Karina"Can you cut this off of me?" I ask Mason after he's laid me down in our bed. His eyes flash to the hospital bracelet I'm wearing, and I can tell it annoys him as much as it annoys me. I don't like the reminder of what went down earlier today and honestly could do without anything ever reminding me again. After the hospital had pronounced me and the baby, which after some testing they told me they think is a girl, were okay, Mason had brought us home. "I'm so sorry this happened to you," he whispers as he cuts it off, rubbing at the irritation the plastic edges had left on my skin."Look at me." I give him my most stern teacher's voice. "This wasn't your fault. He was an unhinged psychopath who thought he'd get away with potentially killing kids. This isn't you, Mason. This is him.""You could have died," he argues.Grabbing his chin with my fingers, I force him to meet my eyes. "You could have too. What if he'd turned the gun on y'all? What if he'd decided to go d
KarinaApril"Are you ready?" I ask my two guys as they both shuffle into the kitchen, both wearing suits. "Damn, don't y'all look good?""I need help with this tie, Dad." Caleb holds his tie up in his hands.Mason motions for him to bring it over. "Who does this for you when you're at school? You wear a suit to the game.""My roommate, Slater," he answers. "He's there on a baseball scholarship. We're keeping each other out of trouble.""Well, at least someone's there to keep you under control." I run my hand over my stomach, grimacing. Baby girl is dropping and my hips feel it like no other. "You okay?" Mason asks as he eyes me."I'm fine," I assure him. "High heels may not have been the best idea, but I want to look like my old self today. Especially on Easter." I curl my lip up. "But I may have to change into flats."Mason finishes up Caleb's tie. "Someone told me that you might have to, and they also gave me a heads up on a pair of shoes you wanted." He winks at
MenaceMayThere have been four days that have been the most important in my life. When Caleb was born, I joined the Moonshine Task Force, married Karina, and now this moment. When our daughter entered the world."Caleb should be here in the next fifteen minutes." I read the text I just got from him so Karina knows what's going on. "There was a wreck on I-65 and he got stuck in the traffic coming home. I told him we won't let anyone else meet her until he does."Karina looks up at me, smiling. "Sounds good, I want him to be the first."This woman, looking at me the way she is, has blown my mind today. After waking up at three a.m. with her water breaking, she went through seven hours of active labor, refusing to call anyone until it was time to start pushing. She didn't want anyone to have to wait around on her. By the time I called Caleb, I knew he wouldn't be here in time, but I figured that saved us all from some major embarrassment. I'm a hundred percent positive he didn'
VOLUME SIX:CRUISECruiseFive Years LaterSeptemberIt's a rainy night in Laurel Springs as I pull my Rubicon into one of the only empty spots in front of The Café. For just a moment, I turn off the ignition and sit, still amazed at how many people can fit inside. My rookie year on the MTF, Ernie passed away and Leighton had used her business smarts and degree, purchasing the place that meant so much to all of us. Ernie had no family, and her stepping in to keep an important part of the community alive had brought us all closer together.We'd had an old-fashioned type of barn raising. People from two counties over in each direction came to help us remodel and expand The Café. It's now doubled in size, with updated everything, and I knew from talking to Havoc that Leighton was doing very well for herself. So well, in fact, she'd brought Brooks into the business two years ago, and they have become a formidable team. Once their family name was known for moonshine. Now? The Strat
Ruby"This is me." I point to the duplex I'm renting while trying to figure out how to live on a first-year teacher's salary. It's not as easy as I assumed it would be back when I was still in the dorms taking classes.He chuckles as he pulls his Jeep into the gravel lot. This Jeep is the manliest thing I've seen. Completely blacked out with all the bells and whistles anyone could ask for. The glow of the dashboard is blue, and the contrast between the light, his coloring, and those soulful brown eyes of his is almost my undoing as we sit here in the dark, alone."Why the laugh? I know it's not much." I'm slightly offended by the way he's reacting to where I live. And really disappointed."I'm not laughing at you, Ruby." He grips the steering wheel with those long fingers of his, causing his forearms to flex tight. "It's just that back in the day, a couple of my co-workers lived in this duplex before they fell in love and got married.""They allow women on the Moonshine Task
RubyListening to the rain beat against the roof has always been one of my favorite pastimes. And now that I live on my own, not at my parents' house and not at a dorm full of loud roommates, I can be lazy and listen to it whenever I want to.On mornings like this, I think. And since I'm thinking, I'm rehashing everything that happened last night in my mind. To me, life has never been lived in hours. It's been lived in moments, goals, achievements, and special occasions. Hours though, hours mean a lot too. Take roughly ten hours ago.If Caleb hadn't been there to save me last night, who knows where I'd be at this hour. I could be lying in this bed hurting, contemplating an entirely different trip today. It might be one to the ER, instead of a few counties over. It could be spent making police reports, rather than trying to decide what I want to wear. Last night I was taught a valuable lesson. I'll never take hours for granted again.Throwing my covers off, I shiver at the chill
Cruise"Do you like teaching?"We've gotten our drinks, ordered our food, and now we're just waiting for everything to be delivered. I'm going to use my time wisely and ask her about anything that comes to mind. Anything that will let me learn more about this woman who's intrigued me."I love it," she answers, happiness shining from her eyes. "It's hard being a high school teacher at my age though," she sighs. "At twenty-four, I'm not much older than they are, and I look younger than I am.""You do," I agree. "But there's something about those blue eyes of yours that kind of drag me in. With a look, they tell anyone that you're old enough to know what you like."I've caught her looking at me like that a few times. Like she wants to know all my secrets and what I look like without a shirt on. Can't say I don't want to know all of that about her too."You think so? This is my first year, but last year when I was a student teacher, it was a struggle to ask them to call me Ms.
RubySunday morning service is a tradition in my family, has been since I was a little kid. I'm not particularly religious, but even if you aren't, you're still expected to make an appearance."I promise, Mom, I'm fine!" I assure my mom for probably the nineteenth time since I showed up this morning. "The cop who helped me was nice, and there's nothing to worry about. He took me home, took care of everything, and made sure I didn't have to be scared. You don't have to worry.""I'm just not used to you living on your own," she worries, pushing my hair back, out of my face. "It's an adjustment period for us, I'm not trying to crowd you, but please remember, you're still our little girl."I want to tell her I've been on my own a while. When I was in college no one was there to make sure I came home at a decent hour, to make sure I went to class, or that I ate at a certain time. Funny how that worked out. I even had to make sure I did my own laundry. There was no one there to do th