Well y'all, I'm sorry for the long stretch in between chapters! I have been CRAZY busy at work, and by the time I get home, I am dead exhausted. But, it's the 4th of July, and I had today off as a paid holiday, so I wanted to get this chapter up for you! I hope y'all are still reading and enjoying the story!
And again, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all the support, reviews, and views on this story! It means more than you know!
**Warning: the last scene in this chapter is a bit steamy, but not serious enough to increase the rating from T to M. I'm not that kind of writer!**
"This is where your parents live?" Haley couldn't help but let her jaw drop at the sight of the large, lavish brick home. She knew Nathan's parents were well off, that was evident by the whole private plane to the championship thing, but she was still in awe as the three of them stood in the driveway.
Nathan picked up their bags, extending his free hand to take Haley's, "I want to apologize in advance for anything my dad says. I'm hoping winning the championship will be enough of a cushion to keep him…civil."
Haley managed a small smile, squeezing his hand in a reassuring way. Looking down, she admired the slightly gaudy championship ring that adorned his finger. She still couldn't believe that just a week ago, Duke had won the National Championship.
Returning to school after the time away was hard, and Haley knew that Nathan was having an internal struggle with whether he should continue another year at Duke, or declare for the NBA draft. It was the question that all the reporters, well, really anyone and everyone, asked him these days.
This was the one thing that they hadn't ever really talked about: the future. Sure, they said always and forever, but life was rearing its ugly head at them, demanding decisions be made. Haley was set to graduate in a matter of weeks, and teaching job offers were already coming in. It was all happening so fast; they'd only been together, officially, for five months, but it felt like forever, in the best way imaginable.
Haley was snapped out of her thinking by the front door opening.
"You made it!" Deb exclaimed, rushing out to greet them.
"Hey mom," Nathan smiled, releasing Haley's hand to hug her.
"It's good to see you Mrs. Scott," Haley said, as the two women exchanged hugs as well.
"Haley, Mrs. Scott is my mother-in-law," Deb corrected her, "Please call me Deb."
"Hey!" Emma said loudly, wanting to remind everyone of her presence.
"Oh don't you worry, sweetie, I haven't forgotten about you," Deb replied, holding out her arms to the little girl, "Do you want to come see the toys I got for you?"
Emma looked up at her mother, a small smile on her face, looking for reassurance.
"Go with Deb, Em, it's okay," Haley encouraged her, and before she knew it, Deb had scooped Emma up.
"Nathan, you can put Haley and Emma's things in the guest room," she said over her shoulder before heading into the house.
"Ready for the madness?" Nathan asked hesitantly, as they stood on the porch, just outside the doorway.
"Show me your world Nathan Scott," Haley smiled.
"As you can see, your mother was a little excited about you coming," Dan said to Nathan, as the two men stood in the kitchen, looking into the living room where Haley and Deb were sitting on the floor with Emma. Toys surrounded the toddler, more than she'd ever seen.
"Mrs. Scott, I mean, um, Deb," Haley stammered, "You really didn't have to do all of this. We're only staying for a few days."
Deb sighed, "I may have gone a little overboard, I'm sorry. It's just, it's been so long since I've had a baby around to spoil."
"I don't know how we're going to fit all of these in the car for the drive back," Haley laughed, "But the crib? That's really too much."
Deb nodded, "I wanted Emma to feel comfortable here, both of you. But don't worry, I didn't run out and buy a crib. That was Nathan's when he was a baby. I had Dan pull it out of storage yesterday. I knew it would come in handy someday."
"Thank you," Haley replied, "And I hate to break up the party, but it's someone's N-A-P time. I'm going to go put her down and I'll be right back."
"Mom, are you going to be around for a while?" Nathan asked her a little bit later, "I wanted to take Haley on a tour of the town."
"I will man the baby monitor gladly," Deb smiled, "You two go have fun."
"I don't know…" Haley nervously said. She'd only ever left Emma with Brooke and Lucas, Karen and Keith, or Nathan himself. Sure, his mom seemed nice, but her motherly instincts made her worry about leaving her daughter.
"Hales, she'll be fine," Nathan assured her, "We'll only be gone for an hour or so, I promise."
"So this is your old stomping ground, huh?" Haley joked, as the two made it to the basketball court on the river, affectionately known by Tree Hill residents as the Rivercourt.
"Yeah, I'd come down here to shoot around, clear my head, escape the wrath of my dad," Nathan explained.
"Was he as bad as he is now?" Haley asked.
"Worse," Nathan replied.
Haley gazed out at the river, "Well, I can see why you chose this place, besides the basketball court, I mean. It's got a hell of a view."
"Yeah it does," Nathan came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss to her temple, "Come on, the tour's not over yet."
Nathan took Haley down to the Riverwalk, which was full of bustling tourists. The two managed to find solace in a lone bench, overlooking the water.
"I always wished I'd grown up in a small town like this," Haley thought out loud, looking onto the water, and then into Nathan's eyes, "What were you like in high school?"
"I don't think you want to know," Nathan grimaced.
"I'm serious," Haley insisted, "I mean, how much worse could you have been than that guy from the beginning of the school year?"
"Uh, let's see…junior year, I stole a school bus and took the team for a joyride," Nathan admitted.
"You did not!" Haley exclaimed, laughing, "Why am I not surprised?"
"Come on, didn't you ever do anything crazy in high school?" Nathan asked.
"If by crazy you mean stay at home on Friday nights and play scrabble with my parents, then yeah, I was totally wild!" Haley replied.
It was only then that she noticed the carvings on the top of the bench. People's initials with a heart, couples' names etched into the wood.
"God, how cheesy can people get?" Haley asked, looking up to see Nathan pulling a pocketknife out, "No, you are seriously not going to carve our initials into the bench, are you?"
"What's your middle initial?" Nathan asked, as he dug the knife into the wood.
"Come on Nathan," Haley sighed, "This is really lame."
He didn't reply, just raised his eyebrows at her. Nathan was not someone to let something go so easily.
"Fine, B," she relented.
Nathan smiled, "See, now was that so hard?"
"She's a dream, you know," Deb said, as she and Haley made breakfast the next morning, Emma already sitting in her high chair, "Nathan was a terror at this age."
"I can imagine," Haley laughed, flipping the pancakes on the griddle.
"I know it's hard to imagine, but he was even more stubborn at 2 then he is now," Deb recalled, putting the newly-crisp bacon onto a platter, "Gets it from Dan. Those two are more alike sometimes than they'd like to admit."
"Now that, I can't believe," Haley replied, "Speaking of, where are those guys anyway?"
"Reunion basketball game in the driveway, for old times' sake," Deb explained, "Once they smell the food, it'll be like a stampede, trust me."
A silence fell upon the two women, as they continued to prepare breakfast.
Deb broke it after a few minutes, "So, Nathan said that you've gotten teaching offers already. That's amazing."
"A few," Haley replied, "But I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. It's a lot to think about, you know? A lot of things I have to consider."
"The offers…where are they?" Deb asked, looking at Haley cautiously as she set the table.
"Um, Atlanta, Charleston, and Durham," answered Haley, as she put some sliced bananas on Emma's tray to hold her off before breakfast.
Deb smiled, "Durham? At the school, you did your student teaching?"
Haley nodded, "Yeah. The English teacher I worked with is moving to California, so Principal Hanigan offered me the job first."
"Well, I'm sure you'll make the right decision," Deb assured her, forcing a small smile.
"What do you think I should…" Haley began, before Dan and Nathan came barreling through the door, a scowl on both of their faces.
"Look, Nathan, I just think you'd be smart to call this guy," Dan stated, "He's one of the best agents in the country, and it's not like you have a lot of time to think about it. The draft is in a few months. If you don't get your name in the running soon…"
"Dad, I told you I didn't want to talk about it, alright?" Nathan snapped, "I didn't come here for a lecture."
They both fell silent as they turned to look at their significant others, who were both exchanging nervous glances.
The awkward silence was broken by Emma, who cried out, "Food! Yum!"
"Uh, we should eat," Haley said, taking the rest of the food to the table, as they all sat down, trying to pretend like the last few minutes hadn't happened.
"Are you alright?" Haley asked later, as she and Nathan sat at the beach with Emma. The little girl was currently sound asleep, curled up in Nathan's lap.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Nathan replied, his fingers of his left hand playing with the sand, "Why?"
"Because this is the first time you've seen me in a bikini and you haven't made one inappropriate comment," Haley raised her eyebrow.
He shook his head, "I'm sorry, babe, you look great. I just, have a lot on my mind."
Haley pursed her lips and sighed, "Is this about what Dan was saying earlier?"
"Can't get anything past you, can I?" Nathan smirked, his eyes finally meeting hers.
"No, now talk to me," Haley pleaded, "What's going on in that sexy head of yours?"
He smiled before taking a deep breath.
"It's just….I'm coming off of this emotional high, you know? Winning the national championship? And now, I've got reporters calling, asking what I'm doing next year, and I can't even count how many agents have contacted me, and Dan too, apparently. And the draft is in June…I don't have much time to think as I thought I did," Nathan explained.
"We're finally addressing the elephant in the room," Haley forced a small smile, "What do you want to do, Nathan?"
The look in Nathan's eyes softened as he looked at her, taking his hand that wasn't wrapped around Emma and entwining it with hers, "That is one of the million reasons why I love you, Haley James. You are the first person who's asked me that."
"I love you too Nathan Scott," Haley replied, squeezing his hand, "But you are going to have to make a decision eventually. My parents, whenever they had a big decision to make, they would make a pros and cons list. You could try that."
"You think of everything," Nathan laughed, as Haley pulled out a notebook and a pen, "And you're always prepared."
"It's the teacher in me," Haley replied, "So, pros of the draft?"
"Well, if I get drafted, the pay is really good," Nathan began, "And I'd have my dream. I've wanted to play in the NBA since I was a kid. How many people can say that they get paid to do what they love?"
"Alright, and cons?" Haley asked.
"I could declare myself eligible, get an agent, and then not get drafted," he continued, "And if that happens, I would most likely go to play in Europe, which is a good opportunity, but I'd be away from family and friends…and you and Emma."
Haley put down her pen, sighing, turning to him, "Nathan, I….I don't want…god, how do I say this? Um, I don't want you basing your decision on us."
"Why not?" Nathan retorted, careful to keep his voice down for fear of waking Emma, "You're a part of my life, a big part."
"And I love you for that," Haley replied, "But, I can't be the one to hold you back from following your dream, whatever it is. You should make this decision for you. Not for me, or Emma, or even Dan. "
Nathan nodded slowly, wanting so badly to fire back, about how all he thought about lately was her and Emma, and what the three of them even were. All of these decisions he had to make, he didn't want to make them alone. He knew that she'd gotten job offers in Atlanta and Charleston. Even if he stayed at Duke, there wasn't a guarantee that they'd be together. But, he held his tongue, biting back the bitter words he so desperately wanted to say. Unlike Dan, he was learning to control his anger.
That night, after she had put Emma to bed in the makeshift nursery, Haley crawled into the king size bed she was sharing with Nathan in his old room. He was turned over, his back facing her. He'd been quiet ever since the beach, and she knew it was because of what she'd said.
Part of her was still guarded, trying to protect Emma, she told herself, from heartbreak if Nathan was to get drafted somewhere far off. But, deep down, she knew that as much as she was scared for Emma, she was equally scared for herself. She had fallen completely in love with Nathan Scott, something she never thought she would say. She had let almost all of her walls down; he'd earned her trust.
But, after five months, they still hadn't gone all the way. Nathan had been so respectful, letting her set the boundaries, and they'd gotten close, a couple of times. But, although she loved him, and wanted to give herself to him, she found that something was holding her back.
She had so much on her mind. Graduation was fast approaching for her, and in a matter of weeks, she would need to choose where she would be teaching in the fall. Durham was the obvious choice: she had experience with the students and the faculty, and she'd have family to help with Emma when she needed it.
Haley realized though that, even though she didn't want to admit it, she had been waiting to hear Nathan's decision before making her own. She wanted to be with him, but she knew how long distance worked (or didn't). She wasn't so sure she was able to risk it, emotionally anyway. Despite not wanting things to get messy and complicated, that's exactly what they were turning out to be.
After laying in bed for nearly fifteen minutes, sleep was evading Haley James. She'd grown accustomed to falling asleep in Nathan's arms over the last few months, and the lack of his embrace caused her to toss and turn, wanting to reach out to him, place a hand on his shoulder and tell him what she was feeling. Instead, she bit her lip and turned once more, her back now facing his, a single tear running down her cheek.
As if he'd heard the tear fall, she felt the bed move slightly, as Nathan turned over, "Hales?"
She stayed silent, not sure of what to say.
"Hales, I know you're not asleep," he continued.
"How do you know that?" she questioned, not turning over.
"Besides you tossing and turning like the Tasmanian Devil?" Nathan began, "You snore when you're really asleep, baby."
This got her to turn over, not realizing that her face was now inches from his, "I do not."
"It got you to talk to me, didn't it?" Nathan smirked.
She sighed, looking into his blue eyes, trying to hold back tears.
"Look, Hales, I'm sorry about today," he began, before she interrupted.
"Nathan, you don't have anything to be sorry about," Haley insisted.
"Let me finish okay? I know I've been weird, but it's just all this stress with the draft, and then coming home and having to deal with my dad. So I'm sorry for that," Nathan apologized.
Haley managed to whisper, "I love you," before placing a soft kiss on Nathan's lips, and then turning over to finally get some sleep after the long day.
Nathan wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him as he placed a light kiss to her temple, "I love you too. But I'm not going to apologize for thinking about you and Emma while I'm making this decision. You are a huge part of my life now, and I don't want to lose you. Either of you."
"You're not going to lose us," Haley insisted, feeling more secure about the relationship than she ever had before.
Nathan smiled as he tightened his grasp slightly on his beautiful girlfriend, and they both drifted off to sleep.
"Haley James, where are you taking me?" Nathan asked the next night, their last night in Tree Hill, for the third time.
She simply smiled as she kept driving, until she pulled up in front of a familiar location for Nathan.
"Why are we at my parents' beach house?" he questioned, as they both got out of the car, Haley taking his hand and leading him to the porch.
She held up the key in her hand, "Your parents, well, Deb, thought we could use a night out. It's all ours."
He looked at her curiously. Sure, what guy wouldn't want to spend a night alone with his insanely gorgeous girlfriend? But something seemed different about Haley, and he just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Tonight, we are just going to be two college kids in love, okay? No big decisions weighing on us, no pressure. And tomorrow, we can go back to the real world, alright?" Haley propositioned.
All too soon, they were sitting on the couch, almost done finishing a bottle of wine.
"Are you trying to take advantage of me Miss James?" he asked, still feeling completely alert, but seeing that she was slightly buzzed.
"In every way, Nathan Scott," she smiled, setting her wine glass on the coffee table and pulling him off the couch, leading him to the guest room.
She pushed him onto the bed, and he laughed, not thinking she was serious. His eyes widened though, as her hand reached back for the zipper on her dress, pulling it down, and letting it fall to the floor, leaving her standing in front of him in only a black lace bra and panties.
Before he knew it, she was on top of him, her kisses filled with yearning and passion. She made a sound, low in her throat, that made him want her. He deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth like it was new territory. She shifted her weight, turning into him, so close that her chest and stomach pressed up against his abdomen, so close that he could feel the sharp angles of her ribs, and he felt like he couldn't breathe, God, he couldn't breathe and he didn't care.
Her hands were tangling in his hair, and they were falling into each other instead of Haley pulling apart, like she usually did at this point.
He braced an arm beside her face, leaning to kiss her mouth, and then her neck, and then her collarbone. Her hand abandoned his hair, drifting down lazily to his abdomen, slipping up beneath his shirt to touch his chiseled abs—his breath hitched as she pulled it off. He let her. She went lower still, fingers hooking in his belt, jerking his hips against hers in a way that was all desire and need.
He kissed her hard, his hand running up her stomach; he outlined the edge of her bra. And God, he was horrible—he was horrible because he didn't want to stop, because he wasn't going to, because she wasn't making him, and all he wanted was more, more, more.
He pulled his lips from hers, and looked into her suddenly darker brown eyes, filled with lust, "Hales, are you sure?"
She nodded, pulling his face down to hers, "I love you Nathan Scott, always and forever."
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The end was a little different than the stuff I usually right, but I felt like it was time.
Please review and let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!