Caleb
“Are you ready?” I asked Aaron.
He had just called home to check in with Angie and the kids before we set off to the bar. We finished our work for the day, and now it was time for us to relax and wind down.
“Let’s go,” he replied with enthusiasm.
He needed a breather. I had known the man all my life and never had I witnessed him lose his cool like that before. The whole way there, I just let him talk it out, letting him get everything that had all piled up on top of him off his chest.
“I just feel taken for granted, that’s all.” It deflated his mood, which was so unlike the fun guy I knew.
“Yeah, but Angie loves you, man. You’re
RubyThe day after...“How can you ‘not’ park a Mini in that space?” Sarah huffed, agitated after my second attempt failed and I had to reverse back again.I growled, flustered. “It is new and I don’t want to dent it, so shut up and let me concentrate.”A group of guys had congregated in the parking lot and were all stood by, watching with amusement.Sarah, being her usual sassy self, applauded. “Bravo! Third time lucky. Oh, look, we have an audience.”I turned to glare through the rear window. “So what? They all walk to school.”Who were they to judge?
RubyI placed my things out on my bed. I had my makeup bag, hair products, new underwear, and my silver glitzy shoes. All my life, I had wanted to look like a princess, and today was that day.“Oh God, I feel sick. I don’t want to go,” I groaned to myself, having a sudden rush of nerves.I admired the floor-length red prom dress that was hanging up on my curtain rail. The diamanté crystals sparkled as they captured the light. So, no, I was happy with the gown. That wasn’t it. I was just worried sick.I paced back and forth along my bedroom floor in nothing but a towel. I was wearing out my carpet, clutching either side of my head muttering ‘Please let me be attracted to him, please, please, please’.
RubyDad was rather excited as he ushered me through the door to where a white stretch limousine was waiting, parked up at the side of the road.“Oh my God! You guys did this for me?” I practically shrieked with joy.I had always wanted to ride in a limo. I let out a high-pitched girly squeal as I trotted over to look inside.“Oh my God, it’s huge in here!” I breathed, awestruck.I’m not kidding you, I could’ve sprawled out three times over in there.“Pose for a picture.” Dad had the camera ready. He took one of me standing next to the limo, one of me sitting in it, and one of me pretending to drink straight from the miniature bottle of champagne.
CalebRuby placed her hands on my shoulders. I wanted nothing more than for her to wrap her arms around my neck and lean into me. Her eyes kept fleeting to mine as if she couldn’t believe it, searching for a clue why I had sent her that message, as if ‘why her’ out of everyone.Thoughts were racing through my mind. How do I explain it to her? What do I say? I had planned this whole scenario for years. Finally, here I was, and words had failed me ... but why?Here’s the thing: because one wrong word, one dangerous move, and all the time I spent waiting, would’ve been for nothing. I couldn’t tell her what I was, yet. She said she would give me a shot, and I wasn’t stupid enough to blow it.For a moment, I almost forgot how to breathe. It was as
Ruby I couldn’t stop smiling as I touched my swollen lips, leaning my back against the front door as it closed. It felt as if I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. Mom crossed her arms as she observed me, her eyes narrowing and for some reason, then they homed in on my lips. “Ruby, was I seeing things, or was that Mr. Grant, who just dropped you off? Please tell me that you haven’t been walking around like that all night?” She pointed to the mirror above the phone table. “I’d take a look if I were you.” I turned to look in the hall mirror and burst out laughing. “Uh, would you look at that?” I looked like Ronald McDonald with red lipstick smeared all over my face. If it was all over me, then it was bound to be all over Caleb, too. “Yeah, it was Mr. Grant.” I sighed dreamily. “He drov
Caleb I pulled back the white sheet and witnessed the horror, revealing from the neck upwards. The fatal wound that killed Anna was a gaping hole where her throat ought to be. Tyler had torn it out in a pure act of evil. What other explanation could there be? “Where was she found?” I asked, demanding answers. Every death that occurred in my pack was painful, whether it be by natural causes or someone who had been killed in a rogue attack. I felt the loss all the same. But this ... a young girl, murdered by another member of the pack, was just unfathomable. The deplorable notion was that her mate was the culprit and that beggar’s belief. It was unheard of. I wanted him to find his mate so badly, I just wasn’t prepared for it to come to this. She was Aaron’s youngest sister-in-law. Anna’s e
RubyA whole week had gone by, and still, there was no news on Tyler. He hadn’t tried to make contact with me again. I did try calling his mobile to ask him if what everyone was saying was true but the number was no longer in service. Just as well. I had regretted making the call as soon as I tried.Part of me knew that my dad was telling the truth, but a part of me was left in a state of denial.The police were everywhere. Cops were literally out in force all over town. I’d been asked to give a statement about the last time I saw and spoke to Tyler. I felt pretty bad, having to explain the way I broke up with him like maybe it was me who pushed him over the edge. It sorta made me feel responsible, I guess.Snuggling beneath my comforter made me feel safe, warm, and secur
CalebLauren had canceled my nine o’clock appointment, just as I asked.I helped myself to another strong cup of coffee and slumped down at my parent’s kitchen table.“You look as if you haven’t been sleeping, son?” Dad asked, his brows scrunched with concern.“I’m fine,” I replied, scrubbing a hand over my face, letting out an exhausted sigh.My dad made a noise in the back of his throat. “That’s why you look ready to drop.”I yawned. My eyes stung with fatigue as they watered. “It’s my fault. Ruby and I were texting until three a.m.”“Ah, so it begins.&rdquo
Ruby The cold, wet sensation from the ultrasound gel made me tense for a moment, watching the small screen with eagle eyes. As the black and white image appeared before us, it was clear to see that there was not one, but two babies nestled together, side by side. Caleb scrubbed a hand over his shocked face, edging closer to the screen. "Well, I'll be damned," the doctor breathed out with surprise. "There is no doubt about it, you're having twins. Do you want to know the sex?" she asked, invoking mixed feelings within me. Part of me wanted to keep it a surprise but the terrified part of me needed to know for sure. Caleb gave me a look which suggested that he was fine either way. God love him, his eyes were glossing over with proud tears of joy
Ruby "I still remember the first night that we laid like this while watching over Alex. It was the same when Raine was born," Caleb reminisced. Something somewhere caused the room around me to distort, like ripples spreading wide across a calm lake. "Ruby," Caleb's youthful voice called out to me from somewhere beyond a dream. "Babe, you better wake up or else we're going to be late for the obstetrician appointment," I heard him say. Temporary confusion fogged my brain until I realized that I had been dreaming again. Part of me felt the loss of what I hoped our future could be as it slipped away, and the other part of me was relieved that I woke up at that point before the beautiful vision altered into something that could only be de
Ruby As the years rolled by, Caleb and I looked back on our lives with no regrets. When that time eventually comes when we have to leave this world behind, we would be taking a lifetime full of beautiful memories with us. My heart was full, my life was fulfilled. There was nothing that I would change or do differently. Everything was as it should be. With each lumbered step, my slippers brushed over the soft-pile carpet of the stair landing until I stopped to pause outside the old nursery that once belonged to my children. I thought that we had been bestowed a gift from the heavens the day I found out that we were having twins, but little did I know how much more my heart could contain the moment I discovered that I was to become a grandmother. The Goddess had blessed our family many times, and now my son, Alex, was the proud
Caleb Ruby turned on the steps of the town hall, facing away from the jubilant crowd. Snowflakes clung to the tips of her lashes, melting as they kissed her rosy cheeks. She tossed the bouquet of white and blue flowers behind her, and as she did so, the women rushed forward, shrieking deliriously, all snatching at the spinning object as it burst apart like a fragrant petal bomb. It was Grandma Lizzie who unwittingly made the save. She walked straight past the jostling females and caught the flowers against her chest. Her face blanched as she realized what had happened and tossed the bouquet away as if it was a hot potato. “Once was more than enough for me,” she joked. “Although, I wouldn’t mind a good old roll in the hay with one of those wolf boys. They've got abs that I could scrub my laundry on and then some.” She winked a
Ruby The emotion blazed in Caleb's eyes as I walked down the aisle; his mouth hung agape and his brows started to bunch in the middle, giving me the reaction that any bride longed to see. Caleb swallowed hard, causing his Adam’s apple to bob nervously in his throat. There was no sign of humor on Aaron’s face as he observed his friend's special moment. Instead, his expression was one of relieved happiness. Now that his best friend since childhood had found his soulmate, he adopted an air of accomplishment as if all was now right in the world. As the strong notes of the traditional wedding march came to an end, I released Dad’s arm and came to stand beside the love of my life. Caleb mouthed the word “Wow” as he lifted my chin with his fingers, and breathed, “You look breath-taking, love.”
Ruby “Are you okay, kiddo?” Dad asked, his expression softening as he clasped hold of my trembling hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I swallowed away the dryness before answering, “I just want everything to be perfect, that’s all.” “And it will be,” Dad was quick to reassure me. “I know how much this means to you; Caleb knows it too. He’s probably memorized his wedding vows off by heart. I bet he was up all night Googling templates from the internet,” Dad remarked in an attempt to make me laugh. His best efforts worked like a charm. I gazed through the tinted windows and out onto the wintry streets. Ice glittered the scraped roads and sidewalks, and some of the maintenance guys were shoveling grit salt on the main walkways throughout town.
Ruby I turned from side to side, admiring how the full-length wedding gown swayed with my movements. The white sweetheart bodice helped to boost my humble assets, glittering as the Swarovski crystals captured the light. The long, silky skirt gracefully swished around my legs, sending a wisp of cool air around my thighs. Dad made my day when he produced a pair of custom-made Sketchers in Bride White. He paid a seamstress from Montana to sew lace into the leather and add sparkles around the soles. It meant I would be comfortable all day long, especially as my ankle still ached from standing for long periods. “Are you ready, sweetheart?” Dad asked, through the closed door. He had resisted the urge to look at me in my wedding dress, pacing the hall outside mine and Caleb’s room like a caged animal.
Caleb "Yeah, plenty of thing’s spring to mind, but there is one that is owed a confession," Dylan said as he grinned at Aiden, then edged his chair away to maintain a safer distance. "I was sixteen, and Aiden was eighteen," Dylan began to confess, much to Aiden's interest. Upon hearing his name, he folded his bare muscular arms across his chest. "He borrowed my bike without my permission and ended up buckling the front wheel. He never said anything to me, and put it back in the garage in the hope that I wouldn’t find out what he’d done. I found it the following day and smelled his scent all over it, so I knew that he had used it. I was passive-aggressive, and in an act of vengeance, I sabotaged a burrito that he’d been saving in the fridge by filling it with laxatives. I watched as he devoured it for lunch, and asked if I could hang out with him and Vanessa that day. He was rather reluctant because he wanted to fool around with her while her dorm was
Caleb Aaron tipped the empty Tequila bottle upside down to prove a point. “No way! We’ve gone through the second bottle already?” He turned to my father with an accusatory tone. “It was opened twenty minutes ago.” Aaron’s face was partially hidden beneath his Batman mask, but the whites of his bulging eyes were visible among the black face paint. He had been doing rather well, talking in a gruff tone to imitate the caped crusader's voice, but the sheer shock at how fast my father could sink his liquor caused his pitch to raise a few octaves. Dad gave a casual shrug of his green padded shoulders as he raised the shot glass to his lips and downed the contents in one large gulp. Even I had to admit that was pretty good going, considering he was wearing a pair of oversized hulk hands