CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Cruise
Fourth of July
“Do you need my help?” I ask Tank as I sit around a patio table at his parent’s house. The entire MTF and their families have descended upon their pool, and have taken over their bar-b-cue. Somehow all of us got the afternoon and night off. Many of us worked the early morning and previous overnight hours, so there’s some tired faces but we’re all extremely happy to be spending this holiday together.
“Nah, I got it.” He closes the lid to the grill and heads back into the kitchen.
I’m glancing around, half paying attention, with my arm around Ruby, when a conversation starts that gets my interest. Renegade and Whitney are talking about a teenage boy Renegade found stealing at a local department store.
“I don’t doubt that,” Ruby is saying at my side, in response to whatever is being discussed. My girl is fired up about whatever this is, because she’s leaned forward in her seat, away from my arm around her shoulder. The tank top she wears pulls at the back, and shows the skin between the edge of it, and the beginning of her bikini bottoms. I rub the exposed flesh, trying to calm her down. “I taught Nickolas.” She sits her glass down on the table. “He was in my class and I tried to get his piece of shit parents in there, I reported them to Principal Taggart and made a CPS complaint.”
“I’m sorry.” I lean forward with her. “I totally missed what happened, can somebody fill me in real quick. Why’s Red so pissed?”
Renegade takes a drink of his beer. “It’s that kid I picked up the other night. The one who was stealing? He was stealing food, socks, and underwear, man. It wasn’t like he picked up a video game system. When I got there–” Renegade takes a moment to shake his head “–he reminded me of me, at his age. I asked him, ya know, why are you taking this stuff?”
Ruby interrupts him. “He’s takin’ it because school is out, he has no food to eat, and I can guarantee you the kid hasn’t had new clothes since my freshman year of college. He’s Caleb’s size.” She hooks her thumb at me. “Remember when I asked you if you had anything you weren’t gonna keep? The stuff you gave to me, I gave to him.”
My heart breaks for this kid as I listen to everyone talk about him. “Did you charge him?”
“Nah, I talked to the owner, told him what the kid told me, and paid for what he’d stolen.”
“You paid for it?” That’s big. It happens every once in a while with us, but we really have to believe the situation.
“Yeah, and I took him home, where I witnessed some not so great things happening.”
Whitney picks up the story as she grabs hold of her husband’s hand. “We’ve spoken with some people we know, and we’ve contacted a lawyer. He’s going to be emergency placed in our home as a foster child next week. That’s how bad it was.”
“No shit?” I’m amazed that this has gone so fast, but it couldn’t have happened to anyone better than these two.
“Yeah.” Renegade smiles at his wife, as he runs his hand along her arm, and then they clasp them together. “We wanted more kids and it never happened for whatever reason. Maybe this was it. When I presented what I had to the supervisor over at CPS, she made things happen. Nickolas was taken out of their care yesterday. He’ll get looked at today, have all the paperwork filled out tomorrow, and we’ll take custody of him after the hearing on Monday.”
“I wish we could have just taken him today. So he could have met all of you and everything.” Whitney worries her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I know, Princess, but we gotta do stuff by the book.”
Beside me, Ruby speaks again. “If he needs some help to get to where he should be for the upcoming school year, my summer class is almost over. I’ll do anything I can to help him. I’m positive he wasn’t getting the help he needed at home.”
“Thank you, I’ll text you and set something up.” Whitney grins over at my girlfriend.
Having her willingly put herself in our group is one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt. As we all go back to talking to one another, I lean in. “You wanna go get in the pool?”
“Sure!”
We get up and go over to the lounge chairs, me taking off my shirt, kicking off my flip flops. I watch as she puts her hair in a ponytail and kicks off her own flip flops, but never moves to take the tank top off. “You gonna get in with that.”
She nods. “I’ve never been fully comfortable with my stomach.”
That pisses me off. Walking over to her, I tilt her chin up to look at me. “If you’re uncomfortable, then you’re uncomfortable, but know I think you’re fucking gorgeous, perfect, and everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Thank you.” She leans her forehead against my chin. “I’ll think about it.”
“You do that.”
A few hours later, when I come out of the house from using the bathroom, I see my brave girl has finally taken that tank top off, and damned if she doesn’t look amazing playing volleyball with all the other ladies.
Ruby
“Sometimes, I sit back, look at you, and wonder how in the hell I got so lucky.” I lean my head against Caleb’s shoulder, wrapping myself around his body. His big hand rubs against my back, and I can’t help but feel the goose bumps appear.
We’re sitting in the bed of Ryan’s truck, waiting on the Fourth of July fireworks to start. He laughs deep in his throat as he takes a drink from his beer bottle. “You wonder that? Babe, that’s my life. Like why in the hell did you decide to even go out with me after what happened to you that night. I’m a lucky motherfucker.”
“I think we’re both pretty lucky.” I reach over, taking a drink from his bottle of beer. It tastes better when it’s his; I can’t explain it, but there’s a taste that’s just Caleb’s.
His eyes follow the motion of my throat, and I can tell by the way his eyes dilate, he approves of me sharing it with him. Wrapping his arm around my neck, he pulls me into him. “That’s sexy as fuck,” he whispers in my ear.
“What is?” I’m not sure what he’s talking about.
“Sharing my beer with me, not being afraid to do what feels good. I’ve never been with a woman like you before.” He pulls me closer into his body.
Glancing around at the group with us, I notice no one’s really paying any attention. He picks me up, sitting me cross-ways over his lap. I circle my arms around his neck, leaning in to take his lips with mine. It’s a hot night, but I don’t mind being close to him, don’t mind being in his lap sitting so close. “You think I’m sexy?” I question, when he tugs on the end of my hair.
“Always, you’re always sexy. Doesn’t matter what you’re doing, you just being you is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
My cheeks heat at the mention of him thinking I’m sexy. This relationship that the two of us have, is so different than anything else I’ve ever experienced.
“Bubba.” I hear Kelsea’s small voice beside us and pull back, respecting the fact she wants her brother’s attention.
“Yeah, Cupcake?”
“Will you go ride the Ferris Wheel with me?”
“You want Red to go with us?” He gives me a wink.
I pinch him on the side. “You know I hate heights.”
“I’ll be there with you and…” he trails off. “Cupcake’s going, so I mean you’d be hanging out with a ten-year-old.”
“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” I give him a saucy smile. “You’re trying to shame me into riding the Ferris wheel with your little sister by acting like she’s braver than me.”
“Actions speak way louder than words, Red.”
“Alright then.” I stand up, holding my hand out for Caleb. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“C’mon, Kelsea.” He jumps down from the tailgate of the truck, holding his hands up to help me down too.
It’s the annual Fourth of July celebration for Laurel Springs, and while I have no intentions of riding the Ferris Wheel, I’m really happy to be here with Caleb and Kelsea. He holds my hand as we walk through the crowd of people.
“I can’t believe we walked these same paths, did all this same shit, but a few years apart, and we never knew each other.” He lets go of my hand and pulls me by the neck into his side.
“You were older, and away at college,” I remind him. “What would you be interested in a high school kid like me for?”
“Young Caleb was fuckin’ dumb Caleb,” he growls as he nips at my ear.
“And I wouldn’t have had the confidence back then to let you make a play for me. I would have just faded into the background,” I try to explain to him. “Even though I was a cheerleader, I totally hid in the back row.”
“You’re my cheerleader, babe. You would have been front and center, right here for me.” His eyes heat as he looks at me.
Where we are on the main thoroughfare isn’t far from the football field, and I can tell by the heated look we exchange, we’re both thinking of Halloween. But tonight we have someone else with us.
“Can we get some cotton candy?” Kelsea asks as we see a line waiting to get the sugary treat.
“Yes!” I let go of Caleb and run up to walk next to her. “We can get all the cotton candy there is.”
As we walk away, I turn around, throwing a smirk and a wink back at Caleb.
Cruise
I love the way she’s taken to my sister and my sister has taken to her. They’re two peas in a pod, and I’ve always known if I wanted to keep someone in my life, Kelsea would have to love them. Right now, I’m pretty sure she loves Ruby more than she loves me. After all, what do I know about nail polish, braids, and clothes? It makes me think things though, as I watch the two of them walking ahead of me.
They look almost related, because Kelsea has a major case of hero worship right now. She wants to do everything Ruby does, and that includes wearing whatever clothes she can find that match any of my girlfriend’s. They’re both wearing cut-off shorts and tank tops. The thing it makes me think about? What if in ten years that’s Ruby with our kid?
Never, in the almost twenty-nine years I’ve been on this planet, have I thought long-term about anything other than the Moonshine Task Force. Never have I thought past what I wanted to do once I made it. After I said goodbye to a pro football career, all my time and energy was spent making my dad proud. Making him see I understood the sacrifice he made for me, for us as family.
Now? I’m thinking about my future, what I want out of life. And I’m more sure than I’ve ever been that it’s a curvaceous blonde spitfire, small enough for me to rest my chin on her head, bold enough to make me hard with just a look. She’s sweetness mixed with sassy, and her blue eyes can see right through my soul. And she’s completely perfect for me. She fits me, she fits my family, and without me even realizing it, she’s become one of the most important people in my life.
“Hey ladies,” I yell as they’ve gotten ahead of me, standing in line for what looks like the largest cotton candy I’ve ever seen. “Wait for me!”
“Hurry up then, slow poke,” Ruby yells back as she and Kelsea giggle, sharing what appears to be a private joke between the two of them.
When I get there, they’re next in line. I pay for what they order, and then wait with them while it’s being made. I watch in awe as the person makes cotton candy fucking art. He gives a small heart to Kelsea, which makes her immediately fall in love, and then I watch as the fucker makes a flower for Ruby, handing it to her with a flourish.
“For the beautiful lady.”
She smiles at him, gratefully accepting it, before she takes a bite. I scowl at him over her head, mouth a WTF dude, and turn them toward the rides.
“How did that guy know my favorite flowers are pansies?” she wonders as she continues picking at the different colors, before putting them in her mouth.
I watch as she licks her lips to rid them of the sugar, and then I wonder, why the fuck didn’t I know pansies were her favorite flower? Why the fuck haven’t I gotten her flowers before, and why am I so jealous of some guy who works at a carnival?
God, love is a crazy fuckin’ thing.
“C’mon let’s go to the Ferris Wheel.” Kels directs us through the crowd, to where we stand in line.
“Are you really going to go?” I ask Ruby, knowing from a few conversations we’ve had, she truly hates heights.
“No.” She grins as she shakes her head. “The two of you have totally got this taken care of. There’s no way.” She puts her arms around my waist. “Even with you, I’d probably pee my pants and get so scared I wouldn’t be able to physically get off the ride.”
I can’t imagine this woman that’s come to mean so much to me would ever be that scared of something, but we all have our quirks. “I’d keep you safe,” I remind her.
“You’re not God, Caleb, and there’s no safety net under this thing. Sorry, but you’re not getting me up there. I’ll gladly watch the two of you with my feet safely on the ground down here.”
She’s still eating her cotton candy, and it’s turned her lips a different color. Unable to help myself, I lean forward, licking the sweetness off of them. Glancing around, I see that Kelsea is talking to one of her friends from school. “I wonder what that would taste like around your other lips.” My voice is pitched low, and I can tell the moment she understands what I’m saying. Her gaze becomes heated and she stops with a piece of the candy half-way to her mouth.
“Caleb Matthew.” Her voice is scandalized. “I can’t believe you just said that to me.”
“Believe it.” I lean in, getting a taste of the sweetness myself. The line is moving and it’s our turn. “And you best believe I’m picking up another bag before we leave. Tonight, Ruby Red? We’re gonna have some fun.”
* * *
Two orgasms and a bag of cotton candy later, we’re both laying in her bed, trying to get our breath back.
“You’re gonna kill me one day,” she accuses as she rolls over to rest her head on my shoulder.
“Nope.” I hold my hand to my chest. “Pretty sure my heart is going to beat out of my chest. That, was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.”
She makes a noise in her throat. “True, but it’s sticky.”
I snort, tilting my head down so that I can see her. “Newsflash babe, most everything that’s fun without clothes on is sticky. If that’s your only complaint, I’m not accepting it.”
“Then don’t.” She shrugs. “Just come join me in the shower.”
She gets up, slipping out from under the covers. My gaze is immediately drawn to her naked ass and the two dimples above it. When she turns around, looking at me over her shoulder, I’m a goner. I’m out of bed so quickly I almost trip over the covers, and all I know is one thing: I’m gonna clean her up, just so I can dirty her up again. It’s become one of my favorite things about being in a relationship.