By the time it hits ten, I can tell he is ready for bed. I know he is trying to pretend like he isn't sleepy for the sake of a scene, but I direct him to stay in the playroom and pick out what he wants to wear while I go downstairs. I know he sees me pull out a bottle from the drawer on my way out. I contemplate for a second what to put in the bottle. We had the hot chocolate earlier so I'm not sure if he would want milk again. But then that would leave the apple or orange juice I have in the fridge, which doesn't seem that appealing for bedtime. After a minute of indecision, I go with the milk. I grab a bottle of water as well, just in case.
He is sitting on the bed when I return. His smile is contagious. I see his eyes track my hand as I set the bottle down. He looks excited. "Let's get you ready for bed, shall we?"
I grab the lotion and rub him down and then grab the diaper that he'd chosen. I reach for the shorts and pull them over the diaper, patting his butt when he stands up. I look around for the shirt, but don't see anything.
"I cuddle with Daddy," he says with a toothy grin. To prove his point, he leans forward until we're chest to chest. I can't argue that logic.
"Alright, Aussie. Let's go to bed, shall we?"
He leads me to the bedroom like he's lived here his whole life. I pull the covers down and help him get settled before crawling in beside him, bottle in mind. Aussie is looking up at me with those big, blue eyes. He turns his body into mine and opens his mouth, waiting. It's a whole new experience watching his lips wrap around the small nipple of the bottle. His hand comes up and fingers trace random patterns into my chest until his fingers finally rest over my heart.
The slight tug on the bottle whenever he sucks mesmerizes me and I just stare at him. His eyes are closed and he looks so peaceful drinking from the bottle. Fuck, he looks amazing and I will my dick to not ruin this moment for us. His fingers continue to curl and relax until he falls asleep with a quarter of the bottle left. I blindly reach behind me to put it on the nightstand and pull Austin even closer to me.
"I love you, baby. Sweet dreams." I kiss his forehead before falling asleep myself.
Thecampisgorgeous,even in the cold weather. It isn't snowing, which I know Austin is bummed about. Driving up north, he was hoping for something. He spent the two hours with his nose in a book. I'm only a little bit jealous that he can do that and not get car sick. I glance down at my phone for ten seconds and I can feel my head starting to spin like I'm on a rollercoaster. I keep the music low the whole drive, enjoying the small giggles and gasps coming from Austin as he reads. It must be a really good book.
"I think this is where we're supposed to meet the guy," I mutter. Austin puts his book down and looks around for the first time in forty minutes. Gravel crunches under my tires and I park in the closest spot to the house. It's a two story house that looks a bit rundown on the outside. The paint is peeling and one of the windows is missing the white shutters. "Do you want to wait in the car or come in with me?"
"Would you hate it if I waited?" His eyes glance from me to the tablet in his lap. I debated telling him to limit the screentime, but he's using it to read so I just let it be. Plus, he wouldn't need it the rest of the weekend. The others will be here after lunchtime and I know they'll find something to play together.
I want to talk to Garrett about Austin, making sure that he's okay to watch over him while I'm working. I'm only a bit worried. I trust Garrett with my life, but after everything with Austin's family and being in a new place, I don't know how his regression will go. Last night's scene, the way he so easily slipped into that role, has me on edge about leaving him if it isn't something he's never done without a person he trusts next to him.
"They just started to storm the castle and I'm pretty sure the guard is about to double cross the prince."
I leave him to it. It doesn't surprise me that he's reading something about castles. It's his go-to play when he doesn't have his stuffies.
The clouds above hide any warmth from the sun and I zip up my coat as I make my way up the sidewalk from the parking lot directly to the front door. I try the door, grateful that it's unlocked. The owner told me on the phone Monday that the bottom level of the house had been gutted and turned into a store of sorts. The shelves are empty, only a few non-perishable cans remain. The main desk sits directly in the middle of everything, with a white sign that says 'Registration and Check-Out'. There's a bell next to it and I tap it once.
"Just a second!" A voice calls out.
I smile when an older man comes from a back room. He wipes his hands on a towel and then sets it on the counter before holding it out for me to shake. "You must be Remington," he says.
His voice matches him perfectly. Deep, definitely southern. He's wearing a worn ballcap, frayed on the bill, a plaid shirt and jeans with dark stains. His work boots are scuffed. The definition of blue collar.
"That I am," I say. "I'm going to go on a limb and say you're Mister Patterson?"
"Eugene, please." The guy motions with an outstretched hand to a couple of chairs toward the back of the store. It's a cute nook with a table and a fabric chair on either side. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you coming out here. I got this place from my daddy when he passed away about a year ago. He used to run camps here throughout the spring and summer, but I don't know anything about bookkeeping or anything like that. We didn't do any camps this year and I'm either going to have to sell it or get it running again. I'm hoping you can help with that."
"I'll see what we can do," I say honestly. "I can take a drive around and get some quotes together for you. The drive in is beautiful, with those trees lining each side."
"My great-grandma planted half those trees," Eugene says. "I never met her, but they're beautiful in the summertime. Pink and white blossoms."
"I'll have to come back when it warms up and see them."
"As far as you driving around, I won't be having that. I've got my truck we can take around the area. I know you have some people coming up with you, right?" I nod.
"They should be here in about an hour or so. I wanted to get here first and introduce myself and all."
"The kitchen, up on the hill past this house, is unlocked and good to use. Everything was just inspected last week. Feel free to use it as much as you want. If you're in the mood for pizza,there's a store about twenty minutes East of here that delivers. Tell 'em Eugene sent ya."
"Thanks for that," I say.
"Enough chit-chattin', though. Let me show you to the cabins you can use. We have different ones here. We have the communal building, then the bunk cabins. I'm going to let you all stay in the single cabins, though. They're the nicest, with their own bathroom and all."
I follow Eugene outside. The wind is whipping around, sending a cold chill through me. I take a moment to look around. There are gravel paths leading in different directions from the parking lot. A large field is across one of them. It's about three times the size of a football field. That has a lot of promising potential, but would require maintenance of the trees and lawn. I add it to my mental checklist to add to my actual checklist on my laptop. There's what I'm assuming is a fenced in pool area with a building attached to the backside. Bathrooms and changing rooms most likely. We will not be trying that out this weekend, even if it was up and running.
Austin is still engrossed in his book when I get back in behind the wheel. He looks up briefly and smiles before tucking his chin back to his chest. "Baby, you're going to have a sore neck if you stay like that. Please prop the tablet up a bit or put it away."
