Novels by Eileen Pryce

Anna peered through the common bathroom door on the first floor before stepping out casually as if nothing had happened. She walked past Dave, who was sitting on the couch in their living room and reading a report on his tablet, with Zach crawling on the floor."Zach, baby, come here." She called for Zach's attention, which was never hard to get. "Let's play outside."And his reaction was predictable. He was running toward his mother excitedly. His smile was so big that it was going to explode.Being a child seemed fun, didn't it?She followed him, running out of the house to their yard barefoot. She couldn't help her own smile from forming on her face at seeing him and another happiness she had just found out about today.She was pregnant with their second child.But be quiet. Anna wanted to make a surprise for her husband.Oh, she couldn't wait to see his reaction!"Zach, come here. Mommy wants to say something to you."Zach halted his running to look at his mother with an indescrib

Three years later.She watched everything. Their every move, laugh, giggle, scream, and more. She couldn't help but grace a wide smile over that. It was too good to be true. But it was what that was as it was the reality.Baby Zach was now three years old and in his active days. He had run on every corner of the house and was always excited to run outside.Although it tired their body from following him around, she didn't complain, especially Dave. He always had the energy to play with him and never ran out of ideas. He raised their child with all his heart.She shook her head to force herself back to her place. She couldn't only observe them all the time, as she needed to finish the cookie dough.Zach had the exact liking as hers for sweets. So she tried to be the best mom by baking them instead of buying them outside or ordering chefs to make them. It was cheaper and could adjust to her family preferences, which she wanted, not too much sugar.As Dave said, sugar was a killer.She

"Hi, baby boy. I'm happy you're awake, and I can hold you. Your mother must feel the same way. But she's resting now, so let's not disturb her and play with me instead." His voice was laced with happiness as his eyes flitted the same feeling. There was nothing happier than this moment when he finally held baby Zach. And the fact that he was born healthy was wonderful. It could be perfect if his wife's recovery went well.Baby Zach wriggled his tiny hands and managed to capture Dave's finger. He gripped it though his eyes were still closed. Baby Zach might sense familiar and safe, so baby Zach didn't cry, which made Dave's heart swell with pride and warmth. Only his touch could do that, and he couldn't be more proud of that."What do you think about this world? It's amazing, isn't it? You have me, your mother, and your entire family by your side. And in the future, you will find your own friends."Baby Zach was just quiet, and if his grip was not still on his finger, Dave might have th

A few months later.Anna was closing drawers after checking what was inside was still inside.It might be confusing. The point was Anna had just finished looking at their baby’s needs, such as clothes, diapers, socks, blanket, and more. She wanted to make sure everything was ready when the time came, which was soon. Her due date should be this week, and she couldn’t be more excited to finally welcome their baby.She moved to the only bed in the room. It was big and had four wooden walls on four sides to protect the baby from falling. And it was the one Dave said could accommodate her body while breastfeeding their baby. She even could sleep on it too.Her hand touched the doll on the nearby side and placed it neatly between another doll and the pillow. She had some, mainly cute animal characters, to accompany him while he was sleeping.Yes, him. Their baby was a boy.“Do you like it, honey? It’s nice, right? Your father prepared them for you.” She spoke as her hand caressed her so big

"I saw everything, Anna. I know what you hide behind your back." His eyebrows raised as if waiting for her to reveal it by herself. There was no point in hiding it anyway since it was why he approached her. He already saw her enjoying the ice cream!"What do you mean?"So she was going to play with him. Unfortunately, he didn't want to pretend that he did not see that. "The bowl. Ice cream."And she could only force a grin."Come here." His hand reached out to invite her to come near him."No. You will scold me.""That means you know you were doing wrong. How many bowls have you had?""Hmm. Five?""Count it correctly, honey.""Okay. Okay. Nine." She raised both her hands in the air and surrendered herself."No, honey. The bowl in your back is the eleventh."He actually didn't have a problem with her enjoying the ice cream. But Anna liked overeating, and she might have more if he didn't watch her."Good job Dave. She needs to be more careful with her health." Rebecca, standing beside h

Finally, the day they had been waiting for came. It was hectic but also fun. Their friends and families gathered together to celebrate the happy day. What was more pleasing than that?The vow went well. Although Anna felt more nervous, everything was perfect this time compared to the real one. Her father led her to the altar and handed her to Dave, which generally did at a wedding ceremony. And she and his husband stated their vow again and became husband and wife one more time.And to make it perfect, he sealed their vow with a kiss on her lips. Then cheers and applauses filled the hall.It was indeed a favorable moment. And it lasted until night."It's a pleasure to finally meet the newest Mrs. Byrne." Alexander greeted Anna and took her hand to land a quick kiss, like how a gentleman met a lady for the first time. "My name is Alexander Green.""Oh!" Anna couldn't help but show her surprise. She heard a lot about him from Dave, but this was the first time they met in person."Based

WYATTYou can call me crazy or anything, but I understood the consequences when I made the suggestion. They could stay at the Logan Hotel's best suite as long as they needed, and I would provide them with everything they needed. I also planned to stay there so I could watch them in person.But then I had to remember it was Logan. Ruby was one part of it, and some employees must recognize her. Then the news would spread, and it was the last thing I wanted at this moment.Therefore, I offered something else."Our house." I changed the words I used before. It's not just my house, but ours since we picked it together.I saw color drain from Ruby's face despite the dim light. It made me wonder whether it was too soon to ask her this.But Ruby told me that she was ready to meet my mother — just her, not with Austin — to return Cookie. So wasn't she prepared to see our house, too?Or not?She looked disoriented when I took a glimpse of her. But I kept maneuvering the car toward our house unt

RUBY"Her birthday is coming and I plan to surprise her. Can you be there?"Right. Helen's birthday is next Sunday, and I haven't had a specific plan yet because I wasn't sure she could visit us next weekend.Thus, I said yes to his invitation without knowing the details. I didn't realize the plan would require me to travel to New York for a dinner party Alan was organizing at their new house. That was the surprise: he wanted me, his girlfriend's best friend, to be there when Helen saw the home he bought for their future.I had no choice except to go with the yes, didn't I?However, it was going to be my first visit to New York after five years, so I couldn't help but feel nervous."Take the train. Don't drive alone." Wyatt's words echoed in my mind ever since I agreed to Alan's invitation and turned down Wyatt's offer to give us a ride. I figured it was inefficient for him to drive from New York to get us, only to drive back again, and then insist on returning us home afterward. Woul

WYATTI poured hot water into the teapot, set it nicely on a tray with four empty glasses, and brought it to the TV area where Ruby was watching a series alone.Where were the others?Helen and Alan were upstairs, putting our son to sleep for a nap.Don't get us wrong. Ruby and I didn't intend to escape our duty. They offered themselves, so why not take the chance?"I made tea," I said, joining her.Ruby initially looked surprised, as it was her usual response whenever I took the initiative to make something or help her. But then, the shock disappeared as soon as it flashed on her face."Thank you." Her sweet voice came out as a reaction instead.I admitted. Since the incident at the Botanical Garden, she had changed. I thought it would last temporarily and she would return to her usual self, cold and indifferent toward me. Turned out, it lasted till today."Should I bring some snacks, too?" Since good things were happening, I wanted them to stay longer by showing her more favor."Onl

RUBYHelen read through my heart so I wouldn't hide it anymore. I tried to keep a poker face, acting cool while I sipped my drink from time to time, not wanting her to notice my nerves."Don’t worry. I will return her safely."Of course. There was no way I would destroy the trust after Mom was kind enough to lend us the cat. However, it raised a question about how Wyatt convinced Mom. What did he tell his mother so that Mom gave Cookie easily? And I had to remember that Cookie is a living thing that lived with her for five years."You have to, or she will hold a grudge and refuse to see me again."But my thought halted after picking up Helen's words. "Refuse to see you again? Why?"Helen rolled her eyes at my question as if it were unnecessary. "For harming the cat. What else?" It made sense that someone would avoid anyone who did something bad to them. Still, what caught my attention wasn't her answer, but rather the way she said it—like it was trivial."Did you see Mom aside when yo

RUBYIn less than two hours, the house was already full, with two more guests added. Wyatt and Alan. For Alan, it had been a while since I saw him. He was busy with work, patients, seminars, and more, according to Helen, so when he got free time, it was better for him to use it with my best friend."Cat will pee and poo, and she's trained to do it in the litter box," Wyatt explained in front of Cookie's litter box. She had just poo, so Wyatt used the chance to teach my son how to clean it up. It is an old-style box without a fancy modern tool. Because of that, he taught Austin to do it the traditional way."It stinks," Au commented as W buried the poo, then picked it up with a shovel and tossed it into a plastic bag.Alan added to the lesson as Helen and I made breakfast. "Poo normally stinks. That's why you need to bring a plastic bag wherever you go with Cookie in case she poos midway. You have to clean up, or people will be disturbed by the smell."Austin winced but still gave a no

RUBYI couldn't believe this. I met the kitten I had saved five years ago. And look at her now. She's a beautiful, grown-up cat, her eyes glimmering with life I once protected."I still can't believe this." My voice echoed softly, the disbelief swirling through my mind. Yet Cookie's purring was comforting and real, grounding me in the present as Helen's stories danced around us."Believe this, okay?" Helen said beside me. We were sleeping, not in my bedroom but on the sofa in front of the TV. It's a magic sofa that can be used as a regular sofa and change into a sofa bed. It's pretty big for two of us, and most importantly, it's comfortable. That was why we would always sleep here during Helen's visit. "Now, sleep. It's almost midnight." She continued, turning her body to the side to search for comfort.I glanced at the clock, and she was right. It was half to midnight. I should sleep, or I would run out of energy tomorrow. Wyatt and Alan would come, and with the cat's presence, it wo