A Lifelong Promise

Before Paul knew what hit him he was utilizing every tool at his dispense. When he got the information he desperately was seeking he was jetting to the airport faster than was socially acceptable. He ran like a man possessed to the first desk he saw and bought a ticket for the next trip down to South Carolina. As he purchased his ticket for a flight that was boarding in an hour, he took the opportunity to secure a rental car so that when he landed he had nothing standing in his way.

The wait for the flight was agonizing and the flight itself felt like it was twelve hours opposed to the just over one it actually took. He was taking a gamble, a huge risk by flying down to another state without anything to go on but a hunch and an address, but it was worth it. He knew her, he knew her better than anyone, and in his heart - in his gut - he knew that her grandparents was where he'd find her.

When he landed in the warmth of the south he immediately jetted over to pick up his reserved rental and looked up directions to get to where he was going. He had a decent ride ahead of him and somewhere between the airport and his destination he realized no one knew where he was. He was still all revved up and anxious, and probably would be until he found her, but the fog in his head cleared just enough to call Sid and let him know what was going on.

"You're where?" Sid asked in disbelief as he listened to Paul fill him in on where he was. Last he'd seen his friend, Paul was hungover and crawling back into bed.

"This is something I've gotta do," Paul replied unapologetically.

"But you don't even know she's there man. Are you nuts?" Sid blurted out still absorbing the newest development in the love saga that had taken over the locker room.

"She's here. I'm telling you she's here."

"I hope you're right..."

"Need to scope out new arenas anyway so maybe I'll check out Raleigh while I'm down south," Paul partially joked.

"Why? Because of Neal?"

"I flat out told him to call and tell them to trade me. If he can't handle it, if he wants to lie and run me out of town, then that's his choice."

"Okay, first off, no one's getting traded. Relax. I already handled it." Sid was a calming presence in Paul's life and right now it was what he needed even though his heart was racing a million miles an hour.

"How?"

"Kunitz called me after he called you."

"Yeah I figured you put him up to that whole thing anyway," Paul stated through the speak of his iphone. He had wanted to call Sid and ask about it, thank him for having his back, but he'd been so preoccupied he forgot.

"Yeah," Sid nodded. "Thought it was the best I could do."

"No I appreciate it," Paul insisted gratefully. "I wouldn't be here without that."

"Yeah that's what I was afraid of," Sid sighed out at Paul's confession.

"Look, all I'm saying is Neal is clearly pissed. I'm not backing down, I want to be with her. And as they say, this town isn't big enough for the two of us," Paul elaborated. "It's not so far fetched for him to go that far. And maybe it's for the best."

"Stop. Just...stop that."

Paul whipped his head around and realized he passed the name of the street the house he was looking for was on. "Fuck," he spat out as he went to do an illegal k-turn. "I gotta go. I'm almost there."

"Alright. Good luck," Sid offered up knowing there was nothing else he could say.

"Thanks man. You wouldn't believe how crazy it is here. It's nothing like Pitt. It's gorgeous," he commented as he took in the scenery. "Alright, I gotta go. I'll talk to you at some point. Maybe I'll be home sooner than later. Who knows."

Sid paused for a second on his end of the call and smiled to himself though Paul couldn't possibly see it. Sid had no problems with Paul's actions because he knew if it were him, nothing would have stopped him from getting to Hannah. "You go get her."

Paul felt his cheeks curl up in a grin as he got Sid's last reassuring vote of confidence. He held his breath as he slowly made his way down the gravel path and heard the earth crunching beneath his tires. He saw the barn with horses roaming the massive property with the darling house at the head of it all. When he parked the car and shut off the ignition he realized how crazy this whole thing was - how nuts he looked hoping a plane and showing up at Clare's grandparents having never met them without so much as an inkling that he was coming. He felt himself begin to have a panic attack and had to take a few deep breaths in before he got the nerve to get out of the car. This is something he never thought he'd ever do before, but now that he'd met the right girl he was a fool in love.

He walked slowly, taking more of the scenery in and remembering what Clare had said about it. He saw the area the horses roamed, the river, the woods and beyond that the huge field surrounded by more trees and nature. This place was private and secluded, peaceful and relaxing and everything Clare said it would be.

He took a deep breath and felt his body go numb as he raised his hand and banged his knuckles on the country wooden door in front of him. He wasn't sure what he would find on the other side - if Clare would open and look at him wide-eyed, but before he could cower and run away he heard the door unlock and the knob turn. When it opened, he wasn't looking at Clare, but a sweet elderly lady who looked at him up through her glasses. "Hello?'

"Hi," Paul fumbled immediately feeling himself crack at the task of explaining himself to who he presumed to be Clare's grandmother. "This is going to sound a little crazy," he offered up in attempt to soften the story he was about to lay on her. "My name's Paul. I've..."

"Oh!" her eyes lit up as soon as Paul introduced himself and he immediately froze in place as she clearly heard of him. "Paul, it's such a pleasure to meet you finally. Clare has told us so many things about you." Paul smiled as he looked down at this sweet old lady who was apparently familiar with him - it made his heart flutter knowing that Clare had spoken to them about him. "She did?"

"Of course she did - I must tell you it's a little surprising to see you here all the way from Pittsburgh."

Paul was still caught off guard and was only able to muster a little shrug through the giddy smiling he was trying to nervously mask.

"If you're looking for Clare, which I assume you are, I hate to tell you this but she isn't here."

Paul's heart immediately sank down into the pit of his stomach as her words. "She...she isn't?"

"No," she shook her head nonchalantly as she reached for his arm and dragged him in. "Do you want some tea? You must be hungry I could fix you something for lunch."

Paul numbly followed her down the hallway and tried to catch his breath. He felt like his entire world had just shattered beneath his feet. "I...I appreciate the offer but I really can't stay if she isn't here."

"Well she should be back soon. She took Morning Star out for a ride about an hour ago. I can't imagine she'll be out too much longer."

Paul's heart caught in his throat this time and his eyes popped open when he heard the words come out of her mouth - they almost felt like they weren't real. "She- she's here?"

"Oh of course she's here I just meant she isn't here right now." Clare's grandmother clarified as if Paul should have known.

"She's here?" he asked again, eyes wide as the sun as he looked down at her begging for reassurance.

"Yes," she answered with a giggle.

"Which direction did she head?" he asked as he ran back to the front door and made a visual path to run as he listened to where he needed to go. "But," he heard as he began to run as fast as his legs would carry him. "She could be anywhere." Paul didn't care as he trekked through the grass and trees. He knew this property exceeded his ability to run it in one shot but he had so much adrenaline he couldn't help himself. After a few minutes he paused on the outskirts of the trees he just ran through like his life depended on, and looked out across the field. It was quiet and peaceful, no sign of anything - not a noise, not an animal, not Clare. He mapped out where to go next and ended crossing through the field and heading down to the river. As he was about to exit out of the trees for the second time, he stopped in his tracks as he saw Clare ride through on her horse right down to the water. He watched as she hopped off and grabbed the reigns of the beautiful creature and led it down for a drink. He felt his insides bursting with affection when he saw how kind and loving she was with the horse - she clearly had no idea she had an audience as she nuzzled her nose against the horse and smiled before giving it a kiss on the snout. When she was totally facing the water, looking angelically out over the river Paul finally kicked his feet into gear and stepped out from the trees. "I hope you like it down here as much as you say - because I might be looking at the Canes."

Clare quickly spun around with wide eyes and looked at him with her mouth dropped open in disbelief. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, completely surprised at the man standing in front of her.

Paul felt so many emotions standing there in front of her for the first time in way too long. He felt himself swallow as they stood there looking at each other for a few seconds. He was just about to continue speaking when Clare sprinted over jumped into his arms. When their lips met Paul felt his heart swell and his tensions melt away. When he pulled back to look into her tear-filled eyes he had to wipe away a few of his own. "What are you doing here?" she breathed out as she nuzzled her nose into his before planting another quick kiss on him.

"I made you a promise before you left - and unlike other people I don't break promises. I promised you that I wouldn't give up on you and I don't have it in me to break that one."

He felt her smile into him as they stood there embracing each other. "I'm so sorry," she began to sob into him. "I thought I was doing the right thing. He had a point, he had a real point in me ruining your life, your career. I couldn't put you through that. You're too great a man to deserve that."

"Clare," he sighed out as he pulled back enough to look at her. With his one arm wrapped around her and the other resting under the hair on the back of her neck he told her what he needed her to know. "I didn't have a life until you came along. I had a career and I'm happy with it. But you know what? Eventually it'll end and what will I be left with? I don't come home to it every night like I come home to you. When I'm on the road for my career I'm thinking about you. And when it's over I want to spend everyday with you. Grow old with you, have kids with you, be with you. I wanna take care of you, make you laugh and fight over who should put the dishes away. I told you already - between them and you, it's you every time."

Clare looked at him and wasn't able to even slightly hold back tears. "But I can't ask you..."

"You're not," he quickly cut her off. "You never have. It's my decision and it'll always be you."

Clare melted into him and cried harder into his shoulder. "Between you and him, it will always be you," she whispered into his ear.

Paul instantly crashed his lips down onto hers and drank as much of her up as he could. "Will you come home now?" he asked quietly with his eyes closed as he brushed his nose against hers needing to feel her against him.

"No," she breathed out. "You have to meet my grandparents first," she teased him as she flashed him a smile that made him weak in the knees.

"Oh I've met your grandmother."

"I bet you did," she flirted. "Let's go back. I'll put the horse away and we'll eat with them and book the first flight back to Pitt. I don't want you to get into too much trouble for skipping town."

"It's really okay," he sighed out as he wrapped his arms around her tighter and squeezed her to him. "I was afraid I'd never see you again."

"I couldn't come home - I couldn't come home and see you and actually go through with calling things off. I love you too much to look you in the eyes and end it so I just left and thought it'd be what was right."

Paul gave her a soft sweet kiss before looking in her eyes and tucking her hair behind her ear. "There wasn't a chance in hell I wasn't coming after you."