Page 119 of Uniquely in Love

Luckily, Owen’s jersey was one of the few they carried in the store, so I didn’t have to get one custom made. It helped to have a boyfriend who was also one of the top players on the team. Besides, I wanted to have both a home and an away jersey, instead of just the one.

“I would have gotten you another one if you’d asked.”

I stuck my tongue out in concentration as I placed another rhinestone in the glue. “Yeah, but this was more fun.”

He chuckled through the phone. “Is this a thing?”

“Oh yeah,” I nodded. “It’s all the rage on social media. Everyone’s doing it.” I was low-key obsessed with all the rhinestoned jerseys, and I loved how they sparkled. Sophia supported me in the endeavor, and I offered to do one for her next, assuming mine turned out good.

I wondered whose jersey she would wear. Her dad’s old number? Or maybe she’d just pick her favorite players? She’d been talking to me a lot more about the guys on the team, and there was just this vibe I kept picking up on.

“I miss you.” Owen was quiet, and I wished he was here right now so I could wrap my arms around him and tell him everything was going to be okay. Unfortunately, he was on the other side of the continent right now.

“I know.” I sighed. “Me too. It’s too quiet around here.”

“How’s our girl?”

I picked up my phone, changing the camera angle to show him our puppy, currently sleeping at my feet. “She’s good. We went down to the park earlier and I let her run around for a while to tire herself out.”

“That sounds fun.” Owen looked exhausted, and I knew how much his travel schedule wore on him during some of these trips. It seemed exhausting, especially when the team had a back-to-back.

I bit my lip. “At least you’ll be home soon, and then your family will be here? I can’t wait to see Penny.”

That brought a smile to his face. “Yeah. Me too. I’ve really been looking forward to it. My parents have been going on and on about meeting Zambi. I think they miss having a dog.”

We talked for a bit longer before I finally let him go, knowing it was late and he needed his sleep. I was just glad he had time to call me during his trips or after games. As much asI missed him, I loved watching him play, even if it was on my TV while he was across the country.

I might have had to share him with the world, but when he was home, he was still mine, and that was all that really mattered in then end, right?

There wasa crisp quality to the air as I walked Zamboni down to the park. It wasn’t currently raining—for once—and we were enjoying our last moments of quiet. Owen was getting back from an away game in the morning, and then his family would arrive in the afternoon.

At least I didn’t have school tomorrow, since I was off for the rest of the week.

It was crazy that I’d blinked, and it was almost December. We’d be going back home in less than a month to see our cousins. I missed them all, but especially my family. I’d never spent this long away from Portland before. And while I knew my parents would have driven up here in the blink of an eye if I’d told them I missed them, I’d wanted to do things myself.

And I had. Owen and I were back together, and everything felt brighter. Easier. My job was great, I had friends here—goodfriends—and we’d even gotten a dog. I laughed to myself, thinking about telling seventeen-year-old me about my life now.

There was no way I’d believe it.

I tilted up my head as Zambi sniffed around the grass, letting the sun’s rays warm my face as a smile touched my lips. Since we were inside the fenced dog park, I’d let Zamboni off her leash, letting her run around. She had already grown so much in the last month, and I missed how small she’d been.

My phone vibrated in my back pocket, startling me out ofthe serene moment, and I furrowed my brow as I pulled it out, not recognizing the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Miss Bradford?”

“Yes?” I asked. “Who is this?”

“Sorry, sorry. This is Mr. Wright. Your landlord?”

I frowned. “Oh. Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.” It had been three months since my apartment had flooded, and not a peep on how repairs were going.

He made a sound with his throat. “Right. Well, I wanted to let you know that we’re finished renovations on the apartment and you’re free to move back in about two weeks.”

“I am?” My mouth went dry. “I just figured—” I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe I’d forgotten that this arrangement was only supposed to be temporary. Because Owen had never brought it up again. He’d asked me to stay. At least… I was pretty sure he had. I’d confessed to him I didn’t want to move out when my apartment was fixed, right?Don’t. Stay with me.“Okay. Thanks for letting me know. If I won’t be moving back in, is there a date I need to tell you by?”

“Ah. Well. I guess as soon as possible. That way, I can find someone else to rent it. You’ll need to pay the fee to break the lease, however.”

Even if I moved back in, I wanted to see it first before I agreed to it. But having to pay to break it when the place had filled with water didn’t sit right with me.

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