Accidentally In Love

Jordan was in a daze as he made his way to the locker room with the team. He had told those reporters that Mandy was his girlfriend and she hadn't objected. Actually she had gasped at first but then smiled. He wasn't sure if she just putting on a show for the cameras or if she had liked what he had said, he would have to wait and see. He should have talked to her first, find out if she had feelings for him instead of just dropping a bomb like that. Let alone in front of reporters. But calling her his girlfriend felt right.

As he walked out of the showers, he continued to think about what he did. "Jordan, we're going out tonight. Bring your brothers!" Max yelled from across the locker room.

"Will do! Normal place?" He asked, already knowing that it was. They went there in 2009 when they won the Cup.

Sidney came up behind Jordan and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "You can ride with us since Mandy and both Tay and my sister can't drink." He said.

"Sounds good. Do I have time to run home and change out of this monkey suit first?" He asked, gesturing to his suit.

Sidney nodded. "Yeah, we aren't going until later anyway."

"Okay, so I'll be at your place around nine thirty? Sound good?" Jordan asked, slipping his shirt on.

"Sounds good, see you then Jord." With that Sidney walked to the family lounge to see Taylor and Stephanie and his parents

Once Jordan finished getting dressed he said goodbye to his teammates and made his way home. The ride was quieter than it normally would have been after a win like that, but Jordan was too busy thinking about Mandy. He really needed to talk to her. He pulled his phone out.

To: Mandy

I think we need to talk tonight.

Seconds later his phone chimed in response.

From: Mandy

I think talking sounds good, but it doesn't have to be tonight. Don't worry, I'm not upset. Just shocked.

With a sigh Jordan tossed his phone in the cup holder. She wasn't upset, that's a good thing. Was her shock good? He wasn't sure, but he would find out. Jordan called his brothers from the car phone and invited them out with the team and told them the time. When he finally got home, Jordan changed into jeans and a polo. Once he was changed he grabbed a bottle of water and ventured out to the living room.

He looked around the room and smiled when his eyes landed on the picture sitting on top of the TV. Mandy had skipped out on her spring break band trip her senior year to join Taylor and follow the team in the playoffs against the Flyers. She had surprised him in the locker room after he scored the overtime game winning goal in game six to advance to the next round. Neither of them knew that Taylor had captured the moment. Jordan smiled, next to the picture they took after the wedding, it was his favorite.

The ringing of Jordan's cell phone caught his attention. When he saw Mandy's picture on the incoming call screen, he smiled.

"Hey there!" He answered.

"Hey, I'm outside. I'm the Staal DD tonight." She laughed.

"Sweet, I'll be out in like two seconds." He hung up and sent his brothers a text. Before walking out the door, Jordan put on his hat. "Hey." He smiled climbing into Taylor's Explorer

Mandy smiled back at him. "Hey yourself. Are you read for a fun filled, crazy night?"

"Hell yes!" Jordan cheered, causing Mandy to giggle. She pulled away from the curb and began making the way to the hotel where Jordan's family was staying. The drive was a quite one, almost awkward. Jordan wanted to bring up what happened earlier, but wasn't sure how.

"So..." He said

Mandy sighed and he knew that she knew what he was trying to do. "Jordan, I said we didn't have to talk about it tonight." She said, not taking her eyes off the road.

Now it was Jordan's turn to sigh. "I know, but I want to, because I feel like we should talk about it."

"Why?" She asked, but quickly took her hand off the steering wheel and waved him off. "You know what? Don't answer that." She mumbled.

Jordan sighed again and ran a hand down his face. He made Mandy upset and that wasn't his intention. "Please, Man?" He begged.

"No, Jordan. I don't want to talk about because you're going to probably end up saying something you don't mean and then it's just going to make this worse than it really is." She said, wiping away a tear.

He made her cry. That was something he promised himself he would never do. He hated seeing her upset, so he didn't bring it up anymore and they sat in an awkward, tense filled silence the rest of the ride to the hotel. When they got there, Mandy had a smile in place as the other Staals climbed into the back of the truck. Jordan smiled when he noticed that all three of them were wearing the T-shirts they gave out tonight to the family and friends. They were supporting him no matter what team they play for.

"Hey guys." Jordan smiled.

"Hey Stanley Cup Champ." Jared smiled, punching Jordan in the arm.

Mandy shook her head. "Who let Jared drink so soon?" She asked, glaring at the oldest of the brothers.

"It was all Eric." Marc accused, leaning over the head rest to kiss her cheek. "How is my future sister-in-law doing?"

Jordan smacked his brother upside the head as Mandy blushed. He had no right.

"'Future sister-in-law'? Since when did I get that nickname?" She asked with a smile. "And Marc, I just talked to you about an hour ago."

“Since about three years ago.” Eric smiled and Jordan groaned.

Mandy looked over at him with raised eyebrows. “Good to know.” She turned her attention to the road. “So guys, how are all your girls doing?”

Jared smiled. “I proposed to Megan.”

Mandy gasped and glanced at Jared. “No way! She said yes right?!” Jordan couldn’t help but smile. Megs and Mandy hit it off really well when they first met a year ago at one of Eric’s cookouts. They were closer in age so they had more in common. Megs has actually went to Virginia to visit Mandy a few times.

The rest of the ride Mandy spent catching up with Jordan’s brothers and Jordan spent it plotting his brothers’ deaths. He wanted to tell Mandy when he was ready that he had feelings for her. Well if she didn’t already know that now, after earlier, then she was a little slow. He shook his head and rested it on the cool glass of the window. Maybe he shouldn’t have called her his girlfriend.

“Jordan, we’re here.” Mandy’s soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She placed a hand on his arm and an electrical current shot through Jordan’s body.

That’s when he knew, he knew he had to tell her. Then. Just as Mandy was about to pull her hand away, Jordan stopped her by placing his on top of hers. He looked up from their hands and into her green eyes. “I meant it.” He whispered. He could see the slight confusion in her eyes. “What I said on the ice tonight.” He clarified. Jordan moved his hand from Mandy’s and grabbed her chin, making her look at him.

“Jordan.” She whispered, but didn’t get a chance to finish because Jordan’s mouth was on hers. When Mandy didn’t resist or punch him, Jordan gently eased her mouth open and slipped his tongue in, catching her by surprise, but she quickly recovered and melted in his arms. When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing heavily, but Jordan didn’t let Mandy pull away or look away. He kept a firm grip on her chin.

“Mandy, be my girlfriend?” He whispered. She simply nodded and kissed him again.

“Ready?” She smiled, getting out of the car. With a smile of his own, Jordan followed her lead and together they went in search of their friends and family.

Throughout the night, Jordan would steal little kisses here and there from Mandy causing her to blush. When the DJ announced that they were in the building, Jordan only heard Mandy cheering for him. By the end of the night, Jordan knew what he did on the ice was a good thing