Violet"I feel like I'm going to explode," Leighton complains a week later as we clean up from a crazy breakfast rush at The Café."You're pregnant and due in a few weeks. You're supposed to feel that way," I remind her as I pull out a chair for her. "Have a seat, prop those feet up, and let me do the work.""Funny, sometimes Holden says the same thing, only not about cleaning up." She has this naughty look on her face that is one hundred percent my friend.I've been worried about her since they positively identified her mother's body. Especially with the holidays fast approaching, I'm wondering how she's going to handle it. Hopefully with a baby to care for, she won't dwell on it too much. I've watched her since she was given the information, and except for the first few days after it happened, she seems to be doing well. Leighton's a fighter, and I expected nothing less from her."Have you thought of a name yet?" I ask as I go around, wiping off the tables."You just want
AceI grab hold of her shoulders, pushing her back into the hallway, leading to her bedroom. There's one thing I need right now, and that's to know she's mine. I need to bury all these feelings in her and let them come out as something better, something not tainted by the ugliness I see every night."What do you need from me?" she asks as we enter the bedroom, and I'm reaching down to undo the belt at my waist."You," I groan when her fingers push mine away. "I need to know this ugliness I see and experience is for something good. I need to know this won't beat or break me.""It won't, because I won't let it." Violet drops to her knees before me, shoving my pants and underwear down around my ankles. Before I know what's happening, her warm heat has circled my dick, taking it down her throat.I had been hard before, but now I'm granite as she slides her tongue up and down my length. There's no finesse tonight, nothing that remotely reminds me of the loving and caring guy I've
Violet"This weather blows." Leighton grimaces as we watch the rain come down in sheets outside The Café. It's made for a boring shift for both of us. "Since there's been no one in here, all I've done is eat." She puts another fry in her mouth, liberally dipped in ketchup. I'm not sure I've ever seen someone eat as much ketchup as she has since she found out she's pregnant. I laugh, leaning my head against her shoulder. "You're doing great things, like growing a human. You're gonna be hungry. Plus, you're gonna have this baby very soon. You've already dropped.""But if I gain a hundred pounds, Holden's not going to want me anymore." She pushes the fries away, but grabs another anyway."You're crazy, Leigh. I wish you could see what you look like right now. Like really see it." I turn to face her, ready to lay down some truth for her. Since she had to get a pair of maternity jeans, she's almost been having an identity crisis."Like a whale?""Absolutely gorgeous." I put my
AceHalloween"Come on, we gotta hurry up and get these done before they start showing up."Violet and I are racing against the clock. Trick-or-treating starts at four p.m. and it's three-thirty. We're both changed, and Leighton's already here, helping us fill up the treat bags we'll be handing out. We'd starting filling them up when Violet got off work, but we'd gotten distracted when we got dressed in our costumes. If I'd known she was going to look as good as Wonder Woman herself, I would have had her try it on for me before today."You're a damn slave driver," Leighton grumbles as she situates herself on the couch. "If I knew you were going to be this bad, I would have said leave my ass at home."Violet snickers, handing her friend a piece of chocolate. "Here, eat this and you'll feel better."Leighton does as told, and then grimaces, putting a hand to her back. "I've felt like shit all day. I didn't want to come, no offense to you all, but I'm just so uncomfortable. Ho
VioletThanksgivingMost of my adult life I've been nervous. Nervous about what I would do to piss Brent off. Nervous about starting a brand-new job, nervous that someone would see right through the lies I wove around myself and my situation. What I've never been nervous about before is meeting parents. Back when I met Brent's, I was so numb to everything going on around me, I don't even remember it. Then after we high-tailed it out of town, we never went back.Today, though, is a very important day; I'm meeting Anthony's family. The entire MTF crew has opened up their base of operations for everyone's family to share in the holiday together. Spearheaded by Blaze and Whitney, it's the first get together of its kind, but I can tell that most everyone is very excited about the families getting together. Anthony had to go help set up, so I'm grabbing the sweets I baked and the turkey we deep-fried last night that's now been sliced, for anyone who would prefer to have a cold sandwich
Ace"Did you have a good time today?" We're lying in bed, on my side of the duplex, snuggling together after working off some of the calories we consumed in the huge meal we ate."A great time, which surprised me, because I was so nervous about meeting your parents."A grin spreads itself across my face and a happy warmth takes up residence in the middle of my chest at the pleased tone of her voice. "You and Mom got along like gangbusters as soon as the awkwardness wore off.""The awkwardness didn't last as long as I thought it would." She stretches beside me, hooking her leg around my waist. Lifting it up with my hand so that it rests comfortably, I relax against the comfortableness of the bed.She yawns as I push my hand through her hair, cuddling her up next to me. "When I first saw you, I imagined this," I whisper."What did you think when you first saw me?" she asks as I feel the smile against my shoulder."I'm starving." I rub my hand across my stomach as Havoc and
AceChristmas"Is it okay that we decided to wait to exchange gifts until we got back here?" Violet asks as she enters my side of the duplex. "It seemed so private, and I wasn't sure I wanted to do that in front of your parents.""No, I'm okay with that." I pat the couch beside me, beckoning her to come sit beside me."You know this couch has held a pretty special place in my life since we made out on it that one time." She cuts her eyes over at me, desire and passion in them."Oh really?" I chuckle, slipping my arm against the back of the couch, pulling her closer to me."Yeah, that night was one of the first nights I felt like I could be myself with you, and you got me so hot." She closes her eyes."You got me hot too, but let's not talk about that right now. We're supposed to be exchanging gifts.""Okay." She sighs. "You wanna go first?""How about we go together?""I'm good with that."She hands me what looks like a gift certificate of some type, and I hand he
VioletNew Year's Eve"Abs of steel, did you eat the cookies?" I glare at him from the kitchen of my side of the duplex.Next month we'll be packing it up so I can move into his side, but right now, I'm thinking about banishing him. "Those weren't for me?" He gives me an innocent look."Not the whole container, what am I supposed to take to Holden and Leighton's?""There's a package of Oreo's up in the cabinet. I mean nobody's gonna give two shit's, Vi. They were amazing, by the way."Unbelievable. "Okay, but when we get there empty handed you can tell everyone you ate all of them."He struts over, opening his arms up to me, crushing me to him for a hug. "I'll tell them it was all me, nothing to do with you. I'll brag about how good they were, and then laugh inside because they won't be able to eat them.""You're awful." I laugh, slapping him on that fuckin' ridged stomach of his. Which I still can't figure out how he maintains. "Only awful for you." He dips his h
CruiseFive Years Later"Molly's asleep." I press my wife up against the door to our bedroom, spreading open-mouth kisses along her neck as we grind against one another. Pulling back, I push my hands up her tank top, palming her breasts, moaning as I feel her nipples peak against her bra. "I paid Kelsea her stupid-ass babysitting fee, she's gone. We're alone." I can hear the annoyance in my voice. It's been an on-going argument between the two of us, how I'd watched her for free as a kid, and now she charges us.We've been out with friends and family, had a DD, and both of us have had a little too much to drink. Her with the margaritas she likes to indulge in with the ladies, and me with the whiskey Morgan and I were shooting straight with my dad."God, I want you." She rakes her nails across my neck, down my back, and fists my shirt in her hands.I want her too. Molly is three now, born within the first two years of us getting married, and we've finally got this parenting th
Ruby"Where are you taking me?" I watch as Caleb drives through the streets of downtown. This fall night is cool as rain falls from the sky. It's not sheets like the day he shot the armed man, but a steady drumming against the roof of the Jeep."You'll see." His deep voice has a secretive lilt to it, one that I've come to know well in the year we've been together. He's not great at keeping secrets, but when he does, they're the best kind.As he turns in front of The Café, I grin. No matter what's happened inside the building or in front of it, this is still one of our favorite places to go, to be. On any given night, we can walk inside and find any number of friends or family inside. It's darkish in there tonight, but I figure maybe the electricity is flickering because of the rain storm we're in. Earlier in the day, the school had lost power.He snags a parking spot near the door. "Don't touch the door, I'll come around for you. I don't want you get wet."Since the first nig
RubySeptemberBack when I bought this dress so many months ago, I had assumed I would wear it for Valentine's Day, but because of Caleb's schedule we were never able to make a special date work. He never did take me to that dinner, but we've had so many other special moments that I truly can't complain. Tonight, however, I'm thrilled to be wearing this dress to watch him get an award for bravery."You look absolutely gorgeous." He comes up behind me in the mirror as I'm applying a layer of lipstick."You don't look so bad yourself." I turn around in his arms, helping to straighten his dress uniform.I don't think Caleb has ever looked as hot as he does right now. There's something about him being so buttoned-up that I'm loving. "It's cutting off my circulation." He pulls at the fabric around his neck."You're fine." I slap his hands away. "Are you nervous?""Not really," he says with a shake of his head. "Nerves was playing for the college football championship. This is
RubyI'm lying on my couch, re-watching some TV show I've seen a million times, trying to figure out how to get through to Caleb when the doorbell rings. At first I ignore it, not wanting to disturb my brooding, but then I hear his voice."Red?" It's unsure and soft as he knocks on the door this time. "I know I don't deserve for you to let me in, but I'm asking you to. Please?"For a moment I think about ignoring him, I think about letting him sit out there and sweat. Give him the same type of reaction he's given me, but I realize quickly one of us has to be the bigger person. That person is me, because I know he's hurting and I know he's dealt with the situation he's been thrust into the best way he knows how.Opening the door, I stand there with my arms crossed. Until I see what he's carrying in his hands.The ugliest looking cupcakes I've ever seen in my life."I finally realized why he made them, even though they looked like shit," he gives me a slight smile. "It's the
Cruise"How'd you get in here?"My dad is waiting on me, probably ready to rip me a new one, just like Ruby did. I'm so not in the mood for it tonight."You don't need to know how I got in here." He gets up from where he's sitting on my couch. "Instead, what we need to do is talk about how we're going to get you to where you need to be.""What the fuck is that supposed to mean? This is me.""This isn't you, we both know that. I didn't raise you to be a fuck face. You haven't been answering my calls, your mom's, Kelsea's, or come to find out Ruby's, so let's talk about this Caleb. What the fuck is going on?""Nothing." I grind my teeth together, not wanting to do this with him."We've done this once before son, and we won't do it again. Do you remember when your friend died? Remember when you pushed everyone away? How'd that work out for you?""How does having a murderer for a son work out for you?" I fire back at him. "Because I'm on administrative leave for committing
RubyI'm sitting in my car watching Morgan and Caleb eat through The Café window. This is what I've been reduced to. It's been a week since the shooting, and so far, Caleb's refused to see me. I went to see him the other night, and it was a bad scene."What are you doing here?" Caleb opens his door, arms crossed over his chest. "I figured me not answering any of your calls let you know I'm not up to talking to anyone right now. Including you."Not gonna lie, this hurts. Seeing him like this hurts, hearing him talk to me the way he is hurts. But I won't give up on him. I promised Kelsea months ago that I would be here if he needed me, that I could handle whatever was thrown at me."You need me," I talk against the tightness in my throat."I need to be left the fuck alone. You. Mom. Dad. You all need to leave me the fuck alone.""We won't," I shake my head standing my ground. "We won't leave you alone to deal with this by yourself.""Fine, then if you won't leave, I will."
CruiseThe July sun is beating down on the pavement as I make my drive around the streets that make up Laurel Springs. It's been a boring day, for the most part, but I'm not stupid enough to think it'll last. Lately it's been slow and I've been feeling a lot like the other shoe might drop. This nagging feeling hasn't let go for the last week, but I know eventually either that shoe will drop or I'll get over it.Rain came through over an hour ago, but it did nothing to cool the day down. It's now a sauna outside. In certain parts there's actually steam coming up off the road. Behind the sun that's moved in, you can see more clouds behind. A dark hazy threat looming in the background, more storms are moving in. The stillness of the day threatens to break wide open when they do.Because of the heat that's been baking the ground and asphalt for days, most people are inside this afternoon, enjoying the air conditioning and not wanting to have heatstroke. Probably one of the reasons th
CruiseI love the smile on Kelsea's face, love even more that I'm the one who put it there. "You excited Kels?" I grin into the rearview as we make the drive to Birmingham."So excited, like I knew you knew him." She bounces in her seat. "But I didn't really know!"Him references my college roommate Slater Harlow, known by everyone who watches professional baseball as Savage. He's a formidable force on the baseball diamond, having the best season of his career. We're not as close as we once were, because life took us two totally different directions, but we still hang out every once in a while. Typically I like to keep the fact I know him from just about everyone, because I know he values his privacy. Now though? Kels is old enough to go to a major league game, and I'm doing my best to impress Ruby."I've known him a long time." I think back to our college days, how both of us had been so damn homesick. Him more than me, since I could at least head home on the weekend. Slater w
RubyIt's a hot summer day, as I walk onto the practice field. Since school let out in early June, I've been catching up on sleep, taking a summer class, and spending as much time with the man in my life as I can. Neither Mason nor Caleb are here today. Both are on duty, so another parent has offered to help the girls practice. Karina is sick with a summer cold and me? I'm here, not sure what the hell I've gotten myself into. Kelsea and I are spending the afternoon together, beginning with me picking her up. So we'll see how this goes."Ruby!" I hear as I shield my eyes and look out along the field. Kelsea is running toward me, her backpack bouncing as she runs."Hey Kels," I greet her, a real smile on my face. She and I haven't had a ton of time with one another, but as Caleb and I have gotten closer, the same has been true for the two of us. "You ready?" I wave to today's coach as she walks beside me."I am, it's hot out here." She pushes her hair back from her forehead.Ta