Victoria's POV“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I muttered to myself over and over as I walked.I was in such a hurry to get out of that house, I had tripped myself over the stairs and almost fell but I didn’t slow down. I just wanted to get out of that house as fast as possible. Caleb had kissed me. Caleb Stallone had actually kissed me. on the lips. I was freaking out. I didn’t know what to do. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of the one person who knew would help me in this situation. I just prayed she wasn’t too busy.“Hello!'' Alice said cheerfully immediately she answered the phone.“Code Red.”Those were the only words that I could manage to string together at that moment but luckily, they were enough.“I’ll be right there.”I got to the guest house and locked the door behind me as if to keep out the memory of what had just happened. I took deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down.“It didn’t mean anything. It was probably just a sick joke,” I tried to convince myself.Fift
Caleb's POVIt's been two weeks since I kissed Victoria, and she's been radio silent. Two long, agonizing weeks. Not a single text, call, or email. I feel terrible for what I did, and I knew I probably ruined our friendship. But I hoped that after I apologized, she would forgive me and we would move past it.Days passed, and I tried to give her space. But every day that went by without hearing from her, I felt worse. I missed her, I missed our conversations, our jokes, our shared memories. I couldn't stop thinking about how stupid I had been, how I had risked everything for a moment of weakness.I tried to distract myself with work and other activities, but nothing seemed to help. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart would race, hoping it was Victoria. But it was never her.One day, I couldn't take it anymore. I drove to Sedona after work and went to the guest house, hoping she would be there.I found myself standing outside, staring up at her door. I had driven there without even thi
Victoria's POVIt was a lazy Saturday and my girls were with me. It was the perfect end to a busy week. I had so much work to do that week. The people at the coffee shop had already moved out and I had started renovations in the space. I met with a designer to nail down a theme. I have gotten suggestions from so many places.Aaron had even suggested that I make everything sultry with different shades of dark earth tones just so it would give my storefront a more sophisticated vibe but I wasn’t sure that was what I wanted. I didn’t want anyone to feel like they shouldn’t go into my store because they would not fit in.I wanted the exact opposite of that which is why I chose a springtime theme with brightly colored pastels. I wanted it to look whimsical and happy; like something out of a children’s book. I had met with Mrs. Pullman who had recently closed her bakery about buying her equipment. The meeting went relatively well except for how she kept ‘jokingly’ saying that I drove her
Caleb's POVIt took everything in me not to turn back and go to her. Tori looked so beautiful tonight. When I arrived at the party I spotted her talking to Melissa and my dad. She took my breath away. Everything about her outfit complimented her. “Aaron is a lucky man,” Eric said beside me, effectively startling me. I hadn’t heard him coming.“Don’t creep up on me dude.”“What? Is it too much for your old heart to handle?” “I’m only two years older than you dude. You need to calm down,” I said as I ruffled his hair. Gloria came up to where I was standing. She looked very pregnant but it suited her so well, she was practically glowing. “What are we talking about boys? Tori? Has she talked to you since you kissed her?” she asked. I turned to look at Eric who didn’t even bother trying to look guilty. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Don’t look at me. I told you I would tell her.”I sighed and said, “No, I haven’t talked to her and I don’t think I will.”“What? Why?" Eric asked.
Victoria's POVI could hardly contain my excitement as I unlocked the door to my brand-new bakery. The sign outside read "The Cookie Jar," and the interior was just as lively and whimsical as I had imagined. The walls were painted in pastel colors, and there were shelves filled with jars of cookies of all shapes and sizes. The smell of freshly baked goods wafted through the air, making my stomach grumble with anticipation.It had taken months of planning, but I had finally done it. I had opened my own bakery, something I had always dreamed of doing. And I couldn't wait to share it with my loved ones. As I unlocked the door to my new bakery, "The Cookie Jar," I felt a wave of excitement wash over me. It had been a long road to get to this point, but I had finally made it. I couldn't wait to share it with the world.I took a deep breath and stepped inside, taking in the sight of my cozy little shop. The tables were set with pretty tablecloths and fresh flowers, and the counters were sta
Caleb's POVI groaned in pain as I struggled to open my eyes. The room was dimly lit, and I could hear the constant beep of machines monitoring my vitals. Everything hurt, and my body felt like it had been put through a meat grinder. Slowly, the memories of the day came flooding back to me, and I realized that I was in a hospital bed.I couldn’t believe that Aaron had actually beat me up. When I woke up that morning, I had a gut feeling that something was going to go wrong but I ignored it. It. I was really excited about the day’s events. I Was already aware that Victoria was opening up her bakery since Eric had told me about it. I wasn’t expecting an invitation from her because we hadn’t spoken for two months since our last conversation nor had we seen each other. I wasn’t going home as much as I used to. Partly because my workload had increased drastically.I had taken on more shifts and more cases to fill my time. The main reason however was that I didn’t want to face Tori. I sti
Victoria's POVIt had been a week since the evening that turned my life upside down. The evening that Aaron beat Caleb up. I thought I had moved on from it all, but the truth is, I was still struggling to accept everything that happened. Alice and Sam were super supportive. I could tell that they were worried about me because they took turns checking on me at least once a day.Even mom had started the habit of dropping by my house to just ‘talk” until I called her out on it and promised that I would be fine to which she responded, “I am your mother. It’s my job to worry.”I couldn’t argue with her there. If I was complaining about people fussing over me, I couldn’t imagine how suffocated Caleb felt. His mom even flew in from England when she heard what happened. Lucky for me I had my job to go back to, unlike Caleb who was stuck on bed rest after his dad made him take a one-month leave for work.I tried to focus on my bakery. It was doing well, which was a silver lining in all of this
Caleb's POVI woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing on my nightstand. I rubbed my eyes and checked the time - it was only 6:00 a.m. Who could be calling me this early? When I looked at the screen, I saw that it was my brother Eric. My heart skipped a beat. Was everything okay? He knew better than anyone how much I valued my sleep. "Hey Eric, what's up?" I answered groggily, my voice was still unbelievably hoarse."Caleb! You won't believe it - it's a girl!" Eric exclaimed."What's a girl?" I asked, still half-asleep."My baby! She's here! She was born just a few hours ago!" Eric said, his voice filled with excitement.I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake."Oh my god, Eric! That's amazing! Is everything okay?""Yeah, she's healthy and perfect.”“And Gloria?” I asked.“She is doing great, too. She’s exhausted though so she is resting," Eric said, referring to his wife."I'm so happy for you, man," I said, feeling a huge grin spread across my face. "When can I come to see her?""As s
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