Page 41 of Uniquely in Love

But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. We hadn’t been waiting for each other. She’d left me behind and never looked back.

“Maybe it’s the universe giving you two a second chance, eh?” His Canadian accent really came out whenever he added anehon the end of one of his statements, and it always made me chuckle. Brooks and Maverick were both from a small city outside of Winnipeg in Manitoba, and it was easy to forget they weren’t American until they pulled out one of those. Or when they talked about how much better the healthcare was up north, despite us having an amazing plan being on the team.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “It’s too late for us. I don’t know why she moved up here, but she made it pretty clear from the beginning what she wanted.” And that wasn’t me.

“You sure about that?”

I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

“We’re just friends now, man,” I insisted.

Luckily, I was saved by Coach Donovan calling us over, discussing some line pairings he wanted to try today, as well as other defenseman pairings. Our first game had gone well, and we’d won, but we wanted to keep that momentum for the next one tomorrow as well. Especially while we were still on home ice. Since I played the first game, I was off for the next, giving the new guys who were trying to prove themself a chance.

I worked with a few of the prospects for the rest of the day, and while none of us had the chemistry and innate understanding of the way the other worked on the ice like I did with Brooks, they were good. Still, we made some good defensive saves. Hopefully, we’d see some of them during the regular season if they got called up from the Otters, our AHL team.

I remembered my first year here, when I’d been fresh out of training camp and trying to give it my all during those pre-season games. I’d been terrified that after being drafted and making it this far, I wouldn’t actually make it on the team. But then, I’d been the rookie on the Seattle Seals, officially a part of the team, and besides a few scratches or minor injuries, I’d been here every day, working hard for the team.

One of these guys would be like that, too. Young and with a lot of talent, ready to prove himself in the NHL. It was exciting to watch, but even more exciting to be a part of.

When I headed back to the locker room, I wasn’t surprised to find a small group of my teammates standing around my stall, like they were waiting for me. They were in various states of undress, and I pulled off my practice jersey, throwing it into the bin before finally turning to them.

“Alright, lay it on me,” I said with a sigh.

“Come on, Harper. Tell us about your lass.” Reid MacKenzie, our resident redhead, spoke up. He’d already removed his goalie pads and was just in his compression shirt and a pair of workout pants.Your lass.I resisted a chuckle at his choice of words. He was from Scotland, and his thick accent was definitely popular with the girls.

He was wrong about one thing. I crossed my arms over my chest. “There’s nothing to tell. And she’s not my lass.”

Maverick raised an eyebrow. “That’sthe story you’re going with? We saw you at the bar. There was some serious tension between you.”

A sigh escaped me. Might as well get it all off of my chest,since Brooks already knew. “We were best friends, okay? And we dated in high school. She was supposed to follow me to college. I thought she was my forever. And then…” And then it was all over.

“But she moved here?” Reid frowned. He was about the same height as me, giving me a look as I stripped off all my layers.

“She got a teaching job.” I shook my head. There was no way she’d moved here for me. Not when I’d left her four months ago, naked and asleep in her bed. “It doesn’t matter anymore. We agreed to be friends.”

“That’s what you want?” Brooks asked. I knew he was thinking about what I’d told him earlier. This little intervention probably had something to do with that, too.

I nodded. “Yeah.” It was all I could want. “Look, I love you guys. You’re like my brothers. But Ellie and I… Nothing’s going to happen there, okay?”

“So I can ask her out?” Mav asked, flashing me a smile.

There was no way I could hold back my growl. “Over my dead fucking body.”

“Yeah.” Reid patted me on the shoulder. “Nothing’sgoing to happen.” He snorted. “And I’m Irish.”

“Was I that obvious?” I asked Brooks, as everyone else walked away.

He chuckled. “Yeah. Even Rhodes noticed the way you couldn’t stop looking at her during the game.Rhodes. And last night… I’ve never seen you like that, man. Like in a room full of people, your eyes couldn’t help but find her.”

“Fuck.” I massaged my forehead.

“Good luck.” He smacked me on the shoulder. “You’re going to need it.”

A week had passedsince I’d seen Ellie, and the home opener of the season was just around the corner. We’d texted a little here and there—enough for me to know she was settling into her new school and her role as a teacher. I couldn’t wait to see her in action, though I had no idea how I was going to sneak into the school to see her.

Owen

Hi.

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