CHAPTER FORTY TWO
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"Dad?"
Everything she was holding dropped out of hands. In front of her stood her father, Mike Barnes. It's been years since she had saw him. The last time she saw him was her twelfth birthday. And now here he is, standing right in front of her, dressed nicely in a black suit.
Mike allowed his lips to form in a smile as he held his arms out. "You just going to stand there or are you going to give me a hug?"
And without hesitation, Jordyn rushed forward and fell in his arms, holding him tightly. His chest vibrated as he chuckled, squeezing her back. She didn't realize she was tearing up until she felt something trickle down her cheek.
"Dad." She whispered. She didn't know what she was feeling at the moment. Obviously she was happy to see him again, but there was a little bit of confusion in her.
"Hey, kiddo." Mike said with a smile, both of them separating. "How have you been?"
"Do you want me to lie?" She asked, her father raising an eyebrow. She forced out a laugh. "Everything has been really shitty lately."
"Does it have something to do with Terry Silver?"
Jordyn slowly looked up at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "How—"
"Daniel LaRusso paid me a visit." He cut her off. "Told me some shit. He says he's worried about you."
She scoffed, muttering underneath her breath, "I'm sure he is."
"He is. He's worried about all you kids. Jordyn, if Terry Silver is putting you in any harms, tell me and I'll do something about it. I told LaRusso I wasn't getting involved, but you're my daughter." There was nothing but seriousness in his voice when he spoke.
Jordyn parted her lips, but she didn't know what to say. So she closed her mouth, before falling back in his arms, catching him off guard.
"I missed you, dad." She mumbled in his suit.
"I missed you, too, sweetheart." He said, rubbing her back.
"Why didn't you come back when you got out?" She asked, pulling away from him. She watched as his facial expressions switched. "Why did you suddenly come today?"
Mike released a long sigh. "Wanna get some lunch?"
—
"Mom didn't want you back?" Jordyn questioned as she sat across from her dad.
For lunch, Mike took her to a fancy expensive restaurant in Encino. Jordyn felt out of place. Everyone else was wearing fancy dresses and suits, and here she is wearing leggings and a hoodie with her hair put up in a messy bun. She felt like everyone was staring at her, judging her because of the way she looked.
Mike picked up his water, taking a sip before setting it back down in front of him. "She didn't want me in yours or Ian's lives. Said some shit about ruining it if I did. She forced me to get a divorce, which is fine with me because your mother is not who she was twenty years ago."
Jordyn slowly nodded as she listened to him carefully. She didn't know what to think about her own mother now. Tiffany knew how much she was suffering without having her father around, and she did this? Jordyn was beginning to think her mother is a lot more selfish then she thought.
"I tried calling, but she must've blocked me on everything." Mike continued, a silence falling between them until he spoke up, "I wanted to see you and Ian right when I got out. And what your mother did, broke my heart."
"I'm sorry." Jordyn mumbled.
"Don't be. It's not your fault." He replied, shaking his head. "Where's your mother right now?"
"She's been on a trip with her boyfriend for over a week now." She told him. "She's not around much anymore."
Mike frowned. "And your brother?"
She scoffed. "Probably getting some chick knocked up."
"So it's only you right now?"
Jordyn only nodded, taking a bite of her burger and used a napkin to wipe the ketchup off the corner of her lips.
"Come stay with me." Mike offered, causing her to snap her head up and her eyes were wide. He chuckled at her reaction. "It'll be fun. You, me and my wife—"
"Wife?" She cut him off. "You're married?"
He nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I am."
"Well..." She trailed off, smiling a little. "Congratulations."
Mike chuckled. "Thank you." There was a silent between them until he broke it. "I don't think she'll mind if you stay with us. In fact, she'll be happy to have you there. I told her all about you and she's desperate to meet you. But there's one thing."
Jordyn raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You need to leave Cobra Kai."
Oh, trust me I want to, but I can't just yet. She thought to herself. She wanted to tell him that, but she couldn't. What her and Kreese were doing was a secret.
"I can't." She mumbled quietly, pushing her plate back. "I can't leave Cobra Kai."
Mike frowned at his daughter. "Why? Is that bastard blackmailing—"
"No." She cut him off, shaking her head. "I just can't leave. So can you please just stop?"
Mike just slowly nodded, but he knew something was wrong. Something was bothering her. He could see it in her eyes. She's hiding something from him. How does he know? Because that's his daughter and he knows her very well.
—
"I'll be outside waiting." Mike told his daughter, who nodded her head as she continued packing some clothes.
He left, leaving her alone inside the apartment. She wasn't planning on packing much clothes, because her dad told her he was going to take her to buy some brand new clothes.
"What are you doing?"
Jordyn froze at the familiar voice coming from behind her. Slowly turning around, she came face to face with Miguel Diaz, who was leaning against the doorframe with his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans.
Jordyn froze at the sight of him. The last time they saw each other, they kissed.
"Why are you packing?" He asked, gesturing to her suitcase.
"Oh, uh..." She trailed off, running a hand through her hair as she looked at her packed suitcase. "I'm moving in with my dad."
Miguel's eyes widened a bit. "You're moving in with your dad?"
"He showed up at my doorstep and wants me to move in with him." She explained, and he slowly nodded his head as he stepped further in the room. "So, how was Mexico? Did you find your dad?"
"I did." He replied with a nod. "Turns out, he doesn't know I exist and he isn't a good person."
Jordyn's frowned. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too."
Silence fell in the room and they were just staring at each other, the tension between them getting stronger. Miguel began to step closer to her and he took her face in his hands, not wasting a second to smash his lips on hers. Jordyn kissed him back immediately, her hands gripping his long sleeve shirt to pull him closer to her.
"Wait." She whispered, breaking apart from him. "I can't do this."
"What?" Miguel whispered, sounding hurt.
"I'm with Robby." She reminded him and herself. "And I like him a lot."
"But you don't love him." He whispered, keeping her face in his hands. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you?"
"No." Jordyn answered after a moment of silence. "But I do like him, and I do care about him. I don't want to hurt him."
"The spark is still there." Miguel said, pressing their foreheads together. "I felt it. Did you?"
She nodded, closing her eyes. "Yeah."
"Look at me." He said, and Jordyn opened her eyes to look at him. "My feelings for you hasn't changed at all. I still love you, and I know you still love me too. But if you aren't ready to get back with me, I'll wait. I'll wait for you."
Jordyn smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. Miguel wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. She closed her eyes, inhaling the strong scent of his cologne.
"I got something for you." Miguel said.
Jordyn separated from him and watched him pull out a small box from his pocket. She took it from him, and he smiled at her before walking out of the room so she was alone.
Jordyn opened the box, her breath hitching in her throat when she saw it was a dragon necklace. A dragon that looked like the stuffed animal she got on their very first date at Golf n' Stuff.
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