The seasons changed as we fell in love
Learned your brothers' names and the warmth of your arms
Your mother seems to like my jokes
Spring quickly progressed to summer and with it, so did Nathan and Haley's relationship. They were young and in love; life had never felt so good. Nathan found himself changing into the guy he always hoped he could be, the guy that was good enough for Haley. She had never asked him to but it made her fall even more in love with him and she didn't care who knew about it.
Nathan spent the first part of his and Haley's relationship climbing in and out of her bedroom window. He hated being at home so Haley always let him stay with her but didn't know how to tell her family. She was one of seven children and she didn't want to throw Nathan into the deep end by introducing them.
One afternoon, Nathan was round at Haley's house for a tutoring session which had swiftly changed into a make-out session on the couch. That was until her family decided to come home early.
"Jimmy, Haley's getting pregnant on the couch," Haley's mom, Lydia called out as she entered the living room where Nathan and Haley sat blushing, Haley pulling down her ridden t-shirt. Jimmy entered the living room and stood next to Haley's mom in front of the embarrassed teenagers whilst the rest of Haley's siblings gathered in the doorway giggling.
"Hi daddy," Haley said softly in a sweet voice.
"Oh no you don't Haley Bob, there's no sweet talking your way out of this one," Jimmy spoke sternly causing Haley's smile to depart from her face.
"Jimmy, don't be so ridiculous. Give her a break, you know that Haley's a virgin," Lydia grinned.
"Mom!" gasped Haley. It was true but she would prefer it if it didn't become topic of conversation amongst her family.
"It's a damn shame if you ask me," Haley's sister Taylor commented. She was three years older than Haley and most definitely the rebel of the James clan, regularly getting herself into all sorts of mess.
"Taylor," Vivian lightly slapped Taylor on her arm. She was the eldest James girl and was the peacemaker of the family. She often kept herself to herself, her crazy family antics were sometimes too much for her to take.
"Mom, can we do this alone please?" Haley requested after glaring at her siblings.
"Fine, we can take a hint," Haley's sister Quinn sighed. Although Quinn was more like Taylor due to them both being free spirits, she and Haley had a great relationship resulting in her often turning to Haley for support. If it was Taylor turning to her for support, Haley would put up a bit of a fight knowing that there was some sort of hidden agenda but when it came to Quinn, she was always there for her. Haley admired Quinn's self-determination and ability to be so carefree; she was the person who Haley looked up to the most after her mom.
"Although you do know how thin these walls are Haley Bob," her brother Nicholas chipped in.
"We're going to be able to hear everything anyway," Haley's older brother Matthew continued.
"Come on guys, Taylor's room is right above this one. Let's see how much we can hear," Andrew, another brother of Haley's, devilishly grinned and raced towards the stairs as the rest of Haley's family followed.
"No, you best not go in my room Andy or I'm going to kill you," Taylor shrieked and although Andrew was older, Taylor was more than able to beat him till he cried like a girl.
Lydia waited for the noise to die down upstairs before she continued. "Care to introduce us to this handsome young man Haley?"
"Mom, dad, this is Nathan...my boyfriend," Haley smiled proudly.
"It's about time we finally met you." Jimmy James anger was no longer apparent, instead he was smiling brightly, something that all of the James' seemed to do.
"But dad, how did-"
"We've heard Nathan climbing in and out of your bedroom for weeks now and then last week we saw him leave," Lydia explained.
"Nothing happened Mr and Mrs James; I just stay over some time. My house isn't a great place to be right now but nothing has ever happened between me and your daughter," Nathan rambled. The last thing that he wanted to do was upset the parents of the woman that he loved.
"Well it's good to know that we haven't got any more grandchildren on the way just yet," said Jimmy as he took a seat in one of the arm chairs opposite Nathan and Haley. Lydia took a seat next to him.
"If you've known for so long, why didn't you say anything?" Haley looked puzzled. Nathan couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked.
"We were waiting for you to tell us. And we trust you. If it was Taylor sneaking boys into her room then we would have done something-"
"HEY!" Taylor's voice cried from upstairs, she had clearly heard her mother's comment.
"I guess we were just waiting for the right time to tell you. Nathan only has a small family; in fact he barely has one and-"
"Haley, we know all about Nathan. You're talking to the person who has been good friends with Karen for several years now. I know everything I need to know about the Scott's," Lydia clarified. "I hear that your parents are going through a divorce Nathan?"
"Yes, mam. My dad has been unbearable for years and my mom has finally decided to get away from him but instead she's turned to alcohol so I don't really like being with either one of them at the minute.
"Well you are welcome in our home any time Nathan. But could you just try and use the front door from now on?" Jimmy asked.
Nathan laughed at Jimmy's comment. He felt so at home with Haley and was glad that the feeling was the same when he was with her family. "Of course Mr James."
"And you can stop all of this Mr James nonsense, it makes me feel old. Call me Jimmy son, and my wife here is Lydia. Hell, we might as well introduce you to our entire brood. Hey kids, get down here," Jimmy called up through the ceiling and shortly after, his children all appeared in the living room, taking a seat wherever they could, ready to welcome Nathan. "Haley, do you want to do the honors?"
"Everyone, this is Nathan my boyfriend which I guess you have already gathered. Nathan this is everybody," Haley said looking round the room at each of her siblings. "That's Viv and Matt. They're the twins of the family."
"I don't think that I've ever seen you both around," Nathan pointed out.
"You wouldn't have. Viv lives in Charlotte with her husband Greg-"
"I'm pregnant with our second child," Vivian interrupted Haley, something which Nathan had noticed that the James' did often. It must come from living in a big family, he thought.
"And I live up in New York City," Matt added.
"Then there's my other two brothers Andy and Nick." Each nodded their head to Nathan who reciprocated.
"I'm Taylor but I'm guessing that you already know about me." Taylor smirked. She knew that she was popular and refused to hide it.
"I think everybody in Tree Hill knows about you Tay," Quinn sniggered. "Hi, I'm Quinn," she smiled at Nathan and he already decided that he liked her best. She reminded him of Haley more than the others.
"Wow, yepp your family is definitely bigger than mine."
It was hard to take everyone in and to think that there were more of them with Vivian's family.
"Would you like to stay for dinner Nathan, Vivian's staying tonight so I'm making the family's favorite," Lydia told him.
"What's the favorite?" He questioned.
"Mac and cheese," they all called out and then laughing.
"That would be great!"
Nathan could tell that there was tension amongst some of the siblings but they were definitely a close-knit family. He hated that he missed out on this growing up. Haley was lucky to have such a great family.
Lydia, Vivian and Nick went in the kitchen to start dinner as everyone else made themselves comfy. Quinn was taking pictures but not with a digital camera, an old vintage one with a large lens.
"Why's Quinn taking pictures?" Nathan whispered to Haley, slightly freaked out.
"She's photography major, she's been doing it since she could hold a camera," Haley replied in a similar soft voice. "You'll get used to it."
"Do you like sports Nate?" Jimmy asked, already giving Nathan a nickname like he was part of the family.
"Yes sir," he grinned.
"You play basketball right?" Andy added.
"Yeah-"
"Nathan's going to be in the NBA," Haley interjected proudly.
"Well good on you Nate."
"We've got a hoop in the back yard, do you want a game?" Matt proposed.
"Yeah that would be great." Nathan turned to Haley and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room with Matt, Andy and Jimmy.
"How did our Haley Bob get Nathan Scott?" Taylor squealed as she took a seat next to Haley, Quinn on the other side.
"I don't know, it just happened when I was tutoring him," Haley stated.
"What sort of lessons do you give?" Taylor quipped causing Quinn to laugh. "Who knew that our little Haley Bob was not as virginal as we first thought?"
"Just because I'm with Nathan, doesn't mean I'm not a virgin Tay. Some people can actually have a boyfriend and not sleep with him you know?"
"Yeah but where's the fun in that?" she winked. All three girls giggled. As much as Taylor was shallow at times, Haley still loved her, just the way she was.
"Hey, what are you guys laughing at?" Matt asked as he walked back into the room.
"Just some extra-curricular activities of Taylor's," Quinn replied. "What's up Matt?"
"We could do with some cheerleaders out there!"
This became a regular thing for Nathan and Haley. When they were not at school or with their friends, they were at Haley's house. He became a member of Haley's family, finally learning that there was a significant difference between each of her brothers despite them looking alike. He even had Lydia laughing at his jokes, even when they weren't funny. Jimmy had become like a father to him, someone he could turn to when life got rough and he eventually separated himself from his mom and dad completely. The only relative that he spoke to was his brother, Lucas. But he couldn't imagine it any other way. He was finally living the life that he had always wanted.
"Are you sure that you're happy here Nathan? I know that my family are a lot to take so I understand if you want to spend more time apart," Haley said to Nathan as they lay in her bed one night.
"Are you kidding Hales?" Nathan sighed, wrapping his arms tighter around Haley, embracing her warmth. "I've never been happier."
"Even with my crazy family?" She pouted.
"Even with your crazy family," he chuckled. "Or should I say our family. Because they are Hales. Andy has become like an older brother and Quinn is always there if I just need a chat. They're my new brothers and sisters. I play basketball with the guys and even go shopping with the girls. Why, do you know not want me to be here?"
"No, of course not," Haley gasped, quickly turning around in Nathan's arms. "I love having you here; I just don't want you to feel like you have to be here. I only want you to be here if you want to be here."
"I love you, that's all I need to say baby. There's nowhere else in the world that I'd rather be. I wish we could stay this way forever." He tenderly kissed Haley's lips and tightened his embrace on her.