Caleb
“Ew, Mom, I’m too old for Disney Princesses,” Ruby complained.
She held the birthday card up that had every princess bunched together in a cheesy group pose. Ruby scrunched her nose, eyeing it with distaste. It wasn't like her to act bratty. Her sudden change in attitude made me sit up straight.
Jen set down the basket of laundry that she was carrying, then put a hand on her hip.
“Jeez, did you go to bed a cute twelve-year-old, only to wake up a stroppy teenager?” Jen retorted.
I couldn't have said it better, Jen.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Ugh! I swear Grandma still thinks I’m like, five-years-old or something. I mean, who sends a thirteen-year-old a princess birthday card, anyway? Not only that, why the heck do they even make princess cards for girls my age? That’s just lame,” Ruby argued.
When did she stop liking princesses?
Jen walked over towards Ruby and placed her palm against her forehead. “It’s just as I thought,” she spoke, narrowing her eyes and pretending to sound serious.
“Huh? Mom, what are you doing?” Ruby flinched away, looking at her mom as if she was crazy.
“It’s teenage-itus,” Jen replied with sarcasm.
“That isn’t even an actual condition,” Ruby countered with an eye-roll, slapping Jen’s hand away with a smirk.
“No, but they’ll start putting syndrome after your name if you’re not careful,” Jen retorted.
I tried to laugh, but I sounded as if I was out of breath. Ruby stuck her tongue out, prompting Jen to retaliate by tossing a scatter cushion back at her. This caused a twenty-second pillow fight that ended with them panting for air in a fit of giggles. Sometimes, they behaved more like sisters than mother and daughter. Jen leaped onto the seat cushions to gain the advantage of height. Their laughter filled the room as they ransacked the sofa.
The phone rang in the hall, putting an end to all the mayhem. Jen darted off to answer it, leaving Ruby to tidy the room. She picked up her grandmother's card and admired it. I saw the slight smile curve her lips and knew she was still the same sweet little girl deep inside. She placed the card on the mantle above the fireplace and crouched to stroke my head. Jen came back moments later.
"That was your coach," Jen informed her. "The tickets have arrived. I said I'll collect them on my way to work, tomorrow morning."
“Where’s Storm going to stay when we go to Washington?” Ruby asked, looking at me with concern.
Ruby’s gymnastics club was competing in a regional championship. She thought she was leaving me behind, but little did she know that I would be flying out to watch her. My company sponsored her team and their outfits displayed our company logo across the back of their leotards. They invited me to the competition, now that I’ve taken over from my dad as the CEO.
This also meant that Jen now works for me. It’s a little weird, seeing her around the office now and then, hearing her call me Mr. Grant, opposed to her calling me Storm.
Jen held out a hand, gesturing at me. “He should be alright in the barn; he is a wolf, Ruby. He’ll survive.”
“Yeah, but he’s more of a ‘house wolf’ now,” Ruby mumbled, scratching my ear.
I would’ve laughed at that comment. She couldn’t possibly know that I patrolled most nights, fighting off intruders, and ran a wolf pack. I loved my home comforts, but I could survive off the land, all the same.
“I’ve decided,” she announced. “I’m taking him to college with me. It’ll be so cool.”
“Yeah, well, little miss attitude ... you need to get your assignments done if you’re thinking about college. Homework fairies don’t exist, you know?” Jen rolled her eyes, then pointed to the table where Ruby’s school books were all scattered around in a state of disarray.
“Ugh! Spoken like a true Muggle,” Ruby mumbled with sarcasm.
“Mom, if I do my homework, can I go to Sarah’s house? You said you needed me out of the way, right?” She looked at Jen with pleading eyes.
Jen shrugged. “Sure, I don’t see why not.” She pointed her finger towards the table and cocked an eyebrow. “I want it all done, birthday or not. I’ve got to get the place organized for your party. So, I’ll call you when it’s time to come home, alright?”
“Yes!” Ruby clapped her hands gleefully. “We’re all getting ready together. Sarah’s doing my hair, and we’re wearing coordinating colors.” Ruby beamed with excitement.
I missed how sweet Ruby was when she was just a cute little girl who sang Disney songs at the top of her lungs, and made up dance routines in her bedroom.
Now she is obsessed with Justin Bieber, and there is only so much of that guy I can stand. Let’s just say, I’m not a Belieber and that’s not changing anytime soon.
I watched how her habits altered over the years. How her childhood room erupted with boy band posters. She replaced the toys and dolls with books, CDs, and nail polishes. I remembered how heart-breaking it was for her when she outgrew her little red jacket. She never threw it away. She placed it in a box at the bottom of her closet. I’ll miss that. I’ll even miss the diva tantrums when she couldn’t get her Barbie doll’s hair to go right, and how she made a blanket fort for us both to hide inside. But what I’ll miss the most, is how she spent most of her time with me; even if it was putting my fur into ribbons and making me sit at her dollies tea parties.
I know it sounds pathetic, coming from a twenty-five-year-old grown man, missing the company of a child, but Ruby and I shared an unbreakable bond. I can’t explain it. Ruby was like a sister to me. She was my super cute, kind-hearted, funny little Ruby Red. Only now, she wants to spend more time with friends her age. And that’s fine. It’s all part of growing up. I just can’t help feeling like she’s outgrowing me. So, I’ll just have to cherish the time I have with her because, as I’m well aware, it may be all that I’ll ever get.
RubyThat’s all my homework rushed. I don’t even care if it’s completed correctly. I mean, what kind of teacher gives you homework, knowing it’s your birthday?It’s like they don’t think we all have a social life after school. What good is history anyway? It all happened in the past. Time to forget about it and move on.“Bye, Mom! I’m going now.” I yelled through the house as I was leaving.I wanted to fly out of the door before she checked inside my school bag.“Come on, Storm. You want to come with me?” I slapped my palm against my thigh to beckon my dog to follow me.He was pretty good at understanding me.
Ruby It had been a month since I found out about Mom. Since then, she has had a double mastectomy. It meant both of her breasts had to be removed. Mom’s boss, Mr. Grant junior, heard about her having cancer. He sent Mom to the private hospital here in Lakewood, so she could have her operation straight away. He even paid for her to have reconstructive surgery. Mom was pretty sure that there wasn’t a health care policy when she signed her contract, but her boss insisted that the company would take care of all the medical bills. Mom made a friend while she was in the hospice. His name was Aiden, and he was the doctor Mr. Grant had flown in to help Mom. They’ve been talking on the phone a lot and I overheard mom inviting him to come with us to Washington.
Caleb Today the Lakewood gymnastics team would be traveling to Washington. I still had a few things I had to take care of before I joined them. Lauren, my secretary, had already arranged a car to take me to the airport. I would be taking my family's private Jet, which meant I would get there well before Ruby and Jen. I rang the hotel in advance to make dinner reservations for them, then requested that a bouquet of Ruby’s favorite peach roses was sent to her room. There was nothing weird about my intentions. When the lady asked, I told her to say they were from Grant Enterprises. It was a gesture of support for Ruby being such a great captain. Hopefully, it would boost her confidence enough for her to relax and enjoy the experience. I knew how much she loved gymnastics.
Ruby When we landed, we had to wait for a ridiculously long time for our luggage. We all took separate taxi cabs to the hotel with our parents. I had traveled a little if you counted moving states and visiting my granny in Canada. It was exciting. I was so busy staring out the windows and drinking in the view, I barely heard any of Mom and Aiden’s conversation. The scenery overwhelmed me, awed by the tall buildings, and the hustle and bustle of the streets. I was just a simple country girl who felt out of her depth, like a little fish swimming around in the ocean. “Would you like to take a tour tomorrow? Maybe go see the White House? I have a friend who gives sightseeing helicopter rides. Would that be something you’d be up for?” Aiden asked me. I looked to Mom, who was smiling a
RubyI hadn’t meant to stare at him with my mouth wide open, frozen with horror. What if he heard me? Oh, the fricken shame.His brown eyes seemed so familiar. As if I had seen them somewhere before but couldn’t think where. My gaze dropped to the cream floor tiles, realizing that I’d made a complete idiot of myself.Mom ushered me into the elevator and greeted the handsome guy. “Mr. Grant. We were just coming to meet you. I hope we’re not late.”Oh, heck. That's Mr. Grant! And I’d just blurted something out about rich guys being snobs. Cringe moment.
Three years later...RubyI rushed around the house, opening all the windows to rid the smell of paint fumes. Aiden, who I now called Dad, had been busy decorating the nursery. Getting it ready for my baby brother, who was due any day now.Mom and Aiden dated for a few months after Washington. They then fell in love and decided that they wanted to become a proper family. So they got married. Mom let him adopt me, just in case the cancer returned. So now I had a double-barrel surname, Ruby Knight-Prescott.It was a real mouthful to say, so I only used ‘Prescott’ for school.Mom seemed more aware of her mortality after having cancer. She decided that life was too short. Luckily, Mom had the all-clear two years ago, and she and Dad were now having a b
CalebI bolted through the door and head towards the forest. Aiden had guessed what was going on and was quick to act. The moment I sounded the alarm, he must have stopped and scented the air through the open window. The paint fumes had clouded both our senses for a while.The sound of Aaron, my Beta, and Neal, my Gamma, blasted through my head with cautious cries. A rival pack from the south had breached the territory once again.No sooner had I reached the assembly point, they were waiting with our soldiers.“I told you so,” Neal growled.He’d been ready to rub it in my face, ever since I’d taken over the role of Alpha from my father. I knew exactly what he was going to mention before he even said it.
RubyI slurped the last of my strawberry milkshake through my straw. Mom dragged a french fry through a puddle of ketchup then crammed it into her mouth. Then her phone began to ring, and she sifted through her purse to find it.“Oh, it’s your dad,” she said, swiping the screen to answer the call. “Hey, honey. Is everything alright? We’ve just finished dinner. Do you want us to bring you anything?”Mom’s eyes flared with shock, and I could hear the husky rumble of dad’s voice as he bore some kind of bad news.“We’re on our way home,” Mom told him; her hands were shaking as she ended the call and put her phone away.“Mom … what’s wrong?” I asked, won