Never Look Back

“You’re going to have fun.” Jordyn insisted as she tugged Jon’s hand, dragging him through the parking lot as they approached the Morgan Ice Center. “Dylan’s so good.” She chirped excitedly, the long sleeves of Dylan’s away jersey brushing Jon’s wrist as it hung from Jordyn’s arm. She was swimming it.

“I can imagine.” Jon sighed, pulling his hat down over his eyes as they walked into the arena, paid four dollars for tickets and walked to the bleachers. Jon opted for them to stand in the back, at least until warm-ups were over. Wearing a pair of jeans, Doc Martens, and a NorthFace, Jon didn’t attract much attention, but when a gaggle of squealing girls came running up to Jordyn, all eyes were in his direction.

“Hi Mr. Toews.” Terri, Jordyn’s best friend smiled. Jon liked Terri. She wasn’t over-the-top girly like some of Jordyn’s friends were. She was a proclaimed Oilers fan and could actually talk hockey with Jon when given the opportunity.

“Hey Ter, you coming over this week?” Jon asked, smiling warmly as the other girls flocked around Jordyn, some of them also wearing away jerseys of players as well.

“Probably, I’m sure I’ll end up at your house some time or another.” She laughed just as another young girl tugged her down the stairs to sit as warm-ups wrapped up. Jordyn opted to sit in the back row of the bleachers, leaning into his side so that he could wrap his arm around her shoulders. Jordyn rarely got to actually watch a live hockey game with Jon other than the few Penguins games they got to attend.

“There he is, seventeen.” Jordyn pointed out as if Jon couldn’t have put that together himself with the big maroon seventeen on her back. “He looks super tall.” She commented.

“Yeah he does.” Jon nodded. In fact, Dylan was easily the biggest kid on the ice. Jon watched with varied interest. There was no arguing that Dylan was fast despite his size, and could stickhandle rather well, but he would never admit that out loud. “I’m gonna get something to drink, do you want anything?” Jon asked, getting up and reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

“Powerade.” She replied, making him grin. As much as he could stock Gatorade in the house, Powerade was always her favorite. “No candy, we’re getting dinner after this.” She reminded giving him a very pointed look, knowing that the chance of him stopping to pick up a box of Junior Mints was very high. “Yes mother.” Jon dropped a kiss on her head before heading to the concession stand.

“Two blue Powerades, please.” Jon ordered from the mother who was donating her time to the school’s snack stand. He stood in the lobby for a moment, looking out onto the ice rather crictically. Jon had given Dylan his blessing a month ago at their family celebration and unfortunately, he was doing everything right. He asked Jon if he could take Jordyn out damn near a week in advance, dressed nicely for their dates, and always brought her flowers. This kid was hiding something.

“Hey Jon.” Jon looked over his shoulder to see Jordyn’s lacrosse coach approaching him.

“How’s it going, Dan?” Jon asked, shaking his hand.

“All in all fairly well, my kid’s in net.” He motioned down to number thirty-five between the pipes.

“What do you know about Dylan Halvarsson?” Jon asked immediately.

“He’s a good kid.” Coach Bodey nodded. “Kyle’s played with him since mini-mites. It’s just him and his Mom.” He added. “She’s raised him well enough. He plays elite in the summer.” He finished. “But as far as what kind of kid he is… you shouldn’t be worried that Jordyn’s wearing his jersey.” He gave Jon a knowing look. “It’s fifteen and twelve you should be worried about.” He nodded down to the ice. “As long as she stays far far away from those two, you’re just fine.” He finished.

“Thanks.” Jon nodded. “I’ll see you around, Coach.” He bid his friend goodbye.

“See ya Toews.” Dan called as Jon disappeared back into the arena.

“Here you go, baby girl.” Jon said, handing Jordyn her beverage.

“Pockets.” She insisted right away. Jon sighed, pulling the insides of his jean and coat pockets out. “Okay, good.” She smiled, patting the seat next to him. “Did you think of somewhere for after the game?” She asked, referring to the fact that she had arranged for the three of them to go out and grab something to eat. The three of them being Jon, Jordyn and Dylan.

“Not yet, but I’ll think of something.” He reassured, the two of them focusing back on the game. By the end of the second, the MPA Wildcats were up three to zero, two of those goals being Dylan’s and you could hell he was hungry for a third. He got his fill not a minute and a half into the third. He looked up and blatantly smiled at Jordyn who blushed in return, and soon, all eyes were on the Toews’.

There were a group of guys sitting down with Jordyn’s girlfriends that would usually spew a lewd comment in her direction after a show like that, but it was no secret to Jordyn’s friends that Jon was a ‘take no shit’ kind of man. So they kept it to themselves.

Jordyn didn’t want to let the grin completely overtake her face, but she knew that she had every right to be proud of Dylan, she also knew that Jon just had to be impressed on some level.

At least they would have something to talk about later. Jon thought to himself. Because otherwise he didn’t know if he could make it through a dinner with his daughter and the boy she was going steady with.

•••

“Hey handsome!” Jordyn grinned as Danny Sharp, the older of the two Sharp children giggled as he ran towards his favorite baby sitter, arms outstretched for her. She scooped him up into a big hug before setting him back down on his tiny feet. “Oh, baby.” She smiled as Abby set little Gracie into her arms. Gracie was nineteen months and still craved for someone to hold her. “What time again?” Jordyn asked as Jon talked with Patrick in the kitchen.

“No later than eleven, if we’re later than eleven, we’ll bump you up to a cool hundred.” Abby winked. Jordyn loved Abby, mostly because they almost never came home before eleven. “Gracie didn’t nap today, so she should be down for the count pretty soon here.” Abby glanced at her elegant watch. “She’s all fed and bathed and all that good stuff, so a little bedtime story and she should be set till morning.” She sighed, kissing her daughter’s head gently. “That one, however, can stay up until seven-thirty if he makes it that long.” She motioned down to Danny who was suctioned to Jordyn’s leg, already dressed in his footie pajamas adorning Buzz Lightyear.

“Seven-thirty.” Danny grinned excitedly up at Jordyn.

“We’re gonna party hard, huh?” She asked the little boy who was practically family to her. He nodded excitedly before running off to the kitchen to hang out with the big boys. “Love your dress, by the way.” Jordyn smiled at Abby who was donning a sleek little, black number complete with a silver necklace and diamond earrings.

“Oh thank you.” Abby blushed. “If Danny’s good, he can have some frozen blueberries as a treat.” She sighed. “I think that’s all, you know all the numbers.” Abby insisted.

Patrick and Jon watched casually from the archway of the kitchen as the two girls chatted softly.

“It’s weird seeing her hold a little Gracie… I don’t know why.” Jon shrugged.

“Because girls her age sometimes have kids that age.” Patrick shook his head. “A damn shame.” He added.

“That will never be Jordyn.” Jon insisted firmly. “Over my dead body.” He added.

“Better keep them boys at bay then, Daddy Toews.” Patrick nudged his good friend softly. “She is turning sixteen this year.” He finished.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jon asked with a frown.

“Didn’t you say that Jordyn’s mom was sixteen when she had Jordyn?” Patrick asked, bringing up a rather taboo subject. No one in the Toews family ever brought up Jordyn’s birth mother. Jon just shook his head silently.

“Trust me, it will be a cold day in hell if Jordyn has a baby before she’s thirty and married.” Jon insisted. “Not happening.” He ended the conversation as the women wrapped up theirs.

“Don’t worry Auntie Abby.” Jordyn smiled, using Abby’s nickname she had been given shortly before Jordyn turned twelve. “We’ll be just fine, won’t we baby?” She asked, bouncing Gracie in her arms gently. The beautiful little girl simply smiled and gurgled up at Jordyn. “Have fun.” Jordyn said after Abby kissed her cheek softly.

“Always do.” Abby insisted as Patrick met her at the door.

“Night guys! See you later!” Jordyn called, waving goodbye to them as Jon walked out to the family room from the kitchen as the Sharp’s exited the home.

“Anything I can get you, baby girl?” Jon asked, taking Gracie from Jordyn’s arms as Danny leaned against the back of Jon’s thighs expectantly. He was ready to have a good time now that Mommy and Daddy were gone, and when Auntie Jordyn came over that usually meant they got to finger paint.

“I don’t think so, you ordered the pizza, right?” Whenever Jordyn babysat for the Sharps in the evening, Jon would always order her dinner and pay for it over the phone, a small thin-crust pepperoni pizza and an order of gooey cinnamon sticks.

“Of course.” He smiled. “Call me when Abby sends you the text.” He referred to the chain of events where Abby would call Jordyn to tell her that they were on their way home and Jon could leave to come pick her up.

“Will do, Daddio.” Jordyn smiled. “Tell Amy to save me some pie.” She insisted, knowing full well that Jon tried to hide the fact that Amy had made a peach pie earlier that day.

“Fine.” He sighed dramatically, but planted a soft kiss on her head again before disappearing out the front door.

“You are ready for bed, aren’t you baby girl?” Jordyn asked Gracie whose eyes were already closing. The teen situated Danny on the couch with a small bowl of frozen blueberries and the DVD of his favorite movie – Cars before bringing Gracie upstairs and tucking her into her crib, grabbing her baby monitor on the way out.

From: Dylan :)
are they gone?

Jordyn quickly replied that they were in fact gone and wouldn’t be home for four more hours, but Danny was still awake.

From: Dylan :)
send me a text when Dan the man is asleep.

Jordyn shook her head with a smile at Dylan’s nickname for Danny and replied that she would. Jordyn cuddled up with Danny on the couch, sharing frozen berries, tickling toes and watching Cars. It wasn’t until an hour later that she noticed he was out like a light against her, sucking his thumb. She lifted him into her arms as smoothly as possible, even though he was getting heavy and she didn’t possess much upper arm strength. After tucking him in, turning on his nightlight and closing his door, she hopped back down the stairs, taking out her cell phone.

To: Dylan :)
Everyone’s asleep!

She knew it wouldn’t be long till she heard his little black BMW pull into the Sharp’s driveway.

“Hey.” She smiled excitedly, letting him in through the porch door.

“Hey you.” He returned the eager smile, leaning down to plant a short, sweet kiss on her lips. “How are the kids?” He asked. He had met Danny and Gracie once before but only briefly.

“Great, worn-out.” Jordyn insisted, grabbing his hand and leading him into the family room where the remainder of the berries sat on the coffee table and the menu for Cars played on the giant plasma. Dylan wrapped his arms around Jordyn dutifully and she sighed, closing her eyes just softly for a moment to soak in the moment. Dylan always smelled good, even right after he left the locker room after games and practices, he managed to smell wonderful.

“So…” Dylan began, causing Jordyn to look up at him from under his chin. “I was kind of talking to my Mom about something that would appropriate for this.” He weighed the options in his head. “But she said that the… I don’t know… cool thing to do when she was in high school was if the guy in the relationship gave his girl his letterman’s jacket to wear?” He finished, making butterflies erupt in Jordyn’s stomach. “And I know you have one of your own, but I thought maybe it would… I don’t know, be nice if maybe you wore mine? I know Jon is kind of old fashioned, and this would be better than what most couples do when they become official.” He finished. “Wow, that sounded so weird.” He laughed at himself. It was obvious that he was nervous as his cheeks flushed pink. “I mean, I know a couple of seniors give their girlfriends their class rings to wear, but I’ve always seen jewelry as a super legit thing and I don’t want your Dad to think that… do you know where I’m coming from?” He pouted cutely.

“I get it.” Jordyn nodded with a wide smile as she looked up at him through thick, long lashes. “I’d love to wear your jacket.” She insisted.

“Okay sweet.” He said excitedly, making her laugh before pressing a kiss to the bottom of his chin sweetly. He pulled her further up in his lap and grinned at her flushed cheeks before pressing a much more serious kiss to her lips. Dylan had been Jordyn’s first real kiss months ago, but the same butterflies emerged whenever it happened. “I really like you.” He rest his forehead against hers gently.

“I really like you, too.” She replied shyly.

“I want this to work out.” He admitted bashfully, knowing that Jordyn’s father wouldn’t be the only thing working against them.

“Me too.” She replied. “But my Dad would kill the both of us if he knew you were here right now.” She giggled. “So can we keep the sneaking around to a minimum?” She asked as the doorbell rang, sending Dylan flying off the couch. Jordyn simply laughed and went to collect her pizza.

“A little warning?” He all but squeaked, hoping his balls would drop again sometime soon.

“Sorry!” She giggled. “Where did you park?” She asked, “I didn’t see your car in the driveway.”

“Down the street, just in case.” He grinned with a guilty little look on his face. Jordyn had barely just agreed to let Dylan share some of her cinnamon sticks when the doorbell rang again. Jordyn’s eyes widened as she checked her phone, it was only eight thirty. “More pizza, Jord?” Dylan laughed loudly. “I got it.” He insisted.

“Not pizza!” She squeaked, shoving him out the way before he could reach the entryway where whoever was the door would be able to see him through the glass windowpanes alongside the front door. “You need to go.” She hurried him along, “porch door, be sneaky, do not get caught.” She kissed his lips quickly before all but pushing him towards the back deck. She waited until she heard the soft click of the door before waking to the entryway – a thousand things happening in the span of seconds. “Dad?” Jordyn asked, opening the door, feigning a yawn.

“Is someone here?” He asked right away, poking his head around the entryway.

“Just me and the kids.” She shrugged casually. “Why? Did you forget something?” She asked, tilting her head, wanting to change the subject.

“No, I just thought that Pat and Abby are going to be gone for several more hours and you could use some company.” He insisted, eyes squinted as he still suspected that someone else was hanging around the Sharp’s home. “I thought I heard someone. A guy.” He narrowed his eyes down at Jordyn.

“I had the TV on?” She suggested innocently.

“The TV.” Jon repeated to himself softly. “Alright.” He said with a curt nod, but they both knew something was up. “Well, do you have any pizza left?” He asked.

“Of course, come sit down.” Jordyn smiled, tugging her Dad into the family room. Her heart stopped racing as he flipped on the TV and began snacking on the cinnamon sticks that Dylan hadn’t gotten the chance to devour.

That was a close one.