Jordy favored him with a small smile over the top of his mug. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“At least it wasn’t armadillo.”
Jordy’s warm laugh filled the little café and wrapped over Rowan’s shoulders like a fuzzy blanket. It was the middle of summer, but somehow sitting here with him made Rowan think of a firelit room in the winter, the two of them cozied up against the cold.
It was a silly fantasy to indulge in now that he knew Jordy wasn’t interested, but Rowan was nothing if not silly, so he let himself imagine it.
Then Jordy changed the subject and the fantasy drifted away. Rowan let it go and focused on retraining his brain to see Jordy as… an acquaintance, maybe. A partner in the crime of sneaking out of one of Gemma’s parties. The father of one of Rowan’s library charges.
“I should probably get going,” Jordy finally said when their drinks had long since been consumed. “Kaira will be up very early to ask me about my night. I think the nanny sabotages me.”
Rowan stacked their plates to put into the dish return bin. “Oh?”
“I’ve heard her. ‘The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner your daddy will be home.’” He gave a rueful snort. “Which means she goes to bed early and then gets up even earlier.”
Rowan couldn’t fault the nanny’s logic—or Kaira’s enthusiasm to see her dad. “She really is a sweet kid.”
“Yes. I’m lucky.” He meant that, Rowan knew—it was obvious in the way the man talked about his daughter, prioritized her. Yet now, for the first time, Rowan thought he detected a little wistfulness in the man’s eyes. Maybe he was thinking about Kaira’s mother, whoever she might be, and his life’s empty co-pilot seat. “Thank you for tonight. It was more fun and less painful than the last three parties I went to.”
“Wow, remind me not to attend any parties thrown by hockey players.”
Jordy laughed and gathered their mugs, and together they stood to put the dishes in the bins. “It was good running into you again. Kaira and I will see you at story time.”
Rowan made himself smile and hoped it looked sincere, but Jordy’ssee you latersounded a whole lot likegoodbye. “I look forward to it.”
Very Important Hockey News
July 22, 09:34 a.m.
ShieldMaiden
OMG Shield Nation!
Everyone’s favorite walking thirst trap and adorablest single DILF Jordy Shaw was at the Children’s Aid gala last night, looking as delish as always in his formalwear.
I was flipping through all the photos totally not like a stalker and Shaw is with the SAME GUY IN EVERY PICTURE!
“But ShieldMaiden,” I hear you ask, “I have not seen these pictures; do you have receipts?”
Of course, fam.
Cropped shots heeeeeere.
As you can see, Shaw stuck with the same guy all night—drinks, dinner, mingling, DANCING (did we know he danced????).
Sadly, many of the shots are background photobombs, but Mystery Man is clearly as droolworthy as Shaw. Look at those mile-long legs.
A gala date feels like a #milestone. Here’s hoping we get to see lots more of this new boo!
Tags: ShieldNation, Jordy the DILF Shaw, Shield Fan Service, Rainbow NHL
Comments:
MrsShaw7:
Don’t mind me. I’m just crying that my husband has a totally gorgeous boyfriend that makes him smile Like That.
Pregame
