Quote of the Day:

Melissa: Phoebe, were you ever in a sorority?
Phoebe: Of course. Yes. I was a Thigh Mega Tampon.

Chapter Twenty Seven –There's No Better Feeling Than This

"What time is it?"

"Almost 3?"

"Relax, their almost here."

"They should've been here already."

"Baby," Julian sighed. Brooke huffed before rolling her eyes and glancing away from him. She glanced around the backyard making sure that everything was just right for Nathan and Haley's return.

"Does this look straight?" Lucas questioned.

Glancing up, she watched Peyton and Lucas hold up the welcome home sign that Peyton made the night before.

"A little to the right."

"How's that?"

"Good," Brooke nodded. Glancing around one last time she finally took a seat next to Julian. She felt his hand take hold of hers and she smiled before resting her head on his shoulder.

"I had it first!"

"No, I did!"

"Boys, stop that now," Julian ordered as he glared at the twins. They were currently fighting over the football.

"He started it," Brennan mumbled as he dropped his hands.

"I was playing with it first," Jordan declared.

"Was not."

"Just share," Brooke instructed with a firm glance. "Why don't you go throw the football over there?" She pointed to the backyard.

"But I'm waiting for Hayden." Jordan held the ball firmly in his hands as he glared back at his mother.

"But I want to play now," Brennan whined.

Brooke closed her eyes in frustration. She didn't know what it was but lately the twins had been fighting about everything. She really didn't know what to do about it. They had both been really good at sharing but now for some reason they just didn't want to. She couldn't blame them. Growing up as an only child she loved having everything to herself.

She opened her mouth to try again when she finally heard the car pull up. Opening her eyes, she glanced at Julian who was chuckling. He smiled at her, that crooked smile that she loved, before glancing at Jordan.

"Your girlfriend's home," Julian informed him.

"Finally," Jordan grinned widely. He tossed the football to Brennan. "We'll play later, dude." Then he took off running around the house. Brooke followed right behind him pulling Julian with her.

Once they reached the front yard she watched as Jordan jumped into Haley's arms.

"I've missed you," Haley said hugging him tight.

Jordan smiled. "You're finally back. Mommy promised that you'd come back."

She placed him down on the ground before Hayden and Brennan came running up to her. She bent down and hugged both of them.

"Can we come sleep again?" Hayden asked.

"We'll be good," Brennan nodded.

"Hey, guys," Lucas smiled as he walked towards them with Peyton holding Anna. As soon as Anna noticed Nathan she started trying to push her way out of Peyton's arms.

"There's my girl," Nathan chuckled as he reached for her. "I've missed you."

"My Nathan," Anna giggled as she poked him in the face.

Haley leaned over and kissed Anna on the cheek. Brooke watched as everyone had their turn hugging Nathan and Haley. It was while Haley was hugging Lucas that she finally noticed the ring on her finger.

"Oh my god!"

"What is it?"

She could hear Julian next to her but she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from Haley's hand.

"Brooke, honey. Are you ok?" Julian tried again.

She nodded.

Haley let go of Lucas and glanced nervously at Nathan. Instantly he was by her side holding her hand in his. They both knew that Brooke noticed the engagement ring.

"Momma, are you ok?" Brennan asked glancing up.

"Yeah, Brooke, you're freaking us out here," Peyton added.

She pointed to Nathan and Haley smiling. "They –they…" the words just didn't seem to come out.

"Guys, we have some good news," Nathan smiled before glancing down at Haley. All eyes were on them. She took a deep breath before glancing back at the rest of their family. She smiled happily before holding up their hands.

"We're getting married."

"What?!"

"Oh my god!"

"This is so great, guys," Lucas smirked.

"I knew it," Peyton laughed as Anna pulled on her pants until she bent down and picked her up.

"This is so cool," Hayden grinned.

"Uh-huh," Brennan agreed.

"I guess," Jordan pouted before glancing down.

"We'll find you someone else," Sam joked.

"It'll be ok," Julian chuckled as he pulled Jordan against him.

Instantly, Haley bent down right in front of him. She reached out for his hand and hesitantly he held it out. She squeezed his hand in hers.

"You'll always be my number one guy," Haley smiled sweetly before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.

He grinned. "Cool."

Everyone laughed. Standing up she stood by Nathan's side again. Then they were both hugging everyone again. She knew that everyone would be happy for them.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks," Nathan smiled.

"Ok, people. Party's in the back," Lucas instructed. They all made their way around the house and into the back yard. Haley smiled brightly when she noticed all the decorations.

"You guys didn't have to do this."

"We wanted to," Brooke declared.

Peyton giggled. "We kind of missed you guys." She then punched Nathan in the arm.

"Yeah," Nathan rolled his eyes. "We kind of missed you guys, too."

"Foods almost ready," Lucas muttered.

Before Nathan could take a seat the boys were pulling on him.

"Come on!"

"We haven't played in forever!"

"You can be on my team," Brennan smiled.

"Whatever," Jordan rolled his eyes. "We're going to win."

Hayden gave him a high-five. "Let's do it."

"I'll be right there," Nathan chuckled. He watched as they all ran off towards the backyard. He smiled before glancing down at Haley. "I kind of have to…" he pointed towards the boys and she nodded.

"Go. Have fun."

"Ok."

"Go easy on my boyfriend out there," Haley teased.

"Ha-ha," Nathan retorted. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "See you later." He took off running when the boys started yelling at him. He had to admit, he missed this.

Brooke watched as Julian followed him towards the boys before she turned to Haley.

She felt nervous at Brooke's stare. "What?"

"Tell me everything," Brooke demanded.

"Everything," Peyton agreed.

~***~

"That's so romantic."

Haley smiled happily. "I know. It was so perfect."

"Tell it again," Brooke instructed. The three of them started laughing. It was way after dinner and the guys were in the living room playing video games while the three of them talked in the kitchen. She was pretty sure that the boys were still playing in the backyard.

The whole day had been perfect so far. She knew that they'd all be happy about the engagement and somehow it made her even happier. She had told them the story earlier and then twice while they ate. The story just got better and better every single time she told it.

"Thank you, guys. You've been so great to me since I've come back and it means a lot."

"Well, you mean a lot to us, Haley James," Peyton teased.

Brooke nodded. "You're family."

"Thanks." Leaning in, she hugged Brooke tightly.

"Well, I'm going to go put Anna to bed."

"Kiss her goodnight for me."

As Peyton walked out the door, Nathan walked in. He took a seat next to Haley and reached for her hand.

"Should I give you two lovebirds some alone time?"

Haley glanced at Nathan before looking back at her. "Actually, we really would like to talk to you about something if you don't mind."

"Go ahead."

"Well, we're getting married," Nathan started.

"Yeah," Brooke grinned.

"And we were talking about it and we decided that we want to get married as soon as possible," Haley muttered.

Nathan nodded. "We've been apart for so long and we can't wait to start our life together."

"This is all great and I'm glad for both of you but what does that have to do with me?" Brooke questioned confused. It took them a few seconds to answer.

"Well, we kind of want you to plan it."

"Really?"

"We would really love it," Nathan nodded.

"It'll be one of your Christmas presents," Haley giggled.

"This is so awesome," Brooke declared happily. "But really, you did get me an actual present, right?"

"Of course," Haley nodded.

"This is so awesome," Brooke repeated.

Nathan held up his hands. "We just have a few conditions."

"Ok. What are they?"

"We've already picked a date. January 23."

"That's less than a month away," Brooke mumbled.

"We know," Nathan smiled. "And we already called the church. We want to get married at the same church that Haley's parents got married in. We're meeting with the minister tomorrow."

"We also have the guest list."

"Anything else?"

They both shook their heads. "You can plan everything else. We can do this together. I really would love it if you helped me. I know it's a short time but we really want this."

"Of course," Brooke smiled. "Everything is going to be so perfect! I promise."

"Hales, you didn't tell her the best part," Nathan grinned.

"What's that?" Brooke smiled eagerly.

Haley smiled. "Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Shut up!"

"She gets this way when she's excited," Nathan whispered into Haley's ear. They both started laughing as Brooke glanced at them shocked.

"Shut up!"

"Will you?"

"Come on, Brooke. What do you say?" Nathan asked.

"I say hell yes. I'd be honored."

"Really?" She had gotten really close to Brooke since she returned to Tree Hill. Brooke had always been there when she needed her and was always pushing her in the right direction. Anytime she needed to talk about Nathan, Brooke had been there for her. It only seemed right that she was standing next to her at the wedding.

"There's so much to do!"

"Yep," Nathan nodded.

"And little time," Brooke added. "But it's ok. I can do this. There's nothing to worry about. We can get everything ready in a few weeks."

"Nothing really big and fancy. Just small and eloquent."

"Done. I can do that."

"Great," Nathan smiled. "We knew you'd be happy about this. We rather you put everything together than some stranger. This really means a lot to us."

"It does," Haley agreed.

Brooke smiled proudly. "I should probably get to work. I'm thinking Karen for the catering. Sue's Flower shop should have all the flowers we need. In fact, I'm going to make a few phone calls." She stood up quickly and walked out of the kitchen while dialing on her cell phone.

Haley glanced up at Nathan and smiled. "That went well."

"I told you she'd be happy to do it. She loves this kind of stuff. I just don't want you to be surprised if the wedding turns out huge and fancy. Brooke tends to follow her own rules."

"Let her. I don't care. As long as you and I are married, that's all that matters."

He smirked before leaning down and pressing their lips softly together. They kissed for a few minutes before breaking apart. Nathan stood up and held out his hand for her. She was on her feet a second later and standing in front of him.

"Let's go back outside with the boys. I think my parents should be arriving soon and I want to be the one to tell them. My Mom is going to be so excited. I can't wait to see her face. She always thought that we were meant to be." He smiled lovingly at her before brushing her hair behind her ears.

"Guide the way husband to be."

~***~

How was it possible that she was packing again? They had just arrived home a few days ago and already it was time to go. Pulling out a few more outfits she folded them and placed them in her suitcase. It was seconds later when she was done. A few feet away she noticed Brooke raving franticly on the phone.

She hung it up. "How hard is it to take a cake order?"

"Relax, will you," Haley laughed. "Everything will be fine. Shouldn't it be me freaking out and you trying to calm me down?"

"True," Brooke chuckled. "I can't believe you guys are leaving already."

"I know. We're driving there tonight to be there tomorrow for Christmas Eve and then we're leaving tomorrow night to be back for Christmas with you guys. It's going to be three crazy days."

"As long as you're back for Christmas."

"We will."

"Well, I'm off. Call me later."

"See ya."

Brooke blew her a kiss before walking out of the room. Once she was gone, Haley zipped up her bag and placed it by the door. She had been staying at Nathan's since they had gotten back home. Slowly they had been moving her things in. They decided to live in Nathan's house, only now it was their house.

Making her way downstairs and into the kitchen, she stood in front of the sink. Through the window she noticed Nathan still shooting in the backyard. She watched him for minutes, her mouth watering. He was shirtless, his chest glistening with sweat. The sun was hitting his body perfectly and it looked like he was glowing. She tapped on the window and it was seconds later when he glanced in her direction. He smiled before jogging towards her.

The back door closed and he walked into the kitchen.

"You still haven't packed."

"I will."

"When?"

"Later."

"We have to leave in an hour."

"I've got time."

"Nathan –"

"Fine, I'll go now," Nathan muttered shaking his head. "Help me?" He smiled hopefully at her before pouting. She sighed before laughing softly.

"Let's go."

Once they were in the room she sat at the edge of the bed as Nathan stood in front of the closet. She knew that as much as Nathan wanted to meet the rest of her family, a little part of him didn't want to go at all. She knew that it was the reason why he wasn't packed yet. He was a little scared to meet her brothers. It didn't help that Lucas and Julian kept on teasing him. It was minutes later and still he hadn't moved from his spot.

"Is there a problem?"

He raked his fingers in his hair. "What do I wear for your family who hates me?"

"They don't hate you," Haley insisted.

He glanced at her doubtfully. "Yes they do and we shouldn't go. We should just stay here until after the wedding and then I'll meet them."

"Nathan, you don't have to be nervous –"

"I'm not nervous," Nathan stated firmly.

She smiled. "Sure. Look, there's nothing to worry about. They're going to love you, I know it. You just need to relax and pack your bag so we're not on the road late."

"You promise that they'll like me?"

"I promise," Haley declared as she stood and made her way towards him. Wrapping her arm around his back, she leaned into him. "Feel better?"

"Yep," Nathan nodded. "I just want to warn you now. You can't leave me for a second with them. I'm serious. We should be together at all times."

"Ok," Haley laughed.

"Let's get this over with," Nathan breathed. He started packing slowly as she stood there and helped him. Once they were done he brought the bags down to the truck and got everything ready for them to leave. He then took a shower and got dressed. Once they were on the road, Nathan held her hand tightly.

"This is going to be fun."

He laughed nervously. "Let's just go over it one more time."

"Ok. Vivian's married to Adam and they have a daughter named Alexandra but we call her Alex. Alex is like the girl version of Jordan. They'd be like best friends. She'd probably kick his ass though."

"I like her already," Nathan joked.

She laughed. "Brad is married to Carmen and they have little Michael. He's such a little cutie but he's so shy. Quinn is divorced. She just started dating Kevin. He's really nice. Then there's Taylor and you already know her. You can just ignore her. We all do. Let's see, you already know my Mom and Dad."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Nope."

"Ok, good. See I was under the impression that you had five brothers and sisters but if you just have four then I'm good." He smiled playfully at her.

Rolling her eyes, she laughed. "Fine. Mark is married to Beth. She's pregnant but the baby should be here any day now. And he's…a little protective but I've got it under control."

"Easy for you to say, my brother loves you. Hell, me whole family loves you!"

"I can't help it if I'm loveable," Haley objected.

He chuckled. "You can't help that."

"Just relax and leave my brother to me. I'll handle him."

"If you say so," Nathan muttered. "So you're just going to boss me around now?"

"Uh-huh." She grinned before glancing at him.

"Just checking."

"Oh, I just thought of another thing. My Dad loves golf and Brad loves football. You know, it's something that you can talk to them about."

She had been doing this the whole drive and he really didn't mind. He needed to know what the members of her family liked. It was good to find something in common with them. He would need it once they got there. But he couldn't help but noticed how she mentioned something that everyone else liked but she never mentioned anything about Mark.

"So there's really no hope for Mark liking me then?"

She giggled. "I'll work on it."

"Something tells me that these next two days are going to be wild," Nathan muttered nervously.