PART III

"Thank you so much for coming along with me Mom. Nathan was getting tired of running all these last minute errands." Haley spoke happily as they walked into the bakery.

"Well I can't blame him. Your father hated planning our wedding, but he helped because he knew I wanted him too. It's just not as fun for them. This is something you've been thinking about for a long time, but to them, it's just a big party." Lydia grinned.

Haley shrugged, "Yeah. I know Nathan's excited for the wedding, but I think he'd be just as happy if it was just me and him and a minister." She flashed her mom a smile. "But I don't mind planning everything. Nathan says I'm a natural planner."

"Then it would seem Nathan knows you pretty well."

Haley grinned, "Yeah he does. I'm so excited Mom. I know some people talk about getting cold feet, or second guessing their decision, but really I think this is the smartest thing I've ever done. I've never had one negative thought about it. Except for the dreams where I get a big stain on my dress and I have to walk down the aisle looking hideous."

Lydia slung her arm around Haley's shoulders. "I don't think you have any reason to second guess. When you were little I used to watch you. You were always happiest when you had just gotten a new book. I think you saw all the potential of where a story could take you. And as much as I loved how thoughtful and imaginative you were; a part of me worried that you spent too much time by yourself." Lydia tucked a strand of hair behind Haley's ear. "Then you brought home a lanky little blonde, and you two were inseparable. I love Lucas as much as I love any of your brothers and sisters, and a part of me always thought you two might fall in love."

Haley blanched visibly at that, and Lydia laughed.

"Oh I see how wrong I was now. The minute I met Nathan, you remember that night on the front porch, don't you?" Haley nodded. "It just took those few minutes to see that you had found something special. You were glowing Haley, absolutely happy, and it still makes me smile to think of how lucky you've been to find him so early in your life. You and Nathan are going to be so happy together, and I'm so thankful I get to see the two of you start your life together. It's what every mother should have." Lydia hugged Haley hard.

"Mom…" Haley broke off, tears flooding her eyes. "Thank you."

"I mean it Haleybub. I love you, and I love Nathan, and I hope you have a very happy life together."

Haley hugged her mom tightly, the tears sliding out of the corner of her eyes, and her heart warmed.

"Take that!" Jimmy yelled.

"Nice try old man; got to move faster than that to get past me." Nathan shouted back.

Jimmy pressed furiously at the game controls, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "You haven't won yet pretty boy. Just wait till the second half, my team's making a comeback."

Nathan scoffed loudly, "You don't scare me. Besides, it's not like we're playing pinball, old timer."

Jimmy laughed. "I was the original pinball wizard. I'm a pinball wizard, there has to be a twist. I've got such supple wrists."

Nathan stared, "What?"

Jimmy shook his head, laughing. "Oh poor boy, doesn't know his Who songs. Never mind."

Nathan laughed, "I'm sure that was some song reference from the 60's, so I'll ignore it. If it was before I was born, then I don't care."

Jimmy shook his head, "That is so sad. You know I'm going to have to work on making you appreciate the beginning of rock and roll."

"I'm sure you will. I look forward to it. Now stop distracting me, we have a second half to play."

"Oh trust me, I can do both." Jimmy watched the screen carefully, his fingers pushing furiously at the buttons. "So you excited for Saturday?"

Nathan's eyes watched his man drive to the net, his mind thinking of Haley. "Yeah I really am. As hard as Haley's been working on getting everything perfect, I know it's going to be beautiful."

"Are you trying to tell me you didn't help plan?" Jimmy laughed.

Nathan chuckled, "Well in the beginning I tried. But then Haley asked my opinion on center pieces and I obviously chose the wrong one because she hasn't asked for my opinion since."

"Well which one did you pick?"

"Hell if I know. I think it had sunflowers in it, and then I heard Haley mutter 'tacky' under her breath. I figured my safest bet was to just nod and agree with everything she picked." Nathan sighed. "But I'm not worried, Haley has good taste. It's not like she'd put me in a kilt or anything."

"I should hope not. Though I'm sure you'd look good in a skirt." Jimmy laughed loudly.

"Oh thanks!"

The doorbell rang loudly and Nathan paused the game as the front door opened and Tim strode in. "Hey Nate. Hey Mr. James." He moved to sit on the chair.

"Hey Tim, what's up?" Nathan turned towards Tim, relaxing against the plush couch.

"Not a whole lot. Just wanted to see what you were up to. You excited for tonight?" Tim wiggled his eyebrows.

Nathan shook his head, laughing. "Yeah, sure Tim. Are you even going to tell me what we're doing?"

Tim smiled, "Nope. And I talked to Lucas; we're going to combine our ideas. So it should be a good evening. You're coming, right Mr. James?"

Jimmy smiled, "Wouldn't miss it for the world. And thank you guys for inviting Ryan and Mark. I really appreciate it."

Tim shrugged, "Your Nathan's family now."

Nathan smiled at his friend, "Thanks Tim. So what time do we need to be ready?"

"Lucas and I will pick you up at 7, so be ready to go. Don't worry about bringing cash, we have you covered."

Nathan looked at Tim reluctantly, "Okay."

Tim stood, "Well I need to get out of here, make sure we're ready to go. I'll see you boys at 7!" He waved, heading out the front door.

Jimmy laughed as Tim slammed the front door. "He's an interesting guy."

"That's the understatement of the year." Nathan laughed. "But he's been a good friend over the years."

Jimmy nodded, "I don't doubt it. It's clear that he's very happy for you."

"Yeah he is. And this party should be interesting though it makes me feel a little better that Luke is helping plan it. Tim has had his share of interesting ideas."

"Well I can't wait. And I'm glad you don't mind that I'm tagging along. Nothing like your future father in law partying with you." Jimmy chuckled.

Nathan shrugged, "I'm glad you're coming. I mean, my dad and Keith are coming too, so it wouldn't be right if you weren't there. Besides, Haley's got Lydia and my mom and Karen going. We wanted everyone to be included."

"Well Lydia and I appreciate it." Jimmy turned back to the screen. "Now quit distracting me, I believe I was kicking your ass in basketball."

"You cannot wear that tonight!" Brooke screeched at the bottom of the stairs.

Haley looked down at her outfit, "What's wrong with it?"

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Where do I start? First of all, you're wearing pants. Second of all, you're wearing pants. And third of all, where did you get that top, Target?"

Haley glared at her, looking to Peyton for help. "It's not that bad."

Peyton smiled briefly, "Uh, I'm sorry, but it is. So turn that cute little butt around and pick out something sexy."

"Mom!" Haley shouted.

"No need to yell dear, I'm right here." Lydia strolled in from the living room. "Oh Haley, you better hurry up and change we need to get going."

Haley stomped her foot. "I am changed!"

Brooke and Peyton giggled. Lydia smiled, "Oh well, um, how about we go take a look in your closet. You're getting married, now's the time to live it up. Look at Peyton and Brooke, they look adorable."

Haley growled, clearly unhappy.

"Brooke, why don't you and Peyton run up to Haley's closet, pull something out, and we'll be up there soon. I'll calm down Bridezilla."

"Mom!" Haley shrieked again as Brooke and Peyton hurried up the stairs, stifling their laughter.

"What's the problem honey?" Lydia ran a hand down Haley's back.

"Nothing. I don't know." Haley slumped down on the couch, her head in her hands.

Lydia smiled at her daughter. "You're nervous about Nathan's party."

Haley scoffed, "What? No I'm not. Definitely not."

"It's okay to be worried about it. I think it would be strange if you weren't."

Haley sighed, "It's not that I don't trust Nathan. Because I do. Completely. But I just don't enjoy the idea that he's probably going to see strippers and god knows what else Tim has planned."

"Oh honey, Nathan doesn't care about all that. I've never seen a man less enthused for his own bachelor party. If Nathan had his way he'd be spending the evening with you." She hugged Haley, "And besides, didn't Nathan say Lucas was helping plan it?" Haley nodded. "Well then, you have nothing to worry about. Lucas will help calm the plans down."

"Yeah I know. I guess I better get up there and change. Brooke wanted us to be able to leave by 7."

"Okay honey. Go change." Lydia hugged Haley one more time, and watched as she left, a little less weight on her shoulders.

The back door slammed open, Jimmy and Nathan laughing loudly.

"Where have you two been?" Lydia stood smiling.

Jimmy crossed to his wife, kissing her quickly. "I was showing Nathan the finer points of Led Zeppelin."

"Oh, poor Nathan. Did Jimmy make you listen to his old records?" Lydia smiled at Nathan.

Nathan laughed, smiling, "Yeah, but it wasn't that bad. I have to admit, Zeppelin was a pretty good band back in their day."

Jimmy nodded, "And they did write the quintessential make out song. Eleven minutes of uninterrupted kissing." He grinned at Lydia.

"Speaking of making out, where's Haley?" Nathan looked around.

"Upstairs changing. Brooke and Peyton didn't approve of her first outfit. I'm sure she could use a rescue." Lydia smiled.

Nathan smiled, nodding, as he climbed the stairs, the sounds of girls giggling getting louder.

"Knock knock. Man entering." Nathan leaned against the door jamb.

"Hey!" Haley smiled happily, bouncing over to kiss him warmly. "Where have you been?"

Nathan kissed her again, leaning down to press his lips against hers. "Just hanging out with your dad. He was making me listen to 'Stairway to Heaven' over and over."

Haley cringed. "Poor baby."

"Hey! Quit distracting her, she needs to get changed." Brooke grabbed Haley's arm, directing her back towards the closet.

"What's wrong with what she's wearing?" Nathan frowned.

"Men." Brooke muttered. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your party? Tim and Lucas should be here soon."

Nathan shrugged looking down at his shirt, "I am ready. What do I need to dress up for?" He moved to sit on their bed, as Peyton pulled another top out of Haley's closet and held it up to inspect.

Haley laughed, "That's my guy. But you probably should change." She sighed as Peyton threw a top at her to try on.

"That's cool. I'll change when you guys are done."

Haley pulled the top over her head, straightening it to look in the mirror. "Okay, how's this one?" She looked to both Brooke and Peyton.

Brooke whistled. "That is it! Perfect. And I don't even mind that you're wearing pants anymore. You look great Hales."

Peyton nodded, "I did a good job, if I do say so myself."

Haley turned to Nathan, wanting his opinion. "What do you think?"

Nathan's eyes roamed over her body, taking extra care to notice the way the top, in such a deep shade of blue, brought out the creaminess of her skin. It was a halter top, the cut accentuating her breasts, and Nathan longed to reach over and tug her free. The shirt flared slightly at her waist, the trim edged in satin, and he wished he was closer so he could run the material through his hands.

He shook his head, hoping to clear some of the lust from his eyes, before he spoke, his voice oddly raspy. "You look gorgeous."

Haley beamed and Peyton laughed. "We need to get you out of here fast, before lover boy pounces."

Brooke laughed, watching the way Nathan's eyes stayed on Haley. "Just let me touch up your makeup Hales, and then we can get going."

Haley barely heard her; instead she was focused solely on how Nathan was watching her. "Sure."

"Okay, well in order for me to fix your makeup, you need to come in the bathroom." Brooke tugged on Haley's arm, breaking their eye contact.

Peyton laughed as Nathan's eyes followed Haley's form. "So, how you doing Nate?" She moved to straighten up the clothes that littered the floor.

Nathan turned to Peyton reluctantly. "I'm good. Excited for this weekend. How are you and Lucas?"

Peyton smiled happily. "We're good. Really good. Thanks for asking."

Nathan shrugged, "Well I'm glad. You deserve it. And if I have to hear Lucas talk one more time about how much he loves you, I'm going to have to hit him."

"Aww, leave him alone. He's put up with you for a long time."

Nathan laughed, "I guess that's true. Okay, I'll cut him some slack. So," he glanced at the bathroom door, "what do you ladies have planned for tonight?"

"Nope. Not happening." Peyton moved into the closet.

"What?" Nathan asked innocently.

"I'm not telling you anything, so don't even bother asking me." She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Fine. I won't ask. I'm sure you girls will have fun though. I just hope Lucas and Tim came through for me."

Peyton laughed, "Oh trust me. They did."

Nathan narrowed his eyes, "Why are you laughing?"

"No reason. I just like to torture you." Peyton laughed again as the bathroom door opened and Brooke and Haley emerged.

"Okay, let's go before lover boy ruins her makeup." Brooke pushed Haley towards the door past Nathan.

"Hey!" Nathan bolted off the bed. "At least let me say goodbye."

"Alright, but make it quick. I'm counting." Brooke pulled Peyton out the door, leaving Nathan and Haley alone.

"You look gorgeous, Hales." Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist, his nose moving to nuzzle her neck.

Haley giggled. "Thank you. I'm going to miss you tonight." She kissed him warmly, her lips pressed evenly with his.

"I'm going to miss you too. Don't have too much fun without me. I don't want to hear about you getting a lap dance from any stripper."

Haley's arms tightened around his waist, "Don't worry, the only person I want to see strip is right here."

"Oh really? Well how about we skip the parties and I give you your own private show here." Nathan kissed her jaw, his teeth nipping slightly.

"That's quite the offer, but I have to go. Brooke and Peyton are really excited. Besides, you're going to have lots of fun." She kissed him again, this time deepening the kiss.

Nathan pulled at her hair, his hands fisting in her long curls, and his mouth opened wide, wanting to taste her completely. Haley kissed back, her tongue soft and plundering.

"Haley!" Brooke screeched from downstairs.

Haley pulled away quickly, her breath coming fast. "I'm coming!" She kissed him again, wanting to keep his taste on her lips.

"Nathan! Quit touching her!" Brooke yelled again. "Lucas and Tim are here anyway."

Nathan sighed loudly. "Okay!" He reattached his lips to hers, pushing hard against her mouth as she pushed back with equal force.

"One!" Brooke yelled.

Haley pulled apart from Nathan, pushing him back.

"Two!"

"Hales…" Nathan tried to pull her back to him.

"I have to go."

"Three!"

Haley kissed him quickly before running out the door. "Have a good time tonight. But not too much time."

"Four!"

"I love you, and I'll miss you! Bye!"

And with that she was gone, darting down the stairs to Brooke's continued counting. Nathan moved to sit wearily on the bed.

"Why aren't you ready to go?" Lucas appeared in the doorway, smirking.

"Shut up. Just give me a minute. It won't take me long to change shirts." Nathan stood in the closet, pulling down a button up shirt. "Now, are you going to tell me where we're going?"

Lucas's smirk grew. "Nope."

"I hate you."

Lucas laughed. "Love you too bro. I saw that Brooke splurged and got the girls a limo. I'm sorry to say we didn't."

Nathan whistled low. "That sounds like Brooke. You know where they're going?"

"Yep. Not telling you that either."

Nathan turned, frown in place. "Why did you come up here? Just to bother me?"

Lucas moved further into the room. "Pretty much."

"Gee thanks. Now, just so I'm safe; you did help plan this right? You didn't leave me to Tim did you?"

Lucas laughed, "Yeah I helped plan it. Don't worry, no male strippers this time."

Nathan pulled a comb through his hair before spraying a spritz of cologne. "Well let's get this over with."

"Try and enjoy it. Tim is really excited about it. Even Jimmy's down there pacing, ready to go."

Nathan took one long look in the mirror, straightening his shoulders,"Let's not keep them waiting."

"Why won't you tell me where we're going?" Haley pouted from the back of the limo, a glass of champagne in her hand.

"What fun would that be?" Peyton smirked. "Besides, we have more than one stop to make this evening. So just settle back and relax."

Haley relaxed against the plush leather interior of the limo, Lydia right next to her. "So is everyone else meeting us there?"

Brooke glanced out the window. "Yeah, your sisters and all your friends should be waiting when we get to our final destination." She moved to top off Haley's champagne.

Haley brought the flute to her lips, loving the way the bubbles slid down her throat. "Thank you guys for all of this. I know I was a bit of a pain earlier, but I really do appreciate all you have done to help me." She clinked her glass with Peyton's, and then Brooke's.

"Well thank you for giving us an excuse to party. Marrying Nathan Scott. Quite the party." Brooke smiled.

"No problem." Haley smiled back as the limo rolled to a stop. "Are we here?"

Peyton smiled brilliantly, "Stop number one. Enjoy."

"Tim!" Nathan tried to shout over the noise in the car, the bass rumbling in the speakers. "Tim!"

"What man?" Tim turned in the driver's seat to look at Nathan.

"Can we turn this down? I think you're giving Jimmy a headache." Nathan turned to look at Jimmy in the backseat.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Jimmy smiled.

"Well then can we turn it down for me?" Nathan's hand reached out to snap down the volume. "God, I couldn't hear myself think."

"Cheer up Nate. And get ready to have fun." Tim smiled, turning the car into the parking lot, the bright neon sign flashing.

Nathan looked at the familiar brick building, his eyebrows furrowing. "Tric?"

Lucas clapped Nathan on the shoulder. "The one and only."

"I can't believe you took me to a sex shop." Haley groaned as the limo pulled away from the curb. "And with my mother."

Lydia laughed. "I thought we went over this Bub, I know you and Nathan have sex."

Haley groaned loudly. "And I thought we decided to never talk about it again.

"Right, my mistake."

Brooke laughed, "Hey, we had to get you something for the honeymoon right? And that lingerie number was hot. You guys won't see much of Greece."

Haley giggled, "Yeah probably not. But all that sex food. I mean, really." She peeked in the bag.

"If you don't know what to do with that, maybe you guys shouldn't be getting married." Peyton joked.

"Funny! But thank you. I'm sure Nathan will appreciate it more than I do."

Brooke shrugged, "No problem. Now, that was the only stop we had to make, so before we get to where we're going, I'm sorry but you're going to have to be blindfolded."

"What? Why?"

"Because its fun, and I said so." Brooke pulled out the satin band, tying it securely around Haley's eyes.

"You know I hate surprises." Haley grumbled.

"That's why we planned it."

"Fabulous."

Lucas flipped on the lights, and Nathan's eyes struggled to focus against the sudden light. The inside of Tric had been transformed to look like a Vegas Casino. Slots lined one wall, while the main area was littered with blackjack tables, poker tables, and roulette wheels.

Nathan nodded slowly, seeing the short skirted cocktail waitresses moving around the tables with trays. A few of Nathan's teammates sat at a variety of tables, as music blared through the speakers.

"Welcome to your bachelor party Nate. I hope you like it." Tim clapped Nathan on the back before he moved to join a poker game.

Lucas moved to stand beside Nathan. "So what do you think?"

Nathan nodded, "Nice. I'm impressed."

"It was actually Tim's idea. His brother knew a place where you can rent slots and poker tables. I thought it sounded like a good idea. Not your traditional bachelor party, but I knew you wouldn't want to spend your night in a sleazy strip bar."

"Yeah you got that right. Thanks man, you guys did a great job."

Lucas smiled, "Good, now let's go get a drink."

"Can I please take this off now?" Haley spoke between Lydia and Peyton as they guided her upstairs.

Brooke turned around quickly. "Almost, now just hold on." She peeked inside the door and Haley could hear the sounds of loud music and laughter.

"Okay, just follow me." Brooke grabbed Haley's hand, pulling her blindly into the room. Peyton moved to untie the blindfold as they flood of lights had Haley blinking.

"Where are we?" Haley looked around cluelessly.

Lydia laughed, "Don't tell me you don't recognize it."

Haley's eyes focused on the large neon sign. "Tric? We're at Tric?" She blinked at her friends.

Brooke gave her a little push, guiding her farther into the club. Haley's eyes danced around, noticing the boys that littered the club, the various tables where they played poker and drank. She turned, eyed the bar, and saw a very familiar form.

Haley's eyes glittered happily. "You guys!" She hugged them tightly.

Peyton laughed, "We knew that if anyone wanted a joint party, it was you and Nathan. And we planned with Lucas and Tim in order to give you guys a party to remember." She glanced behind them. "And by the looks of Nathan, he still has no clue you're here."

Haley smiled happily. "Thank you!" She bounced off, gliding towards the bar.

Nathan stood with his back to the room, Lucas talking to him animatedly as they ordered their drinks. Haley walked her fingers up Nathan's strong back, feeling his muscles tense beneath her fingertips.

He turned his head slowly, his apology slipping off his lips before he caught sight of her and pulled her off her feet.

"What are you doing here?" He spoke happily into her hair.

Haley kissed him quickly. "It looks like our friends know us better than we thought. They planned a joint party for us."

Nathan smiled brightly. "It looks like this evening just got better." He turned to Lucas, grinning. "You bastard, wouldn't tell me anything."

Lucas grinned. "Hey, I had to keep the secret. Peyton would have killed me." He turned to Haley. "Now speaking of Miss Sawyer, where would she be?"

Haley glanced over her shoulder. "Last time I saw her, she was over by the door."

Lucas looked past her, saw those familiar golden curls and smiled. "I'll see you guys later."

Nathan focused on Haley again. "I'm glad you're here. You want something to drink?" She nodded and he turned to the bar, ordering her a drink.

"You want to play a hand of blackjack?"

Haley smirked, "21? Let's go."

The noise level had tripled as everyone laughed and played, the yells of winners, the groans of losers, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Haley and Nathan had stuck together for the most part, except for when Brooke insisted they spend time apart.

Nathan had lost three straight hands at poker, and he pushed back his chair, looking for a sign of Haley.

"Nathan." Dan reached out to grab Nathan's arm as he attempted to cross the room.

Nathan sighed heavily. "What, Dad?"

Dan straightened, pulling briefly at the collar of his shirt. "Congratulations son."

Nathan looked at his father wearily. "Thank you."

"Look Nate, I know I've been hard on you. And I pushed you. But I really am proud of everything you've done."

"Dad…"

"I know I have a lot of years to make up for, but it means a lot that you included me in this. You and Haley are going to be very happy together. I'm glad that your mother and I didn't ruin your chance."

"You and Mom didn't affect me. I found someone who understands me, who helps me. I just got lucky."

Dan nodded slowly. "Yeah well, congratulations. Give Haley my best."

Nathan merely nodded, moving to rejoin Haley at the blackjack table.

Haley was having the time of her life. She had never had so much fun with all of their family and friends, and to know that they were all there to help them celebrate before their wedding only made her happier.

The music cut off suddenly and Brooke and Tim stood on the stage. "Excuse me!"

Everyone turned their attention to the stage, their eyes questioning.

"Now, as everyone knows, we're here to help Nathan and Haley celebrate their last night of true freedom before the wedding. Or at least that's what a bachelor party is normally. But seeing that our favorite couple is practically joined at the hip, we knew they'd appreciate a joint party. So instead of the usual stripper fare, Peyton, Lucas, Tim and I came up with Vegas night. And to help our future couple, who don't need the money, seeing as Nathan's a big NBA star, all the money won by the house will be donated to the charity of Nathan and Haley's choice." Brooke smiled.

"So have fun, drink up, and gamble the night away!" Tim cheered. He raised his glass and the rest of the room followed. "To Nathan and Haley! May your wedding be only the beginning to a wonderful life!"

The crowd cheered, and a chorus of "to Nathan and Haley!" followed. Nathan kissed Haley happily and their friends and family clapped, a perfect night, a perfect prelude to Saturday.

They only had to survive the rehearsal dinner first.