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The Boys 'Round Here

Thirty-Seven

The end of August; the inevitable mark John had been dreading all summer. While it still promised to change the state of his life, things had turned out a lot better than he’d hoped. It had been eight weeks since Meghan said they should stop seeing each other. Seven weeks since she came running back. Now she lay next to him, twisted in the sheets of his bed, and John thought he should try to have more faith in the future.

That future started today.

“First road trip,” John said. He was on his side, arm across Meghan’s stomach and his hand cupping the point of her hipbone. When he moved his thumb gently over her smooth skin, she tried not to flinch. John had memorized her body; this would be the first test of that memory.

“I’ll miss you.” She played with the soft hair at the back of his neck.

They’d woken early without an alarm, seeking the last few hours together before John left for Olympic camp in Calgary. He’d be gone three and a half days - nothing compared to the west coast swings the Islanders would take during the regular season. Still it seemed far and long after barely leaving her side for the last six weeks. Sensing his concern, Meghan pulled John over top and kissed him. There was no slow, sleepy wind up - she tugged his bottom lip hungrily, urging him to respond. John did happily. Meghan’s thighs were smooth as they parted, settling his weight against her hips, lining them up. He’d been half-hard all morning, now his cock responded eagerly. John put his elbows down on either side of Meghan’s head and broke the kiss, looking into her eyes as he pushed into her body.

She would never get used to this. If anything, the feel of John taking her would probably heighten when it couldn’t happen all the time. She pictured herself in that house on Long Island, waiting at the door, tackling him before his coat was off. Four days sounded like an eternity. Two week road trips really would be. He stroked deep, sliding her up the bed with a grunt. Meghan wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed back.

“God, baby,” he said in a husky voice.

The spot beneath her ear, in the shadow of her jaw, was the softest skin he’d found on her body - and John had done his research. That’s where his mouth rested now, as he prodded and pushed, and kept pushing, until there was no space left between them at all. Meghan twisted one hand into his hair, gripped the other against the seemingly endless muscle of his backside and held on. She breathed out, he took another inch. She breathed in, her breasts pressed to his chest. Meghan arched her back, strong in her own right, tilting the the path John was plowing through her body. It caught new nerve endings, fired new sparks. John felt lightheaded as the blood and energy in his body all rushed south.

It was a close finish. Meghan sobbed out a breath, her body clenching just a second before it went soft. John lost his hold to the change in pressure and came with a low, quiet moan. They’d barely moved. Meghan’s eyes fluttered open.

“I’ll miss you,” she repeated.

John had a sudden thought. “You can stay here, you know. When I’m gone.”

“I should see my parents,” she grimaced. Despite her plans of living with them, she’d barely visited since moving out of James’ house. “They’ve probably reported me missing.”

“Well you can if you want. This is your place too,” he said. This place, my other place, every place.

Meghan knitted her lips together, covering a smile with something that looked even happier. In the muted light, John’s eyes looked dark green with flecks of deep blue. It was a good thing he’d never lie because there’s no way he could pull it off.

“Thank you. Either way I’ll be here when you get back.”

Eventually they roused from bed, and the time came to leave. She drove him to the airport in her new car, changing the song halfway through each one just to play with the voice-activated technology. And she had the Spice Girls. When the tires rolled to a stop outside the departures gate area, Meghan said, “Stereo off.”

John hopped out and got a sky cap with a cart to take his bags to curbside check-in. No matter how carefully he packed his hockey bag, it was always a bumpy, lumpy mess of edges.

“Looks like a dead body,” Meghan said.

“Smells like one too. Better get used to it.”

He pulled her into a hug, squeezing tightly. They’d only be apart three and a half days and John had a lot to focus on. Meghan rubbed the tip of her nose against his, then kissed his lips. “Have fun, be good,” she instructed. “Show off a little too.”

John blushed. Meghan laughed. Just like always.
____

It started on the plane. John took his first class seat next to Steven, but not before giving James a nod. He was one row back at the opposite window - John wondered if he’d requested to be farthest away. Corey Perry was across the aisle, Patrice Bergeron next to him. Steven Yzerman boarded and sat next to James, making John sure the seating arrangement had just been changed.

When they landed in Calgary, a Team Canada PR rep met their flight, a news crew was waiting. They each gave short interviews. John knew he was boring, it was something he wanted to work on. Guys like Steven had so much personality on screen even if they said the same things. Then John remembered that Meghan didn’t seem to find him boring so he must be doing something right.

It felt normal to be back on the road. John was excited about the prospect of this season - coming off his MVP nomination, the Isles first playoff berth in nine seasons, plus the Olympics in the middle of it all. Talking with the guys, traveling, lugging gear all put John back into the hockey mindset. Even the hotel - one he hadn’t been to in ages, since they hadn’t played the Flames - was familiar in a way.

“How’s Meghan?” Steven asked, opening the connecting door between their rooms. All the guys were staying on one floor.

“Perfect,” John said self-indulgently.

“Yeah, you guys are gross.” Steven took an apple from the amenity basket and munched on it. “She, uh, say anything about Kaylynn? If they talked or anything?”

“No.”

Stamkos shrugged. “Alright. I guess it’s too quick anyway - I took Kaylynn back to that cottage for the weekend. Kinda spur of the moment but I felt like she needed it, you know? The grand gesture, or whatever.”

“You… you did?” John felt nervous, like he’d missed a step he was supposed to take. There was probably some boyfriend code that guys like Steven knew by heart but John had never been initiated to. Then he remembered, “I bought Meghan a car!”

Steven laughed. “You should just buy her a ring.”
____

James hesitated, then lifted his hand to knock on the door of the hotel room he was standing outside.

“Hey, Nealer,” Sidney Crosby said, letting him in.

“Hey Sid.”

James had a love-hate relationship with his captain, or at least his feelings about the guy. Crosby was a great player, great captain… in fact, he was good at everything. It was almost sickening. When Sid wasn’t busy hustling every shift and putting up points like they were free, he was drone-talking the media in a perfectly polite way that James could not match. The captain was so in control of his off-ice emotions, James had originally wondered if the guy had any. Of course he did. After two-plus years as a Penguin, James knew well that Crosby was as solid a guy in life as he was in hockey. That didn’t make liking him any easier. James always seemed to be doing something wrong, not living up to the legend - except during summer. But not this summer.

Now James looked at him now, that dark hair and quick smile only adding to Sid’s superhero reputation, and wondered for the first time if Sid was lonely.

So when Crosby moved to the dresser, sliding a watch over his wrist, and asked, “Good summer?”, James took a chance.

“Not really.”

Sid paused, surprised at the real answer to his generic question. Plus Neal always seemed so casual, living the dream and making it count. “Yeah?”

It was another escape hatch, a quick out of this conversation if James wanted to take it. But he’d been doing that too long.

“Yeah. Got kinda messed up over a girl.” James sat down, leaning forward and keeping his eyes on his hands. He felt the weight of Crosby’s gaze. James always had a few girls on the line, skirts he’d been chasing or running from. Presumably Sid didn’t approve. To his credit, the captain didn’t make a joke.

“Somebody good?” he asked.

James looked up. He and Sid were friendly but had never really become friends. Crosby never pushed the issue, James played it off like he thought Crosby was too square when really it was a combination of imagined jealousy and inferiority. Now it seemed there might be something to learn from a guy like Sid.

“Too good for me,” James said.

Trademark Crosby - he always chose his words carefully. “So be better.”
____

Meghan followed the Olympic camp news online and on TV. She caught a brief clip of John in his polo shirt, talking about being interested in how the Olympics worked - where people stay, how they get around. She laughed; only John would give a soundbite about logistics.

As promised, she’d gone to her parents’ house the first night. They joked about not knowing who she was when she walked in the door. Now she was in her childhood bedroom, using her childhood desk to send out resumes for the next chapter of her adult life.

She started by letting her former bosses and co-workers know she was looking. In every communication she mentioned New York as top priority without explaining why. Wanting to move to New York was not an uncommon desire. Her boss in London gave her two names immediately, in the form of emails where she was copied and invited to reply. A former professor gave her a few more contacts. Job boards held almost too many listings, so she selected a few of interest and went about finding someone who knew someone at that company. Going through HR would get her nowhere. The number of jobs seemed promising - it wasn’t until the third day that she even applied to a few in Toronto.

“Having fun?” she answered the phone with a smile.

John’s perma-sleepy voice came down the line. “Don’t ever tell Gary I said this, but thank God for him. We can’t skate so it’s just running around, playing ball hockey.”

“Canada’s finest, getting sweaty in shorts and t-shirts? There should be a live feed I can pay for.”

In Calgary, John smiled. He had no idea how to ask a girl for phone sex but the sound of Meghan’s voice was nearly enough on it’s own. Two solid days of talking hockey with fifty guys had him missing her big time. “What are you doing?”

“Applying for every job in New York.”

“Uggghhh,” John rolled over in bed. “I was just thinking about asking you for phone sex but now I don’t need it.”

“That’s it?! You’re done?” she feigned outrage. “Guys are so typical.”

“I miss you,” he said. Their light tone didn’t hide the feeling.

“I miss you too, babe. I saw you on TV, that was exciting. My parents were pretty impressed too.”

“Was I boring?” he asked.

Meghan laughed. “Honey, I wasn’t listening to what you were saying.”

It felt wonderful for John to call and find her happy, waiting for his return so they could resume being happy together. The idea of coming back to that, from games and road trips all season, seemed like an absurd luxury. John was trying not to get ahead of himself - she might not find a job in New York, it might not work that way - but he couldn’t help it. Disappointment be damned, he ached for her.

“I can’t wait to see you,” he said.

“Good thing you got me an SUV, we don’t even have to make it home first.”
____

When Wednesday afternoon finally rolled around, Meghan was at the airport early. John texted her as they passed through the terminal and she stopped right in front of him, Steven and Corey Perry at the curb. She ran to the back of the car, getting there before John could open the hatch, and threw her arms around his neck.

“God you’re pretty,” he said, burying his face in her hair.

“Ahem!” Steven said. Meghan gave him a theatrical hug too, then turned and did the same to Corey Perry.

“Sorry, I get excited,” she laughed. “I’m Meghan.”

“Corey,” he said.

“You guys and your warm-weather hockey towns.” They talked for a minute, but there wasn’t time for more. She said goodbye and bounced back into the car.

“Steven’s parents are having a surprise barbeque for him. Well, for all you guys and the Olympics and everything. So, surprise!” She watched his face carefully.

John blinked once. “Can you pull away from these guys so I can kiss you already?”

She drove out of the arrivals area and looped around the far side of the airport, to a small parking area designed for people to watch planes take off. There was one other car - she took the sport farthest away. John reached for her, but Meghan was climbing between the seats.

“Get back here!”

John knew he’d never get his ass through that narrow gap, so he went out the door. The car shielded him from the only possible watching eyes. Meghan pulled him right into a kiss.

It was heaven. Instead of forgetting over three-plus days, John had remembered every sensation of kissing her. Doing it now was like finding that favorite thing again. Her hair was silky in his hands, her velvety tongue greedy as it slipped against his. Meghan giggled, threw one leg over John’s lap and straddled him.

“I missed… uuggghhhh,” he groaned as she pressed herself against his lap.

“I missed you too,” she said. A glance through the tinted windows proved there was no one around the see them anyway. “A lot.”

This wasn’t the kind of thing John did. Plenty of guys had - cars, taxis, bathrooms, broom closets - anywhere they could get their pants open far enough for sex. John had never been with a stranger, and those are the only girls he could imagine taking to such a place. But he’d never imagined it like this. Meghan moved and he groaned again, erection storming to life like a soldier ready for battle.

That dress went easily up her thighs, her familiar skin warm beneath John’s palms. She cursed him for wearing a belt, but there was a smile on her face. A few lifts and wiggles, a tug of her panties to one side and Meghan lowered herself onto John’s cock with a soft sign. Her brain was overloaded - getting him back, tasting his mouth - and now her body was too. It had only been a few days, they’d have to figure out how to go longer than this. As soon as this was done.

“You’re so tight,” he growled, levering up with one leg and flipping her onto her back. In the same movement he stroked greedily, making them both see stars. She said something that sounded like please, so he did it again. The strap of her dress had fallen from one shoulder; John hooked it down, bared her breast and ran his tongue over the dark pink nipple. Meghan breathed out hard.

He was so strong. It never ceased to amaze her, but in close quarters Meghan was aware of John’s body in a whole new way. She put her hands overhead, against the car door, to avoid being put right through it. John thrust again and she cried out. This was so hot and fast, so unlike most of their times together, it matched the desperation she felt creeping in around the sides of their happiness. Things were changing. Ends were coming. What would be changing and ending remained to be seen but this, this was the both fighting to hold it together.

“John,” she gasped. He kissed her fiercely, ending the sentence there. Their mouths stayed together until she came, head tipping back, breathing his name again. The sweat on his forehead stuck to her throat as he thrust a final time.

“Oh God.” John’s heart hammered in his chest, enough for Meghan to feel. It wasn’t just hormones, adrenaline, orgasm. It was everything. Overwhelmed, he laughed softly.

“Suddenly going away doesn’t seem so bad anymore.”
____

The street outside Steven’s parents’ house was crowded with parked cars. Meghan had led the way - of course she knew where to go. John wondered if Steven’s parents had hoped he’d end up with Meghan, until he ended up with Kaylynn. Until Meghan ended up with someone else. Speaking of which…

“Is Neal gonna be here?”

“Yeah,” Meghan said, turning in her seat. “Is that okay?”

“You tell me,” John replied.

“Did you talk to him at all in Calgary?” Meghan had secretly hoped the men in her life might make amends, if for no reason but to make things easier for her. But boys held grudges and hockey players held them even longer.

“No,” John admitted, “he avoided me the whole time.”

Meghan sighed. That was typical James. “I talked to him, before you guys left.”

“You did?” John did not like Meghan and James talking without him present.

“He apologized, John, and I told him we couldn’t cross paths for a while. I am sure Steven’s parents invited him and his parents. Now they’re all going to know you are the man of my dreams.”

Meghan was so damned pretty that poor John was defenseless. Even if he hadn’t just been her plaything in the back of this very car, he’d be hooked. At a tenth of their current involvement, John would have let Meghan do anything she damned well pleased. Now she wanted to do the right thing.

“They’ll be sad to learn you’ll never be their daughter in law,” he said.

Meghan shrugged. “I’m practically their real daughter anyway.”
___

The Stamkos’ backyard was perfect. Tiny outdoor lights winked in the trees as darkness crept in on a balmy summer evening. Every part of the deck and yard were filled with groups of people, from elders to kids, talking and laughing. They’d been influential in Steven’s life and were here to celebrate not only his achievement, but the other Olympic hopefuls who would help Canada defend the gold medal. Meghan held John’s hand but hardly needed to introduce him at all.

“Thanks, thank you,” he said for the millionth time. Steven’s youth hockey coach, the guy who sharpened skates at the local rink, a former teammate’s father - they all knew John Tavares, New York Islanders. Meghan watched him and tried not to swoon.

“Superstar,” she whispered. John leaned in and kissed her without hesitation.

“BARF!” Sarah Stamkos, Steven’s little sister, made a face before throwing her arms around Meghan. The two had a brief, high-pitched exchange in a language John was sure only girls could understand, before Meghan turned to him.

“Sarah, this is my boyfriend, John.”

“Never heard of you,” Sarah gave him a big smile. John put his hand out to shake, Sarah ignored it and hugged him. “You must be the reason I haven’t seen Meghan all summer.”

“I, er, we….”

“Yup,” Meghan chimed in. “And I haven’t seen your parents either. Where are they?”

They located the Stamkoses near one of the bars, holding court with neighbors and friends. Chris Stamkos was a shorter version of his son, with graying hair, a mustache and that same trademark smile. His mother was a pretty, young-looking blond with light blue eyes. They instantly stopped their conversation at the sight of Meghan, and seemed equally excited to meet John.

“Well well, somebody finally got smart enough to snap this girl up,” Chris said, one arm around Meghan’s shoulders.

“Steven took too damned long!” Meghan joked.

“So, Steven says you’re moving to the Big Apple.”

Just the sound of it still made John’s heart thump. Meghan gave him a look with those green eyes of hers that said everything all at once. “Looks that way!” she smiled. “Gotta find a job, but it’s New York. If eight million people can work there, I’m sure I can do something.”

“Lucky,” Lesley said. Her eyes drifted toward Steven, who was introducing Kaylynn to a bunch of people across the yard. His happiness was palpable even from that distance. “Not so easy in a place like Tampa.”

Mothers would be protective of their sons, but Meghan wondered if Lesley knew how much she sounded like Kaylynn. Everyone wanted them to be happy - and that was a lot of pressure to perform.

“It’ll work out,” Meghan said hopefully.

“Just bring her back with you, okay?” Chris told John. “We can’t be sending all of Canada’s prettiest girls down the to States for good.”

Meghan and John circulated, snacking on grilled chicken kabobs and cole slaw. John was about to take a bite of a brownie when someone behind them said, “And what is that you’re eating?”

Meghan spun around, nearly falling out of her flip-flops. “Jeeeez, Gary!”

Gary Roberts looked no less imposing outside the gym. His ramrod straight posture, short haircut and broad physique made him stand out among all the other men his age. But this time, the torture master was actually smiling.

“It’s alright, I just gave Stamkos a beer. I’m counting all your calories in my head.”

“Can he do that?” John asked Meghan.

She talked as if Gary weren’t standing there. “Probably. Downloaded new software from the Matrix.”

“He’s scary,” John agreed.

As John and his coach fell into shop talk about camp, what hurt and what didn’t, who had gotten fat and slow over the summer, Meghan took her leave. She’d seen James once in the crowd but prefered to run into him, at least the first time, alone. She couldn’t go far without stopping to talk to someone and progress was slow. Finally she spotted James sipping light beer from a can. His short hair made him look younger, but he’d managed to put on some weight since earlier in the summer. Maybe he was working harder or just eating his feelings. Wearing a green t-shirt and gray cargo shorts, he really was gorgeous.

James saw Meghan coming. He’d seen her arrive, hug a hundred people who adored her, charm anyone who hadn’t fallen yet. John was stuck to her side like glue - James couldn’t blame the guy. Her multicolored sundress contrasted with her dark hair and tanned skin so she was glowing. Finishing the last sip of his beer, James watched her approach.

“Hey,” she said.

James had done a lot of thinking. It didn’t much prepare him to actually see her again, but at least he could confirm how he felt. Heartsick. It was how he’d diagnosed himself.

“Hi.”

He wanted to go back in time. Even if he didn’t end up at this party with Meghan on his arm, her bags packed and ready for Pittsburgh, James wished he could go back and at least try. He’d do it right and maybe she’d still say no. The waiting and the mistakes were what kept him up at night. He wanted to hug her and apologize again, but this was not the place.

“How was camp?”

“Good. Felt good to get moving, see the guys.”

“Think Team Canada looks good this year?”

“I wouldn’t want to play against us,” James admitted proudly.

The tension between them eased as they talked about something positive and hopeful, something in the future. Meghan would be there for James as much as she’d ever been when he was miles away playing hockey. That part did not have to change. She admired the candid way he described the competition to even make the Olympic squad - he knew he wasn’t a lock. James from a year ago would have been so full of himself he’d be talking like they’d already won the gold. She was asking about their depth at left wing when James glanced over her shoulder.

“Hey man,” he nodded.

John’s left arm slipped around Meghan’s waist at the same time he reached his right hand out to shake James’. They had barely said a word to each other in Calgary, but the animosity had dissipated over the sweat and camaraderie that any team shared. In a month they’d be rivals again on the ice, but for tonight they were all Team Canada.

“See Gary?” John asked, noticing James’ empty beer.

James smiled. “In my nightmares.”

“I’ve gotta say, all those scorpion lifts really helped with the gliding drills.”

“And those fucking deadweight stick holds, I felt every sled push we did all summer,” James agreed.

Sensing the moment was right to let James and John patch things up, or ignore them entirely, Meghan slipped away from their conversation. Of all the faces she’d seen tonight, two important ones were missing. She spotted Steven and Kaylynn on the porch, near the sliding door to the house. Luckily the way took her past a bar.

Fresh gin and tonic in hand, she reached the steps just as Steven was brushing the hair from Kaylynn’s face with concern. Kaylynn stepped back from his embrace so quickly Steven’s empty hand lingered in mid-air. Meghan’s mind flashed back to the street fair and the tension she’d sensed between these two. After four days away from John, Meghan felt like she could fly just seeing him again. Steven and Kaylynn did not look so happy. A protective instinct roared in Meghan’s chest, the same one she’d seen in Mrs. Stamkos’ eyes watching her son and this girl he leaved so much.

“She okay?” Meghan asked, reaching Steven’s side.

He shook his head. “She isn’t feeling well. Thinks she has the stomach flu.”

Hmmmmm, Meghan thought. She couldn’t have said why she felt suspicious, but the explanation rang false. Kaylynn came back outside, this time with her purse. Her complexion was rosy without a hint of paleness, her eyes clear and bright. Kaylynn looked the least sick Meghan had ever seen. She scowled and Steven caught it.

“What?” he asked.

Meghan waved it off. “Nothing.”

Kaylynn reached them. Even the weak smile on her face looked more guilty than sick. “Hey,” she said. “Sorry we didn’t get a chance to catch up tonight.”

“Yeah,” Meghan made herself sound sympathetic. “I heard you’re leaving.”

Kaylynn nodded, hand on her stomach. “Not feeling so hot.”

It was mean to test the girl but something about it didn’t sit right with Meghan. “Too bad,” she wrapped an arm around Steven’s shoulders. “Big night for your man. Shame you can’t stay to celebrate.”

Kaylynn’s expression faltered. Busted. Meghan felt a little sick herself for being right but it only made her mad. The guys had been honored by going to camp and they’d just returned. Kaylynn might be new to the game but she was going to have to learn to make a big deal out of things that were a big fucking deal.

“Oh well,” Meghan said flippantly, “there’ll be other nights, right?”

Kaylynn mumbled something, kissed Steven’s cheek and dashed off leaving her boyfriend flat footed, staring after her. The moment she was out of sight, he turned to Meghan.

“What was that about?”

“Nothing. I’m sure she’s sick,” Meghan said, feeling bad.

“You got away with one lie all summer but that doesn’t make you a good liar, Meg. You think she’s not sick?”

“I think,” Meghan gestured out over the yard and all the people celebrating Steven for being Steven, “that maybe all this and the people asking her when she’s moving and everyone treating you like a hero was a little too much pressure for her.”

Steven looked around the party - it didn’t seem scary to him. He hadn’t even considered that. “Shit.”

Meghan squeezed his arm. “She’d better hurry up and get used to it.”
____

On the way home, John felt exhausted. Three days of camp, plus travel and being social for five hours had really taken it out of him. Not to mention his romp with Meghan in the backseat in between.

“I don’t think I can lift my bags,” John complained when they got home.

Meghan popped the trunk, went around and pulled John’s bag of stinky hockey gear onto the garage floor. Then she closed the hatch and went inside.

By the time John got upstairs, she was already running a bath. He sat on the edge of the tub and watched her look for something to use as bubbles. In the end, a travel size shower gel gave its life and the water frothed. She stood him up, undressed him and ordered him in. She shed her dress, the cream colored strapless bra and thong beneath and climbed into the tub behind him. Meghan’s long legs went around John’s wide hips and he leaned back against her.

“I missed you,” she said, dripping soapy water from her fingertips across his chest.

“I missed you too.” John ran his hands along her calves, feeling the toned muscle. “The guys gave me a hard time for going up early to call you every night.”

“Those jerks,” she joked.

“Eh, I wasn’t the only one,” John said. “Stammer was pretty homesick too.”

Meghan thought of Kaylynn at the party, how strangely she’d acted. Maybe Meghan was too harsh - not everyone had grown up with this kind of life happening around them. Still she had the feeling that while Steven was putting everything on the line for love, Kaylynn was holding something back.

“You know that if I don’t get a job in New York, I’m still with you, right? If the move doesn’t work out, we’re not breaking up,” she said.

“What?” John’s skin squeaked on the porcelain as he sat up and turned around. “Of course not, baby. Why would you think that?”

“I just… I feel like Kaylynn’s fighting it really hard. The move, the job search, everything for her is pinned on that. I got a weird feeling tonight that she’s scared it’s going to fall apart. But that is not happening to us, right?”

“No, no. Never.” As best he could in the confines of the tub, John pulled Meghan close and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Meghan felt the beginning of tears prick behind her eyes. She drew a deep, slow breath to calm them. Of course she and John weren’t breaking up. No matter what.

“Hey,” he said quietly, tipping her chin up to look into those green eyes. “We’re okay.”

“I know.” Meghan felt silly now for letting it get the best of her. “I just missed you. And I’m worried about Steven and Kaylynn. I promised him she would go - he needs her.”

Of any moment since Meghan came running back into his arms, John knew this was the best yet. Meghan hated to be away from him, would do whatever it took to be with him. And John didn’t doubt for a second she could move mountains. He was so, so lucky to have someone fully committed to the crazy their lives were about to become. And for what? For him? John thought that hardly seemed reward enough. Now she was also fighting for her friends’ happiness. I love you bounced around on his tongue.

“I know how he feels,” John said. “I can’t live without you either.”
____

Notes

Comments

Just finished this story and wanted to say that you're an incredible writer. :)
I think you'd write a great MDZ story btw.

I'm so sad that it's over. ): But thank you for spending so much time and effort to write something so wonderful!

OMGEmilyGrace OMGEmilyGrace
4/7/14

Omg poor James :(

hockeywife hockeywife
2/27/14

This story is amazing. My favorite. I love it so much

racheal racheal
2/10/14

I love this story so much!!!

RedWingsGirl2 RedWingsGirl2
1/12/14