My usual long (this one is extra long) author's note will actually be at the end of this chapter, in case you were missing it ;)

One year later…

Haley tore the piece of tape she was holding with her teeth before folding it into a circle. Placing the tape on the back of the blue streamer, she securely pressed it against the wall above the doorway so that it was hanging down. She let out a content breath of air as she stepped down from the latter she was standing on. Her hands fell to rest on her hips as she surveyed her work.

The entire kitchen and adjacent living room were decked out in birthday decorations. A set of black and blue streams dangled in the doorway to the kitchen, creating a curtain. The mahogany wood kitchen table was cloaked in a white table cloth with silver and gold pieces of confetti littering it. Black balloon with the words "Happy 30th Birthday" written in multiple different colored fonts were tied to various items throughout the house. Banners with those same words were taped the walls.

The kitchen and living room basically looked like Party City threw up…which is exactly what she was hoping for.

Butterflies were in Haley's stomach as she raced around to make sure everything was exactly in the place she wanted it. She only had about a twenty minutes before people started arriving and she hadn't even gotten ready yet. Her bottom lip was painfully raw from her chewing on it so much and she swore her hands had friction burn from her rubbing them together so much. She just wanted everything to be perfect.

"Momma! Momma! Look at the card I made dad!" Jamie called out as he came barreling into the kitchen. Clasped tightly in his hands was a piece of green construction paper, folded in half.

Haley whipped around at the sound of Jamie's voice and instantly smiled when she saw how excited he was. Crouching down so that she was level with him, she held out her hands. "Okay, let's see what you got, buddy."

When Jamie placed the card in her hands, she started to look it over and the smile never left her face. On the front of the card, Jamie had written "Happy Birthday, dad!" in purple marker. Surrounding the words were randomly drawn balloons, colored in with either blue, red, or orange marker. Flipping the card open, Haley's smile only grew wider. Inside, there was a two stick figures, a taller one and a shorter one, both with large smiles on their faces. The taller one had black hair and was labeled "dad." The shorter one had yellow hair and was labeled "me." Between the two figures was an orange basketball. At the top of the card, the words "I love you" were spelled out.

She felt like her heart was going to burst.

"Do you think he's gonna like it?" Jamie asked.

Haley looked up at him before ruffling his hair. "I think he's going to love it. Why don't you go put it with the present you got him and then go get changed, sound good?"

Jamie nodded eagerly before taking off towards the table that was specifically for the presents. Haley smiled at him as she stood up from the ground. For the last few weeks, Jamie had been a huge help with planning Nathan's surprise party. At first, she was a little apprehensive about telling Jamie. If her son was anything like her, he would blow the secret within minutes after finding out about it. Luckily for her, Jamie ended up taking after his father in that department. It still made her smile whenever she thought about just how excited Jamie was to help her plan this party. Every day that she picked him up from school (which was every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—Nathan got off early from work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he picked him up those days), Jamie would excitedly tell her all about his ideas for the party.

In fact, he was the one who picked out all of the decorations and decided that they had to have pizza with ham and mushroom as the main dish, because that was "daddy's absolute favorite."

"Hales, I got the cake!" Lucas called out, followed by the sound of the front door slamming shut.

"And I got the case of beer you asked me to pick up!" Brooke's voice came next.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Haley shouted.

Within seconds, Lucas and Brooke emerged from the streamers, carrying the items that Haley requested.

"Where do you want this?" Lucas asked, his head nodding towards the cake.

"You can just put it on the counter," Haley answered as she grabbed the case of beer from Brooke. She quickly stuck it in the fridge.

"It looks great in here," Brooke marveled as her eyes did a sweep of the two rooms.

"I helped, Aunt Brooke," Jamie announced, a proud smile on his face.

Brooke made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around him, placing a few kisses on his cheeks. Jamie just squirmed and laughed. "Well, you did good, little man."

Haley grinned at the two of them before reverting her attention back to Lucas. "You guys parked around the block, right?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yes, we did. You only reminded us a hundred times."

Haley ignored his remark and just clapped her hands together. She could feel her nerves and excitement rising with every given second. "Okay, good. Clay and Quinn checked in to their hotel about an hour ago and are on their way over. Peyton and Jake are getting the pizza. Dan and Deb are picking up their present for Nathan and then they'll be here. My mom is at the store with my dad," She was talking rapidly and more to herself than Lucas.

Lucas chuckled as he gripped Haley's shoulders. "Haley, breathe. Nathan doesn't get off work for another hour and everyone will be here way before then. Everything is going to work out just fine."

Haley sighed. "I just want this to be perfect. You know, he's just been working really hard lately with the promotion and he deserves a day to just have fun."

Nathan had only worked for the Charlotte united of the FBI ten months before they offered him a promotion to become the Assistant Director. After discussing it, they decided that he should take it. While working in that unit as a regular agent meant a lot less danger and a lot less travel, being the Assistant Director meant even less danger and little to no travel. Basically, he was in charge of dictating which agents would be on what case and making sure that those cases were solved in a timely manner. Sometimes it meant longer hours, but at least she didn't have to worry about him when he was away on cases.

"I know, I know, but I promise that he's going to love it. Hell, I'm sure he would have been perfectly happy with beer, pizza, and a day full of just watching basketball," Lucas tried to soothe her, rubbing his hands up and down the length of her arms.

"You're right," Haley conceded. "I'm just being…overly emotional, I guess. Can you believe that I actually took the day off of work so I could be spend all day setting up for this?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow at that and dropped his hands from her arms. "Haley James Scott actually requested a day off of work? Hell must have frozen over."

Haley rolled her eyes and lightly smacked him on the nose, her nose crinkling. "Oh, hush up. I am not that obsessed with my work."

Lucas smirked. "You do realize you refused to take a sick day when you had that sinus infection and you couldn't talk, you couldn't stop coughing, and one of your eyes were practically swollen shut."

Haley scoffed and narrowed her eyes at him. "In my defense, that was right before midterms and I was behind in my lessons because we had those inclement weather days. Finals aren't for another two weeks and I am perfectly on track, this time."

"Whatever you say."

"Do I have to separate you two?" Brooke teased, her hands on her hips and an eyebrow arched.

"That won't be necessary," Haley said with a giggle.

~x~

Haley stood in front of the full body mirror in her and Nathan's bedroom. Everyone was already downstairs and they had about twenty minutes before Nathan would be arriving back home from work. She had instructed everyone to say in the back of the living room, so they would be out of Nathan's sight when he first walked into the house. To say that she was excited was an understatement. The butterflies were in full effect and her heart was hammering loudly in her chest.

Today was going to be a good day. It had to be.

Her shaking hands smoothed out the lines of her dark red dress. It had a jewel neckline and was tight against her upper body. The bottom part of the dress fell to her knees and bellowed out just slightly. The dress was tied in the back by a series of crisscrossed string. She was well aware that this dress was one of Nathan's favorites. The first time he saw it on her was before his work's Christmas party and to make a long story short, they were more than forty five minutes.

She felt her cheeks heat up at the memory.

Her hands paused when she reached her stomach. She laid one hand flat against her stomach, her fingers caressing it in slow circles. A warmth spread through her body as a slow smile etched its way across her face. The butterflies only intensified.

"Haley!" Peyton's voice echoed from the hallway into the bedroom she was standing in. "I think Nathan's car just pulled in the driveway!"

Haley's heart leapt in her throat. Taking one last glance in the mirror, she smoothed out a few curls in her hair and wiped under eyes to fix her make-up. She took one last calming breath before exiting the bedroom and heading down the stairs to where everyone was waiting. Someone had dimmed the lights and everyone was squished to the back of the living room. She smiled when she saw Jamie sitting in the center of everyone, waving her over eagerly. In a few quick steps, she was crouched down next to Jamie and her arms were holding him close.

The sound of the front door opening and closing has Haley's heart pounding in her chest. It amazed her how all of their friends and family were able to stay dead quiet as they waited for Nathan to step in the kitchen. After all, they were some of chattiest people she'd ever met. She looked down at Jamie when he squeezed her hand and was met with an excited smile. She smiled back.

"Hales?" Nathan's voice bounced off the walls. "Jamie?"

She bit down on her bottom lip as his footsteps grew louder. A few seconds later, the sound of the streams rustling could be heard.

"SURPRISE!"

Someone flicked the lights on as everyone cheered and Nathan jumped back, his hand reaching up to cover his heart.

"Jesus Christ!" He shouted, his heart racing as he took in what was in front of him. Every person that he loved and cared about was in that room. His hands fell to his hips as a bright smile spread across his face. "What is all this?"

Haley emerged from the group of people with a smile on her face. Walking up to Nathan, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Happy Birthday, baby."

Automatically, Nathan's arms fell to rest around her waist. He immediately noticed the dress she was wearing and his smile melted into a smirk. It was too bad that their living room was full of their family and friends, because he was two seconds away from lifting her up on the counter and having his way with her. "Did you plan all of this for me?"

"Well, I had some help," Haley said as she twisted her body in his arms, just in time to see Jamie bouncing over to them.

"Happy Birthday, dad!" Jamie exclaimed once he reached his parents.

Nathan released Haley to crouch down so that he was eye level with Jamie before pulling him in a tight hug. "Thanks, buddy. Did you help your mom with the party?"

When they pulled out of the hug, Jamie nodded. "I picked out the decorations and the food. I even helped hang up the streamers."

Nathan smiled as he ruffled the hair on Jamie's head. "Well, thank you, son. You're a good man."

Jamie lit up at that. "I can't wait for you to see what I got you and the card that I made you!"

Haley laughed as she reached down to squeeze Jamie's shoulder. "Slow down, Jamie. We still got some time before your dad opens his presents."

Jamie pouted. "Okay, okay."

Nathan laughed as he picked himself up off the floor. Leaning forward, he pressed a quick kiss on Haley's lips. "Thank you for this."

She lightly tapped his chest. "It was nothing. Now, go visit with your guests. I'll be here all night."

Nathan kissed her once more before winking at her. "You better be."

~x~

"So, what happened to this big case you were working on? You know the one that you used as your excuse as to why you couldn't fly down here for a basketball game?" Nathan asked Clay with a raised eyebrow. He took a sip of his beer when Clay nervously chuckled.

A few weeks ago, Nathan had called Clay up and asked him to fly down for the weekend of his birthday. Nathan suggested that they go to a Bobcats game and maybe hit the bars. However, Clay claimed that he was just assigned to this huge case and couldn't make it. That was clearly a lie.

"Hey, I had no choice! Haley would have killed me if I let the secret slip," Clay said with a chuckle.

Nathan shook his head with a small smile on his face. "I get it. How are things, man? It's been awhile."

"Things…are good," Clay said with a smile. "You know, Quinn's been talking about having kids of our own."

Nathan's eyes widened at that. "Really? And, how do you feel about that?"

"Terrified, if I'm being honest," Clay admitted as leaned further back on the couch. "I've always wanted kids and we've talked about having kids in the past, but it was always something that was in the future. But, I guess the future is now."

"I understand what you mean. Haley and I talked about having kids not long after we got married. We both basically had the mentality that 'if and when it happens, then it happens.' Even so, when I found out Haley was pregnant…I was scared out of my mind. I didn't know the first thing about taking care of a baby or raising a child. In fact, if I remember correctly, I passed out when she went into labor. "

Clay swallowed the lump in his throat. "This really isn't making me feel better."

"I'm getting there," Nathan chuckled. "Everything changed as soon as I held Jamie in my arms for the time. It's a feeling that's like no other. I wasn't scared anymore, because I knew that if Haley and I could have created something so beautiful, than anything was possible."

"Who knew you could be such a sap," Clay joked, taking a sip of his own beer.

"Oh, shut up. You'll see exactly what I mean when you have kids," Nathan assured. He could still see the apprehension clear in Clay's eyes. "Besides, you're not gonna be alone. You'll have Quinn. And trust me, moms? They could put Superman to shame."

Clay smiled at him and gave him a quick nod. "Thanks, man."

"Well, if it isn't Dumb and Dumber," Peyton joked as she plopped down on the couch next to Clay.

"Oh, how I've missed you, Peyton Jagielski," Nathan muttered with a playful roll of his eyes.

The last time Nathan had seen either Clay or Peyton was at Peyton and Jake's wedding five months ago. They kept in touch as much as possible, it was the getting together and hanging out part that was difficult. If it wasn't Clay and Peyton getting assigned to a new case, it was Nathan. It sucked, but that just meant that when they did get a chance to see each other, they made it count.

"Thirty? Wow, Nate, you're getting old," Peyton joked as she pursed her lips.

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You turned thirty last month, did you forget about that?"

Peyton shrugged her shoulders as she laughed. "Yes, but at least I don't look my age."

Nathan just shook his head. He had forgotten what Peyton was like when they weren't smack dab in the middle of a case. When they were working, she was all work and no play. Clearing his throat, Nathan began to speak again. "I went to see Mouth in jail last week."

Peyton sat up at that. "How'd that go?"

Nathan shrugged. "I still can't wrap my head around why he helped Ian out. When I was talking to him, he seemed so remorseful and depressed. And when I asked him why, all he said was that 'Ian had a way with words and he felt as if he had no choice.'"

Clay sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair. "You know what Dan used to say—if you stay up worrying about why criminals do what they do, you're never going to get any sleep."

Nathan opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Jamie and Jenny barreling into the living room.

"Uncle Clay!" Jamie shouted as his body hit the edge of the couch. "Can you throw me and Jenny in the pool? I told Jenny about how much fun it is and she wants to try it."

"Well, that's an interesting request," Peyton mumbled.

Nathan gave a pointed look towards Clay. "You've been throwing my kid in the pool?"

Clay smiled sheepishly. "I only did it a few times at Peyton's wedding reception. We were bored, there was a pool…and you know, what, kids let's go." With that, Clay jumped up from the couch and ushered the kids into the backyard.

"Clay Evans, ladies and gentlemen," Nathan chuckled to himself.

~x~

Haley smiled as she watched the party from the window in the kitchen, her hands scrubbing at the dishes in the sink. She could have waited until after the party to clean them, but the perfectionist side of her couldn't stand to look at the mess any longer. Everyone had moved into the backyard after they finished eating. Everything had worked out perfectly and she couldn't have been happier. Nathan hadn't stopped smiling and he really seemed to be enjoying himself. Jamie was having a blast with Jenny in the pool with Clay and Quinn.

It was moments like these where she just had to stop and take it all in. There was a warmth in her body that she thought she would never feel again. Her heart felt full of love and happiness. A year and a half ago, if someone had told her that she would be this happy again, she's not sure she would have believed them. Things were so…hard for them back then. Her marriage with Nathan was rocky, Ian was still out there, and there wasn't a Jamie. There was this constant darkness surrounding them and she feared that it would never go away.

Six years of disappointment, pain, and fear does that to a person.

The sound of the back door opening and closing brought her out of her thoughts. A few seconds later, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and the smell of Nathan completely surrounded her. Instinctively, she melted into his embrace.

Nathan pressed a delicate kiss to the side of her neck and smiled was she sighed. "You didn't have to do all of this for me, you know. I would have been happy with you, Jamie, a beer, and a basketball game. Followed by, a naked you and a naked me in our bed." His lips brushed against the side of her neck with every word and he smirked when she visibly shivered.

He had been looking for an excuse to get her alone since the moment he saw her in that dress. When he saw her disappear into the house, he wasted no time following her inside. Everyone was having a good time and he was sure that they wouldn't mind if they disappeared for a few minutes.

"I know," Haley murmured, her eyes fluttering shut as Nathan continued to leave kisses across the length of her neck. She licked her lips as she reached up to turn the water off, drying her hands off on the towel laying against the counter. "But, I wanted to do something nice for you. You've been working so hard lately and we haven't seen our friends in a while."

"You're the best wife in the world," He breathed huskily, kissing the shell of her ear.

Haley felt her body begin to heat up when Nathan's hands began to caress her stomach. She bit down on her bottom lip hard when he start to lightly suck on her pulse point. Her breathing sounded loud in her ears and her heart was hammering in her chest. She titled her head to the side to give him better access as she moaned softly. Nathan's grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her flush against him, a gasp leaving her lips when she felt his need for her.

"I want you so badly, right now," Nathan groaned into her neck. The scents of her vanilla perfume and her coconut shampoo were slowly driving him crazy.

"We c-cant," Haley forced out. She could feel her body trembling with the desire that was coursing through her veins. She wanted nothing more than to surrender herself to him, but she couldn't. "We h-have a house f-full of people."

Nathan's hand trailed to the edge of her dress and dragged it up, his fingers dancing along her thighs. "I'm sure they won't mind if we sneak away for a few minutes. I can be quick," Nathan murmured huskily.

Haley inhaled sharply when his hands dipped into her inner thigh. "What has gotten into you?" She asked breathlessly, her head tipping back to rest against his shoulder.

"How do you expect me to keep my hands to myself when you're wearing this dress? You know what this dress does to me. You're so damn sexy, baby," Nathan purred back.

Despite how badly she wanted to give into him, she reached down to grab his hands and squeezed them. "Later."

Nathan sighed as he pressed one last kiss to the side of her neck. He backed away slightly, but kept his hands on her waist. "You promise?"

Haley giggled when she looked back at him and saw the pout on his face, a pout that eerily mirrored Jamie's when he didn't get what he wanted. "I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Nathan pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before stepping away from her. "So, what did you get me?" He asked when he eyed the present table, his lips curving up into a playful smirk.

Haley turned to face him and leaned back against the counter. The butterflies returned to her stomach in tenfold and her heart skipped a beat. "Technically, I got you two things."

"Really?" Nathan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Haley smiled nervously as she walked towards him. Placing her hands on his chest, she bit her bottom lip. "But, I can't exactly give you these gifts in front of everyone," She purred, her eyes twinkling.

Nathan inwardly groaned. "Oh, that's just not fair. You deny me, only to get me all hot and bothered, again."

Haley rolled her eyes, her smile never leaving her face. "You'll survive. It'll be worth the wait, I promise." Her hand trailed down his chest until she reached his hand and laced their fingers together. "Now, let's get back outside before our guests think something bad happened."

Nathan chuckled as she pulled him into the backyard.

"Yo, Nate, I think Jamie is putting the moves on my daughter," Jake joked as soon as he saw Nathan and Haley walked through the back door.

Nathan glanced over at the pool to see Jamie and Jenny sitting on the edge of it. Jamie had his arm around Jenny's shoulders and they were both kicking their feet in the water, splashing Clay and Quinn. He smirked at the sight. "He's a Scott boy, of course he is."

Everyone laughed at that as Jake rolled his eyes. "Well, he better retract that charm because Jenny's not allowed to date until she's twenty-five."

"I tried to talk him down to at least twenty, but he wasn't budging," Peyton spoke up with a laugh.

"I think that's a good rule," Nathan murmured. "Hell, if I ever have a daughter, she'll be lucky if she's allowed to leave the house before she's forty."

"Speaking of that," Lydia butted in. "Deb and I were just talking about how we were wondering when you two were going to bless us with another grandchild."

Haley felt her heartbeat accelerate as she looked over at Nathan. Her stomach was doing flip flops as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. For some reason, she was nervous about hearing Nathan's answer to that.

"Well, actually," Nathan began, smirking. "I was trying to get started on that a few minutes ago, but your daughter turned me down."

Haley's eyes widened as she felt her cheeks flame up. A wave of laughter spread through everyone. She immediately reached over to smack his arm. "Nathan!" She chastised him.

"Wow, propositioning your wife when there's a house full of people? And they say kinky sex stops after marriage," Brooke laughed.

"I so do not want to hear this," Lucas mumbled.

Haley covered her face. "Oh, God, someone kill me."

~x~

"Did you have a good birthday, dad?" Jamie asked as he crawled into bed.

"I did, thanks to you and your mom," Nathan said with a smile as he sat down on the edge of Jamie's bed. He winked at Haley who was standing in the doorway.

"Did you like my card?" Jamie asked next, through a yawn.

"I loved it," Nathan promised. "I think I'm going to put it on my desk at work, right next to the picture I have of you and your mom."

Jamie smiled at that. "I was hoping you would say that."

"Alright, well, you get some sleep. Tomorrow's Saturday and I was thinking we'd spend the day at the River Court. What do you think?" Nathan offered.

Jamie eagerly nodded his head. "Yes!"

Nathan chuckled. "Alright, it's date." Standing up, he kissed Jamie on the top of the head. "Goodnight son, I love you."

"I love you, too."

Haley smiled as she walked over to Jamie and quickly kissed his cheek. "Sweet dreams." She shut off his bedroom light and shut the door as she walked back over to her bedroom. When she walked in, she Nathan sitting on their bed. He was laying down, his body propped up on his elbows. She couldn't help but laugh at the eager smirk on his face.

Her stomach was in knots as she looked at him. Her heart was pounding.

"What do you look so excited for?" Haley pondered innocently.

"Just the birthday present my wife got for me."

Haley laughed again as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "That's not funny."

Haley rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. "You're insatiable, you know that?"

He smiled innocently. "Only when it comes to you."

"Okay, okay. I'll be right back, Birthday Boy."

She stepped into the en suite bathroom and closed the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Her nerves were running high and she felt lightheaded. Once she felt composed enough, she walked over to the sink where she had stashed Nathan's first birthday gift. This gift wasn't the one that was making her nervous.

Pulling the strings on the back of her dress, she felt it loosen from her body. Slowly, she let it fall and she stepped out of the pool of fabric. Picking it up, she smoothed out her dress and draped it over the side of the counter. Fishing through the shopping bag, she pulled out the white negligee she had purchased a few days ago. She and Nathan were at the mall when they passed a lingerie shop. He had pointed out this negligee and joked that she should buy it for him. At the time, she just shoved him and rolled her eyes. Little did he know…

Once she was dressed, she took one last glance in the mirror before heading back into her bedroom.

Nathan sat up at the sound of the bathroom door opening and he swore his heart stopped beating. Haley was leaning against the door frame and a hand was on her hip. She was dressed in a sheer white negligee, the same one he had pointed out just a few days ago. He felt his mouth go dry as his eyes roamed up and down her body. God damn, she was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. How had he gotten so lucky? His heart began to hammer in his chest when she sauntered over to him, her hips swaying in a seductive manner. He swallowed thickly when she straddled his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck.

Haley felt a shiver run down her spine at the way Nathan was looking at her. His eyes were midnight blue and he looked like he just wanted to devour her whole. Every time he looked at her, it was like he was seeing her for the first time and it never failed to make her heart pound in her chest.

"I take your silence means that you like it?" Haley asked timidly.

Nathan's hands rested on her hips as he leaned in his closer to her. "I love it. You're so damn beautiful," He declared before seizing her lips in a fiery kiss.

Haley moaned at the onslaught, her fingers wrapping in the stands of his hair at the base of his neck. She could feel Nathan's hands running up and down her back, pushing her even closer to him. Her mind became hazy as she got lost in the feel of him. She still had to give him his other gift and if she didn't pull away now, she was positive that she wouldn't be able to.

After a few more seconds, she wrenched her mouth away and rested her forehead against his. "This is only gift number one," She panted.

"You're really trying to kill me, aren't you?" Nathan gasped out.

Pulling away slightly, she smiled nervously at him. "Well, no."

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows at the expression on her face. It was clear as day that she was nervous. She was chewing on her bottom lip and he could feel her playing with the hair on the back of his neck. "Hales, what is it?"

Haley took a deep breath. The butterflies in her stomach were so strong and she wouldn't be surprised if he could hear her heart beating. A slow smile spread across her face.

"I'm pregnant."

The creases in Nathan's forehead disappeared as his eyes lit up, a smile of his own taking over his features. "Really?"

Haley nodded. "I suspected something about a week ago, so I took a test and it came back positive. I went to the doctor a couple of days ago, just to be sure. I didn't want to say anything until I was absolutely sure…and well, we're pregnant."

Before Haley could comprehend what was happening, she was on her back and Nathan was hovering above her. His lips were on hers seconds later.

"Does this mean you're happy?" Haley mumbled against his lips.

Pulling back, he smiled down at her. The happiness he was feeling…it was indescribable. He suddenly felt like he was on top of the world. After everything they'd been through, this type of happiness was a force to be reckoned with. He had a wonderful son, the perfect wife, and now he was going to have ever more. "This is officially the best birthday ever."

A warmth spread through Haley's body as she took in the pure happiness on Nathan's face. Reaching up, she caressed his cheek. "We got our happy ending, didn't we?"

"I always knew that we would," Nathan declared before pulling her into a passionate kiss.

The End.

This author's note is hella long, so that's why I put it at the end. If you don't feel like reading it, there are absolutely no hard feelings.

Wow, I can't believe that we actually reached the end of this story. I can still remember the moment this idea came to me and I started writing this story. It feels like it was just yesterday. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support of this story. Never in a million years did I think I was going to get the response that I did. I feel like I've said that about a million times, but oh well. This was my first (successful) venture into the Naley fanfic world and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.

Here's a few anecdotes/fun facts about this story, in case you're interested.

-After I finished this story, I actually went back and rewrote the last two chapters pretty last minute. My original plan was for Nathan to find out Haley was pregnant again when she was in the hospital after she got shot (hence the the few unprotected sex scenes). However, the more I thought about it, the more I didn't think that they were ready to have another child. They had just gotten rid of Ian for good and they were still working on rebuilding their family. I thought that throwing a new baby in the mix would make things a lot more complicated, especially for Jamie. So, I changed it.

-When I first started to write this story, there wasn't going to be a Jamie. The picture that Nathan was looking at in the first chapter was actually supposed to be just a picture of him when he was younger. The story was just going to be about the fact that Nathan left Haley to keep her save from Ian after he threatened to hurt her. But I felt as if that wasn't enough drama/substances for a story. I felt like there needed to be a more solid reason for Nathan leaving and just a simple threat wasn't enough.

-Chase was supposed to be featured more in this story, however, I decided that I didn't want Naley to have more than one third party problem. Ian was enough. Plus, I found him difficult to write and felt like he would be unnecessary. So, I included him sparingly.

-Nathan's attitude was supposed to be a lot more...cocky. When I first envisioned this story, I pictured Nathan having the attitude that he was confident that Haley still loved him, he believed that Chase was a cover up, and that he wouldn't have any problem getting Haley back. His motives for leaving were still the same. However, when I started writing, that wasn't the direction that this Nathan took me in. Sometimes, and I'm sure other writers can attest to this, your characters have a mind of their own.

-Dan was originally supposed to be the villain of this story. He was going to be the Ian, with completely different motives. But, I felt as if a lot fanfics make Dan out to be the bad guy. He's always the one who causes the problems with Naley or is trying to hurt them. I do love those stories, however, I wanted to do something a little different. Damien West was the next person who I planned to make the villain. But, he didn't really have the sinister quality that I was looking for. Damien to me is just some punk who is way too cocky for his own good and is used to getting what he wants. Ian Banks just had the face and the attitude of a lunatic, which is what I wanted for that role.

Okay, anecdotes over, haha.

As for future projects, my main focus right now is Colors. I do have a few one shots that I've been messing around with that I'll eventually get around to posting. As for more multi-chaptered fics, I currently don't have any solid ideas. I have a few like starter ideas that I'm tinkering with but I'm not going to focus on those until I get a littler farther into Colors. However, I can assure you that Colors and Razor Sharp won't be my only multi-chaptered fics, though. It's kind of hard to come up with ideas that haven't been done before, haha. Or, at least ideas that I can make my own.