Page 4

THREE

Owen

THEN

Junior Year

H ey, Skater Girl,” I said, grinning as I leaned up against a locker at our high school.

Ellie gave me a small smile. “Hi, Owen.”

“First day, huh?” It was a question, but I already knew the answer. She’d turned fourteen this summer, and it was both her and Penelope’s first day of freshman year. My sister, of course, had missed the cut-off with an October birthday, so she was almost a year older than the blonde in front of me. “It’ll be great, I promise.”

She nodded, still quiet.

“Where’s your first class?” I asked, cocking my head as I watched her. I’d never seen her like this before. Fidgety and almost… nervous ? The Ellie I knew was a ball of sunshine, plus she was always so poised and elegant on the ice. “Maybe we’re heading in the same direction, and I can walk you there.”

“Oh.” She lifted her head, her blue-gray eyes meeting mine. “That would be great.”

She handed me her schedule, and I grinned after looking over it. “Look at that. I have history in the room right next to your English class.”

“Really?” A little warmth trickled back into her voice, and I tightened the grip on the backpack I had slung over one shoulder.

“Really. Come on. Let’s head there.”

I knew from looking over my sister’s schedule that she and Ellie didn’t have the same classes, and I wondered if part of that was the reason she was feeling out of place.

“You know, between me and all your other cousins at the school, there’s always someone you can go to for help.”

Ellie scrunched her nose, looking up at me. “ We’re not cousins though, Owen.” Her cheeks were a little pink.

God, she was tiny. I’d never really noticed how much taller I was than her before. Even at the ice rink, I didn’t normally stand next to her for very long, and mostly, we were coming and going in passing, or chatting with each other on the bench. This felt different.

I chuckled. “No, we’re not.” That felt important. I didn’t know why, but it was. Even if we’d grown up together, we weren’t related. Even if I didn’t remember life without her.

She fidgeted with the strap of her backpack. It was a bright, sunshiny yellow color. One I knew was her favorite. “I’m glad you’re here,” she finally whispered.

“Yeah?” My chest puffed up, and I didn’t know why that thought made me feel warm inside, but it did.

Ellie nodded. “Beau would act like an over-protective brother if he was walking me around.”

And her older sister, Abigail, was a senior. It was strange to think that once she started college, I would be the oldest of the pack. The one who could drive to school, since I’d gotten my license this summer. My dad had given me his old blue truck, and I felt so much pride that he trusted me enough to drive it around.

Sure, the twins, Zachary and Wesley, were both in the same year as me, but I was six months older, and I felt that responsibility immensely.

But standing here with Ellie, I didn’t feel like her older brother. I wanted to protect her for a whole different reason.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever noticed how adorable she was before. She was wearing a white t-shirt under a denim overall dress that was embroidered with flowers with a pair of white sneakers, and it was so her . Her hair was pulled back in a braid, with little wispy tendrils falling out the front, and she had the barest amount of makeup on: a little shimmer over her eyelid, a swipe of mascara, a touch of blush and this hint of lip gloss that sparkled on her lips.

Lips I shouldn’t be looking at. I had no business looking at Ellie like that. Especially as that blush returned to her cheeks, and she looked away quickly. What was that? I’d never thought about kissing Beau’s little sister before. She was Penny’s best friend, too, to boot. But she was also my friend.

Honestly, I’d never thought about kissing anyone before. I’d always been too busy with hockey and classes to even spare a second glance around girls. But maybe it was that in the last year, my voice had deepened, and I’d gained more inches in height. Plus, all my time on the ice was already bulking me up. My dad was six-three and a big guy, so it wasn’t much of a surprise.

Still, girls noticed me now. I was uncomfortable with all the attention, brushing it off the best I could. Because the only one I wanted to notice me was walking by my side.

It was a thought I pondered long after I dropped her off at the door to her classroom, wishing her good luck on her first day and telling her to text me if she needed anything. She blushed again before ducking into class.

And I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I’d never quite be able to get Eleanor Bradford out of my head.

The sun was shining as I walked across the street to the Bradford house, shoving my hands in my jeans pockets as I let out a breath. It was an unusually nice day for fall, and that felt like a good sign. All week, all I could think about was her.

We’d grown up together, but it felt like in the last year, I’d blinked, and she’d grown up. Ellie Bradford had gone from the adorable little girl whose pigtails I used to tug on to a graceful young woman. And our relationship had changed, too. This year, it felt like we’d gone from friends to… more . I’d catch her glancing my way when we walked through the halls at school, her cheeks pink, and my heart raced.

I liked her. So much more than I could have ever imagined.

Which is why I needed to get this right.

Raising my hand, I knocked on the door. It was the first time in a long time that I’d needed to. I’d been coming to this house my whole life. Namely, on account of the fact that my mom and Ellie’s mom were best friends. Some of my earliest memories were with the Bradford-Sullivan clan, spending almost every holiday at one of their houses.

Daniel Bradford—Beau and Ellie’s dad—opened it, grinning at me. Thanks to the height I’d inherited from my dad, we were almost eye to eye. That should have made this less intimidating, but it didn’t. My palms were sweaty, and I was more nervous than I’d ever been.

“Hey, son.” Her dad clasped a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t think Beau’s here right now, but I can find him for you?—”

“I’m actually here to see you,” I said, swallowing down my apprehension as I followed him inside, wiping my palms on my jeans .

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Is everything okay, son? I know your dad would?—”

“Everything’s great.” I nodded. “Can we sit?”

“Sure.” Daniel gestured to the couch, running his hands through his now-salt-and-pepper hair.

We sat down, and I took a deep breath. “I wanted to get your permission to date your daughter.”

“Ellie?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” They had to know how much time we spent together. How we’d sit out on the back porch for hours late into the night, looking up at the stars. How every time she came into the rink and I spotted her on the bench, waiting for her skating practice, my heart leapt into my throat. “I care about her. I really like her.”

That was an understatement.

“What happens when you go off to college?” As if I needed the reminder that I’d be leaving. It was why I wanted to take advantage of every moment we had now. He crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s a freshman.”

“I know.” Daniel said that like I wasn’t hyper aware of the age difference between us. How the two and a half years felt so big now. But my mom was five years younger than my dad, and when we were older, it wouldn’t even matter. “That would be up to her, sir. We can always do long distance. It’s not like I won’t come home all the time.” And when she started college, then things would change. We hadn’t really talked abut the future yet. Because I wanted to do this right. “I was going to ask her to be my date to prom.”

He rubbed his fingers over his jaw, like he was contemplating what I was saying. “I don’t want to see any funny business, Owen. Don’t forget I know where you live. You both have bright futures, and I don’t want to see you ruining that.”

My cheeks went pink at the insinuation. “No, sir. I’ll bring her home straight after the dance. ”

He nodded. “Okay. I can’t see any reason to object to that. But it’s Ellie’s decision, of course.”

“What is?” Charlotte, Ellie’s mom, asked, entering the room and draping her arms around Daniel from the back of the couch.

“Owen’s going to ask Ellie to prom.” He said to his wife, eyes beaming as he looked up at her. It was clear, even now, just how much he loved her. The two of them had been best friends since college. Maybe that would be El and me someday. If she said yes, I reminded myself. If she liked me the way I liked her.

“Oh!” Her face lit up with delight. “I’ll have to make her a dress, and?—”

“Assuming she says yes,” I cleared my throat. Even though I doubted she’d say no. We were friends, and though I hadn’t taken her out on an official date yet, I planned to remedy that soon.

Her mom giggled. “Oh, she’ll say yes. She is smitten with you.”

It was my turn to run my hands through my hair. Somehow, everything felt so much more real now.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home!” Ellie’s voice carried through the house as she opened the front door. Her skating bag was over her shoulder, and her skates in her hands. She did a double take, seeing me sitting on the couch. “Owen?”

“Hi.” I stood up, going to stand by her side. “Can we talk?”

She nodded, her eyes wide. “Okay. Upstairs, or…”

“Treehouse,” I offered. Up there, we’d have some privacy. Though I didn’t expect Charlotte and Daniel to eavesdrop, the thought of someone listening in was a lot.

Ellie’s expression morphed into a warm smile. “Yeah. Treehouse sounds good.” She set her stuff at the base of the stairs before turning to me. “Let’s go?”

Our parents had built it when we were all much smaller, and it had been our preferred hangout spot. Sometimes when we were young, the guys and I had all taken sleeping bags up there and slept outside. All of those were amazing memories, but somehow I suspected this would be even better.

We headed outside, Ellie climbing up the ladder before I followed behind her.

“Smaller than I remember it,” I murmured as I stood up in the space, ducking so my head didn’t hit the ceiling. Sitting on the ground, I had my backpack with me, and I set it to my side, fidgeting with the strap.

Ellie sat across from me, draping her legs all ladylike and putting her hands in her lap. “What did you want to talk about?” She had that sparkly lip-gloss on again, and I wondered what it tasted like. Knowing her, it would be birthday cake flavored, but I tried not to pay too much attention when she swiped it on her lips.

Focusing on her lips was not a good idea.

“So, prom is coming up,” I started.

“Right.” She laughed awkwardly, then made a face. “Well… I don’t get to go, since I’m a freshman.”

“Unless…” I reached in my backpack, pulling out the flowers I’d hoped would be safe in there. A small bouquet of daisies. “If you wanted to go with me?” I swallowed, hoping she couldn’t tell how nervous I was.

She blinked. “ Me ?”

I nodded, handing her the daisies. “Do you see anyone else in this treehouse, Skater Girl?”

“This is just… are you sure? I’m sure there are a lot of other girls in your classes that you?—”

“I don’t want to date any of them, Ellie.”

Her teeth dug into her lower lip, and her words came out in hardly more than a breath. “Then… who do you want to date?”

Flashing her a smile, I sat up on my knees. “You. ”

“Oh.” She blushed, looking down at the flowers. “Are you sure?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure. I like you a lot, Eleanor Bradford.”

She gave me a shy smile. “I like you too, Owen Harper.” Her eyelids fluttered as she looked down at the flowers. “I just… Wow . I didn’t expect this today.”

There was no way the grin could be wiped off my face. “Yeah? What did you expect?”

She blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know, honestly. What will everyone think?”

“Well, I already asked your parents, so they’re cool with us dating.”

“Oh.” A giggle slipped free from her. “You asked my parents?”

“Your dad, mostly.” I shrugged, like it was nothing. As if I hadn’t been nervous beforehand.

“You’re something else, you know that?”

I nodded. “I am when I know what I want, Ellie.”

You.

She rolled her eyes, but she didn’t stop smiling. Not as she told me how her practice had gone today, how she felt more comfortable with her routine with each passing day and how excited she was to perform it. Scooting closer to me until our thighs were touching, it felt like there was no one else in the world, just the two of us in that tiny tree house together. We shared our hopes and dreams for the future. How she wanted to go to the Olympics. My dreams of the National Hockey League.

After all, in here, anything was possible.

And today… Today was the beginning of us.