Page 20 of A Tall Order (Shade Grown Coffee Boys #1)

After dinner and another movie, where Austin actually stays awake, we share a shower together. I don't let Austin come, knowing that he would be fast asleep soon after that. Aussie slips right back into his Little space when we get out of the shower, deciding against clothes until bedtime. This is something new and something I definitely don't mind if he continues. Seeing him walking so confidently around the house butt naked is equal parts adorable and hot.

We do get a bowl of ice cream each and eat it in the kitchen. I take the time to show Austin pictures of the place we're going to. He immediately falls in love with the different playgrounds and the pictures of the cabin that we're going to share. He asks all kinds of questions about what it would mean if I secured the client, things that I'm surprised he is taking an interest in. I know he took a Business class in school, but it makes me happy that my partner is as invested in my work as I am .

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.

The camp is gorgeous, 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 screen time, 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."

He does as I ask immediately and I praise him for it. He doesn't look at me but I catch the small smile on his lips.

Eugene's truck pulls around the other side of the house and I follow slowly behind him. The place is beautiful. All the cabins are set in a large circle of sorts, surrounding another field that has a playground, a sandy volleyball court, and a small putt putt area. It's impressive and even Austin is pulled from his book .

"This place looks like so much fun," he says. "Oh, look at the putt putt course. It has dragons."

I can see his eyes lighting up and his body language change the more he takes in. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly he can go from adult to Little headspace. His happiness only grows when we park outside the cabins we'll be staying in. Even though I showed him the photos, seeing it with my own eyes, I admit they look way better. "They look like teepees! Remi, this is amazing."

"It is," I say. "I'm glad you're happy with this. Let's get inside. Make sure to grab your backpack, okay? We'll come back for the rest later."

"Yes, Daddy." He powers down his tablet and hands it over to me without fuss. He's bouncing on his toes as we walk to meet Eugene at the first cabin. There are four of the individual cabins, all lined up toward the back of the field. The other cabins are larger, more like the typical log style. There's two on each side and then what I'm assuming is the communal cabin back at the entrance where we drove in. Austin dutifully introduces himself to Eugene and then slips in the cabin before me.

The inside is simple, but cozy. There's a Queen bed, loveseat, and small table in the main part. To the left, back corner is a door I'm assuming leads to the bathroom. The place is warm, both in color and temperature.

"The mattresses are fairly new, I think three years old. We haven't had any guests the last two years, outside of friends and family using the place for events. My wife came by and stripped them clean. Fresh sheets were put on this morning for you."

Austin emerges from the bathroom with a wide smile. I'm sure he's looked to see what the shower situation is. My Boy is insatiable when it comes to us showering together. I'm far from complaining about it. Saving water and all.

"Are all the individual cabins like this?" I ask, turning my brain from shower sex to work.

"They are," Eugene says. He's still standing by the door. "I have to run a few errands so I'll let you settle and look around if you like, but I'll take you around to the rest of the land a bit later. This—" He motions outside with his keys still in his hand. "Is the bulk of it though. There's a trail with a waterfall at the end and some woods with smaller clearings. I don't really know much what they'd be used for, but I wanna make sure you can get the full picture."

"Sounds good," I say. I shake his hand once more. "You've got my number. Just call when you're ready."

Eugene tips his head to Austin and then leaves. I don't shut the door until he's a good ways away. Austin is digging into his backpack when I turn back to look at him.

"What are you doing?" I ask, curious.

"Just looking for… This." He pulls out a notebook and holds it up like I'm supposed to know what it is. I've seen it at his place before, but I've never snooped. I just assumed it might be for work or something. "It's my Remi journal. I write down all my favorite things we do together and where we do them. I just wanted to add this place in real quick before everyone else gets here."

My heart swells at those words. He's already sitting on the edge of the bed scribbling on a blank page. I join him, but don't pry at what he's writing. "Have you been keeping this journal for a while?"

Austin finishes writing and then looks up at me. "I started it about three weeks ago. I wanted to remember a joke you told me so I wrote it down but then I kept writing about what we did that day. I like being able to go back and read them, remember it. I love the photos I have, but sometimes reading it is better than just remembering. Memories can fade."

His face goes all pinched and I know the thoughts swirling inside. I know he's still worried he's going to lose me. I wrap my arm around his shoulder and pull him close. "I won't let you forget about Paul either, okay? You can write all you want. About him, me, us. I can even give you a couple of stories that might make you laugh, but we'll also make a whole lifetime of memories for you to add in. You'll need about seventy-hundred of these notebooks to write it all."

"Seventy-hundred?" Austin giggles and it's music to my ears. He pulls back and looks up at me. I can see the hint of sadness in his eyes, hidden behind the smile. "I just… I've lost a lot and now with my family and not talking to them, I don't want to lose memories too. I want to have a place I can go back and read the things we did or remember the things I've done that made me happy or laugh."

"Baby, it's okay." I kiss the top of his head. "Whatever helps you. I love you and I want you to be happy. I know that what happened with your family yesterday was a lot and you haven't had much time to process it all. Just know that whatever you need, I'm right here for you. Always."

I try to convey all the words to him. Everything I mean that I don't say. We'll have to talk about what it means for his family and discuss the boundaries that need to be set. That will happen with time, when he's ready. This weekend, the outside world doesn't exist .

"Remi?" Austin moves to bend one leg up on the mattress. He's smiling when I look at him again. "Can we go play on the swings?"

"Yeah, we can. I need you to put your coat back on, though. It's chilly out."

"Yes, Daddy!" He jumps up and claps his hands, our serious talk forgotten for now. I know he's been itching to slip into his Little space all morning.

The sun is peeking out from a cloud when we get to the playground, warming us up a smidge. The wind has died down, too. Austin lets go of my hand and makes a beeline to the swings. The playground consists of the main part that is shaped like a pirate ship. There are stairs on either side and an open doorframe to walk into the bottom of the ship. It's pretty big for a playground, enough that Austin can play on it without much issue going in and out. There is a baby swing on one end, but the others are faded blue, plastic seats on chains.

"Push me, Daddy," he says excitedly, already kicking his legs. The seats are set at different heights, but it wouldn't take much for us to adjust them if the others wanted to swing too. Austin tilts his head back and looks up at me with a wide, toothy smile. He purses his lips and I bend down to give him a kiss before gently pushing him.

We make our way from swings to the pirate ship to the sand. The cold doesn't seem to be affecting Aussie at all as he plays. I'm a bit big to climb up the pirate ship, but I still play my part of the stranded person needing rescue.

A sleek sedan driving toward us catches both of our attention at the same time. I recognize Garrett's car immediately. So does Austin at his excited squeal. "Garrett said he was bringing more toys and Riley. Can we go see what he has? "

"How about we go show him where he'll be staying this weekend and then we can ask about the toys?"

"Okay!" Austin jumps up from the sand and wipes his hands on his pants. I sigh, knowing that I'll have to brush him down— or strip him— before he steps foot inside anywhere.

Garrett is all smiles when he steps out of his car. Riley follows after, staying beside Garrett but sniffing the air. "Hey, Remington. Hey, Austin."

"Aussie!" Austin says, like he's had to remind Garrett of this a hundred times. Austin squats down to say hi to the dog and scratch behind his ear.

"Aussie, be nice," I warn him. He looks at me sheepishly.

"Sorry, Garrett," he apologizes immediately. "Can we show you where you're sleeping?"

"Lead the way."

I dig in my jean's pocket and fish out a key to hand over. Eugene handed them all to me when he gave me the one for our cabin.

"He's enjoying himself," Garrett comments as we trail behind Aussie and Riley.

"Yeah, he had a rough day yesterday with his family so I'm expecting he'll be in Little space for most the weekend. I wanted to talk to you about that, actually." We're walking a lot slower than Austin, who is halfway back to the cabins already before we even step off the grassy area. "His family brought up a bunch of stuff about his past with Paul. I know it scared him with how he's been acting today. He's been avoiding the real world since he woke up, with talking about this trip or reading a fantasy book. I'm half expecting him to regress more than he usually does. I'm actually kind of counting on it, so if it happens and I'm not around please call me. I don't care if it costs me this client."