“I’m sorry Maria, do you mind terribly?”
“Caleb, no! I think it is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for us, for Gabby,” she spoke her daughters name softly, “but I know it must have cost you. You won’t have any privacy in Beryl Creek again, not from the tourists at least, if you decide to come back.”
“I would like to.” Caleb confessed.
“I know you would.” Maria agreed.
“I love her.” Caleb whispered.
“I know you do.” Maria was not at all surprised by Caleb’s confession, she knew love when she saw it, and going on television, when you were as famous as Maria now knew that Caleb was, when you craved your privacy to mourn in, as maria knew Caleb did, well, that was saying something. You didn’t do something like that out of pity or guilt, no, that could only be done from a place of deep love.
“She hates me.” Caleb moaned miserably.
“She loves you.” Maria countered.
“What?” Caleb was speechless.
“Trust me Caleb, a mother knows. She had her pride wounded Caleb, but deep down I know she loves you; she just needs time.” Caleb hoped that Maria was right, about Gabby loving him in any case, he was less enthused about the time issue. Caleb was not known for being patient, once he made a decision, that was usually it, it generally happened immediately. “Michael hurt her immensely, and then, I wasn’t very kind,” Maria cleared her throat, “I, well, no doubt you know how things were, I know she opened up to you, that was a big step for her, to put herself first, to trust you.”
“I will make this right Maria, I swear it.”
“We know you will,” she paused, “Nico and I are going home on Monday, oh, he will still be in the hospital of course, for a few weeks at least, but after that, well, doctors think he will be as good as new.”
“Maria, that is wonderful news!”
“He might even regain the use of his legs Caleb, if you believe that. They don’t have much in the way of physiotherapy in Beryl Creek, but while we have been here, the doctors did scans on his spine and found a small piece of scar tissue. They will try to laser it off tomorrow, he won’t even be under an anaesthetic, he will just be sitting there. I would never have imagined.”
“Do you need anything Maria? Do you want me to come and sit with you?” Caleb wasn’t sure how he would manage that with all the media attention, but if she asked him to, he would find a way.
“No, thank you. We have some friends from Sydney that we kept in touch with after we moved, they have been a wonderful support to us both, a real blessing, to know that people still care even after you wrote them off, isn’t it Caleb?” Thinking of his parents, of Alex and Nate, Caleb had to agree that it was, indeed, a blessing.
When Caleb returned home, he could not settle down, he was restless. He wandered around the house, looking for something to do, gravitating towards the music room. He opened the door slowly, bathing the room in light. Everything was exactly where he had left it, untouched and pristine. He ran his hand gently over the keys of his piano, perfectly tuned, there was music to be made here, he knew it. He crossed the room to his guitar stands, his collection was much larger than space here allowed for, but he made sure he kept his favourite guitars here, seventeen in total. They fairly shone under his gaze, a range of acoustic and electric numbers, in a variety of finishes. He selected a deep velvet blue acoustic, sitting in a discarded beanbag, his favourite place to sit and strum. He found the notes easily, memory a wonderful thing, a riff forming in his mind. As it took shape, Caleb jumped up and dashed off, rifling through a drawer until he found what he was looking for, producing a pen and paper and returning to his perch to start composing. He felt energized, empowered, as the music flowed through him, and it wasn’t until dawn streaked the sky that he finally laid his guitar down and headed off to bed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Caleb woke with a heavy heart, he had been back in Sydney for a little over a week now, and up until this point had managed to keep busy. Between doing band interviews, catching up with his parents, his regular late-night phone calls with Maria, and his current obsessive song writing all through the nights, he had almost forgotten what day it was. Almost. He rubbed his hand over his eyes in an effort to dislodge the memories buried there, but to no avail. His parents were meeting him here, they were going to drive over to the chapel together. Caleb wondered if it was because they were worried that he might leave town again, not that he would, not this time. He knew he had to face this, he had to say his goodbye, he had to accept what had happened, and why it had happened, or he would never be right within himself again, and if he wasn’t okay within his soul, he would never be good enough for Gabby and the girls.
He made his way slowly through to the bathroom, showering and dressing in his sombre black suit. His suit was tailor made, and Caleb knew that Sam had loved seeing his baby brother act all grown up. It was fitting that Caleb wear this suit today, Sam had been with Caleb the day he had ordered this. They had gone together, had made a day of it, lunching, and hanging out. Sam had loved this suit on Caleb, the memory of it made Caleb smile. Caleb forwent breakfast in favour of a strong black coffee, taking it out onto the front patio to await the arrival of his parents. They were on time, the drive to the chapel silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Caleb wasn’t at all surprised to see the chapel so full it was overflowing with people, mourners spilling out of the chapel and on to the adjoining botanical gardens, one of Sam’s favourite places and the reason that they had chosen this as the location in which to honour his memory and to celebrate his life.
Despite Tom’s best efforts, Caleb knew that there would be at least a few of the nation’s less scrupulous magazines and news outlets here today, hoping for a scandalous photograph of the grieving family. Caleb shook his head, he never understood why the media was so intent on shooting themselves in the foot. He had always been very upfront with the media, even before the Three Odd Lizards had reached the stratosphere of stardom, if they respected his privacy and that of his family, then he would happily give them exclusive access to him or opportunities to get a candid photograph or quote, but come after him or his family, and he would have them blacklisted, he would make sure they never had access to him or the Three Odd Lizards for the duration of their careers. This open policy that they had with the media was one of the reasons why the Three Odd Lizards were so well liked and supported by the majority of the media.
The service was just as Caleb imagined it would be, memories were shared, tears were shed, there were even moments of laughter. Photographs were displayed showing Sam’s life from squalling baby and chubby toddler to awkward teenager and college graduate. Sam had always seen the good in every situation, there wasn’t a single photograph of him where he was not smiling. Judy and Peter both spoke of their son, of their grief and unending love, and Caleb took to the stage, singing an acoustic version of a song that he had written for Sam, not ashamed at the tears that fell down his cheeks. The service had been a wonderful way to say goodbye to Sam, and Caleb felt that he had finally been laid to rest properly.
The mourners headed to Piccolo’s bar and café after the service for lunch, a favourite haunt of the entire Roman family. Caleb took a moment before the food was served to check his mobile phone, seeing two text messages, one from Maria and one from Gabby. He skimmed Maria’s first, smiling as he read it.
Nico and I are thinking of you today x
Caleb’s breath caught as he opened the text message from Gabby.
I know today will be hard for you Caleb, just remember this: it is not your fault, none of it. Also, make sure you take care of yourself today.
Caleb’s heart soared. Gabby had remembered what day it was, what the date was, although there was no way for her to have known about the memorial service specifically, she had known that he would be struggling today and she had reached out to him. maybe there was hope for them after all. For now, it was enough for Caleb.
The rest of the week passed in much the same way as the start of the week, with Caleb and the Three Odd Lizards taking part in a series of interviews with the local television networks as well as a role as guest hosts on a popular game show. Caleb and the Three Odd Lizards spent all of Thursday and most of Friday holed up in the recording studio, getting their newest single recorded and mixed for the radio, ready for a Saturday release, and then on Friday night Caleb and the Three Odd Lizards were guests of honour at a charity event promoting and fundraising for the Children’s Unicorn Charity, an organisation that grants wishes to seriously and terminally ill children. The Three Odd Lizards had been strong supporters of the charity ever since it was first founded by Alex’s parents, Sarah and David, over twenty years ago when their youngest child, Abby, had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. After a particularly cruel battle, Abby had thankfully made a full recovery, and had now been in remission for almost fifteen years.
Saturday dawned way too early for Caleb, the Three Odd Lizards meeting at Caleb’s house before travelling together to a local network radio station to give an interview and exclusively release their new single. The debut was insane, with rows and rows of fans lining the streets for a chance of a closer look at Caleb and Three Odd Lizards. After the interview Caleb, Alex, and Nate walked the crowds, signing autographs and happily posing for photographs. The boys were always euphoric after a great launch, and they travelled back to Caleb’s house on a wave of success and excitement. They said goodbye in the driveway, embracing each other firmly, Caleb eager to get moving and to enact the final phase of his plan to win Gabby back. With his friends well wishes ringing in his ears, Caleb pulled out of his driveway, and with a toot of his horn, slid into the busy Sydney traffic, headed for Beryl Creek.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Caleb stepped into the bakery, narrowly avoiding being taken out by a woman rushing past with an armload of pastries. He heard her call out triumphantly to a small crowd gathered nearby, who sent up a collective cheer as she laid her loot down on the table in front of them. Business was indeed booming. He could see Gabby from here, smoothly directing a staff member while ringing up another order. He wanted her to look up, to notice him, to smile in recognition, but she was too busy to notice another customer, let alone him, standing at the back of the store. He cleared his throat and called out confidently “Gabby.” He could hear the gasps, the rustles, the whispers, saw the heads whipping around as people identified him, recognised him in the crowd. It was unfair of him, he knew that, but he wasn’t above using the crowd to his advantage. The Three Odd Lizards had dropped their newest single yesterday, a chart topper all the stations had declared, and speculation was rife over the choice of the title, Gabby’s Song. Now at least, for the fans in the bakery, that question had been answered.
The crowd parted as Caleb made his way slowly up to the counter, walking around it slowly, giving Gabby a chance to flee if she chose to. He came to a stop in front of her, resting a hand on the small of her back and urging her forward, closing the distance between them. “Gabby.” His eyes never left hers.
“Caleb.” Her voice was unsure, questioning. Slowly, ever so slowly, Caleb lowered his head, bringing his lips down on hers, Gabby’s eyes fluttered shut, a soft moan escaping as Caleb deepened the kiss, her hands snaking up his back and around his head. It was dizzying, disorientating. A cheer erupted, someone wolf whistled. Caleb felt Gabby tense up, turned her in his arms slightly so that she was shielded from the prying eyes of the crowd. He guided her out into the kitchen, shutting the door behind them without a backwards glance.
Under the harsh glare of the kitchen lights, Gabby returned to her senses, rounding on Caleb, and crossing her arms angrily over her chest. “What on earth was that? what are you doing here?”
“That, darling, was a kiss,” Caleb answered lightly, ignoring her anger, “and I am here for you. I would have thought that was obvious.”
“Go to hell Caleb,” Gabby spat, turning away from Caleb, but not before he saw tears on her cheeks.
“Gabby, what happened? What’s wrong?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to him.
“Nothing is wrong Caleb, honestly, you came all this way for nothing, I’m sorry. Mum shouldn’t have called you in the first place, I told her not to, I told her it would just be a false alarm.” Gabby was muttering more to herself than Caleb at this stage.
“Gabby, what on earth does your mum have to do with this? Why would she call me? Is everything okay with your dad?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes, dad is fine.” Gabby sighed, not quite meeting Caleb’s eyes. “I had a bit of a stomach flu, that is all, mum panicked, as she usually does.”
“Okay,” Caleb drew the word out, not quite sure what a flu had to do with her mother calling him. Unless...” Gabby, what exactly are you saying?” Caleb didn’t dare to hope. “Are you pregnant?” His voice is barely a whisper.
“No,” Gabby sighed deeply. “I thought I was, but don’t worry Caleb, I am not going to trap you into anything, it turns out it was just a false alarm, I’m not pregnant after all.” Did she sound disappointed? Was it possible that she wanted to be pregnant to him, was it possible that Gabby actually wanted to have his baby? A wide smile spread across Caleb’s face, her mother was right, she did love him.
“Gabby, I’m sorry,” he drew her into his arms, holding her tightly. “I’m so sorry that I lied to you, I’m sorry that you didn’t trust me enough to reach out when you thought you were pregnant.”
“You are?” Gabby looked up at him, frowning, feeling as if she was really seeing him for the first time.
“Yes, desperately sorry. If there was a way that I could take it all back, I would.”
“You don’t have to do that Caleb, I overreacted, I was too sensitive. You had every right to protect your privacy, it is me who is sorry.” Gabby conceded.
“I should have told you the truth before we spent the night together, I’m sorry for that Gabby, do you think you can forgive me?”
“If you forgive me?”
“What on earth do you need to apologise for?”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you, that was not why I didn’t tell you that I thought that I might be pregnant with your child.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No. I thought, I mean, I wasn’t sure how you would react. I thought you would be angry, that you wouldn’t believe me, that you would leave again, or worse, that you might actually ask me to get rid of it.” Gabby finished on a whisper, afraid of making eye contact.
“Planned or not Gabby, that would never be an option for me, do you understand?” Gabby nodded silently. “I’m truly sorry, I should have been there when you found out, it won’t happen again, I promise. Next time I will be there every step of the way.”
“There will be a next time?” Gabby sounded confused.
“Of course.” Caleb replied confidently. “I was thinking two, maybe three more children. Unless you would like more?” He smiled down at her.
“I’m sorry, I feel like I may have missed something. You want to have children?”
“Yes.”
“With me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Gabby really was confused now.
“Because I love you,” Caleb replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“You love me?” Gabby sounded incredulous. She reached down and pinched herself on the arm, hard, to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming, that she really was awake.
“I do.” Caleb grinned at her confusion. “Did you watch any of the morning television programmes yesterday? Or even today?”
“No”, Gabby shook her head.
“Oh,” Caleb sounded defeated. “Well,” he perked up, “I wrote you a song, it is actually the newest single released by my band the Three Odd Lizards. I sat down and wrote it in a night, I am writing again Gabby, it is as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. We recorded it last week, and debuted it
yesterday, otherwise I would have come straight here, for you. I left as soon as I could, I drove all night, I stayed overnight in Bradford, in our hotel, I took a room for the week, I wasn’t sure you would see me. The sing is good Gabby, it released well and charts everywhere have it at number one, which is nice, but I wrote it for you, I want you to hear it, will you let me sing it to you Gabby?”
At her nod, he sat down on a kitchen stool and began. “I said something stupid and lost the girl that I love, come back to me baby, it will be different, cross my heart. I loved you forever, I just didn’t know, took me lying to come find you. Cast out, forgotten, drowning in death, no words, no music, silence at its best.” Caleb took a deep breath before continuing. “A sundress blowing in the wind, the feel of my hand on your skin. A dream? Heaven? A weird kind of hell? I just want you; can you tell? White picket fence, babe at your breast, entwined, one heart beats in your chest. Lamenting, repenting, storing the doubt away, I buried it all, laid it in the ground today. The sun was shining, clouds all disappeared, a single word, come on, it is all I need to hear. I’ll beg if you want me to, get down on one knee, spend a lifetime proving it, you belong with me.” He looked at Gabby, she looked at him, tears shimmered in her eyes.
“You wrote me a song?” Gabby sounded incredulous, Caleb wasn’t sure if she had liked it or not.
“Yes.” He nodded.
“Why?”
“Because I love you, and that is the kind of thing that a guitarist does when he is in love with a girl.” Caleb answered simply.
“Really?” Gabby still didn’t sound convinced.
“Of course.” Caleb stated.
“How many songs have you written?” Gabby wanted to know, needed to know.
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