Hey Girl

"I wish you were here," Jamie announced as soon as he answered my call. I was sitting in Hannah's brother's living room after lunch and decided to call Jamie before his pre-game nap while Hannah was out back doing the same with Tyler. I could hear Jordie in the background giving Jamie a hard time about 'being whipped' or some shit. Seriously, were those two ever apart? "It's not being whipped, Jordie. It's being heart attack."

"That's not English, babe," I laughed and I knew the affection written on my face had to be clear as day from space. "I know hockey is more important than education and all, but you're better than the mess you just said."

"You say shit like that all the time, you loon," Jamie countered with a laugh of his own. Sometimes I realized how cutesy we were and it made my stomach twist.

"But the difference is, I do it to be endearing and cute."

"Can you come being endearing and cute in Anaheim?"

"Trust me, Jay, no one wishes I were with you right now more than I do." For someone who takes pride in being able to manipulate people, I actually felt really guilty about lying to Jamie about how I was in town and I was going to the game that night.

"I'd bet money on that not being true," Jordie interrupted and Jamie snapped back telling him to shut up.

"Am I on speaker?" I questioned, clearly sounding confused.

"Hi, Avery," Jordie greeted through laughter. "Jamie didn't want you to know that you're on speaker and he's now glaring at me like he's going to murder me."

"What?" It wasn't like Jamie was trying to hide that Jordie was there. So I had no idea why it mattered if Jordie could hear me or not.

"He's been doing pushups for an hour now and didn't want you to know," Jordie clarified. I let out an exaggerated sigh and the conversation went silent. "And I'm going back to my room now before I'm actually dead. Talk to you later, A."

"Bye, Jord," I called back and waited a couple of seconds so I was sure that he was gone. "Are we really going to have this conversation again, Jay?"

We had actually had this conversation more times than the amount of time that we had known should allow. Jamie would push himself too hard when he got nervous. Every time there was an important game, he would spend too much time on the bike or lifting weights in the gym at the rink after morning skate and then he would be too tired to perform at his best in the game. It had happened before every important game since I met him and he regretted it every time, but he would turn around and do it again at the next big game. And in the push for the playoffs, all the games were important.

"I'd rather not," he answered, and I could tell that he had taken his phone off of speaker mode. At least he wasn't doing pushups anymore. "It's a hard habit to break, A. I'm sorry."

"I'm far from someone that you should be apologizing to. You being overworked before the game tonight doesn't affect me directly." Jamie just huffed out a sigh in response. "You wanna talk about what's got you so worked up? Getting it out will make it much less overwhelming, I promise."

"It's my first playoff game. I'm terrified."

"Of what?"

"Losing."

"Bullshit."

"A-"

"The Jamie Benn I know isn't afraid of losing. Losing the first game isn't the end of the world and you know it. It'll just motivate you to kick even more ass in game two. What are you really afraid of?" I interrogated.

"I'm scared I'm not good enough," he whispered as if he was trying to say it so quietly that he couldn't even hear himself. "What if I'm just not playoff material?"

"You know that's not true."

"How could I possibly know that?" he quipped, raising his voice. "I've played countless playoff games in my career before the NHL, but this is completely different and there's no way of knowing how I'll do."

"I know you're going to be phenomenal," I tried to reassure him and I was pretty sure he growled in frustration in return.

"No you don't," he snapped. When did this become angry?

"Don't tell me what I know."

"Don't tell me you know my playing better than I do."

"What conversation are you having? I said nothing like that," I yelled into the phone. Hannah had just returned inside, having finished her conversation with Tyler, and was looking at me with concern and trying to silently ask if everything was okay. I gave her smile and nod and she walked into the kitchen to give me some privacy again. "Jamie, sweetheart," I started and could hear him breathing heavily through his nose to calm himself down. "You're nervous and that's more than okay. I think it's even good that you're feeling this way. It shows how much this means to you. But you can't let it control you."

"You're right. You're always right," he mumbled and I smiled to myself. "I'm sorry I snapped."

"That's more than fine too. I'll happily be the person that you snap at before every game if that's what you need to stop feeling so wound up and tense."

"What would I do without you?" I could finally hear the smile in his voice again so I was able to sit back and relax.

"Well, you would have started your pre-game nap on time that's for sure," I joked and things were back to normal. We shared 'goodbye's and 'I miss you's and ended the call so he could get some rest.

"What? No 'I love you's?" Dalton asked with suggestive eyebrows as he plopped down on the seat next to me on the couch.

"We aren't even dating," I responded in a completely serious tone that instantly killed his joking demeanor.

"What?" he questioned again, much more shocked this time. "Hannah said boyfriend?" He was caught so far off guard that he couldn't even form full sentences. I just let out a laugh and elbowed at his side playfully.

"Lighten up, Dalt. She's been saying boyfriend since the day I met him. She's mad that I've never made it official."

"I saw pictures from when you two were in Dallas. You and Jamie seemed pretty coupley," He tried to reason with me. The smirk he had before hadn't returned, but I could tell that he didn't feel like he was walking on eggshells anymore.

"I really like him, I'm not going to pretend that I don't. But you know all about my issues with being in relationships."

"But what about-" he started but cut himself off when he saw the glare on my face. The last thing I needed was for him to bring up my past failed relationships. "You can't just ignore-"

"So you and Jamie seemed a little tense when I was in here before," Hannah announced as she walked into the living room from the kitchen, carrying a giant bowl of popcorn. I was more than glad to have her interrupting the conversation that Dalton was trying to have with me. "What was that about?" she asked as she sat on my other side on the couch and put the bowl in my lap so it was in the middle of the three of us.

"He just got a little snippy, but that's to be expected with how overwhelmed he is. It's his first playoff game and he doesn't really know how to react," I explained. I risked a glance over at Dalton and he was giving me a look that made it clear he wasn't going to let our conversation go. I just had to try and delay having it as long as possible.

"Mr. Composed isn't handling it well?" Hannah joked and threw a piece of popcorn up in the air, catching it in her mouth.

"He's better now; just needed to let off some steam." Hannah nodded in response and reached for a full handful of popcorn this time. "So movie to go with all this popcorn?"

~~~
I couldn't stand still as Hannah, Dalton, Brooke and I waited in the family lounge for the boys to come out. The Stars had lost the game, but Jamie had gotten his first playoff goal in his first playoff game, proving his not thinking he was good enough theory wrong, and I couldn't wait to taunt about how right I was.

I had no idea how everyone around me was just standing. I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin if I stopped moving. I made small talk with the other wives and girlfriends that made the trip out, but that required some focus trying to remember which player all these women belonged to and I wasn't exactly capable of that at that point. I paced back and forth as a couple of the played started filing into the room.

I watched as Hannah and Dalton talked to Peverly. He gave me a questioning look over Hannah's shoulder, but all I could manage was a smile and a wave. He smiled back, so he must have understood that I wasn't trying to be rude.

Soon after, Jordie came out and I nearly tackled him as he came over to greet me and Hannah. The three of us talked for a moment or two about how Jamie and Tyler had no idea that we were here, but then Hannah got pulled away by Tyler and it was just me and Jordie.

"You going to try and tell me that you came all the way out to California to see my baby brother play, but still aren't ready for a relationship?" Jordie asked with a knowing smirk playing on his lips. I was starting to get really tired of that smirk. I felt like I was getting it from everyone.

"He's not the only one I came to see play," I countered, purposely avoiding his actual question.

"That's what you got from what I said? Really?"

"Listen, Jord. I'm really tired of this 'when are you and Jamie going to get together?' bullshit. I get it basically twenty-four hours a day and I can't escape it no matter how hard I try. Trust me when I say, you'll know when it happens." Now would have been a perfect time to wink if that was something I was capable of doing.

I turned around to find Hannah and Tyler kissing and rolled my eyes. I cleared my throat to get their attention and smirked at them when they finally pulled apart.

"Hate to break up this public display of affection, but is Jamie coming out soon?" I asked Tyler.

"Yes, He'll be out soon. There was a lot of press in there for him tonight. He should be out soon," was all I got in return before his attention was back on Hannah.

You're about as useful as toast, Ty. Thanks.

I decided to go join Dalton and Brooke where they were talking to my favorite Russian. I wrapped my arms around Val in a hug and was barely able to congratulate him on a good game before I was interrupted.

"You trying to steal my girl, Val?" a familiar voice asked from behind me. I spun around and practically ran over to hug Jamie. He hugged me back just as tightly and kept placing small kisses on the top of my head. It was perfect.

"I'm so proud of you," I told him and he hugged me slightly tighter for a split second before releasing his hold. "You were amazing out there. Losing sucks, but if this is what playoff Jamie has to offer it's going to be one hell of a series."

"After my whole meltdown earlier, you didn't think to tell me that you were going to be here?"

"Why would I have done that? That's not how surprises work," I explained, smile never leaving my face. It was incredible seeing Jamie like this. He wasn't letting the loss get to him. He wasn't gloomy and ready to drown in self-pity. He knew it was still early in the series and was already thinking of the comeback they were going to make.

"Well," he started, pulling me back into his arms and dipping his head down lower so he could speak quieter to me. "I was about ready to have another freakout during warmups if I hadn't seen you," he mumbled into my neck and I couldn't help the smile that had to be taking up ninety percent of my face at this point.

"I'm that special, huh?" I joked, not putting any real weight to it, but Jamie lifted his face so he was looking me directly in the eye. I'm not sure I had ever seen him look this serious.

"Baby, you have no idea."

And this was the moment that I told Jordie about not even ten minutes ago. Of course, when I said 'you'll know when it happens' on the surface I just meant that I would make it really clear when Jamie and I moved from whatever we were currently to a relationship.

But I also meant I would know the exact moment when I knew a relationship with Jamie was something that I needed. It wasn't just that he was saying how much I meant to him, but also how he was saying it. He was so serious about making everything clear - no room for interpretation. I couldn't even put into words how that made me feel. It was different than anything I had ever felt before. It was just Jamie.

That's when I knew that this was something I should be running towards instead of away from.

So I kissed him. Right there in the middle of the family lounge, with all of Jamie's teammates and their families as an audience.

"FINALLY!" a handful of people in the room yelled, Jordie could be heard above them all, causing me and Jamie to pull apart. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I looked around the room to see everyone looking at us with smiles on their faces. And Jordie was practically bouncing with excitement because he's a five-year-old.

I looked up at Jamie and he was blushing as much as I probably was. There was a self conscious smile on his lips and I tilted me head up to capture his lips in mine again. There were a couple of catcalls coming from the peanut gallery, but a bunch of the guys started heading out to the bus so it was nothing compared to the first reaction.

"Have I told you how proud of you I am?" I asked with a giant smile when I pulled back. He simply smiled in return, reached for my hand and brought it up to his lips so he could kiss it while giving me this look that made all those overwhelming Jamie feelings flood back.

~~~
I woke up the next morning completely engulfed in Jamie's arms and for the first time, running away wasn't my first instinct. The idea of not wanting to escape kind of scared me at first, but then Jamie pressed a sleepy kiss to the back of my neck and any inkling of hesitation I had washed away.

"Morning, baby girl," he greeted and tightened his arm around my waist. We talked last night when we got to the hotel - even though I did try to push it off and distract him with a movie instead - and we did come to the conclusion that we were making our relationship official.

I made it clear that I was hesitant because I felt like we were only making it official to appease everyone around us. He reassured me that he wanted this for nobody else other than us and told me that we didn't even need to tell them about it. I think 'let them believe what they want, this is for us and no one else' were his exact words.

"What's on the schedule for today, boyfriend?" I asked with a smile and he practically groaned into the back of my neck. He rearranged us so I was laying on my back and he was hovering above me before he spoke again.

"We're going to be using that boyfriend word a lot, that's for sure," he stated and dipped his head down to kiss me. This wasn't the first time I woke up to Jamie kissing me, but this time felt like it was brand new. I didn't really believe that putting a title to a relationship changed it in any way, but this clearly had. I was looking at it in a new light now. I looked at this relationship as something I wanted instead of something that I was trying to postpone as long as possible, and it felt incredible. "But seriously, my parents and Jenny are flying in today."

And the good feeling was gone. Less than 24 hours after we made our relationship official, I was going to be meeting his family and that terrified me.

"Sweetheart, it's okay," he tried to reassure me as he places soft, barely there kisses all along my jaw and down my neck.

"It's not, Jamie," I retorted and pushed him aside so I could stand up and make my way to the bathroom. Of course Jamie was quick to follow behind me to continue the conversation.

"Are you actually mad at me? I didn't know you were going to be here. How was I supposed to know to warn you?"

"You weren't. And I'm not mad. I just didn't expect to be worried about having to impress your family so soon. I'm not prepared," I ranted and ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to make it do normal hair things. "All the clothes I brought are in San Diego at Hannah's brother's place and I can't meet your parents in my clothes from yesterday."

"They wouldn't know the difference," Jamie countered.

"It doesn't matter if they know. I'll know and I can't. I just can't."

"Then what do you want to do? Do you want to go shopping? We can get you something new to wear." I let out an exaggerated huff in response and I scurried back into the room to grab my phone.

Text Message to Hannah:
Please tell me you're awake.

It was only nine in the morning so there was a fair chance that she wasn't up yet - I wasn't even usually awake that early - but I had to try because apparently I forgot what it was like to have any level of chill.

Text Message from Hannah:
I was just about to text you. Ty wants me to ask if you and Jamie want to go find someplace to get breakfast.

Text Message to Hannah:
Can't eat. Having a panic attack.

"You don't need to worry about trying to impress them, A," Jamie stated as he walked over to the bed and sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist. "I've told them all about you and they're really excited to meet you."

"Oh no," I groaned and covered my face with my hands. "They definitely don't like me now."

"What are you talking about?"

"You told them all about me? Like how I dragged you along for nearly two months, refusing to be in a relationship with you? How would any mother like a girl that treated her little boy like that?" I rambled and started breathing heavily, on the verge of an actual panic attack instead of just exaggerating one to Hannah.

Text Message from Hannah:
I thought you were done freaking out about this relationship thing.

Text Message to Hannah:
That was before he just dropped the bomb that I have to meet his family today.

"Can I be really honest with you and you not get worked up over it?" Jamie questioned, lips pressed to my temple so it came out a little muffled but his hesitation was clear. I nodded in response, encouraging him to continue. "I told my family everything. And not just my side of this situation." I looked at him with confusion written on my face and he rushed to explain. "It started out just my side, I swear. It started out just telling them about meeting you and how you didn't want a relationship but I wasn't willing to give up. But then they started to get worried about if you were good for me and I couldn't let them think that. It's one thing for Jordie to joke about you being too much for me - that's more making fun of me than it is of you and it's just Jordie, it's not like anything he says is serious anyway."

"Jamie," I interrupted. It was clear he was getting nervous and rambling and getting off topic. I wanted to steer him back to what he actually wanted to say.

"I couldn't let me parents think anything less than perfect of you, so I told them your reasons behind not wanting to be with me." My eyes widened but Jamie just powered through before I got a chance to respond. "I told them about how your parents are divorced and that makes you believe that relationships aren't meant to last. And how your dad was a hockey player and how that took a toll on your parents marriage and you were worried that me being a hockey player meant that we would end up like them. I also told them about how you've tried relationships and they have ended badly so it's not just your parents experiences but your own too that make you so scared of this."

"So they think I'm a basket case?" I questioned, cutting him off before he could say any more.

"No, Avery, all of that made them like you more and really excited to meet you," he reassured with a smile and eyes pleading me to not be upset.

"So I'm the Benn's new charity case? They want to fix the broken girl?"

"No," he exclaimed like he never even considered that to be a possibility. Jamie's the absolute definition of a good guy so it probably never even was a possibility in his mind. "They think everything that you've been through makes you real. They've always been worried about me ending up with someone that is only interested in me because of my name and my money. And when my name and money is part of what makes you want to leave, my parents know that you'd never like me for the wrong reasons."

"I'd never do that to you," I stated because it was the only response that had come to mind. There was a lot that Jamie has just said and it was a lot to try and process.

"I know," he murmured and tilted his head down to press his lips to mine. "And now my parents know too. I'm sorry that I told them without asking you first, but I don't think they would have been okay with you if they didn't know."

I leaned up and kissed him in return, hoping to express how everything was okay without having to put words to it. Words and feelings weren't always a strength of mine. When we separated, Jamie was smiling the blinding smile of his, so I assumed he got what I was trying to say.

"So breakfast?" he questioned, standing up from the bed and walking over to his bag on the floor at the foot of the bed to get dressed.

"So shopping? I wasn't kidding about refusing to meet your parents looking like this." Jamie let out a small laugh that made my heartbeat speed up a little bit. I hoped that that reaction to just Jamie things wouldn't go away over time.

~~~
Shopping went on without a hitch. Or just as smoothly as it could with Tyler and I being together. Jamie and I ended up meeting Tyler and Hannah for a quick breakfast that I basically rushed everyone through, and then we went to the local mall. And apparently, when Tyler and I are together for longer than 5 minutes, our mental age declines about ten years.

It was really nice in the moment when we were running around stores picking out the most absurd outfits for me to try on. It took my mind off of the pressure of meeting the Benn's. But before I knew it I was standing at baggage claim, sandwiched between Jamie and Jordie, as we waited for their family's flight to land.

"You can't pick your boyfriend's family, A," Jordie stated after I complained for five minutes straight about how nervous the rest of the Benn family made me. I lost count of how many times I had seen Jordie roll his eyes at how fidgety I was being.

"I wish I could unpick you, you unsympathetic butt face," I retorted and Jamie let out a laugh. He then wrapped his arms around my shoulders to help me from bouncing so much.

"Butt face?" Jordie questioned with a smirk and I just nodded in agreement. "Has anyone ever told you how mature you are?"

"B-b-baby you just ain't seen n-n-nothing yet," I sang which got a laugh from both of the boys. "You'd think I'm really mature if I were to let go of all this self control I have right now that is stopping me from jumping on your back and pulling your head back by your nose."

"I wouldn't put it past you at home, but we're in public so you wouldn't," Jordie laughed back. I could hear the dare in his voice and I was overcome with the need to prove him wrong.

"You know better than to challenge her," Jamie argued, but it was too late because I was already jumping onto Jordie's back. "I don't know either of you."

"I should have told her weeks ago that she wouldn't start dating you," Jordie stated between huffed breathes as he tried to wrestle me off of his back. "See if she would have felt the need to prove me wrong then."

"You were right, Jord," I argued, completely ignoring what he was saying. "I can't pick my boyfriend's family, but I sure as hell can pick their nose," I continued as I hooked my fingers into his nose and pulled.

"I should have slapped this bitch with some reverse psychology and saved us all some massive fucking headaches," Jordie countered, sounding out of breath. I couldn't tell if it was from trying to wrestle me off his back, or from laughing so much.

"Watch your language, Jordie," an unfamiliar female voice announcing and I immediately froze, still attached to Jordie's back like a monkey with my fingers in his nose.

"Hi mom. How was the flight?" Jamie greeted from next to us, sounding calm as ever like Jordie and I weren't a circus act. Thank you, Avery, for being the most awkward person to walk the planet. Please stop existing on the planet and return to the underworld where you belong.

I looked up to finally make eye contact with Jamie's mother and everyone was staring at me. I must have missed part of the conversation because Jamie, both of his parents, and his sister had their attention on me, waiting for me to say something. Here's your chance! Fix this!

"Has anyone ever told you how mature I am?"

You piece of shit.

Despite my outrageous behavior, Jamie's parents must have found it entertaining because they laughed at my antics and smiled brightly when I hopped off of Jordie's back and went over to greet them properly.

The six of us went from the airport to the hotel so everyone could drop off their luggage and then straight out to dinner. Hannah had taken Tyler to go spend time with Dalton on Brooke so I was all on my own for a night with the entire Benn family.

I went surprisingly well. I got to hear a lot of stories about Jamie growing up. He spent most of dinner with his face tinted red from blushing constantly. It was adorable. Jamie's mom and dad tried to keep me in the conversation as much as possible by asking me about school and my family - only basics like siblings and pets, nothing that would be difficult to discuss. In that moment, I was actually glad that Jamie told them everything about me so I didn't have to do it myself. Jamie cut in from time to time to make sure the questioning never reached interrogation levels and I was really grateful.

I really enjoyed myself at dinner and I thought Jamie's parents were great. Jamie's dad pulled me aside when we got back to the hotel and the rest of the Benn's were waiting for the elevator.

"I just wanted to thank you," he told me and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. He must have seen my shock and confusion and continued without me having to respond. "Jamie hasn't dated in awhile. He hasn't found anyone that he thought was worth the difficulty of his schedule and being put in the spot light because of who he is. But he thinks you're worth it and I want to thank you for thinking he's worth it too."

"He's pretty spectacular, sir," I responded, only making eye contact for a second before dropping my gaze to the floor and blushing.

"None of this sir nonsense, Avery. Call me, Randy."

"Um...okay Randy," I said hesitantly, as more of a question, but he just nodded in response. "I wanted to thank you too." I didn't even wait for him to vocalize the question written all over his face before I just explained. "I know Jamie and I didn't have the most ideal start. He deserves someone to not be skeptical of their relationship for nearly two months. It wasn't fair to drag him along like that and-"

"Stop right there. Jamie told us everything and Heather and I decided that it was actually better that you were hesitant. We've been worried since he got drafted that he might end up with a girl that was only interested in him for his fame and money. And if you had jumped into a relationship with him, especially after seeing things not work out with your parents when they were in the same situation, you would just be one of those girls that we worried about," he explained and the elevator finally became available so all of us could go up to our rooms for the night. "But you didn't and I don't think Heather and I have anything to worry about."

"Thank you," I told Jamie's dad one last time when Jamie, Jordie and I were getting off at our floor and the rest of the Benn's were still going up. He just smiled and nodded in response while the elevator doors shut.

"What was that?" Jamie asked once we were securely in his hotel room and away from Jordie. "The thanking my dad thing?"

"We had a nice conversation while we were waiting for the elevator is all."

"What were you thanking him for?"

"Trusting me."

"With what?"

"You."

~~~
Jamie's POV

"Have you seen Tyler?" Peverly asked me when the whole team was packed into a couple of booths at a bar not too far from the rink. After losing in overtime to get knocked out of the playoffs, a bar may not have been my ideal place to be, but it was nice being around all my teammates. Well, except Tyler.

"Just went home after the game," I answered nonchalantly and tried to shrug my shoulders, but they felt like dead weight. I was actually a little upset that he didn't want to come out and mourn with us, but upset went away after the first four shots. "We leave t'morrow to see the girls, so'll make sure he's okay then."

"It's not like him to skip out on something like this," Pevs said looking concerned. Concerned wasn't even a facial expression that I knew how to form at the time. so clearly Pevs hadn't had enough to drink.

So I slid the drink in front of me - a brightly colored fruity drink that I was way too far gone to be embarrassed to be ordering - towards him so he could have it. He tried to push it back but I grabbed it in one hand and his face in the other.

"It'll make you feel better. Promise. I can pour it if you need me to," I stated and moved it so it the glass was resting against his face. I had aimed for his mouth but it ended up on his chin.

"Not the best idea," Jordie interrupted and took the glass from my hand and away from Peverly's face. "It'll end up 90% down his shirt because you can't exactly see straight right now, can you?" Jordie interrogated when I glared at him for taking my drink away. He apparently also hadn't had enough to drink if he was sucking the fun out of everything. How much had I actually had if everyone else seemed sober in comparison?

"You two aren't fun. Avery's fun. Wish she was here," I grumbled and reached for my drink that Jordie was still holding, but he pulled it out of my reach.

"I'm cutting you off, Jame. Can't be too hung over for you flight in the morning."

"My flight?" I questioned, not knowing what he was talking about. "Wait, yeah. Detroit. A. Are we going home now?"

"Just because you're not drinking anymore doesn't mean that we have to leave," Jordie countered and sat down next to me and started taking sips of my drink. "I'm glad you don't care about ordering this. It actually tastes pretty good."

"The faster we go home the faster I sleep. The faster I see A tomorrow."

"We should stay a little longer. This is important."

I didn't remember anything after that.

~~~
"Where the fuck are you?" I basically spat as soon as Tyler answered the phone. "I'm leaving for Detroit whether you're coming or not. The plane isn't going to wait for you."

"Don't get mad--"

"Too late," I interrupted.

"But I'm already here."

"What?" I yelled, causing Jordie to jump in his seat next to me and look over questioningly. "Start the car, Jord. The piece of shit is already there."

"At the airport? Who drove him? He shouldn't leave his car there," Jordie said as he started the car and made his way out of our apartment's parking garage.

"In Detroit."

"I flew out after the game last night," Tyler explained and I tightened my hand into a fist, both glad and disappointed that I couldn't punch him in that moment.

"So that's why you abandoned your team last night?" I knew 'abandoned' was one of those words that would hurt a little more because he felt like Boston abandoned him when they traded him here. I could hear him start to stutter out a response, but I just kept going. "Ya know, Pevs told me about how you really pushed for the whole team to be together after you lost in the finals with Boston. And then you go and run away after we lose? We not team enough for you to need us?"

"Jamie," Jordie said cautiously trying to get me to stop. I knew I was being harsh, but what I was saying needed to be said and I was far from in the mood to sugarcoat it.

"You know that's not true," Tyler replied with a shaky voice like he was trying not to show how much my words had hurt him. "I just couldn't do it. I couldn't face everyone looking at me like I'm a disappointment."

"Who the hell was going to do that? The team? We all lost out there last night. How could we be disappointed in you when we all lost?"

"Everyone was looking to me to lead in the playoffs and I let everyone down. You don't understand," he mumbled and I wanted nothing more than to hit him. He usually said 'you don't understand' when looking for some sympathy and I usually agreed that I didn't understand.

I didn't know what it was like to get traded or for my team to give up on me for the sake of their reputation. I had never had everyone focus on my faults instead of my redeeming qualities. I didn't understand most of the things Tyler said that I didn't understand, but this time he crossed the line.

"No, of course not. The captain had no idea what the pressures of being a leader feels like. Not at all," I argued venomously. I was tired of him thinking his problems were so much worse than everyone else's. He tried to argue back, but I wasn't going to sit there and listen to him try and justify his self proclaimed superiority. "You are so damn selfish, Segs. Go fuck yourself," I interrupted and hung up immediately.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Jordie questioned hesitantly, not wanting to anger me more. Of course I thought it was harsh. But was I going to admit to that? Of course not.

"No," I shot back. Jordie instantly turned his attention back to driving and started asking about what Avery and I were planning on doing during my visit to get me talking about happy things again.

~~~
Avery's POV

"Your boyfriend is a real ass," Hannah announced when I finally left my room to get breakfast at like quarter after noon.

"Hannah," Tyler whispered at him, trying to stop her from taking her anger at Jamie out on me. If I hadn't been on the phone with Jamie earlier while he was waiting for his flight, I would have been pissed if that was how I found out that Tyler was here.

"No, Ty, it's fine. I know Jamie's being a dick," I answered and watched as confusion took over both of their faces. I knelt down to kiss and pet Marshall when he came over to greet me. I didn't know that Tyler had brought him, but it made the whole situation a little better. Dogs make everything better. "Totally glad no one thought it was necessary to tell me you were here by the way."

Tyler looked sheepish and mumbled out an apology.

"You're not taking Jamie's side?" Hannah asked and managed to sound accusatory and apologetic for starting out aggressive at the same time.

"I'm not taking anyone's side. This whole thing is fucking dumb." I poured out a bowl of Lucky Charms and started eating the marshmallows off of the top. Tyler reached across the counter to grab one but I smacked his hand away with a smirk on my face. I picked one out and handed it to him anyway. Hannah just looked at us exasperatedly like our antics were weird.

"It's dumb that your boyfriend had the nerve to call Tyler a selfish asshole when he gives his everything to that team," Hannah countered causing me to roll my eyes.

"Don't think he was giving them his everything when he ditched them to commiserate without him, when they really could have used his support."

"He needed a break! After everything he'd been through last night, wanting to escape isn't outrageous, Avery."

"Well he picked the worst possible time to take a break. And what makes everything he'd been through last night any different than everything that everyone else on that team had been through?" I countered and I guess it was Hannah's turn to roll her eyes.

We were talking about Tyler like he wasn't sitting right there and could hear everything we were saying. I looked over to find him staring down at the counter and playing with the ring of condensation his glass of water had left behind.

"Listen, Han. You're blinded by the fact that you're where he turns to when he can't handle things that are going on. And that's great. I'm really glad that you are so important to him and make him so happy that he needs you when something like this happens. But none of that magically makes what he did okay." Tyler started to get up to leave the room but I pointed at him threateningly and he froze on the spot. "Sit back down, you need to hear this." And I turned back to Hannah to rant some more. "How would you feel if I only supported you when things were good, huh? What if I ran away every time things got rough? Best friends don't do that to each other, but that's exactly what Tyler did."

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone," Tyler mumbled shyly, not making eye contact with me. I did feel bad about upsetting him like this. I knew that with everything that happened with Boston, he was trying so hard to make Dallas better and he would never do this on purpose.

"I know, sweetheart," I said trying to be comforting. I put my hand on top of his where it was clenched into a fist on top of the counter and he finally lifted his head to look at me. "I understand where you were coming from, but it's gonna take longer for the guys you hurt to get it. Especially Jamie. He doesn't understand how people can do things that he would never in a million years even consider."

"He's saintly nice to people all the time. It's unreal," Tyler commented, sounding upset that he managed to hurt someone that he thinks so highly of.

"Keep that in mind when he gets here and starts yelling at you," I replied with a laugh and a small smile appeared on Tyler's face. I knew Jamie was far from perfect, but he was still closer than anyone else I knew without even trying. Jamie was just a kind hearted person naturally.

"How is all of this you not taking your boyfriend's side?" Hannah asked.

"One, he's got a name. It's not going to kill you to use it. Two, I may agree with why he's angry, but I don't agree with how he's handling it," I tried to reason and Tyler nodded back but Hannah just continued to glare.

"Can't you tell him to lighten up?" Hannah questioned, clearly annoyed that I wasn't really doing anything to defuse the situation.

"You think I have that power?" I laughed back. We may have been in a relationship, but I knew better than to try and change his mind about feelings. "I can try to take him out and distract him so he's not as focused on the whole thing when he finally sees Tyler, but he's too stubborn to change what he's feeling when it's something so strong."

"Takes one to know one," Hannah mumbled with a roll of her eyes, but she was also trying to hold back a little laugh so I knew she wasn't trying to attack.

~~~
Not even a full hour later, I was sitting in the living room of our townhouse and looking out the front windows when I saw a cab pull up to the curb out front. I quickly slipped on my shoes and grabbed my car keys from the table by the front door. I yelled to Hannah and Tyler that Jamie was here and that I was taking him out for a couple hours.

"Hello, handsome," I greeted as I wrapped my arms around his torso from behind. He chuckled quietly and continued to get his bags and pay the cab driver as if he didn't have another person attached to him.

"Hello, beautiful," He finally said in return when the cab was pulling away from the house and we were alone in my front yard. He turned around in my arms, hugged me back, and lifted me off the ground a little to give me a quick kiss before putting me back on to ground. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you more, babe," I smiled widely and poked at his sides. "Now get in the car."

"Get in the car? Where are we going so soon?"

"Out to lunch." I picked up one of his bags and started to carry it over to my car, leaving Jamie to stand there without knowing what was going on.

"Are we not taking these inside first?" he asked when he caught up and was lifting his bags to put them in the trunk of my car.

"No time. We're already late."

"Late for what? We have reservations? You wine and dine-ing me, young lady?" Jamie joked and wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. "I'm sorry, miss, but I don't put out on the first date." I had to get a hold of my laughter before I could even think of a response.

"This would be a mighty awkward date, seeing as there's going to be a third, fourth, and fifth wheel there." Jamie's eyebrows were now just raised questioningly. "A couple of my players asked me last night after you lost if I wanted to go out to lunch and get some comfort food to make me feel better. When I found out that you were flying up here, I asked if it was okay to bring you along, and they are actually really excited to meet you."

"Should I be scared? Will this be better or worse than when I eventually meet your brothers?"

"Equally as bad, but for different reasons. These guys actually care and will interrogate you to make sure you are good enough for me. I'll try to get them to take it easy one you, though. Can't be scared off on the first date." I winked at him, which caused him to laugh, and we both got in the car.

~~~
Text Message to Hannah:
Jamie and I are about to leave the Chinese food place. Can you make sure Tyler is in the shower when we get home?

Text Message from Hannah:
Yeah that's smart. What has he said about the whole thing?

Text Message to Hannah:
Nothing. Like at all. He's been a ray of sunshine since he got here.

Text Message from Hannah:
Maybe he's letting it go?

Text Message to Hannah:
I seriously doubt that. I think he's just letting it boil inside and that's just going to make it so much worse later.

Text Message to Hannah:
We're leaving now, so I'll see you in like 10 minutes. Make sure we don't see Tyler.

The drive back home felt like I was driving to my own death. I was dreading Jamie and Tyler being in the same house and the inevitable fighting and yelling. But I was also kind of looking forward to getting the whole thing over with. I was tired of feeling like I was walking on eggshells and waiting for the other shoe to drop.