Epilogue Two

EPILOGUE TWO

CALEB

I'm going to do this before I talk myself out of it. It's the pep talk I've been giving myself all day. "Are you sure?" I ask my dad.

"Yes, you've got plenty of personal hours you can take. Rina will make sure Molly and Levi are taken care of. I verified through Becca that Stephanie is going to field any questions for Ruby's business for the next week, longer if that's what you need." His calm, cool voice soothes me, the way it always has. I have the best dad, and that's just been reinforced by what he's done the past two days.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I would do this for you every day if I could, you know that. All I want is for the two of you to work this out. I've never seen two people who love each other as much as y'all do, but are refusing to actually listen to what the other person is saying."

I hear him, and I know he's right. "We're going to work it out, if not, we'll go down in flames doing our best."

He clears his throat. "I haven't asked you what's been going on, because it's none of my business, and I've always trusted you to come to me if you need help. I'm sorry you've been having problems, and I want you to know that Rina and I are rooting for you all."

"I know, and I haven't said anything because it's embarrassing. Ruby and I have always been solid in our marriage." I swallow hard, my throat tightening with the realization of where she and I are.

"What would be embarrassing is neither one of you fighting to save what you have. I know that you'll get it together. You have to put each other first, and be willing to make changes. I'm hoping you all can figure it out over your time away."

Me too. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. I love y'all."

"Love you, too."

I'm sitting outside of my house, my thumb and palm beating against the steering wheel. I'm nervous, as nervous as I was when I asked Ruby to marry me. My stomach has butterflies dancing worse than when we welcomed Molly and then Levi. Then when she told me she'd had a mammogram that the doctors were worried about.

None of those things can beat how I'm feeling right now. Ruby and I have danced around each other for months, and now is the time for it to stop. We've got to make decisions, and I refuse to decide without having uninterrupted time together.

Getting out of my truck, I put my feet on the driveway and walk toward the front door. I haven't been here in months, my own home. My name is on the deed, and I built the railing around this porch. I've been scared to step foot here again, because I've been afraid of rejection.

But today my need to be a family again outweighs my fear. I knock on the door and patiently wait for Ruby to answer. The me who's been irritated about everything lately is begging her to hurry before I lose my nerve. The husband who's afraid he's going to lose his family is willing to wait however long it takes. Looking through the window, the minute she recognizes me, her footsteps falter. I give her credit, though. She continues straight to the door, and pulls it open. She opens her mouth to speak, and I reach forward, covering it with the palm of my hand.

"Don't say anything. I want you to listen. Neither one of us has been doing a lot of that lately."

She makes noises against my hand. I do what I didn't initially want to, but I decide there's no other way. Pushing her back into the house, I crowd into her personal space before turning her around. It's been way too long since we've been this close. My cock rises to attention.

She gasps when she feels it. "Caleb..."

I wrap my hand around her mouth again, not letting her try to talk her way out of this. My voice is hoarse and full of need when I speak again. "Here's what I'm going to say to you. We've talked over and around each other. We've ignored what the other person needed, and we've flat out disregarded feelings that at one time meant everything to us."

She makes a noise in the back of her throat. One that sounds like she's agreeing with me.

I drop my mouth to her ear. "Here's what I'm telling you, Ruby Red. Dad and Rina are taking the kids, Stephanie is taking care of the business, and you're mine for at least four days. We're going to a cabin, it's got one bed, no internet, and a view like you've never seen before. You and I are going there, we're going to fight, we're going to kick and scream, we're going to fuck, and by the time we leave, we'll know."

She tilts her head back against my shoulder, her eyes meeting mine. I drop my palm from her mouth. "Know what?" She asks.

"If this is the beginning of a new start for us, or the beginning of the end."

Redemption releases March 2025