Better Than Yesterday

Four

"Honey! I'm home!" Calum yells into the house taking a deep breath, enjoying the simple smell of home.

"Welcome home." Skye bounds down the stairs quickly, a large smile on her face.

"I missed you." He sighs, pulling her into his arms tightly, leaving a long and lingering kiss against her lips.

"Nika's game is in an hour, get showered and comfortable. She is beyond excited for dad to be coming in person today."

"Her dad is excited too." Cal laughs, pecking her lips a couple times before letting her go, patting Duke's head softly as he passes the small ottoman they'd placed in his favorite sun spot for him to lay on.

"I'll be just a few minutes. We will not be late. I need to hug my punk princess before her game and wish her good luck." Calum calls as he climbs the stairs, pulling his t-shirt over his head as he steps into the master bedroom. His body relaxing just from being home, excited to get to sleep in his own bed with Skye in his arms tonight as he passes it. Stripping, he steps into the shower, turning on the water, the smell of Skye's vanilla shampoo permeating the air as the water warms, he really missed being home. Keeping his shower short, despite wanting to stay in the warm water longer he dresses in jeans and a hoodie, pulling a beanie over his messy curls so he doesn't have to do anything with his hair.

"I made you some snacks for the road." Skye's sweet voice reaches him as he walks back down the stairs.

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" He grins, taking the sandwich and juice she hands him.

"What a coincidence. I love you too. Now, your daughter is waiting for us to show up and she will be mad if you are late." She laughs, grabbing her keys from the hook on the wall.

***

"Ugh, I miss LA. I miss being home with you and Nika. This tour has been so long." Calum yawns, his eyes trained out the window, his left hand resting on Skye's thigh.

"It's been a long tour, I agree. But don't forget that you love your job." Skye chuckles.

"I do. But I love my family too, and it's different this time. This time I'm leaving my daughter home for the whole tour, this time my fiancée is waiting for me, the woman I am trying to have a baby with. It changes how you look at things, or at least it's changed how I am looking at things. Not to say I am not enjoying tour immensely, I am, I love being on stage with my brothers, but I think I might be ready for some time off after this tour. Not just because we are getting married and trying to have a baby. But also because I need to make sure my home life is still strong and I want to be home for a while with you and Nika. I hope the others have similar thoughts. I don't know, I know Ashton is excited for post tour to be home for the last of their pregnancy and the babies. But I also know Ashton, and he is going to want to get back to work too."

"Hey," Skye glances at him with a frown, "You're really stressed, Cal."

"Just trying to figure out where my head is and where my heart is, and how to convey those feelings to the band without it turning into it sounding like I'm saying I'm done. I don't want to be done, but I need some time off. I need to be home after this, without music keeping me in the studio at weird hours, without worrying about deadlines, without the stress. I want a year, a year to have a baby with you, to be home to celebrate Nika's birthday, my birthday, your birthday, our baby's birth, our first anniversary. I want to celebrate them all together, easily. I want to plan a trip home to see mum and dad without having to have it scheduled months and months in advance. I want to jet off to London on a whim to visit Mali for a bit. I just want to be untethered from my life and responsibilities in the band for a minute to enjoy my family. Before Nika is too old to want to do things with us, before she's an adult and I feel like she had a childhood without her dad involved. I don't know. I just need a break, and I'm scared to admit it to the band."