Gamma

Tyler was in his bedroom trying to figure out what shirt to wear. He was going to go to dinner with Alex. Jamie hadn’t been thrilled when he’d learned Tyler was going with her when she hadn’t talked to him yet, but Tyler assured Jamie he’d be going to bat for his friend.

He heard his cell phone start ringing out in the living room, and he called out to Alex, “Who’s calling me?” She was waiting for him out there while watching tv.

He didn’t hear a reply from her but suddenly heard her answer his phone. “Hello?”

He jogged out to the living room without a shirt on to see who she was talking to. He stood there as he saw her FaceTiming on his phone. All of a sudden he heard Savannah’s voice.

“You know I always wondered if I’d ever have to handle another woman answering Seguin’s phone,” Savannah began.

Tyler slipped into view, grabbing the phone from Alex. “Hey,” he grinned at her.

“Wow, a half naked boyfriend with my best friend,” Savannah said, and Tyler realized he was still holding his shirt. “Alex, let me know if you want to know what he’s good at in bed,” she called out to Alex, who started laughing.

Tyler turned his head towards Alex. “The answer is everything,” he told her confidently.

“That’s very much not true,” Savannah chimed in.

“Hey!” Tyler feigned being offended.

“So you’re going to dinner with my boyfriend?” Savannah spoke up. Tyler couldn’t help but smile at her calling him her boyfriend. “Well, I call you for breakfast tomorrow.”

Tyler was suddenly grabbing the phone, addressing Savannah. “Whoa, tomorrow? You flying Alex out to Chicago?” he asked her.

Savannah shook her head. “No, I’m on my way to the airport. I’m coming home,” she answered.

Now Alex snatched the phone from Tyler. “Did you catch Sonny?” she asked excitedly.

Savannah shook her head again. “No, not yet. Alex, would you mind if I called Jamie? I have a few questions for him about my case.”

“You can’t ask me?” Tyler asked, a little offended she was going to Jamie instead of him.

Alex took the phone back to answer Savannah. “You know you can talk to Jamie whenever you want,” she said softly. “Can you tell me how he’s doing?” she requested.

Tyler looked at Alex. “He misses you,” he told her. She looked at him and had a sad look in her eyes. He knew she missed him too.

“He’s right,” Savannah spoke, and both turned their attentions towards her on the phone. “Sorry, he texted me a few days ago. Asked me for Dad’s number oddly enough,” she explained.

“You don’t think he’s asking for permission to marry Alex, do you?” Tyler spoke what he was thinking.

Alex shook her head emphatically. “No, he wouldn’t be doing that,” she stayed matter-of-factly. She then turned back to Savannah. “What would he call Dan for?” she asked.

Savannah shrugged. “No idea. But obviously he loves you and missed you if he’s calling Dad,” she told her. “Shit, gotta go, getting a call. Can’t miss Toews calling me.”

“Toews is calling you!?” Tyler exclaimed.

Savannah rolled her eyes. “No, you dumbass. It’s Maren. But good to know you still get a little jealous,” she added with a smirk. “Keep him in check, Alex, I’ll see you tomorrow!” she said before hanging up the phone.

Tyler looked over at Alex and could tell her mind was still on what Savannah had told her. Jamie had asked for Dan Decker’s number. Tyler would put money on Jamie asking for his permission to propose to Alex. Tyler knew Jamie would do anything to make things right with Alex. Even proposing.

“Ready for dinner?” he asked Alex, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Oh, yeah,” she mumbled.

Tyler stopped. “We don’t have to go if you don’t feel like it,” he told her.

She forced a smile on her face. “I want to go,” she assured him. “Let’s go pre-celebrate this magazine cover,” she said with a little more enthusiasm.

“C’mon,” he put his arm around Alex in a friendly hug and led her to the door.

The drive to the restaurant was a fairly quiet one. Tyler wished Jamie would just fix things with Alex. Tyler hated seeing his friends hurting. “You know someone’s gonna think you’re cheating on Van with me,” Alex commented as they pulled up to the valet in front of the restaurant.

Tyler laughed. “Let them think what they want. And let’s just enjoy a dinner,” he told her, putting his car in park and hopping out. He got the ticket from the valet and then met Alex on the other side, guiding her inside the restaurant.

As the evening went by, Tyler wondered why he didn’t hang out with Alex more one-on-one. It was probably because both had their significant others that usually were around. Or Shea. No matter the reason, Tyler made a mental note to spend time with Alex more often. She was a fun person, and even if she was a little bit more subdued than normal because of what was going on with Jamie, Tyler was still really enjoying his evening with her.

“Thanks for inviting me to dinner,” Alex told him as he ordered dessert, even though Alex had insisted she was too full for more food. “It was nice to just get out,” she said with a sincere smile.

“What, Jamie doesn’t take you out for nice meals?” he joked. Immediately, he regretted bringing Jamie up when he saw the look on her face. “What’s the deal with him right now, by the way?”

Alex looked down at her plate. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.

“Do you remember your first boyfriend?” he asked suddenly.

She glanced at him, and Tyler could tell she was confused by his question. But he had a reason for asking it. “Yeah, in like the ninth grade. Asshole left me to go to prom with a senior,” she revealed.

“Okay, bad example. What about a college boyfriend?” he continued.

Alex seemed to think about it for a bit. “His name was Josh. We were together for like a year.”

“Did you love him?”

“I thought I did,” she answered honestly. “But, now looking back, probably not. I mean, it’s not like how I feel about Jamie.” She was silent for a few moments, and Tyler couldn’t hold back his smirk as her brain caught up to his. She snapped her head up at him. “It’s time for me to talk to him.” Tyler grinned, knowing she had figured out what he was asking for. “I don’t know what will happen, but I need to talk to him.”

“I’ll take you to his place,” Tyler offered.

“Thank you,” she said with a soft smile.

Tyler flagged down their waiter. “Can I get that dessert to go?” he requested. The waiter nodded his head as he walked away. Tyler looked at Alex. “Let’s get you and Captain talking again.”

***

Tyler pulled into the garage of Jamie’s condo building, and Alex felt his stare on her. “You ready for this?” he asked her.

“What if he’s in there with another girl?” she mumbled, thinking of worst case scenario. She didn’t really believe he’d move on to another girl so quickly, especially when they hadn’t technically broken up.

Tyler burst out laughing, and she glared at him. “Sorry, Alex, but no way he’s got another girl in there. You’ve been his whole world for two years. Pretty sure a group of naked girls could walk in the room and he wouldn’t notice.”

Alex rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t really know what to say to him. Shouldn’t the guy be the one to come and chase after the girl?” she whined.

“Tell Savannah that,” Tyler muttered.

Alex chuckled. “Yeah, she’d kill me for that statement,” she agreed.

“You know he’s only staying away because he thinks that’s what you want,” Tyler pointed out.

“That is what I want. Wanted,” she corrected herself while shaking her head, confused by her own mind. “Ugh. I don’t know,” she groaned, putting her head in her hands.

Tyler laughed at her. “Just go talk to him. You know exactly what you want. Him. Just go make that happen,” he said simply, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. He, of all people, should know relationships are complicated. Alex couldn’t believe she was actually envious of Tyler Seguin in a relationship. “Want me to go in with you?” he offered.

She thought it over. “Maybe just come with me to make sure he’s there,” she said. She couldn’t believe she was so nervous. This was Jamie, the man she loved with all her heart. The one she’d had a great life with the last two years. And the one that she’d learned had been engaged. But, that had been ten years ago. Another life practically. And she was learning that that life didn’t matter anymore. Her life ten years ago certainly didn’t matter anymore. Her current one with Jamie did.

Tyler got out of the car and walked around to meet Alex. He offered her his arm, which she took, as they walked into the lobby. Tyler pressed and held the button that buzzed Jamie’s place. “What do you want Seguin?” Jamie’s voice answered, sounding exhausted, and clearly not in a mood for Tyler’s antics.

“I’ve got a girl here for you,” Tyler replied.

“Fuck off,” Jamie replied curtly.

Alex looked at Tyler, who looked offended that Jamie had done that to him, but he really shouldn’t have been too surprised. “Let me try,” Alex told Tyler, pushing his hand away from the call box and pressing the button to Jamie’s place just a single time, not holding it down like Tyler enjoyed doing so much.

“Segs, I - “ Jamie began, but Alex cut him off.

“Can we please talk?” Alex requested.

There was a moment of silence before they were buzzed in. Alex was surprised when Tyler followed her into the elevator, but she didn’t hate the support. She didn’t know why she was so nervous, but she needed Tyler to make sure she didn’t back out before she saw Jamie.

The doors to the elevator opened, and Alex walked to Jamie’s door. Before she could even knock, the door opened, revealing Jamie standing there in a pair of sweatpants and Stars t-shirt. “Guess there’s no naked girls in there,” Tyler joked with a shrug of his shoulders.

Jamie glared at him. “What the fuck would you think that for?” he snapped.

“It’s a joke,” Alex tried to calm the man standing in front of her. She took a good look at him. He hadn’t shaved for a couple of days, and his hair wasn’t done up in gel like he normally did. He didn’t look completely like hell, but he definitely didn’t look like his normal self. “Can we talk?” she asked.

“Of course, come on in,” Jamie said, moving aside to let her walk in.

“Call me if you need me to come back and give you a ride,” Tyler told her. “But, hopefully you don’t need that. I plan on intercepting my girlfriend when she gets here,” he said.

Alex smiled. “I’ll take an uber home if needed,” she told him.

“I’ll let Savannah know to come pick you up for breakfast here in the morning,” he winked at her before looking at Jamie. “Don’t screw this up,” he added before heading back towards the elevator.

Jamie shut the door behind Alex, leaving the two of them standing there alone. “Alex,” he began as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweats.

“Let me go first,” she told him. He looked like he wanted to argue, but did as she requested. “I love you, Jamie,” she said, a genuine smile on her face as she looked up at him. “And it hurt me you never told me about being engaged in your past. But, I get it. It’s your past.”

After a moment of silence, he began speaking. “Alex, I didn’t not tell you because I wanted to hurt you. There just was never a good time to tell you. I fell for you so quick. And we just fit so well, I didn’t ever know when to say ‘hey, by the way, I was engaged before and now don’t want to get married,’” he explained.

“We never really talked about our past, we just kinda went with the present flow,” she said aloud. She couldn’t blame him for not bringing it up when they first started dating. They did get serious pretty quick.

“Jaycie Kendrick,” he said suddenly.

Alex froze, her stomach sinking. “Is that who you were engaged to?” she asked cautiously. Though she was upset he’d never told her about his past engagement, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know about the woman now.

“No. Jaycie was my first kiss. Also my brother’s,” he added with a chuckle. “Denise Jennings was my first girlfriend when I was in sixth grade. Lisa Voll was the girl I was engaged to. And you, Alex Dayton,” he said, taking a step closer to her and putting his hands on the low of her back. “You are the love of my life.”

Alex looked down, anything to avoid eye contact with him. She was nervous and embarrassed all at once. She had made a big deal about not knowing about his past, and now that he was telling her all about it, she was afraid she wasn’t enough for him.

He must have noticed her look of worry. “Alex, Lisa meant nothing compared to you,” he told her, though she had a skeptical look on her face. “I was eighteen. Just got drafted. And I was about to go play for Kelowna. She was worried I was going to go off and make it big and leave her.”

“You kinda did,” Alex pointed out.

Jamie smiled. “True,” he agreed. “But she gave me an ultimatum. A ring or she’d walk. And like I said, I was eighteen. A dumb teenager. So I proposed. And I did everything she asked for the next three months until I realized it wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want her. I didn’t want her controlling my life. I didn’t want to be married and feel like I was her puppet. So I broke it off.”

Alex finally looked up at him. “And you shunned off marriage since then. Because you thought it meant a wife that controlled your every move.” She wasn’t chastising him. She was finally understanding where he was coming from.

“Do you know when I fell in love with you?” he asked suddenly.

“No,” she shook her head.

“I do. The exact moment,” he told her. “It wasn’t love at first sight. Don’t get me wrong, there was a strong attraction immediately. I remember walking into that photo shoot you were doing with Segs. He had grabbed my keys at practice and I was going to get it from him. And I saw you moving something on set around him and I was instantly jealous he was doing the shoot and not me,” he smiled at the memory. “But that’s not the moment I fell in love with you. That was just the moment I knew I needed to figure out your name.”

She smiled back at him. “When did you fall in love?” she asked.

“You were doing a photo shoot out in the park. I can’t even tell you what kind it was. A family or a couple or what. But I was meeting you for a date afterwards and I got there early and you were finishing up. And you had your camera and you started taking these candid pictures. We were laughing and running around. And you took this selfie somehow that was us laughing.”

“I remember,” Alex nodded her head. “You asked for that picture later on. The one where we’re both cracking up about some dumb joke you had said,” she recalled.

“Yeah, I was waiting on you to post those pictures somewhere online. Instagram, Facebook, whatever. Even your website for your photography. But you didn’t. You could have. You could have made a big deal you were dating me. And that was the exact moment I knew I had fallen in love with you.”

“No need for it to be posted. Those were just fun pictures. And I love them. I still have all of them on my computer,” she told him. “I’m not one to post personal pictures. And I knew you were a private person. Even back then I knew it.” She had known from the start he was a person who liked to keep his private life private. And those pictures were too personal and meant too much to her to ever make public. At the time, she didn’t know how long their relationship was going to last, but she knew those pictures would always have a special meaning to her.

“I still have that picture,” he told her.

She looked up at him. “Yeah?” she smiled.

“In my locker. I look at it every day. Win or lose. It always makes me feel better. Ask Segs, he’s seen it.”

She was taken aback by the fact he had not only kept the picture but had put it somewhere he looked at daily. It was her turn to be honest. “I was just having dinner with Segs, and he made me realize that past relationships really mean nothing. My boyfriend from college I thought I loved at the time, I didn’t really love him. Not like I love you.”

“I love you, too, Alex,” he said softly. “And I never loved Lisa like I love you,” he added, cradling her face.

“I want to be with you, Jamie. No marriage. No ring. No controlling you like a puppet. Just happy together.” She was being completely honest with him.

“I really wish you hadn’t have said that just now,” he groaned.

She looked up at him wide-eyed. “Wh-why?” she stuttered.

“Because I just accepted the fact that I want to marry you. I want to be your husband.”

Alex couldn’t believe what he was saying. “No, Jamie,” she shook her head. “I don’t need that. I get why you don’t want to get married.”

“No, I didn’t want to marry her. I want to marry you. Alex, we’ve been together for over two years and I’ve never been happier. You’ve never been controlling or given me an ultimatum or made me feel like we’re not equal partners in this. It’s about time I man up and see that I want to marry you and show you off to everyone as my wife.”

“Jamie, you are not proposing to me right now,” she shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow and regret this.”

“You’re right, I’m not proposing now,” he told her, and she looked up at him confused. “But not because I don’t want to marry you. But because I haven’t done the three biggest things I need to do first.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “What’s that?”

“One, buy a ring. Not going to lie, I’ve never really looked at wedding rings and don’t know what you’d want. So I may need a little help with that.” Alex stood there in shocked silence. “And two and three, I haven’t talked to Shea and Savannah yet to get their permission,” he told her with a wink.

“Jamie Benn,” she said, grabbing a hold of his T-shirt with both of her hands. “You do not need to propose to me,” she stated emphatically.

He grabbed both her hands with his. “I know,” he said slowly to make sure she understood. “But I want to. And I want to do it the right way. So you’re going to have to stay my girlfriend for a while longer.”

“I’ll stay your girlfriend forever,” she smiled at him.

“Text Segs you’re not going to need a ride tonight,” Jamie said, pressing his lips to hers. “You’re not leaving the bedroom,” he added, picking her up as she yelped and he carried her down the hallway in his arms.