Chapter 11

Well... I hate to say this, but it seems this story is coming to an end... there will at least be another chapter or epilouge, so stay tuned!!

I have waited
Dined on ashes
Swung from chandeliers and climbed Everest
And none of it's got me close to this

I've waited all my life
If not now, when will I?

Stand up and face the bright light
Don't hide your eyes
It's time

It Not Now, When? - Incubus

Ch. 11

I figured talking about now was probably the best thing for both of us.  There was no need to leave it until the end.  I felt her tense as soon as I said something about it.

“We can make this work,” I murmured, trying to soothe her.

“How?” she mouthed.

“There are jobs in the Pittsburgh area…”

“But I’m not even sure I want to leave Glens Falls,” she turned over so that she was completely facing me now.

“Even if I asked you to move in with me?”  The words were out of my mouth before I could even think them through, but I didn’t regret them.

“I can’t just quit with a couple months left in the season to move in with you, James…”

“I’m not asking you to, in fact I don’t want you to.  I mean, not right now at least.  This is obviously new for both of us and it’s probably in our best interest to take things a little slow, not counting this weekend of course,” I smiled, unable to hold back a laugh.  “I don’t want you to give up your dreams and goals, but I think we can find a middle ground where we can everything.”

“Having everything only happens in the movies, James,” she sighed as she rolled out of my arms and to the edge of the bed in an attempt to get up.

“What if I said there is a job opening at the Heinz Field?” I blurted out.

She stopped.

“I didn’t some research and talking to some people in their front office.  The person that had the position before just took a job with us over at the Penguins.  I know its football, but I thought it might be an option…”

“You’ve obviously been thinking of things before you even came to talk to me the other night, haven’t you?” she asked quietly, sitting back down and turning towards me with no readable expression on her face.

I propped myself up on my elbow and nodded.  “Yes, yes I have.  I told you Hanna, I love you and I need you in my life.”

“I’m going to need some time to think about it…I mean, not about us, but just the job switching…” she said quickly, probably noticing my look when she talked about needing time to think about it.  She crawled back over to me, grabbed my hands and commandeered my attention away from her naked body so that we were staring into each other’s eyes.  “I love you and I want to make this work, don’t doubt that,” she said quietly.

“I don’t doubt it.”

“I just want to make sure I take a job that I actually like and not take one because it puts me closer to you.  I’d be miserable if I didn’t like my job…”

“I can understand that,” I nodded, allowing a smile to cross my face before I leaned in to kiss her.

Wow, a job with the Steelers organization.  I also had to remember I was offered a job in Philly too.  Both would be dream jobs, yet only one would make everything the way it should be.  As soon as I got back to Glens Falls, I began writing e-mails and making phone calls to the people James wrote down for me.  I sent out portfolios and links to my things on the web that I had done over the last year and a half.  The hockey season was winding down quickly and I wanted to have all my ducks in a row before I gave final answers to Mr. Snider and the wonderful organization I had been involved with.

“So my cousin is settling down, eh?” Brad chirped into the phone one evening while I laid across my bed, writing out a list of questions I wanted to ask at my interview.  I hoped the Steelers organization wouldn’t be put off too much by me asking some questions, but I wanted to make sure this was a job that would make me happy.

“I’m just moving to Pittsburgh, it’s not like I’m getting married…”

“Yet.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, “Yet,” I echoed slightly unwillingly.  “I don’t want to rush things, especially for the simple fact that I feel as if we’ve sped things along at Mach1 speed since we’ve gotten back together.”

“You are moving to where you should have been after being together for a year…”

“But that’s the thing Brad, we haven’t technically been together that long.”

“You just happened to be on a detour and now you’re paths have gotten back on course,” Brad said sincerely.

“You sound like a romance novelist,” I chided.

“I’m just older and wiser, that’s all,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, and is that why you are still single?”

He stopped laughing and growled, “This has nothing to do with my personal life, Hanna Montana.”

“Whatever, hypocrite.”

“You are in love with him.  You two balance each other perfectly and you’re happy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, then, there is nothing wrong with the pace of your relationship.  Stop making such a big fuss about the norm and just go with it.”  I let my head drop down onto my arm and shook it, knowing he was right, but for someone who is very goal oriented, it was sometimes hard to let go.  “If I remember correctly,” Brad continued.  “You had to get James to realize having a girlfriend was okay, am I right?”

“Yeeeaahhh,” I drew out, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

“Well, it seems the tables are turned now.  It’s like he has to get you to believe the same damn thing this time around.”

I didn’t say anything for a moment.  “That is a very good point.”

“I have my moments,” he grinned into the phone.

“So she’s moving to the ‘Burgh?” Matty Niskanen asked excitedly.

“I’m thinking it all kind of hinges on if she gets this job with the Steelers or not…” I said evenly.  I had been trying for the last 4 weeks not to get my hopes up too much, but it was so hard not to.  I’m just kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop and be back at square one.

“She should have no problem getting that gig,” Sidney piped up.  There was a group of us out eating lunch after practice in New York City; we were playing the Rangers that night.  “I can imagine the Flyers aren’t going to be overly excited to hear that a Penguin has stolen her from their organization…”

I laughed, “Yeah, especially since she’s boosted the Glens Falls organization 10-fold.  Her work is crazy.”

“I always liked her stuff down in Dallas,” Matt remarked.

“I’m just excited to have another hot ass to be walking around in the events,” Jordan remarked.  “If you want to dump her again, you can definitely send her my way…”

I just rolled my eyes and shook my head.  “That hot ass is all mine,” I remarked.

“Really, now?” Hanna said from behind me, making everyone’s mouth drop at the table.  Only Sidney seemed to be the only one who wasn’t surprised by her arrival.

I almost knocked my chair over, standing up.  “Hanna?!” I exclaimed.  “What…How…Wow…” I sputtered, pulling her into my arms as she smiling broadly.

“You seem surprised,” she giggled.

“Well, I am.  I don’t remember you saying anything about coming to NYC…” I said, still shocked that I was holding her in my arms.

“I didn’t say anything because I wanted to surprise you, I just didn’t think Crosby over there had it in him to keep a good secret.”

“Hey!  I told you I would be silent!” Sidney cried, launching a french fry in our direction.

I pulled back, looked down at her and kissed her firmly on the lips.  “Hi,” I whispered.

“Hey,” she whispered back, her eyes sparkling with humor.

It was actually a beautiful day in the city, so Hanna and I decided to take a stroll before I went back to the hotel to take a nap.  “I have a few days off, so I figured I’d drive down here and see you and Brad play against each other,” she informed me.

“Oh, so I’m not the only reason you are here,” I mockingly sulked.

“No, you are totally the reason I’m here,” she elbowed me.  “Seeing my cousin is just an added perk.”

“I’ve missed you…”

“Same here.  Plus I needed to tell you my news in person.”

I stopped, not wanting to miss a word she said because something in her voice told me I wouldn’t want to miss a thing.

“I’ve handed in my resignation to the Brooks and wrote a letter to Mr. Snyder turning down his job offer in Philly.”

I looked at her curiously and waited a moment, just in case she had something else to say.  “Isn’t your interview with the Steelers at the end of the month?”

She smiled and nodded before looking down at the ground.  “Yeah, it is.”

I put my hand under her chin and lifted it so her eyes were looking back up at me again.  “So what’s up?”

Her hand reached up and covered mine.  “I’ve decided that even if I don’t get the Steelers job, I would just look for something else in Pittsburgh…It’s my turn to show that I am 100% committed to this also.”

“So either way you are going to move to the Burgh to be with me?”

“Yeah.”

I quickly dropped my hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her against me tightly.  “That is almost as good as hearing you say that you love me,” I exclaimed.  “What made you make this decision?”

She sighed.  “Let’s just say my cousin reminded me of somethings that are important in life and how you have to be willing to make some compromises to get to where you want to be…”

“I promise to make you happy,” I whispered.

“You already have.”

“I love you Hanna.”

“I love you too, James.”

“Glad to see Nealer hasn’t taken you fully to the dark side!” Brad chirped as he walked down the hallway of MSG.  I was hanging out with some of the Pens, already being razzed about my choice of hockey sweaters.  Brad had given me his new Ranger’s jersey a week or two after he had signed with New York.  Coming here, I knew I would have to wear it because everyone knows that family always outranks significant others.  Plus, what’s more fun than wearing a jersey with your own last name on the back?!

“I didn’t want you to feel as if you didn’t have a fan in the place.  I highly doubt a lot of people wear your jersey around here,” I joked, knowing full well his was the highest selling jersey for the Rangers since he’d been signed.

“Missed your sarcasm, little one,” he laughed, pulling me in for a hug.  “It’s definitely good to see you.  Are you free after the game?”

“Only if you don’t mind hanging out with some Pens,” James jumped in.  “We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon for Newark, so we have a night off in the city after the game tonight.”

“I’m sure we can come up with some good places to take you guys,” Brad smiled.

“Yeah, like the Empire State Building!” Dubinsky chirped while he walked into the locker room.  “I hear it’s a long way down when someone pushes you off the top…”

Everyone just laughed, but it was a somber reminder that shortly they would be enemies out on the ice.  I kissed Brad on the cheek and wrote down a place to meet.  I then kissed James and wished him luck before pushing him towards his own locker room.

The game was crazy.  It was evident that both teams were fighting for position in their division.  I can’t say I was totally surprised when James got into it with Dubinsky, during the 2^nd period.  I also can’t say that I wasn’t turned on to see my man throwing a few punches and coming out on top.  However, he would still have a fat lip from one of the punches that Dubinsky actually connected with.  The Penguins won 3-2, so the boys were a little rowdy as they walked out of the locker room.

“Sorry Hanna, but I couldn’t resist putting your cousin into the boards tonight,” Duper chided.

“Yeah, yeah,” I waved him off, shaking my head.  It had been a solid hit that had a positive outcome for the Pens.  Duper took the puck from Brad and passed it over to Sid, who quickly found a hole to fire the puck past Hank.  It was a good defensive play, but I still cringed with the rest of MSG as my cousin took the hit.

Soon we were in downtown Manhattan at a swanky club, both teams intermingling with one another.  It always amazed me how they could be so vicious to each other one minute and then next they were practically holding hands together.

“Your girl is smoking hot,” Brandon Prust commented when she got up to use the restrooms.

I always thought this, but tonight she was looking untouchable in a silky dark purple halter that hung loosely, in a draping like fashion around her cleavage and a short white skirt with pair of nude Jimmy Choo’s.  Her hair was down, falling naturally over her shoulders.  Every time she dressed like this, it made it harder for me to believe that this was the same girl who didn’t mind being in hip boots, fishing.  I just nodded at Brandon and tried to hide the big smile that said, “Yup and she’s all mine.”

When she came back she pulled me up off the chair and drug me out onto the dance floor.  “If I’m here, you are not allowed to just sit here and watching…”

“But I enjoy watching you dance,” I whined, not totally feeling comfortable dancing.

“Then watch me while I do this,” she winked before she turned around, bent forward and ground her ass up against me.

“You’re evil.”

“Do I have your attention now?”

“You’ve had it for a while now,” I played.

She turned back around to face me and threw her arms up around my neck.  “Well if you are paying attention then you must know what ideas I have in my brain at the moment.”

I leaned down and breathed into her ear, “It wouldn’t have anything to do with heading back to the hotel and having you grind your ass up on me with less clothing, now would it?”  I smiled, feeling her shiver in my arms.

“You are very attentive it seems.”

She can’t move to Pittsburgh soon enough…