Sorry, I've been celebrating my birthday for like two weeks straight. Plus I just got my license so I haven't been home all that much. Next chapter should be out much quicker! Thank you for all the reviews, they mean so much! This story is winding down, and I'm thinking there's only going to be 2-3 more chapters (including epilogue). I hope you're all still enjoying it!
"You know what's crazy?" Haley whispered as she traced patterns on his chest with her fingers. She was sitting sideways on his lap on the couch in his apartment, and her other arm was wrapped firmly around his neck.
"What?" Nathan inquired, his arms tightening around her small frame.
Haley bit her lip, pondering her words for a few seconds before speaking. "We haven't even known each other for a year," she observed. "And yet, we seem to be more attached to one another than any couple I know. Isn't that weird?"
"No," Nathan replied immediately. "Not with the way I feel about you."
She smiled slightly, raising her hand to stroke his cheek. "But don't you feel like we've known each other for so much longer?"
Nathan shrugged. "Well it's been almost a year, Hales." Then he nodded. "But yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel like I've known you forever, and I have to remind myself of how long it's really been. Other times, it feels like we're just getting started."
Haley nodded, leaning her head forward to kiss him. They'd been doing it a lot lately…kissing. Holding hands, too. Neither one of them really thought anything of it anymore, as it had become a part of their routine. They had yet to have the conversation that Nathan was dying to have, but they were getting there. Haley could feel it every time she touched him or talked to him or saw him with their children.
Nathan smiled as her lips connected with his, and when she began to suck on his tongue he moaned. He kept one arm around her back holding her close to him and allowed his other hand to run up her thigh. He took control of the kiss a moment later, but then they were interrupted.
Crying.
It seemed like that's all they ever heard anymore. The twins were almost two months old, and their progress had picked up phenomenally in the last couple of weeks. They had both gained a great amount of weight and were functioning perfectly on their own. Lucy had come home two weeks ago, while James had had to spend some extra time in the hospital. He had now been home for almost a week.
Haley pried her lips off of Nathan's, letting out a short whimper as she rested her forehead against his. "I'm so tired," she mumbled.
"I know, baby," Nathan replied, running a hand through her dark blonde locks. "Let me get them. Stay and rest." He gently eased her off of his lap and then stood up, quickly making his way into the temporary nursery they had set up for the twins.
Haley stayed put for a few minutes, and it wasn't long before she heard the crying stop. It was Lucy's; she knew it. She could discern the subtle differences between the sounds of Jamie and Lucy, and Nathan was jealous of her for it. He could never tell. After a few moments, though, Haley stood up and made her way into the nursery, smiling at Nathan. He was pacing slowly with Lucy pressed against his chest. His large hand covered her back, and his upper body swayed slightly in a nice rhythm. Haley walked over to check on Jamie, who was surprisingly still asleep. Usually when one of them woke up crying, the other was sure to follow. After watching her son for a moment, Haley walked back to Nathan, who was now standing still. She ran her hand over Lucy's head. "She shouldn't be hungry. I just fed her an hour ago. Did she need to be changed?"
Nathan shook his head. "No, I checked. She stopped crying as soon as I picked her up though. I don't think she really needed anything."
Haley smiled. "I guess she just wanted her daddy."
"That's me," Nathan muttered sheepishly, accompanying the words with a grin. He couldn't resist making small comments like that sometimes. Fatherhood still amazed him.
Reaching up to caress his cheek, Haley smiled and nodded. "You're a daddy." When he leaned down, she met his lips in a soft kiss, which was once again interrupted.
This time, it was James's cries that stopped them, and Haley walked over to the crib, shaking her head. "I knew that was going to happen." She picked her small son up and kissed the top of his head before settling him in her arms. "Now, he definitely does need a new diaper." Haley made a face before walking the short distance to the changing table and gently laying him down on it.
Nathan laughed as he watched her change their son.
Haley glanced over her shoulder to glare at him. "You know, I don't know why I asked if you'd changed her. You probably would have called me to do it. Have you even changed a diaper since they've come home?" She turned back around, continuing to change James's diaper.
Nathan playfully rolled his eyes as he used his hand to rub his daughter's back. "Of course I have, Hales."
"Oh, yeah? When?" Haley challenged.
Nathan was silent.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Haley replied with a laugh. She bent over to grab a diaper and pulled one out, cursing as she did so. "Damn it."
"What?"
Haley sighed, beginning to fasten the diaper on, as well as the little onesie James was wearing. Then she picked him up and turned to face Nathan. "That was the last diaper. Did you not go to the store like I asked you to?"
Nathan bit his lip. "When did you ask me to go to the store?"
"Yesterday, when you were on your way out to meet Lucas," Haley reminded him.
"Oh," Nathan said slowly, the memory seemingly coming back to him.
Haley sighed again. "Yeah…oh. Nathan, what are we supposed to do? We can't go all night without any diapers."
Nathan shifted Lucy in his arms and kissed her nose before laying her back down in the crib. "I'll go get some right now," he said.
"Nathan, it's almost midnight."
"I know," he replied. "But like you said, we can't go all night without any diapers." He walked over to her and kissed her forehead and then his son's. "I'll be right back, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay." She watched him start to walk away and then called his name. When he turned around, she gave him a smile and said, "Come here."
He returned her smile and retraced his steps back to her before leaning in for a kiss. It was long but chaste, and when it was over Nathan winked at her before turning to leave again.
Haley heard her daughter begin to cry softly from her spot inside the crib, and she walked over, reaching in with her free hand. "Don't worry, baby. Daddy will be back."
"Oh, my God! Where the hell have you been?" Haley nearly yelled, running out of the nursery when she heard the front door open.
Nathan set the bag of diapers down next to the door and furrowed his brow. "Sorry, the line was really long. What's up? Is everything okay?"
"No," Haley breathed. "Everything is not okay. As soon as you left, Lucy started crying, and she just kept getting louder and louder. And then James started doing it, too, and every time I picked one of them up they just cried harder. I tried everything. They won't stop."
He could hear both of them now, and he quickly walked into the nursery. "Are they sick or something?" he mumbled as he passed by Haley. He walked over to their crib and reached for his son, gently lifting him into his arms. With his free hand, he rubbed Lucy's tummy, and the two babies almost instantly stopped crying.
Haley stood, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest. Before she knew it her eyes had filled with tears, and she was shaking her head furiously. She saw Nathan turn around and open his mouth to speak, but she held her hand up. "Don't even say it. It's clear who their favorite is," she muttered before turning around and marching into Nathan's bedroom, where she had been sleeping for over a month now. She slammed the door behind herself and leaned against his dresser, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down.
Nathan was bewildered. Haley's mood had completely changed in the twenty minutes he had been gone to the store. Not wanting the babies to start screaming again, he stayed with them until they fell asleep, which took almost a full hour. Once he was sure they were both out, he turned the baby monitor on and left the room. He walked down the hall and turned the knob of his bedroom door, surprised that it wasn't locked. He pushed it open slowly and walked in, seeing Haley on the floor. She was sitting Indian style with probably one hundred magazines spread out around her. She was wearing a pair of Nathan's boxers and one of her own tank tops. Her reading glasses were on, and she looked like she was incredibly focused on the words and pictures in front of her.
"Haley, what are you doing?" Nathan asked quietly, squatting next to her.
She looked up at him briefly, not wishing for him to see the puffiness of her eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing?" she answered sarcastically. "I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that my children hate me."
Nathan furrowed his brow, now sitting down fully on the ground. "What are talking about?" he inquired. "They do not hate you."
This time, she looked up at him fully. The care she'd had for her appearance a moment ago had quickly diminished. "Well they don't love me," she retorted. "That much is clear."
He scooted closer to her, and when she picked up another magazine he carefully took it from her and placed it back on the ground. "Haley, those babies love you more than anyone in this world." He shook his head. "And that's without even knowing the sacrifices you've made for them. They know who you are, and they do love you. I promise you that."
"Is that what they told you?" Haley muttered weakly and sarcastically. She sighed and bit her lip, bringing her hands to her lap and beginning to wring them together. "Nathan, I couldn't even get them to stop crying while you were gone. And as soon as they saw you, they were fine. You were all they wanted." She took a deep breath. "What's going to happen when we're in Boston and you have away games? You'll be gone most of the season. They're just going to cry the whole time."
Nathan shook his head again, moving even closer so that he could wrap his arms around her. "That's not true. Babe, they love both of us. I'm sure the same thing will happen to me at some point."
Haley leaned into him and shook her head. "But I couldn't even get them to stop crying," she protested. "What kind of a mother does that make me? They aren't even two months old yet, and I'm already doing it wrong."
"No, you're not," Nathan reassured her, placing a kiss on her temple as well. "Hales, sometimes babies just have to cry. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong. In fact, I know you couldn't possibly have done anything wrong because you're an amazing mother. You've been around babies your entire life, and you know how to handle them."
"Yeah, all of them but my own," she muttered.
Nathan pulled his arms away from her body and cupped her face, making her look at him. "Stop it," he said gently. "I know you're probably thinking like this because you didn't get to see them right after they were born, but you have got to stop it. You are the best mom a kid could ask for, and James and Lucy are lucky to have you. They love you, and they know you love them."
Haley nodded slowly, biting her lip again. She brought one hand up to her face and removed her glasses, setting them atop the stack of magazines. She ran the same hand under her eyes to erase some of her tears. "I'm sorry," she said a moment later. "I know that they love me. I'm just…it's just hard. They're still so small, and it scares me that they were in the hospital for so long. And clearly, my mood swings haven't left me yet."
Nathan smiled softly, running his thumb over her cheekbone. "It scares me, too, Hales. But they're healthy now, and we've got nothing to worry about. Our family is fine."
She nodded again and repeated herself. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Nathan replied. "Just give your roommate a kiss, and then let's get some sleep while we still can." He smiled.
"Roommate?" Haley questioned.
"What?"
"Nathan, we're more than roommates," she replied, as if it were obvious.
He nodded. "To be honest, Hales, I don't really know what we are. We kiss, we hold hands, we shower together…but we haven't discussed any of it. You always change the subject."
"I'm just trying to go slow," she told him.
"I know," he replied. "I just…I don't know. Never mind." He stood up and extended his hand.
Haley gripped his hand with her own and allowed him to help her up.
"Alright, good night," Nathan said, turning to leave.
"Nathan."
He turned around. "Yeah, Hales?"
"Why don't you stay in here tonight?" she offered.
"With you?"
Haley blushed lightly and nodded. "Yes, with me. Baby steps, right? And besides…it's been too long. I miss sleeping next to you."
Nathan smiled, walking back towards her. "I miss sleeping next to you, too." He took her hand and they both got under the covers, Nathan removing everything but his boxers first. They turned off their lamps, and Haley snuggled into Nathan's side, her arm draped over his toned stomach. Nathan wrapped both his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."
Haley threw one of her legs over his in an attempt to get even closer to the man next to her. She dropped a soft kiss on his chest and then lay her head back down. "I love you, too," she whispered, closing her eyes.
Nathan felt like she hadn't said those words to him in forever, and immediately his heart began to race. He smiled, and his grip on her tightened instinctively. He was so excited about the rest of their lives together, and he just knew that they were on their way back. He could tell when Haley looked at him, even if she hadn't said it yet. They were back, and they were better than ever.
"I can't believe you're leaving already, man," Nathan said with a shake of his head. He clapped his brother on the back as he spoke.
"Shouldn't you be doing the same?" Lucas replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Nathan nodded. "Yeah, we're leaving soon. We found a really great apartment up there, so it shouldn't be long now." He glanced across the room, where he could see Brooke and Haley talking. They both looked like they were about to cry. "Haley's nervous about getting the babies up there safely. I am, too, actually. But she insists that we drive. No other forms of transportation may be used."
Lucas laughed. "Twelve hours in the car with two babies…have fun with that one."
"Yeah, it'll probably be pretty rough," Nathan agreed.
"The timing does suck though," Lucas said. "I mean, I haven't been able to spend much time with Lucy and Jamie. Plus, if we stayed together I'd get to experience whipped Nathan. Oh, and let's not forget celibate Nathan." Lucas chuckled.
Nathan shook his head, glancing back at Haley who was smiling at him, trying to hold back her tears at saying goodbye to her best friend. Nathan returned the smile and then glared at his brother. "Shut up," he muttered.
Lucas laughed harder. "How long's it been now, little brother?"
"Dude," Nathan warned, raising his eyebrows for effect.
Lucas stopped laughing and apologized. "Alright, I'm sorry. You know I'm just messing with you. You're doing really well with everything, Nate. You're a great father, and your patience with Haley is great, too. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Luke."
"Alright, well I guess we'd better go." He looked behind his brother but no longer saw Haley and Brooke in the room. "Where'd the girls go?"
Nathan furrowed his brow. "The babies' room, I'm guessing." He led his brother through the hall, and sure enough Brooke and Haley were standing in the nursery, each with a wide awake baby in their arms.
Both girls noticed the guys, and Brooke stuck her bottom lip out. "They're so cute, and we're going to miss everything."
Nathan stepped closer to Haley and shrugged. "I don't know, Brooke. Hales will probably need some company in Boston while I'm away, so you could fly out whenever you want and see the babies."
Brooke quirked an eyebrow, realizing that he was right. "I knew I liked you for a reason, Baby Daddy."
"Excuse me?" Nathan replied, not sure if he'd heard her right.
"I said I knew I liked you for a reason."
Nathan turned to face Haley. "Did she just call me Baby Daddy?"
Haley bit her lip and nodded.
"It's my nickname for you," Brooke stated nonchalantly. "Do you like it?"
Nathan shrugged. "I guess."
"What?" Haley asked skeptically. "I thought you would hate it."
He shrugged again. "Normally I would, but…I am a daddy," he said with a wide grin.
Haley rolled her eyes but smiled. "He says that every chance he gets, I swear."
They stood in the nursery for several more minutes, just chatting about nothing, before Lucas announced that he and Brooke had to go or they would miss their flight. So they said their final farewells. Brooke and Haley both let a few tears go, while Lucas and Nathan hugged it out. Once they were gone and the babies had been settled, Nathan saw Haley sitting on the edge of his bed. He knocked on the door softly before walking in, and then he sat next to her. "You okay?" he asked.
She nodded and smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?"
"I'm good," he confirmed with a nod.
They were silent for a few seconds, and Haley turned to face him, bringing one leg up onto the bed. "So, I um…I don't…um…"
"Hales," Nathan said with a short chuckle. She was twisting her pinky ring and biting her lip, so he knew she must be nervous or uncomfortable. "It's me."
She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I…I mean, I wasn't trying to listen or anything, but when we were out in the living room I heard Lucas say that you were celibate." The words came rushing out of her, and she wasn't even sure he'd be able to decipher what she'd said. But when she saw the look on his face, she knew he had. "And I was just…wondering if that was true."
"Hales, you know it is," Nathan replied, honestly surprised that she'd brought the subject of sex up. Did she still not trust him? Did she think that he was hooking up with girls behind her back?
She placed a hand on his knee and shook her head. "No, I mean…I know that you are now. And I'm not accusing you of anything. But all those weeks we weren't together and didn't speak…before the babies were born…you never-"
"No," Nathan replied quietly. "Never. I would never do that to you."
Haley nodded. "I believe you," she whispered. "So, it's been-"
"Six and a half months," he supplied.
"Wow," Haley breathed, laughing slightly. "Did you count the hours, too?"
Nathan laughed and shook his head. "No, I did not count the hours. It's a lot though, I'm sure." He smirked.
Haley rolled her eyes, smacking his arm playfully.
"But don't worry," he whispered into her ear. "I've been getting releases."
Haley's face instantly turned red, and her eyes widened. "Nath-"
"And before you say anything, I've been getting them because of you," he continued to whisper. "Every time I'm alone and I think of you, there are all these feelings and desires that I can't control."
She raised an eyebrow as her blush deepened. "You know, you kind of sound like a pervert right now," she teased him.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He gently took one of her hands from her lap and brought it to the front of his pants. "Do you think I'm a pervert now?"
Haley inhaled quickly as she felt how hard he was. "God, Nathan," she whispered, launching herself forward. She pushed him back on the bed and straddled him, pushing passionate kisses against his lips. In no time at all, she had his shirt off and her tongue in his mouth.
Nathan let out a low groan as he felt her nails scratching down his abs. His partner's top was off a moment later, and so was her bra. "Haley," Nathan whispered, pulling his lips away from hers. "We don't have to do this tonight."
"I want to," Haley whispered back.
"Haley," Nathan said, while stroking her cheek. "So do I. But are you well enough? Be honest."
Haley bit her lip and shook her head slowly. Not a second later she pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. "But I want you," she whispered.
Nathan smiled softly, carefully rolling her over so that she was on her back. He lay on his side with one hand holding his head up and the other resting just below Haley's breasts. "We've got all the time in the world, baby. I promise."
She sighed and nodded, bringing one of her hands up to cover his on her body. She pulled it lower so that it covered the scar from almost two months ago.
Nathan quietly commanded her to look at him, and she did so. He gave her a small smile, stroking the skin of her stomach softly. "I've never loved you or wanted you more than I do right now, today, in this moment," he whispered. "In my eyes, the only thing this scar is is a reminder of the amazing sacrifices you've made for our children. You gave them life, and you gave me them, Haley. Do you understand how amazing that is?"
Haley nodded slowly, looking directly into his eyes. "I know."
"Do you?" he repeated.
She nodded again.
"Good because you're beautiful. I told you that that day in the shower, and it's still true." Nathan leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on the top of her breast. He made his way down, ending his journey at her beautiful scar. "You look thinner," he observed.
Haley shook her head. "I've just been losing the pregnancy weight, Nathan. It's nothing. It's normal."
He raised his head to look at her. "Are you sure? I haven't seen you eating lately, Hales. It-"
"Nathan," she interrupted him, raising her hand to cup his cheek. She gave him a soft smile, trying to reassure him that she really was okay. "My meal schedule has been crazy since the babies came home. I eat when I can, and I eat enough. Don't get paranoid."
"I'm not paranoid," he protested.
Haley raised an eyebrow. "Babe, yes you are."
He shook his head. "Haley, you're skinnier than you were before you got pregnant."
"As I've already explained to you, my schedule is crazy right now. You know that. Plus, my body's healing, and it's going through changes. You know that, too. So believe me. You know I would never do anything like that."
"Okay," Nathan relented with a nod. "I'm sorry. I know we're both still worried about the babies, but I'm worried about you, too."
"I know, and I love that you are."
Nathan smiled and kissed her again, this time softly and slowly. "Do I get to stay in here again tonight?" he questioned after pulling away.
Haley tapped her chin and pretended to think. Then she pursed her lips cutely, looking at Nathan. "I'll have to think about that, mister."
"Like hell you will," Nathan retorted cockily.
Haley laughed and rolled her eyes, moving onto her side and scooting closer to him so that their bare chests were touching. She took hold of the chain around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her.
Nathan smiled as they kissed, and after a minute he pulled away, wrapping both his arms around her tightly. "Baby steps, right?" he whispered, repeating her words from the previous evening.
She nodded, smiling because she knew that he understood what she needed from him. "Baby steps," she repeated quietly.
"Excuse me," Haley said loudly. "Where the hell are you going with that?"
The two men put the piece of furniture down and looked at each other. "The office, ma'am," one of them said.
Haley threw her hands into the air. "It's a crib, for Christ's sake. Does that sound like a piece of furniture fit for the office? Or would it be better suited for oh, I don't know, the nursery?" Her hands were on her hips, and she was angry. The issue wasn't really a big deal, as the men had barely even made it into the large apartment. They wouldn't have to backtrack. But Haley had been dealing with the same stuff all day long, and she was really tired of it. Nathan was at his first day of training camp, and she was taking care of the babies and supervising the movers. It was a lot of work, despite what it looked like, and she was exhausted. She wanted Nathan's training to end so that he could come home and help her, but she knew that wasn't an option. He'd only been gone for an hour.
"Sorry, ma'am," one of the men apologized. "We'll take it to the nursery right away."
Haley sighed, shaking her head as she walked away. "I should have just done this myself. It would have gone a lot quicker."
Not five minutes later, one of the same men was calling for her. "Miss James."
Haley stormed into the hallway with her hands on her hips again. "What?"
The man opened the door at the end of the long hallway and gestured inside. "This room's already furnished. Does anything else go in here?"
Haley crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "No," she said quietly, staring into the room just as she had done a week earlier. Absentmindedly, she began twisting the ring on her left hand ring finger.
"Nathan, I can't close my eyes. Our daughter is in my arms," Haley protested.
Nathan smiled and rolled his eyes. He paused in the hallway and carefully set down the car seat which held his son. He set down the empty one as well and then held his arms out. He received Lucy and lay her down in the car seat, tickling her belly gently. He smiled at her and watched as she returned it. He couldn't get enough of seeing his babies smiling. It happened often now. The doctor had warned them that it might not happen at the regular time, and it hadn't. But once they'd started, they'd never stopped. "Alright," Nathan said, standing up again and picking up both car seats this time. "Close your eyes."
Haley let out a short grunt but did as she was told. "You better not let me run into anything, Nathan Scott," she warned, stretching both of her arms out in front of her body. "I haven't seen the whole apartment yet. I don't know where things are."
"I won't let you run into anything, baby," Nathan promised her. He walked in front of her and guided her to the end of the hallway. Telling her to keep her eyes closed, he opened the door and set the car seats down inside. He took Haley's arms and led her into the room, finally saying, "Open your eyes."
She opened them, and as soon as she saw the room both of her hands flew up to her mouth and covered it. She took in every inch of the large room before finally dropping her hands by her sides again. "Oh, my gosh," she whispered. "Nathan, what did you do?"
The walls were all red, and there was a fireplace on the back wall. The floors were wooden, just like the rest of the apartment, and the ceiling was painted black. There were two large windows which were letting a tremendous amount of light into the room, and a beautifully shaped ceiling fan hung from above. In one corner was a big, beautiful, black piano, and that alone was enough to take Haley's breath away. The guitar she'd played for him was on a stand against one wall, and right next to it was a brand new guitar that she'd never seen before. Also in the room was a large desk, already supplied with all of Haley's things. The rest of the room was decorated to perfection, and Haley actually began to tear up in reaction to it.
Nathan moved so that he was in front of her, and he took both her hands in his. "Haley, you've given up so much this past year. I mean, you didn't even get to graduate. And I know you'll go back and finish school someday, but I also know you want to be with James and Lucy." He smiled. "I also know that you love music, and you're good. Despite what you may think, you are good enough to be a musician…a real one."
Haley laughed softly. "Nathan, I can't believe you did all of this. It's beautiful."
"You deserve to have something of your own, Haley, and I want you to have it. Everything you do is for other people. This is for you."
She shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. She pulled her hands away from his and brought them up to his face, cupping his cheeks. She smiled at him as she spoke. "You are the most amazing man I have ever met, Nathan Scott, and I can't wait to be your wife."
Nathan furrowed his brow, pulling back slightly. "What?"
Haley pulled the long chain out of his shirt and then reached to the back of his neck, where she undid it. She slipped the ring off and handed it to Nathan. "I want to marry you, Nathan. I know it's taken me a while to get back to this place, but I'm here. We're here, and I've been fooling myself thinking otherwise. You are the man that I want as my husband, and you are the man that I want to grow old with. I won't allow myself to deny it anymore."
"Are…are you serious?" Nathan stuttered. He knew she was because he could no longer feel the chain around his neck. Instead, he felt the weight of her engagement ring in his hand. The moment just felt too good though; it had to be a dream.
"I'm serious," she whispered, holding out her left hand. She watched him stare at her hand for several seconds before slipping the diamond ring onto her finger, where it had belonged for all this time. "I love you."
He nodded, almost immediately pulling her body flush against his. "I love you, too," he mumbled before pressing his lips against hers.
Haley kissed him back fervently, but she broke it off when she heard one of her babies whimper. "Thank you for this," she whispered to Nathan. "All of this. It means the world to me that you would do something so incredible for me."
"I'm just giving you what you've given me, Hales," he replied. "And you deserve it."
"Ma'am."
Haley's head snapped to the side to acknowledge where the voice was coming from.
"Ma'am, where would you like this?"
She blinked several times, still playing with her engagement ring as she tried to bring herself back from her haze. "Um, over…over there is fine," she said, pointing into the living room area.
She was fairly kind to the movers for the rest of the day, and everything got put in its right place. Haley just had to unpack the little stuff, and the apartment would officially be their home. She spent the rest of her day doing just that, as well as tending to Lucy and Jamie. Nathan was supposed to be home at five, and at half past six Haley started to get a little worried. Lucy and Jamie had just fallen asleep after being fed, and even though the quiet was nice Haley wanted to be with Nathan. She wanted to see him and ask him about his day. She wanted to comfort him while simultaneously allowing him to comfort her. It was what they did best.
At seven o'clock there was a knock on the door, and Haley furrowed her brow as she got up to go answer the door. It was a private apartment, so she wasn't really sure who could have gotten in. Plus, they were new and knew hardly anybody. She looked out the peephole and was confused to see Nathan standing there. Had he forgotten his front door key? Haley pulled the door open. "Nathan, what are you doing?"
Nathan smiled at her, holding out a bouquet of little purple flowers. He was dressed in dark jeans and a nice button down shirt. He didn't want to make Haley feel uncomfortable by being too overdressed; she was wearing jeans and a purple tank top. Once she had accepted his flowers, Nathan spoke. "I'm here to pick you up for our date," he stated obviously.
"Date? Nathan, we can't go on a date. We have Lucy and Jamie here. And I'm not leaving them with anyone." Haley closed the door once he was inside and walked into the kitchen, filling a vase with water for the flowers.
"Don't worry, fiancée. I've got it all figured out." Nathan winked at her. It felt so damn good to call her that again.
Haley quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She arranged the flowers in the vase and set it in the middle of the island.
"So are you ready?"
She laughed slightly, looping her arm through his. It all felt pretty childish, considering the fact that they were inside of their new apartment in Boston. But Haley had enjoyed what he'd done so far, and she wasn't quite ready for it to be over. "I trust you," she said quietly, returning his wink from earlier.
Nathan smiled and led her through the living room and to their bedroom. They walked to the doors of their balcony, and he told her to close her eyes.
"I'm feeling some déjà vu," Haley muttered with a chuckle as she closed her eyes.
Nathan continued to smile as he opened the balcony doors. He walked her out. "Open your eyes."
Once again, Haley's breath was taken away by the man before her. It wasn't anything crazy, but it was beautiful. On their balcony was a little round table with covered dishes, and there were rose petals sprinkled all over the ground. A small radio sat on a table in the corner and played jazz music. "Nathan, what is all this?"
As Nathan walked her over to her seat and pulled her chair out for her, he spoke. "Well I don't know if you remember, but today is the anniversary of our very first date, Haley James." He walked around the small table and sat down, uncovering both of the dishes. "I didn't want everything to be exactly the same, but I did make your favorite dish."
She raised an eyebrow. "You made my favorite dish?" She eyed the macaroni and cheese disapprovingly, although it did look pretty damn tasty.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Okay, I picked up your favorite dish. I didn't want to ruin the date by making you sick."
Haley shook her head in disbelief. "I cannot believe you remembered that we had our first date today. You're unbelievable." She smiled. "And I love this, Nathan. I really do, but Lucy and Jamie are inside, and we can't leave them there without knowing what's going on. It still freaks me out; you know that."
"I do," Nathan said with a nod. From the ground he picked up their baby monitor and sat it down on the tabletop. He turned the dial so they could hear the static coming from the babies' room.
"Wow. You really do think of everything," Haley surmised. "When did you do all of this anyways?"
Nathan shrugged. "I may have forgotten to tell you about the back entrance to the apartment. I snuck in after practice and did it. I wanted to surprise you."
She smiled and leaned across the table, brushing her lips against his softly. "Well you've certainly succeeded, Mr. Scott."
"Well I'm glad, Mrs. Scott."
Haley raised both her eyebrows.
"Soon to be," Nathan mumbled, a large smile still on his face. It had been a week, and he was still in shock from Haley's reacceptance of his proposal.
She scoffed. "You really are cocky. Who says I'm taking your last name?"
He shrugged. "You will."
"And how do you know, Mr. Ego?"
"Who wouldn't want to be connected to me?"
She let out a full laugh and reached across the table, smacking his arm. "A lot of people, I presume."
Nathan laughed and shook his head. "Eat up. It's going to get cold."
They ate, talked, and laughed. There wasn't a single awkward moment, and it was just proof that they were back. They had made it. They had survived a lot of curveballs, and they would make it through whatever life decided to throw their way. They were a team, and they were unstoppable.
Once they had both finished eating, Nathan stood up and offered his hand. Music was still playing softly, and he bowed. "May I have this dance?" he asked in a deep voice.
Haley rolled her eyes but accepted his hand. It was surprising to even herself that she remembered the exact moment he had said those words to her on their first date. She stood, bringing her body up against his. She placed both her hands over his chest and rested her head there as well, just wanting to be as close as possible to him.
Nathan's arms were wrapped securely around her as they continued to move slowly to the music. "Do you remember the first time we danced together?" he whispered after a moment.
She nodded her head against his chest. "That was an amazing night, Nathan. So is tonight." She pulled her head back and caressed his cheek with one hand. "Every night with you is amazing."
He smiled, leaning down for one soft kiss. "Do you want to know what words I remember most about that night?"
She nodded again, still looking into his blue orbs.
"I can't have sex with you," Nathan said. His expression was serious at first, but then he simply couldn't hold himself back any longer. He smirked.
Haley pulled away from his body completely, smacking him in the chest. "Jackass! We were having a moment."
Nathan laughed. "Hales, you know I was kidding."
As if on cue, a loud round of cries broke out over the baby monitor, drowning out the jazz music that could be heard before that. "Clearly, so was I," Haley muttered.
"You're not really mad, are you?" Nathan asked, just wanting to make sure.
Haley bit her lip and shrugged innocently. "We'll see." She smacked his ass before running past him into their bedroom.
"Oh no," Nathan let out as he laughed. He ran after her, quickly pinning her on the bed. His lips found hers instantly, and he kissed her passionately.
"Nathan," Haley mumbled into their kiss. When he didn't respond, she spoke louder. "Nathan!"
He pulled away smirking at her.
"Our children are crying, and your one track mind can't think of anything else," she teased. She gently pushed him off of her and stood up. "I'm going to go check on your son and daughter. When I get back," she started, leaning down and placing her lips next to his ear, "you're all mine, fiancé."