Page 18

SIXTEEN

Ellie

NOW

G od, my life was falling apart.

And I meant that quite literally.

I’d come home from school to find a pipe had burst in the wall, and there was a few inches of standing water in my apartment.

“Fuck,” I groaned. I’d already called the landlord, but that still didn’t change the fact that this apartment was now unlivable.

It had been the only place I could find that was within my budget, and now it was ruined.

Where was I going to go?

This felt like a bad omen. Maybe it was a sign that moving here had been a rash decision, one I should have thought through more.

But I couldn’t regret it when Owen and I had become friends again over the last two weeks. We texted every day since the day he’d shown me his favorite park. Last week, he’d taken me on a tour of downtown Seattle, showing me all the touristy stuff that I was sure he completely hated. He’d gotten recognized a lot, but anytime someone stopped him, he’d been so nice, signing hats and shirts and posing for photos whenever anyone asked.

He’d always been the sweetest, and I loved seeing that he hadn’t changed with his newfound fame. That deep down, he was still the same Owen. We might not have each other memorized now the way we did before, but I still knew that he was a good person. I felt it in every action of his. So I would never regret him coming back into my life, no matter what way it happened.

And right now, all I wanted was for him to pull me into his arms, surround me with that woodsy scent, and tell me that everything was going to be okay.

Because everything was ruined .

I’d already cried—and screamed—but the tears started falling again. What was I going to do? I needed to call my parents and tell them, but it felt like I’d failed. And I didn’t want to admit that I had.

My phone was still in my hand, but I hadn’t moved. Not since I’d done my first sweep of the place after hearing running water and wading through my own personal swamp to check on my belongings.

I was in a trance. Which might have explained why I didn’t hear the knock on my apartment door the first time. Or possibly the second.

“Ellie?” a deep voice called out, finally jarring me from my current state. Another knock, and I rushed to the door.

I would recognize that voice anywhere.

“Owen?” I asked as I opened it, blinking in surprise.

“Ellie, what’s—” His eyes widened as he took in the sight behind me. “—wrong.” He finished, and I knew he’d answered his own question.

“Why are you here?” I murmured, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Today was overwhelming, and all I wanted to do was cry .

Or call my mom.

Maybe both.

But I was an adult, and I could handle this. Right? What a lie . I was twenty-two, and I didn’t have the first idea about how to fix this.

He hadn’t moved from the doorway, just watching me. “I thought I’d come over. Last day off before the home opener, and I just wanted to see how things were going. I just…” I was pretty sure I knew what he was going to say, though he didn’t need to. “God, Ellie. This place is terrible.”

I laughed. “Yeah. It wasn’t great before the water. Now it’s just…” I looked around us. Ruined . I couldn’t come up with another word for it. I shrugged my shoulders.

“What do you need?”

I looked down at the floor, trying to hold back a sob. “Can you just… hold me? I just really need a hug right now.”

“Of course.” His legs sloshed through the standing water as he moved towards me, gathering me up in his arms. I pressed my face into his chest, holding on tight. “Always,” I was pretty sure he murmured against my scalp.

It felt like my graduation party all over again, seeing him again in the flesh for the first time in almost five years. Running into his arms. That night, we didn’t talk about why it all went wrong. We just were . He kissed me, and it felt so right being with him again. It should have been strange… but this was us.

I had my arms around Owen’s back, hard and muscular, as I clung onto him like he was my life preserver and I was drowning. Maybe because it felt that way.

“Ready for me to let go?” He chuckled, rubbing his hand over my back.

“No,” I mumbled, taking one last hit of his scent before finally pulling away. “I want this nightmare to be over.”

“Did you call the landlord? ”

I nodded. “He got the water turned off, and then he’s going to come back and get it all pumped out of here. But I have no idea how long it will be till this place is livable again. What am I going to do, Owen?”

“Have you called your parents yet?”

I shook my head. “No. Because I know they’re going to be so supportive and offer to rent me a place, and I just…” My shoulders drooped with defeat. “I love them. They’re the best parents ever. But I wanted to do this myself.”

Owen rubbed his jawline, and I took a moment to appreciate all six-foot-three of him standing in the middle of my water-logged apartment. He made the space feel smaller, if that was even possible. Somehow, he was just larger than life.

“What if…” He trailed off. “Hear me out before you say no.”

Nodding, I ignored the churn of nerves in my stomach at whatever he was going to say.

“You can move in with me.”

There it was. “ What ?” I shook my head. “I can’t possibly…”

“Sure you can. Move in with me. At least until this place is fixed. I have a giant apartment, and there’s way more space than I need for myself. Plus, I’m not even there half the time with my travel schedule during the season. I have an empty guest bedroom. It’s yours.”

I bit my lip. “Owen. I can’t move in with you.”

“Why not?”

“There’s all this history between us. We didn’t work.” I broke your heart. “Besides, what would our families think?” That we were getting back together. I saw the hope in Penelope’s eyes when Owen and I walked in together at the party. But we weren’t.

“We’re friends now, right? We can make it work. Be…” He cleared his throat. “Platonic. Whatever you need. ”

First, I needed to get my stuff out of here. I needed to not be standing in nasty water. And then I needed food before I made a decision about living with my ex-boyfriend.

“I need to get my stuff out of here. Do you think you can help?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “Of course. I’m always here for you, El.”

Less than two hours later, I’d gotten all of my stuff out of the one-bedroom apartment. I’d only had to toss a few things that were ruined from the water, and with his help, it had been easy to load everything into plastic bins and carry it out. My landlord started pumping out the standing water when we were halfway done, and I cringed to think of what would have happened if I wasn’t in a first floor unit. Especially when I had no idea when the damn pipe had burst today, and that water had probably been sitting for hours.

Either way, I wouldn’t miss the apartment. He told me he’d let me know when it was repaired and I could move back in, but that it would probably take a few months as the city was short on contractors. I wasn’t holding my breath.

“What now?” Owen stood, leaning against his car. We’d loaded up both, and he had all of my bedding and everything that needed to be washed ASAP.

Maybe a few nights at his place wouldn’t hurt.

“Okay,” I said, nodding to myself.

“Okay, what?”

“Okay, I’ll move in with you.”

The tightness in his body dissipated quickly. “Thank fuck. I don’t like you living here.” His voice was almost a growl.

“It’ll just be for a few nights,” I reassured him. “And then I’ll find a place and get out of your hair. ”

“Sure. If that’s what you want.”

“ But we need to have rules.” We would have to follow them to make this work. He nodded. I held up a finger. “No sleeping together. We’re friends. That means we can’t complicate things with sex.”

Owen’s eyes heated, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was. How good it had been. But that would complicate things. Especially if we were going to be roommates.

“Should we go home then?” He asked, nodding at the two cars. “And then I can feed you dinner.”

That sounded perfect. “Yeah. Okay. I should probably get all the wet stuff in the laundry, too.”

Calling his home mine was strange. It was his private sanctuary, and I was the one intruding. Which presented a whole different problem. We weren’t going to sleep together… but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to bring other women over. The thought soured my stomach.

Nodding my head, I turned back to my car. “Meet you there?”

He grinned, not having a clue about what had ruined my appetite. “See you there, Daisy.”

It was even later when we finally got everything out of the cars and up to Owen’s penthouse freaking apartment. It had views of the Seattle skyline, and it was breathtaking. Compared to this, I’d been living in a dump. Luckily, my commute to school wouldn’t be too crazy each day, though the traffic would probably be worse now. Still, I’d make it work.

I’d already started my laundry, not wanting anything to mold if it sat too long.

“Pizza?” Owen asked, leaning against the doorframe as I folded another shirt, tucking it into the guest room dresser. It was a simple room with a pretty floral light blue comforter, and I was pretty sure his mom had picked it out. There were little touches of his family all over the apartment, from the white wolf statue in the living room to the family photos hung on the wall, and the collection of books on his shelves. Growing up spending so much time in the Harper house, it felt familiar.

I nodded. “Pizza sounds great.”

“Do you still like pepperoni and olive?” He ran his hands through his hair, his phone clutches in his hand.

“Of course. And some of those garlic parmesan bites?”

He chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I blew him a kiss before grabbing another shirt. “You’re the best.”

Emerging from the guest room thirty minutes later, Owen smiled at me as I slid onto a barstool, watching as he washed a glass in the sink.

“You settling in okay?”

“Yeah.” I’d changed into a pair of cozy leggings, slipper socks, and an over-sized t-shirt of my favorite singer. “Thank you again for letting me stay with you.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done.”

He shook his head. “It’s really no problem.”

“This place is nice,” I said. “It’s really you.” Looking around the kitchen, I couldn’t help but appreciate it. The size, how everything was sparkling clean, with stainless steel appliances and a quartz countertop that matched the overall vibe of the place. It was bright and open and beautiful.

Owen’s face lit up. “You think? I mean, I’ve tried to make it feel like home, but?—”

“You did a great job.”

He grinned. “Thanks. I’ll tell my mom you think so.”

I rested my head on my hands as I watched him effortlessly move through the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine and popping it open. We’d never drank together before the other night at the bar. It was strange to think we’d both missed each other’s twenty-first birthdays when once, we’d promised to be there for every important milestone together. It was just one more reminder of how much had changed.

“Wine?” He asked me, holding up the bottle after he uncorked it.

Was it a good idea to have a drink with my ex? No.

Did I need it after the hellish day I’d had? Yes.

Because after wrangling fourth graders for over eight hours a day, and then coming home to find my apartment under water, I needed a lot more than just one glass. But I’d limit myself, because I wasn’t sure what I’d do around Owen if I got too tipsy. I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.

Nodding, he filled a glass for me before sliding it over the countertop. I mumbled a quick “thank you” before the doorbell rang.

“That should be the pizza. Wait here. I’ll go get it.”

I nodded, sipping my wine as I stared at the screen of my phone. Soon, I needed to call my mom and fill her in on what happened. Better yet, I needed to update the rest of my family, because they were all over-protective and a little overbearing. But I guess that’s what happens when you’re the youngest cousin for the first eight years of your life.

He came back carrying all the boxes, and my eyes widened. There was definitely more food there than either of us could eat. “Hungry?”

He gave a sheepish smile. “I don’t normally eat junk during the season. But this felt like a good time to splurge.”

“Oh, so I’m just an excuse for you to gorge your face with pizza like you used to?” I teased. The smell wafting through the kitchen was enough to make me moan, but I held myself back.

Owen winked as he opened the first box. “Maybe.” It was an all meat pizza—that had always been Owen’s favorite. He grabbed plates, pulling out a slice for him before opening the other box for me. He put two pieces on a plate before sliding over the box of garlic twists and a cup of marinara sauce.

“You remembered.”

“Of course I did.” Owen’s cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. Cute. He was a massive six foot three specimen of hockey player, with muscles everywhere that definitely didn’t exist when we were in high school, and yet he still blushed over stuff like this. This was the boy I’d loved.

Though he definitely wasn’t a boy anymore. No, he was all man. Six foot three, muscled to perfection, man.

We both grew quiet as we ate, devouring our pizza. I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and my meager meal barely even counted as that. I had been trying to save money wherever I could. Meanwhile, my entire apartment could have fit into Owen’s living room. It was not lost on me.

“You’re still going to come to the home opener, right?” Owen said a few minutes later, polishing off another slice of pizza.

I nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”

He grinned, and it filled me up with so much warmth seeing that look on his face again. “Good. I’m glad. I’ll have a parking pass for you and the ticket, so you should be all set.”

“Please tell me you didn’t buy me another rink-side seat. I promise I don’t need that.”

Owen winced. “Not quite. I thought maybe you’d want to hang out with some of the players’ wives and girlfriends? Some guys got together to rent a box.”

My eyes widened. “A box? You want me to sit in the box with the WAGs ?” I wasn’t his wife or girlfriend, and being with all of them felt intimidating.

“I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. They’re really sweet.” He frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know you just moved here, and I didn’t want you to feel alone.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t argue with that. Because it was sweet. And I did desperately want friends that weren’t fourth graders or co-workers. “Okay.” I folded my hands over the counter as I pushed my plate back, done eating. “That sounds really nice, then. Thank you for thinking of me.”

He nodded. “Then it’s settled.”

“Well… What do they think we are? I mean, if they’re all wives or girlfriends, are they going to think we’re dating?” I didn’t want them to think I was just another girl fawning over Owen for his stardom or trying to get into his pants. Even though I had, in fact, gotten into his pants. They didn’t need to know that.

“Does it matter what they think?” He cocked his head to the side, in a move that reminded me so much of a dog.

“It does to me.” I didn’t want to lie if anyone asked me if we’d dated.

He sighed. “I told the guys that we grew up together and you’re my friend.” That was true, even if it stung that he didn’t want people to know about our history. But maybe I’d just hurt him that much.

“Speaking of women,” I said, bringing up a subject that made me uncomfortable, but I had to say it. This was his space. I was the one intruding. I fidgeted with the hem of my t-shirt instead of looking at him. “If you want to… uh… have women over, just let me know, and I can make myself scarce.”

When I finally looked up, Owen raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “You’re a man. You have needs. I know you’re a famous NHL player and you probably have tons of girls throwing themselves at you, but?—”

He scowled. “I’m not having any fucking women over, Ellie baby. Not while you’re living with me. Okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered .

There was that pesky Ellie baby again , making my stomach erupt into butterflies. I liked it way too much. More than I should. And it was becoming a problem.

Especially when he was my ex-boyfriend-turned-one-night-stand-turned-roommate.

I couldn’t mess this up. Not again.