Hey my lovely's the time has come and I'm here to post the last chapter...I'm soo sad to see this story come to an end, and this is infact the only one of my stories i have ever finished hehe...its because u guys are so lovely with ur replies hehe :D

So here it is...and remember the epilogue is coming either tomorrow or Thursday :D

Chapter 10

1.45 am

1.55 am

2.15 am

2.30 am

Twisting and turning. That's all Haley was doing all night, she'd get comfortable in one position but then her mind would go into overdrive and she would have to change. It was getting on her nerves. All thoughts was that near situation she was about to get herself into. Its all just too damn confusing, I mean sure she did have feelings for Nathan, and from the look of things he might return them, and if she did go with what her heart was craving things would probably be great. However she couldn't help but ask her self if she was moving too soon, she and Nathan had only met each other again the other day; they could maybe escalate their friendship into something more in a few months time when they got to know each other again fully, however if she learnt one thing from God taking Mark and Zoë away from her; it was to live life to the fullest and that any one could go at any time, there is no point in wasting it!

"ERGH!" She shrieked. Deciding there was no way she would have been able to get asleep, she pulled the covers down and made her way downstairs. Its time for some good old window time, Haley thought laughing to herself. Every time she found herself in a situation where her emotions are in a danger of getting stirred she would always go to the window seal and stare out to the stars twinkling in the sky.

"Cant sleep?" Nathan said quietly from the door frame.

"Nathan? What?" Haley gasped taking in a deep breath, she was not expecting anyone to be in the room and hearing his voice behind her kind of scared her. Once she had gotten over the shock of him being there she finally had time to recall what he had asked.

"Umm yeah I guess you could say that." She laughed slightly getting down from the window seal and walking towards the sofa.

"You?" She asked, her now being the one to pat on the sofa inviting him to sit down and talk. Which he did of course.

"Yeah…" Nathan sighed. "I might be because I stayed up quite late last night because I had to sort out all of Chloe's presents out, you know put them all under the tree…" Nathan then took in a deep breath. Should he bring up their …almost kiss from earlier or not? He wanted to, he wanted to talk things through with her, tell her that he really really wanted that to happen. He even wanted to be a total pansy and maybe tell her about his secret love for her in high school, tell her no one he had ever met would ever compare to her, she was truly the only women he has ever had proper feelings for, which is so ironic because she was probably the only girl who he hadn't hooked up with in high school. However the thing that he didn't want to happen was for him to confess his feelings and she would get scared and block him out. "Also maybe something else." He added, deciding he really needed to tell her.

"Oh…err what else?" Haley asked nervously.

"Well, umm…" He stuttered before standing up on his feet to pace the room. It seriously wasn't this normal for a human being to get this nervous. "Okay, well err I guess I've just been thinking non stop about earlier, when we were going to kiss..." He stopped pacing at that point so he could look at her facial expression. It didn't show anything. "It's just been playing in my mind non stop and, okay so your either going to love me of hate me for saying this but I wanted it to happen, and I was just about ready to kill Chloe when she asked for a story."

"Nathan…"Haley started, but wasn't allowed to finish her sentence as Nathan stopped her.

"No Haley listen to me, you and me both know that if Chloe hadn't interrupted us then we would have kissed. And I for one wasn't that surprised that we were."

"Huh?" Haley asked with confusion, she didn't get it. Why was he not surprised?

Taking her hands in his Nathan pulled her up from the couch so she was now standing in front of him.

"Please don't hate me for what I'm about to say." He pleased with desperation wrapped in his voice. Haley shook her head in confusion whispering that she wouldn't.

Taking a deep breath Nathan finally said the thing that would express what his trying to say.

"I love you Haley." He said gently making sure she was looking in his eyes. "I'm in love with you! I always have been, even when we were little kids and we used to fight about who got the last chocolate brownie, there was always apart of me that was in love with you, I mean why do you think you I never let guys touch you in high school huh? I Know I always said I was acting like a protective big brother would, but that was far from the truth Hales. Also that's a reason why I couldn't keep in touch with you Haley, in college I mean."

"It all did my head in; every time I was around you I nearly lost my breath, so when we parted ways and headed for college I took that as a chance to get over you. You deserved so much more than the stupid jock I was. And you did, get better I mean. Mark seemed like a great man Hales and I'm so happy that you found him. But you know what I never could get over you Haley; you're the most incredible person I have ever met. And I know me saying all this is probably going to freak you out or you're just going to reject me and say were better as friends but I don't believe that. Haley fate did something for us, I mean were living on the same street for god sakes, after years for not talking we all of a sudden end up on the same street…that sounds more than a coincidence to me."

"Nathan…" Haley started again, but Nathan hadn't quite finished his speech of yet. He was on a role.

"Haley I don't expect you to say anything okay, I really don't, I know this is like the worst time ever for me to bring this up, to like actually confess my feelings and I really don't know why I am, I guess I'm just kind of hoping I can make both of our Christmas's that much better, because I do Haley, I really do love you, and Chloe loves you too which makes things so much easier…" He laughed trying to lighten up the atmosphere. But it was a nervous laugh, of course it was a nervous laugh he felt like he was about to go and sing out on a stage full of Simon Cowell's as the audience.

Haley sat there stunned. That was not the thing she thought he was going to say. Sure she had a feeling he was going to confess his feelings for her now. She wasn't an idiot she could tell that something was definitely brewing up between them, the almost kiss earlier proved that. But she had no idea he was in love with her back in high school too. She thought that that was just one way feelings on her behalf. She had some major thinking to do but with so little time.

Feeling the silence, Nathan felt his heart shatter, when he said she didn't have to return his confession, of course he didn't entirely mean that. There was nothing more he wanted in that moment than her say 'I love you too Nathan' and then kiss him the way he had craved for so long. But he knew he couldn't come back on his word. He said she didn't have to say it back and she obviously isn't going to so he can't make it a big deal. Not if he still wants her in his life!

"Okay, so I guess I'm just going to go back…" Nathan said regretfully, walking around her. However was soon stopped by her hand grabbing his arm and pulling him back towards her. Looking at her confused he noticed the tears welling in her eyes.

"Hales?" He asked. "What?"

"I do." She whispered quietly before attaching her lips to his. This felt so surreal, for her to be kissing another man after Mark, but at the same time it felt so right. Nathan's lips at that moment seemed to be heaven. The kiss was nothing more than her pressing her lips to his gently for a few seconds but still It seemed to make her so much more content with her life, as in that quick simple kiss had just changed her life…forever maybe.

"What?" Nathan asked when he recovered. He was sure he was dreaming right now, because he could have sworn Haley just admitted to loving him back AND then kissing him!

Haley smiled "I love you too Nathan…I am in love with you." She reassured smiling so brightly at the look on his face. It was so surprising how different she could feel in a matter of seconds; in one simple action she could go from entirely confused not knowing what to do, not knowing what to think, to complete and utter ease, as in the weight on her shoulders had suddenly evaporated and she was now never as sure of anything in her life.

"You...you love me?" Nathan asked still disbelievingly. He was so dead certain that she either didn't feel the same way, or if she did she would run away from it. But that didn't stop the biggest grin anyone had seen forming on his face.

"Yeah, and I loved you back in high school too,." Haley added.

"Yeah?" Nathan whispered bringing his palm up to caress her beautiful face to which she nodded leaning into his hand. "I was so hoping you would say that." He said still with the biggest grin on his face. "Because I love you too." And with that said it was his turn to crash his lips against hers.

The kiss started of slow, the two just wanting to show their love for each other, show the other that they were certain for their love for one and other! But soon it began to get more and more heated. Deepening the kiss Nathan's tongue slowly traced the bottom of her lip, begging for entrance, which she gladly obliged with no hesitation. The first instance she parted her lips his tongue dashed through to test the depth of her mouth which he would so happily learn to know soon. Moving his hand from her face he brought it down arm to get hold of her waist pulling her in even closer.

When air became a big issue and the passion the kiss held become too much to control they both pulled away leaning on the others forehead breathing raggedly.

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked just to make sure. He didn't think he would be able to handle it right now if she wasn't.

"Yeah…" Haley smiled. "I love you Nathan" She clarified. "I love you!" She basically screamed excitedly before she felt Nathan's mouth back on hers.

"Shhh" Nathan laughed as they pulled away. "Chloe's still asleep you know."

"Sorry" She said sheepishly before pecking his lips again. It seemed she could never get enough of him.

"How do you think she's going to react to the news?" Haley asked a few minutes later when they were snuggled up on the couch together both looking into space. Both mirroring dreamy grins held on the other's face.

"Who Chloe?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, I mean she might not want her daddy to have a girlfriend." Haley said bringing her head out of his chest and looking directly in his face.

"Oh so you're my girlfriend now huh?" Nathan joked, loving the small rosy blush form on her cheeks.

"Shut up!" Haley laughed swatting him in the chest. "I'm serious."

"Haley she will be ecstatic, I mean the girl adores you, I think it will make her Christmas if we tell her today."

"Tell her what?" Haley asked.

"Well that you're my girlfriend now." Nathan said simply a smirk plying his face. "Because you are"

"You don't think she will take it badly?" Haley asked, if Chloe wasn't comfortable with her dating her dad then she would have to stop things with Nathan. No matter how much she might love him, there was no way she would get with him if it meant Chloe would be unhappy.

"No I really don't." Nathan said reaching up from the arm of the sofa his head was perched on to kiss her lips again.

"But speaking of Chloe she's going to be up soon so I need to get to bed so I don't have to explain why I was downstairs when Santa came in and dropped the presents." Nathan said regretfully not wanting to be away from her.

"Yeah…" Haley sighed. "But you are going to come in the guest room and get me when Chloe does wake, I can't wait to see her excited little face when she sees all the presents you got her."

"Or…" Nathan started, not sure whether asking her to stay in his room was too soon or not "Or you could just sleep with me, strictly sleeping of course." Nathan said emphasizing the 'strictly' part to her, which she responded by nodding her head vigorously and leaning down to kiss him once more.

………………………

"Daddy, Daddy its Christmas, its Christmas, has Santa Clause come yet?" Chloe screamed running into Nathan's room a few hours later pouncing on his bed making him yelp with surprise. Nathan wasn't the only one surprised either.

"Err Daddy why is Haley in your bed?" Chloe asked confused when she noticed Haley lying besides her dad who had his arms draped tightly around her waist. Nathan started laughing and Haley looked up with embarrassment.

"Err because…"Haley started not sure on what to say. She and Nathan had discussed briefly before they went to sleep that they were in fact going to tell Chloe that they were now an item and ask her if she was okay with it, but Haley was still scared that maybe she would freak out and then she would be responsible for ruining a little girls Christmas.

"Chloe baby…" Nathan's voice came causing Haley to stop her thoughts and take notice that Nathan was taking control of the situation.

"You remember in the film yesterday when Susan's mum and Bryan got together in the end….well how would you feel if me and Haley got together like that?" Nathan asked sitting up and pulling his daughter into his lap.

Chloe gasped excitedly. "What you're going to get married?" Chloe asked remembering Dory Walker and Bryan Bedford from the film got married in the end.

"Oh!" Haley and Nathan said at the same time laughing at Nathan's mistake.

"No honey, not yet at least," Nathan said smiling at Haley which made her fall in love with him that bit more. "But we are girlfriend and boyfriend, are you happy about that?" Nathan asked Chloe gently.

Chloe nodded her head excited. "Yeah! I love Haley." This almost made Haley have tears in her eyes. But for once they were from sadness; they were from happiness, pure happiness, the kind she thought she would never ever experience again. But she was. She was happy!

"But can I please open some presents now?" Chloe pleased pouting her bottom lip which made Nathan jump up from the bed and take her in his arms so he swing her on his shoulder.

"You coming Hales?" Nathan asked waiting at the door so the three of them could go down stairs to celebrate Christmas together.

Sure Haley did miss Mark and Zoë at a time like this, because if the accident didn't happen Haley would be doing the exact same thing but with them. But by the looks of things Haley had a new family now, another family which she could love just as much, a family that not only lead her to believe in love again but also brought back her sprite in Christmas. And she could only thank god enough.

"Yeah" Haley smiled before jumping of the bed and running over towards Nathan and Chloe. "Yeah I'm coming."

THE END

Tell me what you think, and remember epilogue is on its way :D

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Luv ya

Jade.x.x.x.x.x.x.x