Chapter 52 #2
“I miss you,” Jordan continued. “We all do. And I know things are complicated. But I’m not leaving Montana without you.
So you can either get on that plane with me tomorrow, or I can camp out on your porch until you change your mind.
” He glanced at the worn welcome mat beneath his feet.
“Fair warning, I’m not above guilt-tripping you with how cold it is out here. ”
A laugh escaped Sam’s throat. “You’re such an asshole.”
His smile grew again. “I learned from the best.”
Now that definitely seemed like siblings.
But just as quickly as the teasing had come, it seemed to evaporate, and tension filled the air.
Gordy glanced at Sam from where he stood next to her before looking back at Jordan, his gaze narrowed like he was also trying to get a better grasp on all the context we were clearly missing.
“Jordan, I can’t—”
“You can,” he said. “You just don’t want to. And I get it, okay? I do. But you can’t keep avoiding us forever.”
“It’s worked out so far,” she muttered.
“Sammy.”
“Don’t ‘Sammy’ me.”
“Then don’t make me be the annoying older brother who drags you home kicking and screaming.” He raised an eyebrow. “Because I will. You know I will.”
“Maybe we could continue this inside?” Gordy’s voice cut in, low and calm. “It’s cold.”
Jordan glanced at Gordy and then back at Sam as if seeking her permission.
She stepped aside. “Yeah. Come in, I guess.”
Jordan walked inside, looking around the hockey house with the expression of a man who’d expected something very different from his sister’s life. Sam finally turned around and didn’t make any attempt to hide her eye roll when she saw us all hovering in the hallway watching the scene unfold.
“Jordan, this is everyone. Everyone, this is my brother Jordan.”
He gave a little wave.
“You want us to set you a plate? We have plenty of food,” Abby offered.
“He’s not staying,” Sam said quickly.
The awkwardness ratcheted up a notch.
The hurt that flickered across Jordan’s face was unmistakable, but he covered it with determination. “I wasn’t playing around. I’m not leaving here without you. I’ve already bought us plane tickets for a 2 p.m. flight out of Missoula tomorrow.”
“Jordan—”
“Sam, please. Two weeks. That’s all I’m asking. Come home, see Mom, Dad, and Eric, and if you still want nothing to do with us after that, I’ll back off. I promise.”
The silence that followed was suffocating. Sam looked cornered and genuinely, desperately on the verge of panic in a way I’d never seen from her. Sam was always so bright and happy and carefree. But right now she looked like she was drowning.
“I…” Her voice cracked.
My heart squeezed.
“Okay, we’ll come.”
Every head in the room swiveled toward Gordy who was watching Jordan.
Jordan’s eyebrows rose at his statement. “We?”
“Sam and I.” Gordy’s hand rested on the small of Sam’s back, and Sam turned to look at him.
“You’re coming too? As her roommate?” Jordan clarified.
“As her boyfriend.”
The silence that followed was nuclear.
Then Abby sucked in a sharp breath beside me while Liam made a choked sound and Drew muttered “what the fuck” under his breath.
I was stunned. I’d known something was going on with them, but had they seriously been dating behind our backs? Why?
What the hell was going on here?
“I thought you said he was your roommate,” Jordan said carefully.
“Uh, yeah, he is.”
“And I’m her boyfriend,” Gordy said. “Who’ll be coming to Seattle with her.”
Jordan’s gaze darted between Gordy and Sam who did genuinely look like a couple as they stood there with Gordy’s arm around her and his hand holding her waist now.
“You’ll make sure she gets to the airport?” Jordan asked Gordy.
“I’ll take care of the seats since you’ll need another one now that I’m coming.”
“Alright, I’ll text you the flight details,” Jordan said, pulling out his phone. “We can all meet at the airport tomorrow.” He paused, glancing at Gordy with approval. “It’s good that she has someone. I’m glad she’s not… I’m glad she has you.”
Once he’d sent the details he put his phone away. “I should go,” Jordan said, heading for the door. “Let you guys finish dinner. But Sam?” He looked back at her, and his expression softened. “I really am glad I came. Even if you’re pissed at me.”
“I’m not pissed,” she said quietly. “I’m just…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but apparently she didn’t have to.
“I know,” he said. “I know. But it’s going to be okay. I promise.” Without another word, he walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.
For a minute, nobody moved.
Then Drew shattered the silence. “Okay, someone needs to explain what the fuck just happened, because I feel like I blacked out and missed an entire season of this show.”
“You two are dating?!” Liam said, sounding genuinely bewildered as we all made our way back to the table. “Since when?”
“Oh, please, I saw this coming from a mile away,” I said before taking a drink of my wine.
“We should probably talk,” Gordy said quietly, just to her.
Sam nodded, looking dazed, and the two of them slipped out of the dining room back toward the hallway.
The second they were out of earshot, the table erupted.
“Did you really see that coming?” Liam asked, turning to me.
“Oh, yeah. Those two have had some weird chemistry since the first time I saw them together. Back me up on this, Abby.”
She nodded, but her gaze was locked on the stairs.
“Abby?”
“Why wouldn’t she tell me she and Gordy are dating or that she hadn’t actually gone home in five years?” she asked.
We all stared at each other, none of us sure of the answer. But after that entire interaction, I wondered if there was a lot more Sam was hiding that we didn’t know about.