Page 71 of Use Me

“Please. I had my shopping done before Thanksgiving. I’m a pro.”

I took a sip of the fruity wine. “When I finally have kids, I’ll come to you for all your secrets.”

“You and Rhys gonna pop out some babies?”

I snorted. “We’ve only been dating a few months. I have no plans to get knocked up.”

“Fine, but I need a baby to snuggle with.”

“You’re capable of making some more.”

Jaime shook her head. “Nope. I’m not doing any more shitty diapers. Thomas is almost potty trained.”

“Then you should convince Kylie or Colleen.”

“I see you more often,” she stated.

“Fine. How about you ask me after a year of marriage?”

“Are you and Rhys getting married?” She folded her arms on the table and leaned slightly forward as though I had some huge secret to tell her.

“Not that I know of. Again, we’ve only been dating a few months.” I rolled my eyes.

Jaime tsked. “Semantics. You two are perfect for each other, and I’ve never seen you this happy before.”

“Well, thank you. I’m glad you finally approve of my boyfriend.”

“You’re welcome. So tell me about this plan.”

“Don’t forget to dress warm tonight.” I kissed Rhys goodbye before leaving for work. It was Christmas Eve, and tomorrow we had plans to go to both of our parents’ houses for lunch and dinner, so we decided to exchange gifts in the morning. The problem was, my gift needed to be done at night because that was when I was able to do it.

“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”

I shook my head and grabbed my coat. “It will ruin the surprise.”

“All right. Text me when you’re downstairs, and I’ll be ready.”

This was going to be amazing!

When I was dating Bridgette, I’d felt as though my life was in some sort of rut. I never wanted to break up with her because I thought my work schedule was too crazy and I wouldn’t be able to date anyone else. What I didn’t realize was finding the right person to date was effortless. It also helped that Ashtyn and I unofficially lived together. Bridgette had always wanted to go out and spend my money. Though looking back, I think she did it because she was hoping we’d run into hockey players that I knew. The problem with that was most of them were married. At least the ones with established careers who were making the big bucks. Also, did she realize that most of them had missing teeth? I mean, fighting was almost encouraged in hockey, and therefore, a lot of them practically had dentures.

My point in all of this is that when I thought about a Christmas present for Ashtyn, I contemplated getting her jewelry. I assumed I’d need to spend at least one of my paychecks on something that was gold for her, but the more I pondered about the perfect gift, the more I realized that wasn’t Ashtyn. She didn’t wear flashy things or expect expensive dinners every Saturday night. She wanted to curl up on the couch and watch a movie instead of getting dressed up for a night on the town. It was fucking perfect. She was fucking extraordinary.

So one morning, while Ashtyn sang in the shower, I thought of the most amazing gift. I just hoped she didn’t laugh …

Too much.

Ashtyn:Be there in five.

I grabbed my coat, shrugged it on and then being the smart ass that I was, I grabbed winter gloves and a beanie. I’d also dressed in long underwear under all of my clothes. Ashtyn said to dress warm, and that was what I was doing. I just hoped I didn’t sweat my balls off.

When I got downstairs, I waited inside the building until I saw Ashtyn pull up. Her blue Volvo was actually pretty sweet with a heated steering wheel, a heated windshield, heated wipers, and heated front and rear seats. And it also had some horsepower.

I opened the passenger door and stuck my head in. “Should I sit in the back so you can chauffeur me around?”

“No!” She laughed. “Get your ass in here and close the door. It’s freezing out there.”

I did just that. “It is snowing, Cupcake. Ice is literally falling from the sky.”