Page 53 of Uniquely in Love

Coach Donovan came into the room, dressed in his suit, and looked across at all of us. Almost everyone was fully dressed and ready to go. A few of the guys just needed to pull their jerseys on over their pads, but liked to wait until the last minute. Athletes were too damn superstitious for their own goods. Thought I’d learned that a long time ago.

“Alright, who’s ready for the starting line-up? Kovac’s going to start us off for the season. Let’s hear it!”

We all clapped and cheered, Brooks giving a few extra hoots as our captain stood up, half-dressed with just his pads on. I loved this little tradition of announcing the line-up in the locker room before each game, and it was even more fun when a special guest was brought out to share the starters.

“In net, number thirty-three… our legendary scot, defender of the goal… Reid MacKenzie!” Stefan fist-bumped our goalie, the two sharing a half hug, before he jogged back to the center of the room.

“Forwards, we’ve got number fourteen, Jonah Campbell!” He repeated the same motion with each of the forwards he called out. “And number seventy-three… Carter Meyer!” The team clapped three times, cheering for each of our starting players. “Can’t forget number thirty-one, Finn Evans!” Another fist bump. Jonah was a new addition to the team this year, while the other two had been rookies last year. They were some of the younger guys on the team, but they had grit and tenacity, which was needed on the ice.

“And on defense, we’ve got our killer duo… number seventy-nine, Brooks Hendrix, and number eight, Owen Harper!”

After Brooks, Stefan got to me, slapping our hands together. “Proud of you, Harps. Can’t wait to see you kill it this season.”

“Thanks, Cap,” I said, feeling so incredibly blessed to be here.

It was an incredible honor to be on the starting line-up for the first game of the year. There was something about standing out on the ice during the national anthem next to our Junior Seal—the youth hockey player who got to be a part of the opening ceremony of the game—that was so incredibly energizing.

Tonight would be extra special. And not just because of who was out there for me.

“Are we ready to do this fucking thing?” Coach shouted, and we all cheered. “Go out there, and kick some ass, and remember what we’ve practiced. You’ve got this. Keep those pucks out of our zone and get them in the Warrior’s net.”

“Hell yeah!” Campbell shouted. He was a left winger on our second line, and an all-around great guy. He was a few years younger than me, and last year had been his rookie year after graduating from University of Michigan. “Let’s go kick some Warrior ass!”

I chuckled as I stood up, pulling my jersey on. Winning tonight would be a great start for the season, and it would feel great to do it in front of all of our fans.

Plus, I wanted to win for Ellie. Maybe it was me wanting to show off, but I wanted to impress her.

“Someone’s happy tonight,” Mav muttered. “Is it because your girl is here?”

“Again,” I said, repeating my sentiment from the other night. “She’s not my girl.”

“No?” He smirked, crossing his arms over the Seals logo on his chest. “Then why do you look sogoddamn happy?”

“I always look like this,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Brooks punched his brother in the arm. “Leave Harps alone. You know how he feels.”

I rubbed at the back of my neck. “About that…”

“What did you do?” Maverick asked. At the same time, Brooks said, “See, I knew thatjust friendsthing wouldn’t last.” If there was one thing about the Hendrix brothers, it was that they loved to give me shit. But I knew it was just the way they showed their love.

Shaking my head, I looked down at the floor. “It’s not like that. I meant to text yesterday. It’s just that with everything that happened, I didn’t really have a chance.”

“What’s going on, Owen?” There was actual concern in Brooks’s voice now, and I let out a breath.

“Ellie’s apartment flooded.”

“Oh, fuck. Does she need somewhere else to live?” Mav frowned.

A low growl came from me before I could think better of it. Because, of course, I was still possessive about this girl. Nothing had really changed, had it? “No, she doesn’t need somewhere else to live, Hendrix, because she’s living withme.”I crossed my arms over my chest. “And everyone’s going to keep their hands to their damn selves.”

He chuckled. “You’re kidding. So you’ve got your ex living under your roof now?”

I nodded. “Yeah. And you fuckers better not give her a hard time over that.” There were a lot of things I would put up with, but not Ellie upset. And the way she’d looked when I came into her apartment, tears staining her cheeks and devastation in her eyes, had almost broken me.

Of course, I’d offered to let her move in. There was no way I was leaving her there. But it was more than that. I wanted her to feel safe here. To feel welcomed.

Five years ago, she’d made the choice to walk away from me. When Ellie had chosen not to come to college in Seattle,not to be with me, she’d done more than broken my heart. She’d stomped on all of our plans, tearing my heart into little pieces. But this was different.

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