Hey! I doubt anyone is still reading this, but I had time and sat down and wrote this incredibly short and terribly written chapter but hopefully it's better than nothing. I've been so busy with college and trying to write another book, so i focused all my time and energy on that but I've missed naley, so here it is! hanks for those of you who did in fact stick with this tory. Sorry to disappoint.
A week had passed since Nathan first asked Haley to marry him, and both were so busy that they haven't discussed it any further. He told her he wanted to surprise her with a ring before they told anyone officially.
Truthfully, Haley barely had any time to think about their impending engagement because she was swamped with grading papers and taking care of Jackson who was just coming-down from a bad cold.
Nathan, however, couldn't stop thinking about a way to surprise Haley with a ring. He wanted it to be perfect.
He wanted the ring to be perfect, which is why he and Jackson were on their way to the nearest jewelry store in order to find the best diamond.
Last night, while Haley was visiting Brooke, he sat down with Jackson to share a serious talk. Nathan smiled at the memory as he turned into the parking lot.
"Hey bud, can I talk to you for a minute?" Nathan asked, crouching down to Jackson's height.
Jackson turned towards his mom's boyfriend with an eager smile. "Okay."
"You know I love your Mom very much, right?"
The little boy nodded, smiling widely. "She loves you, too!"
Nathan couldn't help but smile. Haley loved him. He knew that already, but still, it was nice hearing it from Jackson. "And you know I love you, Jackson."
"Yep. I love you too, Nathan!"
His smile impossibly widened. "You know, bud, you and your Mom are the best things that ever happened to me, and I um… I consider you family." He tried to word it as easily as possible. He didn't want to scare or confuse Jackson.
"A family?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah. Which is why I want to ask your Mom to marry me."
He watched Jackson's eyes widen. "You're gonna marry Mommy? Like have a wedding and everything?"
Nathan cleared his throat, fidgeting nervously. "Ye-yeah. I really want your Mom to be my wife. She'd be Haley Scott. What do you think? Would you be okay if me and your Mom got married?"
Jackson was silent for a moment, letting Nathan's words mull over in his mind. "Can I be the ring bear?"
Nathan was caught off guard, and visibly stumbled, "What?"
"When Aunt Vivian got married to Uncle Charlie, I got to bring the rings to them in the wedding."
"Sure, uh, yea, of course. If that's what you'd like. buddy, but uh, I was thinking you could be my best man."
"What's that?"
"It means you get to stand next to me in the church and watch your Mommy walk down the aisle. You'd have a very important job. You could even give a speech!"
"That's so cool!" Jackson beamed. "When are you gonna get married?"
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm not sure yet. I have to give your Mom a ring first. Do you want to come and pick it out with me?"
"Yeah!"
"Awesome. Are you sure you're okay with this? It means me and your Mom will be together forever."
"Yep. I really want to be a family. Does this mean I can call you Daddy?"
Nathan nearly fell over again. "Uh, if you want to, but you don't have to-"
Jackson wrapped his tiny arms around Nathan and smiled. "I can't wait!"
"Neither can I. But can you promise not to tell your Mom yet? I want to surprise her."
Jackson nodded as he held his pinky finger out, "I promise."
"Thanks little man. I knew I could count on you."
Nathan sighed. After nearly a half hour in the jewelry store, he couldn't find one ring that he thought Haley would like. He knew she wouldn't want anything over-the-top, but he wanted it to be elegant and beautiful; two traits that Haley shared.
He wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect.
"What about this one, Nathan?" Jackson called out, pointing to a display case in the back.
Nathan walked over to the display and stopped dead in his tracks. "That's the one."
He knew it, the second he saw it. It was absolutely stunning. Haley would love it.
It was a two and a half carat square diamond with a diamond encrusted halo setting, with a simple silver band that had two tiny diamonds sitting next to the larger one. He smiled. This ring symbolized their family; he, Jackson, and Haley. He knew they'd have more kids in the future, but the three diamonds were perfect for now.
"That's perfect, Buddy. I love it. Your Mom will love it!"
Jackson beamed with pride, "I think so, too!"
Nathan was sweating. The ring was burning a hole in his pocket as he stood outside Haley's classroom, listening to her while she taught.
He didn't know why he was so nervous. Haley technically already said yes, but still, he was about to propose in front of her entire class. He didn't want to screw it up.
When Haley turned her back towards the board, that's when Nahan snuck in.
He put his finger to his lips, signaling for the class to be quiet as he got down on one knee with the ring box in his hands.
Haley turned and nearly screeched. "Nathan, what're you-"
"Haley James, I'm in love with you. The day you spilled coffee on me was the best day of my life because we met. I never want to lose you. Will you marry me?"
"Oh my Gosh!" Her students started screaming, but the couple were in their own little world and didn't hear anything. Someone yelled at the rest of the class to be quiet so they could hear her answer.
"Of course I'll marry you, Nathan Scott. I love you, too." Haley said with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Nathan beamed as he slid the ring on her finger and pulled her in for a searing kiss, ignoring the catcalls from the rambunctious students.
"I love you."
"This ring is beautiful!"
"You can thank Jackson. He picked it out."
Haley's heart raced. "Jackson knew?"
Nathan smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I asked him it was okay and I wanted his help."
"You're perfect." Haley gushed, kissing him again. "I can't wait to be Mrs. Scott."