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TWENTY-EIGHT

Ellie

NOW

B reakfast was amazing. But then, hadn’t Owen proved that everything he did was incredible?

I sat on a barstool, watching him putter around the kitchen, cleaning up after finishing the dishes. I’d tried to help him, but he’d insisted.

Not that I could complain. I liked this version of him. It reminded me of the way my dad always doted on my mom, making sure she was happy and treating her like a queen. He’d always called her Darling .

I rested my head on my hands as I watched him, enjoying the sight of his ass in those tight boxer briefs and the muscled abdomen I’d gotten my hands all over last night. Now that I’d seen his tattoo, I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed it before. I couldn’t believe that he’d gotten it, either.

It was something so small, but it proved that neither one of us had stopped thinking about the other.

I didn’t know what to do with that. Five years. It had been five years since that weekend in his dorm. A weekend that had started out perfectly, or pretty close to it. We’d shared our first times with each other. He’d been so gentle and patient, trying to make sure he didn’t hurt me. And then…

Then I’d ruined everything.

“Ellie.”

“Hm?” I asked, my cup of coffee perched at my mouth.

He smirked. “Stop staring at my ass.”

“I wasn’t,” I lied.

“You’ve had that mug in the air for five minutes, Daisy. I can practically see the drool on your face.”

My cheeks warmed, and I set it down.

“It’s okay,” he said nonchalantly. “You can admit that you just want me for my body.” Owen flexed his muscles. “I won’t be too offended.”

“Owen.” My mouth dropped open. “I don’t?—”

He laughed, and his entire face lit up as he dropped the towel on the sink, clearly satisfied with his cleaning job, before walking over to me. His hands cupped my face. “I know.” He kissed me softly. “Now, how should we spend the rest of my day off? We could spend it on the couch, or we could try to go down to the rink and skate. Get you back on the ice.”

“Mmm…” I pretended to think about it, but I knew what my answer was immediately. A chance to snuggle on the couch? Sold.

He was right. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday.

“Bye Ms. Bradford!” One of my favorite students called out as she rushed out the door. Halloween was this week, and the kids were so excited about their costumes and telling each other what they were dressing up as, and it was absolutely adorable. I was so excited to hear them babble about their favorite superheroes and princesses.

Sophia had texted me again to confirm that I was still coming to the team Halloween Party this week, and I reassured her I would come. Not that I’d had time to even think about a costume yet. I had no idea what I was going to wear. Especially since Owen and I weren’t dating, and suggesting a couple’s costume might be weird.

One day, I couldn’t wait to do Halloween with my own kids. It had always been one of my favorite memories with my family. Every year, we had a big Halloween party at the Harper house with all the cousins and family friends. Everyone dressed up, and a lot of the times, each of our families had come in matching costumes. All our parents invited their friends. It was always so fun.

This year, I’d be missing that, and the thought made me a little homesick. I talked to my mom almost every day—even if it was just a text—and did my best to call her and my dad at least once a week. They liked my weekly updates, even if I hadn’t told them about everything going on with Owen and I. My siblings were a different story. Abigail was busy living her insane life, jet-setting around the world with her fashion line. Beau was busy with football, which I understood even more now that I was living with Owen.

It was crazy to think this Friday marked three weeks since I’d moved with him. It was everything I’d ever wanted. I hadn’t been able to wipe a smile off my face all day. Spending yesterday together had been amazing. The best sex of my life. Not that I had much to compare it to—I’d only ever been with him. But he was sweet and caring, and he always made sure it was good for me. I wasn’t sure what else you could want in a partner. And I knew I didn’t want anyone else but him.

Not that we’d had that conversation yet. He kept brushing it off. I wasn’t sure if I should be worried.

But this was why I’d moved here, so I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.

My phone buzzed, and I opened it to find a text from Owen.

Owen

I have a surprise for you when you get home.

Ellie

I’m just finishing up and then I’ll head back.

See you soon, Daisy.

I hoped my surprise was him. Preferably naked.

“You look happy,” Maggie said, leaning on my doorframe.

I looked up, realizing I was smiling just thinking about Owen. About the way he’d held me last night, and I’d fallen asleep in his bed again. “It was a good weekend,” I responded.

“Mmm. Hockey boy is home, I take it?”

My cheeks were pink. “Maybe.”

I was terrible at hiding things from my friends. Abi always said I was like an open book, showing all of my emotions on my face. For once, I wished I could keep this a secret to myself for a little longer.

The only reason all of my cousins didn’t know yet that Owen and I were sleeping together—because we weren’t back together, not really—was because I was two hundred miles away. Even though our group chat was always blowing up, it was much easier to keep them in the dark without them here.

“I love this for you. You’re so…” She waved her hand around me. “ Sunshiney . It looks good on you.”

“Thank you.” I fiddled with the hem of my thick cardigan. “It’s still new, but…”

She patted me on the shoulder. “Go home and see your man.” Maggie headed out, giving me a little wave.

I dipped my head, grabbing my bag and keys so I could lock up my classroom. Owen didn’t have a game until tomorrow, so I was in more of a hurry to get home, knowing he’d be there when I got back. Maybe if I was lucky, we could have a repeat of yesterday morning. I wasn’t opposed to the shower again. Or his exceptionally large bathtub…

There was no wiping the smile off my face as I headed out to my car and drove back to Owen’s apartment.

It might have been raining outside, but my world felt brighter than ever. I just hoped it would stay this good.

Opening the door to our apartment, I expected to find Owen in the kitchen or the living room, but they were both empty. Except… not exactly empty.

“Owen.” I froze, staring at the little bundle of golden fur as a tail wagged at me. “Owen?” My voice was louder, shouting through the apartment.

“Hey, Skater Girl.” He grinned as he rounded the corner, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Owen. Why is there a dog in our apartment?”

“She’s ours.”

“ Ours?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. We weren’t even together. Not really. We hadn’t had the conversation about what we were yet. Maybe we were both avoiding it.

He nodded. “Uh-huh. That way, when I’m gone for away games, I don’t have to worry about you being alone. Especially during some of the long stretches.”

The puppy padded over to me before plopping down on the floor, pushing her nose into my legs. “ Ohmygod .” She was so cute. “Does she have a name?”

Owen crouched down next to me, scratching the top of her head. “Not yet.” His eyes met mine as he continued petting the puppy. “Figured we could name her together.”

“This is insane. You know that, right?”

He hummed. “I’ve lived alone for the last few years and always wanted a dog, but it seemed selfish when I was leaving so much. But when I was gone last week, I couldn’t stop thinking about how you were all alone here. So.” Owen made a gesture like, here we are.

“So you got me a dog.” I deadpanned.

“I got us a dog, baby.” He reached out, brushing a hand over my face. I closed my eyes, enjoying the casual intimacy of his touch. Truthfully, I liked the sound of us a little too much.

Sitting criss-cross on the floor, the golden retriever puppy climbed into my lap, before putting both paws on my chest and licking my face. “Hi, little girl,” I cooed. “I guess we need to name you, huh?” My parents’ dog growing up had been named Brownie, and I knew Owen had grown up with one named Marshmallow, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to follow the food naming trend. It felt a little… boring. I tried to think about the things that were meaningful to Owen and I, but my mind was suddenly blank.

For starters, I couldn’t get over the gesture. He didn’t want me to feel lonely when he was gone. Why was that so sweet? There was a pang in my heart. He had a home game tomorrow, and one more on Thursday, and then next week he had another road trip.

I laughed. “How do I have literally no idea on what to call her?” I turned to look at Owen, only to find he was watching me, eyes bright.

God, I wanted to kiss him.

But I resisted.

He reached over, petting the puppy, who was now snuggled up in my lap, satisfied from licking my face a few times. “We could name her Daisy.”

I scrunched up my nose. “After me ? No.”

Playing with her soft, floppy ears, I studied her golden coat. “Sunshine.”

Owen burst out laughing. “That’s awful, Ellie baby.”

Sticking my tongue out at him, I shrugged. “It’s better than Cookie.”

He chuckled. “Okay. I’ve got one. And hear me out before you say no.” I arched an eyebrow, and he continued on. “We both grew up on the ice, right? You know, Hockey Boy and Skater Girl?”

“If you’re about to suggest we name our baby girl something stupid like Puck or Skate?—”

“Zamboni.” Owen smirked, and the puppy stirred and yipped at him, like she was agreeing. “See? She likes it.” He reached out his hand, scratching her head, and she had her mouth open like she was smiling as he petted her.

“We can’t call a puppy Zamboni , babe.” The endearment slipped out, and I hoped he didn’t notice.

“Why not? I think it’s cute.”

“What’s her nickname going to be? Zambi?” I rolled my eyes. Even though it was kind of adorable, I had to give it to him.

He just grinned. “Yeah. Why not.”

“Okay.” I leaned my head against his shoulder, trying not to disturb the puppy, who seemed content where she was.

“Really?” He perked up, looking like a dog who was wagging his tail himself. It should have been a crime, how adorable he was.

I reached up, running my hair through his soft, blond strands. “Really. Zamboni is kinda growing on me.” I scrunched my nose. “What does this mean for us?”

“What do you mean?” He wrapped an arm around my back, tugging me closer to him.

Furrowing my brow, I turned to look at him. “I mean, there is an us, right?”

He grinned. “I thought that was already decided when you told me you were mine yesterday.”

My cheeks were warm, and I turned to bury my face against his shirt. “I thought that was just something we were saying, you know. In the heat of the moment.”

Owen’s thumb ran under my chin before he tilted my head up to his, his lips pressing tenderly against mine. “No. I meant it, El. I’ve always been yours.” His brown eyes were so warm, full of emotions I couldn’t even describe. “And you’ve always been mine. From the first moment, Ellie. It’s always been you.”

Eyes flooding with tears, I just shook my head. What could I say?

“But the five years we were broken up…” I’d broken his heart.

He sighed, but there was no frustration in it. He gave me a hesitant smile as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “Didn’t we already clear this up, baby? I’m not mad at you for ending things. I don’t really understand why you did , but everything worked out in the end. You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

“We lost so much time,” I said, shaking my head. “We can’t get that back.”

“We have so much ahead of us,” he promised.

“Maybe.” I bit my lip. But what if everything came crashing down again? Sure, we were together now, but that didn’t mean we had the rest of our lives together.

His lips brushed over my forehead. “You’ll see. Everything that’s meant to be always works out in the end.”

I hoped he was right.