Page 71 of Uniquely in Love

Ellie

Hey! How’s it going?

Sophia

Good. I got my dad to ask Owen for your number. I wanted to invite you to hang out tonight.

Oh. Really?

Yeah! I had a lot of fun. It’s refreshing having someone my age who isn’t in a relationship with one of my dad’s players to talk to.

I snorted as I typed out another message.

Yeah, I bet. I remember what it was like being surrounded by hockey boys growing up.

See, I knew I liked you for a reason!

Anyway, I’m having a little get-together tonight with some of the other girls at my place. Since the guys are out of town, I thought we’d do something fun. Would you want to come?

My fingers paused over the keys for a second, but then I wondered why I was hesitating. Did I want to go back to Owen’s empty apartmentalone?Not really.

I’d love to. Just send me the address, and I’ll be there!

YAY. Amazing. Can’t wait to see you!

With that, I shoved my stuff into my purse, hurrying home so I could change into something a little cuter. There was a skip in my step that I didn’t have before, and I just felt…lighter.

A grin filled my face, and even though it was overcast and rainy when I stepped outside to my car, it felt like the sun was shining down on me.

“Ellie!”Sophia raised her hands up, looking excited to see me. And a little tipsy. “You made it!” She slung an arm around my shoulder, and I smiled at her. Her light blonde hair was curled and loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing a pretty teal blouse with a pair of jeans.

“Hi. Thanks for inviting me.”

Looking around her apartment—though that was probably an understatement, even comparedto Owen’s—I noticed quite a few of the women I’d met the other night were here, wine glasses in hand as they chatted on the couch. The hockey game was on in the background, but no one seemed to watch it. It reminded me a lot of home, back when I’d find myself at one of four different houses on any given night, hanging out with my cousins and best friends.

“Of course!” She guided us into the kitchen, grabbing another wine glass out of the cabinet and filling it with a white. “Normally, Lauren plans these things, but since she’s pregnant, I’m giving her a break.” Sophia glanced over to the Captain’s wife, sitting in the living room with one hand resting on her belly as she chatted with the other wives and girlfriends. She was due in December, during the season, which I was sure was hard for her.

“This is such a nice place,” I said, appreciating the giant kitchen as she handed me a wine glass.

Sophia gave me a little shrug. “When I told my dad I wanted to move out two years ago, after I graduated college, he refused to let me get an apartment unless he approved it first. Whatever that meant.” She rolled her eyes, adding quotation marks in the air around the word approved.

“And this was the place he chose?” My eyes were wide. It was huge. I didn’t even want to know what it cost, much like where I was currently living. Thank God Owen hadn’t asked me to pay anything, because I definitely couldn’t afford it.

I got the idea that Coach Donovan was pretty protective of his daughter. My dad was the same—I was pretty sure he was going to kill me when he found out about the apartment I’d rented originally. I’d avoided telling my parents the worst of it, though they knew I was staying with Owen after it flooded. There was no way to get out of telling them that, especially when I talked to my mom basically every day.

She snorted. “Yup. He’s also paying more than half the rent, since my salary doesn’t cover all of this.” Waving herhand, she gestured to the apartment. “I definitely didn’t need somethingthisbig, but he insisted.” Sophia sighed.

“Wow.”

“Such is the life of a coach’sonlydaughter. I’m his baby. I’m surprised he even let me get a job outside of the team. When I went to school for exercise science and told him I wanted to be a personal trainer, he about fell over himself, saying I could be one of the team’s trainers.” Sophia took a long drink of wine. “Now, enough about me. Tell me about you and Owen.”

“There’s not much to tell. Our moms are best friends, and we grew up together. And we dated in high school, but that was a long time ago.” I blushed, thinking about how he’d kissed me three nights ago. A kiss I couldn’t get out of my mind.

“I knew it.”

“What?” I frowned.

“I knew there was something more between you than just beingfamily friends.” She smirked. “No wonder he asked if you could be in the box with us.”

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