Somebody's Heartbreak

Their two weeks apart flew by quickly as Tayler was constantly consumed with practices, training sessions, and team activities. But that didn’t keep her from worrying that the week Tom was in Calgary, Jordan would still be in town with a hardcore shakedown of Tom. As much as she loves her brother, he’s still like any other older brother – extremely protective.

She waited anxiously at the international gate for Tom, constantly checking her phone for the time and counting down every minute that passed ever so slowly. Tayler was usually exhausted after practice but her nerves and excitement to see Tom brought life into her. Tom wanted to keep his visit to Calgary as discrete as possible so they promised each other to not tell anyone outside of their families. Not many people even knew they were actually dating though there was always speculation from the press.

Finally, she saw Tom’s bright smile through the crowd of people walking through the gate and nearly tackled him to the ground while wrapping her arms around him. “I missed you so much,” He said into her ear. “I missed you too. Welcome to Calgary.” She kissed him. “You got your braces off!” he noticed the lack of barrier between their kiss. He held her chin up as he observed her smile that was now even more vibrant than it was before. “As if you could get any more beautiful.” He kissed her again. “Stop it.” She blushed as she burrowed her face into Tom’s collarbone. She missed his scent: a mix between Old Spice and the baby lotion he moisturized with.

They never let go of the other’s hand the whole time. Tom picked up his luggage effortlessly with one hand and Tayler drove the whole way home with one hand on the steering wheel while the other was busy playing with Tom’s fingers. “How are you liking it so far?” she asked as he stared out the window.

“It’s beautiful.” Was all he could use to describe the scenery. He had been to some beautiful cities but none compared to this. The skies were a brilliant shade of blue while the wind gently blew through the grass, making it look like the hills were constantly rolling. It could easily be confused with a painting.

Tayler was actually born in Saskatchewan but her family moved when she was 10 so Jordan could play minor hockey in Calgary. She loved Regina and Calgary equally spending a lot of her time between the two cities while Jordan played major junior with the Pats but she was always fond of Calgary and missed Calgary when she was away at boarding school, playing hockey.

As much as she wanted to be starting the fall semester at Ohio State, her dream school, she was glad to be able to stay in Calgary for as long as possible. The National Team office is based in Calgary which was perfect because she didn’t have to live out of a suitcase like most of her teammates.

When they pulled into the driveway of the large house, almost twice the size of Tom’s house in Plymouth, Tayler finally let go of Tom’s hand. “Nervous?” she looked at him. “A little bit.” He admitted.
“I apologize for anything my family does ahead of time.” She said with a tinge of worry in her voice. “Don’t worry too much about it.” He assured her with a kiss on her forehead.

“Mom!” Tayler called into the house, “We’re home!” she said as footsteps approached them from the kitchen. Tom pulled his luggage in and closed the door behind him as Lisa Eberle reached out to him for a hug which surprised Tom.

“Tayler’s told us so much about you, Tom.” She held him at arm’s length as she observed him. “Mom, let go. Are Dustin or Ashley home?” Tayler asked her mom as she pulled Tom into the kitchen.

“No, dear, Dustin’s at work and Ash’s at training but” she was cut off by the voice Tayler least wanted to hear. “Hey, baby sister.” Jordan stepped into the kitchen.

“Hey Jordan” she ran to give her brother a hug. “When did you get here? And why are you here?”

“I probably got here a couple of hours ago and I thought I’d pay a visit and see my little sister play for the national team before going up to Edmonton.” He smiled as Tayler read that he had alternative motives. “You must be the one my sister’s been blabbing on so much about.” He approached Tom with his hand extended.

“It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, I’ve seen so many videos of you playing, you’re brilliant. I’m Tom, by the way.” He shook Jordan’s hand as he introduced himself as Tayler looked on nervously, hoping her brother doesn’t do anything stupid. “I could say the same about you, Tom.” Jordan led him into the living room, “So Tom, how many girlfriends have you had before my sister?” He got right to the point.

“Jordan!” Tayler shot him a disapproving look. “Don’t worry,” Tom calmed her down. “She’s probably my first serious girlfriend but my third relationship. I mean, I’ve never flown halfway across the world to meet the other girls’ family but she’s definitely worth it.” He gave her a private smile.
“Are you a virgin?” he asked as both Lisa and Tayler hit his arm, “Ow!”

“I’m only 19, it hasn’t been a priority of mine.” Tom smiled genuinely. Jordan shook Tom’s hand, meaning he approved of Tom and pulled him away to the ‘mancave’ as Lisa and Tayler went to put last touches on Tom’s room.

“So Tom, you are aware that my sister doesn’t like being in the limelight, right?” Jordan said as he directed Tom to the couch and walked towards the fridge. “Yeah, she said she doesn’t have a problem with it but whenever she doesn’t want it, I’ll protect her from it.” He said as Jordan nodded his head with approval. “Want a beer?” Jordan asked.

“No, I don’t drink.” Tom refused, surprising Jordan in a pleasant way.

Tayler and her mom chatted as they made the bed in the guest room. “Are you happy with him?” She asked, concerned about Tayler’s past relationships that went south. “More than.” She smiled. “I’m glad,” her mom smiled too. “You two seem genuinely happy together. I didn’t like those boys who only dated you to get to Jordan or Ashley.”

There was a triple ring on the doorbell and three more knocks, “That’s definitely Em.” Tayler dashed towards the front door, downstairs. “Em!!” she greeted her friend with a hug. “WHERE IS HE?!” she said immediately, “You’ve already met Jordan…”

“THEY’RE BOTH HERE?!” she exclaimed. Tayler and Emerance were the perfect friends because her energy matched Tayler’s calmness. “They’re downstairs.” She guided her friend to the basement before she had a heartattack.

“T-“ “TOM DALEY” Emerance finished. “You’re Emerance, right?” Tom stood up to introduce himself. “You remember me?!” she hugged him, ignoring his extended hand.

“Em…” Tayler waited, “EMERANCE!” she said as Emerance jumped off and apologized to Tom and Tayler while Jordan just stood and watched with amusement.