Page 23 of Uniquely in Love

By the time we were finished with training camp for the day, I was dripping with sweat. Coach Donovan called us all over to circle up, giving us a run-down for the end of the week with our first scheduled pre-season game. The team was split in half, all the new guys trying to prove their worth, so we wouldn’t all play every game, but I was looking forward to getting things underway.

Our first game of the pre-season was at home against Vancouver—our closest team and biggest rivals. Games always ended up heated, with gloves dropping easily and players often chirping at each other while on the bench. We would play each nearby team twice during the pre-season—once on home ice, and once away, which meant we’d be heading up to Calgary and Edmonton as well.

After Donovan dismissed us, we all headed back to the locker room. Fifty something guys made the room feel even more crowded than normal, but we all knew that by the time the season started, most of the prospects would be gone.

Brooks and Maverick joined me in our corner after we’d all showered, and from the glimmer in their eyes, I knew that the conversation from earlier wasn’t over.

“Are you going to see her again?” Mav asked, pulling on his t-shirt as we all dressed.

Well, I certainly hoped she wouldn’t avoid me for the next five years, but—“It’s in the past.” I shrugged.

Brooks raised an eyebrow. “And you’re good with that?”

“What is this, a double Hendrix team-up?” They had those on the ice every once in a while, and yeah, they were deadly. “Yeah, guys. I’m good with it. Really, it’s a good thing. We talked. Now I can move on.” Neither one of them looked convinced, but that didn’t matter. “Look, you know I’ve been hung up on her for years. But she’s in Portland, and I’m here. And she made it clear exactly what she wanted.”

“Most people would be a grumpy asshole after their girl dumped them,” Maverick muttered to his brother. “I mean, just look at Larsen over there. Instead, this guy’s like a ray of damn sunshine.”

Rhodes Larsen was one of the older guys on the team—he’d spent his entire career with the Seals. He flipped Mav off before pulling a baseball cap on backwards over his dark hair. Secretly, I knew Rhodes didn’t mind the guy, but it was part of the rapport they’d built. I grinned. God, it was good to be back with my boys. I loved this place, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It was a mutual thing,” I finally said. “No dumping happened.” Not this time, at least. “It’s good. I’m good.” Inodded to myself.It doesn’t matter now.It’s in the past.We’rein the past.

Running my fingers through my damp dark blond strands, I pulled on a sweatshirt over my t-shirt. It was already getting cold outside. Sometimes, I was damn jealous of the teams in Florida that had warm weather almost year round. Meanwhile, it was late September, and I’d already almost forgotten what the sun looked like. Seattle and Portland weren’t all that different, really. They both were drizzly and overcast more months out of the year than I could count, though I’d grown used to living here. When I’d first moved here, I’d spent my entire first year wishing I was back home in Portland. Missing my family. Missingher.

I’d entered the NHL draft the summer after I turned 18, getting picked in the second round by the Seals, and then I’d started college here a few months later at the University of Washington, playing for the Huskies D1 Hockey Team. Six years later, here I was.

“What are you up to for the rest of the day, Harps?” Brooks asked as he shoved his stuff in his bag.

I shrugged. It was only mid-afternoon, and I had planned to go on a new hike I’d found and then catch up with one of my new books. I always did my best thinking in the wilderness, surrounded by the blue skies and pine trees. “Not much. Found a new trail. Probably some laundry.”

Things I wouldn’t have as much time for once the season started.

“I’m heading out,” I announced to the guys. Reid, our goalie, nodded at me as he swiped a towel over his mess of red hair. “See y’all tomorrow.”

Then I escaped before one more person could ask me about my summer or the girl I’d left behind.

Leaving the IcePlex,I headed back to my apartment in the city. I’d moved into this unit after signing my contract extension last year, and while it was way more space than any single person needed, I was also getting paid way more than I knew what to do with. It wasn’t like I was out drinking every night or wasting it. Most of the money I earned from playing professional hockey went into my savings account.

But I’d stepped into this apartment and it just felt… right. Like I could picture a life here.

Someone curled up on the couch, waiting for me to get home from games. A puppy curled up next to them. Laughter. Love.

One day, I wanted all of that. A family. Though I had plenty of years left until I needed to think about settling down. For now, I was at the top of my game in the NHL, and I wouldn’t let anything jeopardize my focus.

Though I’d been wanting to get a dog for the last few years, a companion for the quiet nights in my apartment or to take hiking with me. We’d always had one growing up, and I missed having an animal to snuggle with. Call me soft-hearted, but I’d grown up in a house where we’d never had to hide our feelings. And I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I was lonely.

Unfortunately, with my travel schedule, getting a dog felt selfish when I wasn’t home for days at a time for road trips and away games.

Sighing, I threw my bag on the floor of the laundry room so I could start it later tonight. All of my gear was handled by the team, but I still liked to wash my under layers myself at home. I wasn’t the most superstitious of hockey players, though there were plenty on my team, but I still had my routines that I followed every game day. Putting on my gear in the same order, just like I’d done since I was a kid. Taping my stick the same way each night. Wearing my sleeves tighter andpushed up past my wrists because I liked the way the cool air felt against my skin.

Nothing crazy.

Collapsing on the couch, I debated going for that hike, but decided I’d save it for my next day off, and picked up my most recent fantasy novel recommendation I’d gotten from my mom. The plot was amazing—full of political intrigue, and, yes, romance. My mom wrote romance novels, so I was no stranger to them. Though I hadn’t read hers, because reading a sex scene your mother wrote felt wrong.

When I glanced back up a few hours later, it was to the sun setting over the city skyline. One of the best parts about this apartment was the view I had and the large glass windows.

Longing and desire filled my heart.

Longing to have someone by my side. Desire for the only woman I couldn’t have. The woman who was practically inked over my heart like the tattoo on my skin.

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