You Have My Heart

As she sat by herself on the train, Rylie opened her book and tried not to think about the past three years she had spent with Shane O'Brien. Shane was the man who she fell in love with and then agreed to follow him from Tampa Bay when he found himself playing for the Vancouver Canucks. She knew that it would be too hard to be that far away from each other for that length of time. It was already bad enough that they didn't get to see each other as often as they wanted, but to be in two different countries altogether would just make it that much harder. So after talking about it, Rylie agreed to take the chance that Shane was different than the other guys and she went with him to Vancouver.

Two years she spent in Vancouver and Rylie could admit that she was happy there. She had met some nice people and she became friends with some of the girlfriends and wives of the players. But the summer of 2010 was when things started to become different. After the Canucks were eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs, it was as if the Shane she fell in love with seemed to be gone. The plans they had to visit her family like they had each summer since they moved were gone. Then came the time when they found out the Canucks had put him up on waivers. Almost a week passed before they got word that the Nashville had claimed him which meant another move. That was something neither one of them were looking forward to.

In the summer of 2010, Rylie could say she started to see the change in Shane. While she packed up their apartment in Vancouver, he headed out to Nashville to find them a new place to live as well as meeting up with the Nashville Predators. When he came back, things just weren't the same. Rylie figured it was from the stress of the move and a new team so she didn't say anything. After all she knew that if she did, he'd just deny it, so what was the point? The move to Nashville was easier since Shane had already found a four bedroom place, only Rylie didn't know how many rooms he actually got until they moved in, but it wasn't worth fighting over.

But for the last two months all they did was fight which was how Rylie found herself on a bus leaving Nashville. Shane had been calling her for the last hour, but there was no way she'd pick up the phone now. Finally getting the courage to leave, Rylie packed the basics of she would need. The bus ride gave her the time to really think about the fact that in the past nine months, she couldn't pinpoint a time where she was truly happy with Shane. But when they had gone to LA to visit his friend Brad Richardson who played for the Los Angeles Kings, she had spent time with Brad's girlfriend Michelle while the boys were out golfing. And that was where she was headed, to Los Angeles for some advice. Rylie and Michelle had stayed in contact and when Michelle had given birth to her and Brad's first child, she sent clothes and a bassinet for the baby.

When she saw that the bus had reached her stop, Rylie grabbed her stuff as her phone started to ring once again. Looking at the caller ID she saw a picture of Shane come up. With a heavy sigh she opened the phone and hit the ignore button before shoving her phone into her bag. After checking in her bag, Rylie found herself sitting at the airport while waiting for her flight. When her phone rang again and once again it was Shane. Knowing she couldn't put it off for much longer, she opened her phone and accepted the call.

“Hello?”

“Ry? Where the hell are you?”

“Does it matter? I'm done Shane, I can't do this anymore.”

“I thought you were happy,” Shane said. “I thought we were happy.”

“We haven't been happy in awhile Shane and you know it. I'm tired of pretending that I'm happy, just so that you don't have to admit that we aren't working anymore.”

“So you are just gonna leave?” Shane questioned her. “I don't get a say in it?”

“No you don't,” Rylie told him. “You are the reason I can't find anything to be happy about.”

“If this is about having to move from Vancouver to Nashville....”

“It isn't about your career Shane, it's about you not being there for me when I need you. You don't introduce me as anything but, Rylie. I'm not your girlfriend nor am I your wife and truth be told, I no longer know where we stand at the moment.”

“Baby girl...”

“Shane, please don't make this harder than it already is.”

“Make what harder? I don't even know what is going on with you,” Shane said before letting out a long sigh. “Can you please just come home and we can talk about it face to face?”

“I can't do that,” Rylie said. “Every single time I would bring up how I feel you change the topic and refused to talk about it and I'm done with that. I need some time away from you. When you figure out what exactly it is you want, then you should call me, but until then, I'm gone.”

“Rylie, we've been through so much for you to give up on us.”

“I never said I was giving up on us,” Rylie said. “I just need some time away from you. I guess in the sense, I need a break.”

“Ry....”

“I have to go Shane, my plane is gonna start to board soon. Bye.”

Disconnecting the call, Rylie looked down at her phone. It was a picture of the two of them as Shane was leaning in to place a kiss on her lips. It was from their first summer in Vancouver. At a time where everything was less complicated. Hearing her flight number being called, Rylie turned off her phone and dropped it into her bag as she pulled out her ticket. Picking up her carry on and purse, Rylie made her way to where the line had started to form. Wiping her tears from her face as she boarded the plane, she put her bags under the seat in front of her before taking her seat. Reaching into her carry-on she pulled out a book before buckling her seat belt.

Once the plane landed at LAX, Rylie was surprised to see Michelle standing in the baggage claim area with a stroller next to her. It was no coincidence that Michelle was there. Shane had called Brad because he figured that she would come here. Walking towards her friend, Rylie dropped her bags and hugged the woman in front of her as the tears starting to fall. “I couldn't do it anymore, Chelle, I just couldn't.”

“You don't have to explain yourself to me, Rylie, you don't have to explain yourself to anyone,” Michelle told her. “Now tell me, do you have anymore luggage or are you ready to head back to the house?”

“I'm just gonna find a hotel,” Rylie said as she used her sleeve to dry her eyes. “I don't want to be-”

“Grab your bags, get your luggage,” Michelle told her. “You are coming home with me and staying in the guest bedroom. You and Shane need time apart and it'll do you both some good. He did call Brad, but don't worry, Brad won't let him know you are here if he ever wants to have sex again.”

“Is this him?” Rylie asked, looking at the stroller that was covered by a blanket.

Grabbing the blanket, Michelle moved it so Rylie could see the sleeping baby. He had his father's hair already and he held his pacifier in his hand while he slept. “Rylie, meet Jackson. Jackson this is Aunt Rylie.”

“Oh, Chelle, he's so precious,” Rylie said as she looked at the sleeping baby. “He's got his daddy's hair.”

“Yeah, I knew that before he was born. I had just awful heartburn.”

“He's so adorable.”

“Thanks,” Michelle said as the pulled the blanket to cover her son. “We should get going. The boys have a game tonight and Brad is going to want his post name meal in an hour.”

“Thank, Chelle.” Rylie said as she grabbed her bags.

“For what?”

“Letting me stay with you and just for being a great friend.”

“Always.”

Two months passed with very little contact between Shane and Riley. Even though she loved having her friend staying with her, Michelle could see how heartbroken she was. Which is how she found herself where she was. Opening the door to reveal the one person she hoped could fix what it was that had managed to get broken at some point. Holding Jackson in her arms, she gave him a small smile. “She's upstairs, third door on the right. Please don't make the same mistake Brad almost made.”

“Thanks, Chelle,” Shane said before looking down at the baby in her arms. “No doubt about who fathered him, huh?”

“None.”

Quietly, Shane made his way up the stairs and to the room Michelle told him to go to. Knocking softly on the door he waited for a response. After hearing Rylie's voice that call out that he could enter, he took a deep breath before walking inside. “Hey, baby girl.”

“Shane?” Rylie asked, her voice laced with shock. “What are you doing here?”

“I need you back, Ry,” Shane said walking over to where she was sitting on the bed in the guest bedroom. “I refuse to go home until you are with me.”

“Shane...”

“Hear me out, please?”

Nodding her head, Rylie watched as he sat next to her on the bed.

“Ever since you left Nashville, I can't do anything but try and think what it was that I did to chase you away and then I realized that besides having sex I didn't treat you like the woman I love. I treated you like those girls around the rink and that isn't okay,” Shane said as he took her hand in his. “I want you to come back home. I need you Rylie. I'm going insane without you and I swear I will change. Things will be different.”

“How will they be different?” Rylie asked, trying not to get her hopes up. “Cause I don't think I can go back if things don't change.”

“Well this will be the first change,” Shane said getting off the bed as kneeling in front of her. Taking out the ring from his pocket, he smiled at her. “Will you marry me?”

Her eyes went wide as she looked into Shane's eyes and she knew right then and there that this was the change that they both needed, but were to afraid to talk about. “Shane...you own my heart. So yes, yes I will marry you.”

With a smile on his face, Shane tackled her to the bed after placing the ring on her finger. Kissing her softly, he couldn't remember time he had been so happy.

“Well I take it things are good between you two?”

Breaking apart, Shane and Rylie turned and looked at Michelle who stood there with a smile on her face as she held Jackson and Brad stood behind her. “Who invited him here?” Rylie asked as she and Shane sat up and wrapped his arms around her.

“I did.”

“Really Chelle?” Rylie asked, surprised.

“I heard Brad's conversation one night when he was talking to Shane and I knew how miserable he was and I knew you missed him too. I knew that he had your heart and you had his. I didn't want you to miss out on time together if you didn't have to. I didn't want you two to go through what we did. When I was pregnant with Jackson, we weren't together for half of it and it was painful, so I just didn't want to see the both of you go through that if you didn't need to.”

“How long have you known?” Rylie asked. “That he had my heart?”

“Since the day I met you.”