by Toni Aleo
He was having a great time, and when he got a call from Coach Bacter, things became a thousand times better.
“Yes, I’m ready. Thank you,” Jordan said, before turning off his phone.
“Everything okay, honey?”
Jordan smiled over at Tully as he nodded. “Great, I just have to call your daughter,” he said, dialing her number. He usually would have called his dad first, but he couldn’t wait to tell Aynslee his news.
“Hello,” she said quickly. “Are you calling to break up with me?”
“Hell no, your family is awesome. I’ve got something great to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’m playing tomorrow,” he said, the biggest grin imaginable on his face.
“Oh, my God! Seriously? I’m so happy for you!”
“Thanks, I’m so excited.”
“I bet. That’s awesome, baby. You’re gonna kick ass.”
“Damn right. Can you get a flight here?”
“Shit, I don’t know. I’ll try, but I have a meeting with some teachers for a new plan we are working on.”
Jordan’s smile fell. “No, I completely understand. It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. I’m sorry. I suck. Let me see what I can do.”
“No, you don’t,” he said with a heavy heart. “Corny as it may sound, you’ll be in my heart.”
“Oh, that’s not fair!” she laughed. “Are you are least serving some pie with that guilt?”
Jordan snorted as he shook his head. “I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I was trying to be romantic!” he said, his face turning bright red.
“Aw, I really do like you a lot.”
Jordan’s mouth pulled up at the sides as he closed his eyes, wanting to tell her that like was so far from what he was feeling. He was completely and hopelessly in love with this woman.
“I feel the exact same way. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, have fun.”
“Wish you were here.”
“Me too. Bye, baby.”
Ending the call, Jordan let out a long sigh.
“You’re playing tomorrow?”
Jordan turned toward Aynslee’s mom.
“Yes, ma’am. I was hoping she could be there.”
“I think she likes you a lot.”
“I love her,” Jordan admitted.
Tully smiled widely at him as she nodded. “I can tell.”
“Things are a little crazy right now, but I promise I’m doing everything I can to make her happy.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
Jordan didn’t know why it mattered so much to have Tully and Bowie’s approval, but it did, and his promise wasn’t an empty one.
Aynslee rushed down the aisle of First Niagara Center toward Jordan’s position on the ice. She was late because she’d spent so much time making her sign and then she still had to hit up scalpers outside the arena for a ticket. She managed to get a decent seat, but she knew she’d be out of Jordan’s range of sight, and she wanted him to see her sign.
The Assassins were slamming pucks at him as they warmed up, and she had no clue how to get his attention. Holding the sign up against the glass, she pointed at him before pointing at the sign, hoping one of the guys would notice her. After what seemed like forever, someone finally spotted her. Jordan turned, and, even through the mask, she could see his smile. He lifted his face mask and she watched as he read the sign that said:
SURPRISE! GOOD LUCK. YOU’LL BE GREAT. I’M SO PROUD OF YOU.
MEET ME AT DAD’S PUB AFTERWARD.
It was a little girly, but he seemed to like it and nodded his head before waving at her. She waved back and blew him a kiss. Then he dropped his face mask and turned around, waiting to block the pucks on goal. Satisfied that he’d read her sign, she decided to stay where she was and watch him warm up, but then someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Turning and looking up into the face of an older man, she smiled as she asked, “Am I in your way?”
“No, ma’am, I just wanted to read your sign.”
She held it up, grinning at him as he read it.
“He didn’t know I was coming. I flew in from Nashville on a red-eye. I wanted to make sure I was here for the first game he’s played since we’ve been together,” she said, and then she wanted to smack herself. She talked way too damn much.
The older man nodded as he said, “You are a wonderful girlfriend. What’s your name?”
“Aynslee Shaw,” she said, holding out her hand.
He took it and smiled as he said, “I’m Bill Ryan.”
Oh, fuck, she thought, her stomach dropping. “Jordan’s dad.”
“Yes, and I’ve heard great things about you, young lady.”
“Wow, thank you. Jordan talks about you and Mrs. Ryan all the time.”
Bill asked, “Where are you sitting?”
“In the three hundreds. I had to buy it from a scalper.”
Bill nodded as he pointed to a seat at the glass, beside an older couple.
“My friend offered me this seat. I came down here to thank him, but I’m going back up in the stands to sit with my wife. How about you sit here and we’ll meet with you later?”
Aynslee nodded quickly as she said, “Yes, that would be great. If you are absolutely sure? Thank you.”
“No problem, honey. I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting to know you very well in the near future.”
“Bye,” she said, as she watched him greet his friend. When he flashed her a grin, it immediately reminded her of Jordan’s. She returned the smile as he turned to walk up the aisle. All but bouncing into the seat he’d given her, she looked out at the ice and grinned. She was so excited to be here.
“Hey, you’re Jordan’s girlfriend—Aynslee? Am I saying that right?”
Aynslee nodded at the older gentleman, accepting his outstretched hand. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Sean Rogers. This is my wife, Mallory.”
“Hi,” Aynslee said, shaking Mallory’s hand too. The three made small talk, but it stopped once the game started. Aynslee was on the edge of her seat as she watched her amazing boyfriend kick ass in goal. He was making saves left and right, pushing people out of his crease, and being fucking awesome. It was fantastic. When the first period was over, the score was 2–0, Assassins. Aynslee leaned back in her seat, releasing a sigh of relief.
“What do you think of Jordan’s performance so far?”
Aynslee glanced over at Sean and smiled. “He’s doing great.”
“I agree.”
“Have you seen him play before?” Aynslee asked.
“I have,” Sean said with a nod. “But I wanted to know what you thought.”
Aynslee looked into the older man’s brown eyes. “I don’t know much about hockey, and this is my first time watching him in person, but I’ve seen the YouTube videos and he is amazing. He has this fire inside him to be the best.”
Sean nodded, a grin playing on his face as he said, “But his injury has altered him a bit.”
“True, but he has learned to adapt. The Assassins are crazy for not playing him all the time. He’s resilient, you know, and he can only get better with every game he plays. I’ve never in my life been so proud of someone.”
“So if you were the GM of a hockey team, you’d take a chance on him and sign him right now?”
Aynslee was a little taken aback by the question, but she knew the answer right away. Not only did she mean every word she said, but she loved Jordan, body and soul, and believed in him completely. He might be leaving her, but she would always love him and he would always have a place in her heart. “In a heartbeat.”
After watching Jordan shut out the Sabres, Aynslee made her way to her father’s pub and waited for him. It had been an exciting game, and watching him was like foreplay to sex. He was so hot and so efficient; Aynslee couldn’t wait to get him home. When Jordan finally walked through the door, dressed up in
a sexy suit, she hopped off the barstool and closed the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground.
Kissing him breathless, she smiled against his lips before saying, “You were a killer on the ice.”
“Because you were there.”
She smiled as she shook her head. “No, because you are awesome. Great game, baby.”
“Thanks, it felt good.”
He put her on her feet and then took her hand as they walked over to the bar to order a beer. He sat on the barstool and she sat in his lap, leaning her head against his neck.
“I have to leave tonight,” she said sadly after he’d taken a swig of his beer.
“Really?” he asked, with a disappointed look on his face.
“Yeah, my plane leaves soon; I’ve got school tomorrow.”
“That sucks. I wanted to take you back to my hotel room and see if you were wearing those panties you mentioned yesterday,” he said with a grin, whispering the last part.
She giggled against his neck, placing a kiss there before looking up at him. “I’ll be at home, waiting for you.”
“In the panties?”
“And nothing else.”
“I can’t wait. Let me see this sign. I loved it, by the way,” he said.
“You’re welcome,” she replied with a wide grin.
“How about you sign the poster and I’ll frame it?” Bowie asked.
“Sure,” Jordan said, grinning at Aynslee before taking the Sharpie from Bowie.
“It’s just a silly sign!” Aynslee complained, shaking her head.
“You’re lucky your dad wants it, or I’d hang it at my house,” Jordan said before signing his name along the bottom.
Aynslee grinned as she watched him write:
Jordan & Aynslee.
Her heart exploded as he gave her a shy smile. Leaning over, she kissed his lips and then teased, “You’re so corny, but so am I.” Taking the pen from him, she wrote:
Forever.
Chapter 10
Jordan should have been excited, but he wasn’t.
After signing a hefty-paying contract with the IceCats, things should’ve been looking up. He was going to be the starting goalie for them, but it didn’t matter, because Aynslee wouldn’t be there with him. He could have gone to the Predators, but only as a backup there too, and their GM didn’t want to do that to Jordan. It was the same story with all the other teams Jordan had shown an interest in.
Sitting across from Shea and Elli Adler, Jordan listened as Elli told him about the new goalie they were bringing up.
“Jep Klinsky, the starting goalie for the Rays. I’m happy with him. Wish I could keep you, though,” Elli said.
Jordan laughed before taking a swig of his beer. Putting it down, he said, “If I was starting, I’d stay, you know that.”
“I know. I’m lucky you stayed this long,” she said with a sad smile. “We’ll miss you.”
“It’s going to be tough, but I’ll come back to visit.”
A lot, and hopefully Aynslee would still want to see him.
“Good, you gotta see the boys!” she gushed, rubbing her hands on her belly fondly.
Jordan smiled. Elli Adler was a great person, and he was going to miss her. “I will. Text me pictures as soon as they are born.”
“Definitely,” she said, taking her husband’s hand in hers.
“I’ll make sure,” Shea said, kissing Elli’s temple before reaching for his beer.
“Good.”
Jordan looked down at his food. He loved spending time with the Adlers, but at the moment he just wanted to be with Aynslee. He needed to tell her about the contract so they could discuss what they were going to do. He was ready to go home and plan the rest of his life with her.
“So how’s your girlfriend? I was hoping to meet her at Jakob’s thing, but y’all didn’t show,” Elli said.
“Yeah, she had a headache that night, and since we were leaving the next day, I wanted to stay home with her. She’s great, though. I would’ve brought her tonight, but she had a teacher’s thing—”
Jordan stopped mid-sentence when he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see his girlfriend only a few feet away, sliding her jacket on. He called out, “Aynslee.”
She stopped and looked at him, a full grin coming over her face. As he stood up, she said something to one of the ladies she was with, then walked toward his table.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, still smiling.
“Having dinner. You were here the whole time?”
“I was! We always go to J. Alexander’s. I love this place.”
He leaned over to kiss her quickly before introducing her. “This is Elli and Shea Adler, my boss and my captain.”
Still smiling, Aynslee took their hands and said, “It’s so nice to meet you. Jordan adores you guys.”
“Oh, thank you. We love him too,” Elli gushed as Jordan pulled a chair out. “Join us, please.”
“I’d love to! I already ate, though, so I’ll just drink more wine,” she said as she sat down.
Jordan smiled and took a seat beside her, reaching for her hand. After Aynslee ordered a glass of wine, she and Elli started to talk as if they were old friends. He always joked that Aynslee had never met a stranger in her life. He loved that about her and admired her for it. Soon she had the whole table in tears, telling them about a kid who had covered another kid with glue and then thrown glitter on her.
“I was so mad! I tried to explain that he shouldn’t do that, but then the girl was, like, ‘But I want to sparkle!’ I died. I couldn’t hold it in, I was laughing so hard.”
“Oh, my stars, that is crazy! I can’t wait for my oldest, Shelli, to go to school. She’ll probably be the one throwing glitter on herself.” Elli laughed as Shea nodded.
“She would. She’s crazy—gets it from her side of the family,” Shea said, pointing at Elli.
Aynslee giggled as Jordan brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. His heart was aching as she held his gaze. Playoffs were starting that week, which meant that their time was winding down. The guys weren’t playing the way they usually did, and people didn’t think they were going to get out of the first round. He could be leaving in two weeks, especially since he’d signed the contract today. The GM wanted Jordan to start training with the goalie staff as soon as possible, and Jordan also needed to find a house and get settled before training camp began. Things were about to change, whether he was ready or not.
“So I bet you are just so proud of Jordan.”
Aynslee nodded before looking back over at Elli. “Yes, he is amazing. I’m very lucky,” she said, running her thumb up and down the small space between his thumb and index finger.
“You are. I’m very proud that he has fully recovered from his injury. He will do great things in Carolina for the IceCats.”
Aynslee’s strokes stopped as she stared at Jordan, shock written all over her face. Jordan’s heart seized, and all he could do was look into Aynslee’s eyes. He should have known Elli would bring up the transfer. He should have called Aynslee earlier, but instead he let this happen and now he could see her shutting down. Neither one of them wanted this, but it was happening.
“He will,” she said, turning her eyes back to Elli. Her hand slowly slid out of Jordan’s. “I have no doubts about that,” she added before reaching for her drink.
“Are you excited about living in Carolina? It’s so beautiful,” Elli asked with a bright grin.
“We haven’t figured all that out yet,” Jordan said quickly, feeling as if the world were coming down on him. He tried to reach for Aynslee’s hand, but she just shook her head.
Taking in a deep frustrated breath, he looked at Elli as she said, “Oh, well, you better! If we don’t beat these damn Blackhawks, playoffs will be over in a week.”
He knew that. He also knew that he might very well be losing the love of his life.
Aynslee couldn’t breathe.
The room was spinning, and her heart was breaking inside her chest.
He signed a contract? And didn’t even tell her?
What the hell?
Standing up suddenly, she looked over at Shea and Elli and said, “I’m so sorry, but I need to get home. I have school tomorrow and I’m worn out!”
She laughed, trying to be lighthearted, but it was taking everything she had to keep the tears in.
“Oh, we completely understand. It was so nice to meet you.” Elli stood up to hug her tightly.
Aynslee shook Shea’s hand and then looked back at Jordan. She could see the hurt in his eyes. Still fighting back the tears, she quietly said to Elli and Shea, “Nice to meet you too; bye.”
And she left. Without saying one word to Jordan. She wasn’t sure if she could actually speak to him without crying. Once she was outside, Aynslee took in a lungful of air and tears ran down her cheeks. She cried throughout the entire drive home. She didn’t understand. Why hadn’t he told her? Why hadn’t he given her at least a little warning? Instead, she had to find out from his fucking boss.
He could be leaving in a week, and she had no clue what that meant. Would he just walk away, say, Nice knowing you, and that would be it? He still hadn’t asked her to come with him, so did he even want something more than what they already had? Had she been wasting her time? She didn’t know, and it was killing her.
A sob broke out of her as she pulled into her driveway, got out, and slammed her car door. As she made her way up the walk, she heard someone else pulling into the drive. She knew who it was even before she turned around.
Jordan jumped out of his truck, looking unbelievably handsome in a nice black dress shirt and khaki dress pants. He had trimmed his beard, just the way she liked it, and even though she was so upset and torn up over the recent news, she still wanted to wrap her arms around him and get lost in his kisses.