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Charlie
“No, then he…I mean, he…” Oh, why did Austin ask such hard questions? And first thing in the morning? “Don’t you have to go to work?”
Didn’t he have someone else to help?
Another city to buy?
“You were little.” Glaring, Austin looked like a slightly rabid puppy. I couldn’t decide if he was cute or frightening. But since he wasn’t pacing, I decided it probably wasn’t cute. “You were happy but you were little. I’ve been very patient. Don’t make me regret that.”
Was twelve hours patient?
Had it even been that long?
“Um, can I have coffee first?” I should’ve probably asked to put on real clothes instead, but he’d seen me in pajamas too many times for me to worry about it at this point.
And at least they were the grown-up kind?
“Yes.” He gave a gracious nod that made me want to giggle, but I knew I had to stay big for this conversation or he’d worry even more.
He liked worrying about me…sometimes it felt like his favorite hobby.
“Would you like some?” I didn’t wait for his answer just in case he decided to quiz me again instead. “I have that chocolatey kind you like.”
Everything was better with chocolate.
“Yes, please.” He didn’t ask any more questions, but he followed me into my small kitchen, making me think he wouldn’t wait to continue our conversation. “Is that picture new? You’ve made this very homey.”
Nodding as I moved around the kitchen, grateful he’d sat down at the small table, I looked over at the fridge. “Yes, I made it last night when I was coloring with Daddy Ansel.”
I’d given Daddy one and I’d kept one. I wasn’t sure if it was the right time to bring my date up or not, but I didn’t see any point in avoiding it. If Austin was worried enough to have shown up at such a terrible hour, he wouldn’t stop until he was happy or plotting revenge.
And since I really didn’t want him plotting against Daddy…that meant I had to work on making Austin a lot less worried.
He was already a tiny bit better, though, because he just grumbled as he waited for me to finish making the coffee. I took that as a good sign and tried to explain again since I’d had a second to breathe without it feeling like he was taking over the space. “First, I think it went very well. He was nice and not weirded out by anything.”
Not even once he’d changed me.
Little me hadn’t really thought about it much at the time, but since then, big me had been trying to decide if I was going to panic. So far, I hadn’t decided. But I figured I’d put off telling Austin about that until I knew if I was embarrassed or not.
He already had enough to worry about.
Austin started to give me hisyou’re not weirdlecture, but I knew that face, so I cut him off…politely. “He took very good care of me, so you were right about him.”
Ha, he couldn’t complain if he was right.
As he frowned, probably trying to decide how to be right and angry at the same time, I kept going and teased him again. “I saw histattoos…”
I was getting so good at managing him.
Hmm, if everyone said Austin could be scary, did that make me brave?
“Really? He actually has tattoos?” Sitting up straighter, he nearly bounced out of the seat and only stayed in place because I brought him his coffee. “No one I know has seen them.”
“Because I think he sees them as…not private but special? Something like that.” Could tattoos be intimate? I needed better words but that would have to wait until after the caffeine had hit my system. “They’re about things in his life and they’re across his upper chest and they wrap over his shoulders a tiny bit but not too far.”
He still had lots of room to decorate his back.
He was going to look so pretty once he was done…or once he had more colors.
