Status: We'll see where this one leads

A Lifelong Promise

Company

"You coming out tonight?" James heard the guys ask as they got dressed after their second to last road game on this trip. It'd been a long night to say the least and he didn't mind the idea of releasing some steam. They'd been on the road nearly a week and he didn't mind exploring the new towns they were passing through.

"Sure," he said with a nod. "I'm down."

"Alright then let's go," Brenden Morrow urged him to hurry up so they could get moving.

"Who all is coming out?"

"The usual crowd." He didn't have to elaborate, James knew exactly what that meant. He knew by now who would come out and who would stay in. He nodded again and finished getting dressed, completely ready to go have a good time.

"You're not coming back to the hotel right?" Crosby asked him in passing as they were walking outside already knowing the answer.

"Nah man," James shook his head and didn't say anything more.

"You be careful," Crosby said with a glare which James basically ignored. He knew what Crosby meant by that statement and he also knew Sid would never join them as they went out. He loved his wife Hannah too much to want to go out and put himself in the position to do something stupid.

"I'll be just fine," James answered in self defense. "I'd rather go out and have fun than stay locked up in my room."

"I'd rather stay locked up in my room on the phone with my wife than go out and throw all that away on nothing," Sid answered with a genuine tone which for a second sliced some conviction into his buddy.

"I'll see you later," James said dismissing the warning his friend tried to give him. He simply didn't want to hear it

"Alright then, have fun." Sid knew his words were falling on deaf ears but at least he'd tried. He was disappointed in James, but it wasn't his life nor was it his decision to make.

The club was loud, dark and swarming with half naked ladies who were ready and willing to drop the rest of their clothes the second they realized there was a group of pro hockey players in the joint. It didn't take long for James to get drunk, and it definitely didn't take long for him to chat up a girl who would jump at the opportunity to go back to his room with him.

The sex was just that, sex. Quick, easy, a release. There were no emotions involved for him, though he couldn't speak for her. It felt good, and just as quickly as he found her as his company for the evening, James was alone again. They each got what they wanted and he gave her cab fare to get back to wherever she called home. He jumped in the shower in his hotel room and felt the hot water run down his aching muscles and guilty conscious. When he stepped out he heard his phone ringing and he wrapped the towel around his waist as he ran to find it.

"Hello?" he answered on what he could only assume was the last ring before it would go to his voicemail.

"Hey," he heard her friendly sweet voice on the other end.

"Hey baby," he cooed out as he sighed and felt his shoulders relax. "I was just about to call you."

"I was getting nervous I hadn't heard from you. It's getting late here, I know you're an hour behind but still." To say she had her suspicions was an understatement.

"I'm sorry Clare I was in the shower, I just stepped out right now. I actually almost missed your call." He tucked his leg under him and leaned on the bed to talk to her.

"Oh yeah? Well I miss you back home. It's been too long I've been in our bed by myself."

"I know baby," he said softly with a slight smile. "I'll be home in a few days. I miss you too."

"You better," she flirted back. "I just wanna see my husband."

"Trust me," he said with a swallow. "I wanna see my wife just as much."

"Are you behaving yourself out there?" She didn't know what he was up to anymore and she hoped against hope that he was still faithful.

"Of course," he answered as he cleared his throat. "Hey, let me get some sleep. I'll call you in the morning. I love you Clare."

She let out a little breath of air paused a few seconds before answering. "I love you too."

***Almost 5 years ago***

The bride looked stunning in a beautiful white dress. Her hair was swept up in a romantic up-do and even though her tears messed up her perfectly applied make up, she still looked like an angel. The groom looked equally as handsome in his dapper tux and pristine smile. One thing they had in common was that it was clear to everyone in attendance how happy they were; how in love they were.

When the minister told James to kiss his bride he thought he'd explode before his lips touched hers. She wrapped her arms around him and his cheeks could feel the wetness from her own; this was the happiest she'd ever been. After being teenage sweethearts, they were finally man and wife. Nothing could take away from how good that felt.

Clare didn't want to take her eyes off him as they marched back down the aisle to everyone's applause. This was the day they had been waiting for and now that it was here it felt like it was flying by way too quickly. "I love you," James spun her to face him when they finally got inside and had a moment to themselves.

"I love you," she whispered back with an undeniable grin before he locked lips with hers.

"You're my wife," he cooed out. "And I'm so happy. And you look so, so beautiful."

"You don't look so bad yourself," Clare answered. "It's you and me now."

"It's been that way for as long as I can remember," James corrected her in the most loving way possible. "I wouldn't change a thing about it."

"I love you James," Clare said again before pressing her lips back to his. She didn't want this moment to end.

"I love you Mrs. Neal." Neither did he. This was as happy as he'd ever been. "I'll always love you."

It should have been their happily ever after, the answer to one of the biggest questions of their lives. But unfortunately, it was only the beginning.
♠ ♠ ♠
So many questions, right? My bad. hehe.
Hey, I hope you like it. I know I've painted James to be a bit of a jerk so far, but you gotta see how it unravels! I'm still just setting it up. Let's be honest, a lot of these guys cheat when they're married. I think it'd be fun to see if it would be something that can be salvaged.
You know I don't make it easy. Who do you think is gonna step in and 'befriend' Clare and make things complicated for James?
Stick with me?

Also, if you read my Toews story, thanks again! I hope you liked that! I'm two comments away from 400, lol, so if you didn't comment, can you?!

I'll update soon, thanks for reading!!

(And yes I had to do a little homage to my Crosby story, hehe. Of course.)