey, I thought we weren’t supposed to mention any of those buzz words in ways that might give us away as already married.”
“Sometimes I can’t help myself,” I smile, taking his hand, “It’s been hard not letting everyone know all this time that we are already married.”
“I know,” he sighs, “But look at it this way, what they don’t know, doesn’t hurt them. Besides, we’re still doing the big fancy wedding with the sculptures and thousands of flowers and why is Brooke mentioning champagne fountains?”
Yawning, I shrug. “I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“If someone drowns in a fountain filled with an alcoholic beverage, that might be frowned upon. Besides, if she wants one, can’t she just get married herself?”
He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me against him. “I’ll be so glad when we can just acknowledge being married. I was writing a check for the additional trees, and Brooke almost saw my checks,” I yawn again.
”You’re tired,” he comments, “We should go to bed.” He walks me towards the stairs. “That would’ve been a hard one to explain, why you’re already ‘Haley Scott’.”
“You’re telling me,” I laugh, gasping when he swings me up into his arms. “Mm, you’re supposed to save that for after we’re married – again – and you carry me over the threshold.”
“I can’t carry my wife around now?” he grins, “Maybe I want to.”
“I guess. If you insist,” I smile, kissing him lightly, my lips barely whispering over his. “So, how’s the vow writing going for you?”
“Hay, if you really don’t want to write our own vows, we don’t have to,” he sighs, dropping me on the bed in his childhood room. “We can do the traditional thing again.”
“No, I want to,” I assure him quickly, pulling him down beside me, sighing when he wraps his arms around me. “I’m just afraid that what I say won’t be good enough, that it won’t encompass all that it should, all that you are to me.”
“It’ll be fine,” he tells me, “Don’t stress about it so much.”
“Easy for you to say, ye of the world’s most romantic proposal,” I pout, flinging an arm over my eyes, “You’re good at this kind of thing. Really good.” Rolling over and moving up onto my knees, I look down at him. “Hey, you could write mine, too!”
“Hey! No way!”
“Nathan,” I whine, laughing as he pulls me down against him, “I just don’t want to short-change you or our love in any way. It just – it has to be perfect, you know?”
He situates us so that he’s spooned behind me, his lips against my ear. “Nothing could do that. Just – I don’t know, say what you feel, okay? It’ll be good, Hay. It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like I’d stop the wedding because you didn’t have the ‘perfect’ vows to say!”
“I love you, Mr. Scott.”
“And I love you, Mrs. Scott.”
I guess that says it all.
