Ready. Set. Hunt.

Saturday morning, despite going to bed really late the night before, Jordan was wide awake at 6am and he didn’t leave me alone until I was as well. “Why?” I groaned as I buried my face against his chest. “It’s Saturday, why can’t we sleep in, just a little? Please Jordy?”

“Come on!” He poked me in the ribs, chuckling when I batted his hand away and whined my displeasure. “It’s a beautiful day, the…” he trailed off and I felt him move away for a moment. “Well, it’s still dark outside but I’m sure it’ll be a beautiful day once the sun appears. And you know what today is?”

Groaning, I rolled away from him. “The day I leave you for depriving me of my beauty sleep?”

He laughed. “No, it’s House Hunting day! And we also get to pack more and have dinner with your family.” Sliding across the bed towards me, he cradled my body with his. “Leaving me isn’t on the agenda today, especially not when you begged for my earth moving demonstration last night.”

“I never beg.” I mumbled. “Besides, a gentleman would never bring it up, if I did.”

“What makes you think I’m a gentleman?”

“My next boyfriend will be.”

With a chuckle, Jordan told me that was good news. “It won’t last though. You’d be bored and begging me to take you back.”

“You are very lucky I love you Jordy.”

He never uttered a word as he crawled over me and came to rest before me. I thought he was going to let me sleep so I let my eyes fluttered closed and I was ready to drift off into dreamland when I felt his fingers brush my cheek. “Jordy…” I reached for him.

“I knew you wanted me,” he whispered as he engulfed me in his arms.

****

“Jenna. Oh Jenna! Where are you?” Jordan’s excitement hadn’t worn off all morning. It was a little annoying but on the plus side, he did finish what he set out to do in no time at all. Now he was sitting in Jenna’s room, looking around frantically for her as she giggled uncontrollably underneath her favourite blanket. “Anna? Babe, have you seen Jenna? She was just here!”

“I don’t know,” I pretended to be just as concerned as he was as I stood in the doorway watching the two of them. “She didn’t come out here.”

“She couldn’t have just disappeared,” he frowned. “Could she?”

I smiled, “Jordy I think –”

“Peeboo!” Jenna threw down her blanket and laughed. “Peeboo Dada!”

“Jenna!” Jordan gasped in fake surprise. “There you are! Daddy thought you ran away!” He went to reach for her but she threw the blanket over her head again. “Oh no!” Jordan exclaimed. “Where did Jenna go now?”

Once again, the blanket flew down and Jenna giggled, “Peeboo!”

“Peek-a-boo!” Jordan exclaimed as he grabbed her sides and started to tickle her until she fell backwards in a fit of giggles. “Daddy’s got you now!” He laughed as he collapsed next to her, lifting her into the air as he rolled onto his back. “You are Daddy’s little girl, aren’t you J-Roll?”

Jenna, in response, covered her eyes and quickly uncovered them.

“Peek-a-boo!”

“Peeboo!”

Jordan and Jenna exclaimed at the same time and then collapsed into yet another fit of laughter, together.

I stood in the doorway and watched them bond. It was nothing if not heart warming to watch but I had to break it up, Jordan needed to shower before we headed out to view houses. “Jordy?” I walked into the room and they both turned to stare at me. “I hate to break up your playtime but aren’t you going to shower?”

“Yeah…” He trailed off. “Did you shower already?”

“Not yet.”

“Well then,” he gave me a smile and told me to get on it. “I’ll take one after you.”

“Ok,” I shrugged as I headed for the bathroom. I wasn’t about to remind him that he took longer to get ready than I did, that’s why I asked him about the shower.

I had only been in the shower for maybe two minutes when the shower curtain drew back and Jordan appeared in front of me. “What are you doing? Where’s Jenna?”

A smile spread across his face as he gazed at me naked before him. “I need to shower,” he replied innocently as he reached for me.

“But…but…” All thought left my mind momentarily as his lips trailed along my collarbone. My eyes drifted shut and I felt all the usual emotions start to twirl around inside me whenever his lips touched my skin. It was heaven and I was seriously getting lost in it.

“Peeboo Dada!”

“Jordan!” I squealed as I pushed him away and tried to cover myself from Jenna’s innocent eyes. “What is she doing there?”

“What?” He chuckled as he turned to kneel down and lean over the edge of the tub to where Jenna stood. “Hey J-Roll, did you pee?” He leaned further out and shook his head. “You didn’t! I thought you said you needed to go potty?” He gave her a stern look and she pouted. “Don’t give me that look,” he spoke sternly but softly. “I want you to sit on the potty until you pee. OK?”

Jenna stared up at him like he just told her Dora was just a cartoon. Her tiny bottom lip trembled and I know that she never heard him talk like that before; at least, not directed at her.

“OK Jenna?”

She shyly glanced my way before turning suddenly and disappearing beyond the curtain.

“That’s it,” Jordan grinned. “Daddy loves you Jenna.”

When Jordan returned to me, he tried to take me in his arms but I slapped his hands away. “How can you? With Jenna…?” I motioned towards the curtain.

“What?” He looked so confused. “Jenna had to potty, I had to shower. What did you want me to do? Leave her out in the living room where she could get into all sorts of trouble?”

“You could’ve waited,” I told him. “You could’ve waited until after I showered so I could keep an eye on her while you showered.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’m the first parent to ever think of showering when his kid is in the room.” He paused briefly. “What do you think most single parents do? Wait until their child is asleep to use the bathroom?”

“It’s just…”

“Anna,” he grasped my hands and pulled me to him. “It’s not like I didn’t think this through. Jenna isn’t going to be scarred for life.”

“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

Jordan grinned, “Well….”

With a gasp, I lifted my hand and hit his arm. “Jerk!”

****

When Jordan strapped Jenna into her car seat mid afternoon, she made no bones about not wanting to be locked down. Kicking and screaming there was nothing Jordan could do calm her down. His pleas when unheard and his feeble attempt at bribing didn’t even cause her to halt her actions, not even for a moment. Jenna wasn’t feeling great and she wanted the entire world to know.

“It’s going to be a long and difficult day,” Jordan stated when he jumped into the seat next to me. “I just hope we make it through with our sanity still intact!”

Happiness

Jordan was panicking. Two weeks may have seemed like a lot of time to pack and move but from where he was standing it wasn’t, especially since it was actually 10 days, not 14. “I work 11 hours a day,” he told me as I went back to sorting through the piles of stuff in his spare bedroom. “And with Jenna being here, I figure that I may only have a couple hours to pack and clean.”

“Well, Jordan, we’ll have to make those couple hours matter.”

“Yeah,” he dropped into a pile of clothes next to me. “Are you ok with that?”

I shot him a confused look. “Ok with what?”

“Not having real time with me for the next little while?” Glancing around the room, he sighed. “There is so much to do here Anna, if I’m spending all my free time packing and cleaning for the next 10 days, I won’t have time to look at houses or….” He trailed off as his eyes drifted over me.

Chuckling, I told him that he’d find time for the stuff that matters. “You don’t need to sleep, right?”

“Right,” he laughed but there was a sparkle in his eyes as he told me that sleep was highly overrated anyway. “I guess it’ll all work out.”

“Of course it will,” I insisted as I pushed him backwards into the clothes and curled up at his side. “You have me to help you.”

“Lucky me,” he murmured against my temple as he squeezed me tight.

Despite telling me that he wouldn’t have time to do anything but work and pack, Jordan insisted that we take a run out to the house Josh told me about to see if it appeared to be something we would be interested in viewing. “It just makes sense,” he told me as we stood in the lobby of KFC waiting for our order of hot wings, poutine and a drum kid’s meal for Jenna. “If we take a run out there and don’t like what we see, we don’t have to waste our time actually going inside.”

It was almost 8pm when we finished eating and headed out to take a drive into the country to do a visual on the house. “Damn,” Jordan cursed. “I feel like a horrible dad.” Turning in my seat, I watched as he latched Jenna in - she gave a couple huge yawns, signalling to him that she would rather be tucked into her warm bed at that moment, not strapped into a car seat for the third time in an hour.

Once Jenna was strapped into her seat, Jordan covered her up with her blanket and handed Dora to her. “Did I tell you Zack stopped by the shop today?” He asked me before giving her a kiss on the forehead. “He brought his car in for a flat repair and I just happened to be out front.”

“No,” I replied. “You didn’t mention it.” He pulled out of the back and closed the door as I asked how Zack was doing.

“Missing Mary a lot from the sounds of it,” he informed me as he took his seat next to me. “Apparently, she’s missing the girls and him; she’s coming home Friday.” He went on to tell me that Zack asked how Jenna was and what I was up to. With a grin, Jordan glanced my way. “I told him you were up to no good.”

I laughed, “Figures, I am spending time with you.”

“Hey!” His grin disappeared as he faked hurt. “That’s what Zack said!”

“See?” I reached out to pinch his cheek. “Even Zack knows you are trouble.”

“HA!” He shook his head. “I believe, Babe, you are the one who’s trouble.”

“Yeah…” I let my hand drop to his lap before I leaned across the center arm rest, my hand slipping up his thigh. “And we both know you love trouble.”

“Damn rights!” He confirmed with a groan as our lips met in the darkness.

****

“Did you see that sign?” Jordan eased the breaks as he shot a look over his shoulder. “Did you get that number?” He squinted for a second before shaking his head. “I can’t make it out. Hold on,” he slipped the truck into reverse and pressed the gas a little harder than he should have – the tires just spun in the snow for a moment before the back end started to slide sideways. “Damnit!” He cursed as he released the gas and shifted into drive. “I’ll just find a place to turn around,” he informed me. “Keep watch for a good place.”

It was snowing and dark, unless he was going to crawl along, I probably wouldn’t see anything faster than he would. We ended up having to drive a couple minutes before we were able to turn around. “This area is not too far but just far enough out of town,” he stated as we waited for the on coming car to pass so we could make our turn. “And it’s not right on the highway, so traffic shouldn’t be too bad.”

I nodded.

“I hope the house Josh told you about is as nice on the inside as it seemed from the outside.” Pulling out onto the road again, he told me that he was against looking at the house at first because Josh mentioned it but now, he was excited to see it. “And maybe,” he eased on the breaks as the ‘for sale by owner’ sign came into sight. “This house will be something special too and we’ll have two to choose from.”

Smiling, I told him that sounded awesome. “I really like this area, it feels so peaceful and…” Trailing off, I turned to look at Jordan. “I think our home is around here somewhere.” Then, with a frown, I asked him if that sounded crazy.

“Not at all,” he assured me as he wrote down the phone number on the sign. Once he finished, he handed me the paper and asked if I could call the owners the next day. “We should try to set it up to view both houses on the same day.” Pausing briefly, he told me that Saturday would be a good day, ‘since we’d be in the area already’.

“What do you mean?”

He shot me a funny look. “Dinner?” He stated but I still didn’t know what he was talking about. “With Zack and the family?”

“When?”

“Saturday evening Anna,” he sounded a little frustrated. “I told you earlier, he asked me if we had plans when he stopped by the shop with his car. He said that he wanted to have a family dinner; Chad, Susan and the kids will be there as well.”

“You didn’t tell me,” I informed him. “You told me Zack stopped by and that he asked what Jenna and I were up to but nothing about dinner with them.”

He started to say something but stopped short and gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry Babe, I thought I mentioned it.” With a slight chuckle, he continued, telling me that Zack seemed really excited about the prospect of having everyone at the house.

“Really?” Jordan nodded as he steered his truck back onto the road. “Hmmm, I wonder what he’s up to.”

With a shrug, Jordan told me that he guessed we’ll have to wait to find out. “Now,” he smiled. “Are you ready to go home, put Jenna to bed and start packing?”

“Oh Jordan,” I pressed my hand against my heart and gazed up adoringly at him. “You know how to make a girl feel special.”

****

The rest of the week flew by. I remember calling the owners of the houses we were interested in viewing to set up a meeting on Saturday and I know Wanda called us to let us know that she had another house, in the country, for us to check out. “I’m certain this one is the one,” she told Jordan.

Also, I know that Jordan and I managed to pack the entire spare bedroom – sacrificing hours of sleep in the mean time but just with the way our schedules were, there wasn’t much choice.

“I can’t wait to get out of here,” Jordan told me late Friday night when we finally made it to bed. “This house had served me well for the last few years but I’m ready to move on to better things.”

His hand slipped around my waist and I sighed happily as I waited until he fitted his body tightly against my back before asking, “Better things?”

“Yeah,” he pressed his lips against the back of my neck. “Trading in and up.”

“What do you mean Jordy?”

“Well, I never thought I would sell this house. When I bought it, I figured I would end up living out my entire life here, alone. I never planned on settling down, let alone being in a committed relationship. I always thought I would be a bachelor for life.”

“Oh,” I glanced over my shoulder. “I thought you…” Looking away, I shook my head, it didn’t matter that his words hurt a little. I was under the impression that he loved me for a long time, but yet he was saying he never planned on settling down.

His arm tightened around me. “What did you think Babe?”

Once again, I shook my head. “It’s nothing honey.”

“I don’t believe you,” he whispered against my shoulder as he moved up to gazed down at me. “I feel the tension in your body – tension that wasn’t there a moment ago. So, tell me what thought just crossed your mind.”

Turning slightly, I told him I was just a little confused. “You never planned on settling down?”

“No,” he replied firmly. “I never planned on settling down. Do you know why Anna?”

I shook my head; I didn’t even have a guess as to why.

He didn’t speak right away; he studied my face as his hand travelled down my arm and side before coming to rest on my hip. “I never thought I had a chance Anna.” His eyes locked on mine, “You were my best friend and I loved you more than I ever loved anyone but it never seemed like it would happen.” He chuckled softly, “Even now, as I hold you – when I make love to you – I can’t believe this is real. It’s so…crazy. I never planned on settling down because I never thought you would love me back.”

It was my turn to study him. “You’ve known that I had feelings for you, how could you not think there was a chance?”

A slight shrug was his only reply.

“Jordy…” I rolled towards him and slipped my hand around his shoulder.

“I know,” he dropped to the bed and gave me a half smile. “Logic tells me I had a chance. Hell everyone told me I had a chance. I was just too stupid and scared of losing you forever, to see it. I needed you as my best friend and I wanted you as my girl – it was hard for me to figure out a way to let you know without losing everything.”

“Well,” I grinned as I wiggled against him in an effort to get closer. “Looks like you managed to find a way to get everything you wanted.”

“I did,” his smile widened as he gently rolled me onto my back. “I managed to get everything I ever needed and now, I’m doing everything I can to keep it going.”

“Trading in and up?”

“Yes, in and up.” He brushed his lips against my cheek. “Trading my ‘bachelor’ life for a committed, long term relationship with a woman I would move heaven and earth for.”

A smile spread across my face and my brow arched, “Heaven and earth, eh?”

“Yeah, heaven and earth.”

As I pressed my lips against his bare chest, I told him I wouldn’t mind if he felt the desire to demonstrate his methods of moving heaven and earth.

“Your wish is my command Babe.”

One Road

It was already dark by the time Jordan came home from work that night. Tired and just wanting to shower and get something to eat, he didn’t really want to talk about anything, especially anything that had to do with Joshua Baker. I tried to talk to him about his day – I asked him what was wrong – but he told me everything was fine.

I didn’t believe him but I had house on my mind so I just wanted to talk about it since he wasn’t in the mood to do any talking. “So guess what?” I said cheerfully as I checked on the stew I had been keeping on warm until he got home. Jordan didn’t reply but a quick glance over my shoulder told me he was listening, barely, as he stood by the fridge drinking a glass of chocolate milk. “After practice today, Josh wanted to talk to me. At first I didn’t –”

“Anna, can’t this wait?”

“Well…” I hesitated but nodded. “It can but I just want to tell you –”

“If it can wait, then it can wait.”

“But Jordan, I –”

“Anna!”

After snapping at me numerous times for trying to bring up the conversation with Josh, I had enough of his pissy mood. “Find me when you aren’t such an ass,” I snapped at him before stomping out of the kitchen.

This house is too freakin’ small! I thought when I left the kitchen in a huff. There’s nowhere to go to blow off steam!

As I stomped down the hallway towards my old room, I heard Jenna’s little feet running on the floor behind me. “Ahh-naa-naa,” she called as she ran. “Wey Ahh-naa-naa, wey!” It was very difficult to continue my angry stomp down the hall.

I stopped, waited for her to get to me and then I knelt in front of her. “Hey Sweetie Pie, what do you have there?” Her eyes widened in childlike wonder as she held the sheet of construction paper she had been drawing on since we got home from school. “Oh! Wow!” I stared down at the multiple, multi-color circles she had drawn all over the paper. “That’s so pretty Jenna.” Handing the page back to her, I gave her a hug and suggested that she go show her daddy. “I bet he’ll want to hang it on the fridge.”

When Jenna ran to show Jordan, I continued down the hall, although, I wasn’t quite so pissed off. I ended up in my old room, a room that now consisted mainly of broken down boxes I picked up for Jordan to pack and other junk that migrated into the room over the last few months.

After moving some stuff around, I settled onto the carpet with a roll of tape and utility knife in my hand, intent on taping together some of the boxes so I could clean out that room. I’m not sure how long I was barred in the spare room before I heard the door open. I knew I should acknowledge him but I really didn’t wish to argue again, so I continued sorting through the pile of old clothes in front of me.

“Do you remember when you bought me that t-shirt?” He asked as I held up a ratty Bon Jovi t-shirt that had certainly seen better days.

“You swore up and down, you would never ever wear a non metal band shirt.”

“True,” he came further into the room. “I did say that but didn’t I wear it?” He plopped down next to me. “Hmm?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, not taking my eyes off the shirt. “Only because I got upset and cried.”

Slipping his arm around my stiff shoulders, he leaned into me. “I hate when I upset you, I never feel right.”

“Yeah…” I tossed the shirt into a trash pile while shrugging his arm off my shoulder. “What’s Jenna doing? She’s awful quiet.”

“Drawing you a picture.”

Nodding, I pushed off the floor and wandered over to another pile of stuff in the far corner. “She doesn’t have to do that.”

“No,” he followed me. “She doesn’t have to but she wants to because she loves you, just like I do.”

“Jordan…” I sighed as I turned to face him. “I know you love me, just like you know I love you with all my heart but –”

“Some times I’m an ass?”

I chuckled softly, my hand slipping over his chest. “Did I ever tell you that I over react?”

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he looked surprised. “Over react? You?” He shook his head. “No way Babe, you don’t over react at all.”

“Oh shush.” I lifted my face towards his and waited until he lowered his to kiss him. “I’m so sorry, you obviously weren’t having a great day and I didn’t…” I sighed. “I didn’t mean to keep pushing; I was just excited about the house Josh told me about. That’s all.”

“House?” Jordan frowned. “What house?”

“The one he wouldn’t let me leave the school without tell me about.” My eyes widened as I told Jordan it sounded like something we were looking for. “He told me that a friend of his in real estate told him about the house – it’s not yet listed with a company but the current owner had been talking to his friend about listing the house.”

“And Josh just knew it was what we were looking for?”

“Well…” I chewed nervously on my bottom lip.

Jordan sighed, glancing away for a moment. “When you two were together, you talked about houses, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Jordan asked me how that worked. “I tried to talk about a house that I would love to live in someday but he never really did give much.” I shrugged. “He always talked about the future but never anything real. You know?”

“I hope you never feel that way with me Anna.” His arms tightened around me as he held me against his chest. “I want…” He sighed. “Do you know why I was in such a mood when I got home?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Wanda called me, the couple that want to buy this house, want to move in before the end of the month – it’s a deal breaker if they can’t.”

“What?!?!”

He groaned. “I have to pack, move and clean everything in less than two weeks!”