WOODY
I went to the pogue to meet Jordan. She was sitting at the bar, talking to Max. The second I saw her I felt a smile creep across my face. We had been together for a few months now but I still smiled like that every time I saw her.
Max saw me coming and just shook his head amusedly.
"Hoyt, does that smile ever leave your face?" he chuckles.
"Not when I'm around your daughter sir," I grinned back as I slid onto the barstool beside Jordan and kissed her hello.
"Hi" she greets me as I steal another kiss, then another, then another.
I frown as my phone begins to ring, pulling me away from her soft lips.
"Hoyt" I growl unhappily into the phone, annoyed by the interruption.
Jordan smiles and kisses me lightly as she runs her hand through my hair and makes her way across the bar to talk to some of Max's old cop buddies.
"Woody, is everything alright?" I hear my mom ask from the other end of the line, sensing my frustration.
"Oh hi mom, no everything is fine. I just thought it was work calling and I just got off"
"Are you sure? You sound stressed. You're not working too hard are you honey?" she persisted.
I smiled at her concern, she was always reminding me how dangerous it is to be a cop. My mom would love it if I came back to Kewaunee and my job as a Sheriff's deputy where nothing even remotely exciting happens.
"No Mom, I promise everything is fine. I just met Jordan and was looking forward to spending some time with her, that's all"
"Speaking of Jordan, when are you going to bring her home to meet us?"
"Um.I don't know when I'll have time off, my days off are usually spaced out" I tried to explain, hoping she would accept it and drop the subject.
"Oh.I thought I remembered Calvin telling me you were off next weekend, guess I must be mistaken," she said coyly, hoping to guilt me into giving in.
"I told him I might have off, it's not a sure thing and Jordan is probably on call anyway"
"Oh well that's okay, I'm sure you'll get around to introducing us eventually. I mean you're just living with some girl we don't even know but that's okay," she said now bringing out the big guns and pouring on the guilt.
"Nice mom, that's real nice, play the guilt card" I sighed.
Max returned and placed a bear in front of me just in time to hear the clincher.
" What? No Mom! Jordan isn't really a guy!" I snapped, a little too loudly.
I couldn't stay mad for long, not when I saw Max double over laughing.
"No mom, it's not that she doesn't want to meet you, she does, look I'll see what I can do okay? But no promises.. yeah I love you too, bye"
I banged my head against the bar lightly and sighed in exasperation.
"Sounds like mama Hoyt thinks it's high time she met Jordan" Max said, contenting himself against the bar to talk to me.
"Yeah, she's been after me about it for a few weeks" I sighed.
"So what's the problem Hoyt? Don't you think your mom will like my little girl?" he teased.
I glanced over to Jordan, pondering how to answer his question.
"It's just my mom can be difficult sometimes" I paused, wondering if I should continue this train of thought.
"And we all know that Jordan can be extremely difficult" Max said helping me out.
I just smiled at his understanding.
"My mom has a very strong opinion about what my life should be like" I explained.
"Which probably doesn't include Boston or Jordan" Max said in understanding.
I just shook my head in agreement. "She means well, but she doesn't understand why I ever had to leave Wisconsin.and Annie" I said sullenly.
"Ahhhh, so that's it" Max said with a parent's understanding.
I didn't really want to get into the subject of Annie with him; he was Jordan's father and all. But I knew with Max's good nature and bartender's ear he would want to help.
"She just wants what's best for you Woody. Parents always think they. well we, know best but sometimes we don't and you kids figure out what you want all on your own"
"You mean like you telling Jordan not to date cops? Was that one of those times?" I asked grinning.
He grinned back "Yeah, just like that" he said patting me on the shoulder.
"So did you love this Annie?" he asked seriously.
I drew in a deep breath then shook my head in the negative. "I thought I did, but now I guess I've realized that I didn't, cause it was nothing like the way I feel about Jordan," I said sincerely.
"So you don't think you made a mistake by leaving then?" he persisted.
I looked back at Jordan and smiled. "No way" I answered, turning back to him.
Jordan snuck up behind me and put her hand over my eyes playfully.
"Guess who?" she teased.
"Hmmm" I pretended to ponder the possibilities. "Must be the love of my life," I finally answered, pulling her around to face me and kissed her gently.
"So that was my mom on the phone, she wants us to come visit" I blurted out, unable to think of a better way to break it to her.
She thought my statement over for a few seconds then asked hopefully "You mom wants you to come visit?"
I just shook my head no and simply uttered "us" already knowing full well that she understood.
She sighed a big "Oh" then slumped down onto the barstool next to me.
"I'm not good with moms," she pouted. "I mean with my mom."
She didn't finish that sentence, I reached over and took her hand in mine and kissed it.
I knew getting her to agree to this was going to take some coaxing, I was dreading making the trip myself so I knew how she must feel about it.
"She just wants to meet you," I said reassuringly, stroking her hand tenderly.
"Yeah right, and tell me how wrong I am for you" she quipped.
"Jordan Cavanaugh, are you telling me that you're actually intimidated by someone? By my mother???" I mocked.
"No, not intimidated, but I would like for her to like me. I mean I can't exactly tell her where to stick it if she and I don't get along now can I? "she answered with a sly smile as she took both my hands in hers.
I leaned over and kissed her "I'm sure she'll love you, like I do" I smiled
I went to the pogue to meet Jordan. She was sitting at the bar, talking to Max. The second I saw her I felt a smile creep across my face. We had been together for a few months now but I still smiled like that every time I saw her.
Max saw me coming and just shook his head amusedly.
"Hoyt, does that smile ever leave your face?" he chuckles.
"Not when I'm around your daughter sir," I grinned back as I slid onto the barstool beside Jordan and kissed her hello.
"Hi" she greets me as I steal another kiss, then another, then another.
I frown as my phone begins to ring, pulling me away from her soft lips.
"Hoyt" I growl unhappily into the phone, annoyed by the interruption.
Jordan smiles and kisses me lightly as she runs her hand through my hair and makes her way across the bar to talk to some of Max's old cop buddies.
"Woody, is everything alright?" I hear my mom ask from the other end of the line, sensing my frustration.
"Oh hi mom, no everything is fine. I just thought it was work calling and I just got off"
"Are you sure? You sound stressed. You're not working too hard are you honey?" she persisted.
I smiled at her concern, she was always reminding me how dangerous it is to be a cop. My mom would love it if I came back to Kewaunee and my job as a Sheriff's deputy where nothing even remotely exciting happens.
"No Mom, I promise everything is fine. I just met Jordan and was looking forward to spending some time with her, that's all"
"Speaking of Jordan, when are you going to bring her home to meet us?"
"Um.I don't know when I'll have time off, my days off are usually spaced out" I tried to explain, hoping she would accept it and drop the subject.
"Oh.I thought I remembered Calvin telling me you were off next weekend, guess I must be mistaken," she said coyly, hoping to guilt me into giving in.
"I told him I might have off, it's not a sure thing and Jordan is probably on call anyway"
"Oh well that's okay, I'm sure you'll get around to introducing us eventually. I mean you're just living with some girl we don't even know but that's okay," she said now bringing out the big guns and pouring on the guilt.
"Nice mom, that's real nice, play the guilt card" I sighed.
Max returned and placed a bear in front of me just in time to hear the clincher.
" What? No Mom! Jordan isn't really a guy!" I snapped, a little too loudly.
I couldn't stay mad for long, not when I saw Max double over laughing.
"No mom, it's not that she doesn't want to meet you, she does, look I'll see what I can do okay? But no promises.. yeah I love you too, bye"
I banged my head against the bar lightly and sighed in exasperation.
"Sounds like mama Hoyt thinks it's high time she met Jordan" Max said, contenting himself against the bar to talk to me.
"Yeah, she's been after me about it for a few weeks" I sighed.
"So what's the problem Hoyt? Don't you think your mom will like my little girl?" he teased.
I glanced over to Jordan, pondering how to answer his question.
"It's just my mom can be difficult sometimes" I paused, wondering if I should continue this train of thought.
"And we all know that Jordan can be extremely difficult" Max said helping me out.
I just smiled at his understanding.
"My mom has a very strong opinion about what my life should be like" I explained.
"Which probably doesn't include Boston or Jordan" Max said in understanding.
I just shook my head in agreement. "She means well, but she doesn't understand why I ever had to leave Wisconsin.and Annie" I said sullenly.
"Ahhhh, so that's it" Max said with a parent's understanding.
I didn't really want to get into the subject of Annie with him; he was Jordan's father and all. But I knew with Max's good nature and bartender's ear he would want to help.
"She just wants what's best for you Woody. Parents always think they. well we, know best but sometimes we don't and you kids figure out what you want all on your own"
"You mean like you telling Jordan not to date cops? Was that one of those times?" I asked grinning.
He grinned back "Yeah, just like that" he said patting me on the shoulder.
"So did you love this Annie?" he asked seriously.
I drew in a deep breath then shook my head in the negative. "I thought I did, but now I guess I've realized that I didn't, cause it was nothing like the way I feel about Jordan," I said sincerely.
"So you don't think you made a mistake by leaving then?" he persisted.
I looked back at Jordan and smiled. "No way" I answered, turning back to him.
Jordan snuck up behind me and put her hand over my eyes playfully.
"Guess who?" she teased.
"Hmmm" I pretended to ponder the possibilities. "Must be the love of my life," I finally answered, pulling her around to face me and kissed her gently.
"So that was my mom on the phone, she wants us to come visit" I blurted out, unable to think of a better way to break it to her.
She thought my statement over for a few seconds then asked hopefully "You mom wants you to come visit?"
I just shook my head no and simply uttered "us" already knowing full well that she understood.
She sighed a big "Oh" then slumped down onto the barstool next to me.
"I'm not good with moms," she pouted. "I mean with my mom."
She didn't finish that sentence, I reached over and took her hand in mine and kissed it.
I knew getting her to agree to this was going to take some coaxing, I was dreading making the trip myself so I knew how she must feel about it.
"She just wants to meet you," I said reassuringly, stroking her hand tenderly.
"Yeah right, and tell me how wrong I am for you" she quipped.
"Jordan Cavanaugh, are you telling me that you're actually intimidated by someone? By my mother???" I mocked.
"No, not intimidated, but I would like for her to like me. I mean I can't exactly tell her where to stick it if she and I don't get along now can I? "she answered with a sly smile as she took both my hands in hers.
I leaned over and kissed her "I'm sure she'll love you, like I do" I smiled