Page 48 of Use Me

“You are?” Mother stopped stirring something on the stove and looked at me with a huge smile spread across her face.

“Yes,” I confirmed again as I reached for a carrot on the tray on the kitchen island.

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” my mother gushed.

“We can top it,” Romi stated looking back at her husband with a huge smile on her face. “We’re pregnant!”

Aw fuck. No doubt my mother was going to start hounding me more.

Breaking News: Ashtyn Valor has moved on from Corey Pritchett and is now dating Rhys Cole—officially.

The Monday after my horrible date with Philip, I arrived at work to hear twenty voicemails from him. I kid you not. Twenty!

“Ashtyn, it’s Philip. Where’d you go?”

“Ashtyn, it’s Philip again. I’m worried.”

“It’s Philip again. Please let me know if you’re okay.”

They kept going and going ...

“The coat girl told me you left. You could have at least told me.”

“You know what? Fuck you, bitch!”

And finally …

“I only wanted to fuck you anyway. You’re probably a lousy lay.”

I saved every single one just in case something were to ever happen to me, but didn’t tell anyone. What was there to tell? I didn’t know his last name or anything about him, and he technically never did anything to me. It was too late for them to test if there was anything in the wine. He also stopped calling after that day.

Thank God.

Like clockwork, Abby walked up to my desk with a flower delivery. “They’re black,” I stated, looking at the bouquet in her hands.

“I know! Crazy huh?”

I’d never seen a black rose in person before now. I pulled the card from the middle of the flowers after Abby set them on my desk.

I had no idea what the note actually meant, but the black roses were beautiful, and even though they didn’t say they were from SA, I knew they were.

Once again, I showed up alone to Thanksgiving at my parents. This year I had planned to bring Corey with me. Obviously, that was no longer the case, and since Rhys and I had just officially started dating, we decided to stick with our original plans and do our own Thanksgivings. It was a little too soon to meet the family even though for the past three nights I’d stayed over at his place because I was scared to be alone. Tonight would be no different because we had plans to meet up after dinner.

“Are you doing okay?” my mom asked, giving me a one-armed hug as I peeled potatoes.

“I’m fine.” I smiled.

“Are you doing okay after everything with Corey?” Her hazel eyes squinted a little as she frowned, sad for me.

“Now I am.”

She perked up at my omission. “Good. And what about that young man who does the shows before the Blackhawks games?”

“Rhys Cole.” My grin grew wider just thinking about him.

“Yes, him. I saw your picture on Facebook.”

“Everyone saw that picture.” I laughed.Probably even Philip … somehow.