Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
RUBY
The cabin Caleb has picked out is gorgeous with its big windows, wrap-around porch, and the complete silence other than the sounds of nature that surrounds us. It's different than the silence I've been living in at home.
"After you." He motions for me to move forward with a hand out in that direction.
His eyes are on my ass. I can feel his gaze like a laser, as it burns into the denim covering my backside. "Did you pick this out yourself? Really?" I turn around in a circle, admiring the open floor plan, and the kitchen off to the side.
"Yeah, Molly looked with me," he shrugs. "But I ultimately picked it out."
"Molly knows I love a big kitchen."
He tucks his hands into his jean pockets, the muscles of his arms bulging as he does. "That she does. Are you hungry?" He asks, rocking back on his heels.
For him? One thousand percent. For food? Slightly. "Yeah, I could make something. Do we have groceries?"
"I made sure we did, but I wasn't asking you to cook me something, Ruby. I was asking if we could do it together."
My breath catches. We used to do that all the time when we first got married. The one thing we looked forward to, when we were home together, was cooking. Somehow, like a lot of what resonated with us in the early days of our marriage, we got away from it. "You want to make a meal together?"
"Yeah." He grins, coming over to where I'm standing close to the island. "We can put our stuff away, and then make something if that's good with you?"
"Sure. Why don't you take my bag in there? I don't even know what's in it, so it's not going to make a difference if it's put away or not. I'm going to see what we have to work with."
He nods, but doesn't say anything. Turning, he heads over to where our bags are, and bends at the waist, picking them up. I take the moment to get my bearings. If there's one thing about Caleb Harrison, he can put me off my game with just a smirk. Quickly, I toe off my shoes, and go over to the fridge. Opening it, I'm surprised at everything inside. He wasn't kidding when he said he made sure we had food to eat.
"Do they have everything we need?"
His deep voice sends shivers up and down my spine and goosebumps raise on my arms. I've not had this kind of reaction to him for a while. Maybe the girls are right? Stella told me at one of our margarita nights that Caleb and I had gotten too comfortable with one another. We'd quit trying to date each other, and I'd laughed her off. Right now, I feel like she wasn't too far away from the truth. "Yeah." I clear my throat. "It's got all our favorites. Did you make a list?" He hasn't taken control of the grocery list and shopping in years. That's been my job since the kids were small.
"I did. Molly helped," he smiles. "Don't think I realized how much of a helper she is, until I called her about helping me for you."
"She's been really good lately," I tell him as I look around to see what we've got to make dinner. "A couple of times she's even gone grocery shopping by herself. Your dad picks her up, and they make a day of it. I didn't know big, bad, Menace would enjoy his afternoons with a tween like he does."
"My dad enjoys any time he can get with either of our kids. Just so happens he likes Molly best right now because she fed into his ego the other night." He leans against the cabinet, gripping the countertop in his big hands. "I'm sorry," he whispers.
My heart kicks in my chest. "I'm not telling you this so that you feel bad. It's the reality of what's been going on the past few months. You know that as well as I do, and I'd like to give her the proper gratitude for what she's done. She's stepped up in a big way, and she's helped me, personally." I'm not sure I want to tell him this part, but I know I've got to be honest. That's what got us into this situation in the first place. "There's been a couple of times when I broke down, and although she's the kid, she took care of me. Our girl is older than her years."
"And I've made her grow up quicker than she should have." His deep voice is lower than normal, and full of regret.
"We both have. I'm just telling you because it's our story." I shrug and open the fridge again. "Our story has been one of love, a tragedy, and everything in between. And like you said, this isn't the end of it, it's a speed bump in the road." I let the door close, and walk over to where he stands. "I love you, Caleb. I've never stopped, and it's not as if I can turn it off, I can't. But I do have a request."
"Oh, yeah." He gives me a smirk. "What's the request?"
I don't say anything, I just tuck into him, wrapping my arms around his waist and cuddling in. "That you let me give you a hug."
He wraps his arms around me, holding on tightly. "I love you too, and I'll always give you a hug when you request it. You don't even have to ask. Just always assume it's okay."
Laughing, I dip my face into his chest. "From now on, I will." We stand in each other's arms, enjoying the moment. Glancing up at him, I raise my eyebrows. "We have stuff to make grilled chicken and vegetables. Does that sound good to you?"
"Sounds perfect." He dips his mouth down to mine. "Just like you."
"It'll be done in about fifteen minutes," I tell Caleb as I shut the oven.
He rubs his stomach, pressing his shirt against what has become flat. "Those vegetables smell good."
They do. "I'm going to change into some more comfortable clothes, if you can watch it?"
"Sure, go ahead. Believe it or not, I've gotten pretty good at cooking." He gives me a wink. God, he's hot. Whatever he's been through has honed his body, and sharpened his good looks.
"Be right back."
Entering the bedroom for the first time, I walk over to the bed and grab my bag. There's no idea what Molly packed for me. She and I have different ideas of what would be appropriate to wear. We've been butting heads about it a lot lately. Unzipping it, I flip through the clothes, breathing a sigh of relief when I grasp my fingers around a pair of leggings. Right next to them is a sweatshirt.
Now that I have clothes to wear, I look around at the room. It's made for a couple to spend time in, with a big bed and TV at the end. There's a bathroom attached, so I head in there to change. I haven't been this nervous in a while, and it's not like my husband hasn't seen me naked before.
The nerves are normal. At least that's what I tell myself.
And when I'm done putting on the leggings and Laurel Springs Police Department sweatshirt, which I now realize is Caleb's, I hurry out into the living room.
"You've always made my clothes look better than I do," his deep voice greets me.
"I've been wearing this one a lot, and I guess Molly took note of it," I say by way of explanation. Heat infuses my cheeks, and I do my best to not show just how much this piece of cotton has meant to me.
There's a string of tension between us as the timer buzzes. He hitches his head toward the oven. "i put some garlic bread in while you were changing. It should be done now, too." Running his hand along the counter, he grabs the oven mitt and puts it on his hand, before opening the door and grabbing the pan from the stove.
Working like a well-trained team, I head over to the fridge and grab out a couple bottles of beer while he finishes taking everything out, and puts it on the table. It's then that I notice he's put all of the food on the table, pulled out two chairs, and eyes are tracking me.
"What?" I give him a grin. It's self-conscious, but at the same time, I love that he's paying attention to me. It's not felt like I had a lot of that in the last few months. Instead of giving each other the attentiveness, we should've, we've been avoiding the situation. I realize right now I want his attention, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep it on me.
"Nothing." He shrugs. "I was just worried I'd never have this with you again." He pulls out the chair, and motions for me to take a seat.
Quickly I go over to sit next to him, putting his beer down, and taking a drink of mine. "We're gonna work this out, Caleb."
"Are you sure? There was a time that I thought we were ready to throw in the towel."
The question breaks my heart more than anything else he's said.
"I'm sure. We're not giving up on this. Not before we've given it everything we can."
There's tension between us, but now it isn't full of the type I'm worried will break us. Now it's of two people who are anxious to get to know one another after a long time apart.