Chapter 13 - Home Is Where The Heart Is

"Come on Libs, you can do it," Haley said, they were watching DVDs Haley had made of Libby over the years. The current one was when she was learning how to ride a bike.

"What if I fall again, Mommy?" the 4-year-old Libby asked her mother.

"Then you bet back up and try again," Haley said laughing. Libby was wearing a pink helmet on her head, with matching pink elbow pads on her elbows, and pink kneepads on her knees, and they all matched the pink bike she was riding with a white basket in front. She was wearing pink shorts and a white top, like the whole thing was planned out to be pink. Even her sneakers were pink and white, and she had pink socks.

"Mommy, I'm doing it, I'm riding a bike," the girl squealed, pedaling away. The movie cut off and the DVD returned to the menu.

Libby walked in, "Watcha watchin'" she asked, chewing on a carrot.

"You," Haley answered, "Eat that in the kitchen," she said, without even looking at her.

She stomped her foot and turned around, Nathan looked at Haley, "How'd you know she was eating?"

"Always is, loves them carrots."

"Good to know. Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"That she likes carrots?"

"No, about her, does Lucas know? Peyton, Brooke, Jake?"

"Yeah, they know her, she makes sure of that."

"Why not tell me?"

"To be honest? I don't know. Afraid of how you'd take it, I guess. Are you mad?"

"No, not mad, just upset, she's like seven, and this is the first time I've seen her or even heard of her."

"You have to understand, I wanted to, so bad, really, I did, but the way you left, I kind of felt that you thought it was a mistake."

"Haley, I loved you, always will, and always have, well, since I met you, nothing is ever a mistake if I do it with you."

Haley smiled, "Well, I'm sorry, but you know now, and I guess, well, if I never ran into you again, I probably wouldn't have told you, but I still love you, and I guess, I don't know, maybe I want us to work, I want us to be a family. Jennifer's great and all, but she deserves a life too, not taking care of my child, and I guess what I'm trying to say is do you want this to work, the three of us become a family?"

"Yea," he nodded, "Yeah, I would, I want to get to know my daughter."

"Libby, I said in the kitchen, do I need to physically put you there myself?" Haley asked, not looking at her, but at Nathan, "So, after my tour, we got and live in Tree Hill, me, you and Libby, because I know in our original agreement it was just me moving in."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You know where she is, and what she's doing without looking."

"Because I know that she NEVER follows the rules."

"I do to," Libby yelled, from the kitchen.

"You mean the rule of no yelling in the house?"

"No, not that one," she said back, watching the volume of her voice.

"I know, you're always loud."

"I'm not loud, I'm just not quiet."

"You know what, how about I start dinner, and you go outside and play basketball with, um Nathan," Haley said and got up.