Chapter Four

It took me about a hour to type this because I broke my middle finger playing basketball, and since I still want to play; I just have tape on it. I'll explain what caused me to have such a long time between updates tomorrow. Sorry :(



Chapter Four
Marie’s POV

It was a normal day. I was working my normal shift at Starbuck’s. It was normal weather. Chilly and sunny. It was a normal time. Nothing was supposed to be happening today. Just one of the 365 days of a long, tedious year. But one, simple phone call can always wreck that.

Flashback
“Marie Haefner, please come to the front office.” The loud speaker called into the classroom. I sighed and began to gather up my books, they had probably busted me for skipping so much school recently. I trudged my way to the office, stalling as much as possible by going to the bathroom and tying my shoes over and over again. Eventually though, I got there and sat down in one of the stiff chairs. If they are about to yell at you, they could as least do it when you’re comfortable. The receptionist peered at me and immediately said. “Honey, you can go back now. Principal Tonks is ready for you.” Oh shit, meeting with the principal, not the vice-principal. This must mean some serious trouble. Maybe something like a suspension, that would not sit well with my parents at all.
“Marie, sit down please.” Mr. Tonks said and I hesitantly sat down, this was it. To my surprise though, Mr. Tonks didn’t start yelling at me. “Your father is on the phone.” He explained and pushed it towards me. Okay, Great-Grandma Agnes finally bit the dust; we all knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later.
“Marie?” My dad asked. I could tell that he had been crying. I frowned; I hadn’t expected my dad to be this upset about it.
“Dad?” I replied
“You’re mom left.” He choked out before going silent. I grabbed the desk tightly, digging my nails into it. “What do you mean?”
“She left a voicemail. She said to tell you, Charlie, and Mike that she loved you guys more than life, but she couldn’t stand being with my negative attitude anymore. She said she found another man and she’s moving in with him, but she wouldn’t say where.” Dad said guiltily.
My throat began to burn. “But she wouldn’t do that to us!” I shrieked. Mom wouldn’t do this, she loved me too much. She couldn’t just leave like that.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll ask the principal to send you home.”
*End of Flashback*

I began humming and scrubbed down the counters. We were going through the mid-day slow time. Clara, my manager, waved me back.
“Marie, a woman named Jane has been calling all morning. She says it’s important.” My heart began beating fast; Jane never called about anything while I was at work. I sprinted towards the phone and dialed her number. “Jane?” I asked breathlessly, praying that she just called because she couldn’t find something.
“Marie! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning! Scott is sick!” She exclaimed. I had to remind my self to keep breathing. “How sick?”
Jane took a deep breath. “I think you should take him to the hospital.” I bit my lip, forcing myself not to cry.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.” I promised before swiftly hanging up. I explained the situation to Clara and she quickly let me off work. Then, I called the only person I knew in Raleigh.

Eric’s POV

The phone buzzing woke up right when I was about to fall asleep for my pre-game nap. No one in my family would dare call me at pre-game naptime; they knew how superstitious I was.
“What?” I said into the receiver annoyed.
“Eric?” I heard Marie’s voice ask. But something seemed wrong, something seemed really wrong.
“Are you okay Mar?” I responded now worried.
“No.” She said before beginning to weep. A million thoughts ran through my head. Marie was always strong; she would never call anyone crying.
“I need to take Scott to the hospital, but I’m at work. Can you come pick me up?” Marie asked her voice thick. That’s all I needed to hear, my nephew was in trouble. I jumped up and began shoving a pair of jeans on and tried to find a clean t-shirt. I grabbed my keys and wrote Tanya a note and took off to my car. I drove to the Starbuck’s a recklessly, but I got there in record time. Marie was sitting on the curb, her eyes were bright red. It was obvious she was crying, but since she didn’t want to cry in front of me, she forced herself to stop. She opened the car door before I even came to a complete halt and sat in the passengers seat.
“Jane is taking him to the hospital, we’re meeting him there. What are you waiting for? Drive!” She barked.
I hastily pulled back out onto the road and began speeding to the hospital. “What’s wrong with him?” I asked concerned.
Marie wiped the corner of her eyes. “ I don’t even know,” She admitted, “but Jane knows what she’s talking about, so it has to be serious.” She said before crying again. I squeezed her arm. “Scott’s going to be okay, he was Staal cells.”
She let out a shaky chuckle. “He has to be.”

I dropped her off at the entrance of the hospital before parking. I jogged to get into the lobby room and saw her talking to a doctor, she was crying again. I walked up and put an arm around her.
“ Your son has a severe lung infection that is compromising his breathing, so we have him on a ventilator. With him only being around four months, this puts him in risk of the rest of his organs shutting down. We are also afraid that one of his lungs might collapse, which might make him have to have surgery. We believe that if he would have to have surgery, he wouldn’t survive it.” The doctor explained.
I exhaled loudly and rubbed my eyes. That did not sound good at all. Jordan’s son could die before he even knew he had one. I could not let that happen.

Jordan’s POV

I was on a road trip on Atlanta rooming with TK; we were both taking our pre-game naps when my phone began to obnoxiously go off. I groaned and looked at Tyler, I know he would kill me if it woke him up. Luckily for me, he was still on his stomach clutching onto the pillow. I snorted and took a picture of him before answering the phone.
“What’s up bro? Do you really not want the Penguins to win so bad that you wake me up during my pre-game nap?” I asked jokingly.
“Jordan, I need to tell you something.” Eric said unusually serious.
“Okay, shoot.” I said walking out into the hallway.
“You know how you had sex with Marie at Christmas?” Eric said bitterly.
My jaw dropped. “How did you kn-“ I began to ask before he rudely interrupted me.
“Jordan,” He said kindly, “you don’t know this, but Marie got pregnant that night. And now your son is dying in the hospital.”
I began laughing like a crazy man, that’s the only thing I knew what to do. It seemed eerie to my own ears, like it wasn’t real. Like this whole mess couldn’t be real. “Ha ha, very funny Eric. You got me.” I finally squeaked out.
Eric didn’t flinch. “I suggest you get a flight to Raleigh as soon as you can, I’ll tell Mom and Dad if you want me to.
“No, don’t tell them. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I said my voice hollow before throwing my cell phone down the hallway. I sank down and leaned against the wall, putting my head on my knees. No, no, no, no. I couldn’t have a child. I couldn’t have a dying child with Marie Haefner. My high school sweetheart. How did she raise it without me? I was stunned, how could she not tell me?! It was my fucking child too, but she kept it from me. I’m supposed to marry a girl this summer. How am I supposed to get married when I have a child? A little-itty, human being that’s half of me. Something that I made. Some one that I’m supposed to love, support, and always, unconditionally be there for. I knew that my child was dying, but I didn’t even know if it was a boy or girl. I was just twenty-one, I wasn’t ready for a child. I was just an immature child in a man’s body. I was engaged, yet I have had sex with women besides my fiancée. I still love to drink and play foolish games. A father cannot be doing this. A father has to be responsible, stable, and always ready for disaster. This whole time I’ve been living a lie. I’ve been thinking I’m some one, but for some one else, I should be playing a completely different role. And Marie. Thinking of Marie made my head pound unbearably. Beautiful, compassionate, eighteen year old, Marie. How was she being a mother? How was she dealing with whatever is going on with the child in the hospital? How the hell did Eric know, but I didn’t? How many other people knew before I did? Finally, I got myself together enough to go back into the room. I grabbed my suitcase and called Coach Dan. It went straight to his voicemail. “Dan, I’m sorry, but there’s a family emergency.” I tried to explain, not wanting to tell him the whole thing. “Some one very close to the family is dying, I have to be there. Call me later and I’ll explain everything. Tell the guys what I told you.” I said before flipping my phone shut. I considered telling Olivia, but I quickly decided not to. If I thought I was flipping out, she would flip out even more. I couldn’t deal with her anymore. I took a cab to the airport and somehow managed to snag a ticket to a flight that I had to run to catch. I leaned back for the hour and a half flight. The whole time questions were flying through my find. Is it a boy or girl? How sick is it? How did Eric now? How is Marie doing? How is Marie supporting it? How is Marie going to college? How is Marie living on her own? I knew I would just be torturing myself if I kept wondering, so I put in my iPod and tried desperately to stop thinking.

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&
“Can you take me to the hospital please?” I asked the cab driver.
“But that’s so far away!” He complained. I swiftly took out my wallet and showed him three fifty-dollar bills.
As soon as he saw the bills, he snatched them and began driving. I watched the familiar city fly by, no longer finding it was beautiful as I used to. The cab finally got to the hospital and I walked into the waiting room. I saw her beautiful brown curls right away. She was hunched over in a chair with her face in her hands, her whole body shaking from sobbing so hard. Eric was next to her, gingerly trying to comfort her. I ran towards the scene skidding to a stop in front of them
“Marie? What’s going on?” I asked finally let my emotions run wild. I was fucking scared.
She looked up at me, her eyes a scary red before standing up slowly. I expected her to hug me, begging for comfort and forgiveness. Turns out I didn’t know Marie as well as I thought I did, because all I got was a harsh slap in the face.

We just received the news this morning that my grandpa has passed away. It may be awhile before i update

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Christmas Eve 2008

I blasted my radio and flew down the roads faster then I probably should be on a snowy night in Thunder Bay. I put down the window and inhaled the freezing air, belting out lyrics, and laughing at the stupidity of it all. It was great being back in Thunder Bay, I had avoided it for almost two years, and I still couldn’t stand all the memories. I drove by the lake that was now iced over.

Flashback

“Come on you baby, jump off with me.” Jordan egged on me on. We were standing on one of the top branches of the tree overhanging the lake. We were planning on jumping off, but then I chickened out.

“But..I’m going to hit my head on a rock. And then I’m going to drown and die.” I said nervously.

He looked at me annoyed. “Do you really think I would let that happen to you?”

I shook my head and he held out his hand. “Come on babe, I won’t let go.” Jordan promised.

I looked at him doubtfully, but took his hand. “Do you promise?” Jordan pulled me forward and I nervously clung onto his waist. He pretended to throw me over into the lake.

“You jackass!” I exclaimed.

Jordan chuckled, “You are so over-reacting.” Then, without a warning, he plunged into the lake. He kept his promise, he never let go. We resurfaced, and I was still clutching onto him.

“Told you it would be fun.” Jordan said laughing. I wrapped my legs around his waist and put my arms around his neck. He instantly moved his hands to my waist.

“Well, that wouldn’t be my description of fun.” I said, sticking to my case. But by then, Jordan was on a totally different topic. He stared into my eyes and brushed a piece of hair out of my face. “God, you’re beautiful.” He stated before undoing the knot that held my bikini top up.

“Jordan!” I squealed, batting his hand away, “Eric is going to be back any moment!” I exclaimed.

Jordan smirked at me; “Well then, we better make it quick.” He said cockily before meeting me with a searing kiss.

End of Flashback

I shook my head; I promised I wouldn’t let those thoughts creep back into my mind. This was a purely happy Christmas. ‘Tis the season to be jolly. This was the perfect Christmas to be back home for. With Jordan, Eric, Marc, and Jared in the NHL, there was no way they could be home for Christmas. I pulled into the driveway of my house and saw that in the Staal’s front yard, was the four candy canes. Shit, that meant they were all home. I took a calming breath, it was fine. I just wouldn’t adventure outside the house. Mike came running from the house and screamed “MARIEY-BEE!” before pulling me in a huge hug. I hugged his large frame and inhaled his familiar scent, the scent that reminded me of child hood. Damn, it was good to be home.

Jordan’s POV

I saw Marie’s distinct car roll down her driveway, music blasting. I glared at Jared; he had assured me she wasn’t going to be coming home.

“Jord, come on, I’m sorry! This seriously must be like the first time she’s come home in two years!” Jared exclaimed.

I glared at him. “Or you could have been setting this up, I know you loved it when Marie and I were together, but it’s way over.” I did regret the horrible things I did to her, but it was over and I couldn’t take any of it back. We just all needed to move on.

Marc, just like when we were younger, egged us on. “Ohhh a set up!”

Eric easily fell into the big brother roll. “Marc, shut up. It’s a coincidence and I think we should enjoy our time together. It’s been six months since the last time we were all together, and several years since we’ve all had a Christmas together.”

Marie’s POV

I was in my old room, just laying on my bed listening to my iPod. I couldn’t go on with the festive holiday activities Mike, Charlie, and my Dad were doing downstairs. I couldn’t stand being around my dad since my mom left, but I put up with it for my brothers. That’s when my phone started ringing loudly. I picked it up to see it was from Peyton, my best friend that I would be in my senior year with.

“Hey BITCH! I here you’re in town! Come down to the river with us, we are taking a swim.” Peyton exclaimed. She didn’t even ask any questions.

I laughed. “Are you crazy? It’s thirty degrees out, we’ll get hypothermia.”

I hear her giggle also. “So we have to keep moving. Besides, what are you even doing? Just ignoring Jor-oh yeah sorry, sensitive subject.”

When she put it that way, it made me feel rather pathetic. “Fine, good point. I’ll meet you there in like twenty minutes.”

“Excellent, well I gotta go Mar. Some guy is feeling me up.” Peyton said calmly before hanging up. I laughed and threw my phone on my bed. Talking to Peyton again is one of those moments where I regret leaving Thunder Bay. But then the thought of running into Jordan reminded me right away why I had to it. I jogged downstairs to see my brothers and Dad trying to cook cookies. Half of them were thrown in the trash and the other half was dumped on the floor. “Marie, help us.” Charlie whined.

I looked at the situation. “Uh well, as much fun as that seems, I’m going out with some friends.” I explained before rushing out the door and running into my car. I drove to the river to see that was one part near the edge that wasn’t frozen over. There was a bonfire near the side, a keg, and crowds of people. This was fucking crazy. That’s exactly why I’m doing it. Many of my old classmates eagerly greeted me and gave me hugs. It was nice to know that I wasn’t just forgotten. I fought my way through the crowd to find Peyton.

“MAR!” Peyton screamed running forward and nearly tackling me. I giggled and hugged her back.

She let go and punched me on the shoulder. “I missed you so much, girlie!”

“Life has been so boring without you, Pey!” I told her earnestly.

“Let’s not talk about how depressing it is that we were separated from each other! Let’s go take a swim!” Peyton yelled before running towards the river. I raced after her and we both jumped in.

“Oh m-m-my f-f-fucki-i-ng g-g-g-o-o-d.” I hissed. I was in physical pain the water was so cold. My whole body was instantly numb, but worse. Peyton and I braved it for twelve minutes, but then we had to run out.

“L-l-look w-who’s a-all c-cool n-now.” Peyton stuttered out, trying to laugh, but it came out as shrieks instead.

“Pey, I’ll hang out with you tomorrow. But I’m about to cry I’m so cold, I’ll see you later.” I said before waddling to my car. I was attempting to run, but my muscles were so chilled that they couldn’t even function properly. I blasted the heater up in my car and started driving home. My car drifted into the other lane often and it must of looked like I was drunk. My arms were shaking so much; I couldn’t keep the car straight. I parked the car on the side of the street and started walking down the driveway. I was shaking violently and my hair was dripping icy droplets. I saw three figures in the Staal’s front yard, cleaning up some mess and one was in the front door way. The only one I could tell apart was Jared because of his ginger mess.

“MARIE!” Jared yelled before waving eagerly like a five year old seeing his mom after his first full day of pre-school.

“H-h-hi J-j-jared.” I muttered out and kept walking forward. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. That’s when I saw Mike storm outside the door. He’s definitely pissed about something. “Are you fucking CRAZY, Marie?” He shouted.

“Not here.” I muttered jerking my head over to the front yard.

“I’ll yell at you wherever I want! I heard about the whole river thing, I thought you weren’t STUPID enough to do it, but apparently I was wrong. Do you see yourself? Your lips are fucking blue and you can’t stop shaking.”

I glared at Mike. “Stop trying to be my dad!”

Mike glared right back. “Well, if you can’t be responsible for yourself, then some one needs to be responsible for you!” He yelled.

“I’m not a baby!” I yelled using the classic “little sister” line.

“Well when you act like one, you get treated like one.” Mike responded.

“Just fucking leave me alone.” I hissed before running into the house and up to my room. He completely just embarrassed me in front of the whole Staal family.

Jordan’s POV

I stood in the doorway watching Mike scream at Marie. I couldn’t get a good luck at her in the dark, but even hearing her voice sent chills through me. I definitely missed that girl. Her spunk, her attitude, her laugh, her eyes, her crazy curly hair. But I was a jackass and screwed it up. There was no changing it, or second chances. She even changed schools so that she would be assured she would never see my face again. I was in my bedroom; nothing had really changed since I was a kid. I still had the same twin bed that my feet hung off of. I was getting “dressed up” for our annual Christmas Eve dinner. Getting dressed up for us was a nice pair of jeans and a button up shirt.

Eric barged in. “You’ve been in here forever. What are you, a girl? Did I ruin your primp time?” He asked mockingly.

Tanya put a hand on Eric’s chest and laughed softly. “Leave your little brother alone, Eric.”

“At least I don’t need my wife to stand up for me.” I shot back at Eric, showing I was joking by giving Tanya a smile.

“Says the man who has no wife because no one wants to marry his loud, ugly ass.” Eric said smirking.

Marc walked by. “Aw come on Rick. I told you next time you make fun of Jord, I need to be there!” He complained.

“BOYS! Come to the table.” My mom yelled and we all rushed to insure our seats at the table. When we got there though, we saw there was extra three plates.

“Mom, I know I suck at math, but what’s up with the extra three plates?” Marc asked, making sure he wasn’t going crazy.

“We invited the Haefner’s over.” Dad answered.

“But there’s four of them.” Marc clarified.

Jared clapped. “Good job, Marcy.”

Mom looked at me for a minute before looking back at the table. “Marie’s not coming, Mr. Haefner said she made some plans with some friends.” She said softly.

“More like she doesn’t want to see Jordan.” Eric whispered. We all turned and stared at him, our relationship was never talked about. My mom loved Marie like a daughter, so she was absolutely thrilled when we started dating. When my mom found out what I did to her, she didn’t talk to me for a week. I think a part of her still might hold a grudge that I ruined “one of the best things I had going for me.” There was a knock on the door before Charlie, Mike, and Mr. Haefner walked in holding gifts.

“The party can now start, Charlie has arrived.” Charlie said loudly. I grinned; it was nice to know that some things had never changed. Eric, Marc, Jared, and I all stood up and hugged Charlie and Mike. We spent every childhood moment with them; they were part of the reason we all made it to the NHL. Every one sat down and we started handing out presents. It was loud, every one chatting cheerfully. That was until Mr. Haefner handed Mom a present. “It’s from Marie.” He said quietly.

My mom’s face lit up and we all watched her curiously. Mom ripped open the wrapping paper and exclaimed. “It’s a scrap book about her senior year so far!” And Marie was still a suck up; every one knows how much my mom loves scrapbooks. She went through the pages chuckling and making comments. “How does she get in crazy situations like that?”

It was uneventful until she got to what I assumed was a winter formal. “Look at her dress, isn’t it beautiful?” She asked showing Tanya. Tanya nodded her agreement. “It looks beautiful on her.”

Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look. “Who’s this boy that’s in all these pictures with her?” Mom asked. Every one in the room turned around at stared me, like they were expecting I was going to start sobbing or something.

“A jack-ass.” Charlie growled.

“Why do you say that?” Mom asked worriedly.

“She dated him about three months. She would call me and wouldn’t shut up about him. “Tristan this, Tristan that.” Then, Marie found out he cheated on her and she blew up at him, obviously. So they broke up.” Mike explained. I clenched and unclenched my fists by my side. It’s coincidental that I’m getting at a mad at a guy I don’t know for doing that to Marie, when I did so much worse to her. I leaned back in the chair, letting the first two arms in the air. Eric was between Mom and I, so if I leaned back far enough I would be able to see the picture. Marc grinned at me and I knew what he was going to do, but there was nothing I could do. He kicked the chair and I landed in a mess of arms and legs on the floor with the chair on top of me.

“Yeah, Marie really does horrible taste in guys. One bitches about her to every one and leaves her in the dust and the other cheats on her.” Jared said coolly.

Dad stood up. “Jared, apologize to Jordan, right now.” He threatened.

Mr. Haefner saw the distress. “Crap, Jordan, I left a casserole in the oven. Do you think you could go bring it over?” He asked trying to avert the situation. I nodded and walked out of the kitchen, not before hitting Jared and Marc on the back of the head.

Marie’s POV

I was starving, so I decided to go down to the kitchen and see what was in the fridge. Of course, my dad left the casserole in the oven. If I were a nice daughter, I would go take it over when it was finished. But that meant facing all of them, so I quickly decided not to. The front door open and to my shock, Jordan walked through the door humming. He suddenly stopped when he saw me in the kitchen and his jaw dropped. He obviously wasn’t expecting to see me. I had no idea what to say because all I wanted to do was cry. But there was no fucking way I was going to give him the privilege of seeing me cry. I decided to get out all of the ingredients I needed to make an awesome PBJ sandwich, trying to pretend that he wasn’t there.

After getting out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread, all the things needed for making a PBJ sandwich, things seemed to abruptly change. He had taken a few hesitant steps into the kitchen, glanced at me then headed towards the fridge. I turned my back on him, focusing intently on the sandwich at hand while he searched for something to eat. After a minute of searching through my food, I finally turned around, hands on my hips with a butter knife clenched in my fist. “Are you really going to waste all my cold air? I kinda have to pay for that.” My voice came out as a snap and it caused him to turn. He looked over, so I stuck my chin in the air defiantly. He swallowed and closed the fridge door, clenching and unclenching his fists. “What?” I demanded, looking at him with suspicious eyes. He looked at the floor, and then up at me, and within the half a second it took for his eyes to reach mine, our thoughts were synchronized. He took two giant steps over to me, and I took on towards him, and he met me with a kiss His lips spread and I welcomed their closeness greedily. His hands moved from my cheeks to my back. Mine played with the hem of his shirt before running up his chiseled stomach, over every hollow and every rivulet of his beautiful muscles. He backed me against the counter, forcing one of my hands out from the game going on under his shirt to the counter. I grimaced as it landed on the half of my sandwich covered in peanut butter. Jordan only let a smirk dimple one cheeks, before picking up my hand and kissing it once, twice, three times, before licking off all the peanut butter slowly. I never knew Jordan Staal was such a tease. Well, two can play at that game. I slipped one hand down the front of his pants before feeling his large erection. I massaged his dick very slowly, taking my time to hit every pressure point. My eyes flickered towards his, watching every emotion fly across his face. Jordan’s breathing became ragged, one hand flying out to the counter for support. He moaned before kissing me again, hand slipping under my shirt and up my stomach to my chest slowly. My shirt went up with his hand until he slipped it over my head in a flustered rush. I moaned, if it weren’t for his hands supporting me, I would have crashed to the floor long ago. I arched my back to give him better access, grinding my hips against his. Jordan lifted me onto the counter; kissing me so long it caused me to go light headed. He grabbed my jeans and quickly stripped them from me; lips traveling down my neck to my collarbone, then to gently suck the curve of my breast. I gasped, his hands moving to unclip my bra and throw it against the fridge. I barely caught it’s descent, his fist already tightening on the side of my panties. And then in one swift motion, he tore them from my hips. Jordan paused for a moment to discard his own shirt, a pool of clothes was quickly gathering on the floor for a moment. I fumbled with his belt, trying to get it undone and not losing my balance at the same time. He growled impatiently and pinned my wrists with one hand to the cabinet above us. Jordan then undid his belt and stepped out of his jeans, leaving him just in his boxers. My breathing was ragged, cut short by the intensity of the moment. His lips nearly crashed into mine, our mouths moving with each other’s. Hands explored each other’s bodies, memorizing each curve as if it was a life saving map. Jordan took my whole breast in his mouth, sucking at it greedily. This was it, we both knew it. It was now or never. He inserted two fingers into me, rubbing my clit in a figure eight motion. I could barely breathe; my whole body was clenched around his. I couldn’t move from this position if my life depended on it.

“Jordan” I groaned, unable to help myself. Calling his name spurred him on, rubbing my clit at an impossible speed. Finally, I was able to make out a coherent sentence. “I..need..you..now.” I said breathlessly. He slowly pulled his fingers out and he finally kicked his boxers off. Jordan pulled me from the counter and pinned me against the fridge. One hand was braced against the fridge, while the other was on my hips. I looked at him for a split moment before kissing him again, and at that moment he pushed into me. My gasps for air came in rhythm with his hips now pounding me against the fridge. The cool metal of the refrigerator door was a stark contrast with our sweaty bodies. My hands ran down his back, grasping him, urging him faster and harder. He grunted with effort, panting as he drove his dick in and out of me. The pure electricity of us being so close was enough for me to fall, but he never let me go. Jordan’s stamina was the last thing on my mind. The moan, my moan, “Jordan..” seemed to keep him going beyond the point of exhaustion. And soon, after the hardships of standing were over, he took me from my place and lowered me to my ground, his body followed. He was always connect to me, in me, holding me. He began pumping again, how he could keep going was beyond me. You gotta love the stamina of a hockey player. My nails dug lines down his back, and at times even breaking skin. I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him to get even closer. Our sweaty bodies were sticking to each other, moving at the same rhythm. Up and down, up and down. Through some point, I was flipped on top of him. His lust filled eyes stared at me; while I was trying to keep up with the pace he was setting, his hips crashing into mine at an almost painful force. I ran my hands through his hair, chin titled to the ceiling as I tried to breath, still riding him. Jordan groaned and his head fell back against the linoleum. I looked down at him and fell forward, panting like a dog. My face fell against his chest; I kissed it softly, exhaustion creeping against us like a shadow. And that’s how we fell asleep on the kitchen floor.

We were both snapped into reality when the oven timer went off. I jumped off of Jordan and started finding my various clothing that was strewn all over the kitchen. Jordan did the same thing before going to the oven and taking out the casserole. He still hasn’t even looked at me.

“Jordan..please. We have to talk.” I begged grabbing onto arm. He turned around and stared at me. “Talk about what? We have nothing to talk about.”

“B-but, does this mean we are back together? Do you forgive me?” I sputtered, hoping for the best.

Jordan let out a bitter laugh. “If you weren’t good enough for me when I was eighteen and living in Thunder Bay, what gives you the idea that you would be nearly good enough for me when I have a whole city full of girls I can fuck? You really are a crazy bitch.”

I stepped back, it felt like I had gotten slapped from him. Tears formed in my eyes and I blinked rapidly, making sure that they didn’t fall. I had made myself believe that he still loved me. When we were having sex, he did seem to love me. But now I realized that he was just bored and was fulfilling his needs as a man.

“I don’t know any one would have sex with you. I just did it because I felt bad for you. And please, it’s more like you weren’t good enough for me.” I knew that it sounded stupid and my own voice sounded thick to my ears. Now, he was the one that looked hurt, so I built off of it. “If I really loved you, then I would have come with you to Pittsburgh, but you were clearly just a fling. You lived next to me, you were just a convenient bed warmer.” I told him, trying to sound convincing.

“Well, you not coming with me was the best thing you ever did for me. And you think I didn’t know it was just a fling? Baby, I was the one that started the fling. I could have ended it at any time; I could have made you do anything I wanted when I snapped my fingers. You were nothing more then my bitch. Goodbye Marie.” He said coldly before stepping out the door. Not knowing what else to do, I picked up a glass and hurled it at the door, where his head was moments before. The shattering glass was a perfect representation of my heart.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* Flashback *

* Winter Formal *

*Marie’s POV *

I smoothed my hands over my dress . I was so excited that I was finally going to the formal; I had decided not to go my freshman year. I know Jordan, Jared, and Charlie were down in the family room waiting for me. We had all decided to go together and use my dad’s nice car. That’s when the phone rang.

“Hello?” I asked breathlessly.

“Oh…Marie. It’s Josh.”

“Shouldn’t you be almost here?” I asked confused.

He hesitated for a minute. “About that, well..I’m not feeling well so I have to but a rain check on tonight.”

“Feel better Josh.” I choked out before hanging up quickly. I can’t believe he couldn’t go, this was all my friends and I had talked about for weeks. I walked down the stairs to see that my dad had the video camera trained on me.

“Turn it off Dad.” I said softly trying not to burst into tears.

“Honey, what’s wrong” My mom asked nervously. I think she was as nervous about this whole dance thing as I was.

“Josh is sick, so he can’t go. All my friends have dates, I can’t go alone!” I cried out sitting on the bottom step.

“Oh Marie, I’m so sorry.” Mom said helplessly before looking at Jared and Jordan. “You too can still take Mr. Haefner’s car, you better leave so you’re not late.”

Jordan stood up slowly. “I’ll go as her date.” He muttered. My mom lurched forward and kissed him on both cheeks. “Thank you so much Jordan! Did you hear that Marie?”

I was shocked; Jordan and I had never been close. If it had been any one, I would have assumed it was Jared. I trailed behind them slowly listening to their conversations.

“Dude, if you try and even feel up my sister once, I am not afraid to beat the shit out of you.” Charlie threatened.

Jordan laughed. “Trust. Me. It’s nothing like that, at. All.” He stated. He turned around and looked at me. “You get it’s just me being nice to you, right?” I nodded and felt my heart drop to my feet. I was having fun imagining that the most popular senior boy actually might of have feelings for me. Plus, the way he said it made me feel rather insulted. The car ride was silent and awkward and I was relieved when we finally got there. Except, unlike all the other couples there, Jordan wouldn’t even touch me. Not a simple arm around the shoulders or waist. I knew plenty of couples that were just friends, but even they were putting on the show for the evening. Instead Jordan and I just walked into the gym, side by side. Almost immediately, we were flocked by Jen, Jordan’s ex-girlfriend. She had broken up with him claiming that he was too busy with hockey, but we all know she just got bored. Apparently she missed him tonight though. “Jordan! There you are, I’ve been looking around for you! Hey, I decided I made a mistake, how about we dance and talk about our future?” She said in her usual bubbly way.

Jordan looked at me and shrugged. “Guess you’re on your own, Marie.” He said being disappearing with Jen and leaving me standing their humiliated. I did not get it; he was the sweetest boy around every one else except me. He just completely takes advantage of me. “Ass.” I heard Jared mutter behind me and I jumped, I didn’t realize he was still there. That’s when I spotted a head that looked oddly familiar. I marched through the crowd and grabbed the back of the boy’s suit and spun him around. I was now face to face with Josh.

“What are you doing here?!” I almost screamed at him.

He grinned guiltily. “Well, you were kinda my back up plan, so when Ashley called and said you would go, I had to make up an excuse. I figured you wouldn’t be stupid enough to come without a date.”

I glared at him. “ I do have a date, it’s Jordan!” I said before looking around. Apparently Jordan wasn’t helping my case, as he and Jen were getting pretty happy in the corner.

Josh snickered. “That looks like some date to me.” Now if this were a movie, I would get the guts to slap him or some knight in shining armor would come rescue me. That’s when a fist came flying out of no where and it hit Josh so hard, he fell to the ground bleeding. Hey, maybe I did fall into a movie script. Then I saw a flash of red hair. Damn, those fighting lessons Mr. and Mrs. Staal signed him up for hockey really did help.

“You bastard!” Josh yelled before standing up covering his nose with one hand. Then, he took a wild swing at Jared.

That’s when Jordan stepped in. “Jared! Stop he’s not worth it!” He shouted before dragging Jared out into the hallway. “You come too.” Jordan added with a glare over his shoulder. I followed him silently into the hallway.

“What the HELL was that?” Jordan yelled at Jared.

Jared glared right back at him. “I was actually standing up for Marie because she is my friend! I didn’t just leave her like road kill on the side of the ride. He was being a dick, so I had to do something!” He spat out angrily.

Jordan looked at both of us before turning to me. I was expecting him to yell at me now for being irresponsible, but instead he just whispered softly. “I’m sorry Marie.”

I shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Marie, you have to stop letting people stomp all over you! You’re pissed at him and you can admit it!” Jared interjected.

I stared at Jordan before finally admitting, “Yes, I am fucking pissed off at you because you are a selfish dick head to me and I’m tired of it.” I yelled before turning around and running away.

Present Day

Two Weeks Later

Marie’s POV

I was working the late shift at Starbucks again. This time though, Scott was in a small crib under the counter. Jane had explained to me that she was visiting her sister an hour away and was sleeping over, so I was on my own to watch Scott all day. I talked to the manager and she figured that since probably no one would come in, I could keep Scott there if I made sure he didn’t cry. So far Scott has been behaving amazing, not a peep from him the whole night.

“Hey Marie!” Eric’s voice shouted from the front of the door. Instead of being alone this time, he had a beautiful woman with him and a baby in a baby carrier.

“You never called me, so I figured I would take manners in my own hands. Marie, this is Tanya my beautiful wife and this is Parker, my perfect baby boy.” Eric said proudly beaming at me. I glanced at Scott’s sleeping form, praying he could stay asleep for another hour.

“Do you want to hold me?” Tanya asked. I brushed my hands on my apron and stepped out from the counter. “Yea sure.”

She carefully set him in my arms and I cradled him, making sure to support his head. Eric stared at me, “Since when are you such a natural at babies?” He asked.

I shrugged biting my lip. “I’ve baby-sat a few times.” I sat down at one of the tables and Tanya and Eric sat down also. We talked for a while about how they met, their wedding, and how I was.

Then Scott woke up and started crying. Tanya looked at my extremely confused, “Is that…a baby crying?” She asked.

I giggled nervously, I always giggle when I get nervous. Unfortunately, Eric remembered that. “Marie, what the hell is going on?”

“Uh..Welll.. You know how you asked my why I hadn’t gone to college and I said I had other interests? Well, it was really because I got stupid and pregnant.” I explained in a rush.

“But you are..only nineteen.” Tanya said slowly.

“Actually, I’m turning nineteen in a month.” I corrected her. Eric took this all in stride and stood up. “Let me see it then.”

Shit, shit, shit. I couldn’t let him see Scott, he would know right away. I jumped in front of the counter and spread my arms out. “You don’t want to do that.”

“Why?” He asked confused.

Why, why doesn’t he? “Well, because he has my genes, so he’s not the prettiest baby.” I blurted out. Where the hell did that come from? Scott is the cutest baby ever, just my personal opinion.

He sidestepped me. “That’s stupid Marie,” he walked behind the counter, “I don’t know why you are freak- oh my god.” Eric said before looking at me.

“That is Jordan’s baby!” Eric yelped out.

Tanya nearly sprinted over. “What? I thought you said they broke up three years ago, that looks like its Parker’s age.”

Eric stared at me in shock. “How did this happen?”

I tried to make a joke out of the situation. “Well, Eric, I think it’s time you and your dad had that talk..”

His look silenced me. “This is serious Marie. I don’t understand how Jordan could keep this from me. Keep the fact that I’m an uncle away from me..” He trailed off miserably.

I glanced down at my fingernails before picking at them. “Well, that’s the thing..he kinda sorta doesn’t know.”

Eric’s phone was out of pocket before I could even blink. I lurched forward and grabbed his wrist. “You can’t tell him!” I shrieked.

“But I HAVE TO! I have to let my little brother know that he’s a dad.” Eric said desperately.

“You have to follow her wishes, baby. At least don’t tell him for know, not until we’ve heard the whole story.” Tanya spoke up softly. Eric glanced at her before shoving his phone in his pocket. I shot her a greatful look and mouthed a “thank you” to her.

“If you sit back down, I’ll tell you the whole story from start to finish.”

Eric turned around to sit down, but then he faced me and held up his hands. “Before all of that, I want to know what my nephew’s name is and if I can hold him?” He asked smiling softly.

I grinned and lifted Scott out of his crib. “His name is Scott and of course you can, Uncle Eric.”

Chapter 2

“But I wanna play!” Marie pouted already bundled up in layers of clothing. She was standing in front of the Staal’s hockey rink with a hockey stick in her hand. The four Staal brothers and her own two brothers were staring at her like she had four heads. Only Jared, who was just one year older than her, was looking slightly sympathetic.

“You don’t even know how to skate!” Mike, her oldest brother, jeered.

“And you’re just a stupid girl!” Jordan shouted out.

Eric, the oldest of every one, was looking slightly uneasy. He tried to make peace with Marie. “Marie, the teams are already even. Maybe if some one gets hurt you can play next him.” Eric tried to reason with her.

“Fat chance.” Charlie muttered under his breath. Marie turned away and run through the thick snow, trying to stop the tears that were running down her cheeks. She didn’t know why she even bothered; she was never part of the group. Her two older brothers and the four Staal’s were inseparable. The only time she got too hang out with them was when Mrs. Staal would feel bad and invite her over for movie night when the rest of the boys were over. Marie stomped into the kitchen, kicking off her jacket and gloves as she went.

“Did they not let you play again?” Her mom asked frowning at her. She shook her head and wiped her eyes.

“Come here baby, it’s okay.” Her mom said holding her arms open. Marie ran into them and clung onto her mom.

Marie’s mom looked over her shoulder and said to her dad. “Lucas, you have to put a stop to this. Marie gets hurt every time.”

Her dad was barely paying attention though, watching Hockey Night in Canada. “Lucy, boys will be boys.”

Lucy put her hand on her hips and took a steaming cup of hot chocolate out of the microwave. “Here Marie, have this. And don’t worry about the boys, you can be by helper tonight.” Marie sipped eagerly at the hot chocolate, the warm substance filling every part of her.

Lucy opened the front door and shouted across the yard. “Charlie! Mike! Time to come in, now!”

“Moooomm, why?” They both complained at the same time.

“If you can’t include every one, then you won’t play at all.” She responded sternly. The boys both muttered to themselves and started gathering their equipment.

“Thanks a lot for being a big baby, Marie!” Jordan shouted angrily. Lucy’s hand flew up to her mouth. “Jordan Lee Staal! Do you want me to call your Mom?” She threatened.

Jordan quickly shook his head. “No, Mrs. Haefner! I’m sorry.”

Lucy shook her head. “Don’t apologize to me, apologize to Marie.”

“I’m sorry Marie.” Jordan timidly apologized. But Marie just stared at him before running up to her room and bursting into tears.

* End of Flashback *

Eric’s POV

I handed Tanya the cup of coffee and she took a sip, but grimaced.

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked.

“It was really nice you got me some, but it’s cold. We live a block from the Starbucks, how did it get cold?” Tanya replied laughing before putting it in the microwave.

“I actually ran into a really old family friend, she was our neighbor growing up. I saw her last year, but I haven’t talked to her to in four or five years.” I explained.

“Oh, why wasn’t she invited to our wedding then?” Tanya asked.

“Her dad was there and her two older brothers were at my bachelor’s party, but Jordan flipped when he found out I was inviting her, so I took her off the list.” I tried to explain, knowing that I know I was going to have to tell the whole story.

“Why?” She asked totally confused now.

I sat down. “Well, the February of Jordan’s senior year they started dated. No one knows why, but all of a sudden they were inseparable. We always thought her and Jared would end up together…Then he got drafted in June to Pittsburgh, and he wanted her to go with him. But she’s about two and a half years younger than him, so she was just fifteen. Jordan blew up when she said she wouldn’t go with him, said some horrible things to her, and started a few rumors. As far as I know, they haven’t talked since that three years ago. Jared said she went to a private school in the US after that.”

Tanya shook her head. “But that makes no sense, Jordan is so nice.” She paused to smile, “sure a little cocky and crazy, but nice.”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t make much sense to me either, but it is what it is I guess. Speaking of Jordan though, I have to call him.”

“Keep your voice down, Parker is finally sleeping.” Tanya replied before taking her coffee with her and walking through our apartment to the master bedroom. I dialed Jordan’s number and after a few rings he picked up. “Hey little bro. It’s your favorite brother”

I could tell he was at a club, I could barely hear him. The Penguins must have won, damn it. “Eric?”

I laughed. “Of course it’s me. Who else would be your favorite?”

Jordan chuckled. “Well..Marc has been calling me more lately…”

“Anyway, you’ll never guess who I saw today.” I told him excitedly.

“If I’ll never guess, then why don’t you just tell me?” Jordan said.

“Marie.” I blurted out.

“Marie who?” He asked. Wow. I know it’s been three years, but I never thought he would forget her like that.

“Marie Haefner.” I said slowly.

Jordan’s tone instantly changed. “Why are you telling me that? I don’t care.” He snapped. I could have told him that if he really didn’t care, he wouldn’t have gotten so mad. But I decided to keep that little information to myself.

“So why did you leave a message.” I finally asked after an awkward silence.

“Oh, Olivia wants to know if you can bring Tanya down next time you play here in Pitt. She needs to pick out dresses for the wedding or whatever. Some chick thing.”

Tanya wouldn’t be too happy about it, but if I begged enough and promised a trip to the spa, she would probably give in. “Sure, I’ll have to ask her.”

“Great, thanks dude. I can barely hear you, so see you later bro.” Jordan stated before hanging up.

Jordan’s POV

“That was Eric.” I stated glancing around the table that was seated with Vero, Marc, Sidney, and Olivia.

“Can Tanya come down for the fitting?” Olivia asked impatiently.

“Eric thinks she can.” I said

“Yes!” She squealed excitedly. I don’t understand why Tanya has to come up; it’s a pain with Parker. But Olivia insisted, so I implied. And fuck, why did he have to bring up Marie. The sex I had with her at Christmas was a horrible mistake. And I clearly let her know that it was and that I never wanted to talk about it again. I can’t let her crawl back into our lives.

“Let’s dance!” Olivia said jumping up when a girly beat of a song she liked started playing.

“But I’m not drunk enough yet to dance.” I complained while laughing.

“Please Jord-Jord.” Olivia pouted.

“Yeah, Jord-Jord. Dance, pwease.” Sid mimicked Olivia with an exaggerated pouting face. I downed the rest of my drink before standing up and taking her head. She led me to the middle of the dance floor and started grinding her ass into my cock. If this was how she liked to dance, then I could dance all night. I gently bit her earlobe and tugged on it, loving how I make her purr with pleasure.

“Get a room and stop having sex on the dance floor.” Max said walking by.

Olivia giggled and turned around. “Do you want to?” I responded by grabbing her hand and dragging her back to the table. I grabbed my keys from the table and told Sidney. “You’re going to have to get a ride home with some one else tonight.”

He stared at me. “Dude!” I ignored him and wrapped my arm around Olivia and pulled her next to me. Marc-Andre winked at me before I tugged Olivia and I out the club.

Marie’s POV

I rolled over and stuffed a pillow over my head. Scott would not stop crying, this was the fourth time he’s started again. I am just almost nineteen years old. On top of missing partying, friends, and drinking, I am seriously beginning to miss sleep. I used to be a wild child, but that has completely changed. I finally staggered out of bed and peered at Scott from his crib. I think it was his “needing his diaper changed cry.” I gingerly picked him up and smelled his diaper. Nope. I seriously sucked at this whole mom thing. No natural abilities or motherly instincts here. It must be his hungry cry then. I flipped on the lights in the main room and set him in his playpen more a minute. If I was going to up another half hour nursing him, I might as well take a Motrin to stop my headache. I picked Scott up and sat down on the couch. I unbuttoned the old dress shirt that I fallen into the habit of sleeping in because it gave easier access to my breasts. Scott latched on and greedily began sucking. I got over the discomfort after the few first weeks and now it feels amazing. No one else will have such intimate time with my son like I do. Plus, there’s no way I could ever afford formula on top of everything else. I flipped on the small, old TV set and found it was on Sportscenter.

“And the Pittsburgh Penguins had another spectacular night. And twenty-one year old Jordan Staal keeps rolling with three assists and a plus four for the whole night. He is now on the list of elite young players in the NHL now.” I bitterly turned off the TV. Hockey was what ruined everything for us. We could still be happy right now and Scott could actually have a family. I never planned on telling Scott that Jordan Staal is his father. It will break my heart having to lie to him, but it will have to be done. Telling him will bring up too many questions and he’ll want to find Jordan. The sad part is that since Jordan hates me, he’ll want nothing to do with his sweet, innocent, loving kid. Scott finally stopped nursing and fell into a blissful sleep. I walked back to our crib and kissed his cheek before putting him back in his crib. I passed out almost as soon my head hit the pillow.

Chapter 1

I glanced down at my watch. 10:00 PM. Damn it. I’ve never left Scott with Jane for so long. I dropped him off this morning at 6:00, so I could go to my morning waitress job. Then, I spend the rest of the day working at Starbucks. Being around coffee this much isn’t good, trust me. Even with working two jobs a day, I still can barely support my three-month year old son and myself. It’s because I got pregnant at eighteen and dropped out of college. I stress out at the thought that he’s never going to get a good life because of my stupid decisions. Maybe I should have gone with my dad’s orders and given him up. It would be better for him. But then I think about the first time I ever held him in my arms. The moment I realized that I brought him into this world and that he’s mine was amazing. That this little baby needs me- and only me- to survive. It’s the best feeling in the world. Instead of being with my sweet little baby boy though, now I was working behind a counter at Starbucks. The only fun part of this job was the people watching. You always get different type of people. It’s always a challenge to try and please so many different people.

“Marie?” A shocked voice asked me. A voice that I recognized way too well, a voice that I grew up with.

“There’s no Marie here.” I said refusing to turn around and trying to disguise my voice.

“Marie, cut the shit. I haven’t talked to you in four years, but I saw you last year at Christmas. Turn around.” The voice ordered, now demanding. He still has the bossy oldest brother personality, even after all these years.

“Yes, Eric?” I asked timidly.

Instead of anger for not keeping in contact with him, he broke into a wide smile. “Come over here so I can give you a hug.” I’m surprised he’s so happy to see me even though we were neighbors our lives. I was always the annoying little sister that tried to play in all of their games.

I looked around, there were customers around and I was the only employer closing up. I stepped out from the counter. “I thought you had a game tonight?” I didn’t follow the Hurricanes because it might hurt too much; I avoid pain at all costs. But hockey is so big around here that there was no way I didn’t here the buzz about the games each night.

His warm, large arms wrapped around my slim body. I tried to not let my mind wonder about how much he looks and feel like his younger brother.

“I did, but Tanya gets so tired taking care of Parker and her favorite coffee is from Starbucks, so I figured I would pick her some up.” Eric explained.

“Tanya? Parker?” I asked feeling confused with the names that he threw around.

He grinned broadly. “I forgot, you’ve been A-WOL for the past couple years. Tanya is my wife and Parker is my beautiful baby boy.” He said proudly.

I squeezed his arm. “Good work Eric.”

“So what’s up with you? What made you decide to go to college in Raleigh?” Eric asked me.

I turned away from him and started to fiddle with the coffee filters. “I’m actually not going to college.”

“What? Why?” He asked shocked.

“Other things have come up in my life.” I explained vaguely while shrugging my shoulders.

“Like what?” Eric asked curiously. I brushed past him and switched the shop sign to closed and turned off all of the coffee makers. “Just some different stuff.”

“Ohhh okay. Fine, be mysterious.” He said grumpily. “At least let me give you a ride home.”

That I could agree to. I never look forward to the cold ten-block walk in the dark in a bad part of town. I followed him to the car and slid into the front seat. On the dashboard was a sticky note that said “Call Jordan.” I tried not to wince and looked away from it. Eric studied me for a moment but didn’t say anything; he just flipped on the radio. This was why I loved Eric so much, he never pushed you. We chitchatted about worthless information the whole time, such as the farm and his parents. We made sure to never talk about his brother.

I heard him gasp quietly when he saw the horrible state some of the houses were in and the large men that would stare at the car. “Mar, what are you doing here?”

He brought up a sensitive point in my life. I hate the bad neighborhood that I have provided my son with. But it’s the only place I can afford and lately I can barely even afford it.

“It’s what I can afford. So just stop questioning every damn thing in my life.” I snapped. He parked before holding his hands up. “Listen I’m sorry that we lost touch. I kept talking to your brothers but after what happened with you and J-“

“No, it’s fine I completely understand.” I said quickly cutting him off. He handed me a slip of paper with his number in it and I stuffed it into my pocket.

“Marie, is that you? Scott has been crying all night for you, thank goodness you’re home.” Jane yelled out from her porch.

Shit. “Who’s Scott?” Eric asked.

“My dog.” I jumped out of the car. “Thank you so much. Talk to you later Eric.” I said before sprinting into Jane’s house. Jane reminded me so much of my grandmother. The way she dressed and especially the way her house smelled. “I am so sorry Jane. I just needed to pick up that night shift.”

She smiled at me before handing me a warm cookie. “Don’t worry honey, I got to show him all to all of my friends.” She frowned before continuing, “but then he started crying and just wouldn’t stop, I couldn’t find anything.” I went over to his crib and picked him up and he almost instantly stopped crying.

Jane chuckled. “My, my, my. I’ve never seen a boy so attached to his Momma.” She handed me a plate of food. “I doubt you’ve had anything, so have our left-overs.”

I smiled, it’s clear that I would die without Jane. “Thank you so much Jane, I’m sorry Scott was such a pain. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I called out before shutting her door and walking the four feet to mine. I made sure I firmly locked and dead-bolted the door and closed all the blinds. Then, I took the time to stare into my baby boy’s blue eyes that looked exactly like his fathers and the blonde fuzz that was already growing. He was looking more and more like Jordan every day.