Page 90 of Uniquely in Love

See you soon, Daisy.

I hoped my surprise was him. Preferably naked.

“You look happy,” Maggie said, leaning on my doorframe.

I looked up, realizing I was smiling just thinking about Owen. About the way he’d held me last night, and I’d fallen asleep in his bed again. “It was a good weekend,” I responded.

“Mmm. Hockey boy is home, I take it?”

My cheeks were pink. “Maybe.”

I was terrible at hiding things from my friends. Abi always said I was like an open book, showing all of my emotions on my face. For once, I wished I could keep this a secret to myself for a little longer.

The only reason all of my cousins didn’t know yet that Owen and I were sleeping together—because we weren’t back together, not really—was because I was two hundred miles away. Even though our group chat was always blowing up, it was much easier to keep them in the dark without them here.

“I love this for you. You’re so…” She waved her hand around me. “Sunshiney. It looks good on you.”

“Thank you.” I fiddled with the hem of my thick cardigan. “It’s still new, but…”

She patted me on the shoulder. “Go home and see your man.” Maggie headed out, giving me a little wave.

I dipped my head, grabbing my bag and keys so I could lock up my classroom. Owen didn’t have a game until tomorrow, so I was in more of a hurry to get home, knowing he’d be there when I got back. Maybe if I was lucky, we could have a repeat of yesterday morning. I wasn’t opposed to the shower again. Or his exceptionallylarge bathtub…

There was no wiping the smile off my face as I headed out to my car and drove back to Owen’s apartment.

It might have been raining outside, but my world felt brighter than ever. I just hoped it would stay this good.

Openingthe door to our apartment, I expected to find Owen in the kitchen or the living room, but they were both empty. Except… not exactly empty.

“Owen.” I froze, staring at the little bundle of golden fur as a tail wagged at me. “Owen?” My voice was louder, shouting through the apartment.

“Hey, Skater Girl.” He grinned as he rounded the corner, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Owen. Why is there a dog in our apartment?”

“She’s ours.”

“Ours?”I repeated, raising an eyebrow. We weren’t even together. Not really. We hadn’t had the conversation about what we were yet. Maybe we were both avoiding it.

He nodded. “Uh-huh. That way, when I’m gone for away games, I don’t have to worry about you being alone. Especially during some of the long stretches.”

The puppy padded over to me before plopping down on the floor, pushing her nose into my legs. “Ohmygod.” She was so cute. “Does she have a name?”

Owen crouched down next to me, scratching the top of her head. “Not yet.” His eyes met mine as he continued petting the puppy. “Figured we could name her together.”

“This is insane. You know that, right?”

He hummed. “I’ve lived alone for the last few years and always wanted a dog, but it seemed selfish when I was leaving so much. But when I was gone last week, I couldn’t stopthinking about how you were all alone here. So.” Owen made a gesture like,here we are.

“So you got me a dog.” I deadpanned.

“I gotusa dog, baby.” He reached out, brushing a hand over my face. I closed my eyes, enjoying the casual intimacy of his touch. Truthfully, I liked the sound ofusa little too much.

Sitting criss-cross on the floor, the golden retriever puppy climbed into my lap, before putting both paws on my chest and licking my face. “Hi, little girl,” I cooed. “I guess we need to name you, huh?” My parents’ dog growing up had been named Brownie, and I knew Owen had grown up with one named Marshmallow, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to follow the food naming trend. It felt a little… boring. I tried to think about the things that were meaningful to Owen and I, but my mind was suddenly blank.

For starters, I couldn’t get over the gesture. He didn’t want me to feel lonely when he was gone. Why was that so sweet? There was a pang in my heart. He had a home game tomorrow, and one more on Thursday, and then next week he had another road trip.

I laughed. “How do I have literally no idea on what to call her?” I turned to look at Owen, only to find he was watching me, eyes bright.

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