Page 16

FOURTEEN

Owen

NOW

N ot your girl, huh?” Brooks said during our practice the next morning, a devilish smirk on his face.

“Fuck off,” I said, adjusting my gloves during a break. Coach Donovan was really throwing everything at us this week, and I knew he was just trying to weed out the best of the best. Some guys would end up getting sent down to our AHL team, and the rest would be cut. It was hard to know that guys we’d spent the last month with would be gone soon, but I tried not to get too attached to anyone.

That rule applied to my personal life, too.

“She’s the one, isn’t she?” Brooks asked, shifting his weight back and forth between his skates. “The one who broke your heart.”

I grimaced. “I never should have told you that.”

“Ah, but you did. And you’re not denying it, which means it’s true.”

Fuck. I walked right into that one. “Yeah. Ellie’s my ex.”

“So, what’s she doing up here? I thought you said she lived in Portland.”

“You heard her. She got a job up here as a teacher. I don’t know.” I shrugged. After all, if I let myself think too hard about why she had moved to Seattle, the hope in my chest would swell, and I couldn’t afford that. No attachments. It was why I’d told her that maybe we should just be friends again.

That, and I was dying to be close to her, even if I couldn’t be with her. All I’d wanted to do last night was to growl anytime someone got near her. Which was absolutely ridiculous, given our relationship was over. Though it hadn’t felt that way when we’d slept together a few months back. No, in that moment, it felt like we had never ended. That we’d simply been waiting for each other all this time.

But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. We hadn’t been waiting for each other. She’d left me behind and never looked back.

“Maybe it’s the universe giving you two a second chance, eh?” His Canadian accent really came out whenever he added an eh on the end of one of his statements, and it always made me chuckle. Brooks and Maverick were both from a small city outside of Winnipeg in Manitoba, and it was easy to forget they weren’t American until they pulled out one of those. Or when they talked about how much better the healthcare was up north, despite us having an amazing plan being on the team.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “It’s too late for us. I don’t know why she moved up here, but she made it pretty clear from the beginning what she wanted.” And that wasn’t me.

“You sure about that?”

I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

“We’re just friends now, man,” I insisted.

Luckily, I was saved by Coach Donovan calling us over, discussing some line pairings he wanted to try today, as well as other defenseman pairings. Our first game had gone well, and we’d won, but we wanted to keep that momentum for the next one tomorrow as well. Especially while we were still on home ice. Since I played the first game, I was off for the next, giving the new guys who were trying to prove themself a chance .

I worked with a few of the prospects for the rest of the day, and while none of us had the chemistry and innate understanding of the way the other worked on the ice like I did with Brooks, they were good. Still, we made some good defensive saves. Hopefully, we’d see some of them during the regular season if they got called up from the Otters, our AHL team.

I remembered my first year here, when I’d been fresh out of training camp and trying to give it my all during those pre-season games. I’d been terrified that after being drafted and making it this far, I wouldn’t actually make it on the team. But then, I’d been the rookie on the Seattle Seals, officially a part of the team, and besides a few scratches or minor injuries, I’d been here every day, working hard for the team.

One of these guys would be like that, too. Young and with a lot of talent, ready to prove himself in the NHL. It was exciting to watch, but even more exciting to be a part of.

When I headed back to the locker room, I wasn’t surprised to find a small group of my teammates standing around my stall, like they were waiting for me. They were in various states of undress, and I pulled off my practice jersey, throwing it into the bin before finally turning to them.

“Alright, lay it on me,” I said with a sigh.

“Come on, Harper. Tell us about your lass.” Reid MacKenzie, our resident redhead, spoke up. He’d already removed his goalie pads and was just in his compression shirt and a pair of workout pants. Your lass. I resisted a chuckle at his choice of words. He was from Scotland, and his thick accent was definitely popular with the girls.

He was wrong about one thing. I crossed my arms over my chest. “There’s nothing to tell. And she’s not my lass.”

Maverick raised an eyebrow. “ That’s the story you’re going with? We saw you at the bar. There was some serious tension between you.”

A sigh escaped me. Might as well get it all off of my chest, since Brooks already knew. “We were best friends, okay? And we dated in high school. She was supposed to follow me to college. I thought she was my forever. And then…” And then it was all over.

“But she moved here?” Reid frowned. He was about the same height as me, giving me a look as I stripped off all my layers.

“She got a teaching job.” I shook my head. There was no way she’d moved here for me. Not when I’d left her four months ago, naked and asleep in her bed. “It doesn’t matter anymore. We agreed to be friends.”

“That’s what you want?” Brooks asked. I knew he was thinking about what I’d told him earlier. This little intervention probably had something to do with that, too.

I nodded. “Yeah.” It was all I could want. “Look, I love you guys. You’re like my brothers. But Ellie and I… Nothing’s going to happen there, okay?”

“So I can ask her out?” Mav asked, flashing me a smile.

There was no way I could hold back my growl. “Over my dead fucking body.”

“Yeah.” Reid patted me on the shoulder. “ Nothing’s going to happen.” He snorted. “And I’m Irish.”

“Was I that obvious?” I asked Brooks, as everyone else walked away.

He chuckled. “Yeah. Even Rhodes noticed the way you couldn’t stop looking at her during the game. Rhodes . And last night… I’ve never seen you like that, man. Like in a room full of people, your eyes couldn’t help but find her.”

“Fuck.” I massaged my forehead.

“Good luck.” He smacked me on the shoulder. “You’re going to need it.”

A week had passed since I’d seen Ellie, and the home opener of the season was just around the corner. We’d texted a little here and there—enough for me to know she was settling into her new school and her role as a teacher. I couldn’t wait to see her in action, though I had no idea how I was going to sneak into the school to see her.

Owen

Hi.

Ellie Daisy

Hey. How’s it going?

Good. Just got home from morning skate.

What are you up to tonight?

Probably will just grab food after I finish class for the day and then watch some TV.

Guess we haven’t changed that much after all.

Maybe not.

Do you want to do something tomorrow, maybe? I have the day off.

And it was Saturday, which meant that Ellie wouldn’t have classes, either. Saturdays off with the team were rare, so I wanted to take advantage of it.

What the guys had said kept running through my mind. The idea of them asking her out gave me hives. It was one reason I had spent little time at home all those years. The idea of seeing her with another guy, her bringing someone else home for family dinners and having to look out my window and seeing her with someone else killed me.

I needed to get over that, though. Still, my teammates were not getting anywhere near her.

What do you have in mind?

I could show you the city. You haven’t really had a chance to explore yet, have you?

No, I haven’t.

That settles it. Send me your address. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.

Hmmm… Are you asking or telling me, Hockey Boy?

Skater Girl?

Yeah?

Would you please come on an adventure with me? For old-time, friends sake.

Of course. See you in the morning.

I grinned to myself before looking around my apartment, trying to see it from her point of view. What would she think when she came over? Would she feel comfortable here?

Was it wrong of me I hoped she would?

The next day, I left my place at 8 AM sharp, heading to pick Ellie up from her apartment.

“Where are we going?” Ellie asked a few minutes later as we drove towards our destination. She crossed her legs, resting her hands in her lap.

It wasn’t in the nicest area of town, which I didn’t love, but I understood her need to do this herself. We both came from families with no shortage of money, but I’d never felt right taking my parents’, either. I’d wanted to make it for myself, and I had. Between my yearly salary, endorsements, and investments, the amount in my bank account was enough to make anyone do a double take. But it was mine.

“Somewhere you’ll like,” I promised. Today felt like one of our old adventures from our early days of dating, back when we were in high school. Ellie had always come along back then, for everything from hiking to sharing picnics under the stars while laying in the truck bed. Sometimes, I wished I still had the old truck, but a smaller car made sense for living in the city.

This morning, I’d pulled on a dark gray sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, plus my most comfortable pair of tennis shoes. We weren’t going hiking, but I wanted to take her some place I’d loved since I first moved here. It was a little off the beaten path, but ever since I’d discovered it, I’d tried to come here once a week and just breathe.

It helped to remind me who I was and where I came from.

Looking over at her, I took in her appearance. She’d pulled her hair back in two double French braids, and was wearing a pair of daisy earrings with a light blue sweater and jeans, as well as a pair of sneakers on her feet. I’d told her to dress casually for where we were going, though I hadn’t told her my plans.

I was trying hard not to think about the last time she’d been in my car, which was proving hard with her scent surrounding me, taking me back to that night. Florals and citrus, and fuck, she smelled good. She looked good, too. Better than good.

She was always the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“You know, I can get you tickets for the home opener if you want to come,” I said, watching as she bit her lip.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

I shook my head, not sure how to communicate the sincerity of my actions. “You’re not asking. I’m offering. Besides, I get free tickets.” And I wanted her there .

“Your family should use those, Owen.”

You are my family, I wanted to say.

But I couldn’t. That wasn’t something friends said, right? And I was trying to keep this strictly platonic. Even if she was the only woman I’d ever loved, and all I wanted was to hold her in my arms and know she was mine.

“I already got tickets for the games they’re coming up for,” I said instead. “So it’s fine. Please come? I want you there. ”

Her eyes connected with mine. “Okay.”

Ellie being there was important to me. It was like my graduation ceremony and having her at my junior hockey games—something about knowing she was in the crowd for me made me warm inside. After all this time, that hadn’t changed.

Having her at the game last week had been one of my best games in a long time. Brooks and Mav had made fun of me for playing better after I got back from Portland this summer, but maybe it was just her. Her light in my life.

“Great. Since that’s settled, are you ready?” I pulled off the road, heading down the one that would take us towards the park.

“Oh.” Her breath caught as part of it came into view. “Owen. It’s beautiful here.”

“Wait until you see the lake.” I said, turning my eyes away from her and back to the road. “It’s even prettier in the spring, too, when all the flowers are blooming.”

“I don’t think I could ever leave the Pacific Northwest,” she said with a sigh of wonder. “I love how green everything is. Sure, it’s gray and rainy eight months out of the year, but it’s nature’s wonderland.”

We’d always loved places like this. Maybe that was why I’d fallen in love with it when I’d first come here.

Parking the car, I got out first, rounding the car to open Ellie’s door and hold out my hand for her. She took it, sliding her palm in mine, and fuck , I shouldn’t have touched her. I’d been resisting the entire time she was sitting next to me, my hand itching to rest on her thigh. But I’d been good. I was being her friend, just like I’d promised.

Our skin touching felt like a shockwave to my system. And I felt the absence when she let go, walking over to the trailhead with excitement in her eyes. This place wasn’t the most beautiful park in the Seattle area—not by a long shot—but it was peaceful, since it wasn’t one of the busy touristy destinations. I liked the calm.

“It reminds me of Forest Park,” I whispered, shoving my hands in my pockets as we walked down towards the water. “The trees and the quiet.”

“It’s perfect.” She did a little twirl, like she was taking in a full view of the place. “I can see why you like it.”

I nodded. “Come on, there’s a bench up ahead. You’ll love the view.”

Ellie followed behind me, and with every step, it felt like we were taking another one away from our past—and towards our future. Whatever that looked like.