Page 123 of Uniquely in Love

She smiled, tugging at my hand. “Come on. Let’s go upstairs and snuggle with our puppy. I think she’s feeling a little neglected.”

“Spoiled princess,” I said, snorting as I followed her to the elevator. Our dog had figured out how to manipulate everyone to get the maximum amount of pets this week.

Ellie pressed the button for our floor and then leaned back against the wall. “Yeah. But she’s kind of the cutest thing ever, isn’t she?”

I stepped in close, arching my back to lean over her, my mouth only a breath away from hers. “That’s you, Daisy.”

“Owen,” she murmured.

“It was so hard to stay away from you the last few days,” I said, settling my hands on her hips. “But there was no way we were going to be able to stay quiet with my parents in the apartment, huh?”

She shook her head, brushing her lips over mine with the motion. “No.” Her voice was breathy, and I helped guide her legs so they wrapped around mine, pressing my cock against her pussy. Layers of fabric kept us apart, but we both groaned at the sensation. “Fuck, Owen.” Ellie dropped her head against my shoulder.

“I know, baby.” Nipping at her shoulder, I dropped my lips against her ear. “I’d fuck you right here in the elevator if I could.” She squirmed, whimpering. “Does that turn you on, my dirty girl? So needy.”

Thank fuck, the doors opened. I didn’t waste another second, throwing the apartment door open and heading directly for the bedroom, ready to show my girl exactly how much I’d miss her.

It wasa chilly morning as I took Zamboni out for a walk, already dreading having to leave later today. We had practice this morning, and then we’d hop on a plane to start our long east coast road trip.

She was still a puppy, one who loved to nip at our fingers with her sharp little teeth and who tried to eat her leash whenI took her out. I was working on leash training her, enjoying our time together and these little moments each morning. There was no way I was asking Ellie to get out of bed any earlier than she already had to, especially since I was the one who had brought home a dog.

It was selfish, but coming home and seeing my girls cuddled up on the couch reinforced that I’d made the right decision. Because seeing how much Ellie loved Zambi, and how attached our puppy was to her mommy? Yeah. I was smitten. With both of them.

My feelings were bubbling up inside of me, but I hadn’t told her how I felt. I’d confessed to her I was scared, and yet I still couldn’t say the words.

Maybe because last time we’d said I love you, everything had fallen apart.

What if she didn’t feel the same way? I thought she did, but she hadn’t said it either. Or what if she left again, and I fell apart?

In college, I’d been a mess for weeks afterwards. I’d missed blocking shots that cost us goals against. I’d missed passes that would have helped us score. It was only when my coach had told me to get my head out of my ass or I’d lose my opportunity to work in the NHL that I’d finally shaped up. I’d given my all to hockey, and the next year, when I’d gotten called up to the NHL for my rookie year, I hadn’t looked back.

Now… I didn’t know. Of course, I still loved her. I’d always loved her. And I wanted to ask her to marry me. Wanted her to be my wife.

“Fuck me,” I groaned.

Why was I being this stupid? I needed to tell her how I felt. Preferably, before I got on a plane and left for a few days.

I headed back upstairs, Zamboni happily trotting through the apartment and finding one of her bones once I took her off her harness. Heading into our bedroom, I saw Ellie’s phone was sitting open on the nightstand and I heard theshower running. I didn’t mean to look at it, but I noticed she had a notification from an unknown number, and I frowned.

Unknown

Did you decide what you wanted to do with the apartment yet?

If you’re going to move back in, I just need to know in the next week.

Move back in?What? I frowned. Ellie hadn’t mentioned her apartment in months. Honestly, I’d forgotten about it entirely. That place was a shithole. She wanted to go back there?

Did she not want to live with me anymore? I thought everything was going great. How could she want to leave? I sat on the bed, trying to process the idea. I was out shopping for wedding rings, and she was planning on moving out?

“Owen?” Ellie’s voice called out. I looked up, finding her wrapped in a towel, her damp blonde hair hanging down around her creamy skin. “Are you okay?”

“I—” I blinked at her. Was I okay?No. “You’re moving out?”

She paled. “What?”

Fuck. “So it’s true? You’re moving back to that shitty apartment?”

“Owen. Wait. Let me explain.”

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