Catching Jordan

Touchdown! (A Jordan Woods/Sam Henry Short Story)

A Note from Miranda

For years, readers have been asking me to write a sequel to Catching Jordan. My answer is always the same: to write a sequel, I'd have to create some drama, and I don't want to create any trouble for Jordan and Sam Henry because they are happy now!

Over the years, I've tried to sprinkle bits and pieces of their lives into my other books rather than write a full-length book. While I've given hints about what they're up to, I wanted to leave how Jordan and Henry's lives unfolded mostly open to the reader's imagination. Besides, Jordan and Henry always find a way to shoehorn themselves into my books—because that's what they do.

Then I wrote Defending Taylor, and they never appeared! I felt bad about that, so I decided to write you guys a special bonus story about Jordan and Henry.

Hope you enjoy. Thank you again for all your support.

Best,

Miranda

Touchdown

Jordan Now

Henry wakes me up by kissing my neck.

My eyes blink open to the sun pouring in between the curtains.

It's been raining, sleeting, and snowing for a month straight. But not today. It's the first sunny day in forever, which means Henry and I can finally go outside and toss around a football.

But not until he finishes waking me up. He crawls on top of me, pressing his warm body to mine. This is a total surprise, and I'm loving it.

Of the two of us, I'm always awake first, usually to go for a run before work. Henry has never been a morning person, and I'm surprised he hasn't gotten a job where he can work nights and sleep all day like a vampire.

As he nibbles on my neck, a thought comes to mind.

"Are you part vampire?" I ask.

He drops his face into the crook of my neck, laughing. "Can't we just do it for once without having some strange conversation?"

I stroke my fingertips over his back and lift his T-shirt off over his head. "Who said you're getting any?"

"Me. I'm one of those vampires who can control other people's minds." He playfully pins me down by my wrists and touches his forehead to mine. "In fact, I'm using mind control on you right now. Do me, Woods. Do me."

Wow, vampires give good wake-up calls.

***

Jordan Now

Other reasons why today is a great day?

We have no plans.

Normally on Saturdays, Henry has to go watch college games or visit schools. As a scout for the Titans, he spends a lot of time driving around Tennessee and neighboring states to talk to college coaches. It's a perfect job for him. He loves talking to people. He loves stats. And most of all, he loves football.

I'm usually busy on Saturdays too, coaching the Hundred Oaks football team, but the boys are only lifting weights right now. We won't start spring practices until March.

Henry and I sit together at the kitchen table to eat breakfast. He reads the sports sections of the Tennessean and the Atlanta Journal as he eats two bowls of cereal. He keeps clanging his spoon against the side of the bowl. It's distracting as I'm trying to write in my poetry journal.

"Would you stop that?" I ask, setting my pen down so I can pinch his thigh playfully.

His purposely drops his spoon into the bowl, making an even louder clanging noise. I shake my head at him with a small smile. We're one of those couples who sit on the same side of the table. He leans over and kisses me deeply, Cheerio breath and all.