Page 21

EIGHTEEN

Ellie

NOW

I wasn’t sure what I expected when Owen had told me I’d be sitting in a box with a bunch of the wives and girlfriends of the team, but it hadn’t been this . The box was absolutely insane—there was an enormous spread of food and drinks on the counter, and everything looked like it was brand new. A few high top tables sat in the middle of the room, and there were stairs leading down to the seats that overlooked the 100 level and the ice. It was an amazing view—from here, I’d actually be able to see the plays versus the last game where I couldn’t see much. I’d ended up looking up at the jumbotron a lot, but this time, I wouldn’t have to.

“This is just… wow,” I mumbled to myself.

Someone had escorted me up here, and now that I was actually in the suite—one full of wives and girlfriends of players—I couldn’t help but feel intimidated. Because they were all supposed to be here, and I was just crashing the party. I noticed that none of them were wearing their man’s jersey, though most of them had some sort of Seals branded gear on. Really, they looked like they were going to the bar versus a hockey game.

It made me feel a little self-conscious in my attire. Last game, I’d bought a jersey from the Seals shop on my way in, but this game, I was just wearing a pair of jeans, my favorite sneakers, and a turtleneck underneath a Seals Crewneck that Owen had lent me. It still kind of smelled like him, though, so at least there was that.

“You must be Ellie.” A redhead smiled at me. She was wearing an oversized Seals jacket with the number twenty-six on the sleeve, and had an adorable baby bump showing. “I’m Lauren Kovac.” The name clicked, and I realized she must have been Stefan Kovac’s wife. He was the Seals captain, and had been playing with the team for the last decade, drafted right out of high school.

“Oh.” I didn’t think anyone recognize me. “Hi. I guess I didn’t realize anyone would know who I am.”

She nodded. “Stefan told me you’d be joining us. Owen wanted to make sure you didn’t feel left out.”

God, did he have to keep being so sweet? It made me want to do things I shouldn’t. Like run into his arms and kiss him senseless. Which was definitely not a friend like thing to do.

“This is all kinda overwhelming,” I admitted. “Like, I can’t believe I’m actually here .”

She ran a hand over her belly. “Our boys take care of us. We don’t rent out a suite every game. Most nights, we just hang out in the wives’ room, but this is a special occasion.”

“I’m getting spoiled, honestly,” I laughed. “Last time, he got me a seat right behind the player’s box.”

“He’s a great guy, your Owen.”

“We’re not—” My cheeks warmed, but I didn’t deny that he was mine. Even though he wasn’t. I just nodded. “I don’t know what he told you, but we grew up together.”

“Not much, honestly. He’s pretty closed off about his past. But he’s such a warm, easy-going guy, always laughing and cracking jokes with the team.”

A grin split my face. That sounded like him. “He’s a great friend. ”

She hummed. “Yeah. I’m sure he is.”

Movement on the ice distracted me as the guys came out for warm-ups, circling the ice in their bright blue jerseys. My eyes instantly tracked the ice, looking for the man whose body I knew like the back of my hand.

Just like last game, it was hard to pay attention to anyone but him. He had this contagious grin on his face as he skated around the back of the net with a puck. I imagined what it would feel like to be down there, with the ice under my blades and the cool air in my face as I raced down the ice, but it was gone in a flash. I hadn’t skated in a long time. No matter how much I loved seeing Owen in his element, that didn’t mean I was going to lace up a pair of skates and join him.

“Warm-ups are always my favorite,” Lauren commented, watching me stare at the players. “I love watching them stretch.”

I followed her line of sight to her husband, who was currently stretching out his legs in front of the player’s bench. Everyone in the arena was probably enjoying the view of all these large, beefy men showing off. I knew I was.

A dark-haired girl laughed from my side. “That’s because you always skip out the rest of the game, Lauren.”

She furrowed her brow at the newcomer. “Just because I don’t stay in the stands doesn’t mean I don’t watch the rest.” She turned back to me, explaining. “I watch most of the games from the wives’ room. There’s a tv in there, and it’s a little more comfortable.”

“Is this your first?” I asked. The idea of having kids was still a long way off for me—after all, I was only twenty-two—but I knew I wanted to be a mom one day.

Lauren smiled, a contented sigh sipping from her lips. “Yes. We got married a few years back, but Stef and I were waiting until I finished my degree to have a baby. And, well, I graduated this summer with my master’s in Psychology.”

“Oh, wow. That’s amazing. I’m an elementary school teacher, so I definitely understand that. Post graduate education can be a lot .”

“Did you have to do an extra year?” The new girl asked me. She didn’t look too much older than me, and I noticed she didn’t have a wedding ring on. Which was good—at least I wasn’t the only one here who wasn’t someone’s wife. “My sister is a teacher, and I know she had to.”

I shook my head. “No. Thankfully, the university I attended had a program where you could graduate with your teaching certificate as well. It made it a lot easier to get a job after I graduated.” Though mostly, that had come down to chance.”

“Oh. I’m the worst. Should have introduced myself sooner. I’m Harlow. Jonah Campbell’s my boyfriend.” Her words had the slightest southern twang to them, something you didn’t hear as often up here in the PNW. But then I remembered her boyfriend had been traded to the Seals this season from Nashville, and it made more sense.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ellie.”

“Oh! And this, right here, is our girl Bailey,” Lauren said as a third girl joined us at the railing, all of us paying half of our attention to our guys still warming up on the ice, looking more carefree and relaxed than I knew they would during the game. “Her and Mikhail Sorensen got engaged this past summer.”

Bailey’s hair was light brown, and she gave me a soft smile.

I was treated to a glance of the shiny new ring. “Wow. That’s beautiful.”

Warm-ups finished, and the guys headed back to the locker room and everyone was chatting up in the top section, grabbing food, or had left to use the restroom before the game started. I’d officially met everyone in the suite, even though I knew there was no way I’d remember everyone’s names.

It was a young team, though there were a few older players who had been around for a long time and were in their late twenties and early thirties.

Everyone was in different stages of their life, and somehow I felt like I fit in here. I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong because I wasn’t Owen’s girlfriend or wife. My worries just seemed to melt away.

Leaning on the railing, I pulled out my phone, typing out a quick text. I had no idea if he’d see it, but I still sent it all the same.

Ellie

Good luck tonight, Hockey Boy.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, thinking of our situation. I still couldn’t believe that I was living with him. That this morning I’d woken up to an iced coffee on the counter with a note on it.

Gone for morning skate. Will be back later. Have a good morning and try not to work so hard. - O

I had grinned the entire time I drank it, because of course, he knew I was going to work even on the weekends. It was a new school and my first job, and I wanted to prove I was a good fit. So far, I thought I was doing a good job. Hopefully .

Everything felt like it was looking up, and I grinned to myself. A year ago, if someone had told me I’d be living with Owen and at his NHL game, I wasn’t sure I would have believed them. But here I was. Strangely, it felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

“Hi.” A petite blonde, a few shades lighter than mine, and came and stood next to me. Like most of the women in the box, she wasn’t wearing team gear, instead wearing a dark green dress with tights. She had heeled boots on, giving her a few inches of height over me, but I suspected we were around the same height without them.

“Hey.” I smiled at her, wondering who she was. She definitely hadn’t been here for warm-ups, because I didn’t recognize her, but she looked around my age—maybe a year or two older, I wasn’t sure—and considering the total amount of friends I had in Seattle amounted to my ex and a teacher from my school, I was desperate to make more.

“Haven’t seen you around here before,” she said, curling her hands around the rail and then leaning backwards playfully. “I’m Sophia. But my friends call me Soph or Sophie.”

“I’m Ellie.” I slid my necklace pendant across its chain. “This is technically only my second game.” Even if I’d seen Owen play hundreds of times when we were younger.

“Ahhh. I see. We’ve got a newbie.” She smiled. “Whose are you?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Which one of them is yours?” She gestured down to the ice, where the first line was currently playing.

A blush warmed my cheek. “I’m not?—”

“Oh, give it a rest, will you, Soph?” Lauren came over, sitting down in a chair behind us. She’d grabbed a plate of food and a bottle of water, balancing the former on her belly. “She’s Owen’s family friend.”

“Thanks,” I mouthed to her.

Sophia laughed, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink in embarrassment. “Sorry. I tend to forget not everyone here is a girlfriend. My dad is the Coach.”

“Oh.” I nodded. That made more sense.

“Come on,” Lauren said behind us. “Sit down. It’s almost time.”

I followed Sophia to the black leather chairs and sunk into the seat.

“What’s happening?” I whispered to Lauren as the lights dimmed. There was a large archway set up at the tunnel where the Zamboni normally came out, and it was lit up blue and gray.

She smiled. “It’s the opening ceremony for the season. This is the best part.”

I looked around the arena as the music started playing and lights bounced over the ice as a video started playing on the jumbotron. It was a packed crowd tonight, and it felt like almost every seat in the house was full. The energy was like nothing else I’d ever experienced before, with almost twenty thousand people here for the home opener, and you could tell how much this community loved their team.

Slippers—the team mascot, based on the native Harbor seals—skated out onto the ice. He was mostly white, dappled with gray, with big black eyes and a blue Seals jersey on as well as an adorable pair of flippers for hands. He skated around the ice, along with skaters waving flags, everyone clapping to the beat.

“HELP US WELCOME TO THE ICE YOUR SEATTLE SEALS TEAM!” the announcer came over the loudspeaker. The team’s forwards came out first—in numerical order, all being announced individually as they skated to the center circle of the ice, the crowd screaming and cheering for the guys. Even all of us in the suite were joining in, welcoming our men out onto the ice.

Finally, my pulse raced as I realized who was next.

Lauren reached over, squeezing my hand as I spotted Owen’s frame underneath the illuminated arch.

“DEFENSEMAN, NUMBER EIGHT, OWEN HARPER!”

He raised his stick as he skated towards the rest of his team, waving to the crowd with a giant smile on his face. God, he was happy. Watching him, I knew I’d made the right decision all those years ago to let him go. To push him towards his destiny. If we’d stayed together, how much would he have sacrificed for me? Would he have even ended up here, playing for the Seals?

We’d never know. But there was not a doubt in my mind that he was supposed to be here.

The rest of the defenseman skated out, followed by our goalies, and then the two assistant captains—Rhodes Larsen, a forward, and Mikhail Sorensen, a defenseman—were next. Finally, our captain, Stefan Kovac, skated out, waving a Seals flag instead of holding his stick. He circled the group before taking his place in the ring, and then the announcer called out, “YOUR SEATTLE SEALS!”

All the men on the ice raised their hockey sticks towards the center of the rink, and then they took off into a lap around the ice, circling their goal.

“Wow.” When I finally dragged my eyes away from our team—the guys were settling onto the bench as the starting line-up was announced. “That was so cool.”

Sophia nodded. “They always try to find ways to top it every year.”

I couldn’t even imagine. “I’m already obsessed,” I said, laughing.

The starting line-up got called, and there was Owen, standing on the line with his teammates and their goalie. I recognized Brooks at his side. He and Maverick looked similar—especially in jerseys and full hockey gear—but I knew Brooks was paired up with Owen as defensemen. That made it easier to distinguish between him and his brother, who was a forward.

After the national anthem, we all settled back into our cushy seats and it was finally time for puck drop and the game to begin.

“So, how much do you know about hockey?” Sophia asked me.

I turned my attention away from Slippers the Seal who was running around the section in front of us, creating havoc. I had to admit, he was adorable. And damn, he had some stamina.

“Oh, you know. Enough.” Probably more than enough, but I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea.

Especially when Owen was my ex .

Something that was getting harder to remember. Especially when all I wanted was him. Was this enough? Being his friend and his roommate? Knowing he was only a few doors down from me last night was excruciating. But I’d kept my distance because I didn’t want to ruin what we had now. Because I was the one who insisted we needed rules.

Friends or not, he was the only man I’d ever loved.

And sitting up here, surrounded by the wives and girlfriends, I was realizing that I wasn’t sure if I could survive without more. I wanted all of it. I wanted his name on my back. To know that I was the only person he’d be coming home to.

The problem was… was it too late? Could I win his heart back, after all this time?