Chapter Thirty-Six #2
Dad laughs softly and gently pats my back.
“No, son. Trust me, the honor is ours.” His expression softens as he looks at me.
“Watching the man you’ve become, the life you’ve built for yourself, besides this little run-in with a tree…
” he teases lightly, “… it’s honestly everything a father could hope for.
” Emotion thickens in my throat as he keeps talking.
“Caleb, your band has something special. Your sound is fresh and alive in a way ours never was. Don’t get me wrong, 12GAUGE-Slayed was incredible in our day, but what you kids create?
It’s different. It’s bigger emotionally, and there’s magic in it. ”
Jesus Christ.
Hearing Dad say that feels incredible.
“If people don’t love this album…” he continues, “… then there’s something seriously wrong with them because what you all make together is fucking special. I couldn’t be prouder of you if I tried.”
I press my lips together tightly, suddenly feeling way too emotional for a recording studio full of people. Without thinking, I lean forward and hug him tightly.
“I love you, kid,” Dad murmurs while hugging me back. “And yeah, you’ve made some mistakes, but you’re fixing your shit now. So make it count, Caleb. Make every second count.” He pulls back slightly and keeps his hands on my shoulders.
“Thanks, Dad…” I hesitate before speaking again. “You know… I’ve never actually said this out loud before.”
Dad immediately groans. “Oh, God. Here we go,” he jokes.
I laugh quietly before meeting his eyes properly. “I’m really glad you turned out to be my father.”
The second the words leave my mouth, everything around us seems to go quiet.
Dad just stares at me.
And for the first time in my entire life, I see his eyes fill with tears.
He quickly looks away and wipes at his cheek like he’s embarrassed anyone might see it. “Well… shit,” he mutters hoarsely. “What the hell am I meant to say to that?”
Before I can answer, he pulls me into another hug. This one is tighter, more emotional.
“I’m glad you’re my son, Caleb,” he says quietly near my ear. “Not my nephew. Having you as a son was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
My eyes burn, and my throat tightens so hard I can barely breathe around it.
“Bloody hell, what’s going on over here?” Dingo suddenly booms while slapping Dad hard on the back. “Mutual admiration society meeting? You two confessing your undying love or some shit?”
Dad laughs roughly and wipes his face again. “Nope. Just telling my son how proud I am of him.”
Dingo scoffs dramatically. “Proud? All he did was lose a fight with a tree. Come back after wrestling a full-grown dingo with your bare hands and then maybe we’ll talk about impressive achievements.”
Dad and I both roll our eyes while Dingo launches into the story of how he got his nickname for what has to be the ten-thousandth time in my life. Honestly, I stopped listening halfway through the first sentence.
A few minutes later, Indi quietly slips her hand into mine and gives me that look that says she knows I’m completely exhausted.
So we say our goodbyes and head home.
The next two weeks are going to be nonstop recording sessions, and right now my entire body feels like it’s shutting down. All I want is a hot shower, my bed, and my girl beside me.
Especially my girl.
It’s been way too fucking long since I’ve been able to touch Indi properly, and I’m getting restless about it. I miss her, not emotionally because she’s been beside me every second, but physically.
I miss her skin.
I miss holding her naked against me.
Hell, she won’t even sleep naked anymore because she’s convinced we won’t be able to control ourselves.
Which… honestly?
She is absolutely right.
“Indi, baby, can we sleep naked tonight?” I call toward the ensuite while she does whatever mysterious skincare ritual women apparently need every night.
“No, Caleb,” she calls back flatly.
“But I just wanna feel your skin against mine. What if I promise not to make any moves?”
“No, Caleb.”
I huff dramatically while climbing into bed wearing joggers, which feels criminal after sleeping naked most of my adult life. “But what if I—”
“It’s not just you who can’t control yourself,” she interrupts from the bathroom. “It’s me too. If we sleep naked, I’m going to want sex just as much as you do.”
My cock instantly twitches at those words.
“Topless then?” I try hopefully.
I hear her laugh softly. “No, Caleb.”
I flop dramatically onto my back and wait for her to come out wearing her usual recovery-approved pajamas. The ones that hide every inch of skin except her hands and feet, like she’s protecting me from temptation.
She walks into the bedroom and turns off the main lights until only the bedside lamp glows softly beside us. “You look suspiciously relaxed,” she says while climbing into bed beside me.
“I’d be a lot more relaxed if you took your top off,” I reply immediately.
She scoffs loudly. “You would not. You’d spend the entire night trying to convince me to take my bottoms off too.
” She points at me accusingly. “And that is not happening, Mister It-Still-Hurts-When-I-Laugh-Or-Cough-Or-Move-The-Wrong-Way.” I grin shamelessly.
“What exactly do you think sex is going to do to you right now?” she asks.
“Relax me?” I offer hopefully.
She shakes her head while trying not to laugh.
“We can try in a couple of weeks,” she says, softer this time while snuggling carefully against my side.
“I want your wound fully healed first and your muscles properly recovered. I’m thinking about you here, Caleb.
Trust me, I want you just as badly as you want me, but sometimes we have to wait for things. ”
“Yes, ma’am,” I murmur obediently. She smiles against my chest. “Can I at least get one grope to tide me over?” I ask hopefully.
Laughing under her breath, she deliberately presses her breasts against my chest.
Victory.
Internally, I high-five myself before carefully sliding my hand over her breast and squeezing gently through her top.
Christ. Even this feels incredible.
Just touching her again settles something inside me. Makes me feel connected to her all over again. “I love you,” I murmur while slowly massaging her breast.
She lifts her head and looks at me softly. “I love you too.” Then she kisses me.
Not gently like she has been these last few weeks, either. This kiss has heat behind it. Want behind it. Like she’s finally stopped being terrified of hurting me.
I kiss her back harder instantly, and she parts her lips for me, our tongues sliding together perfectly like we never stopped doing this every single night.
As I kiss her deeply and hold her against me, my body starts responding.
My cock thickens painfully inside my joggers, and desire curls hard through my stomach.
I know this isn’t going anywhere tonight.
But right now, holding Indi in my arms while she kisses me like this…
It feels like my own perfect little piece of heaven anyway.
***
The next two weeks fly by in an absolute blur, and before we know it, the album is finished. Every vocal track, every guitar riff, every lyric, every beat. Done.
Now it’s up to Rob and his production team to work their magic and polish everything for release, but even hearing the rough cuts back in the studio gave all of us goose bumps.
We also managed to squeeze in a photoshoot for the album cover, and it looks fucking incredible.
Dark, edgy, emotional… exactly who Staked is.
I think we’re all a little shocked by how quickly everything came together. Then again, when you’ve got the right people behind you, amazing things happen.
The album officially dropped three days ago, and now we’re stuck in the horrible limbo of waiting to see if people actually like it.
Seven weeks after the accident, I finally feel almost like myself again.
I’m down to fewer painkillers, I can move around properly without feeling like I’m eighty years old, and the constant ache in my side has eased massively.
Sure, I still get random flashes of pain if I twist awkwardly or move too quickly, but overall? I’m doing really well.