Cassie and Jordan spoke for another ten minutes with him reassuring her of his love for her before she finally let him go and get some sleep to be ready for another big day of training tomorrow and saying goodnight to each other.
After Cassie cleaned her face so she’d be fresh and make-up free, she climbed back into bed with a smile as big as the moon, and when she felt her eyes flutter shut, drifting into a peaceful sleep, she was anticipating the moment she would finally reunite with Jordan and could show him just how much she loved him.
Jordan walked through the terminal of the airport, making his way to baggage claim to retrieve his luggage wearing aviator sunglasses and a huge smile on his face. Four whole weeks had passed following the late night phone call he received from Cassie telling him how she wanted to give their relationship another go. It had made him so relieved to hear her say those words, like he had almost given up believing they could be together again. Training camp was done and dusted, and with two weeks until the 2014 NFL season officially began, Jordan was free to fly home to visit the two most important people in his life, and he couldn’t wait to surprise them and see the look on both Cassie and Jake’s faces. The moment would be priceless, much like the surprise he got earlier that morning when Nick unexpectedly showed up on his doorstep in Miami asking to stay awhile. Nick hadn’t gone into detail about why he was there, and Jordan didn’t want to press the matter any further until Nick brought it up in conversation. In the twenty years they had been friends, neither Jordan nor Nick ever really discussed their true feelings with each other unless they really wanted to. Jordan just figured if Nick wanted to talk about whatever the hell made him bail on Yellow Valley in favor of a mini getaway in Miami, then he’d be there to listen, just as Nick had done the same for Jordan on countless occasions, including recently during his journey back to his hometown.
Jordan found his bags, and soon enough, he made his way out of the airport, renting a nice little convertible from the rental place to make his trip home.
He loaded his bags into the trunk of the car and got into the driver’s side of the car as he started the hour long journey home to his childhood home, and in particular, to his family.
Jordan made it back to Yellow Valley by two o’clock that afternoon. The drive there had been refreshing and smooth, unlike the last time he made the same trip, in which it had seemed to go too quickly and was nerve wracking. This time, he felt like he had been driving forever, even though he had barely driven an hour before he reached his destination.
He pulled into the drive of Cassie’s one-story house, thankful her car was there. She was home. He didn’t think he would have liked waiting for her if she weren’t home. The urge to wrap her in his arms and never let go was too strong to force himself to wait.
He got out of the car, striding up the path leading to the house and stepped onto the porch, slipping off his expensive sunglasses and tucking them into the unbuttoned opening of his tailor-made white shirt, which revealed his muscly biceps and looked nice against his caramel-colored skin.
He tapped on the hardwood door and waited, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. Now that he and Cassie were giving it another go and was her boyfriend again, despite not seeing each other in four weeks, was he supposed to just walk inside as opposed to knocking on the door?
Before his thoughts consumed him, a face appeared in the side window and the door opened, revealing a smaller version of Jordan—his son. God, it still sounded weird to Jordan knowing he was a father. He knew he always wanted to become a dad, but to be thrust so suddenly into that life was still so bizarre for him to think about.
“Daddy!” Jake shrieked out his name in delight as he leaped into his open arms. Jake was definitely a carbon copy of him. It may have still sounded weird to know he was a father, but boy it sounded good when his son called him daddy. And the hugs weren’t bad either.
Then Cassie appeared in the doorway looking as beautiful as always, even wearing track pants and an old, stained t-shirt. He liked that she didn’t always feel the need to dress up in order to impress him.
Jordan set Jake on the ground, and he went running back into the house.
He took a step forward, meeting Cassie in the middle.
He pulled her toward him in one swift move, wrapping one arm tightly around her waist as she casually looped her arms around his neck, falling into old patterns together.
“You’re here,” she whispered, burying her face into his chest and breathing in his magnificent scent like she wanted to bottle the smell for times when he wasn’t with her.