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The worst thing James Neal ever had to do was tell Steven Stamkos that he had broken up with his girlfriend, Tessa.

Okay, maybe the second. His mom had been pretty devastated when he came home from Minnesota without her. His baby sister was just plain mad at him. He didn't even attempt to try and explain where Paul fit in. Just told them it didn't work out, that they had drifted apart. They didn’t need to know she was pregnant, or engaged. At least not yet.

He was sad for things to be over but he was also really happy for her and Paul. Even James could admit they were perfect for each other. There was a certain way they complimented each other and fit together so effortlessly. It made him realize he wanted that too, that he wanted to find his missing puzzle piece.

Sure, it had been an unconventional relationship but it made him happy so he didn't really care what anyone else thought. And okay, maybe it was a little weird, especially now that Tessa was pregnant and engaged to Paul but if people are happy, then they're happy.

Now if only he thought his mom would buy into that.

For the rest of the summer James trained hard, ate right, and tried to indulge as little as possible. He knew he had a lot to prove of himself going into the season with Nashville, to prove he wasn't a bad guy and that he could be a leader for the team.

Steven though had other plans for him.

For a day and a half after James got back from Minnesota and told Steven that he and Tessa had broken up, he wouldn't talk to him. So James invited him over for a beer after 36 hours of silent glaring and told him the whole story.

That he felt up a girl in her house after less than five minutes of establishing she was available. That he kissed her and not ten minutes later so did Paul. That they embarked on something that none of them had ever dreamed of doing. That he had fallen in love, been really and truly happy for over a year, in spite of his sharing a girlfriend with his teammate and friend, in spite of his not being able to show her off, and most definitely in spite of keeping her a secret while Paul got to share with the world.

James told him the truth, things he hadn't even really shared with Tessa or Paul even though he knew they knew them. And Steven listened to all of it, mouth slightly agape, and just let it all absorb. James felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he finished, glad to finally share this with Steven. He just stared at James before taking a long pull from his beer.

"So you're still friends?"

"Yes. I love Tess, I always will."

"So I can still be friends with her too?"

He laughed. After meeting the summer before, Steven would often text him wanting to talk to Tessa until finally James just gave him her number so he didn't have to go through him. He almost always needed girl advice and she was happy to dispense it. And they both really enjoyed busting James' balls.

"Yeah, you can still be friends with her too."

"Awesome. Because I met this girl and I'm not really sure what to do and Tessa always knows what to do."

"She sure does," James smiled.

"Since your ex is now knocked up and Paul put a ring on it, I think we should get you laid."

"Dude, no. I don't need that."

"Sure you do. You just gotta jump right back into the saddle."

"Give me a little time. I'll let you know when I'm ready for that."

Steven though didn't take no for an answer and after getting Tessa's advice on the girl he was into, started trying to set James up with her friends. Sure the girls Steven brought around were hot but they weren't what James wanted. His dick responded to them but not his head, and definitely not his heart.

There was a disconnect that he didn't really understand but that he knew meant something. He just had to figure it out. As the end of August approached, he was ready to get out of Canada and down to Nashville.

He made his way to Nashville and moved in with his old friend Rich Clune while he looked for his own place. It was actually pretty great for James truth be told. Rich cooked, which James didn't, and his path to recovery meant he kept it pretty low key away from the rink. It was exactly what James didn't know he needed in life.

He had been in Nashville for a week when Tessa and Paul came to town. They were staying at a hotel in downtown and James was waiting for them in the lobby when they arrived in town.

It was like old times as they all got to hang out together even though their dynamic had shifted. He couldn't help but to still touch Tessa or wrap his arms around her. She was Tessa, and he couldn't just forget their time together and turn off all his feelings.

Tessa was the same as always yet even more beautiful, her pregnancy leaving her absolutely glowing. She would touch his hair, running her fingers through it, teasing him that he needed a haircut since he had let it grow out over the summer, or let her hand linger just a second too long on his arm. For his part, Paul just let it be, never saying anything, only shaking his head at them.

It was a familiarity really. James knew that Tess loved him, but they were friends now and they'd never go down that road again. The way she and Paul smiled at each other, or the way they snuck little glances at each other was all the proof he needed, that anyone needed, to see how strong their love had become. And that made James feel good inside, because he had been a part of that and he felt like he had helped make that happen.

For three days they explored Nashville and with plenty of Tessa's input, James picked a house for him and Nixon to settle into and made an offer on. They hung out with Rich at his house and he took them to several places he liked around town. James was more guarded about the way he interacted with Tessa, less intimate then when they were alone or with Paul, when they were around Rich, who insisted Tessa call him Dicky and generally charmed her socks off. By the end of the visit, they had exchanged numbers with Tessa giving him implicit instructions to call whenever James misbehaved.

They visited Bridgestone Arena the day before they would leave for Pittsburgh and Tessa dragged them both into the team store, grabbing one of the gold Predator jerseys with his name and familiar 18 on the back, taking it to the checkout with a smile and patiently waiting for Paul to pay for it. She kissed his cheek at his good natured muttering and then grabbed a sharpie to buy, making James sign it while they stood there.

"I'm coming in October, when the Pens play. And I'm going to wear the hell out of this jersey," she smiled happily as they walked outside, James leading to a nearby restaurant where they were planning to grab lunch.

"Are you flying?" James asked.

"Planning on it."

"Would you maybe drive down one of my cars with some of my stuff and I'll pay for you to fly home?"

"No," Paul spoke up. "She is not driving nine hours to bring you crap."

"Excuse you Paul Joseph Martin but I can do whatever I want," Tessa said indignantly, hands on her hips as she came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. "I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions."

"Tessie, you're pregnant. You cannot travel alone."

"Then I'll find someone to travel with me. Paul, you cannot worry about me all the time or your season will absolutely tank. I'm fine and if I'm not fine, you'll be the first person I call. And if I can't reach you then I'll call James."

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to but I'm still gonna do it."

"Yeah, I know you are," he sighed.

"I have an idea," James spoke up. Paul and Tessa turned to him expectantly. "Maybe one of the guys you got for me has a wife or a girlfriend that would drive with Tessa."

"That's not the worst idea you've ever had," Paul replied.

James grinned. "Also, I met Hornqvist and his wife and she was going to come to that game too. I can introduce you before you leave tomorrow morning."

"Look at you helping fix things," Tessa teased.

"I might have learned a thing or two in the last year and a half," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Who else have you met?"

"I met this girl," he started.

"You met a girl?" Tessa asked, her eyes lighting up.

"She's married, Tess, so it's not like that."

"Oh."

"Anyway, Lennon, she's from here but she’ll be heading to Pittsburgh now and I know she'd love to come to Pittsburgh with a friend since she doesn't know how long she'll be there."

“How in the hell did you meet someone here that is going to Pittsburgh?” Paul asked.

“Oh yeah, that,” he smiled. “She’s Carcillo’s wife.”