Page 17

FIFTEEN

Owen

THEN

Summer

O wen,” Ellie’s adorable voice groaned behind me. “How much further?”

I grinned, looking at the trailhead. At the arrow that pointed towards the waterfall we’d been hiking to. “We’re almost there.”

Pulling her water bottle out of my bag—a yellow one covered in white daisies—I handed it to her as we reached a bench.

She plopped down, guzzling her water. “How is it I’m on the ice every day and I’m struggling, but you have barely broken a sweat?” She wore a racerback tank and athletic capri leggings, and they hugged every curve of her lithe body. Something I was trying hard not to notice, especially since I was definitely a horny teenager who was currently alone with his girlfriend.

Wrapping my arm around her blonde ponytail, I tugged it lightly, bringing her eyes up to meet mine. “Because I practically grew up hiking, Skater Girl. ”

She muttered something under her breath about how she was just as fit as I was, but I had to give it to her. My stride was a lot longer than hers, and I hadn’t exactly taken it easy on the way up here.

“We’ll go slower on the way down, I promise.”

Ellie huffed out a breath, blowing strands of blonde hair off her forehead. Standing up, she handed me her water bottle back, and I stowed it in my backpack before waving my hand towards the trail. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” She gave me one of those smiles that melted my heart. God, there was nothing like spending time with her.

This summer, I wanted to make every moment count. After all, I was leaving for college in less than a month. Oregon had so many beautiful trails and places to see, it felt like you could live here your entire life and still not see all of them. The Bradfords had spent a week in Central Oregon this summer, renting a house, and let me come along with them. I’d stayed in Beau’s room, of course, and Ellie had roomed with her older sister Abigail, but that didn’t stop us from sneaking out onto the deck to make out.

“It’s going to be weird when you’re gone,” Ellie murmured as she laced her fingers through mine, the two of us taking a slower pace than we had before.

I sighed. “I know. I can’t imagine not seeing you every day.” Leaning over, I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to miss you so much, El.”

“Me too.” She squeezed my hand. “But at least we can call and text each other. And when you’re on the ice, just know I’m cheering for you, even if I can’t be at your games anymore.”

Our destination came into view: a crystal clear waterfall with a shallow pool that was a perfect swimming spot—if you took the long trek up here. Because of that, it wasn’t super crowded .

“Oh, Owen. This is beautiful.” Her hand rested over her heart as she took in the view.

“Yeah, it is,” I said, unable to pull my eyes away from her. The sun had caught on her blonde hair, illuminating it like a halo. Her blue-gray eyes looked even bluer in this light, sparkling the same way the water did. And the expression on her face? She had no idea how gorgeous she was. How attractive I found her.

I knew some of my friends thought it was cliché, going into college while still dating my high school girlfriend. But she was more than that. She was my future, my everything. All my life, I’d noticed Ellie. Even when I was little, I’d always given her a hand when she fell, or bandaged her knee when she scraped it. I enjoyed being her protector. I liked being hers even more.

So yeah, maybe I was a fool to think we would last. But I couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else.

“Do you want to go for a swim?” I asked, giving her a mischievous grin as I set my backpack on the rocks, far enough away from the water that it wouldn’t get wet.

Ellie frowned. “But we didn’t bring swimsuits.”

I shrugged, pulling off my top. In the summer heat, the cool water was going to feel freaking amazing. “We can just wear our underwear.”

“Owen.” Her cheeks flushed. “Are you sure?”

“Daisy.” I pulled her tight against my body, and Ellie’s fingers traced up my hard chest as I pressed a kiss under her jaw. My voice was low, barely above a rasp. “I’ve seen you in a swimsuit before.” We’d gone on family vacations every summer since I was little. More than once, our parents had taken all eight—and then nine—of us to Florida to go to Disney World. We spent most of those trips going to the pool at least once. “It’s nothing new.”

“Okay.” She bit her lip. “I guess you’re right.”

“Only if you’re comfortable,” I reassured her. There was no way I would do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. That wasn’t what this was about. This was supposed to be something fun for both of us, an experience we’d both remember.

My girl gave me a small smile, stepping up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m always comfortable with you, Owen.”

God, those words.

I kicked off my shoes and socks before pushing off my shorts. I’d worn a loose pair of athletic shorts with a pair of boxer briefs underneath, knowing it was too hot for material that didn’t breathe.

“Your turn.”

Ellie stripped out of her tank top, shoes and leggings quickly, folding and resting them on top of her shoes by my backpack before turning towards me. She was wearing a teal sports bra and hipster undies and gave me a shy look.

“Come on,” I said, holding out my hand for her.

She took it, letting me interlace our fingers, and then we both took off at a run, heading straight for the water. There wasn’t an abrupt drop into the pool, so we couldn’t jump in, but each step brought us in deeper. I laughed as Ellie shrieked from the cold, but tugged her in further with me.

There wasn’t a single part of the pool that I couldn’t touch the bottom of, but we paddled around for a few minutes, enjoying the cool water and the warm sun. It was perfect. You could hear the rushing of the waterfall and the sounds of the forest.

“This is perfect,” Ellie mumbled, floating on her back as she looked up at the sky. “The perfect day.”

“I thought you’d like it. I’ll make an outdoorsman out of you yet, Ellie Bradford.”

She laughed, moving back up to her tiptoes and weaving her arms around my neck. “I’m not sure that’s a bet you can win, Owen Harper. ”

I winked at her before leaning my head down to kiss her softly. An exploratory kiss.

My girl responded with fervor, kissing me back harder, and I groaned at her sweet taste. She was always so sweet. God, I couldn’t get enough.

“I want to show you something,” I murmured.

“Oh?” Ellie pulled back, running her fingers through my hair as she wrapped her legs around my waist.

“Uh-huh.” I nipped at her bottom lip. “Hold on.”

Carrying her through the water, I approached the waterfall. Behind it was a small cave, only a little bigger than both of us.

“Close your eyes,” I whispered against her ear, and when she complied, I covered her body with mine before walking through the waterfall. On the other side, I waded up to the edge of the cave. “Open.”

Her eyes fluttered open, and she brushed back the wet strands from her face before looking around us. “Wow. How’d you know this was here?”

I smirked. “I have my ways.” Helping her up onto the rock, I pulled my body up beside her, both of us sitting on it and staring at the backside of the waterfall.

It was loud in here, and it felt like I could barely hear myself think. But maybe that was what I liked about places like this. That here, I could block the rest out. I didn’t have to worry about who I was or my future. I didn’t have to worry about the NHL or what would become of my life now that I’d been drafted to the Seals. All I had to think about was the girl by my side, and how much I loved her.

Love . It was a big word. Huge. And even though we’d been dating for two years, I hadn’t said it yet. I didn’t know why. Maybe it was because we were so young. Maybe it was because I’d always loved her. As a friend. Like my family. But things were different now .

“I’m so glad I have you in my life, El,” I said, almost having to shout over the sound of the water.

“Me too,” she responded, cupping my jaw. “It still feels like a dream, you know. That you like me. That out of everyone, you picked me. Your little sister’s best friend.”

“You’re a lot more than that, and you damn well know it,” I almost growled. “You’re my best friend too, Ellie. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Seeing you is the highlight of my day, every day.” She beamed, opening her mouth to say something, but I shook my head and continued. “When I finish practice and I see you there, on the bench, lacing up your skates, it’s like I see my future waiting for me.”

I rested my forehead against hers. “You are my future, Ellie Bradford. I know that it’s going to be hard the next two years till you’re in college. And I know the long distance is going to suck. But I’m in this for the long haul. I never want to live without you. I love you.”

“Owen…” She stroked my cheek, her eyes filling with unshed tears. “You’ve always been, and always will be, the best thing that ever happened to me.” She gave me a watery smile. “Do you know why I asked my mom to sign me up for ice skating lessons when I was little?” I shook my head. She’d never told me this before. “I still remember going to one of your peewee hockey games. It’s one of my earliest memories. But you looked so cool out there on the ice. And I knew, immediately, that I wanted to do that too.”

I blinked. “You started figure skating because of me ?”

She nodded, looking shy. “Yeah. And then I fell in love with it too. I love you, Owen. Always have.”

“Come here,” I murmured.

Ellie climbed into my lap, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight against my chest.

I didn’t know what the future held in store for us, but right now, I knew I held my entire world in my arms.

And I didn’t want to let her go. Not now… Not ever.