Music to My Heart
Four
After their weeklong getaway in early January, Jordan and Eve decided to stay at home in Long Island during the all star break at the end of the month. They took the time to just be tourists and explore New York City and hang out with some of his teammates and their significant others. They watched the all star game together on Sunday afternoon and on Monday woke up and headed to practice to grind out the rest of the season.
That night, Jordan and Eve were enjoying a relaxing evening in when his phone rang. Seeing Ryan’s name on the caller id, he sent it to voicemail, intending to return his call after they finished dinner.
After dinner, Jordan went down the street to grab some ice cream while Eve washed the dishes. When he returned, he found her on the couch and he sat down beside her.
He leaned into kiss her quickly. “Hey. I got your favorite.”
“Did you ignore Ryan’s call earlier?” she asked in reply.
“I wasn’t going to answer in the middle of dinner. I was going to call him back after.”
“Did he leave you a voicemail?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t check.”
“You should check.”
“Why are you being so cryptic?”
“Just check, Jordan.”
“Okay, okay.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen, seeing that in addition to the missed call, he did have a voicemail from Ryan. He unlocked the phone and held the phone to his ear to listen.
“Fuck you, Ebs!” Ryan’s voice started. Jordan’s eyes went wide with surprise. It wasn't that Nuge didn’t curse, it just wasn't the way he normally started a conversation. “Thanks a lot for putting your fucking captain up to roping McDavid into some ridiculous plot of Danni’s-”
“It's not my plot!” Danni’s voice shouted in the background.
“It is absolutely your plot,” he heard Ryan say to her. “Listen Ebs, next time your captain says ‘oh, I have a friend, I bet she could tell your husband that it's perfectly sane to marry off all of his friends’ please just tell him no. Because now I have to listen to Danni go on and on and on about which girl she knows would be a good match for Connor. Or should she go out and scout a new girl that none of us know for him. If I have to go on one more double date with one of my teammates and his flavor of the week, so help me God. I like these people. I don't want to hate them because they have terrible taste in women because when they have terrible taste in women, then Danni thinks it's her duty to fix them up. I thought with you practically married off to Eve that this was finally over but no, your captain has stirred some false sense of matchmaking in my wife. Thanks for nothing.”
His message ended with him hanging up and Jordan sat there staring ahead for a beat before he looked at Eve who was stifling a laugh. “What just happened?”
“Do you remember right after Halloween when Danni was here?”
“Yeah?”
“She talked about Ryan giving her a hard time about setting up all his friends. And John said he had a friend who did the same thing. Apparently he sought out Connor McDavid at the all star game and recorded a video on his phone of his friend Alex, who was there because she’s the girlfriend to some guy named James Neal, telling Ryan that it was completely normal for the one girl in a sea of hockey players to find them suitable mates and marry them off and Connor showed it to Ryan earlier.”
“Ah, hell. I bet Danni went straight into playing cupid, didn’t she?”
“Oh yeah,” Eve told him. “She called to ask me if I remembered this fifth grade teacher and whether I thought she'd be a good match for Connor.”
“It’s not my fault though.”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to convince Ryan of that.”
Jordan grabbed his phone again and called Ryan, who answered after the second ring.
“I hate you,” Ryan answered.
“Isn’t that a little harsh?”
“Maybe, but it’s awful, Ebs. She said she had a civic duty to Canada to make sure McDavid found a good wife. A civic duty to Canada, Jordan. The girl who loves Phila-fucking-delphia is worried about how Canada feels about the woman Connor McDavid steps out with.”
“For the record, I never told Tavares he should do that.”
“But you did introduce them.”
“Technically John introduced himself. He was planning to hit on your wife until he realized she was married.”
“Danni!” Ryan called out.
“What?”
“Why didn't you tell me that Tavares hit on you?”
“Ebby is a liar.”
“I am not a liar,” Jordan replied calmly. “You can ask Eve.”
“I am staying out of this,” Eve said diplomatically, holding her hands up in the air.
“Your wife also invited Tavares to sign in Edmonton if he decides to hit free agency this year,” Jordan told Ryan.
“I simultaneously both hate and love my life right now,” Ryan muttered. “If she gets out of hand I'm sending her back to you and you can let her wreak havoc on Tavares’ love life.”
Jordan chuckled. “Why don’t you send her to Philly and let her find girlfriends for all her friends there? At least then Briere can watch out for her.”
“Good point. I’ll take that under advisement. How are things?”
“Doing good. You?”
“Just hoping I make it through another trade deadline. Hows Hallsy?”
“Getting close to a return.”
“You guys see each other a lot?”
“We get together when we can. How is everyone there?”
“Good. Could be better I guess but we’re getting there.”
“Yeah, I hear that.”
“I’ll let you go; I know you ran out to get ice cream.”
“How do you know that?”
“When you ignored me, I stole Danni’s phone to call Eve. She told me.”
“That explains her asking if you called me as soon as I got back. Tell Danni I said to stay out of trouble, and if I have to, I’ll make a video of Tavares telling her the same.”
Ryan laughed. “Like that’ll stop her.”
“Yeah, probably not. Maybe you should get Briere to do it.”
“Now that’s an idea.”
Jordan chuckled. “Talk to ya later, man.”
“Have a good one, Ebs.”
As Jordan hung up and dropped his phone onto the coffee table, Eve slid in close beside him and kissed his cheek.
“I really love our friends. They’re so entertaining, even when they’re thousands of miles away.”
“Yes they are. Now how about that ice cream before it completely melts?”
“Good idea.”
The season ended in early April and Eve and Jordan had initially made plans to spend time in North Dakota for a week and then going to see his family, but instead he was invited to play for team Canada at the works championships. When Ryan called to say he had been invited also, Jordan accepted the invitation to play.
Jordan and Eve, along with Ryan and Danni, set out for Europe and traveled together to Denmark where the tournament was taking place. In between practices and games they did sightseeing with the girls, taking in as much of the local culture that they could. At the end of the tournament the foursome parted ways with Ryan and Danni heading on to Italy and Jordan and Eve headed for North Dakota.
After visiting with her family, they headed to Saskatchewan to see some of her extended family and then Jordan’s family, before settling into Jordan’s summer home to relax and recharge.
In early August they all came together again for Taylor and Roni’s wedding. Ryan and Jordan were both groomsmen, and Danni was a bridesmaid. It was a reunion of former teammates at the reception with everyone catching up with one another.
Towards the end of the night, they were sitting with just Ryan, Danni, Taylor, and Roni when Jordan looked around the room and smiled.
“What are you smiling about?” Eve asked him.
“Just thinking about how lucky we all are, to have friends like these guys, to be in love with you.”
“Awwww,” Danni cooed. “That’s so sweet.”
“It’s like old times,” Ryan said, pulling Danni into his side.
“It’s better than that,” Taylor said. “Because back then I was an ass that tried to hit on my friends girl, that didn’t deserve friends like you guys. And then I grew up, met the perfect girl, and realized I had the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I wouldn’t trade what we’ve gone through for anything.”
“When did you become such a softie, man?” Jordan teased.
“The minute Roni brought our daughter into the world,” Taylor replied.
“I like the sentimental side of you, Hallsy,” Danni said. “It proves what I always knew to be true: you’re good people. And I wouldn’t want any other people but you guys. We’re family forever, no matter where life takes us.”
“Ride the journey of life with no regrets,” Eve added.
“I like that,” Roni said.
“Oh, I know!” Danni exclaimed. “Let’s all get that as a tattoo!”
“We are not all getting matching tattoos,” Ryan groaned.
“But it’s be fun!”
“The only person you’re ever getting a matching tattoo with is me, deal with it.”
“I’ll get a Canadian flag if you get an American flag.”
“No.”
“Why not? Right above our hearts, it’ll be super cute.”
Ryan sighed as Roni, Taylor, Jordan, and Eve laughed. “I'll tell you what; you can pick the tattoos if you beat me at mini golf. And if I win, I pick.”
“You got a bet,” she said, holding her hand out to him to shake on it.
Back at their hotel later, Eve climbed into bed beside Jordan and snuggled into his side.
“I’m really glad we met,” Jordan said, kissing her hair.
“Me too.”
“I hope you know that you’re the only person I’d ever want to share this journey with.”
“I know,” she replied, lacing her fingers with his. “The feeling is mutual.”
“Eve?”
“Yeah?”
Jordan sat up, unwrapping himself from Eve and turning to face her. She sat up and turned towards him also and he took her hands in his again.
“I had something else planned but I don’t want to wait any longer. I knew Danni was up to something when she invited me to join her and Ryan for Christmas dinner but I was completely unprepared for her to introduce me to someone like you. She was so sure that first night that you were my one and in my heart, I knew she was right. You are my one and we’ve shared so much already and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us because I know as long as I have you at my side then I can conquer the world. Eve, will you marry me?”
“Yes, Jordan, a thousand times yes!” She exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms and kissing his face.
When they pulled apart Jordan had a sheepish look on his face. “I have a ring for you, at home. I uh, wasn’t planning to do this at Hallsy’s wedding.”
She laughed. “That’s okay; just means you have to ask me again when we get back.”
“I can do that,” he grinned, pulling her back into his arms. “I love you, Eve.”
“I love you too, Jordan”
They settled back into bed, Eve lying with her head on Jordan’s chest as he ran his fingers through his hair. She listened to his heart beat, realizing it was in rhythm with her own and she smiled.
“What’s that smile for?” Jordan asked softly.
“You.”
“Me?”
“Mm-hmm. Just thinking how you were the best Christmas present a girl could have wished for.”
“I could say the save about you.”
“That’s why we’ve got each other. For the rest of our lives.”
“I like the sound of that.”
FIN
That night, Jordan and Eve were enjoying a relaxing evening in when his phone rang. Seeing Ryan’s name on the caller id, he sent it to voicemail, intending to return his call after they finished dinner.
After dinner, Jordan went down the street to grab some ice cream while Eve washed the dishes. When he returned, he found her on the couch and he sat down beside her.
He leaned into kiss her quickly. “Hey. I got your favorite.”
“Did you ignore Ryan’s call earlier?” she asked in reply.
“I wasn’t going to answer in the middle of dinner. I was going to call him back after.”
“Did he leave you a voicemail?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t check.”
“You should check.”
“Why are you being so cryptic?”
“Just check, Jordan.”
“Okay, okay.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen, seeing that in addition to the missed call, he did have a voicemail from Ryan. He unlocked the phone and held the phone to his ear to listen.
“Fuck you, Ebs!” Ryan’s voice started. Jordan’s eyes went wide with surprise. It wasn't that Nuge didn’t curse, it just wasn't the way he normally started a conversation. “Thanks a lot for putting your fucking captain up to roping McDavid into some ridiculous plot of Danni’s-”
“It's not my plot!” Danni’s voice shouted in the background.
“It is absolutely your plot,” he heard Ryan say to her. “Listen Ebs, next time your captain says ‘oh, I have a friend, I bet she could tell your husband that it's perfectly sane to marry off all of his friends’ please just tell him no. Because now I have to listen to Danni go on and on and on about which girl she knows would be a good match for Connor. Or should she go out and scout a new girl that none of us know for him. If I have to go on one more double date with one of my teammates and his flavor of the week, so help me God. I like these people. I don't want to hate them because they have terrible taste in women because when they have terrible taste in women, then Danni thinks it's her duty to fix them up. I thought with you practically married off to Eve that this was finally over but no, your captain has stirred some false sense of matchmaking in my wife. Thanks for nothing.”
His message ended with him hanging up and Jordan sat there staring ahead for a beat before he looked at Eve who was stifling a laugh. “What just happened?”
“Do you remember right after Halloween when Danni was here?”
“Yeah?”
“She talked about Ryan giving her a hard time about setting up all his friends. And John said he had a friend who did the same thing. Apparently he sought out Connor McDavid at the all star game and recorded a video on his phone of his friend Alex, who was there because she’s the girlfriend to some guy named James Neal, telling Ryan that it was completely normal for the one girl in a sea of hockey players to find them suitable mates and marry them off and Connor showed it to Ryan earlier.”
“Ah, hell. I bet Danni went straight into playing cupid, didn’t she?”
“Oh yeah,” Eve told him. “She called to ask me if I remembered this fifth grade teacher and whether I thought she'd be a good match for Connor.”
“It’s not my fault though.”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to convince Ryan of that.”
Jordan grabbed his phone again and called Ryan, who answered after the second ring.
“I hate you,” Ryan answered.
“Isn’t that a little harsh?”
“Maybe, but it’s awful, Ebs. She said she had a civic duty to Canada to make sure McDavid found a good wife. A civic duty to Canada, Jordan. The girl who loves Phila-fucking-delphia is worried about how Canada feels about the woman Connor McDavid steps out with.”
“For the record, I never told Tavares he should do that.”
“But you did introduce them.”
“Technically John introduced himself. He was planning to hit on your wife until he realized she was married.”
“Danni!” Ryan called out.
“What?”
“Why didn't you tell me that Tavares hit on you?”
“Ebby is a liar.”
“I am not a liar,” Jordan replied calmly. “You can ask Eve.”
“I am staying out of this,” Eve said diplomatically, holding her hands up in the air.
“Your wife also invited Tavares to sign in Edmonton if he decides to hit free agency this year,” Jordan told Ryan.
“I simultaneously both hate and love my life right now,” Ryan muttered. “If she gets out of hand I'm sending her back to you and you can let her wreak havoc on Tavares’ love life.”
Jordan chuckled. “Why don’t you send her to Philly and let her find girlfriends for all her friends there? At least then Briere can watch out for her.”
“Good point. I’ll take that under advisement. How are things?”
“Doing good. You?”
“Just hoping I make it through another trade deadline. Hows Hallsy?”
“Getting close to a return.”
“You guys see each other a lot?”
“We get together when we can. How is everyone there?”
“Good. Could be better I guess but we’re getting there.”
“Yeah, I hear that.”
“I’ll let you go; I know you ran out to get ice cream.”
“How do you know that?”
“When you ignored me, I stole Danni’s phone to call Eve. She told me.”
“That explains her asking if you called me as soon as I got back. Tell Danni I said to stay out of trouble, and if I have to, I’ll make a video of Tavares telling her the same.”
Ryan laughed. “Like that’ll stop her.”
“Yeah, probably not. Maybe you should get Briere to do it.”
“Now that’s an idea.”
Jordan chuckled. “Talk to ya later, man.”
“Have a good one, Ebs.”
As Jordan hung up and dropped his phone onto the coffee table, Eve slid in close beside him and kissed his cheek.
“I really love our friends. They’re so entertaining, even when they’re thousands of miles away.”
“Yes they are. Now how about that ice cream before it completely melts?”
“Good idea.”
~*~*~
The season ended in early April and Eve and Jordan had initially made plans to spend time in North Dakota for a week and then going to see his family, but instead he was invited to play for team Canada at the works championships. When Ryan called to say he had been invited also, Jordan accepted the invitation to play.
Jordan and Eve, along with Ryan and Danni, set out for Europe and traveled together to Denmark where the tournament was taking place. In between practices and games they did sightseeing with the girls, taking in as much of the local culture that they could. At the end of the tournament the foursome parted ways with Ryan and Danni heading on to Italy and Jordan and Eve headed for North Dakota.
After visiting with her family, they headed to Saskatchewan to see some of her extended family and then Jordan’s family, before settling into Jordan’s summer home to relax and recharge.
In early August they all came together again for Taylor and Roni’s wedding. Ryan and Jordan were both groomsmen, and Danni was a bridesmaid. It was a reunion of former teammates at the reception with everyone catching up with one another.
Towards the end of the night, they were sitting with just Ryan, Danni, Taylor, and Roni when Jordan looked around the room and smiled.
“What are you smiling about?” Eve asked him.
“Just thinking about how lucky we all are, to have friends like these guys, to be in love with you.”
“Awwww,” Danni cooed. “That’s so sweet.”
“It’s like old times,” Ryan said, pulling Danni into his side.
“It’s better than that,” Taylor said. “Because back then I was an ass that tried to hit on my friends girl, that didn’t deserve friends like you guys. And then I grew up, met the perfect girl, and realized I had the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I wouldn’t trade what we’ve gone through for anything.”
“When did you become such a softie, man?” Jordan teased.
“The minute Roni brought our daughter into the world,” Taylor replied.
“I like the sentimental side of you, Hallsy,” Danni said. “It proves what I always knew to be true: you’re good people. And I wouldn’t want any other people but you guys. We’re family forever, no matter where life takes us.”
“Ride the journey of life with no regrets,” Eve added.
“I like that,” Roni said.
“Oh, I know!” Danni exclaimed. “Let’s all get that as a tattoo!”
“We are not all getting matching tattoos,” Ryan groaned.
“But it’s be fun!”
“The only person you’re ever getting a matching tattoo with is me, deal with it.”
“I’ll get a Canadian flag if you get an American flag.”
“No.”
“Why not? Right above our hearts, it’ll be super cute.”
Ryan sighed as Roni, Taylor, Jordan, and Eve laughed. “I'll tell you what; you can pick the tattoos if you beat me at mini golf. And if I win, I pick.”
“You got a bet,” she said, holding her hand out to him to shake on it.
Back at their hotel later, Eve climbed into bed beside Jordan and snuggled into his side.
“I’m really glad we met,” Jordan said, kissing her hair.
“Me too.”
“I hope you know that you’re the only person I’d ever want to share this journey with.”
“I know,” she replied, lacing her fingers with his. “The feeling is mutual.”
“Eve?”
“Yeah?”
Jordan sat up, unwrapping himself from Eve and turning to face her. She sat up and turned towards him also and he took her hands in his again.
“I had something else planned but I don’t want to wait any longer. I knew Danni was up to something when she invited me to join her and Ryan for Christmas dinner but I was completely unprepared for her to introduce me to someone like you. She was so sure that first night that you were my one and in my heart, I knew she was right. You are my one and we’ve shared so much already and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us because I know as long as I have you at my side then I can conquer the world. Eve, will you marry me?”
“Yes, Jordan, a thousand times yes!” She exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms and kissing his face.
When they pulled apart Jordan had a sheepish look on his face. “I have a ring for you, at home. I uh, wasn’t planning to do this at Hallsy’s wedding.”
She laughed. “That’s okay; just means you have to ask me again when we get back.”
“I can do that,” he grinned, pulling her back into his arms. “I love you, Eve.”
“I love you too, Jordan”
They settled back into bed, Eve lying with her head on Jordan’s chest as he ran his fingers through his hair. She listened to his heart beat, realizing it was in rhythm with her own and she smiled.
“What’s that smile for?” Jordan asked softly.
“You.”
“Me?”
“Mm-hmm. Just thinking how you were the best Christmas present a girl could have wished for.”
“I could say the save about you.”
“That’s why we’ve got each other. For the rest of our lives.”
“I like the sound of that.”
FIN