"Whose house do you want to go to?"

"I don't care."

Calum was driving me back from the airport, the two of us mostly silent as he drove.

I was an emotional mess and he seemed to understand that so I figured he was being quiet as to not annoy me.

But I wanted the opposite. I wanted him to tell me something good.

"Please tell me something good that happened while I was gone." I whispered.

"What?"

"Tell me something good that happened while I was gone."

"Okay." He said and I shifted to the side so I could watch him. "Um... I found twenty bucks in my pocket this morning."

I snorted.

"And my mom called to say my sister is coming back soon to visit on her holiday."

"That's nice."

"So now I can introduce the two of you. She's excited to meet you."

I smiled.

"Keep talking to me."

Calum gave me a smile before taking about his day with the kids. He talked of their late rushed morning because he had forgot to set his alarm and then about his work day and now he was asleep when Dawson called him to tell him I was on my way back to Georgia.

I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but the adrenaline of the day and the darkness outside made me exhausted and I fell asleep in his car.

I was awoken by the feel of him carrying me into a house, and by the aroma of laundry soap and axe deodorant I could tell it was his house.

"She okay?" I then heard Luke's voice. He must've been watching the boys.

"Her grandma died." Calum whispered.

"That sucks. Tell her i'm sorry for her loss."

"I will. Thanks for watching the boys."

Luke left and Calum walked back to his bedroom and laid me down on the bed.

He left and I heard him set the alarm before he came back. I listened as he changed clothes and then came over to me to take off my shoes and jacket.

I was too tired to do anything so I let him and then felt him get into bed next to me, pulling the covers over us.

"Night, Ness." He kissed my cheek before putting his arm around me so we could go to sleep.

Hours later I was awoken by voices.

"But Daddy!" Eli whined.

"Nessa is tired and needs to sleep. I know you want to talk to her but she needs rest."

"But Momma is sad!"

"I know she's sad, and she's going to be sad for a while because her grandma died. I know you want to cheer her up but right now she needs to be alone."

I opened my eyes to see them standing at the door arguing.

I wiped at my nose as I pushed myself up with one arm, looking at them better.

"I don't need to be alone." I said and Calum whipped around to see me awake. "Actually some Eli cuddles might be what I need to make me feel better."

Eli grinned at this before running into the bedroom and jumping on the bed, crawling up to me.

He rolled over next to me and into my arms so I could hug him.

"I'm sorry your grandma died." He looked up at me innocently.

"I'm sorry too." I brushed my fingers through his hair.

I then felt Calum sit on the bed behind me and his hand rest on my shoulder.

"Daddy always makes me hot chocolate when i'm sad. Maybe he can make you some?" Eli looked up at me and then at Calum. "He'll even put marshmallows on it if you say please."

I laughed at this.

"Daddy, can you make Nessa hot chocolate?" He then asked Calum.

"Of course I can." Calum smiled. "Lets go make her some."

Calum took Eli to the kitchen so I got out of bed and stretched before walking out to them.

"You're limping." Calum commented as I entered the kitchen.

"Yeah my leg is killing me."

"We need to get you scheduled for physical therapy."

I nodded as I sat down at the table watching as Calum and Eli made hot chocolate.

I smiled as they brought it over to me and Eli watched me as I took a sip of the cocoa.

"This is the best hot cocoa i've ever had." I grinned and Eli turned around to high five his dad.

While I drank my cocoa Cade woke up, so Calum went to handle him.

I was rinsing out my mug when Calum walked into the kitchen and put his hands on my hips as he stood behind me.

"We can take the day off if you want to." His fingers massaged my waist. "Stay home and do nothing."

"I have work to do." I shook my head.   

"Okay." He squeezed my hips. "Then let me finish getting the boys ready and i'll take you home so you can change."

I nodded, watching him go.

After a few minutes he came out and we got in his car before he drove me home.

He left to drop the kids off at daycare after I told him I was fine to drive to work by myself.
When I arrived Calum was waiting at my desk with coffee.

"Do you need help with anything?" He asked me.

"No, i'm fine. Thanks though."

He nodded but looked hesitant as he backed away and into his office.

I sighed before getting back to my party planning.

Calum kept coming out to check on me every few minutes and by the tenth time I caught him staring at me I snapped.

"Oh my God! Calum I am fine! Stop hovering over me like i'm a bird with a broken wing! I'm. Fine."

His shoulders dropped before he turned around and walked back into his office.

I felt bad for yelling at him but his hovering was driving me crazy.

I went back to my work but was soon interrupted by someone going "psst psst" at me.

I looked over to see Luke standing at the kitchen door, waving me over to him.

I sighed before getting up and walking into the kitchen.

"What?" I asked him.

"Can you please go apologise to your boyfriend? Because he's acting like a kicked puppy."

"I can't stand it when he hovers over me. I'm fine."

"Your grandma died, Nessa. He's worried about you."

"I've cried about it and I told her goodbye when I saw her. Am I heartbroken? Yes. But i'm okay."

"Then tell him that."

"He hasn't given me the chance."

Luke sighed.

"Look, Calum and I handle loss differently. In my family we cry once, drink a glass of whiskey, and move on. So if you expect me to take off work to cry and mourn I won't. That's not me and I won't change." I said.

I turned around and stalked out of the kitchen.

I didn't tell Calum when I left and went to the corner store to work with Kate. She knew but since her grandma was sick we didn't talk about it.

Apparently it was a busy day around town because Calum and Luke didn't come in for lunch.

That just made me roll my eyes.

I went home alone and started some laundry and made some macaroni and cheese for dinner.

I was sitting on my couch in sweats watching my reality shows when someone knocked on my door.

I groaned before going to get it, opening it up to reveal Calum on the other side.

He didn't say anything but walked in, a brown paper sack in his hand.

"What-" I furrowed my eyebrows but he just walked into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet before pulling out a bottle of whiskey from the bag.

He poured two cups halfway full and then turned around to put a glass in my hand.

"Was last night the one time you cried about your Nonna?"

"Yes."

"Then drink your damn whiskey."

I took a sip and he did the same, taking the edge off a bit.

We both drank our whiskey until our glasses were empty and then set them down on the counter.

"You've had your cry, and your whiskey. That's how you mourn. I get that. But in my family we talk about the person we lost and remember the things we loved about them. You may not realise this, but you're a part of my family now, and I have the right to be worried about you when you've just lost a family member. So don't snap at me when all I am doing is worrying about you. You're my girlfriend and I love you and I worry. So stop shutting me out and let me be here for you. If you want to cry, my shoulders right here. If you want to drink the whole damn bottle of whiskey? Fine. But do it with me. I'm not going away anytime soon Nessa, and it's about time you start realising that."

I stared at him in shock.

I had never heard him speak so powerfully.

He was right. I was pushing him away when he only wanted to be there for me.

But maybe that was one of the pieces of Abby I had to leave behind. Nessa needed to let people in, so that's what I would do.

"Okay."

Calum raised his eyebrows.

"Okay?"

"Okay let's drink this whole bottle of whiskey."

He cracked a smile at this before stepping closer to me, his arms coming around my shoulders.

"I'm sorry for getting loud it's just that i've noticed the only way to get you to listen to me is if I raise my voice."

"I'm sorry for shutting you out. I'll try to stop."

"You can shut whoever you want out, just not me."

I smiled before looking up at him, Calum taking my face in his hands and kissing me.

"I love you." He brushed his nose against mine.

"I love you too."

He then reached down to place his hands at the top of my thighs and proceeded to lift me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist.

He grabbed the whisky and I grabbed the cups
as he walked us to the living room, sitting down on the couch with me in his lap.

I poured more whisky into the glasses before taking a sip, Calum smiling up at me.

"The boys are with Kate tonight, so it's just you and I."

"Okay." I kissed him again.

"But as much as I love you, and am excited to have this time alone with you, I refuse to watch these damn reality shows."

I laughed as he grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

I adjusted my stance on his lap and his eyes went wide.

"Did the whisky get you drunk that fast? I mean I know it's irish-"

"Shut up." I smacked his chest. "I'm not coming onto you i'm just getting comfortable."

"That's what they all say." He smirked.

"They? So there's more than just me?" I toyed back.

"No. It's only you."

I leaned down for another kiss.

Calum poured himself another glass of whisky and took a sip.

"Okay. So tell me about your Nonna." He said after draining his whisky.

"Calum." I sighed.

"No. We're doing your way and my way. We've done your way and now we're doing my way. So talk."

I dug through my mind to think of what to say.

"Okay. She was really mean and tough on the outside, but when you were alone with her she was sweet and nurturing."

He looked at me as if I should continue.

"And she always glared at my dad for having a drink at dinner but I know she secretly had a glass of whisky every night before bed."

He laughed.

"But she didn't really open up so I don't know too much about her."

He nodded.

"Well I think that was a good start." He smiled.

"So now that i've cried, drank, and talked through my sadness...what do I do?" I smirked before leaning in to kiss his bottom lip.

"You could do me?" He kissed my nose.

"Okay." I laughed.

He took our whisky glasses and set them on my coffee table before letting me crawl off his lap. I took his hands and led him back to my bedroom before pushing him down on the bed.

I crawled on top of him and giggled as he pulled me closer.

It was a blur of colour as the clothes came off and I was surrounded by the warmth of his body and lips as he kissed me.

As we slipped under the sheets I could feel his hands burning against my skin. I was completely enveloped in him.

When the love making began my head spun from the scent of his cologne and the taste of his lips. He was literally intoxicating.

I mean, the whiskey helped, but Calum was more powerful than alcohol.

When we hit our climaxes I whined into his neck as he moaned into mine, both of us letting go and letting love take over us. 

Once we had settled down he rolled off of me and let out a breath as his back hit the mattress.

"Wow." He breathed.

"Yeah. Wow." I exhaled, smiling as I still came down from my high.

He turned on his side and placed his hand on my chest as he ran his fingers over my skin.

"I love you." He spoke in his gruff after sex voice.

"I love you too." I smiled, looking over at him. "Thank you, for being here for me tonight."

"Of course." He leaned over to press a kiss to my collar bone. "That's what boyfriends do."

"Best boyfriend ever."

He chuckled as he pulled me into his embrace.

I closed my eyes and felt his hand stroke the skin of my waist, but as hard as I tried to fall asleep, I couldn't.

"Calum?" I asked into the darkness of my bedroom.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to go for round two?"

"Oh God, yes." He sat up before rolling over on me, both of us laughing as we positioned ourselves the way we wanted.

My arms were over my head as his hands held mine so he could rock his body against me, loving me and making me feel like I was the only girl in the world.

Because with him, I was.

--

Double update tonight!

The next chapter is a big one!

Much love xx-m