Victoria POV:A week after Caleb went back to Los Angeles, I finally went back home. I had not initially intended on staying at Alice's house for so long but she and her husband Ben had been very persuasive and I had a blast with them. Ben doted on us and by the end of that week, I felt spoiled rotten. He even got me flowers. Flowers! Alice was one lucky girl.When I got home, I decided to pass by the main house to say hi to my mom. Tom went on a business trip to San Francisco that morning and would not be able to return until Saturday so this was the first night that my mom and Tom would be separated since they got married. I wanted to see how she was holding up. I walked into the house and called out for her from the foyer.She peeked her head out of the living room to see who it was. When she saw that I was me she came towards me with the magazine she was holding in one hand and pulled me into a warm hug. I was almost thirty years old but I could live in my mom’s hug forever. After
Victoria POV: I have never regretted a decision so fast. It had been three weeks since I had made the decision to start dating again and all the dates had gone horribly. Today’s date was by far the worst one out of all of them. His name was Tony and he lived in Clarkdale. I had matched with him on Tinder and he messaged me immediately. We messaged back and forth for a few days on the app before he asked me on a date. He was a decent conversationalist and seemed interesting enough so I agreed. We set the date for today. We agreed to meet up for dinner in a cute café in Clarkdale, then if the date went well, we would go out for drinks after. The first thing that pissed me off was the fact he was over an hour late. If he had a pressing job like say, pediatric surgery, I would understand but he was an accountant. He worked at a bank so I knew those always closed on time so he had no excuse for his tardiness. After thirty minutes had passed, I called him to ask where he was and he told
Caleb's POVIt was a beautiful Monday morning. I had woken up that day in an excellent mood. Everything was going well for me. My shower was the most relaxing shower I had had in a while and I got ready to leave the house. There was absolutely no traffic on my way to work so I got there a lot earlier than I had anticipated.Since I had time to kill before my shift began, I decided to go to the cafeteria and actually sit down and have a proper breakfast instead of the one cup of coffee that I would usually have because I was in a rush. I ordered coffee and a croissant.My coffee had the perfect cream and sugar ration and the croissant was soft, buttery and flaky. I savoured each bite then after I was done, I went to the attending lounge. When I got there, one of my colleagues informed me that I had been summoned to the chief of surgery’s office.I was a little nervous but I had a good feeling about it. I walked to her door and knocked on it.“Come in!” she said.I walked into the tidy
Victoria's POVI arrived at Charlie’s pub, a cute little bar in Sedona and the place that my girls and I would always meet for cocktails. Samantha was in town for the weekend and we had decided to meet up as per our custom. I was running ridiculously late. It had been an unusually busy day at the bakery and Mrs Pullman was not around so I had my hands full all day.By the time it got to seven o'clock, and I was finally closing up the shop, I was tired to the bone. I went home, and took a quick shower to wash the day off me. I attempted to dry my hair but it was taking too long so I decided to leave it alone and go what I always did in situations like this. I threw it into a ponytail.I knew that it would be a tangled rat’s nest if I let it dry like that but that would be tomorrow's problem. I put on a couple of outfits but none of them were sitting how I wanted them to on my body. I felt so frustrated, that I wanted to cry. I took a couple of breaths to calm myself and decided to keep
Victoria's POVIt had been a week since Mike stood me up and I was still really bitter about it. I deleted his number and our conversation in an attempt to make it feel better about myself. Maybe if there was no evidence of his existence I could delude myself into believing that the horrible incident never happened.I got home that Saturday, wiped the makeup that I had spent hours on away and climbed into my bed. I cried my heart out into that pillow. The only reason that I agreed to go out with Mke in the first place was because I was trying to prove to myself that I could like someone that wasn’t Caleb.The realisation that I still had feelings for him after all this time scared me shitless. I acknowledged that I had subconsciously been measuring every man up against him but I was trying to change that. That is why when mike came along, I did not think too much of it. I decided to go against my instinct and it had come to bite me in the ass.The worst part was, I couldn’t talk to m
Caleb's POVI was finally going home! I had signed all the papers at work and made the transfer official. It all still felt surreal. Brianna was still upset so I had done a lot of ass-kissing before I left. I spoiled her with flowers, candy, shoes, and countless reassurances that nothing about our relationship with her would change and l was still eternally devoted to her.She was not happy about it but she gave me her blessing eventually and I was thrilled. The only aspect of going home that I was dreading was seeing Victoria again. Now that I was going to be in Arizona permanently, we could not continue avoiding each other for good.There was no way that was going to work. I owed her an apology but the idea of actually executing it did not come easy to me. I didn’t even know where to start and more than that I did not want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was right about my girlfriend being a terrible person.I knew that letting my pride get in the way of apologisi
Victoria's POVI had gotten through the weekend. I probably hadn’t taken the most mature approach to the situation. I met up with Alice the next Monday after work to shop for groceries and the first thing that she asked me was, “how did this weekend go?”“Jeez Alice, you could at least pretend to be interested in how I’m doing or how my day was before you go fishing for tea, you know? Like civilised members of society.”“Fine. Hi Tori! It’s wonderful to see you. Blah blah blah! Now spill!”I had not talked to her all weekend and the suspense was obviously killing her. I thought of milking it a little more but the angsty look in her eyes told me that that might not be the best idea.“It was fine. It came, it went. That’s what’s important,” I said and rolled my cart down the produce aisle.The next thing, I knew I was being yanked back by the collar of my shirt.“Ow!” I exclaimed.“I’m sorry but is that really all you’re going to give me? I need details woman!”I rubbed my neck and scow
Caleb's POVI had been living in Arizona for a month now and it had been absolutely incredible. I loved my new job. I got to make calls about how the paediatric department was run and had even managed to start some initiative that I had always thought about while I was still in Los Angeles. For example, every month, we would do at least one pro bono surgery for a kid who needed it but could not afford it.Everything from the diagnosis to the surgery and even the post surgery care would be catered for. I had expected a lot of resistance from the board of directors but to my surprise, they were completely on board with the idea and the first one had already been approved.I had settled into my new house nicely. I had gotten to know some of my neighbours and they seemed like very lovely people. My dad, Eric Gloria and Melissa had all come to my place for a ‘house warming’ of sorts. Victoria’s absence was glaringly obvious but no one commented on it. Brianna and I were doing well all thi
One Year LaterVictoria's POV“Annabelle, no. don’t put that flower in your mouth,” I heard Gloria’s voice shout followed by the sound of little feet running.The next thing I knew, two little figures came running into the room I was in. Annabelle who was in a beautiful blush pink poofy tulle dress had a rose stalk in her hand and my son, Liam followed right behind her with a huge smile on his face. When I saw him in his little tux, my heart melted. I couldn't believe that it had only been a year since I gave birth to him. He had gotten Caleb’s brown hair and my blue eye; the best of both worlds. Even at one year old, he had so much personality.He was the happiest baby that I knew. I didn’t know that I could love someone so little so much. Being a mom meant that you literally walked around every day with your heart outside your body. I wanted to just scoop him up and smother him with kisses.“No no no. Resist the cuteness. We have work to do,” Kathy, my makeup artist said, snapping
Victoria's POVEveryone had been acting rather strange for the past two weeks. I didn’t know exactly what was going on but I could tell that something was up. When I asked Caleb if he saw it too, he told me that it was probably in my head. My mom invited all of us to their place for dinner because she thought that it had been a while since we were all together. I didn’t mind because that meant that I got to see Caleb. He had been so busy with work for the past two weeks, that I hadn’t gotten the chance to see him.I had started getting used to the idea of being pregnant. The only people who knew were me, Caleb, Alice, and Sam. I called Sam immediately after Caleb left and she was so happy for me. She told me that she hoped that it would be a girl because her head was already bursting with ideas of all the clothes she could make for her.I was honestly excited. Sure, I was very nervous about bringing new life to the world but he or she would be a product of the love between Caleb and
Caleb's POVI rushed over to Tori’s apartment as soon as she called me. I could hear the panic in her voice and I knew something was wrong. I was already in Sedona to visit Eric, so it wasn’t too far of a drive.When I arrived, Tori was standing at the door, tears in her eyes. “Caleb, I don’t know how to say this, but I’m pregnant.”I felt a rush of emotions wash over me. I was elated, overjoyed, and terrified all at the same time. I couldn’t believe that I was finally going to have a family with the woman that I loved. This was everything that I had ever wanted, and I knew that I had to do whatever it took to make this work.I pulled her into a tight hug and hugged her really tight. She had no idea what it meant to me. Ever since Annabelle was born, I had the overwhelming desire to settle down and have a family of my own. I wanted someone to come home to every day.Someone to love and hold and grow old with. I wanted a mini version of me running around the house and making a mess. I
Victoria's POVBliss.Pure unadulterated bliss. That's what I felt every second of the day. dating Caleb was the easiest decision that I had ever made. He made me feel like the most special girl in the world and made sure that I knew I was loved.He constantly sent me sweet texts. We would talk on the phone for hours and would drive to and from Arizona to Sedona every two days just because we couldn’t bear to be apart for too long. He had sent so many flowers to my house that I was running out of counter space to keep all of it. I had only dated Caleb for a month but I immediately knew that this was what dating should feel like. I was happy and felt secure knowing that my heart was in his hands. Everyone else before him faded in comparison like a distant foggy memory. Everyone was thrilled for us. We decided to keep our relationship under wraps at first. We wanted to remain in our little love bubble but that plan quickly went to the dogs two weeks after we started dating. Gloria had
Caleb's POVI placed my phone beside me on the couch and tried to ignore it. my eyes however kept drifting back to it hoping that it would light up with a response from Tori. When I heard a chime, I basically dove for it. Just like I had hoped, it was a message from Tori.Hi Caleb!Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be okay. I think we should meet and talk about everything. Let me know when you’re available.ToriI pumped my fist up in the air. This was huge. I had absolutely no hope that she would text back let alone be open to meeting with me. If she wanted, I would get into my car and drive to Sedona right away as tired as I was, I felt a surge of energy go through my body. I had to take deep breaths to calm myself down before I responded. I didn’t want to push my luck.How about tomorrow? I could come down to Sedona.I texted back then dropped my phone like it was hot metal. I worried that maybe I sounded too eager. I was so nervous, I didn't think I was capable of playing it coo
Victoria's POVIt had been two weeks since my bakery was vandalized and I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease. Every time I heard a sudden noise, my heart skipped a beat and my mind instantly jumped to worst-case scenarios. I feel like I couldn't trust anyone anymore.I couldn’t believe that someone would just destroy something like that. every store next to mine was untouched which indicated that this was a targeted attack. I couldn't shake the feeling that Brianna was behind this.I always knew Brianna was trouble, but I never thought she was capable of doing something like this to me. She took away my pride and joy, the one thing that I worked so hard for. She set me back so much that I had to turn down orders because I was not in a good mental space to work. It was not just the financial loss that was weighing on me, it was the fact that Brianna took away something that was so dear to me.She took away my sense of security and left me feeling exposed. I had been staying
Caleb's POVThe room was deathly quiet in the wake of Tori’s outburst.“Ummm…what was that? What was she talking about?” My dad asked.Every eye in the room turned to look at me expectantly. They were all waiting for me to shed light on the situation. I was still loss for words. Tori was actually blaming me for what happened to her store. I was in shock.“I don’t know. Tori never told me anything about Brianna threatening her. It’s the first I’ve heard of this,” I finally said.I was having a very hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Brianna could have done something like that. It wasn't like her at all, especially judging from the amount of damage that had been done to the store if my dad’s account of events was anything to go by.“Do you know where Brianna is right now?” my dad asked. “No, I haven’t seen or heard from her since we broke up so I have no way of knowing where she is. Wait, do you guys actually think that Brianna did this? There is no way.”Eric ran his hand
Victoria's POVA full day after Caleb had dropped the bomb on me, I was still in the trenches. I felt like shit. He had single-handedly managed to turn my entire world upside down. When I walked into the living room, I got flashbacks of our conversation. The wounds hurt all over again. That’s when I knew that I had to make a change. I couldn't keep living in the same house where I had spent countless nights thinking about him.I had been secretly browsing real estate listings for weeks, not telling anyone about my plans to move because I wasn't even sure if it was what I wanted. But after my last interaction with Caleb, I knew that it was time to make a change.I called my real estate agent and told him to expedite the viewing. I wanted to be out of the guest house for a week, and I didn't care about the cost or the logistics. I just wanted to leave, to start anew. Over the next few days, I visited several different houses. None of them felt quite right, but I knew that I couldn't kee
Victoria's POVAs I sat there staring at Caleb, I couldn't believe what he was saying. For years, I had dreamed of hearing those three little words from him, and now they were finally coming out of his mouth. "I love you, Tori," he said.My heart leaped in my chest at the sound of his words, and for a moment, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. He loved me. Caleb Stallone actually loved me back. All these years that I had spent pining over him thinking that there was no way that he loved someone like me, I was wrong all along. He felt the same way that I did! I was elated. At that moment, I felt invincible.But then, as he continued to speak, my happiness quickly turned to anger. "I even broke up with Brianna for you," he said as if that was some kind of accomplishment. He just had to go ahead and ruin this wonderful moment for me. He made it sound like he was doing me a favor.I felt like I was being made to sound like the consolation prize like I was some kind of second choice th