A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.


Chapter Twenty Three

Haley woke up to the smell of someone making pancakes. She pushed back the covers and put her robe and slippers on before going out in the hall. Walking down the stairs, she was surprised to see Nathan. He gave her a wide smile. "Hey, there is my lovely girlfriend. I'm making a special birthday breakfast for you."

Haley smiled in return. "Thank you. That is so sweet of you." They shared a loving kiss as she walked over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup of coffee. "So how did you convince Quinn to get out of the house?" she asked curiously.

"She is taking Jewel for a long walk," Nathan replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Did I tell you how much I love living next door to you again?" he asked her. "I hated being so far away from you."

After it was discovered that Nathan wasn't the biological father of Rachel's baby, she gave Nathan his house back and moved in with her mother. Nathan was willing to give Lucas their childhood home, but Lucas told him that he and Brooke weren't quite ready for a house. So Nathan would keep the house until they were.

It had been over two months since he found out about the baby. Even though it had been hard, he had been able to move on with his life and concentrate on his relationship with Haley. He fell in love with her more every day and vice versa. Since Haley wasn't quite ready for the next step, Nathan didn't press her on it. In fact, he was perfectly okay with it since they were now living next door to each other again.

However, Nathan and Haley were advised by Cooper not to tell anybody about their relationship. After all, Nathan was still legally married to Rachel. She or Charlene could take action against them. Neither wanted that to happen. So they did their best to try and keep their relationship discreet.

Haley just gave him a smile. "Yes, but I don't mind hearing it again." She then gave him a sad face. "I wish you didn't have to work today."

Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know, but we have to keep up pretenses until I'm able to file for divorce from Rachel in December." He then turned back to the food just in time. He gave her an embarrassed look. "I hope you like burnt pancakes."

"Maybe Quinn will eat them," Haley joked as she sat down at the kitchen table with her cup of coffee in her hand. She read the paper as she ate her breakfast. "So what kind of birthday gift did you buy me?" she asked anxiously. "Two tickets to a concert? Or a fancy car?"

"I'm afraid a car isn't in my budget," Nathan teased her as he put her plate full of pancakes in front of her. He then pulled out the syrup from the cupboard and put it on the table. "I'm not going to tell you what I bought you, but I'm sure you are going to love my surprise. And promise me that you'll save some of your chicken dumpling soup that you always make with your mom. I want to try some."

Haley nodded as Nathan joined her at the table with his own plate of food. "Yeah, I'm hoping that I will get to carry on that tradition with my own daughter someday."

Nathan gave her a comforting smile. "I'm sure you will. I'm sure we both will get to be parents eventually."

Haley nodded as they heard Quinn and Jewel return. The two greeted her as she came into the kitchen. "I just got a call from Taylor. She is planning to stop by to give you some special birthday treats this afternoon."

Haley gave her a wide smile. "If I know Taylor, I know exactly what birthday treat she is going to bring over." Nathan looked at her interested to hear what that special treat was. "Taylor bakes these amazing brownies," she told him. "I keep asking for the recipe, but Taylor claims that she doesn't want anyone to know what the secret ingredient is."

Nathan was suspicious about what was really in the brownies. However, he didn't ask Quinn until after Haley went back upstairs to take a shower. "The secret ingredient is pot, isn't it?" he whispered to Quinn. She didn't say anything, but her face said it all. "How does Haley not know that?"

"We thought it would be easier to hide it from her," Quinn replied. "She gets so stressed out sometimes and the brownies help her relax. I told Taylor that Haley doesn't need them today, but she doesn't listen to anybody but herself."

"My lips are sealed," Nathan promised. "But you're now making me not want to eat those brownies."

Quinn just gave him a smile. "Then there is more for me and Haley."

Later that morning, Haley went out to lunch with Quinn while Nathan went to work. When they arrived back, Taylor was already there waiting for them. Haley spent the rest of the day with her sisters while getting phone calls and short visits from her friends and former students. To Haley's annoyance, Taylor didn't want to share the brownies with anybody but her sisters.

The hours flew by. It wasn't long before they had to get ready for the family dinner that Haley was hosting at her house. She wished that Nathan could join them, but she would have plenty of time for that after the divorce was final.

When Haley opened the door, her mother embraced her in a tight hug. They hadn't seen each other since Haley had ended up in the hospital. But Lydia called her daughter every week since then to make sure that her daughter was taking it easy. Haley assured her that she had nothing to worry about.

Lydia finally pulled away from the hug so Haley could greet her dad. They embraced in a hug as Lydia spoke. "You didn't start making the chicken dumpling soup without me, did you?" she asked hopefully.

"No, we were waiting for you," Haley replied before she led her mother into the kitchen. Quinn was right behind her. "And I had to make sure that we had all the ingredients." They then put their aprons on before they got started.

"How's the job search going? Have you gotten any interviews yet?" Lydia asked. Haley didn't respond. Her mother asked her this every time she called. "I know you're comfortable with substitute teaching, but I also know you would be happier teaching full-time."

"I have applied for other teaching jobs, but I haven't heard anything back from anybody yet," Haley replied. Before her mother could ask, she continued with what she wanted to say. "And Victoria has nothing to do with it. It's just that it's almost the end of the school year for most schools. So nobody needs a teacher right now."

"Then maybe you need to apply out of state," Lydia suggested. This time, she didn't let her daughter interrupt. "I know you want to be close to us, but you need to live your own life. And I don't think anything is really tying you down here."

"There are plenty of things tying me down here besides my family," Haley defended. "I have my friends." She wanted to tell her mother that she had Nathan as well, but she stopped herself before the words could get out. "And I love the small town atmosphere. It's so much quieter than the city."

Lydia could see that her daughter was getting exasperated with her. "I'm just saying that you should think about it," she replied before the subject was closed.

Normally, Haley would consider moving out of state, but she loved the little town. To her, she believed that it was the perfect place to settle down and start a family. Haley then began to wonder if it was time for her to settle down. It was weird for her to consider that since she had thought she was too young just a year earlier.

However, a lot of things had changed since then. She had fallen in love with this town, not to mention the inhabitants. But then again, this was for life. There was no turning back once she and Nathan took that next step in their relationship. Realizing that she was thinking too far ahead, she came back to reality and went back to work.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. Even Taylor behaved herself. Haley almost wished that her birthday dinner didn't have to end. But eventually, Taylor and her parents said their good-byes before they went out the door.

Quinn waited until she was sure they were gone before asking her question. "So should I wait up for you or will I just see you in the morning?" Haley frowned in confusion. "Isn't Nathan coming over to give you your birthday present? Then you are going to "walk" him home and spend the night over there?"

Haley gave her an innocent look. "I don't know what you are talking about. Why would Nathan buy me a birthday present?"

Quinn wasn't falling for her sister's lies. "Do you really think I haven't noticed how you two act around each other? I see how you light up around him. And I can see he is crazy about you. So please explain to me why you two aren't admitting that you guys are in love."

"Because Nathan is still married to Rachel," Haley reminded her. Quinn had forgotten about that. "We don't want Charlene to find out about our relationship and file a lawsuit against Nathan. He says that he doesn't care if she does find out. He loves me, but Cooper believes that it is just best to keep it a secret for now."

"You know I won't tell anyone," Quinn replied. Haley knew that her sister was telling the truth. Quinn always kept the secrets she told her. "But maybe Mom is right. Maybe you should be some distance between you and Nathan. Otherwise, it looks a little too obvious that you're staying in Tree Hill for him."

Haley had to admit she was right. As much as it hurts her, she had to get as much distance from Nathan as she can. Knowing that he would come to the house soon, she decided to beat him to the punch. "I'll be right back," she told her sister before she headed out the front door.

A few minutes later, she and Nathan were sitting down on his sofa. Before she could say a word, Nathan wanted to give her her birthday present. Opening the box, she gasped at the beautiful silver necklace that was before her. "Do you like it?" Nathan asked.

Haley gave him a small smile. "I love it," she admitted. Boy, he was only making this harder on her to tell him the news. She let out a heavy sigh as she handed the box back to him. "But I don't think I can accept it." Nathan looked at her confused, not to mention a little hurt. "You should save this for when we don't have to hide our relationship."

Nathan then realized his mistake. He let out a groan. "Man, I hate this. I can't wait until we can stop sneaking around."

Haley was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Nathan looked at her with curiosity. "My parents are encouraging me to find a teaching job out of state. At first, I didn't want to do it. After all, I love you and Tree Hill." There was a short pause before she spoke again. Nathan knew the news wouldn't be good. "But it might be the best until you and Rachel settle your divorce."

Nathan tried not to laugh. "Do you know how long that will take?" He couldn't believe that she was considering this. "And what if you fall in love with the city or town you move to? What then? Would you do the long distance relationship? Do you expect me to move there? My whole life is in Tree Hill. I've never planned to live anywhere else."

Haley gave him a look. "Would you rather admit to Rachel and Charlene that you've committed adultery?" Nathan didn't answer. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do. But I don't want to lose you. I'll move away for awhile. And we'll see where we are at the end of the year."

Nathan was still silent. Haley waited for an answer. He didn't want to admit it, but she was right. He had to let her go. There was a heavy sigh before he finally spoke. "Okay, we'll try it, but you have to promise me that you'll wait for me. You won't move on without me." Haley nodded in agreement as they embraced each other in a tight hug, not wanting to pull away.