A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews!

Chapter Twenty Six

Haley rummaged through her closet as she tried to find the perfect outfit to wear for the big date. However, she was still having doubts about going out with Nathan. She couldn't get past the fact that he was her boss or her former boss. She still wasn't clear about her work relationship with him and that didn't seem to comfort her.

Needing reassurance, she turned to Peyton. "What do you think? Am I making a mistake?"

"Well, there are plenty of reasons why your parents and his parents are going to protest this relationship," Peyton admitted. "There's quite an age difference between you two. Therefore, he's more mature than you and he does have two kids. And you guys both run with different crowds. Then again, you two do light up around each other and you are happy when you are with him and the kids. And Tristan and Cassie did give you their blessings to date their dad. So I would say go for it."

Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I thought you were against me dating again."

"No, I was against Brooke trying to pair you up with one of her friends," Peyton reminded her. "I wanted you to find love on your own. I had a feeling you had a crush on Nathan especially at the bachelor auction. You really fought hard to win him." Haley shushed her as Peyton gave her a confused look. "What's wrong?"

Haley gave her a guilty expression. "I didn't exactly tell him it was me who won him," Peyton gave her a look. "I know I should have, but it didn't come up in the conversation. Besides, that whole bachelor auction was just a ruse to get me and Nathan together anyway. He would have found out if we didn't have to search for Bella. I'm glad that worked out."

Peyton nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was a scary night. I can't imagine going through that experience. And I hope I never do."

There was a knock at the door and Cassie peeked into the room. "Aunt Taylor's here. She wants to talk to you."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Of course she does. Tell her I'll be right down." Cassie nodded before she closed the door. Haley let out a heavy sigh. "Great. I didn't give her an apology over the phone so she had to come all the way over here for one in person."

Peyton was skeptical. "Do you really think she flew here for an apology? Do you ever think she wanted to come and visit her family?"

Haley gave her a look. "You know Taylor never comes here just to visit," she replied before she went to see what her sister wanted. When she came downstairs, she found Taylor in the living room, looking very upset. Haley never saw her sister like this and became concerned. "Taylor, what's wrong? Is it Mom or Dad?"

Taylor didn't answer. "You can't move to Tree Hill." Haley was confused. Before she could ask, Taylor gave her more of an explanation. "You weren't wrong when you thought Carrie was after Nathan. She's obsessed in getting in his life again and she will go through extreme measures to make it happen."

Haley couldn't believe her sister was saying exactly what she had been afraid of. She certainly couldn't have overheard what she had told anybody. Haley didn't have a chance to ask about it as Taylor continued. "After you asked me about Carrie's address, I began to think if it was true. I called her and told her about Bella. She denied having Bella, but she did admit she would kidnap his kids if she had to to get Nathan's attention." Haley gasped in surprise. "At that moment, I knew she had put on this act and used me to get updated information about Nathan and his family. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to put you or Nathan's family in danger."

"It's okay. I'll get it taken care of," Nathan said as he came into the room. He had been informed of Taylor's arrival by Cassie and he wanted to greet her. However, he didn't want to interrupt Taylor and just listened as she told her sister her concern about Carrie. "If what you say is true, I'll get a restraining order against her. I'm not going to let someone like that get near my kids." He excused himself and went to make some phone calls.

"Can I get you anything?" Haley offered, trying to distract her. "A glass of water?" she suggested. Taylor nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back." As she left the room, she noticed Peyton had come down to the first floor. She gave her friend a confused look and Haley gestured her to follow her in the kitchen. Haley made sure the kids were nowhere near them before she explained the situation.

Peyton was just as shocked as Haley to hear Taylor finally came to her senses and saw Carrie the manipulative bitch she really was. She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe she came all the way from New York just to warn you about Carrie. Maybe you were wrong about her caring only about herself."

Haley didn't have a chance to answer as Nathan came into the kitchen. His friends looked at him curious. "My dad doesn't believe I can file a restraining order against Carrie because there hasn't been any proof. I haven't received any phone calls from her and she hasn't harassed or stalked me. So maybe we're all overreacting over nothing." There was silence as he hoped for reassurance. He let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe we should cancel our date for tonight."

Peyton spoke up. "No way. I'm not allowing you to cancel your date. Don't worry about a thing. Your kids are safe with me and Jake. Besides, we need the practice for when we have our own kids."

"Shouldn't you start with my nieces and nephews?" Nathan suggested.

"Don't go there," Haley warned him. "Are you sure you still want to do this?"

Peyton nodded. "You would disappoint the kids if you don't go on your date," she pointed out. "Besides, I'm sure Taylor won't stick around here if you're gone. I'm sure she will go visit friends or your parents. Or even go back to New York."

Haley knew that was true. Taylor never did like to stay in one place for very long. "Okay. That's settled then." She finished her task before she returned to her guest. "Nathan called his dad and asked him about filing a restraining order against Carrie and he told him it probably would get denied because of lack of evidence. Our word isn't enough for the police to investigate."

Taylor shook her head in disbelief. "Why am I not surprised nobody believes me?"

"I didn't say that," Haley defended. "I believe you. So does Nathan, but he can't file a restraining order against Carrie without proving she is after him and his family. All we can do right now is watch our backs."

"And you shouldn't move to Tree Hill," Taylor added. "Otherwise, it will be too easy for Carrie to show up and take over. Here, she can't just come over and introduce herself as your neighbor. In Tree Hill, she is waiting like a spider for Nathan to get into her web."

"So you expect me to walk away and let Nathan deal with Carrie alone?" Haley asked, making sure she understood her sister correctly. "No way! I'm not going to let Nathan fight that crazy bitch alone."

Taylor looked at her sister impressed. "Wow, you've really changed since you became a nanny again. You're more badass. I like it. But I suppose your new boyfriend has something to do with it." Haley tried to give her an innocent look, but Taylor wasn't falling for it. "There has to be some truth to all those rumors in the magazines I've been reading about you and Nathan. You should see what the articles are saying about you two. You guys didn't elope without telling Mom and Dad, did you?" she teased. Haley gave her a look. "I'm just asking."

Haley changed the subject. "Are you planning to stick around or are you planning to head back to New York?"

Taylor shrugged. "I'm here. I might as well visit Mom and Dad and Quinn. Or is she too busy with her new boyfriend to spend some time with me?"

"You're going to have to ask Quinn that question," Haley replied. "But you might want to call her to let you know you're coming. That way, you know she's home and you don't just drop in on her and Clay." Taylor rolled her eyes. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

The two sisters chatted for a little bit longer before Taylor decided to make the drive to Tree Hill. Of course, she didn't call her family to tell them she was coming for a visit. Haley wanted to call her parents to tell them about Taylor's visit, but she began to realize it wasn't her responsibility. Besides, she had to get ready for her date.

Nathan was just as nervous as Haley was. After all, this was his first date in over ten years. He wanted it to go well enough for them to be interested in pursuing a real relationship. Being friends was nice, but his attraction to Haley was too high. He needed to go out on a date with her to see if they really were meant to be more than just friends.

He tried to think of how he and Renée got together. It was totally different with her. They had the same circle of friends so it was easy to talk to her. They had a connection right away and their relationship went on the fast track. His mother wanted him to slow down because she believed they were going too fast, but he didn't listen. Now he and Renée were divorced and he had to raise two kids by himself. This time was going to be different. He was going to take it slow in order to make sure they had a real connection.

He heard a knock at the door. "Come in," Nathan called. Tristan appeared and Nathan looked at him. "What's up?" he asked as he noticed a worried look on his son's face. He tried to read his face, but Tristan hid his feelings well. "Is something wrong?"

"I think Mom is going to have another baby," Tristan replied.

Nathan frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Because Mom was acting like Aunt Brooke did before Bella was born," Tristan told him. "She was throwing up a lot. She said she had the flu, but then she fainted. Cassie got scared, but Mom was alright."

Nathan was surprised Cassie never say anything about her mother's fainting spell. It was something that she was good in bringing up. "How come your sister didn't say anything?" Nathan asked before he realized the answer. "Did your mother bribe you not to mention her pregnancy to me?"

Tristan made a face. "Sorry dad. I didn't want to do it, but she told us it would be better if you didn't know."

Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "It's okay, buddy. It's not your fault. Anything else you want to tell me?" he asked as he finished getting ready. Tristan shook his head. "Okay, why don't you check on Haley for me and see if she's ready?"

Tristan left the room as Nathan looked at himself in the mirror. He was more worried about the date than what he was wearing. Of course, he was now distracted with the thought of his ex-wife being pregnant with her new boyfriend's baby. It wasn't really any his business, but he was amazed she hadn't changed and was still doing everything the fast way.

"Haley's ready," Tristan called. "And Uncle Jake's here."

Nathan emerged from his bedroom just as Haley came out from hers. They exchanged smiles as he complimented her on her beauty. "Thank you. So where are you taking me for dinner?"

"If you don't mind, Cassie has requested me to take you to an Italian restaurant," Nathan replied. Haley shook her head as she wondered why the little girl had given that request. He was relieved since he already made the reservation. "Great." He allowed her to walk ahead of him as they walked down the stairs. When they arrived in the den, Jake and Peyton and the kids were already setting up a game to play together.

"Well, it looks like we're not needed here," Nathan chuckled. Jake turned to him and listened for instructions. "The emergency numbers are by the calendar. The kids can stay up late tonight, but please don't give them too much sugar. I don't want them to stay up all night."

"Don't worry about a thing," Jake assured him as Cassie came over to say goodbye. "We'll be fine."

Nathan had no doubt about that. He and Haley waved goodbye before they left the house and headed to his car. The drive to their destination wasn't very long since it wasn't rush hour yet. Nathan did that on purpose because he didn't want to worry about traffic and the dinner rush. He wanted to make sure he would hear their conversation. And he promised himself he wouldn't compare Haley to Renée the whole evening.

When they arrived, they were led to their private table. Nathan pulled Haley's chair out for her and she smiled at him gratefully. The hostess left them with their menus. As they looked through the menu for the meal they wanted to eat, Haley noticed two familiar faces who had just walked into the restaurant. "Your parents are here," she told Nathan.

Nathan hoped she was wrong. Those were the last two people he wanted to see tonight. Just as he was about to turn around to confirm, he heard his father's voice. "Nathan, Haley. What a pleasant surprise." Nathan knew what his father was going to say before he was even going to say it. "What are you two doing here? You look like you're on a date, but that's impossible since she's your nanny."

Nathan interrupted Dan before he went any further in insulting Haley. He stood up and faced his father. "Would you stop trying to control my life?" he demanded. His voice got louder with each word, causing other guests to turn their way. Nathan didn't care. He was tired of his dad trying to tell him what to do. "First it was basketball. Then it was raising my kids. Now you're trying to tell me who I should date. It ends now! I will date who I want to date. It's my life. Let me live it the way I want or you won't get to visit your grandkids in Tree Hill."

Dan was taken back by his last words. "Tree Hill? You're moving to Tree Hill?" Nathan realized he hadn't told his father about the move yet. He didn't have a chance to respond as Dan glared at Haley. "This is all your fault!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Don't bring Haley into this," Nathan defended. "This was my decision to move my family to Tree Hill."

"Dan, perhaps we can talk about this later?" Deb suggested as she tried to pull her husband away from Nathan and Haley.

Dan turned to his wife as he realized how unsurprised she was in hearing the news. "You knew about this?" he demanded. Deb wanted to answer, but her husband didn't let her interrupt him. "Why didn't you tell me? I can't believe you're allowing him to take our grandchildren away from us."

"I'm not trying to take your grandchildren away from you," Nathan protested. However, he knew it was useless to try and reason with his father, especially in a restaurant full of customers who were now watching the scene. "You know what? I'm not going to do this right now." He reached out to Haley and she clasped her hand into his. "Come on, Hales. We'll go somewhere else for dinner." He didn't say another word as he went past his parents and out of the restaurant.

There was silence until after Nathan and Haley were in the car. Nathan let out a frustrated groan. "Why does he always do this to me? Why does he never feel like I can make my own decisions?" He gave Haley an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. This is supposed to be our first date and I feel like my parents have ruined it."

"They didn't ruin anything. They just interrupted it," Haley replied gently. "We'll just go someplace else for dinner."

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked. Haley nodded. She wasn't going to let Dan Scott stop her from going out with Nathan. Or Carrie. She loved Nathan too much to let these people get to her and tell her she wasn't right for him. "Alright. Let's go and see what else is out there."

After that run in with Dan and Deb, the date went more smoothly. Nathan even managed to forget the incident and just concentrate on having a fun time with Haley. Haley felt the same way. They immediately realized they wanted to go into that next step and pursue a relationship with each other. It wouldn't be easy with a lot of people rooting against them, but they were willing to fight to make it work.