A/N: So here's another chapter for you guys! Thanks again to YaleAceBella12, lexlex95, twilightnaley19, and any others that I may have not mentioned for reviewing! I always love hearing from fans, so please continue to review and let me know what you think!
It had been a couple of days since the cookout, and Haley had spent her time unpacking and organizing her house. She had gone on a shopping trip with Brooke the day before to find some new clothes for work, and she had spent some time with Nathan as well. Usually when Haley was busy getting the house organized, Nathan would take Mark to the River Court and teach him how to play basketball. Mark was still struggling with it but Nathan was always patient with him. Luke would occasionally join them when he wasn't with Brooke.
Tonight Karen was coming over to watch the kids, while Haley, Nathan, Brooke, and Lucas all went out for dinner. Brooke and Lucas were heading back to New York in a few days because of work, plus Haley was about to start teaching next week. Therefore, they wanted to hang out as much as possible before things got too hectic.
Dinner was at seven, so Haley was in the process of trying to figure out what to wear, when the doorbell rang. She knew it was too early for Karen, so she assumed it was either Nathan or Brooke. She went into the living room and opened the front door to find Brooke standing with a dress in her hand and another bag of stuff in her other hand. "Before you say anything, I brought you a present or I should say I brought you one of my latest designs that I thought would look great on you. I figured you could wear it tonight, so I told Luke that I would get ready over here because I was going to make you look stunning. Not that you aren't already pretty but…" Brooke rambled.
"I get it Brooke. Come inside, and we can get ready in my room. Kenzie is still taking a nap, and Mark is playing with some of his toys in his room. Karen will be here at six, so that gives us five hours before seven to work with. Surely, that will be enough time for you to get ready right?" Haley joked.
Brooke rolled her eyes before saying, "It won't take me but about an hour, but I came to get you ready, not me. Therefore, you need to go shower, and then we'll work on your hair and makeup."
"But Kenzie is probably going to wake up in about thirty minutes," Haley added.
"Well she can hang out with us until Karen gets here. Right now, go shower, so we can get started," Brooke ordered with a smile. Haley just laughed as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
After Haley got out of the shower, she slipped on a robe and went and got Kenzie out of her room. She checked on Mark before walking back in her room to find Brooke with makeup spread out on the dresser. She put Kenzie on the floor and walked over to the chair that Brooke brought into the room while she was in the shower. "So should I be scared?" Haley remarked.
"No, I promise that you are going to look amazing when I get done. Plus, I'm sure my brother-in-law will love it!" Brooke replied.
Haley sighed, "Brooke, I told you we are just friends. Neither one of us are looking for a relationship right now."
"Friends or not, he still finds you attractive and don't think I haven't seen you watching him play basketball without his shirt," Brooke added with a grin.
Haley turned her head to try and hide her slight blush, but Brooke had already seen it. "Fine, Nathan is attractive but that isn't new information. I mean you can ask any female that question and they would all agree. Besides, contrary to what you might think, Nathan would never see me in a romantic way. He has women swooning over him left and right, I mean let's get realistic," Haley commented.
Brooke was silent for a few seconds before commenting, "You never know he might surprise you." Haley smiled as Brooke did her magic. By six o'clock, she had finished with Haley and started getting ready herself. Karen arrived a few minutes later with dinner for the kids and herself from the café.
The four adults were enjoying a nice dinner at one of the local restaurants that overlooked the water. Brooke did most of the talking, but the others chimed in occasionally. Haley was able to learn more about the three of them, especially old stories of Luke and Nathan. Brooke and Haley also talked about the kids, but no one really brought up her late husband. Overall, dinner went well but Brooke decided to cut the evening short for her and Luke. After dinner, she made an excuse that she needed to get some designs finished up and they needed to head home, then she winked at Haley on her way out because this left Haley and Nathan alone.
After leaving the restaurant, Nathan and Haley were walking around town and ended up at the docks. Nathan looked over at her with a smile and said, "In case I haven't mentioned it already, you look really beautiful tonight."
"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself," Haley added, "So I had fun tonight, but I have a feeling that Brooke planned for this to happen."
Nathan laughed before commenting, "Maybe I should thank her then because I love my brother and sister-in-law, but I'm glad that it's just us now. I would really like to get to know you more without everyone butting in, aka Brooke."
"Well, I'm not sure what you would like to know. I grew up in Charleston with my parents and my two older brothers, which all still live there. My best friend, Peyton, and I spent so much time together growing up that my parents claimed her as their "adopted daughter," so she was always included in every family event that we had. She was also my maid of honor in my wedding, and she has always been there for me when I've needed her. I met Josh in college and we got married and moved back to Charleston to start a family. I started teaching at my old high school and really enjoyed it. However, six months ago, Josh was in a fatal car accident and that day my world stopped. It has been really tough to be strong for the kids, but I had to. They needed me, so I decided that moving was going to be the best way for me to cope. Luckily, there was an opening at Tree Hill High and I start next week. That's a brief summary of my life," Haley replied trying not to tear up.
Nathan paused for a second before saying, "You don't have to always be so strong. I get that you don't want your kids to see you sad, but sometimes you need to just let your guard down and cry. My shoulder is always available if you need it. Besides, I meant what I said the other day, I'm here if you need someone to vent to. I won't judge you or even say anything if you don't want me to, I'll simply just be here."
Haley looked into his eyes and smiled. Before putting too much thought into it, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," she stated before pulling away from him, "but we should probably be heading back." Nathan simply nodded and put his arm around her as they started walking in the direction of her house.