Alright, I know I said that it was only a one part fic…but I guess I lied. It's two parts now! But this definitely the last part, cross my heart! Thank you so much for all the reviews, they mean a lot to me!
Sis: LOL, well I'm glad you liked it as it was for you! Yeah, Haley being killed off was the only way I could cope…The last line was my favourite of the whole thing! And here comes that NB kiss…
Sugar: I'm glad you like the flirty banter, I love writing banter! And looks like you're getting you wish…I wrote more!
BrookenLucas12: Aww, thank you! There definitely won't be more after this though, sorry! I have to stay true to my ship, LOL!
Nonna: Yeah, I thought about Nathan and Brooke having gone to school together, but I figured it would work better if they were strangers…what do you think? LOL, I never thought people would be saying I write NB well!
Ababy99: Thanks for your review! I hope you can read this part okay!
OTHbaby08: Nathan as a dad is pretty adorable, isn't it? Daniel's in this part as well, I love him, LOL!
Jo: Really? You're NH? Wow. I liked the memories of Haley in there too, so thanks for the review!
l-a-c-18: Thanks for your suggestions! This is definitely the last part! Some more NB action, hope you like it!
And So It Begins…
"You look great."
"Wow, you look amazing."
"Brooke, you look beautiful."
"Daddy, are you talking to yourself?"
Nathan spun around to see his son standing behind him. He cleared his throat. "Uh, no, I was on the phone."
"Then how could you see that Brooke looks beautiful?" Daniel giggled.
Nathan groaned, ruffling his son's hair. "You really are your mother's son, aren't you? Too smart for your own good!"
Daniel smiled proudly. "Uncle Lucas and Auntie Pey are gonna take me for some icecream tonight!" He announced, launching himself onto Nathan's bed as he watched his dad straighten his shirt.
"Oh, really? Well, make sure you behave, buddy. And don't let Uncle Lucas beat you on Playstation, okay? Make sure he knows that no child of mine loses!" Nathan winked.
"Okay, daddy. Where are you taking that lady?"
"Brooke? We're going for dinner." Nathan answered.
Daniel considered this a moment. "Is Brooke going to be my new mommy?"
Nathan looked up, startled by the question. He sat next to his son, and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. He had somehow known this was coming, he hadn't missed the confused look in Daniel's eyes when Brooke was mentioned. "No, buddy. I'm going out with Brooke, we like each other. But it's very early days, and no matter what happens, even if we end up getting married, Haley will always be your mommy. Brooke can never replace her, okay? But Brooke can be your friend, if you'd like?"
"Okay." Daniel smiled, his deep brown eyes lighting up. Nathan couldn't help but smile, it was another trait he shared with Haley – those amazing brown eyes. Seeing Daniel's eyes lit up over Brooke, it was somehow like Haley was saying it was okay to move on.
"Alright, good. Now I need to finish getting ready, so how about you go downstairs and wait for Uncle Lucas and Auntie Pey? They should be here any second, and you could show Auntie Pey the picture you did at school. She'd love to see that."
Daniel jumped off the bed and Nathan heard his small footsteps running down the stairs. He really had the world's most amazing son, he thought. Everyday he was thankful for Daniel being in his life, it made him feel closer to Haley. As he thought about his wife, he glanced at the photograph on the dresser. It had been taken on their wedding day, thirteen years ago. Even at 16, there had been no mistaking the love he felt for her.
"Hey, baby." He whispered to the photo. "I know you can see all this. And I hope that you're happy for me. I know you will be. I like Brooke. You'd have liked her too. Daniel's great. He misses you. I miss you." He stood up, wiping a tear away and smiled down at Haley. "I love you, Haley James Scott. Goodnight." He placed a soft kiss on her image, frozen in time, her eyes and her heart full of love for him.
"This place is beautiful, Nathan. Thanks for bringing me." Brooke smiled as they were seated at their table – the best in the restaurant.
"You're welcome. You look amazing." He smiled back, and she blushed slightly. He handed her a menu, and watched as she browsed the starters. Her dark brown hair was down, swept back behind her ear, and her eyes were sparkling. She looked radiant, and a grin crept across his face.
"What?" Brooke asked, looking up and catching the grin. "Do I have something on my face?" She anxiously reached a hand up, but Nathan grabbed it, holding it gently, his thumb rubbing circles on the soft skin. She shivered under his touch.
"No, I was just thinking about how beautiful you look." He told her.
"You're such a charmer, aren't you?" Brooke teased, but her heart was pounding from the compliment.
Nathan pulled his hand away and shrugged. "I try. I'm starving, let's eat!" He picked up his menu, but not before sneaking one last glance at Brooke.
"Oh my god, you didn't!" Brooke laughed.
Nathan nodded. "I did! I had to leave my mark, didn't I? So anyway, Lucas and I wrote our names on Whitey's house, then we ran like hell! Only…"
"Only what!" Brooke asked.
"Whitey gave us absolute hell! I mean, we wrote our own names, it wasn't hard to guess who did it!" Nathan laughed.
"You're dumb!" Brooke burst out, and Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"I was 18, okay? I was stupid, what can I say? I still maintain it was all my brother's idea, I just got swept up in it!" He winked.
"Oh, of course. Young, innocent Nathan got corrupted by his big, bad brother! Why do I find that hard to believe?"
"Well, I have grown up since then. Or at least I hope I have!"
"Is Daniel anything like you? Has he written 'Daniel Scott rules all' on his teachers house yet!" Brooke asked with a laugh.
"No, no." Nathan laughed. "He's a good kid, thank god. Much more sensible than his old dad. He gets that from…" He trailed off, embarrassed at bringing Haley up on the date.
Brooke squeezed his hand. "Nathan, it's okay. You can say her name. I like to hear about her. She was the most important thing in your life for a long time, of course you're going to want to mention her!"
"I know, it's just sometimes I kinda forget, you know? It's almost like she's still here, and I'll find her waiting up for me when I get home. Stupid." He shook his head.
"It's not stupid at all. It's completely normal. Anytime you want to talk about Haley, I'm here for you. I wish I could have met her."
"You two would have got on," Nathan smiled.
As silence fell, he glanced out to the terrace, and a smile crossed his face. "Would you like to dance?" He asked.
"I'd love to."
"Two chocolate cones, please."
"I can't believe we're getting icecream after eating all that food!" Brooke giggled, patting her stomach. "I'll get fat!"
Nathan glanced at her. "Highly unlikely. You look pretty damn good where I'm standing!"
They walked down the pier, stopping when they reached the waters edge. "It's beautiful tonight." Brooke said softly.
"Yeah. I come down here sometimes, just to think. It helps if I had a hard practice."
"So, Nathan Scott. Star player for the NC Warriors, dad to Daniel….what is there left to do?"
Nathan glanced at Brooke for a second before he answered. "Fall in love again."
Brooke's breath caught in her throat and she looked back out at the water, silently contemplating his words. Although she and Nathan had only met a week ago, and this was their first official date, she could feel herself falling for him. For the first time, possibly the first time in her life, she could really see them developing things further. When she closed her eyes, she had a visual of Nathan making breakfast, while she sat at the counter, reading the paper. Daniel was there too, running around. And a baby was crying – their baby.
"We should get back." She said finally, and Nathan's eye widened in surprise.
"Okay. Okay, I'll drive you."
Nathan pulled up in front of Brooke's house and switched off the engine. "Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you somehow?" He asked quietly.
Brooke turned to him, smiling. "No. No, of course not. I'm sorry. I guess me asking you to take me home made you think…well, I'm sorry. What you said, about…about falling in love…"
"Scared you off?" Nathan finished, but she shook her head adamantly.
"No, it's not that at all. Falling in love is the only ambition I haven't managed to achieve yet. I'm a successful business woman, I've travelled the world, I've done everything…but I haven't been in love. And that's what I want most."
Nathan stared at her, all the worry he felt earlier washing away. It was a perfect moment. And so, slowly, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. He felt her respond immediately, her arms reaching up to wrap around his neck, her lips parting for him. As their tongues danced together, Nathan realised this was the happiest he'd been in a long while. A few moment later, Brooke pulled back, breathing heavily.
"That was…wow." She murmered.
"Yeah." Nathan agreed, momentarily stunned. He took hold of her hand once more, kissing the back of it.
"When can I see you again?"
THE END