I pull him to my side and hold him, turning up the heat. We weren't inside for more than an hour. I don't push him to tell me what his mom and sister said. I could hear them talking, but the exact words I couldn't make out. I knew that Austin was worried about coming here, bringing me. If I had any idea that it would lead to tears, I would have told him we weren't coming. This is what I'm supposed to do; protect my Boy from things that make him cry.
"Baby, I'm sorry." I brush a hand down the back of his head, down his back, and back up.
"I should be the one apologizing," he mumbles against my chest. "I can't believe they brought up Paul like that and said… They said—" His words end with a hiccup and I squeeze him tighter. I don't want to let him go but I need to drive us home.
"It's okay, baby. We can talk about it once we're home okay?"
He sits up and I move my hand to wipe the tears off his face. His eyes are red and my happy Boy is nowhere to be seen right now. I brush my fingers down the side of his face and lean forward to kiss him. It's a comforting kiss, nothing deep.
"Get your seatbelt on and I'll drive us home." I look back toward the house and see Austin's sister standing on the porch. His mom is in the window. I want to get out and yell at them for making Austin cry, to tell them that it's none of their business what he does with his life. He is old enough to make his own choices. He's the sweetest, cutest, sexiest man I know. I love him and no one is going to be hurting him, with words or anything else.
I back out of the driveway and then take his hand in mine until we get to my house again. He stays in the truck while I run into his house for the necessary stuffies and to make sure everything is still okay. He takes my hand when I get back in the truck, but doesn't say anything. When we get back to my place, neither of us make a move to get out.
"I'm sorry if I ruined the day," he says, looking down at his lap.
"Austin?" I make sure my voice is steady, but stern enough that he looks up at me with bright eyes. "You didn't ruin anything."
"I know they didn't like that I was dating an older man before, but I didn't think they'd use that against me today. I just wanted to show you off and show how happy you make me."
I pull him across the seat and hold him close. "You make me so incredibly happy too, baby. I hope you know that."
"I know," he says. I can hear him sniffle but his voice is low and I can tell that it's going to take a bit for him to recover from this.
"Okay, okay. So I was going to surprise you with this tomorrow morning." I wait until he's looking at me and give him a small smile. "I was going to wake you up with your favorite hot chocolate but I think maybe we can go inside and make it together? Then get our stuff packed up for tomorrow."
"White chocolate?" His blue, blue eyes get that little sparkle back in them at the thought of the hot chocolate. I remember him saying that he prefers it over coffee. When I went to the store on Monday, I made sure to grab the ingredients to make it. The others are planning on bringing food to share over the weekend as well.
"Yes, white chocolate." I say the words playfully, hoping that it brings Austin's mood up a bit. I don't know if it works but he gives me a smile. The first one I've seen in the hour and a half since we left. "With marshmallows and whipped cream."
"You're trying to make me feel better with promises of sugar," Austin says. Then his smile widens and he looks genuinely happy now. "And it's totally working."
"Good. I don't want my Boy sad. Let's get inside."
I grab the empty breakfast dish and meet him at the front door to unlock it. I have a key to his place because it made sense, but I need to get him his own for my place. Maybe find one that has a fun design on it. Austin slips out of his shoes the second he walks through the door and hightails it up the stairs.
"Austin," I call out. He stops halfway up the stairs and turns to look at me. His eyes are still red rimmed but he's smiling. "What's the rule for going up the stairs?"
"No running," he says and at least he looks guilty for forgetting the rule. "Sorry. Do I have time to shower? I want to wash this product out of my hair."
"You can do whatever you want," I say. His smile turns to a smirk.
"Do you want to join me?" His eyebrows wiggle up and down, making me laugh. "Please, Daddy?"
He sticks his bottom lip out in a feign pout and clasps his hands in front of him. His pouty look while he's dressed up in his bowtie and the trousers that look perfectly tailored for him is such a contradiction and for a second I consider it.
"How about you take your shower, or bath, and I'll come help you get dressed?"
"It's going to be so lonely," he says with a sigh. As much as I want to, I don't give in. I tilt my head just slightly forward and give him my best stare.
"Call for me when you're ready to get dressed, okay?"
"Fine." He turns and finishes going up the stairs. I shake my head at his petulance. I would have joined him for a shower but he just finished crying and I want to give him a bit of time to get this thoughts straight.
I move around the stairs and go to the kitchen. I warm milk up on the stove and grab the white chocolate chips to melt in. I squeeze some caramel sauce in as well and stir it. The kitchen smells great as I'm reaching for a couple of disposable cups with lids. I leave them sitting on the counter and go up to see what Austin is up to.
The water turns off just as I reach the bathroom door. I open it up and smile when Austin steps out and reaches for his towel. My bathroom is larger than his, with the washer and dryer sitting to the right and then the walk in shower beside it. The sink counter and mirror span half the wall on the left and the toilet is in the far lefthand corner. The walls are a light gray, white tiles, matching cabinets and accessories.
"Hot chocolate is ready whenever we are," I say with a smile. I take the towel from him and start at his hair to dry him off. When his face reappears from under the towel, he's smiling and I hear the faintest giggle. I knew a shower would do him well.
