Page 117 of Love Me Tomorrow

“Still plenty of time left for that,” Owen says roughly, raking the fingers of his free hand through his almost dry hair. “Amidst all the chaos of today, I got a reminder email for the live taping of the reunion show next week.”

My stomach freefalls. I can only imagine the backlash I’m going to receive from the contestants on the show. They’re going to be absolutely furious. And while I’m sure that I at least partly deserve the kickback from the guys who went on the show to find true love, I know it’s not going to be easy.

And it’s definitely not going to go perfectly.

I force myself to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, then repeat the process two more times.

Independent.

Strong-willed.

A fighter.

A Rose and her thorn—I’ll take the heat, but I won’t accept being bashed. I’ve done that for months now. I’ve accepted the scrutiny and kept my head down when the rumors spread. Not anymore.

Mouth dry, I ask, “What do we do next?”

Owen squeezes my hand. “I work myself to the bone at Inked and go back to the basics—show the world why I got on the map in the first place, no matter what I can and can’t see. You draw up a list of every person who seemed sketchy while you were on the show so we can give it to the lawyer, and then you tell your dad about your plan for ERRG. No more VP.”

“No more VP.” I smile, then, and it’s big and wide and genuine. “And after we’ve done all that?”

Owen takes our linked hands and loops them around his shoulders, leaving mine there as he pushes me back onto the couch. His jeans are wet on my thighs and his cool chest leaves the most delicious-feeling pressure in my soul. His nose grazes mine, and then his lips trail down to kiss the corner of my mouth. “After that, you come with me to the store and pick out whatever you want for this house.”

“Sounds like you’re hoping there might be more to this than just sharing a bedroom.”

Vulnerability and hope spark to life in his black gaze. “I’m bettin’ on it, sweetheart, I’m betting on it.”

36

Celebrity Tea Presents:

Owen Harvey and Savannah Rose Go Silent with the Press, Following Week of Utter Scandal!

Dear Reader, it’s been one whole week since the Scandal of the Year rocked the internet to its core.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s the 411:

Formerly known as America’s Sweetheart, Savannah Rose’s emails were hacked last Monday in whatUS Tonightdubbed, “An unprecedented invasion of privacy.”

While nothing so illustrious as nude photos were released—Savannah would never—the repercussions following the massive leak are damaging enough. One of the contestants on the show, Richard Thompson (he who wore the most godawful dinosaur onesie from night one), tweeted just yesterday, “The fact that I laid it all out on the line for Savannah Rose while she was cheating on all of us—yeah, I’m talking emotional—just goes to show she’s no one’s sweetheart. #PutARingOnIt #BrokenHearted #EffYourCastingChoice.”

Another contestant, Viktor Macky, uploaded an Instagram picture of himself with his arms around Rose. It was clearly taken during filming—only, juxtaposed on top of Rose’s face was a cartoonlike crawfish, in a clear jab to her home state of Louisiana. His caption reads: “How are you gonna come on a dating show when you’re clearly in love with someone else? I quit my job for this! #PutARingOnIt #OverItOverHer #HappyAndSingle #YouHiring?”

It should be noted that Macky is an alleged Instagram influencer, so I’m not entirely convinced that one can lose a job in which you report to no one but yourself. Just my humble opinion, of course.

Strangely, all attempts to reach out to the final two contestants, Nick Stamos and Dominic DaSilva, were met with variations of the same response: “Leave the girl alone and get a life.”

Ahem. Thisismy life!

Moving on.

While all of the internet is in a frenzy over Rose’s deception, things seem to be looking up for her beau, Owen Harvey. Although he has not spoken out to any media sources, that has not stopped the media from talking about him. (Hey there, Owen, check your email would you?)

If there is any clapback from the revelation of him being colorblind (and a tattoo artist!) it’s not happening online. Praise for Harvey is being slung from all over like shit in a barn. Other folks who are colorblind—to you, Dear Reader, is there a better way to phrase this?—drop me a line because I expect this to be a hot topic in the coming months. I’m not trying to offend all the lovely fans who are coming out of the woodwork to express how much they find Harvey a true inspiration in helping them follow their dreams.

~Cue us all singing Kumbaya together like one big, happy family ~

While one crumbles, the other soars.

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