Chapter Fourteen

Haley tried to keep her focus on continuing to help Brooke with the final wedding preparations. The wedding was getting closer and Brooke was getting more and more nervous. Haley did her best to calm her nerves. Yet, she kept an eye out for trouble. Nikki hadn't made her presence known to her, but that didn't mean she wasn't watching either. She hated to admit that she almost wished the wedding wouldn't happen. Knowing that there were enemies who hated the Scotts, she didn't want her new friends to get hurt.

One day, Brooke came in the café with a huge smile on her face. She sat down at the counter. Haley was ready to listen to her friend. "Good morning, Haley. Are you all ready for tonight? My last night before I become Brooke Davis-Scott." She let out a happy sigh. "I can't believe it's finally here. You have no idea how long I've waited for this day. Maybe if we would have stayed together after high school, it wouldn't have taken us this long to get back together. Maybe we could have been married and had a family by now."

Haley shrugged as she poured Brooke a cup of coffee. "You never know. My parents were high school sweethearts."

Brooke looked at her. "Really?"

Haley nodded as she remembered what her mother told her about falling in love with her father. "Yeah, they met in high school their sophomore year. It was love at first sight and they started dating right away. They were inseparable. And they knew by the end of the year, they were going to get married."

Brooke raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What did your grandparents think of that?"

Haley tried not to laugh. "My mom's parents were not happy. They liked my dad, but they thought they were too young to get married. They didn't want my mom to miss out on other opportunities like college or even traveling. They didn't want her to settle down too soon, but my mom didn't want to listen. As soon as they graduated high school, they went to the courthouse and got married in front of the courthouse. Three months later, my mom found out she was pregnant with my sister Taylor."

"You make it sound like that was a bad thing," a voice said. Haley gasped as her older sister Taylor walked into the café. It had been five years since she had seen her sister and she still looked the same. "Wow, I really never thought I would see my baby sister again. But the prodigal daughter really did return to North Carolina."

From the tone of her voice, Haley could see that Taylor was angry. She remained friendly as she did introductions. "Brooke, this is my oldest sister Taylor. Taylor, this is my friend Brooke Davis."

"That's right. You're marrying Lucas Scott, right? Congratulations. Do you mind if I talk to Haley alone?"

Brooke grabbed her cup of coffee. "No problem. I should go make some phone calls anyway There's still so much to do before the wedding tomorrow."

Taylor looked at her. "Oh, the wedding is tomorrow? Wow, I must have missed that announcement. I guess that's what happens when you're gone a lot."

Haley had a feeling she was speaking directly to her. She wanted to get Brooke out of there before the argument really started. "I'll see you tonight, Brooke." She waited until Brooke disappeared through the door before she spoke again. "What can I do for you, Taylor?"

"You can tell me where the hell you have been for the last five years," Taylor said through clenched teeth.

Haley tried to keep her own anger in check. She shook her head in disbelief. "Really? You want to do this now? I've been home for almost two months and you never thought to stop by my apartment and yell at me then. Now you want to confront me while I'm at work? I don't think so."

"Well, I certainly didn't want to do it in front of Dad and Quinn. They were quick to forgive you for leaving us."

Haley glared at her. "Leaving us? You were already out of the house by the time I took off. Besides, you have no idea what I was going through back then. You didn't experience the brunt of Deb's abuse. I did. And I wasn't ready to give her a second chance. From what I remember, you weren't either."

"I moved back in after you abandoned the family," Taylor defended. "I had to take care of Dad because he was a wreck. Did you even consider the rest of us before you went gallivanting on your little adventure?"

Haley stopped her before Taylor went any further. She really didn't want Taylor to yell at her in front of her customers. "Ok, I understand you're pissed at me. And you have every right to be. But you and I both know that this isn't the right time to have this conversation. I'm working. If you want a cup of coffee or a sandwich, I'd be happy to get it for you. If not, please leave."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'll see you later," she said before she stormed out of the café.

Taylor disappeared just as Nathan came into the café. He frowned as Taylor brushed past him. He didn't speak until he was at the counter. He looked at his girlfriend with raised eyebrows. "What was that all about?"

"That was my sister Taylor confronting me about abandoning the family," Haley explained. "I can't blame her for being angry at me, but I didn't want to hear it right now." She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm surprised she hasn't shown up sooner, but that's Taylor for you. Can I get you anything? A cup of coffee?"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Nathan said.

Haley poured a cup of coffee as she waited for him to speak again. However, there was silence. She couldn't stand the silence and she finally asked the question. "Did you hear from your private investigator yet?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, I haven't heard anything. The only thing I've found out that you were right. David isn't in Los Angeles anymore. Don't worry. I'm sure he will find them soon. He's very good at his job."

"I'm sure he is," Haley replied softly. She had been a little nervous with Nathan investigating David's whereabouts. She didn't want this to get back to Daunte's boss because then he would know she knew the truth.

"So I saw Brooke outside, talking on the phone about the wedding," Nathan said. "How is the nervous bride-to-be?"

Haley managed a smile. "I think she'll be better when she gets to walk down the aisle to Lucas and becomes his wife. Right now, I think she's stressing out about the bachelorette party. I didn't realize how much she was a perfectionist."

"Oh yeah. It's part of her personality," Nathan told her. "Lucas will have his hands full with her. Who's all coming to this bachelorette party? Because there's plenty of room at the club for both parties. Especially if the guest list is going to be small."

"Absolutely not," Brooke replied, returning into the café. She joined her friends at the counter. "It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding."

Nathan laughed. "I think that is supposed to be the day of the wedding, not the night before."

"I don't care. I don't want Lucas to see me until the wedding. And tell Tim that I will kill him if he tries to bring strippers to Lucas's bachelor party."

"Come on. It's his last night of freedom before he gets married." Brooke gave him a look. Nathan held up his hands in defeat. "Ok, I'll make sure nobody crashes your party. And I'll tell Tim to forget about the strippers. Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, but it will be your job to make sure your dad and Uncle Keith doesn't cause drama at my wedding," Brooke said. "I don't want anything to ruin my wedding tomorrow. Otherwise, fate will be telling me that it's not meant to be."

Haley looked at her. "What are you talking about? Of course you and Lucas are meant to be together. Why wouldn't you be? Don't worry. Nathan and I will be there to assure your wedding will go off without a hitch."

Brooke smiled gratefully. "Thanks Hales. Now I really should get going. I still have a lot to do before tonight. Everyone has accepted the invitation? Quinn? Karen?" Haley just nodded her head. "Great. Now if I can just convince my stepsister not to come, then I won't have to worry about any drama."

Haley frowned. "Stepsister? You've never mentioned a stepsister before."

"Because she wasn't worth mentioning. And I don't consider her part of my family. We've never been close."

"I don't blame you after she tried going after both Lucas and Nathan," Peyton said as she made an appearance walking past the counter, on her way to a table full of customers. "And she succeeded in getting Nathan for a while." Brooke nudged her in annoyance.

Haley looked at Nathan with raised eyebrows. She was interested in hearing this story. "Really?"

"The relationship didn't last very long. Believe me," Nathan assured her as he took a sip of his coffee. "My dad didn't approve of the relationship because he was afraid it would distract me from my goal. Apparently, that didn't matter because I left Tree Hill anyway. Why would you invite Rachel anyway? If anyone is going to cause drama, it's her."

"I wasn't planning to, but my dad thought Rachel would be upset if he and my stepmother were invited and she wasn't," Brooke sighed. "I fell for it because then he told me they wouldn't make it, but Rachel would be happy to come in their place to represent that side of the family. So I now don't have anyone to walk me down the aisle."

"What about Uncle Keith?" Nathan suggested. "I'm sure he would be happy to do it for you."

Brooke shook her head. "No, I couldn't ask him. It's already going to be awkward to have both him and Dan there. I'll just walk down the aisle by myself."

Her friends looked at her incredulously. Haley was the one who spoke. "Brooke, this is your wedding. If you want someone to walk you down the aisle to your future husband, Keith is the perfect person to ask. Dan certainly isn't going to do it."

Brooke nodded. "You're right. Now I really should get going. I'll see you guys tonight." She turned to Nathan for one quick moment. "Remember no strippers."

Nathan sighed. "I promise."

Brooke waved goodbye before she dashed out the door. Peyton continued to serve the customers as Nathan hung out at the counter with Haley. He saw Haley giving him a hard look. Nathan knew she still wasn't convinced about Rachel.

Nathan gave his girlfriend a comforting smile. "You have nothing to worry about. I was never in love with Rachel. I think I only dated her because she was a cheerleader and I was a basketball star. There was no connection between us, okay? If she comes to the wedding, I will steer clear away from her."

"I would hope so," Haley said as Nathan leaned in for a kiss. She returned the kiss before they pulled away. "I can't wait to see you in a tux."

To Haley's disappointment, Nathan couldn't stay. "I should probably get going too. I need to catch Tim before he makes that phone call. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Both Haley and Peyton said goodbye before Nathan left the café. Haley was quiet as she watched him leave. Peyton tried to read her thoughts. "Don't worry. Rachel is no threat to your relationship with Nathan."

"I'm not worried about her," Haley said. Her voice was low. "I was just thinking about my future with Nathan. I want a future with him, but I'm almost afraid of not getting it. Lucas's and Brooke's wedding is tomorrow. What if this is the perfect opportunity to take out the Scott family?"

Peyton shushed her. "Don't talk like that. I'm sure everything will go perfect tomorrow for them. You'll see."

Haley looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You're rooting for them now?"

Peyton shrugged. "It's hard not to root for them. I want Lucas to be happy and he's happy with Brooke. Just like you and Nathan are meant to be together."

Haley managed a smile. "What about you and Jake?"

Peyton smiled in return. "Yeah, I'll let you know."