43. Twat
CHAPTER 43
Twat
Calum’s friends are unbelievable. They are too much, but in a good way. Abstract paintings hang from the wall. Sam takes Mace to one of them. I’m not sure what he tells Mace, but he giggles. I wince as he lifts Mace. Unlike Calum, he doesn’t toss him, but my hand goes over my chest, and my heart regains normalcy when he drops Mace to the floor. Calum returns to my side and throws his arm around my shoulders. I lean into him and smile. It has grown so easy to settle into this undefined role. I know he wants more but is being patient with me.
“How are you?” he whispers into my ear. His lips meet my temple, and I cock my head to the side. He stops himself from kissing me, and my nose wrinkles. I direct my gaze to Mace and his new playmates before he notices my disappointment. “What’s that face for, Superstar?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you having fun?”
“Kinda.” He frowns. I fix it by saying, “Yes. They are nice. I’m glad you have such friends.”
Calum nods. “Me too. Want to check out the home studio? Caleb has one somewhere.”
“Sure.”
We inform the boys before leaving. On his knees with Mace as they sift through old vinyl disks, Lucas shoos us. He appointed himself Uncle Lucas once he discovered the truth. Sam doesn’t care for a title but has shown signs of being another uncle. Amelia would like them.
Calum opens a door for me. I step into the dark room while he fiddles with the switch. Bright lights flood the room. My reflection stares back at me from the window separating us from the other room. It’s almost like being back in that first studio. I step forward, walking to each corner, touching things I’ve no idea what to call them. Calum moves closer to the table with the equipment. Our eyes meet in the window. I look away first and resume my inspection.
“So…” he says, slumping into the cushioned seat before the table.
“So,” I continue.
“The boys and I want to practise.”
“Can I watch?”
He jumps out of his seat. Standing in front of me, he cups my face. “Sure. Of course.”
“Is something wrong?” I whisper. He’s acting skittish. He shakes his head and stops.
“Well… you never said anything about the tour,” he murmurs. His thumb strokes my cheek. Joining them means a lot. “The boys would want to know my plans once practice resumes.”
“Okay.”
But I don’t say more. I’m yet to decide. Because it means going around cities in a bus, hopping on different flights, sleeping in hotels, always on the move. It’s not good for Mace.
“Okay,” he replies. But his eyes show he means the opposite. We maintain eye contact, and I almost falter. His tour must go on with or without me. He opens his mouth. “Cathie, are—”
I kiss him. My arms loop around his neck, and I deepen it. I’m back to using my old method of intimacy to distract him, but for this moment, I don’t care. I don’t want him to treat us any less if he finds out we may not be going with him. He’s too big a musician to give it up now.
Calum breaks off the kiss and swipes the pad of his thumb over my lip. “I love you.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say. “When does practice start?”
Someone walks in. Lucas dumps himself between us and turns his back to Calum. He’s my favourite. Calum groans behind his friend but doesn’t push him off.
Placing his hands on his waist, Lucas says, “Did anyone ever tell you that you made my man cry? Real fucking tears.”
Calum scoffs. He shoves Lucas out of the way, taking his place in front of me. “Those were manly tears, Superstar.” His eyes soften, but all I can think is, what are manly tears ? “Okay?”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Lucas says over Calum’s shoulder. “Dude was crying in a pub.”
“Ignore him,” Calum states.
The song only mentioned Calum’s experience in the back of a cab. While I was hurting, he was, too. One hand reaches up to palm his cheek, and I plant my lips on his in a chaste kiss.
“I’ll go get Sam,” he tells me. “Love you.”
Calum leaves me standing there with a grin. My heart is doing funny things it never did when we were together. Lucas nudges me with his hip, arms folded and eyes centred on the door.
“Are you two dating?”
“No,” I answer. He tilts his body to show me his soft glare. I dart a look at the door to be sure we are alone. “Dating might come in later. Soon, maybe. But for now, we are just friends.”
“Is that what you tell yourself?” He returns to the table and straddles the chair backwards. He plays with a few buttons, and a comforting sound breaks the silence. “Whose idea was it? It sure as hell couldn’t be my man’s. Dude sulked for days after he saw you with another guy.”
Jason. But at least the world got a new song out of the encounter. I lift a shoulder and drop it.
“Yeah. It was my idea.”
I join him beside the table. He pushes a button down, and the sound reduces. We stay there in soothing silence, waiting for the boys until he whispers, “Well, don’t break his heart again.”
Lucas doesn’t look away from the table. If I wasn’t so close to him, I may have missed his words. Knowing Calum has good people looking out for him brings a smile to my lips. I wrap my arms around my belly and chance a glance at the door. They are taking too long to arrive.
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Good.” A minute later, he says, “Where the fuck are those guys?”
“You swear a lot,” I comment.
He laughs. “Right? I’ll try not to do it around Mace. Mace is a pretty boy, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
“We are here,” comes from outside. Calum. Just one smile from him, and my heart forms a rhythm. Mace is in his arms. I idle over to the pair and kiss Mace’s cheeks. “None for me?”
I push on my toes to claim his lips, but Mace swats at my cheek. I try twice and get the same result. The boy has spoken. No kisses for Daddy. Calum hands Mace to Sam and steals a kiss.
Three of them crowd the table after Sam returns Mace to me, their heads bobbing as Lucas controls the music. They listen to different songs, sing along sometimes, and mock each other when one of them sings off-key.
Tears cling to my eyelashes, and my heart clenches. I miss Amelia Greene. Mace tugs on my lower lip. I press my forehead to his and sigh. “Daddy has a beautiful voice, right?” I mutter.
Mace sneezes. I rest his head on my shoulder and rub his back. Calum looks back a few times and winks. I wave, and he motions for me to join them, but I don’t want to ruin their moment.
Sam notices him staring, and Lucas’ head tilts in my direction. “Do you sing?” Lucas asks.
I don’t know why I say, “Not really.”
Calum blinks. I avert my gaze from his piercing blues. He’s a world star, and I’m Mama Mace.
“Do you write songs?” Sam murmurs.
“No,” I reply. It was just that one for Amelia.
“But she sings,” Calum cuts in. I flash him a warning, but he turns around to avoid my glare. Lucas sits on the edge of the table, his arms crossed over his chest. I stare at my feet, and my cheeks heat. “You guys need to hear Cathie sing. It’s like listening to angels. She’s so good.”
“Don’t mind Cal,” I say with a forced laugh.
Calum turns to them. “Do mind me.”
“He’s lying,” I say. Lucas snorts. Sam hides a smile. They believe him. Except for that time last year with Jason and Amelia, I have not sung in front of a crowd in months. I don’t think I still have that ‘voice’ Calum is bragging about. “Cal thinks everything I do is extraordinary. If I sneezed and recorded it, he would call it awesome. So ignore him. Don’t listen to him.”
Lucas trudges forward to pry Mace from me. Having no more defence, I rock on my heels.
“What songs do you like?” he asks. He sways gently like I was doing to soothe Mace, who looks about to cry. The background sound slows. “It could be anything. Country. Pop—”
“She likes Alanis Morissette and Nicki Minaj,” Calum volunteers.
Bloody hell. I’ll cut off all the strings on this man’s guitar. Calum picks out another chair and blows me a kiss. Prick. Lucas nudges me with his elbow. “Should we sing one of theirs?”
I look to Sam for an escape, but he shrugs. “You could sing only the chorus,” Sam says.
These guys are ganging up on me. I huff, my frustration evident as I saunter to the table. I pull Calum off the chair and sit. He tugs me up, sits down, and brings me down to his lap.
Arms locked around my waist from behind, he says, “What Alanis song are we singing?”
No. I don’t want to sing hand in my pocket. It’s our song. “Maybe we can do one of Nicki’s,” Lucas says. He plonks down on the long couch but doesn’t let go of Mace. “Her older song.”
“Starships?” I say. All three share a glance and shrug. “Okay. Calum has to go first.”
Sam works some buttons on the table device, and Lucas hoists Mace on his shoulders. They form a circle around us. Shivers run down my back as Calum sings. Mace fists his hands and wiggles. Lucas doesn’t join in, but Sam does. I laugh a little when he goes hard on the fast parts.
Calum’s head bobs, hairs curl on his forehead. He points a finger at me as his voice fades, and I’m forced to pick up where he left off. They fall silent halfway into my verse, leaving me to sing the rest alone. I falter once. If not for Mace or Calum’s arms banded around my waist in quiet assurance, I may have panicked. As the song slows to an end, Lucas harmonises with me.
Silence settles over us when I finish. Sam claps. Lucas grins. “You should totally join us on the tour. We used to have a girl in our band, you know?” Lucas says. “I mean, your voice…”
“Is horrible,” I finish for them.
“That was not what I was about to say,” Lucas corrects. He looks up at Mace. “Right, Mace? Cal is never right about anything, but he was right about this. Your voice is exceptional.”
Mace saves the day by letting out a cry, and I jump to my feet. “I think he’s hungry.”
“I’ll feed him,” Lucas and Sam say at the same time.
Lucas growls at his friend. I sit back on Calum’s lap. “I said it first, Sammy boy. Back off.”
Calum vibrates with laughter, but when I toss him a look over my shoulder, he frowns. In the end, Sam concedes to Lucas. The boys shun every attempt to help. The pair leave the studio arguing about God knows what. They are like an old married couple, constantly bickering. I try to stand, but Calum’s arms tighten around my waist. He kisses a path up to my neck.
“Dating will come in later?” he whispers.
“What?”
“What you told Lucas. Dating will come later,” Calum tells me. I shoot off his lap before he reacts. He follows suit, and I jump out of reach. Each step he takes forward has me taking one back until my back hits the wall. He leaves space between us. “Cathie. You meant it, right?”
“Maybe. We need to go for a session with Ebun as a couple.”
“Superstar, I know. I said yes.” He closes the gap. One hand drops to the side of my head, and I lean into him like a dog wanting cuddles from her master. “I’ll go anywhere you want.”
I bite my lip. “Thanks.”
“Are you coming with us?” he whispers. His hand slides down to my arse, and another seeks my warmth. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn a dress. “Think about it carefully, baby.”
A gasp locks in my throat when his fingers brush the side of my knickers. “Cal,” I warn.
But my legs push apart to make it easier for him. His lips come down on mine in an open-mouthed kiss, and his fingers find a rhythm inside me. I rock my hips forward. My hands reach down to feel him, but he grabs my wrists above my head. Heat pools between my legs. He smirks when he finds my sweet spot but withdraws as fast when I’m close to the peak.
“Calum,” I beg when he denies me an orgasm for the second time. “Cal.”
“Say yes.”
I try to stomp on his foot, but he’s faster. He laughs. “To what?” I breathe out.
“The tour.”
“Fine, yes. I’ll join you guys on your tour.”
As soon as the words are out of my lips, he kisses me. He quickens his pace, letting go of my wrists to wrap my leg around his thigh. I orgasm hard, leaning on him for support as my body recovers. He sucks his fingers and licks my lips. My leg drops to the floor. Swiping the hair sticking to my forehead, he carries me to a chair. I straddle him and touch my forehead to his.
“You cheated,” I whisper.
“A man has got to do what he has to do.”
I smack his chest. “Twat.”
He laces our fingers. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, superstar. But I really, really want you to join us.”