If Walls Could Talk

One

"Nika Joy Hood! Come on!" Calum yells, stuffing a couple packages of fruit snacks, granola bars, and a juice box into his bag.

"Daddy, stay home!" His all too sassy and stubborn three year old appearing in the kitchen with a scowl on her face. Her curls a raging mess around her head thanks to his inability to convince her to let him attempt to tame them.

"Nika, I don't have time to fight with you today. We are going to find uncle Ash, and Mikey, and Luke." He groans, "Go find your shoes now please."

"Is Aunty Crysie coming?" She yells as her stomps sound through the house.

"I don't know. Maybe if you get your cute butt in the car we can call her on our way." Calum withholds the information that he needs to call Crystal anyway, hoping to entice his child to move more quickly.

"Can I bring Hei Hei?" Her little voice comes floating down the hallway.

"If you get your butt in my car right now. We are late!" Calum groans, swiping to answer his phone as Ashton's contact appears.

"I know I'm late. Blame Nika." Calum barks into the phone in replace of a greeting.

"I was just going to see if you wanted me to grab you a coffee? Is everything okay, Cal."

"No. Fuck." He mumbles under his breath, trying to locate the keys lost on the messy counter, "Nika Joy I will take Hei Hei away if you aren't ready to leave in one minute."

"Cal, where's Diane?" Ashton asks.

"Gone. She left. She said it was her mental health, my lifestyle and constant need for her help got to be too much. Get me my regular please. I'm going to be late."

"You get Nika and head in, I'll get your coffee. And maybe call Crystal see if she can help you find a new nanny."

"No shit. I'll see you in half an hour, if I can get the princess into her booster and get out of this house."

"Take a deep breath, Cal. We'll help you figure this out. See you soon." Ashton laughs as he hangs up the phone.

"Alright, Nika, lets go." Calum throws the backpack over his shoulder, heading down the hall to find the little girl. Making her squeal as he throws her over his shoulder, grabbing her favorite pair of vans off the floor where she had obviously been too distracted to pick them up.

A small wrestling match as she fights the car seat straps and a couple swear words later Calum falls into the drivers seat of his black Range Rover.

"I hope you are better behaved when we get to the studio little punk princess." He sighs, hitting call on Crystal's number before backing out of the garage almost twenty minutes later than he had intended.

"Calum? Hey, what's up?" Crystal's voice rings through the car.

"CRYSIE!" Nika yells excitedly before Calum can answer.

"Hi, baby girl. Why are you with daddy? He should be almost to work."

"That's why I'm calling. Diane quit. She basically had a mental breakdown and said she couldn't handle my lifestyle anymore. So Nika is headed to the studio with me, and I am praying you are as kind as you were three years ago, and are willing to put up a nanny search like we did when she was a newborn. And willing to maybe interview them for me. You found us Diane, and she was amazing for three years."

"Say no more, I am on it. Sorry she left you so last minute."

"It's okay, I just don't want this to be how the world and fans find out about Nika. Hell, I'm not sure I want them to know about her for a long time still. I don't want them to hurt her or use her... I have to protect her."