Just a quick note about this chapter-Some of the parts were a little difficult for me to write. I find writing introductions between characters kind of awkward and bland. That might stem from the fact that in real life, I'm so awkward when I meet new people. I never know what to say and I always end up trying to be funny, which almost never works out in my favor, ha! Hopefully, you guys don't find the scene where Haley meets Keith and Karen as awkward as I felt writing it, haha. I'm not a big fan of writing chapters that are heavy dialogue either, but I felt like this chapter kind of had to be. The way I wrote Keith kind of reminds me a lot of Cooper, but oh well. Also, fun fact! The Thanksgiving tradition that Haley mentions in this chapter is actually something that I used to dowith my Grandma. It was always my favorite thing to do with her and I thought it would be fun to put a little bit of my personal life into this story. Hope y'all don't mind!
P.S. I've decided to go through at fix all of the errors in the previous chapters, so if you see that this story was updated again at some point tomorrow, that's what I'm doing!
"Are you nervous?"
"Nervous?"
"Yes, nervous," Brooke said with a giggle. "You're meeting a part of your boyfriend's family today. When I first met Julian's family, I practically gave myself an ulcer with how much worrying I did."
Haley inhaled shakily as she adjusted the phone against her ear. Her stomach was filled to the brim with butterflies and she already changed her outfit about five times that morning. She smoothed her hand over the black t-shirt dress she was currently wearing. She wasn't sure about this outfit either.
"I'm nervous, but I'm not. Does that make sense?" Haley babbled into the phone, her eyes cutting to her closet, mentally trying to think of yet another outfit to change into.
Brooke laughed. "That actually makes perfect sense."
"I just," Haley began, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "Lucas dumped on me a few days ago that his mom basically looks at Nathan like her second son. Nathan's mom and she were like super close, as odd as that may seem, so basically it's like I'm meeting his mom. It just feels like all of this is happening so fast. We've only been dating like a little over a week. Is this too soon?"
"Haley, darling, you're rambling," Brooke said through her laughs. "Take a breath."
Haley felt her cheeks heat up as she took a deep breath. "I guess I'm more nervous than I thought."
"It's normal," Brooke reassured her. "But, listen, you're going to be fine. I've met Karen. She's a sweet and easygoing woman. I'm sure she'll love you. And I don't think it's too soon. Besides, when have you and Nathan ever been normal?"
The corners of Haley's mouth twitched as she fought a smile. "I guess you're right."
"I'm always right," Brooke declared. "Did your mom call?"
"No," Haley muttered sourly. It was amazing how easily her mood shifted with just the mere mention of her mother.
She was still fuming over the fact that her mother left her alone for the holiday. There was already a weight in her heart from missing her father, but this just made it worse. She tried to will herself not to think about it and for the most part, she had succeeded. But when it did hit her, it hid her hard.
It felt like a gaping hole in her chest, threatening to swallow her whole. It was like a constant ache that she wasn't sure would ever seize. But just like every other time she missed her father or her mother let her down, she ignored it. Her father once told her that she was the strongest James out of the whole clan and she was determined to keep that title.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that. Her works always comes first," She then added.
"I'm sorry, Tutor Girl," Brooke said sincerely. "Are you going to be okay today?"
Haley sighed heavily. "Yeah, I think so. It helps that I'm not going to be alone. At least I'll have a distraction."
"Well, you know that if you need anything, I'm here for you."
"Thank you, Brooke."
"So, what time is Lover Boy picking you up?"
Glancing at the alarm clock on her desk, Haley's eyes widened when she saw that it was almost one-thirty. "Crap, Brooke, I gotta go. He'll be here in like a half hour and I still have to do my hair."
"Okay, okay," Brooke mumbled. "You better call me after, I want all of the details!"
"You know I will," Haley promised. "Hey, before I go, are you sure you're going to be okay today?"
"Oh, yeah, I'll be fine. I got a few tubs of ice cream, a box of popcorn, and a collection of all the Nicholas Sparks movies ever made. Besides, Julian said he was going to stop by after dinner," Brooke explained happily, but Haley could still hear a hint of sadness in her voice.
"How are you and Julian?" Haley found herself asking as she started to sift through her closet again. Too summery, too low-cut, too…ugly. God, she was never going to find something to wear.
"We're…okay," Brooke muttered reluctantly. "He's not exactly happy that we're hanging out with the boys now, but he'll get over it."
"Well, can you really blame him?" Haley cringed as soon as those words left her mouth. She had been so distracted by her efforts to find the perfect outfit that she spoke without even thinking.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Haley sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "I mean that it's clear you and Jake have some kind of history. I feel like it's only natural that Julian feels a little…threatened by that."
"He has nothing to be threatened by!" Brooke quickly protested, her voice squeaking at the end. "Jake and I were friends when we were younger and that's it."
Haley couldn't help but laugh at her obvious lie. "Judging by what went down at lunch the other day, I think you were a little more than friends."
Brooke let out an agitated breath and Haley could practically see Brooke rolling her eyes through the phone. "Whatever there was between us happened when we were young and dumb. It's ancient history."
"Whatever you say, Brookie."
"Don't you have to continue getting ready?" Brooke bit back.
Haley laughed loudly. Surprisingly, this conversation with Brooke was just what she need in order to calm her nerves. "Yes, I do. But, we are so talking about this later."
"Whatever," Brooke muttered lowly. "Have fun tonight."
"Thanks for your help," Haley said sincerely before hanging up the phone. Tossing it on her bed, she turned her attention back to her closet. Pushing hanger after hanger away, she paused when she landed on a maroon a-line dress. She'd completely forgotten about that dress.
Quickly, she changed into that dress. Fastening the thin black belt around her waist, she dove into her closet to find her shoes. She settled on a pair of black flats. Slipping the shoes on to her feet, she bolted to the bathroom and began to add a few loose curls to her hair. The whole time, she couldn't stop smiling.
Her nerves had subsided a little, but the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't seize. She'd never met a boyfriend's family before. Well, there was that one time that her middle school boyfriend's mom picked them up from a school dance, but she didn't really count that. Her biggest worry was that they wouldn't like her. Nathan and Lucas had both told her multiple times that they would love her, but that did nothing to quell the natural worrier inside of her.
~x~
"Nathan is really bringing a girl to dinner tonight, aye?" Keith said in disbelief as he continued to dry of the dishes Karen had handed him.
Lucas nodded while fixing the red and brown tie that was hanging around his neck. The colors stood out against his crisp white shirt. "You sound pretty shocked about that."
Keith laughed, placing the final dish down and tossing the towel on the kitchen counter. "Not shocked, just surprised."
"Honey, those mean the same thing," Karen chirped as she made her way into the kitchen. She was sliding on a green bracelet, one that matched her dress perfectly.
"I knew that."
Karen playfully rolled her eyes as she went over to the stove to check on her stuffing and gravy. "I'm pretty excited about meeting her, if I do say so myself."
"You're gonna love her," Lucas promised. "She's incredibly smart and witty, loves old literature, and can be pretty sassy when she wants to be."
Keith pursed his lips. "How the hell did she end up with Nathan? She sounds like the female version of you. Surely someone with that amount of class wouldn't fall for Nathan's charm."
"Hey, I heard that!" Nathan exclaimed with a mock glare. He was just walking in the kitchen to join everyone when he had heard Keith ribbing him, which was nothing new. He fastened the last button on his black dress shirt before jabbing him with his elbow. He laughed when Keith doubled over.
Keith had always been an important person to both Nathan and Lucas. He'd always been a great uncle and subsequent step-dad, in Lucas' case. Things were a little on the weird and strained side when Keith started dating Karen. No one was angry about it, but there was definitely some awkwardness. After a while, however, things seemed to fall perfectly in place.
Holidays were always hard for Nathan, but Karen and Keith always made sure to take care of him. It was days like these were a small amount of guilt resided inside of him. As much as they denied it, he knew that his choice to move out had hurt them. He did appreciate them taking him in and he would spend the rest of his life feeling like he owed them something.
"I'm just saying," Keith said with a laugh, rubbing the now sore spot on his stomach. "When are you going to pick this mystery girl up?"
"I'm about to leave," Nathan mumbled, the butterflies taking flight in his stomach.
He was nervous, a good kind of nervous. He knew his family would love Haley, he had no doubt about that. But the implications of what all this meant scared him. He was beginning to worry that maybe he was moving things too fast for them. He was terrified of scaring her away. Things may have felt right for him, but that didn't mean Haley felt the same way.
This is exactly why he said he wasn't any good at relationships. He didn't have the first clue on how to handle situations like this. But he wanted to try and figure it out. For Haley and himself.
However, there was still things with Damien…no, he wasn't going to worry about that today. He promised himself that his family and Haley would be the only thing on his mind and he intended to stick to that.
"I better start putting together all of the embarrassing stories I have of you when you were little," Keith joked, his finger tapping against his chin as he pretended to be thinking.
"Uncle Keith…," Nathan warned.
"Oh, leave the poor boy alone," Karen effused, her smile spreading brightly across her face.
Keith placed a hand on his chest, feigning innocence. "I'm not doing anything. Besides, you know Danny would be doing the same thing."
Nathan's heart lurched at the mention of his father. Keith was right, Dan would have been all over Nathan bringing a girl home. He could practically hear some of the jabs and jokes Dan would've thrown his way. There was that pain in his chest again, a pain that he knew would always be there. It was bearable today, though.
"Yeah, he would've," Nathan agreed with a sad smile. Noticing the time, he quickly grabbed his keys off the table and headed out. "I'll be back soon!"
"Drive safe!" Karen shouted after him. She couldn't help but smile at his retreating figure. "He seems, dare I say it, happy."
Lucas sighed. "He has his moments."
"When are you bringing a girl home, Luke?" Keith jutted in.
Lucas groaned and rolled his eyes. "Please don't start."
"What? Aren't you interested in anyone? I'm sure there has to be some girl at school that's caught your eye," Keith continued to prod, ignoring the way Karen was snickering at the both of them.
"In case you've forgotten, I've been kind of busy taking care of my brother. I don't really have time for girls," Lucas muttered.
"There's always time for love," Karen pointed out. She walked over to her son and smiled as she caressed his cheek. "You've done a great job with Nathan and I'm so proud of you for that. You stepped up when he needed you the most. But, you can't keep putting your life on hold. I'm sure Nathan wants you to be happy, too."
Lucas smiled as he reached up and squeezed her hand that was on his face. "I know, mom."
"Good. Now, come and help me with this turkey. Keith always burns it."
~x~
"It's it just going to be us, your brother, Keith, and Karen?"
Nathan nodded as he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "My Grandparent's usually come, but my Grandpa had surgery on his knee a few weeks ago and isn't allow to travel. The rest of our family lives out of state."
"Oh," Haley muttered quietly.
Nathan resisted the urge to laugh as he snuck a glance at her. She hadn't stopped chewing on the inside of her cheek or playing with the necklace hanging around her neck since he'd picked her up. He found it quite adorable that she was so nervous to meet his family. "Relax, Hales. There's no need to be nervous."
"That's easy for you to say."
Nathan chuckled softly as he reached over the center console with his free hand. Lacing their fingers together, he squeezed her hand in an attempt to soothe her. "I promise you that they're going to love you."
She smiled shakily at him.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" He said appreciatively. It was a lame attempt at trying to distract her, but it was also completely the truth. Her ensemble was simple, from the maroon dress to her make up. She looked breathtaking, but he always thought that, no matter she was wearing.
Haley flushed, a smile forming on her lips. "Only about a hundred times today."
"Well, I just don't want you to forget," He chuckled, smiling cheekily at her. His smile faded a few moments later when he noticed a far off look on her face. "How are you doing today, baby?"
"I'm okay," She mumbled, but she didn't meet his eyes. She promised herself that she wasn't going to do this. She wasn't going to think about her mom or the tradition that she'd broken.
"You don't have to lie, Hales," Nathan reminded her, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.
"You have enough going on with your life, Nathan," Haley rasped. "My problems are miniscule."
Nathan immediately shook his head. "No, they aren't. You remember what you said to me the other day? About us basically being each other's therapists? You can always talk to me."
"She didn't even call," Haley finally answered after a few moments of silence. She cursed herself for the way her voice seemed to quiver slightly. "My mom knows how much Thanksgiving used to mean to my dad and after leaving me all alone, she didn't even had the decency to call."
There was a pang in Nathan's stomach at the shakiness in her voice. He wasn't sure what to say. He was never good at consoling people. But he wanted to find some way to take her mind off of it, so he said the first thing that came his mind. "Tell me about the best memory you have of your dad on Thanksgiving."
Haley furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"
Nathan chuckled. "Come on, just tell me. It'll help you take your mind off what's bothering you."
"Okay, um, probably when I was seven. We were hosting Thanksgiving at our house that year," Haley began, a smile involuntarily spreading across her face as she the memory came back to her. "The night before, I was helping my dad set the basement up. We were in charge of decorating. I remember complaining to him that I didn't want to sit next to my sister, Taylor, at dinner."
Nathan laughed at that. "What, why?"
"She used to drive me insane," Haley giggled. "She used to purposely sit next to me just so she could steal food off my plate or throw things at me."
"Wow, she sounds…great."
"We don't call her Hurricane Taylor for nothing," Haley chirped. "Anyway, he came up with this idea of making name tags and putting them on the table. People would have to sit at the place setting where their name was. We were up pretty much all night making these turkeys out of construction paper and making name tags out of them for every guest. It kind of became our thing after that."
Nathan smiled at the memory and at the way Haley's eyes seemed to light up. "It sounds like you guys were close."
Haley smiled sadly. "We were."
He squeezed her hand. "Are you sure that you're up for this today? Because we could turn around and go back to your house and watch movies or something?"
Haley shook her head. "No, it's okay. I could use the distraction."
It wasn't much longer that they'd arrived back at Karen's home. They quickly exited the car and headed inside, but not before Nathan reassured Haley one last time.
Haley's heart was pounding loudly in her chest as Nathan swung open the front door and they stepped inside. She was instantly met with the strong aroma of apple pie and vanilla. It reminded her a lot of how her house smelled when her mom used to cook. She found a comfort in that and smiled softly when the butterflies seized a little in her stomach.
Her eyes darted around the comfortably small living room. The walls were painted deep orange-red color and she didn't miss all of the family photos that were hanging proudly. She picked out Nathan in a few of them and made a mental note to look at them more closely later.
Her sweep of the room was interrupted when she a small, dark haired woman exited the kitchen, a warm smile on her face. She was drying her hands off with a blue dish towel and her hair was thrown up in a tight ponytail. Haley recognized her right away from the few times she'd seen Karen at the café. Up close, she definitely had this motherly glow to her. Her hazel eyes held a grave kindness to them, the slight wrinkles around them were almost unnoticeable.
For some reason, Haley felt her nerves completely dissipate in that moment.
"You must be Haley," Karen's sweet voice called out as she approached Haley.
Haley nodded, smiling back at her. "It's so great to officially meet you Mrs.—"
"Oh, none of that 'Mr. and Mrs.' crap. There's no need for formalities," Karen interrupted her with a laugh. "Please, call me Karen."
It took Haley by surprise when Karen pulled her in for a friendly hug. Her eyes snapped shut when the scent of fresh flowers surrounded her. Karen was exactly what Haley had pictured her to be—a sweet and loving woman who made it her life goal to make sure others were taken care of. When Karen broke the hug, Haley noticed an older man round the corner. She safely assumed that must have been Keith.
"Well, well, you, my lady, are far too pretty to be with my knucklehead of a nephew you here," Keith joked, his face mirroring the warm smile Karen had worn just moments before.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Real nice."
Haley giggled as she nudged Nathan in the stomach with her elbow. "You must Keith, right?"
"The one and only," Keith said with a smirk as he reached out to shake her head. "We're happy that you're here."
Haley felt her cheeks flush at that, a grateful smile spreading across her face. She knew then that deciding to come here was the right decision. "I'm happy to be here. I would've brought a dish or a pie or something, but I wasn't sure what to bring. I asked Nathan, but he wasn't much help."
Nathan scoffed. "Yeah, sure blame it on me."
Karen shook her head as she laughed. "That would have been unnecessary dear, we have more than enough food here. Which reminds me, I should probably go check on my sweet potatoes!"
"Would you like some help?" Haley offered.
"Oh, no, that's perfectly okay. I have everything under control."
Haley shook her head. "I insist. Besides, I'm sure the boys are going to watch the football game, anyway. That's what my dad and brothers used to do."
Karen smiled as she reached to grab Haley's hand. "I guess it is always good to have an extra hand."
Nathan couldn't help but smile as he watched the two of the chat eagerly on their way to the kitchen. "I can't believe that we've only been here five minutes and Karen's already stole my girlfriend."
Keith slapped on a hand on to Nathan's shoulder, a smirk spreading across his features. "It's like it was love at first sight."
Nathan chuckled. "I guess I should've seen that coming."
"I'm surprised you didn't. Now, come on, let's go turn the game on before Luke gets wrapped up in some classical movie he's already seen a hundred times."
~x~
"Have you heard from Damien recently?" Lucas asked as he plopped down next to Nathan on the couch.
Nathan shook his head, his fingers involuntarily clenching around the remote he was holding. It always made him uneasy whenever Lucas brought up Damien. Even though Lucas now knew the truth and claimed that he was on board with whatever happened, Nathan still felt as if Lucas was disappointed in him.
"Not since a few days ago. His family goes to the Hamptons every holiday, so I probably won't hear from him for a while," He explained.
Lucas scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Must be nice to just jet off whenever you want."
"Yeah," Nathan responded, shifting nervously against the material of the couch.
Lucas noticed how uncomfortable Nathan was and let out a deep sigh. "Look, I know I haven't said it, but I am really am sorry."
Nathan furrowed his eyebrows, his head snapping up to look directly at Lucas. "What do you have to apologize for?"
Lucas nodded. "For not trusting in you. I jumped the gun when I saw you at Damien's. I should've have had faith in you, instead of thinking the worst."
Nathan dismissively shook his head. "I know how bad all of that looked, especially the fact that I was sneaking around. I probably would've reacted the same way if I were in your position."
"Do you really believe that this is going to work?" Lucas asked with a hard stare.
"I wouldn't have even thought about putting myself through this if I wasn't sure," Nathan said sincerely.
"Then that's good enough for me," Lucas said with a soft smile. "Where's Haley?"
Nathan felt a like a weight had been lifted off of him both at Lucas' words and at the topic change. "She's in the kitchen with your mom."
Lucas laughed. "Oh, boy, she got to her already?"
"Within the first five minutes that we were here," Nathan muttered, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I warned Haley that this would happen," Lucas chortled. "What do you think they're talking about?"
Nathan grimaced at the thought. "Knowing your mom, she's probably grilling Haley about me."
~x~
"Nathan never did tell me how the two of you met," Karen commented as she continued to stir the gravy that was simmering away on the stove.
Haley had to pause to think before she responded to Karen. Nathan had become such a permanent fixture in her life in such a short amount of time that it was hard to think about what her life was like before him. She smiled to herself when the memory resurfaced.
"Oh, we were partnered up for this assignment in English class. We had to ask each other all of these really personal questions," Haley answered as she continued to roll silverware.
Karen laughed softly at that. "Let me guess, getting Nathan to answer those questions was like pulling teeth."
Haley nodded. "Yeah. Somehow, someway, I managed."
Karen smiled at Haley, taking this as an opportunity to really take her in. There was no denying that she was absolutely beautiful. But that wasn't the thing that struck Karen the most. The first thing she noticed about Haley was the genuine way she carried herself. She'd only seen Haley interact with Nathan for a few short moments, but she saw the spark between them right away.
She'd spent so many nights lying wide awake in her bed, worrying that Nathan would never snap out of the haze he was in. She also worried about Lucas. She saw how hard the past two years had been on him, as well. Seeing how Nathan was now…she felt a lot better. Lucas was right when he said Nathan was slowly coming around. Even Lucas seemed less stressed.
"I'm glad Nathan has you," Karen mumbled, placing her stirring spoon back on the holder.
Haley's cheeks flushed at her compliment. People kept saying things like that to her and she wondered if they ever took in consideration what Nathan did for her. "I'm lucky to have him."
"That sounds like something I used to say whenever people told me the same thing about Keith," Karen said with a smile, her hand falling to her hip. "You're also a tutor, right?"
"Yeah, it's kind of a new gig of mine. I never thought I would love it as much as I do," Haley admitted with a sheepish grin.
"It's always good to get involved in school. I was a cheerleader back in my day," Karen explained with a nonchalant shrug.
"I could see it," Haley prattled. "My friend, Brooke, is actually trying to get me to join her squad."
"You should do it!" Karen exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Some of the best days of my life were spent with those group of girls. Cheering at the games, going on the trips to the tournaments…you would have so much fun!"
Haley pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't think I would be very good at it."
"You never know unless you try," Karen reminded her. "Life is short, Haley. You gotta take chances and live a little. If it doesn't work out, at least you know you tried."
"That sounds a lot like something my father would say," Haley sniffed. In fact, it was something that her father had told her on many occasions. Her heart fluttered and she couldn't fight the smile that spread across her face. She took that as a sign that he was with her and that alone made a world of a difference.
~x~
Haley leaned against the wooden frame of the porch as her eyes did a sweep of the backyard. It was a small, but beautiful, kind of like the rest of Karen's and Keith's home. She found that she really liked it there and it looked almost exactly how she had pictured it in her head. Their home reminded her a lot of the café. The warm colored walls, the family photos in almost every corner, the strong smell of apple pie…it all felt like the quintessential perfect home.
Even Karen and Keith were just as she pictured. They seemed so happy and in love, despite all of the things that life had thrown at them. It made her smile the way that Keith would randomly kiss Karen or how Karen looked at Keith with such adoration in her eyes even when he was doing the most mundane tasks. And the way the cared about Lucas and Nathan? It warmed her heart.
Just as Haley had expected, Karen had a heart of gold. She could tell by the way Karen talked about Nathan as they finished fixing up dinner that she cared a great deal for him. She realized quickly that he initial worries about fitting in with his family were unwarranted. Haley found it extremely easy to talk to Karen.
But as happy as being there made her, it also made her a little sad. Subconsciously, she had watched Nathan as he interacted with everyone there. He seemed at ease with everyone, but she could sense the longing and the envy. There was a hint of pain in his eyes and she was certain that he was thinking about his parents. Judging by the pictures she had seen and the stories she's heard of Nathan's parents, it didn't come to as a shock that Karen and Keith reminded him a lot of them.
Unexpectedly, she felt a surge of anger rush through her body—anger over the fact that Nathan's had to deal with so much undeserving pain. She reminded herself that life wasn't fair, good things happened to bad people and bad things happened to good people. But that just wasn't fair and sometimes she couldn't accept the unfairness of it all.
The more she learned about Nathan, the more she was certain that he was one of the most selfless and caring person she had ever met. She may have still been in the dark about parts of his life, but she knew that no matter what he had done, none of it warranted his parents dying.
Haley's thoughts came to a screeching halt when she felt a pair of arms curl around her waist and pull into a tight embrace. Her body relaxed when the scent of Nathan's cologne surrounded her. She snuggled herself further into his chest, her arms coming to rest on top of his.
"What're you thinking about?" He asked, his hot breath ruffling her hair and tickling her ear.
"Honestly?" She quipped, a tiny smirk appearing on her face. When she felt him nod, her smirk turned into a smile. "You."
"Oh, really?" Nathan huskily laughed, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Her eyes fluttered closed when he began to place soft kisses against the skin of her neck. "What about me?"
"Just stuff," She choked out, inhaling sharply when he increased the pressure of his lips.
"Like how hot I am?"
Haley giggled when she felt him smirk against her skin. "Not exactly."
Nathan chuckled, his grip on her tightening. "Then, what?"
She chewed on her bottom lip as she internally debated on whether or not she should tell him. He was in one of those rare moods where he seemed carefree and happy. It was moments like that, that she wanted to cherish forever. She feared that if she bared her thoughts to him, she would ruin his mood. But when he prodded her again, his lips closing around a hypersensitive spot on her neck, the words came tumbling out.
"I was just thinking about everything you've been through."
Nathan stiffened, his heart beginning to slam in his chest. Slowly, he unwrapped his arms from his waist and gently turned her around to face him, resting his hands on her hips. The hard lines on his face softened when he saw the worried expression on her face. He expected to see pity shining in her brown eyes, but he was surprised when all he found was concern.
"Why?" He asked softly.
She took a deep breath and began to fiddle with one of the buttons on his black shirt. "I know that days like this are always hard for me, so I know that they must be even harder for you."
"They are," Nathan confirmed, swallowing hard.
"It's just…not fair," Haley murmured, repeating her earlier thoughts. "Your parents were such good people, they didn't deserve the cards they were dealt. My dad…he was a good guy, he didn't deserve what happened to him either. And you—you didn't and don't deserve to go through all of this pain."
"I don't know about that," Nathan mumbled under his breath, his eyes falling to the floor. It always made him uncomfortable when people tried to tell him that he didn't deserve the pain.
"You don't," Haley asserted.
Nathan exhaled deeply as he reached up to cup Haley's cheek, his thumb running along her skin. "What brought all of this on? Is it because of your mom?" She seemed a little keyed up about what she was saying.
"I guess," Haley said with a shrug. "But mostly I was just thinking about how it must feel for you to be here."
"For me to be here?"
"Yeah, Lucas kind of told me that you lived here for about a year…," Haley reveled, her voice trailing off at the end.
Nathan quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, he did, did he?"
Haley nodded slowly. "He also kind of told me that he thinks you moved out because it was too hard watching all of them be a family. Is…is that true?"
Nathan dropped his hands from her hips and ran one of them through his hair. He couldn't deny that he was a little annoyed with the fact Lucas had told her that. He wasn't expecting to have a conversation like this and he wasn't in the mood to, either.
"Lucas always was the perceptive one," He grumbled.
Haley cringed at the sharp edge to his voice. She could sense his walls start to come up and she mentally berated herself for being the cause of his shift in mood. "I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay." Nathan's body relaxed when he saw the apprehensive look on Haley's face. He shook his head as he let out a calming breath of air. "I just wasn't expecting you to say that."
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," Haley mumbled quietly, although she wished to God that he would.
"He was right," Nathan admitted after a few seconds of silence. He found that it was becoming easier and easier to be open with her. Something that both thrilled him and scared him. "Living here—it felt like I was being suffocated. I love Karen and Keith. They've done a lot for me. But everywhere I looked, I was reminded of them. Eventually, it became too much to handle."
Haley closed the distance between them, cupping his face in her hands. Her heart was thrumming in her chest, her eyes shining with sadness as the pain in his voice washed over her. "I wish I could take you away from all of this."
"You do," He murmured sincerely, his arms twining around her waist. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against hers. "Every time I'm with you, all of the pain and all of the guilt…it vanishes."
Her eyes fluttered shut, her hands falling to rest on his shoulders. Her lips tingled as his breath danced across them. She could feel the air around them shifting as he pulled her close, his hands massaging her waist. She sighed when his lips covered hers in a soft kiss. It wasn't long before Nathan slanted his head and kissed her deeper, his hands gripping her waist tighter.
Nathan wasn't sure what had come over him. Maybe it was the intensity of their conversation or maybe it was because he realized that he hadn't kissed her yet today, save the quick one he gave her when he first picked her up. He groaned when he felt her hands run through his hair, her fingernails scratching softly against his scalp.
Haley almost forgot where she was as she lost herself in him. There was a little voice in her head reminding her that they were standing on the porch of his family's house and someone could walk out at any minute. She allowed herself a few more seconds of bliss before she reluctantly pulled away.
"We can't do this," She breathed, struggling to regain some normalcy in her breathing and to clear the lust filled fog. "Someone could see us."
"We were only kissing," Nathan laughed huskily. He took in her flushed face and swollen lips, instinctively pulling her tighter against the length of him. He smirked when she visibly shivered. It was too bad that they couldn't sneaky away.
"Still," Haley protested, her voice quivering. "I don't think Karen would appreciate us making out on her front porch."
"It's not like we're doing this," Nathan rasped as he gently yet forcefully pushed her up against the paneling of the house. His hands remained on her waist and he pressed up against her, goosebumps forming on her skin when she gasped.
Haley's heartbeat accelerated to exceptional heights. She was trapped between the cool siding and Nathan's hard body. His cologne and close proximity was quickly making her dizzy. "Nathan—" She started to whimper, but was cut off by Nathan kissing her hard. Her hands shot up to his chest with full intentions on pushing him away, but when he nipped at her bottom lip, her hands fisted his shirt instead.
She wasn't sure how long they were kissing before her biggest fear had come true. She heard someone clearing their throat and almost instantly, she pulled away from Nathan. Her face felt like it was on fire when she noticed Keith standing a couple feet away from them. His eyebrow was arched, an amused yet incredulous look on his face. She glanced up at Nathan and was shocked to find him completely unfazed by the interruption. The smirk he was wearing only made her blush harder.
"I just came out here to tell you both that dinner's ready," Keith coughed, followed by an awkward chuckle.
"We'll be in, in a minute," Nathan promised, chuckling at the way Haley was nervously fidgeting.
Keith's eyebrow seemed to raise even further as he clicked his tongue. "Make it quick, you two. And I better not come out here in a few minutes and see clothes missing. I'm too young to be a Great Uncle."
"Oh, God," Haley squealed as she buried her head in Nathan's chest. If the ground opened her up and swallowed her whole, she wouldn't have complained. She didn't look up again until she was sure Keith was gone. She could feel Nathan's chest quaking with laughter. Looking up, she narrowed her eyes. "How is this funny?!"
Nathan shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal, Hales."
"Your uncle, whom I just met not even two hours ago, just caught us making out! I told you someone was going to walk out here! He probably thinks I'm a hussy or something now," Haley murmured, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. How could he not be making a big deal out of this? She was practically ready to die of embarrassment.
Running his hands up the length of her arms to her shoulders, she gave them a squeeze. "Trust me, he doesn't think that. He's walked in on Lucas doing a lot worse in the past."
Haley blanched at the image his words made. "Still. This was not the kind of first impression I wanted to make."
"Well, if you weren't so sexy, things like this would happen."
"Nathan!" She scolded him, her cheeks heating up once again. "He's probably mad at us and you're making jokes."
"Oh, I wasn't joking about the whole sexy thing," Nathan laughed as he shook his head. "And believe me, he's not mad. I've seen Keith mad and that wasn't it. Now come on, let's go inside before he comes looking for us again."
~x~
"I am so sorry to hear about your father," Keith consoled swallowing the piece of pumpkin pie he was chewing on.
Haley smiled sadly, a rush of calmness flowing through her when Nathan squeezed her hand. Dinner had gone extremely well. Karen's cooking was phenomenal and the conversations flowed nicely. The longer that she spent with the Scotts, the more she felt like she belonged. Keith and Karen asked her a lot of questions during dinner. Normally, she hated talking about herself, but with them, it was like she couldn't shut up. Eventually, she knew the topic of her father would be brought up. She felt the familiar sting in her chest when Keith had asked her what he father did for a living.
"Thank you," Haley murmured. "But, to answer your question, he was a musician. He spent most of his days at the piano or strumming his guitar. It used to drive my mom crazy."
"So I take it he wasn't a professional?" Lucas piped up.
"Not at all," Haley giggled. "He was an amazing singer and composer, but he never had any desire to make a career out of it. Us kids and my mom were usually his only audience."
Nathan smiled as he listened to Haley talk about her father. He loved the way her brown eyes sparkled and the way her smile stretched from ear to ear. There was a trace of sadness in her voice, but the joy of remembering her father seemed to outweigh everything else. Her strength never failed to take his breath away.
"Do you have any musical talent?" Karen asked, taking a sip of her tea.
Haley looked down as she began to toy with the hem of her dress. "I sang with my dad from time to time, but nothing too serious. My shower had been quite the audience, as well."
"You should sing for me some time," Nathan commented, his thumb stroking the top of her hand.
Haley's teeth sank into her bottom lip. "I'll have to think about it."
"Come on," Nathan tried to persuade. "I'm sure you're great. I can't imagine you ever being bad at anything."
"Gag me with a spoon," Lucas coughed from his seat. It was way too weird seeing Nathan be…charming.
Keith playfully kick Lucas in the shin from underneath the coffee able, causing everyone to laugh. "Oh, stop it."
"Okay, okay," Lucas conceded with his hands up in the air. Once everyone had calmed down, he turned to Haley. "You know, if you want, I could probably talk my coach into letting you sing the National Anthem at one of our games these year."
Haley vigorously shook her head. "You're sweet to offer, but I don't do well in front of crowds. I'd probably pass out or throw up or both."
"Ah, stage fright. That's a killer," Keith tried to console her.
Nathan glanced at Haley when a loud yawn escaped her. He chuckled to himself when she quickly reached up to cover her mouth, her cheeks tinting a slight pink. Leaning over he kissed her cheek quickly before whispering, "Are you getting tired?"
Haley nodded, another small yawn escaping her lips.
"I should probably get Haley home and then head home myself. It's getting pretty late," Nathan announced as he began to stand up from the couch, his fingers lacing with Haley's.
Karen glanced at the clock and her eyes widened in shock. "It's almost eleven. Wow! Time sure does fly when you're having fun." She placed her cup of tea down on the coffee table before standing up.
"We'll walk you out," Keith offered.
The four of them walked to the front door. Karen placed her hand on Nathan's forearm to stop him before he walked out the front door. She had been wanting to say something to Nathan all night and she knew that now was her last chance. He turned to look at her, his forehead creased.
"Do you remember what I told you at the café a few weeks ago? About how I missed you?" Karen began. When Nathan nodded, she continued. "I do miss you are the café, but I also miss you around here. Seeing you once or twice a year isn't enough."
Nathan smiled shakily. The truth behind her words was clear in her eyes and he felt a pang in his stomach. "I'll try to make it over here as much as I can."
"That's all I ask," Karen mumbled with a smile. "Oh, and one more thing, you better hold on to that girl. And tight."
"I plan on it."