"Why?" Jordan parroted as she spun around on the bar stool to face her father. Eve was cradled against her chest and sleeping soundly. Even with all the noise that was going on around her, she managed to fall back asleep. The question had been simple and if she didn't know better, would have given a simple answer. But the simple answer wasn't what her father was looking for. He wanted an explanation. Sure, he didn't say that. But Jordan could read it in his eyes. See it in his movements. A sigh escaped from her lips. "Is there someplace I can lay her? She'll be cranky when she wakes up, otherwise." She gave him a crooked little grin. "It's not a pretty sight."
Max knew that Jordan was contemplating the easy answer. Struggling with the truth or a story that would be concocted to what he wanted to hear. But in the end he knew that he won. She was going to tell him the truth but not right away. The change in subject was a diversion but he allowed it. "There is a old couch in the office." He motioned with his head and pulled a chair out, sitting down not far from where Jordan sat at the bar.
Nodding, she stood and gracefully carried the sleeping Eve into the room that she saw him emerge from earlier. She laid her little angel onto the couch and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well." She murmured before exiting the room, leaving the door open so she could hear if she got up. She took her time returning to her seat, dreading what came next. Silence followed her several minutes after she sat down. Taking a deep breath, she let it out and began to speak. "I screwed up, Dad. That's all I can say. I screwed up and didn't attempt to fix things. I packed my things and did the only thing that I'm good at. Running. I ran and never looked back." Jordan was surprised at how steady her voice was that's when it hit her like a ton of bricks. She had changed. She grew up. "I don't even know where to begin. My life has been pretty amazing these past seven years." The corners of her mouth were tugging upwards into a smile.
Max watched Jordan as she carried her daughter(that was something he'd have to get used to) into his office. He took that time to gather his thoughts and by the time she returned he was ready to hear anything she had to say. He was silent as she spoke. Then she managed to surprise him by saying that her life had been amazing. Usually when she turned from running she was glad to be back. Happy to have a steady life to return to. But he didn't get that feeling from her this time. "Amazing? How so?" He prodded.
She let out a chuckle. "I know what your thinking and it surprised me too. But Mark was a big help." She saw the question in her fathers eyes about Mark so she continued before he could interrupt her. "Mark is Eve's father and my...was my husband." Her voice was quiet. She took a shaky breath. "You would have liked him, Dad. He was a ten year veteran of the Louisville Metro Police Department when I met him. He actually arrested me." She lowered her head and continued while look at the floor. "I was drunk and he left him sleep it off in one of the cells. Then he bailed my sorry behind out, took me to a corner café and listened while I blubbered about my messed up life. After that we were friends. He helped me out. Pulled a few strings to get me a job, helped find me a decent apartment and was just there when I needed him. Took us awhile to realize that our relationship had evolved into more than friendship. But once we both got out heads out of our asses, everything came together. We got engaged, married and welcomed Eve into this world." She fell silent, reliving the good memories.
"So what happened to this Mark fellow?" Max noticed how she ever so carefully avoided telling him whatever happened to her husband, in the past tense. His first thought was that he ran out on her. Leaving her to raise a daughter on her own. That would explain why she came back to Boston.
Jordan knew this question was coming. Her father wasn't one to be fooled. And being his daughter, she knew that he was probably thinking the worse of Mark. And her sudden arrival did seem suspicious. She basicly ended up on his doorstep with a toddler and no husband in tow. He was just thinking the obvious and she couldn't blame him. "Mark..." She trailed off to gather her thoughts before continuing. "This is the one year anniversary of Mark's death. Sixteen years with the force and a stupid kid robbing a convenient store took him out. One bullet and he was gone." She said, bitter sweetly. "I always told June and Maggie, their husbands were cops too, that I would never get the call at seven o'clock in the morning telling me that my husband has been killed. Mark was too good at what he did. He wasn't stupid. But then again I guess I was right, partly. It wasn't seven o'clock in the morning when they called. It was noon. And he was still alive when I rushed to the hospital after dropping Eve off at Maggie's house. I held his hand as he was rushed into surgery only to be told an hour later that he didn't make it. The bullet had lodged in the right ventricle of his heat. There was no way of saving him." She swallowed and fought back tears. This was still a painful subject for her. "To make a long story short, I stayed there as long as I could before it became too painful. So here I am."
Max didn't know what to say. Her life did sound pretty amazing. His heart went out to his daughter. She actually found someone that she could love and have that love returned only to have him taken away. It had surprised him to hear that Mark was a Cop. He was sure that she would steer clear of people in that line of work after seeing what he went through but then again you couldn't help who you feel in love with. "I'm sorry to hear that Jordan." He said softly then pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's good to have you home." Now he was beginning to choke up. He wanted the truth and she gave it to him. It was unexpected but at the same time a nice change.