A Little More You (Jonathan Toews)

Chapter 34 (Alternate Ending)

A/N: Sorry this has literally taken almost three months to get to.  I didn't know if I wanted to even post it, but here we are.  Thank you all so very very much for the reads, comments, and votes.  It means the world :) 

"Texas was green eyes crying goodbye; was a long drive; a heartache I'm still trying to get through. Texas was you.
Texas was my whole life waving goodbye, thought I'd die; a heartache I'm still trying to get through, Texas was you. It will always be you" -Jason Aldean

Mati leaned against the tree trunk, trying not to cry. She loved Jon but this wasn't going to work.

Jon knew it too. He had tried to come up with the words to say besides "I'm sorry" but they weren't coming.

They were both heading in different directions, with careers that were pulling them across the world, and it was hard to foster a relationship in that kind of environment. The year they'd spent together hadn't been wasted, and they'd both had fun, but knowing now that things like the Calgary incident would probably happen again (even if it didn't actually happen) because they were both shoved into the public eye whether or not they wanted to be...

They couldn't do that to each other.

Mati was still hurt from what had happened, Jon was still regretful.

But this was how it needed to be.

They clung to each other for a moment, before each going their own way.

Mati went home, collapsing into her mom's arms as she tried to reason through the past few hours.

Jon got in his rented truck and headed towards Dallas, fighting tears most of the way.

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Two and a half years had come and gone. The Hawks had another cup under their belt. Mati had a shelf of ACM awards.

Jon had started seeing someone new, about a year and a half prior. Her name was Alyssa, and she was the most incredible woman Jon knew.

He had loved Mati, without a doubt. But Alyssa was his person. She was on the Hawks marketing team and to Tammy's delight ("Hockey is even the reason for your love life!"), they had started dating after an awkward encounter in which she was lost on her first day, and had stumbled into the training room, where Jon was half naked getting out of an ice bath.

Alyssa grinned at him as he sauntered into the marketing office. He was taking her to lunch after a brutal morning skate, and then they were heading to the doctor to find out the sex of their baby.

Tonight, he was asking her to marry him.

He couldn't wait.

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Mati had started dating Luke...for real this time. Not like the first time. After they'd spent nearly ten months on tour together, they'd realized that they had been falling in love the whole time.

Maybe it was the tour hangover talking.

Either way, their lives became intertwined and soon enough, people were calling them the next Tim and Faith and Mati knew she found out where she was supposed to be and who she was supposed to be with. Jon had shown her what she needed and wanted, and Luke made it happen.

Mati and Jon hadn't spoken since Texas except for a "keep it or throw it." text in regards to the things Mati had left in Chicago.

Jamie and Pat were finally about to tie the knot though and both of them were in the wedding, bringing their significant others and in Jon's case, his baby girl.