AN: Hey, guys. So sorry that it's been so long. I've been working non stop and I haven't really been home lately. Well, here is the last chapter. I'll be posting the epilogue by next week. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed this story. I hope you enjoyed it.
Quote of the Day:
Karen: Good Lord. I can't believe I'm at a public pool. Why doesn't somebody just pee directly on me?
Chapter Twenty Nine –It Was All Meant To Be
"The wedding is in a week and I still haven't found a dress," Haley shrieked in the passenger's seat of Brooke's BMW. It seemed like Brooke really didn't care that she hadn't found the dress yet. They had looked at countless stores and even took a trip up to New York a week ago and still nothing.
"Will you relax we have all day."
"Yeah, breathe," Peyton giggled from the backseat.
"Easy for you to say. I'm sure that you didn't have this problem when you were marrying Lucas. How the hell am I supposed to get married without a wedding dress? I have my whole family flying down here for the wedding, which is in a week by the way, and I still don't have a damn wedding dress!"
"I'm sure we'll find you one today," Brooke muttered as she glanced quickly at her before turning her attention back to the road.
Haley sighed. "Well, if you're sure."
She hated feeling this way and she hated that she was taking it out on the two of them but they were the only ones around. Since she had returned for Christmas things had been hectic. These last few weeks had just flown by and it seemed like the wedding would be tomorrow. It was just all so stressful. There were just so many decisions to make and things to pick out. If it wasn't the flowers it was the place settings. The other day Brooke had her picking out napkins. Who the hell cares what color napkins are? Brooke, that's who.
She was driving Haley crazy that was for sure.
The only thing that Brooke hadn't been pushy on was the wedding dress. Nope, both Brooke and Peyton had sat back and watched her look in store after store. She didn't know what it was with the two of them but if they didn't find a dress today she was going to hurt someone. She couldn't show up to her own wedding in nothing.
It hadn't taken this long to pick out a dress for her last wedding. But then again she hadn't really been in love with Chris and she hadn't really wanted to marry him either. Things weren't like they were now. Last time around she hadn't really cared about planning the perfect wedding. Now, it was all she could do to get everything just perfect.
"Where are we going? Charlotte is that way?"
She pointed to the right as Brooke made a left downtown.
"Just a quick stop."
"We kind of have a surprise for you," Brooke smiled.
She felt horrible for being so bitchy around them lately. All they were doing was helping out and she had been acting like the bride from hell, she was sure. This somehow only made her feel worse. She smiled at each of them.
"Do we really have time? If I don't find a dress today then I'm just going to this thing naked," Haley pointed out in a huff.
Peyton giggled. "I'm sure the guys would love that."
"You'll like this surprise, promise," Brooke smirked as she parked the car before Haley could get out Brooke told hold of her arm as Peyton held out a black scarf.
"Surprise remember," Peyton stated as she held out the scarf. "Put it on and make sure that you can't see anything."
She took it hesitantly, wondering where on earth they were taking her. She placed it on tight and just like they wanted she couldn't see a thing. She heard a door open and close as both girls giggled and she sat there waiting. This was a surprise all right. She didn't know what to expect.
Finally the door opened and she felt one of them take hold of her arm and pull her out. She stood carefully before she felt someone's hand take hold of hers. She held it tightly as they started walking.
"You guys aren't trying to kill me because of the way I've been acting, huh?"
More laughing. "She's figured it out."
"Damn," Peyton snickered.
"Real funny guys," Haley muttered nervously.
She heard whistling as both girls continued to laugh. She wanted to know what was so damn funny. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. It didn't help matters that she could hear a few guys calling out to them.
"Like what you see?" Brooke asked winking at them.
"You bet."
"Oh my god," Haley muttered. "You have no shame."
"She really doesn't," Peyton agreed.
The voices of the men faded out until she couldn't hear them anymore.
"Steps."
Slowly, with both of their help, they made it to the top of the steps. Then they were standing still. She waited and it sounded like one of them was looking for something. She could hear things being moved around.
"Don't tell me you forgot your keys."
Brooke rolled her eyes. "They're in here somewhere…I think."
"Brooke!"
"What I was in a rush this morning. Bridezilla would have killed me if I had been late picking her up!"
"Hey!"
"Hales, I'm sorry but have you met you lately," Peyton said squeezing her hand.
"Still," Haley sighed. Was it a crime to want her wedding to be perfect? She wanted everything to be perfect and this whole process was just stressful. She really hadn't meant to take it out on anyone. She felt horrible. She was going to have to make this up to them.
"We've all been there," Peyton tried to soothe her.
Brooke nodded. "You don't want to know what I was like."
"I'm sure a force to be reckoned with," Peyton agreed with a huge grin.
"Worse than me?"
"Oh, Haley," Brooke laughed loudly, "do you really have to ask that question?"
She laughed softly as Brooke's words comforted her. It was good to know that she wasn't the only bride that acted this way. It's like she couldn't help herself. No matter what everything just stressed her out and made her somehow mean. It was ok because it was almost over soon. Then she'd be married to the love of her life and everything would be perfect.
"Found it!" Brooke shouted happily as she held up the keys in her hand before sticking her tongue out at Peyton.
Peyton rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Just open the door, B. Davis, before Haley here has a panic attack again."
"Hey, that was once!"
The door opened and she was pushed inside. They kept on walking until Peyton pulled her to a complete stop and they just stood there motionless for a few seconds.
"Whenever you're ready."
"Almost."
"I was just joking about the killing me part," Haley smiled nervously.
"Unfortunately for you, we weren't," Peyton muttered with a smile.
"You ready?"
"That depends."
"On?"
"What the hell you're about to show me."
"It's a good surprise."
"A real good one," Peyton agreed.
"Ok," Haley nodded before reaching up and untying the scarf. Slowly it fell into her hands and she blinked a few times adjusting them to the light before she noticed where they were. Clothes over Bros. They were in Brooke's office. Peyton was still standing next to her and across from them twenty feet away stood Brooke next to the most beautiful white dress she had ever seen.
"Well…?"
"Do you like it?" Brooke asked pointing to the dress.
She tried to clear her head. "How did you…?"
"Well, when you and Nathan had that whole blowout about you never wanting to get married…I kind of started it. Then when you left I stopped. But then I noticed how miserable Nathan was all the time. And then you sounded so sad when we talked, so I started it again just in case. And I'm so happy I did because I just finished it yesterday and well, what do you think. I was going with a fairytale look. Something that was you, you know."
"Brooke, it's perfect," Haley smiled through her tears. She couldn't help it. Soon they were rolling freely down her cheeks as she took a few steps closer to get a better look at it. She had no idea that Brooke had been designing a dress for her. A perfect dress. "This is it. This is the dress." She nodded happily.
Both girls walked up to her as they all hugged.
"Now, try it on."
"Yep, I want to make sure that it fits. Your Mom helped out with the size and everything but I still want to make sure," Brooke instructed. She carefully pulled the dress into her arms before walking it over to the dressing room. "Let us know if you need any help. I'm just going to go make some calls about the bachelorette party."
"Brooke, I don't know what to say. It's perfect. Thank you so much."
Brooke nodded with a smile.
"And about the bachelorette party, just remember I want something simple and low key. Just us hanging out and having a good time."
"I got it," Brooke smiled before walking away. The dressing room door closed and Brooke pulled out her cell phone as she made her way to Peyton.
"Who you calling?"
"No one," Brooke mumbled. "Just the strippers."
"Brooke," Peyton scolded. "She just said that she wanted to keep it low key."
"I heard," Brooke stated while rolling her eyes. "That's why I'm just going to order two of them."
"Two? Brooke, she's going to kill you."
"Just be happy that I don't order six like I wanted," Brooke declared as she turned and started talking into her phone. Peyton shook her head as she waited for Haley to walk out of the dressing room. It was a while later that the dressing room door finally opened and Haley walked out slowly. Brooke quickly ended the call as both girls walked closer to her. She stood there looking radiant.
"Does it fit ok?" Brooke questioned as she took a walk around Haley making sure that it fit her just right.
She nodded. "Yep."
"You look beautiful," Peyton smiled.
"You really do," Brooke agreed.
She smiled happily and for the first time in weeks she didn't feel stressed out anymore. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She'd never be able to thank Brooke enough for this. She turned before glancing in the mirror at the sight before her. She couldn't believe that it was actually her looking back.
"I'm getting married in this dress."
~***~
He didn't know how long he had been standing in the room making sure that everything was just perfect but it felt like hours. Moving from the spot in front of the bed he picked up a few more candles and placed them on the dresser. He smiled when the room looked just right –from the white sheets on the bed to the candles on every surface of the room –the room looked perfect.
He had been planning this for the last three weeks.
While Haley had been running around with Peyton and Brooke planning the wedding, he had been planning this –the perfect honeymoon. He walked backwards until he was standing in the open living room that was connected to the bedroom. It was seconds later when Lucas walked out of the kitchen a few feet away.
"Refrigerator's all stocked."
"Thanks, Luke. You think she'll like it?"
Lucas glanced at him for a second. "Nathan, you rented a beachfront villa for two weeks. There's no one around for miles. She's going to love this. Relax."
"I just wa2nt everything to be perfect," Nathan muttered. Dan had told him about this place. One of Dan's old friends owned the place.
The door flew open and Julian stepped inside with roses in both his hands.
"It's official," Julian smiled. "I've bough all the red and white roses in town."
"I hope they're not all in your hands because that's not enough," Nathan pointed out.
Julian scowled. "They're in the car, jackass."
He didn't waste a second as he took off outside with Lucas right behind him. The SUV was full of roses and it took multiple trips to get all of them inside. He placed them all carefully around the living room, bedroom, and in the kitchen. Once he was done with that he found the white rose petals and walked over to the bed. He sprinkled them over the bed and didn't stop until they covered the sheets.
"You're one romantic chic," Julian teased as he stood next to Lucas in the living room. Both of the guys started laughing and he rolled his eyes.
"I told you I want this to be –"
"Perfect, we know," they both said at the same time before laughing loudly.
"You don't understand. This has to be perfect!"
Their laugher died down. "It will be."
"Yeah, why you getting so worked up over this? Everything looks great, she's going to love it," Julian added.
"It's just a big deal, ok."
"We know that. You're getting married. That's kind of a big deal. Dude, the honeymoon is the easy part," Lucas smirked.
Julian grinned widely. "And a lot of fun."
"I know," Nathan nodded. "I'm just…nervous…I guess."
He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
"About getting married?"
"That's normal."
"No, that's not it. I'm not nervous about that. I actually can't wait for that part. I'm not nervous at all about marrying Haley," Nathan said confidently. And he wasn't. He couldn't wait for the wedding to get here so that she could be his forever.
"Then what are you nervous about…?"
Both guys were looking at him confused.
"We haven't…you know…"
"Haven't what?" Lucas questioned.
"We've never…we're waiting until our wedding night," Nathan rushed out.
Both guys started laughing. "We knew."
"We just wanted to hear you say it," Julian grinned.
"I'm just nervous as hell. This'll be our first time…her first time. She saved herself and I don't want to mess things up. I just want everything to be perfect for her. It's just a lot of pressure, you know."
"Just relax," Lucas suggested.
"Let's go get some fresh air."
He followed Lucas through the living room. The double glass doors were fully open and led them right onto the beach. They walked a few yards before taking a seat in the sand. It was dark and the waves were crashing hard onto the shore a few yards away. It was minutes later when Julian joined them with a six pack of beer in his hands. He took a seat before handing them each one.
"Feel better?" Lucas asked.
He nodded. "Yup."
"I'd never thought I'd be saying this, especially about my best friend who is like a little sister to me, but here goes. You're waiting until your married and that's a big deal. It's going to be special no matter what because you love each other. Just relax, little brother. You're getting married tomorrow." Lucas squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.
He took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right."
"This is the worse bachelor party ever," Julian declared before taking a sip of his beer.
"Its fine," Lucas chuckled.
"The pizza is on its way," Julian smiled.
"I'm starving," Lucas muttered as he rubbed his stomach.
"What do you think the girls are doing?" Nathan questioned.
"I don't know."
"Me either. Brooke wouldn't tell me," Julian said sullenly. "Believe me I tried. I even used my body!"
"And that didn't work?" Nathan chuckled.
"Well, Haley did say that she wanted a relaxing evening with just the girls," Lucas pointed out.
"Which means that Brooke probably planned the biggest party in Tree Hill," Nathan muttered. Knowing Brooke, she did opposite of everything that Haley wanted. The worse part is that he wouldn't be able to find out until after the wedding when he was actually allowed to talk to Haley. Brooke had threatened to kill him if he even tried calling her at all today or tomorrow. They weren't supposed to see each other until it was time for Haley to walk down the aisle.
"And we're sitting on our asses at Carolina Beach miles away," Julian huffed.
"Do you think they've got strippers?" Lucas asked before taking another swig of his beer.
"I don't think Haley would go for that, which means that Brooke probably did order them. They're probably dancing all over my girl right now." He glanced at Julian. "I should kick your ass, Baker."
"What? Why me? I didn't order them!"
"Can't you control your woman?"
"Have you met Brooke?" Julian shot back.
"He has a point, little brother," Lucas agreed.
"They didn't order any strippers," Julian muttered shaking his head.
"Peyton did say that they had a big night planned."
"That's it," Julian stated while standing up. "I'm calling Brooke."
~***~
Dancing. Dancing. Dancing. Dancing. That's what if felt like she had been doing for the last three hours. Ever since the first dance ended with her and Nathan, she had been tossed around to every person on the dance floor. At first it was her father, then each of her brothers and brother-in-laws, then Lucas and Julian, each of the kids, uncles, cousins, people she didn't know from Nathan's family, just about everyone.
She glanced around the room for Nathan. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him, which was sad. It was their wedding after all. She found him at a table across the room talking to her sisters. She smiled as she watched him.
The wedding had been perfect and everything had gone smoothly. She had to give it to Brooke. The girl did an excellent job with the whole wedding and reception. The whole day had been a dream come true.
Marrying Nathan had been the best moment of her life so far. Standing up at the altar with him as they vowed to love each other forever with everyone watching was the best feeling in the world.
"What's that smile for?"
She glanced up at Lucas as they rotated in slow circles. "I'm just happy."
"I'm glad," Lucas smiled. "You look so beautiful, Hales."
She smiled at him before bringing her eyes back to Nathan. He looked so handsome. She was glad that he had gotten off the dance floor. All the girls had danced with him as well. She was sure that he was tired. He hated dancing.
"Anna won't move away from Matthew and Beth," Lucas chuckled as he watched his daughter sit next to Beth as she fed the baby in her arms. Sam was a seat away holding Anna in her arms.
"He's adorable," Haley smiled as she glanced at her nephew. "I'm surprised my brother isn't right next to Beth and the baby."
"He's talking sports with the guys over there," Lucas muttered as he pointed to the circle of guys eating and talking.
She glanced around the room at all the faces. Her family. Nathan's family. It looked like everyone that was important to them was there. Everything was perfect.
"It looks like everyone is having a good time, right?"
Lucas laughed softly. "Yes, Hales."
She laughed along with him. Glancing at their joining hands she noticed her wedding ring sitting on her finger. She smiled. Was it only hours ago that Nathan slipped it on her finger? It felt like she had been wearing it forever.
"Luke, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Lucas nodded as he glanced down at her. "Anything."
"Where's Nathan taking me tonight?"
He sighed before glancing away. "You know I can't tell you that."
"Why not?"
"Because it won't be a surprise if I tell you, will it?"
"Just a little hint," Haley pleaded.
He shook his head. "I want to live to see tomorrow, Hales. I'm not talking."
"Some best friend you are," Haley muttered.
He chuckled. "Trust me. You're going to love it."
"I know," Haley smiled. "I'm just nervous and excited."
"Mind if dance with my wife?"
"Not at all," Lucas muttered as he let go of her. "I think I'll go get Anna. I think she's trying to wake up Matthew." He raced off to get her.
Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist as she placed hers around his shoulders. She smiled up at him as they started dancing slowly. She lost herself in his blue orbs.
"What were you and my sisters talking about?"
He grinned. "Just about how this is the happiest day of my life."
She smiled touched before he leaned down and pressed his lips softly to hers. Her eyes snapped shut as she kissed him back. They kissed for a few more minutes until they heard clapping and whistling. Hesitantly they broke apart. That had been happening all day. Couldn't they get a minute alone?
"Hayden, Brennan, and Jordan still teasing you?" Haley questioned.
"Nah," Nathan muttered shaking his head. They had been standing up there with him next to Lucas and Julian. Once Haley had started walking down the aisle he had lost it. Just the sight of her and what the whole day meant had gotten to him. It really wasn't a big deal. It was just a few tears of happiness that slipped out, but the boys thought it was hilarious.
"I love you," Haley smiled happily. "I can't believe that I'm your wife."
"I can't believe it either. I can't believe that we're married," Nathan agreed. Before he could lose himself in her, Jordan and Alex flew by them. He watched them go laughing. They had been attacked at the hip since they met earlier that day when Vivian and Adam arrived. They had hit it off just like he knew they would. Surprisingly, so did Michael, Brennan, and Hayden. They had been huddled together all day.
"Viv had to take away her slingshot," Haley giggled.
Nathan laughed softly. "She did break a few of the dishes before we got in here."
"I think they're trying to steal it back," Haley smiled as she pointed towards Vivian's purse. Nathan glanced back and noticed Jordan and Alex digging in Vivian's purse.
"Let them," Nathan chuckled.
"Brooke and Viv will catch them," Haley pointed out.
"So, did you have fun last night? I heard about the strippers."
She blushed before smiling. "I was shocked, yes. But I did have fun. Surprisingly. Those girls know how to have a good time, that's for sure. But I did miss you."
Brooke had taken her to a private club. After a few drinks the male strippers had finally showed up. She had been really shocked at first but after that it wasn't so bad. Peyton and Brooke had more fun than she did.
"I'm glad."
"What did you guys do last night?"
"Nothing," Nathan muttered before glancing away. "Just thought about you."
"You sure that you didn't have a huge party with slutty strippers?"
He smirked. "I'm positive. Much to the protest of both Lucas and Julian I might add."
"Then what did you do?"
"Just hung out," Nathan shrugged.
"Like you guys don't do that every other night," Haley teased.
"Julian did say that it was the worse bachelor party ever."
"No wonder he was sulking this morning."
"I have something for you," Nathan smiled. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the colorful crackerjack bracelet that he had given her all those years ago. He smiled at her before slipping it onto her wrist. "Don't say I never gave you anything."
She laughed softly through her tears. "You've given me everything."
"You know, it seems like such a long time ago when I first gave this to you," Nathan muttered as his mind flashed to that moment. "We've been through so much –"
"I wouldn't change a second of it because it brought us here to this moment and I couldn't be happier," Haley whispered.
He nodded before smirking.
She laughed before leaning up and kissing him. They stayed that way for as long as they could until Nathan felt a tap on his shoulder. He pulled away from her.
"Mr. James," Nathan greeted.
"Mind if I dance with your wife?"
"Go ahead," Nathan nodded. He smiled at Haley before handing her off to her father. Before he could walk away his mother was pulling him towards her.
"Let's dance again before you leave, sweetie," Deb smiled. "I can't believe my little boy is married."
"Mom," Nathan muttered as Haley and Jimmy started laughing from a few feet away from them. They danced. It was in the middle of the song that he noticed Jordan and Alex out of the corner of his eye. He glanced just in time to see the small wedding cake fall all over the ground. He let go of his mother as everyone turned and glanced from the fallen cake to the two children laughing. He reached for Haley's hand and thanked God that it wasn't the actual wedding cake. It was just the one that Karen had brought just in case they needed extra.
"I thought they took that thing away from her," Jimmy muttered.
"It's not a big deal," Haley breathed. "It's just a cake."
"Brooke is going to kill him," Deb mumbled.
"It was nice knowing those kids," Nathan chuckled as he noticed Brooke and Vivian.
"Alex!"
"Jordan!"
Both their mothers reached them as both kids took off running. Everyone started laughing. Nathan smiled before leaning down and kissing his wife on the cheek.
~***~
He kept one hand on the wheel as the other held his wife close to him. Her head was resting on his shoulder as he drove them down to Carolina Beach. It was late. He had planned on leaving the wedding reception earlier than they had but things sort of got in the way. Plus, Haley wanted to see all of her family off before they left. It also didn't help matters that Haley had to help out Alex and Jordan with their mothers. After an hour of convincing them that it really wasn't a big deal they finally let the kids go and play before it was time to leave.
Nathan was glad. It seemed like Jordan's affections were currently on Alex and that was all right with him. As long as the kid go over his wife.
He took his eyes of the dark road for a second and glanced down. Sure enough, she was asleep. He smiled before glancing back at the road.
Today had been a really long day. He was pretty tired himself.
He pulled her in closer to him as he kissed her forehead. He couldn't get over the fact that she was all his now. Somehow it just didn't seem real yet. All day he had been calling her his wife and still it really didn't feel real. It felt like at any second he would wake up from this perfect dream. He didn't want to.
As he pulled up in front of the small beach house, he turned off the car before glancing down at her. He rubbed her bare arm softly up and down. It was a few seconds later when her eyes fluttered open.
"Hey."
"Have a good nap?"
"I dreamt we go married," Haley muttered tiredly.
"Weird." He held up his hand showing her his wedding band before smiling. He felt her soft hand on his cheek pulling him down to her. His lips landed on hers softly.
Once they pulled apart she glanced around. "Are we here?"
He nodded. "Yep. Let me just get the bags and then we'll head inside." Getting out of the car he walked quickly to the trunk and pulled out their bags. He walked them to the door before placing them down. She stood next to him as he pulled out his key and unlocked the door. He pushed it open before turning to face her.
"Where are we?"
"Let's just say that for the next two weeks it's just you and me, Mrs. Scott."
"I like that sound of that, Mr. Scott," Haley smiled happily. Before she could get out another word Nathan lifted her in his arms and walked them inside. Leaning in he kissed her once more before placing her back on her feet. He pulled their bags inside before slamming the door shut and locking it as she took a look around.
"I uh, I wanted something –"
"It's perfect," Haley beamed as she turned to face him. She took her time taking in the room. It was full of flowers and candles. She felt her eyes well with tears. "When did you…?"
"Last night," Nathan answered as he walked up behind her and placed his arms around her waist. Her head fell back against his chest and he kissed her forehead. "The worse bachelor party ever."
She glanced up to get a better look at him. "This is what you guys did?"
"Yeah," Nathan nodded. "Julian was pretty pissed when he found out that you guys had strippers and all we had was beer and pizza."
She smiled before glancing around once again.
"This is…I can't believe…tell me this is real," Haley whispered. She felt his hand take hold of her cheek before his lips landed on hers. Opening her mouth, she deepened the kiss as Nathan kissed her like he never had before. They broke away minutes later in need of air. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she noticed him smirking at her.
"I wanna show you something."
Taking hold of her hand he pulled her along with him until he reached the double glass doors. He let go of her hand before pushing the doors open and turning on the porch light. His eyes quickly went back to her and watched as she took in the sight. It was minutes later when she finally spoke.
"You're spoiling me," Haley muttered before smiling at him.
He shrugged. "You should get used to it. You're my wife now. I only want to make you happy…I'm gonna make you happy, Hales."
She could feel the tears rolling slowly down her cheeks at his words. She didn't know how but he always managed to touch her soul in everything he did. It didn't surprise her. Nathan always had a way of doing that. His hand reached out and brushed her tears away.
"Let's go back inside," Haley muttered before reaching for his hand.
"Before we do," Nathan started hesitantly. "Before we do…I just want to know if Brooke gave you any advice about tonight?"
She nodded. "Yup. She wouldn't shut up about it actually."
"Can you please ignore everything that she's told you and just be yourself?"
"It's already forgotten," Haley laughed softly before pulling him inside with her. Brooke had spent all last night trying to give her advice for tonight. She had pretended to listen and agreed for Brooke, but only for Brooke. She learned her lesson the last time. She didn't need any help tonight. All she needed was Nathan.
He closed the double doors before following her back to the side of the bedroom. He watched as she made her way around the room lighting the candles that he laid out. Once they were all lit she turned out the light. Instantly the room took on a romantic glow. She made her way in front of him.
"Would you like something to drink?" Nathan asked nervously.
She shook her head as her hands started unbuttoning his white shirt.
"We don't have to do anything tonight. That's not why I married you."
She glanced up at him smiling. "Why did you marry me?"
"Because I wanted you to be mine forever," Nathan answered truthfully. "I love you."
"I love you so much," Haley whispered as she reached up and pushed down his shirt. It fell behind him. Her hands moved over his perfect chest. His heart was nearly leaping out of his chest.
"Are you nervous?" Nathan asked huskily. He could feel his desire slowly push aside his nervousness. This was it. He could feel it. The way she was looking at him now had his whole body ablaze.
"No," Haley answered while shaking her head, her hands still moving. "I thought I would be but I'm not. I trust you."
"I would never hurt you, Hales. If you want to stop at anytime or if you feel like I'm hurting you or if you want to wait –"
"We've waited long enough," Haley whispered before moving in closer. She pulled him down to her, his lips landing on hers roughly. It was then that he felt something inside of him snap. He had been holding onto it for so long and he couldn't anymore. He needed her. He needed his wife. In that moment everything seemed right –perfect –like everything in his life had been leading up to this moment. Right here and now. The past didn't matter anymore. She had forgiven him and he had forgiven her for everything.
She was finally home and so was his heart. They were both finally where they were meant to be, together. For the first time in his life he felt whole, like every part of him was right here in the room. He kissed her with everything in him as they slowly melted together.