Page 39 of Uniquely in Love

Owen frowned. “You don’t…” Did he not realize that I stopped skating after my accident?

“No.”

We both stared at each other, and I looked away. Both of the Hendrix brothers were looking between us, and I didn’t know what else to say.

I cleared my throat. “Well, he was always an incredible player. There’s a reason he made it this far, right?”

Owen shrugged. “I was alright.”

“Alright? God, Owen, you were…” I closed my eyes, picturing him back in high school. It was a different league with different rules, but he’d been captivating on the ice, even back then. “Incredible.”

“I like her,” Maverick said to my ex.

Brooks was eyeing me, and I fidgeted with my empty glass. “Anyway. We had good times.”

Owen gave me a hesitant smile. “We did.”

Maverick turned to me. “So, are you sticking around here for a while, Ellie? Think you’ll come to the home opener?”

I shrugged. “Maybe? I don’t know. Since I just moved here, I don’t know my schedule yet. It sounds fun, though. As long as I don’t have school the next day.”

“School?” Brooks asked.

“She’s an elementary school teacher,” Owen said, his voice filled with what I could only assume was pride. “El just graduated college this summer.”

“Oh, so it was your graduation too, eh?” Brooks cocked his head to the side, a bit of a Canadian accent coming out. “Owen told us he went home for a graduation party.”

“My sister and Ellie graduated from the same university,” he said. “Of course, I was there.” Was it just me, or did he sound a little defensive?Which didn’t make sense, unless he’d told them about me. But then again, he hadn’t told them we’d dated, either.

“Youwerelate, though,” I teased him. That seemed safe.

Owen’s ears and cheeks turned pink, and he looked down at his empty cup. “I need another drink if everyone’s going to team up on me,” he muttered.

I giggled as Brooks and Maverick stood up.

“On me, man,” Maverick said. “Ellie, could we get you another drink?”

“Oh, no,” I said, shaking my head. “I have to drive home soon, anyway.”

“You’re not gonna stay and hang out?”

It was a Friday night, but I still had so much to catch up with settling into a new school, and I planned to use the weekend to work ahead. Still, it was good to see Owen. And I enjoyed seeing him in this space, a whole different side of the man I used to love. His teammates teased him in a way that felt so similar to the way my cousins and I teased each other.

“Maybe one more. It’s a whiskey sour.”

Maverick winked at me, and then the two disappeared back to the bar.

Owen ran his fingers through his hair.

“They seem great.” I watched them mess with each other, standing on either side of a barstool of who I assumed was another member of the team. Even sitting down, I could tell the guy was tall. A little older, with a short beard and darker brown hair. He was frowning and definitely looked grumpy as the Hendrix brothers bothered him. “It must be fun for them to be on the same NHL team.”

“Yeah, I imagine it is.” Owen looked over at them, a wistful look on his face. “When Maverick got traded to the team two years ago, Brooks had been overjoyed.”

“This is weird, isn’t it?” I scrunched up my nose.

He chuckled. “A little. But we just need to re-learn each other, that’s all.” Maybe he was right. “Speaking of… Have you really not skated since your accident?” Owen asked, completely changing the subject. It was like the question had been pinging around in his mind ever since he’d brought it up.

I shook my head, swallowing roughly. “I—no.”

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