Another Life With You || sequel to IWCT

Thirty-Four

Calum carefully folds his collar down, making sure it's laying flat.

"It looks better like this." Skye's fingers tickle over his neck as she undoes the first, second, and third buttons of his shirt.

"I'm taking you to a fancy restaurant. They might not agree that buttons undone is better." Calum laughs.

"Buttons undone is always better." She smirks.

"You okay, baby?" He sighs, looking into her eyes intently as he asks.

"I will be." She nods, "And a real date night with my handsome man will help in that."

"Good. You look beautiful by the way."  He leans in, kissing her lips quickly.

"Thank you."

"I love this dress." He adds, running his fingers over the strap of her black dress.

"Eliza helped me pick it out."

"She was correct in telling you you needed it. Now come on, it's time to spoil my girl." He grins, linking his fingers between hers and guiding her from the bedroom towards the garage door.

The drive through LA is light, conversation staying friendly and upbeat, but something about Calum's demeanor is throwing Skye off. Too afraid to ask, she lets him ramble about the tour rehearsals and the set list they have come up with for this tour.

"What do you want to do about Nika and tour this time, Cal?" Skye absentmindedly asks as a thought occurs to her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she goes back to school like six weeks into a six month tour."

"She has always had a tutor and done her learning virtually while being on tour with me." He shrugs, pulling into the valet lane at a fancy surf and turf style steak house. Skye lets the conversation end until the have been seated in the low lit restaurant.

"If she wants to, she could come home before school starts and go in person. I'd love to have her home with me since I can't come for the whole tour with work. I could come out to wherever you are for the week before she's supposed to go back and bring her home with me." Skye offers as Calum turns his attention to his menu.

"What?" He frowns, almost looking offended by the suggestion.

"It would be the same as Matthew, he stays with Sierra, right? Only visits tour when she does. We could do that for Nika, so she can be in school and on her schedule here, seeing her friends and all that. We would both come visit when we can. It's just an idea, I know you like having her traveling with you, but she's nearly nine. Travel school is hard and it's only going to get harder as she moves into middle and high school. And I know you know that."

"I've never ever left her home from a tour..." His voice is low, almost as if the idea of letting Nika stay home is too painful to discuss at full volume.

"It's just an idea, Cal. I just know it's really going to suck to come home to a house without you or Nika there..."

"She will probably love the idea though." He sighs, "She loves you so much, Skye. Let me think about it for a bit okay? See if I can handle it."

"That's fine." She nods, picking up her own menu.

"You know... she made a big suggestion the other night too." Calum laughs suddenly.

"What did she say?" Skye raises her eyes, seeing amusement dancing in his.

"She told me I would be able to make you happy again if I asked you to marry me." He chuckles.

Skye's eyes go wide for a moment, the whisper of a smile at the corners of her mouth. "Well she wouldn't be wrong." She shrugs, dropping her eyes to the menu again. "I think I want the halibut with the peach sauce and a salad."

"Skye." Calum says her name very abruptly.

"Yes, babe?" She smiles, glancing up to meet his eyes.

"You want to?"

"Want to what?"

"Want to get married? Already?"

"Can't really call it already when we are five and a half years into this, Calum." She laughs softly, "but ya, I mean I know what it's like to not have you as mine and I don't want to do that ever again. I know I want you for life, and I want Nika too." She nods.

"I don't know, she said it the other night and I got sort of worried that we only reconnected a few months ago and you wouldn't be ready."

"I'm more than ready." She smiles, reaching across the table to take his right hand in her left.

"You really want me to put a rock right here?" He can't help but grin as he rubs the rough pad of his thumb over her fourth finger.

"So much." She nods.

"I'm still going to surprise you with it okay? Even if we've agreed tonight that we both want it."

"I'd be sad if you didn't. I don't plan on being proposed to more than once. You better make it worth remembering."

"I will." He grins, squeezing her hand softly.

"Good." Skye pulls her hand away as the server comes to take their orders.

***

"I actually had something to ask you Skye." Calum comments a while later as the eat.

"Oh ya?"

"With everything going on with the court mess." He starts, clearly not wanting to mention Jordan or her dad. "Plus Nika's comment the other day and our conversation tonight... I was thinking it might be time to get a place that's ours. A new place where we can make a million new memories. And where certain people have not been, or hopefully where our address isn't online for anyone to find."

"I love your house." Skye smiles sadly.

"I do too. I just worry about our safety a little bit with the shit show we've found ourselves being a part of. And I don't want to have a house that's mine anymore. I want a house that's ours."

"Can I make one request?"

"Anything you want, love."

"I want a very small wedding, and I want it at the house before we move if possible."

"Guess I'm missing rehearsal tomorrow to do some ring shopping." He winks quickly, "Because my girl gets what she wants. Even that."

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What about that dinner conversation?!

I want predictions!

I love you guys!!!

~M =)