A Lifelong Promise

"So, do you want to go out for a drink when we get back? A bunch of us are going to grab a drink before we head home since the drive across the river is so short. We could even take a train back into the city if we wanted, but I think we're going to stay in Jersey," Adam Henrique politely asked Paul as they got on the bus at the Garden ready to go back home after playing the Rangers.

Paul let out a laugh and shook his head. "Thanks man, but you know I'll pass."

"Yeah," Adam nodded knowingly. "I know. But I wanted to offer it anyway."

"Thanks. But tonight is a big night. We're in the back half of the season and we have a few days off and it just so happens to be my wedding anniversary."

"Really?" Adam said with a congratulatory smile. "That's great man, good for you."

"It's your anniversary?" Travis Zajac chimed in with a cheerful tone as he joined the conversation.

Paul nodded, "Yeah."

"That's crazy, I can't believe it flew by so fast. It seems like yesterday that you just signed here again. You guys were married for like, just over a year and the baby was only a few months old. Now you've been here four years - and you're in final year of your deal - and you have two kids. I can't get over how fast it's gone by," Travis laughed as he reminisced on Paul's history in disbelief at how fast life was flying by, his included.

"Yeah," Paul nodded his agreement. "Tell me about it."

"So," Adam chimed in again somewhat awkwardly. "Don't get mad at me but how did that happen again? You married Neal's ex-wife."

Again Paul nodded. "I guess you could put it that way, usually I just tell people I married my soulmate."

"I-I didn't mean to offend or anything," Adam stammered out as his cheeks reddened. "I just mean I don't really know the whole story and it's kind of crazy - you don't hear that kind of thing very often."

"If you don't know the whole story I guess it's easy to make assumptions," Paul shrugged.

"Well, we do have a bus ride back home to get through," Adam's suggestion was anything but subtle and he flashed Paul a devious grin.

"You want to know the story of how I met my wife? I didn't peg you for such a sap," Paul teased him.

"I wouldn't mind hearing it either, actually," Travis cut in with curiosity. "It's an interesting story and I don't know the whole thing," Travis chuckled in a mocking way towards himself but they were all sitting together on the bus and it seemed like good entertainment to keep them occupied on their trip home. "I mean do you mind? Are we offending you?"

"No, no way." Paul flashed a smirk as he thought back to the beginning and prepared to tell it. "I love our love story. I was asked a lot about it when it was all first happening, and I came under a lot of fire for it, lost friends because of it. But that's all okay with me because I know that Clare and I were on our way to each other a long time before she even married him. Her heart was always pure through it all and even though she went through a lot of hurt with Neal, it kept her safe in a way until I was the man I needed to be in order to deserve to be with her."

"Wow dude, that's some deep shit," Adam laughed, but was impressed with Paul's unrelenting devotion.

"So, I guess the best place to start is the beginning - the very beginning, when I first saw her at the arena. I had just left the Devils and signed with the Pens and I didn't know everyone's wives or anything yet..." Paul indulged his curious friends with the detailed version of how he and Clare met and eventually married. He told them of how he felt the first time he laid his eyes on her, before he knew she was married to Neal. He told them about how he never once acted on or allowed himself to feel anything more than respect for Clare during her marriage. How he hated that Neal was treating her so poorly. How he ended up befriending her and how their relationship foundation started to be built as her marriage was falling apart. He told them how he waited for her, how he fell for her long before she got the courage to stand up for herself and leave, and when she finally did, he was there for her every step of the way. He was honest about how much Neal tried to break them, told them everything they'd been through and how he ran from Neal, from being a distraction, from the Pens to come back to Jersey. It was hard, the beginning, but it was what shaped them. They knew they'd found everything they could ever ask for in another person in each other and every second was worth fighting for. "That's the thing though," Paul paused for a second and swallowed as they pulled in the arena back home. "It was hard, but it really didn't seem it. It was easy. I survived everything life put me through to find this girl and I never once felt like I was fighting....because somehow I knew I'd already won."

Adam and Trav were both left slightly speechless. Travis was a married man and devoted father himself, but Paul's story shook him to the core.

"There is absolutely nothing shady, nothing wrong with that story," Travis breathed out.

"I didn't know that was in questions," Paul teased. "Thanks."

"I didn't mean it that way, I didn't mean it that way. I mean for all the people who gave you shit for it, they really have no idea. Your story is amazing," Travis shook his head still reeling from it.

"Yeah," Adam agreed. "I can see why you got the hell away from all that. You don't hear many stories like that anymore - it's refreshing."

Paul, Trav and Adam made their way off the bus and stood in a little mini-circle as Paul finished telling them everything about how he and Clare fell in love.

"It wasn't everyone," Paul quickly shook his head and kindly made sure he wasn't misunderstood. "Crosby was always on my side actually. He understood everything, saw it as it was happening. He was very helpful - especially in the beginning. He has his own sappy story with his wife and he understood how I felt about Clare and how Neal was just an asshole, basically. I don't like to talk about my personal things a lot but he kept me sane. We still keep in touch to this day and he'll always be my friend. I know me and Clare are somewhat unconventional, but no one did anything wrong - the guys that matter back in Pitt know that...hell even Neal knows it."

"That's just...that's a crazy story. I mean you hear so and so ended up marrying so and so's wife...it sounds bad. I mean I've played with you for what, four years now - and even before you signed with Pitt - and while I knew he cheated on her and never once thought you were a bad person for it - I never knew, never understood the full story. I'm glad I do now." Trav patted Paul on the shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. "Thanks for telling us."

Paul felt the phone in his pocket buzzing and took it out only to see Clare's picture looking back at him. "Excuse me," Paul wiggled away from his group of teammates and slipped off to get some privacy as he answered the phone. "Hello baby," he cooed as he smiled into the phone.

"Hey handsome!" Clare's voice bellowed sweetly from the other end.

"Happy anniversary," Paul let out with pride. "Did you..."

"Yes!" she squealed. "I got the strawberries, and the gorgeous flowers, and the teddy bear with your voice recording in it," she giggled. "You have definitely made this day so much more amazing than I could have imagined."

"Well it's our five year wedding anniversary and I wanted to do it up right. You deserve everything and more."

"I can't wait until you get home. I just want to be with you. The kids are almost in bed - they wouldn't consider going to bed any earlier because they wanted to watch daddy's game. Plus, I may have shared the chocolate-covered strawberries. Needless to say I'm kind of regretting that now," she laughed. Paul let out a guttural laugh as well - it'd been five years and he loved her just as much, if not more, than the day he married her.

"Well, make sure you let them stay up until I get home. See, I kind of have a little more up my sleeve."

"I figured you did," Clare's lips curled up into a grin and her cheeks turned pink - Paul knew by the tone of her voice exactly how her face looked on the other end and he relished in it.

"Well, I wanted to give you a heads up. I was about to call you if you didn't call me. We just got back to the arena. I'll be getting in the car soon. Here's the deal, go look in the downstairs closet - there's a bag packed and it has clothes for you and I. Look it over, make sure I didn't forget anything. My parents will be at the house in about ten minutes - I just spoke to my mom through texts. They're gonna stay at the house with the kids and I'm taking you away to celebrate our anniversary. I have everything booked already, it's all set. All I need for you to do is be ready when I get home and let me kiss the kids goodnight."

Clare was speechless on her end of the call. "Paul..." she breathed out. "You're too good to me."

"Nah," Paul let out barely audible. "I'll never do good enough for you."

"How is it that we've been married five years and it still feels like we're on our honeymoon?" Clare asked bewildered, wanting nothing more than for Paul to be standing it front of her so she could kiss him like the sun wouldn't come up.

Paul grinned and felt his heart swell. "I'm not sure, maybe because we're best friends, or maybe because we are genuinely in love with each other and don't take each other for granted. I don't know the secret formula, I don't know if there is one, I just know that as long as you're the one I wake up to each day, I'll be a happy man."

"I can't wait to go away with you, just get home," Clare said softly. "I love you," she breathed out in awe of the man who had her heart and cherished it every single day. "Thanks for giving me the best five years."

"I love you too Clare. Here's to the next forty-five."

Paul hung up the phone and walked the few feet back over to his friends who, unbeknownst to him, had heard his conversation with Clare. "I gotta get going guys, it's getting late and I have plans with my wife. I'll see you in a few days when we come back for practice."

"Yeah man," Trav nodded. "Have fun. Happy anniversary to the both of you."

"Thanks," Paul said with a grin.

"Yeah, have fun with her, we'll see ya." Adam was younger than Paul and Travis but he appreciated a good love story when he heard one. It motivated him to want his own someday.

"Night guys," Paul turned and walked away from his friends as he headed to his car to make his way home to Clare. Travis and Adam stood for a few seconds watching him as he walked away further into the night.

"That's a crazy story," Adam shook his head and breathed out again as he kept his eyes on Paul's back.

"It is," Travis agreed.

Adam turned to Travis, "You think it'll always be that good for them?"

"Those two?" Trav asked as they both turned their attention back to Paul and watched him get in his car. "Oh yeah," he breathed out as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "Those two will go the distance."