Page 69 of Used

I woke up the next morning surrounded by his warmth and had never felt so peaceful. So good.

He makes me feel good.

Marshall, despite my best attempts, has become a place of comfort for me.

For the past two weeks before he left, I’ve lived in a state of genuine contentment and happiness. Even Oliver has made comments, much to my chagrin.

All good things come to an end, though, and Marshall left once more.

Since then, my anxiety has been sky-high, right alongside my blood pressure.

Evidently, the solution to my woes, though, is brunch, according to my friends who’ve dragged me out of the office on a Friday morning.

The audacity of taking a pregnant woman to a bar that serves brunch with bottomless mimosas should, quite frankly, be a crime.

Nonetheless, Selene, Naomi, Zuri, and Ivy somehow convinced me to leave the safety of my home office and ditch my responsibilities in exchange for a few hours with girlfriends, breakfast food, and water.

The bar we frequent for brunch is nice enough, with excellent food and drinks.

I’m sipping on my water that was dropped off at our table when our usual waiter comes over to greet us.

“Good morning, ladies. Welcome back. How are we this afternoon?” They ask.

The look around the table is less than cheery.

“I think we need food and drinks.” Selene chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.

“Of course.” The waiter says, shifting on their feet. “The usuals for the table?”

Everyone else nods their heads in confirmation.

“Um… Can I do breakfast tacos instead?” I request.

“And a bottle of hot sauce on the side.” Zuri chuckles at me. “What? Like we all haven’t noticed, your cravings lean toward a particular spice level during this pregnancy.”

“Of course.” The waiter replies with a glance down at my now heavily protruding stomach.

“I get that you’re white, but like, babe, you down spicy food like it’s vanilla ice cream these days,” Zuri says with a broad smile. “I think it has something to do with a certain someone who’s been cooking for you for the past few months.”

I shake my head and reach to unfold my silverware from its cloth napkin.

Selene eyes me suspiciously but lets me avoid commenting by changing the subject.

“Alright. Y’all bitches catch me up.” She says, clapping her hands. “Zuri, I wanna hear about the new line. Elsie, I know how work is. I want baby updates. Nay gets a pass today, but I expect participation at a minimum. Got it?”

“Yes, captain,” Nay says with a mock salute, her face not moving from its delicately held-together neutral expression.

I’ve heard from Selene that the woman has been going through trouble in paradise with the couple she’s dating, and it’s been brutal on her.

“Zuri. Kick us off. Work update, please, and thank you.” Selene commands with a smile.

With a sigh, Zuri starts telling us about the security threats her company has been receiving and how she’s now working with the security firm owned by Gunnar and Emir. Emir is also on my Board of Directors and a mentor. Gunnar and Emir are working on increasing security at the building and upping safety protocols for their internal systems as well.

“I met his husband, Derek, the other day when I was leaving their offices,” Zuri mentions with what I think is a blush under her deep umber skin.

“Oh?” I ask, curious as to what would make our Zuri smile like that.

“It was a classic rom-com run-in. Spilled coffee and everything.” She explains with a chuckle. “He was sweet about it, though.”

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