Page 79 of Use Me

“Hey.”

“How was work?”

“Counting the days down until I get home at a decent hour.” She shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the hook by the door.

“Speaking of, you still want to go to a game?”

Ashtyn smiled. “Yes.”

“Okay. I’ll get you and the girls some tickets.”

The Blackhawk games usually started about seven-thirty at night. When Ashtyn moved to the evening news, she’d be able to make it to the game on time if she went straight from work. I, of course, had to do my shows and wouldn’t be able to join her but she could have a girl’s night.

“I’m so excited!” she exclaimed and sat next to me on the couch.

I kissed the side of her head, my laptop still on my lap from doing shit the last few hours. She was finally starting to be her old self again. I could tell by the way she was no longer scared to be alone. And she hadn’t mentioned any more flowers being delivered or people stalking her. Hopefully, all the crazy people were in our past.

“You going to shower and get ready for bed?”

“In a few minutes. I just want to cuddle with you.”

“We can cuddle in bed.” I smirked.

Ashtyn grinned. “I know, but give me a few minutes to unwind.”

“Okay. While you’re resting, I have a question.”

“What’s that?”

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. “Were you serious the other day when you said we should get a place with a fireplace?”

Ashtyn tilted her head slightly and bit her lip. “Well …”

I set the laptop on the coffee table and turned to face her. “If I tell you that I want to, would you agree?”

She nodded and didn’t speak.

“Good because I think we should.”

“Yeah?” She grinned.

“But I’m not saying we should get rid of our condos.”

“I don’t understand.” She furrowed her brows.

I grabbed her hand and brushed my thumb across the back. “We practically live together now, and while I want us to keep coming home to each other every night, I’m not sure selling our places would be the right decision.”

“Oh.” Ashtyn frowned.

I smiled, trying to put her at ease. “I’m not saying I don’t want to. I think that if we can afford it, we should find a place that’s ours and rent out our condos. I think we can rent them out for more than our mortgages, and if two of us are paying a mortgage on a house—”

“A house?”

I nodded. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t need this scene anymore,” I stated, meaning living in the city and having everything within walking distance.

“So, you want to move to the suburbs?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, but only if we find a house with a pool and a fireplace.”