Reach For You [Dad!Calum Hood AU]

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

THEY HAD TALKED. All night. Discussed what was going to happen with them, how they needed to be careful with the dynamic they wanted—how they wanted to be together. They were up until four in the morning, talking and talking and talking, figuring everything out. It was unreal to both of them that they were, essentially, back together—and not just for the sake of Luna, but because they wanted to be. Because after everything, they realized that what they felt for each other never went away, and that it was damn near impossible to feel that way for anyone else other than the person in front of them.

They talked about taking things slow, about not rushing into anything because it wasn't just them involved—they had Luna to think about too. Confusing her in any way was the last thing they wanted to do, but they wanted this to work, more than anything. They wanted to be together, wanted each other, wanted this small family.

"So long as we put in the effort, I know we got this. Because I sure as hell am not letting you both go a second time."

And once Calum had said that, he'd effectively gotten rid of almost all of Aspen's worries. Slowly but surely, they'd get this. They'd make it work. She knew they would, and that level of confidence and reassurance made her feel better. Because being with Calum—it's what she wanted. What she felt for him. . . That would never happen with anyone else.

It was almost dizzying, how quickly she felt as though her feelings for him came back. They talked all night, and the deeper their conversation got, the clearer it got that neither she nor Calum truly moved on from the other; neither had a relationship after the break up, mostly because Aspen was too occupied with Luna and just never was interested, and Calum was too hung up on her to consider anything but a hook up. Once they came to the realization that they only wanted the other, it was overwhelming how instant their feelings for the other came to the forefront. Neither was complaining, though.

When Aspen woke the next morning, she blinked tiredly at the sight of the brown eyes already looking at her. She blinked, leaning back slightly as she sleepily admired the sight of Calum so close, so flushed with sleep with full pink lips. He laid on his side facing her, curls falling across his forehead, and Aspen was kind of floored at how gorgeous he was. Calum's lips quirked. "Think that was the best night's sleep I had."

His statement was accompanied with his hand sliding under Aspen's shirt—being one of Calum's black tees she borrowed—making her melt under the warm touch of his hand on her waist. He slid it to her back, pressing her closer to him, his piney, Calum scent taking over her.

Aspen smiled, lower lip pulled into her mouth as her fingers lazily played with the necklace he wore, the metal cool against her skin. "I forgot how cheesy you could be," she hummed, the teasing tilt present in her sleepy voice.

Calum pouted, fingertips trailing up and down her back gently. His left arm rested on her pillow above her head, fingers lightly pushing back her dark hair from her forehead. "I think you mean sweet, not cheesy," he huffed. "Cheesy is the omelet I'm gonna make you for breakfast."

A pleasant warmth spread in her chest as Calum's legs tangled with hers, her eyebrows raising. Thy were both wearing a pair of his pajamas, Calum letting her borrow some since it was a bit cold in his apartment. She was comfortable in his clothes, but nothing could beat the comfort and warmth his body provided. She grinned up at him, tilting her head back. "You mean a cheese and tomato omelet with scallions?" Calum's grin widened and Aspen let out an airy laugh as her hand left his necklace to slide up his neck and to the back of his head, fingers threading through his curls. "You remember."

It was a small detail, nothing too significant. A cheese omelet with tomatoes and scallions was her favorite breakfast to eat, but the fact that Calum actually remembered made Aspen's heart flutter as she took in a breath. That after five years, an insignificant detail like that was something that still stuck to him.