Chapter Thirty-Eight #2
“So…” she says while preparing mugs, “… touring.” I nod.
“Well… honestly? When Colt and I first got together, I went on tour with him.” She huffs out a laugh.
“That was absolute chaos.” My stomach tightens.
“The jealousy, misunderstandings, the groupies, the drugs, the drinking…” She shakes her head.
“It was hectic and pretty depressing at times.” My eyes widen, and she notices straight away.
“But,” she says quickly while pointing at me with a spoon.
“This tour isn’t going to be like that.” I relax slightly.
“12GAUGE-Slayed aren’t reckless twenty-somethings anymore.
They’re adults with families now.” She smiles softly.
“Most of them are parents. They’re not interested in destroying hotel rooms and snorting drugs off groupies anymore. ”
That image alone nearly makes me choke.
Dee laughs at my horrified expression. “The kids will all be there too,” she continues.
“Trust me, nobody’s going to be acting like idiots with their children running around backstage.
There’ll be rules, structure, security… and they won’t get away with much anyway because the parents see everything. ”
I chew nervously on the inside of my cheek. “What if…” I hesitate quietly. “What if he can’t handle six months away?”
Dee’s eyebrows lift slightly. “You mean sex?”
Heat floods my cheeks instantly, and I look down, nodding awkwardly.
She walks over and takes both my hands gently in hers.
“Indi,” she says softly. “That man has already lost you twice. Trust me when I say Caleb would never risk losing you a third time. He’d cut off his own dick before he’d do something stupid enough to destroy what you two finally have.
” I laugh unexpectedly through my nerves.
“Sex used to matter to Caleb because he was lonely,” she says gently.
“It filled the gap while he was missing you. But now?” She smiles warmly.
“You are enough for him. Everything else is just a bonus.”
Emotion catches unexpectedly in my throat. “How can you ever really know, though?” I ask quietly. “How do you know Colt wouldn’t cheat on tour?”
Dee doesn’t even hesitate. “Because I trust him.” The certainty in her voice is immediate and absolute.
“I know the man he is. I know how much he loves me and our family.” She squeezes my hands.
“He’d never throw that away for meaningless sex.
And Caleb feels exactly the same way about you.
” I swallow hard. “He’s obsessed with you, Indi,” she says bluntly.
“Honestly, it’s actually disgusting sometimes.
” I burst out laughing. “But seriously…” she continues, softer this time, “… you have absolutely nothing to worry about.” She leans forward and kisses my forehead before returning to the coffee machine.
“He asked me to move in with him when he gets back,” I admit quietly.
Dee instantly grins. “See? If he weren’t serious about you, he wouldn’t be planning a future with you.” She points her spoon at me accusingly. “Marriage proposal incoming again soon, by the way.”
I roll my eyes dramatically. “He already asks me constantly.”
“Good.” She smirks. “Keep him suffering a little longer.”
I laugh softly before my expression settles again. “I know he loves me…”
“Then stop doubting him,” Dee says gently. “Has Caleb ever actually cheated on you?”
I think about Maddie. About Sasha. About all the mess and heartbreak we’ve already survived.
Then I slowly shake my head. “No.”
“Exactly.” She shrugs simply. “Then why would he suddenly start now?”
And the second she says it out loud, I realize how ridiculous my fears sound.
Caleb isn’t the same reckless boy he used to be.
And Staked isn’t some drug-fuelled disaster band spiraling out of control every night either. Most of them are already in committed relationships, anyway.
Although judging by the way Chad looks at Ella whenever she enters a room, I’m fairly certain he’s heading that way too, whether she realizes it or not.
“Thanks, Dee,” I say softly. “You always know how to make me feel better.”
She smiles warmly. “That’s because I was you once.” She slides a coffee mug toward me. “I remember exactly how terrifying this life feels in the beginning.”
I wrap my hands around the warm mug while she continues, “The difference is you already know Caleb. You know his heart, his family, and the people surrounding him on this tour. He’s protected, Indi.
” Then her expression softens further. “And if you want me to keep an eye on him for you, I absolutely will. I can even send daily reports if needed.”
I laugh loudly. “A daily surveillance update might be slightly excessive.”
“Well, the offer stands,” she says proudly.
Still smiling, I walk around the island bench to help her with the coffees while, for the first time in days, the tight knot of anxiety in my chest finally starts loosening a little.
***
We get back to Caleb’s place, and he immediately starts throwing clothes into his suitcase while I sit cross-legged on his bed watching him move around the room.
“You and Dee disappeared for a while today,” Caleb says while walking into the ensuite. “Where’d you two sneak off to?”
“Oh, we just went into the kitchen for coffee and a chat. We didn’t wanna sit there whispering while Colt was giving his motivational world-tour speech.”
Caleb walks back out carrying his toiletries bag and tosses it onto the bed beside me. “Oh yeah?” he asks casually. “What were you talking about?”
“The usual.” I shrug lightly. “Groupies, jealousy, minions, tour life… all the really glamorous stuff.”
He immediately stops moving. The joking expression slips from his face as he looks over at me properly before walking toward the bed and crouching down in front of me so we’re eye level.
“I can still cancel this tour if you don’t want me to go.”
I smile softly and slide my fingers into his hair. “No,” I whisper. “Absolutely not. Dee made me feel a lot better about everything.”
He studies my face carefully while resting his hands against my knees.
“I trust you,” I continue quietly. “And I trust the people around you. I know you’re not gonna get into trouble.” His shoulders visibly relax slightly. “It’s not even that I’m worried about cheating anymore,” I admit honestly. “I think I’m more scared of the fans hurting you somehow.”